Author's Note:
I have had this stewing in my head for about three months now and finally decided to put it down. It's a fairly straightforward chronicle of Sam Shepard and her fight against Cerberus in the game Mass Effect 2. I really blame most of the people over on the BioWare Social Network for this, as my lurking there for months on end precipitated the series of events that led to this.
As the whole character thing states, this may be Shepard's story, but Kaidan figures pretty heavily into it, so there is bound to be some... er... romance involved. It will remain fairly PG-13, as I cannot write sex scenes, but that doesn't mean there won't be angst! As for the title, I'll figure out why it is what it is when it comes to me.
As always, BioWare is the reason this series and its universe even exists, so anything in here besides the plot is theirs.
Narrows
Chapter 1
Samantha Joanne Shepard woke from a restless slumber to find her legs tangled in the sheets. She squinted around in the darkness, her eyes tracing a path across the desk, chairs, and finally to the table next to her bed, where the clock sat, its red numbers shining ominously in the half-light.
02:30
She lay back, almost angrily, as she struggled to remember what had woken her.
It's always that same dream… she thought. The one where the Reapers hang in the skies of every human world. And I can do nothing to stop them.
She quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She didn't work in hypotheticals. With that, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded across the Spartan interior of her room, the largest quarters on the Normandy SR-1.
As she looked in the mirror on her desk, she saw nothing but the sad look in her vibrant green eyes and the enormous bags underneath them.
Ever since Sovereign attacked the Citadel I have gotten less than five hours of sleep nightly. This is probably an issue. She stifled a small laugh at her own little joke, then unlocked her door and headed for the galley. A biotic's gotta eat, she mused.
As it was only 0300, only a skeleton crew was even awake. She walked right up to the food dispenser and punched in several numbers, savoring the soft clang as the granola hit the bottom of the dispenser.
"Commander. Surprised to see you up this early,"
She turned around, mortified. I should have put on my jumpsuit she frantically thought.
She spun around to find none other than the other resident biotic standing behind her, clearly amused to see the great Commander Shepard in her underwear.
"Kaidan, I should have you thrown in the brig for sneaking up on me like that!" She smacked him in the chest with her fist.
He caught her second jab gently and stared into her eyes. Those eyes… she thought absently.
The warm amber depths searched her soul for a few seconds, then he cleared his throat.
"Shepard, you aren't getting much sleep, are you," he guessed.
"No… How can you tell?" she asked, hands on her hips.
"The bags under your eyes, the six granola bars, your general irritability…" he stated, ticking off on his fingers.
"Kaidan…"
"No. Go lie down. Get some sleep. You're pushing yourself too hard."
"I didn't…"
"Sam?"
"Kaidan, stop. It's that damn Prothean cipher. I keep having dreams. About the Reapers coming back."
Kaidan's facial expression abruptly shifted from mock concern to real concern as he pulled out two chairs at the table. They both sat down, and Shepard opened a granola bar, offering a second to Kaidan.
"Thanks," he said, taking just a bit too long to pull it out of her hand.
"Kaidan, what happened before Ilos…"
He held up his hand. "Not now, Shepard"
She sighed. So NOW my subconscious tells me what's really bothering me…
"I see the Reapers. Hanging in the sky over every human colony. They're killing everyone. Some colonies are razed from orbit, others overrun with husks. It's all so real and…"
She hung her head, eyes swollen and red.
"Shep… Sam,"
Kaidan reached across the space between them and gently lifted her chin until she was looking directly at him, tears running down her face.
"It's just like on Akuze. Death, blood, screams. I'm trapped. I can't move. I just have to watch. Again."
He pulled her into his arms, the warmth emanating from his chest seeping into her. She slipped her arms around his back, hugging him tighter, never wanting to leave his embrace.
Oddly, off in the corner of her thoughts, a small voice wondered why does he smell so good?
She smiled in spite of the emotions welling up, then buried her head in his shoulder again.
Samantha Joanne Shepard woke from a restless slumber to find her legs tangled in the sheets. As she struggled to sit up, it soon became clear those were definitely NOT sheets, and this was definitely NOT her room on the Normandy. There were instruments beeping and everything was obscured in a haze.
"There, on the monitor. Something's wrong."
She faintly heard several voices, but it was hard to understand. Suddenly her entire body was on fire. She reached her arm up to pull herself out of the bed, but a woman gently pushed it back down.
"Damnit, Wilson, give her the sedative!"
Sedative? Wilson?
As her mind struggled to process all that was going on, she felt another presence, this time a cool, comforting one, which draped over her like a veil. As the pain went away, she could vaguely make out a silhouette over her, looking down with the utmost concern.
Kaidan?
And then she was gone.