Things Worth Keeping

A Mass Effect 2 Story in Seven-Odd Parts by Urdaniel

Author's Notes: Bioware/EA owns all applicable characters and trademarks (e.g., names). Rated M for language and innuendo only; there is no sex - explicit or otherwise - so if that's what you're looking for, move on, nothing to see here. Critiques are welcome; flames will be deleted, unremarked.

A special shout out goes to the Jackolytes on the Jack discussion thread (Into the Bad Girl: Jack Fans) on the Bioware Social site. Don't want to miss out on mentioning anyone, so I'll just credit all of them for some of the ideas that have made (and will make) their way into this narrative. Should they read this, they'll know who they are. :) I'm not going to claim I've gotten Jack's character and tone down 100%, but I think I came reasonably close.

Finally, each Day's titles are my little homage to the old Traveller tabletop RPG's ship naming conventions.

[2010.05.07]

Day 1: Arrival Beginning

"Are we there yet, Shepard?"

Gabriel turned from the shuttle window to look at the slight figure sitting across from him in the passenger cabin. Jack's scarred, tattooed fingers drummed restlessly on the thighs of her jeans, and every so often she thumped the heel of one boot against the deck plating in obvious impatience. It was beginning to annoy him. But the feeling was easily quashed whenever her eyes settled, still uneasily, on his own before quickly pulling away. Damn she's got gorgeous eyes. Besides, I knew what I was getting into with her, he thought to himself before answering.

"Almost. It's not much, but it's what I have."

"Shit. I've been in dumps before. Not gonna bother me unless it's in the middle of a freaking jungle. So long as it's quiet and there's no one underfoot but us, I'll be happy. Ship was getting too cramped and noisy anyway." Jack's fingers ceased their motions long enough for one hand to check that the Carnifex locked to her left hip was still there.

"Yeah. Going to be that way for at least another month, Illium Standard." Gabriel briefly called up his omni-tool to check on the repair schedules and see if he had any messages. There were two he was looking for in particular, and there they were. Ah good. Mordin and Ahern came through. Satisfied, he dismissed the omni-tool and turned back to Jack.

"Aria and Liara have been pretty good about getting us the parts we need, but between transit time and making sure Cerberus hasn't booby-trapped any of the replacements, it's going slower than I would have liked."

"We just blew the Collectors into bits and already you want to go looking for the next fire to put out. Don't you ever take a fucking day off?"

"This from someone who isn't happy unless she's shooting at something or blowing something up."

"Hey, I like to take breaks too. Gives me time to scrounge up more ammo." Jack's grin was sly, bordering on the evil. "But you, Shepard? You're always looking for someone or something to save and then you go do it. With the galaxy as fucked up as it is, you're on call all the damn time."

"Well we're here, aren't we?" Gabriel said, shaking his head. "Or nearly there. And you know why I want the Normandy up and running ASAP. It's safer if we keep moving. I didn't make any friends when I blew off the Illusive Man. Boy, was he-"

Gabriel stopped mid-sentence as a muffled snort from Jack interrupted him. Puzzled, he looked at her as the snort developed into a full-on belly laugh. It took a couple more seconds for him to realize what had triggered it.

"Real funny, Jack. You know what I meant. So I said it wrong."

"Course I do," she said, in between guffaws. "And you sure did. Figured you for a Cerberus lapdog when we first met, but the image! Fucking priceless."

"Well at least you're laughing. And with no space stations crashing into Hanar moons too. Guess I should count myself lucky, getting off light like that."

His words brought a renewed round of laughter, and a flush finally colored Gabriel's cheeks as he realized he'd walked into it again. But then a mischievous thought entered his head.

"You know what, Jack? I am lucky. I'm alive and I'm here," Gabriel paused a beat, then delivered the riposte, his expression deadpan-serious. "With you."

Jack's laughter stopped dead. Her eyes narrowed, then widened, while she shook her head from side to side, consternation written on her features as plainly as the tattoos inked into her flesh.

"Asshole," she said, under her breath. Gabriel made a show of not hearing her clearly.

"What was that?"

"I said, damn straight you're lucky to be alive and here where I can watch your ass. Might get it shot off otherwise, running around like a fucking pyjak."

Gabriel smiled as Jack pointedly refused to meet his gaze.

"Oh, and by the way? We're here." He had barely gotten the words out when the shuttle settled down, with the slightest of bumps, onto the sands of Intai'sei.

