** Just a little something for the Zaeed fans out there - and those who want to see Kaidan suffer! **
I originally planned this as a One-Shot, but I think it may be more - Zaeed deserves more!
Mature Rating for Sexual Situations, Language, and, well, ZAEED!
Much love to my amazing Beta Reader, Lisa, who has completely changed my life! You are the best!
"Fuck, no! Not today!" Alyssa Shepard yelled, staring at the screen of her private terminal in her quarters on board the SSV Normandy.
Alyssa, 'Hero of the Citadel' and now newly-dubbed 'Savior of the Human Race' had just successfully completed yet another suicide mission to save the galaxy. She had led a team of twelve on a rescue mission through the unmapped Omega-IV Relay, destroyed a Collector base, and returned alive, all without losing one single member of her crew. For most people, that would be a miracle. For Shepard, it was just another day at the office.
One would think that any woman who could accomplish such a task would be able to tackle anything. And, yet, here was the great Commander Shepard, brought to her knees by a message on her computer.
She stared at the screen, massaging her temples, praying the email would vanish. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them.
No, it was still there. Well, nothing to do now but open it.
Well, she could delete it. Her curiosity wouldn't allow that, however. So, she reached a tentative finger toward the keyboard and clicked the 'open' button.
To: Commander Alyssa Shepard, SSV Normandy
From: Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko
RE: Omega-IV Relay Activation
Alyssa,
I spoke to Councilor Anderson today and he informed me that your mission through the Omega-IV relay had been successful. He also told me of your recent meeting with the Council and your reinstatement into the Alliance.
Congratulations, Aly! I knew you would find a way to destroy the Collectors and come back alive. I only wish I had been with you. Dammit, I should have been with you! Why didn't you tell me what you were planning? The thought that you might have died before we could even speak again has kept me up for more nights than I can count!
When Anderson told me that a ship had passed through the Omega-IV and we had no idea of its fate, I felt so powerless! I knew it had to be you. And the thought that I could lose you again, after just having gotten you back, was almost more than I could stand.
Anderson and I practically held vigil in his office until news arrived that the Omega-IV had once again been activated and the ship coming back was identified as the Normandy. Still, there was no news as to the condition of the crew on board. It wasn't until today that it was confirmed that you were on board and safe. Aly, I can't even begin to tell you how it felt to know that you would be coming home again!
I know the things that I said on Horizon were horrible and I know that I can't just expect you to run back to me, as much as I want that to be the case.
Please give me a chance to explain everything to you in person. I need to see you!
I know you will be visiting the Citadel soon. Please let me know when you will be here and I will be waiting.
I love you, Aly. I know I should have said that on Horizon, but I was just so confused. Never again!
Hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Kaidan
Shepard stared at the screen, reading the message several times before reaching forward and hitting the 'delete' key.
o~~~~~~~~o
Shepard was making her daily rounds, visiting the crew, when she was stopped by the ever-cheerful voice of her assistant, Kelly Chambers. "Morning, Commander!" Kelly called out across the CIC, "Happy Birthday!"
Shepard froze in place and turned toward the yeoman, a look of disbelief in her eyes. Did she just announce to this entire crew that today was my birthday? Shepard thought to herself. Please tell me I didn't hear that correctly.
Kelly's ever-present smile faltered as she saw the look on the Commander's face. "Shepard? Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
Knowing that her only options were to shoot the woman or respond, and she didn't have her Widow with her, Shepard moved forward and forced a smile onto her face. "I'm fine, Kelly. Thank you for the birthday wishes, although I wish you hadn't been quite so exuberant with the announcement."
Chambers, no longer afraid she might be killed at any moment, resumed her usual jovial smiling and answered. "Everyone already knows it's your birthday, Commander! How could we plan a party without knowing the proper date?"
"Great Kelly. Now we're all gonna die!" came a voice over Shepard's earpiece. Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, self dubbed genius pilot of the Normandy, groaned loudly before adding, in a quiet voice, "So, Aly, how about starting with Kelly so I have time to get away?"
Shepard, smiling weakly, shook her head and replied, "It's alright, Joker. Guess it's not every day that a girl turns 30, right? So, where is the big celebration, anyway?"
Kelly's face brightened and she smiled warmly, "At the Dark Star, of course! We will be reaching the Citadel in just a few hours and we thought we should party at your favorite bar."
Thinking of the email she had just deleted, Shepard said in a quiet voice, "This is a PRIVATE party, right Joker? I mean, no unwanted visitors can get in?"
Joker chuckled wickedly and replied, "Don't worry, Aly, there will be no uninvited Staff Commanders in attendance! We made sure to get a private room in the back. You have your own dance floor and everything!
