This is my first Mass Effect fiction. Please let me know what you think! I love the Ryder/Vidal romance because of their witty banter and realistic flirting. I just wish that the game had more of a story line for their romance! And sex in a cave? Are we for real? I will be sticking to the story for some parts and deviating at others to make it more realistic.

Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!

Ryder

I should have known Lila Ryder thought to herself when she finally found Reyes. He was crouched in Sloane's storage room rummaging through crates, clearly looking for something. "'Take the night off. Come out for a drink.' Should've known you were up to something." She said, cocking her hip.

Reyes shot up, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. "Ryder! It's not what it looks like."

"So you didn't use me as a distraction to go through Sloane's stuff?" She glared, but only slightly. God, why did I let myself think that he actually liked me?

Reyes relaxed and stated "Okay, yes. But it's for both our benefit! I promise." Another promise. No surprise there.

"You've been making a lot of promises-". Ryder was cut off by Reyes leaning to look around her. She could hear it, too. Someone was coming.

"Shit! Someone's coming! We need a distraction!" Reyes looked frantic. Fuck, what could we do? Without thinking Ryder grabbed Reyes and kissed him. He tensed at first before sinking into the kiss. Ryder suddenly forgot why they were kissing and pulled Reyes closer. Ryder parted her lips just enough to let her tongue slip out and taste his lips. Reyes responded with a soft moan before grabbing her waist and responding by tangling his tongue with hers.

"Oh," a guard came around the corner, then cleared her throat. "Sorry," she said and retreated. Ryder almost groaned as Reyes pulled back to check if the guard was still there. When his eyes met Ryder's, she felt the intensity of the kiss they'd just shared.

"I think we're in the clear." He spoke, his voice a little rougher than before.

"Maybe another kiss? Just to be sure." Ryder couldn't help herself. There was something about this man that she found irresistible.

Reyes responded with a low chuckle. "Now you're just teasing me." He moved away and Ryder responded with a chuckle of her own. Reyes then climbed up a stack of crates and began digging around. Ryder couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his lean frame and rest on his ass, which was prominently displayed in front of her. "Finally! Here it is." Reyes said before turning to show Ryder a bottle of whiskey. He jumped down with a grunt. Ryder was annoyed.

"That's what this was all about? Whiskey?" Ryder put her hands on her hips and waited for Reyes to give her a logical explanation.

"The only bottle of Mount Milgrom in Andromeda. Triple-distilled and 645 years old. This isn't whiskey," Reyes cradled the bottle as if it were a baby "it's treasure."

Ryder smirked. "I hope you're planning on sharing."

Reyes chuckled. "We'll see... let's get out of here," he said as he grabbed Ryder's hand and ran with her out of the storage room. They ran from Outcast headquarters and Reyes led Ryder to a part of Kadara Port that she hadn't seen before. The back alleyway behind the stores and Kralla's song were honestly a little dirtier than what she had seen in the rest of the port. Sketchy looking people were milling about along the alley. No one bothered to look up at Reyes and Ryder as they passed through. Eventually they came to a turn in the alley. The path was deserted and led to a ladder at the end.

"You're not planning on murdering me in a back alley, are you?" Ryder teased.

Reyes chuckled, stopped and gazed down at her, nearly chest to chest. "No, but I can think of other things we could do in an empty alley," he spoke in deeper voice, clearly meant to tease Ryder.

"Now who's the tease?" She asked and Reyes simply laughed before turning back towards the end of the alley.

"Come on, I want to show you my favorite part of Kadara." He tugged gently on her hand as he led her to the ladder. "Ladies first," he said in his usual suave tone, smirking and gesturing to the ladder. Ryder smirked at him, folding her arms across her chest. "What? I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"Sure..." she replied, teasing him before beginning to climb. The ladder led to an upper deck overlooking the market area and just beyond that was the entrance to Outcast headquarters. Beyond that, the Kadara mountains were visible. For a dirty planet, this view is actually breathtaking. Ryder felt Reyes' hand on the small of her back before he spoke in her ear.

"What do you think?" He spoke softly, his breath tickling her ear and sending goosebumps down her arms. Ryder turned to meet his eyes and their noses nearly grazed each others.

"I've seen better," she teased and he laughed softly before walking away. Ryder shivered from the loss of heat from his previous proximity before following him to the edge of the upper deck. Reyes climbed onto a crate at the edge of the deck and sat with his legs dangling over the edge, sitting near the corner. Ryder positioned herself on the other side of the corner, her back slightly towards him, but facing the mountain line. A moment later, the opened whiskey bottle was presented to her.

"Ladies first," he gave her closed mouth smile when Ryder looked over. She took the bottle with a nod and took a swig. The sweet, yet sour taste of the whiskey burned her chest as it went down, but it was a welcomed feeling. It had been a long time since Ryder had drank hard liquor, especially a long time since she drank straight from the bottle. She handed it back to Reyes and he took his swig, his eyes never leaving hers. After a brief pause, Reyes handed the bottle back to Ryder and looked out over Kadara Port. Ryder took the bottle back and they sat in silence for a minute, passing the bottle back and forth, just enjoying each other's company.

"Is Andromeda everything you hoped it would be?" Reyes asked, breaking the silence.

Ryder sighed before responding. "Every day's an adventure, even my nights off are interesting." Ryder turned slightly "what about you?" Ryder passed the bottle to Reyes. "Why did you come here, Reyes?"

Reyes paused and took a swig before responding. "To be someone." His voice was low and sounded like it was filled with regret. The emotion in his statement made Ryder's heart ache for him and she slid herself next to Reyes.

"You're someone to me," she spoke honestly. Ryder's heart pounded through her chest, fearing possible rejection. Reyes' eyes met Ryder's, the heat in them palpable. He tenderly touched her cheek.

"I'm starting to think that kiss was more than just a distraction," he spoke, lowering his voice slightly before pulling Ryder closer and kissing her passionately. Ryder leaned into Reyes, parting her lips to let his tongue enter. Ryder moaned softly as Reyes deepened the kiss, his hand sinking into her hair, gently tugging her face closer to his.

The sound of a drunk Kadaran complaining about the smell below caused both of them to laugh into the kiss before pulling back slightly. Ryder looked up at Reyes and he gave her one last soft, lippy kiss before pulling back and taking another sip of whiskey. Reyes' omni-tool pinged and he handed the whiskey to Ryder before checking it, turning just so that Ryder couldn't see the message. Ryder watched Reyes' face as he looked concerned for a moment before closing the message and turning to her.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," he stated before climbing down from the crate. He helped Ryder down and explained "I've got some confiscated beer back at my place."

"Confiscated?" Ryder teased with an arched eyebrow. Reyes just winked at her and took her hand again leading her back to the ladder.