"Well it's not a jungle," Jack said, as the shuttle door levered open and the planet's atmosphere rushed in. The wind was so hot and dry that Gabriel felt as if it were sucking the moisture out of his body through his armor and kinetic barriers. That there was a mild sandstorm didn't help matters at all.

"Good thing I brought my breather." Gabriel watched as Jack took the device from a belt pouch and fitted it over her face, even as her other hand went to her temple to activate her visor, the bronze-hued field springing up to cover her eyes.

"You really know how to treat a girl right, Shepard." Ignoring the boarding ramp, Jack hopped out of the shuttle with her duffel bag in one hand, her boots raising a puff of sand as she landed.

"I won it in a bet, okay? Not like I had a choice where it was built." Gabriel's answer was testy as he checked the military pack clamped to his rear weapons harness, fitted his own helmet into place, and followed, although he opted for the ramp.

"What were you playing? Skyllian-Five with a one-cred limit? Make that a half-cred limit."

"No-safety-protocols simulation of a survival scenario from the First Contact War, actually."

"No shit? No safety protocols as in 'one mistake and you're slagged for real?'" Gabriel could almost see Jack's eyes go round behind her visor.

"Yes. And if you behave, I might even take you to Pinnacle Station to try it before we head back to Illium."

"Hell yeah! I'll be good. Promise." Jack used one finger to describe a cross over her heart, a gesture Gabriel had only ever seen in a Codex entry.

"So which way?"

"Well, seeing as how it's still the only prefab around for several klicks, I'd say it's right over there."

Gabriel pointed to the rather weathered structure raised almost forlornly on support columns less than a hundred meters away. Without waiting for him, Jack set off at a vigorous pace, her boots making imprints that were quickly erased by the wind.

"C'mon Shepard! I wanna get out of this damn sun. Bad for the skin."

Shaking his head, there was nothing for Gabriel to do but follow.

"Well it's not a dump," Jack said, the inner airlock door cycling shut behind them as they stood in the apartment's entryway. Gabriel followed her as she walked down the short hallway and turned right, going through the door that led to the main living area.

"Bit too military for that, really," she went on, eying the weapon and grenade racks on the otherwise-bare walls and the medi-gel dispenser in the corner, even as she dropped her duffel on one of the bedside tables.

"Which is good," she added quickly as Gabriel let out a small sigh. "No really, I like it. And it, it- it fits you! Yeah, that's it."

"I never got the chance to renovate after I won it," Gabriel said, his voice sounding tired even to his own ears, although it was mostly frustration at feeling like he needed to defend himself and his home-away-from-Normandy.

"And I haven't been back in nearly three years. I'm surprised it's even still here."

"I said I liked it."

"Thank you. I think."

Gabriel moved to one of the weapon racks, unclamped his weapons from his armor, and placed them one by one into the wall recesses before removing his backpack and setting it down by the clothes closet. That done, he started to unlatch armor pieces from the sealed body glove he wore underneath the suit, all with an eye to storing them in the locker built in between two of the wall-mounted racks. He was about to open the locker hatch when Jack interrupted him.

"Yo, bossman. You think that's a good idea?"

Jack had taken off her breather and shut down her visor, once more giving Gabriel an unobstructed look at her face. She was leaning against the wall just beside the door, her arms crossed in front of her, her brow wrinkled in concern.

"What's not a good idea? I'm not leaving my armor on the floor," Gabriel said, uncomprehending, one hand frozen in the act of tabbing open the hatch.

"I'm just saying. Cerberus knows about this apartment, right? And since they're after, well, all of us, aren't you worried about booby traps or something?"

"Oh that. Mordin called in some of his favors with the STG. They sent some of their people who were on rotation at Pinnacle Station to sweep the place for bugs and traps just before we arrived. If they didn't find anything, there's nothing to find. And they didn't. When I said I hadn't been back in three years, I didn't mean no one had."

"Jack, I've taken you into some dangerous, shitty-ass places. But I always made sure everyone knew we were expecting trouble. I'd have told you if that was the case here," Gabriel said, as he finished stowing his armor in the locker and walked back toward her, stopping a little less than an arm's length from where she stood.

"Yeah, you would've. But I just, well-"

Her voice trailed off, and she looked away.

"I know. And thanks."

Gabriel moved to one side so he could look her in the eye before smiling.

"I mean, I didn't want to get my ass blown off because you did something stupid," Jack said, eyes blazing.

"Perfectly understandable," Gabriel said, still smiling as he walked toward the small kitchen space. "So what did you want for dinner?"

"Well that was pretty good as far as milrats go. Not as good as Gardner's stuff has been lately, but I ain't picky. Shame there wasn't any beer, though."