Which", Joker added, the laughter evident in his voice, "is probably a good thing for all concerned. We wouldn't want to scare the other patrons with your dancing, now would we, Commander?"
"Joker," Shepard said in the quiet 'commander' voice which always scared the crew, "I am going to come up there and break several parts of your rickety bone ass, just as soon as I have my morning coffee, do you understand?"
The cockpit was silent, then she heard the laughter again. "Yes, ma'am! And could you put three sugars in mine when you bring it?" You know, if I didn't love that guy so much, Shepard thought to herself, I would airlock him - I swear I would!
Instead, she smiled at Kelly and said, "Yeah, I'll get right on that, asshole!" Then she stepped into the elevator and headed to the mess hall.
o~~~~~~~~o
Shepard continued her rounds, visiting all her team members, and stopped by to grab two coffees and a couple of bagels from Rupert in the kitchen, before heading down to her favorite hidey-hole, deep in the bowels of the ship.
As she entered the darkened room, she heard a voice from the far corner, "Happy Birthday, bitch!"
Shepard laughed, and plopped down on the floor, handing a coffee and bagel to the tattooed woman lying on the cot against the wall. Jack, or 'Subject Zero' as she had once been known, had become Shepard's closest friend over the last several months. The women spent long hours together in the engine room of the ship, often saying nothing at all, just enjoying the quiet hum of the engines.
o~~~~~~~~o
If someone had told Shepard a few years ago that her best friend would be a psychotic murderer from a prison ship, she would have laughed in their face. But dying can change a person.
And Shepard did die. She was 'spaced' when the original SSV Normandy had been destroyed by an alien race known as the Collectors.
Shepard's body had been recovered; and after passing through a few organizations, ended up with Cerberus, a Pro-Human splinter group intent on destroying the Reapers, the sentient machines that threatened the galaxy. Cerberus spent two years and billions of credits resurrecting Shepard. Then they tasked her with saving human colonies from attack by an unknown enemy.
Cerberus wasn't exactly the 'Poster' organization for human development. They were marked as terrorists, and for good reason. Shepard, herself, had destroyed several of their facilities while searching for Saren, a rogue Spectre, years earlier.
However, Cerberus was the only group actively working to stop the abduction of entire human colonies, so Shepard had agreed to work with them. She had built the most unique and powerful team the galaxy had ever seen to take on the Collectors. Among them were four members of the original Normandy crew and Shepard's closest allies: Tali'zorah vas Normandy, a Quarian engineer; Garrus Vakarian, a Turian vigilante,; Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, the Normandy's ace pilot, and Dr. Elizabeth Chakwas, former Alliance doctor.
The most notable absence in the list of Shepard's supporters was Kaidan Alenko, whom Shepard had been romantically involved with prior to the destruction of the original Normandy. He had refused to believe the story of her resurrection and had assumed she had joined Cerberus. While attempting to save the human colony on Horizon, Shepard had run into Kaidan and he had called her a traitor, refusing to join her cause.
That wound was old, and Shepard had moved on, as was her way. She pressed forward and once again saved the galaxy.
But who would save her from her loneliness?
o~~~~~~~~o
"So," Jack asked, laughing. "Who's the lucky man gonna be tonight, Shep?"
Aly looked over at the convict, a questioning expression on her face. "What the fuck are you talking about, Jack? What man?"
"Precisely, Shep. What man is going to get a piece of the 'Savior of the Human Race'? C'mon, you can tell me! It's your birthday, after all! If you don't get laid tonight, you are a complete idiot!"
"Jack," Shepard sighed deeply, "why does my sex life interest so many people on this goddamn ship? Can't a girl just have a birthday with friends, without having to have some man following her around?"
Jack laughed, "Sure, most girls can. But you are not 'most girls', Commander. You are, by far, the most uptight bitch I have ever met when it comes to men. I know that Alenko guy fucked you over, but JESUS! That was, what, six months ago? Move on, woman!
Besides," Jack continued, "the rest of the crew could sure use the break. If you don't mind me saying so, you have been a little 'highly strung', lately. It's just not natural to have so much pent up frustration."
"And, it's not like you don't have some options here. Let's run down the list, shall we?" Jack said, smiling wickedly.
"Let's not, Jack." Shepard said quickly. She really didn't want to have this conversation. "I know you are all obsessed with sex right now, with all the action you have been getting from Ken..." Shepard said in her sing-song tone. Kenneth Donnelly was the ship's Engineer, and he and Jack had become quite 'close' since the suicide mission began.
"Exactly, Shep!" Jack exclaimed. "See how much nicer it's made me?"
