A/N: This is my first Mass Effect fic and I will tell you this; I think that although Mark Meer did a great job, Jennifer Hale is Commander Shepard. Hence why any Mass Effect fics I do will be femshep. And this one is a little drabble that came to mind a while back...and yes, I will be updating ALL of my stories soon. Don't forget to review!
While in Vancouver, under Alliance lockup, Shepard discovered a new-found obsession: maple syrup. Having grown up on the streets in the old New York, and then being an Alliance soldier who had been through everything—from a thresher maw attack to becoming a spectre to dying and coming back alive—she had never really had time for such delicacies. But when she had nothing to do but be interrogated, tested, and fed, Jane found this topping for pancakes. Vega would laugh at her for her fascination and love of it, but after one training session (she would give pointers to the younger man while he helped her keep in shape) where he made a jab about her syrup, it became a serious topic of conversation with them. Whenever Anderson would visit her he would always bring a bottle of Canadian Maple Syrup, or sometimes some from Vermont.
And now, on the Normandy, she had none. Between all the missions and having to unite ancient enemies while figure out a way to stop the Reapers Jane had no time to get her fix of syrup. Or play nice and within regulations with Kaidan Alenko…not that she wanted anything to do with him. She did, deep in her heart, truly still love him, but after Horizon and his constant mistrust of her, Commander Shepard was regretting having the L2 back onboard. He wasn't distracting just her: Diana Allers, and that horrible doctor that Chakwas had agreed to take on as an assistant. Apparently Jane held no attraction for him anymore, or that's what she thought. She thought that until the one day he was watching, along with other crew members, as she sparred with Garrus. Their flirting and flippant remarks would have sounded like ones that a couple used if you didn't know that even though there was no Vakarian without Shepard, they weren't romantically involved. Alenko stiffened and was as straight as a plank of wood the entire fight, and afterwards couldn't seem to leave fast enough. That was just the beginning of Shepard's suspicions that he wasn't as over her as he had said.
And then the syrup thing was brought up. James had smuggled a bottle onboard for her somehow and had given it to Jane as a present out of the blue, simply to cheer her up. Jane had given him a big kiss on the cheek, purposefully making it like an older sister's would be, and through all the commotion and explaining that the bottle was full of a condiment and not liquor, and she and Vega were not together, she didn't notice Kaidan had left until she turned to say something to him. Jane hid the disappointment on her face well, or so she thought—both Garrus and Liara cornered her later that day about it. The Commander found she was horrible at lying and ended up confessing her remaining feelings for the man to them. They both comforted her in their own way, and discreetly visited Kaidan afterwards.
That night, well past midnight, Jane was in her cabin working. It was just another sleepless night she had resigned herself to. With a datapad or two in one hand, and her omni-tool open on the other wrist, she walked off the elevator and into the CIC. She didn't look up until she ran into something warm and very solid and very strong. Jane looked up into the brown eyes of Kaidan Alenko. At once her heart fluttered and her stomach churned, but the commander of the Normandy let none of it show. Instead she stepped around him—or rather, she tried to. He only moved to block her, and stopped her from going past him. Jane scowled and all feelings of affection and arousal left her body.
"Can I help you, Major?" She asked. Her voice came out more steely and icy than she had intended, but oh well.
"I don't know, Commander. Maybe it's I who needs to help you." Jane scoffed at that.
"And what is it I need help from you with?" Kaidan stepped forward, and Jane stepped back. This continued until the metal of the wall was pressed against her back and Kaidan's face was only a few centimeters away from her own.
"I don't know, Commander, maybe you could tell me?" He asked with a low and husky voice. Jane swallowed hard, and attempted to control her breathing. "Or are you too scared to mention it?" He asked, his voice lower and quieter and if possible huskier. "Or maybe…" he whispered, licking his lips, "you just need to show me what it is you need help with?" And with that he kissed her. Jane's green eyes were wide open, and it took all of 4 seconds before she had dropped the datapads and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kaidan took this as a sign that she wasn't displeased with his actions and wrapped his own arms around her waist. He ran his hands up and down her sides, making the commander moan into his mouth. Kaidan let out his personal sounds of approval when her fingers began massaging the base of his head and back of his neck where the L2 implant was.
They broke apart to breathe, Jane blushing. "Is there anybody—" Kaidan hushed her with a quick kiss on the lips. "I made sure we were alone." He whispered in the same voice as before. "Though your cabin might give us even more privacy." He said. Jane shivered and kissed him slowly, passionately, putting all of her pent up feelings into the movement. Kaidan was the one to pull back first. "Shepard…" he said, his voice strained slightly. Jane giggled and pressed her body even closer to his. "It's Jane, remember?" She asked playfully. This time it was her turn: her eyes went big and her breath caught in her throat as his leg pushed between hers and her back got pressed against the wall again. "Oh, I remember. Shall we go now?" He asked. Thankfully his voice was back to the purring and sensual sound it had been before.
Within minutes the two of them were gone and in her cabin. After a brief session of…making up, and taking care of what had happened in the CIC, they talked. It was almost 4 in the morning by the time they made love again and went to sleep. They had spoken of Horizon, and the younger doctor that was a guest (an unwelcome one in Shepard's mind), and many other things. Like the bottle of syrup and how she had been acting with Garrus and Vega. The day had yet to begin, and Jane's alarm had yet to go off, when Kaidan woke up. The little bit of sleep he had just had had been the best sleep he had gotten in a very long time. And the fact that Jane was curled up in the side of his body, her head resting on his chest and her legs tangled with his, made it all the better. He smiled and gently brushed her hair out of her face. Her breathing was heavy and even and slow, and made him think of times without Reapers, possibly in the future, for them.