Gabriel looked over at Jack from where he stood near the garbage recycler. From the kitchen's elevated vantage point relative to the area immediately adjacent the panoramic outside windows, he could see down into the well where the coffee table, sound system, and sofa were located.

Jack was sitting on the left side of the couch and resting her left arm along its back, her right hand busy undoing her belt and the top of her jeans before lowering the fastener a centimeter or two to relieve the pressure on her stomach. Her black combat vest had been discarded just before they had tucked into dinner, and was lying in a shapeless heap on the floor just behind the sofa. Which left Jack in a black tank top whose straps ended in a collar that encircled her neck; while it showed a fair amount of tattoo-inscribed skin, it didn't show anywhere near as much as the outfit she had been wearing when she had first boarded Normandy.

It looks good on her though, Gabriel decided. Maybe I should have told her that when she first picked it up. Oh well.

"Before you ask, yes, the food was scanned," was what he said instead, before turning back to the almost Herculean labor of clearing away the remains of their meal; between the two of them, they could put away enough food to feed six non-biotics. Gabriel didn't mind having to eat so much, though it could be inconvenient when pressed for time or even impossible under strict rationing. But he had always liked eating and had always liked women who didn't eat like birds, which made Jack - in that regard at least - a perfect fit.

"The STG brought the food here, but Ahern chose most of it," he went on. "I just told him to send enough to feed a platoon for a week. Good thing too. At this rate, it'll probably be just enough."

"And as for the beer, Pinnacle is still a military installation. If anyone had a private stash, no one was interested in sharing. And Ahern didn't leave anything in here when he handed it over to me. I looked."

"Bah. Lame. Really lame. I knew I shoulda brought something."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have left packing till the absolute last minute."

Jack's only answer was a snort. Gabriel shrugged and finished shoving the last of the trays and utensils into the recycler. Securing the door, he pressed the button that initiated processing then walked back to the sleeping area, already pulling off the upper half of his body glove so he could change into something more comfortable. He was bending over to pull the rest of it off his feet when a wolf whistle interrupted him.

He turned, the body glove still tangled around his feet, to see Jack kneeling on the sofa, the thumb and index finger of her right hand in her mouth while her left hand supported her on the back of the sofa. She whistled once more before taking her fingers out of her mouth. The grin she gave him was more leer than smile, and Gabriel did a full turn - careful not to trip over his own feet - before giving her a mocking bow.

"Happy? Got a good look?" he said, feeling a flush crawl up his face for the second time that day.

"Oh yeah," Jack replied, still leering. "You always did have a nice ass. Taylor is okay, but Krios is like a fucking plank. And don't get me started on Solus, Grunt, or Vakarian-"

"I would have thought you'd seen it all before."

Gabriel finally finished removing the body glove and took a comfortable t-shirt and a pair of boxers from his pack. Going to have to put those all in the closet later, he told himself, even as he stuffed the body glove into the cleaning receptacle beside the armor locker.

"Well duh. Of course I have. I just haven't seen such a complete package - heh, package - all on one fella. You sure the cheerleader didn't tweak a few things when she rebuilt you?"

"I think the Illusive Man would have had something to say about that," Gabriel said, pulling on his clothes and walking back to where Jack was. "Probably along the lines of wasting money."

"No sense of humor, that guy. If you're gonna rebuild, why not improve while you're at it? And mind the vest."

Gabriel stopped short and looked down suspiciously at the pile of ballistic fiber, fasteners, and assorted bits of gear.

"Don't want to step on the grenades," Jack went on, grinning as she flopped back into a more normal position on the couch. Gabriel picked up the vest and carefully hung it off the back of the nearest chair.

"They're safed. Just didn't want you to twist your ankle or something."

"Very considerate of you."

Gabriel sat down next to Jack on the couch while still keeping a little distance between them. He leaned back himself, resting his elbows on the sofa back and looking out at what promised to be another beautiful Intai'sei sunset. The dust storms had died down, but there were still enough particles in the atmosphere to give the light a vibrant crimson hue.

"Why the fuck are you all the way over there?"

At the question, Gabriel turned to her and found himself admiring the way the deepening ruby light played across the planes of her face. While it was a great view - to his mind better than the sunset outside, though Jack would scoff if he ever said it to her face - he wished he could see her eyes more clearly. As it was, he couldn't reply for the space of a few heartbeats.

"I said I wouldn't do anything to make you uncomfortable, Jack. And I meant it."

"Shit. A bit late for that now," Jack said. "You brought me to Pragia-"

"You asked."

"Whatever. Then to Horizon. Then that damned Collector ship. Then a bunch of shithole planets. Then the fucking center of the fucking galaxy where we all nearly bought it. And now you try and feed me some bullshit line about not doing anything to make me uncomfortable? Get your ass over here."

"As you wish," Gabriel replied, unabashedly stealing a line from one of his favorite books. Not that Jack would understand the reference, or so he thought. But she looked at him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face.

"You might be Westley, but I ain't Buttercup. God no. What?" she said, apparently noticing the look of surprise that Gabriel was sure was on his face. "I've read some shit, maybe not a lot, but some. I might - and I mean might - even have liked some of it."

"Besides," she said, the heat rising in her voice to the point where it was almost palpable, "I came up to your room just before we hit the Omega-4 Relay, didn't I? If you sitting right next to me was enough to make me uncomfortable, I would've stayed in Engineering. Are you always so fucking clueless? Or are you trying to handle me with kid gloves?"

"Maybe a little, yes," Gabriel admitted, suddenly uncomfortable in the realization that that was exactly what he had been doing.

"I got baggage, Shepard. But I ain't broken. You don't got to treat me like glass. You want broken? That's what your ass is gonna be if you don't get it over here, right fucking now."

"Well, coming to my quarters could have been pre-shitstorm - as Joker would put it - nerves," Gabriel temporized, trying to get his own feelings back on an even keel. "I didn't want to assume anything, because it makes an ass-"

"Don't you finish that sentence, Shepard. Or so help me I'm gonna punch you so fucking hard you'll go into orbit. And you're still all the way over there," she said, the distinct blue-black corona of a mass effect field beginning to play over her skin.

"Fine, fine," Gabriel said, finally sliding next to her and placing one arm around her shoulders. The minute he did, the field disappeared and Jack seemed to relax; Gabriel found himself relaxing in turn. The contact felt good, even right, and he made up his mind to try and treat Jack a little more normally. He just hoped he could pull it off.

"Better?"

"Better," Jack said, resting her head on his shoulder. But then her head came up and she looked around, seemingly anxious.

"Jack? Something wrong?"

"You sure there aren't any bugs?"

"Well the STG knows what it's doing, so yes I'm sure," he said. "Though I could use my omni-tool and check again."

"No, it's okay."

Jack settled back down and said nothing for a while.

"I just wanted to make sure no one else could see," she finally said, voice pitched so low Gabriel had to strain to hear. "I got a reputation to keep up, y'know?"

"Um, Jack?" Gabriel began, but paused, his breath catching in his throat as she looked up at him with her expressive brown eyes, her full lips parted just enough to reveal the white of her teeth.

"I mean," he said, tripping over the words for the briefest of instants before finding his footing. "EDI knows you came up to my quarters. And what she knows, Joker knows. And he's got a mouth on him, so it's a safe bet the whole squad knows. Maybe even the entire crew by now. And they all know we flew off to Intai'sei. They probably think we're knocking boots non-stop. Even though we haven't."

"I don't care if they think we're fucking, Shepard. Between the ink and the attitude, everyone thinks it's pretty much a given. I don't want them to think that we're doing this."

"What, cuddling?" Gabriel said, the words emerging before comprehension dawned in his mind.

"Oh, of course. Don't want to look soft."

"Soft means mark, Shepard," she said, looking away.

"What about me?"

"You're different."

As if emphasizing her statement, Jack nestled closer, although she still didn't look at him.

"And stop fishing. I'm not biting."

"Can't slip anything by you, can I?"

"Damn straight you can't."

Jack raised her head again, this time to look out the windows.

"That's a pretty sunset, right? I mean, I didn't get to see a lot of them. Between Teltin and stations and prisons and all."

"Yes, yes it is, actually. Very pretty."

Gabriel felt her trying to get an arm around his waist and leaned slightly forward to let her, feeling a warmth out of all proportion to the actual heat from her proximity.

"Good. Just didn't want to be wrong, y'know? Anyway, really full. Kinda sleepy-" Gabriel chuckled when Jack began to softly snore almost before she had finished talking.

He let her stay that way for a while before slowly and very, very, carefully picking her up and taking her to the bed. She stirred once and curled into a fetal position when he pulled off her boots, but otherwise stayed asleep. He tucked her in before climbing in beside her, turning on his side and laying one arm protectively, but lightly, across her torso. Then he dimmed the lights and watched her face in repose until sleep claimed him in turn.

~ End Day 1 ~