Shepard almost spit her coffee out at that comment. 'Nice' was never a word that Aly would use to describe Jack; although, the tattooed woman had a point. Jack had seemed more mellow lately. That could be due to her sexual escapades with Donnelly. It could also be the fact that she had blown the Pragia Cerberus facility where she had been raised to hell and back not more than a month ago.
Before Jack could go any further, Shepard stood up and headed for the stairs. "See you at the party, Jack," she said and waved goodbye.
"You bet your ass you will, birthday girl!" Jack yelled up at her. "And don't think for one moment you are off the hook tonight. You will be getting drunk and you will be getting laid!"
o~~~~~~~~o
Maybe I can just hide in my room all day and they will forget about me, Shepard thought as she headed into her office. Right, like that's gonna happen. Even EDI was in on the action. The ship's AI unit had reminded Shepard of the time of the party as she was riding the elevator up to her room.
Aly fed the fish and threw herself onto her bed. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to relax. I knew I shouldn't have opened that goddamn email, she thought angrily. Now I just want to shoot Kaidan all over again. How dare he act as though he could just waltz back into my life and everything would be fine?
And what the fuck was the whole 'I love you' bullshit? Did he really think that was going to change anything?
Maybe he had moved past Horizon, but she hadn't. How could he think she would forget him telling her - in front of her own fucking crew - that she had betrayed the Alliance and betrayed him? Then he had just walked away, leaving her alone to fight the Collectors and pick up the pieces of her broken heart.
You know what? she thought. Maybe Jack is right! I could use a night out and twenty or more drinks to go with it. And, whether she wanted to admit it or not, she could use a good, hard fuck!
o~~~~~~~~o
Shepard had her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, her back pressed against the cool glass of the fish tank. Her breasts bounced roughly up and down with each thrust, as he plunged into her again and again. She had never known such ecstasy, and she screamed with each orgasm he drew from her.
Her lover was relentless, grabbing her hair and yanking her head back, sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck. She came again, her juices flowing down her legs to pool on the floor below them.
He drove deeper into her, inexorably demanding, forcing still greater bliss from her body. She felt she would die from pleasure if he continued at this pace. They reached their final climax together and collapsed to the floor, their bodies drenched in sweat.
Aly finally regained her breath and raised her head to look into her lover's face - and saw the scar running down his right cheek, and the heterochromic eyes! Oh, my God...
"Zaeed!" Aly yelled as she sat up in bed, awakened from her dream of the mercenary by a call from EDI.
"Shepard," EDI spoke in a concerned tone. "Do you need me to get Mr. Massani for you?"
"No, EDI, no!" Shepard quickly answered, pushing aside thoughts of Zaeed's eyes staring into hers, filled with lust. "What did you need me for?" she asked.
"Tali'zorah, Miss Chambers and Miss Goto are seeking admittance into your room. Should I let them up?" EDI questioned.
What could they all possibly want? Shepard thought. "Of course, EDI. Thank you."
"Of course, Shepard." EDI logged herself off after unlocking the elevator into the commander's suite.
The door to Aly's room opened and the three women rushed in, each carrying a different bag. "I am afraid to ask this, but what the hell are you three up to?" Shepard asked.
Kelly smiled brightly and gestured toward the bags. "What do you think we're doing, Aly? We are here to get you ready for the party!"
Kasumi Goto, master thief and fashionista, stepped forward. "Tonight is a big night for you, Shep. We want to make sure you look perfect."
"You have done so much for all of us," explained Tali, "and we felt this was the least we could do. After all, you need to make the right impression on that 'special man' you want to impress, don't you?"
"Wait just one damned minute," Shepard exclaimed. "What makes you think there is a 'special man' and even if there was - which I am not saying there is - what makes you think I would tell you who it is!"
The three women laughed. Kasumi opened the bag she had brought up with her. "Like we don't already know! You spend most of your free time in the Starboard Cargo Area, and we know it's not because you have an addiction to using that trash compactor!"
"Precisely," added Kelly. "We know you and Zaeed have something going on, so we wanted to make sure we dressed you appropriately and did your hair for you!"
Shepard sighed. "So, basically, you are saying there is no way I am going to get out of this, right?"
"Right!" Tali said emphatically. "So just sit back, relax and let us handle this."
Kelly giggled as they pulled out the outfit they had chosen for her. "And, believe us, Aly, by the time we are done with you, the big, bad mercenary, Zaeed Massani, will be crawling at your feet."
With that they showed Aly the outfit she would be wearing that evening. If anyone had been in the elevator at that moment, they would no doubt have wondered what had happened to make Commander Shepard yell in quite that way...
o~~~~~~~~o
Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko spent the entire day staring at his computer terminal, praying for an answer to his message to Shepard. He had wanted to hold his confession until he could do it in person, but he simply couldn't wait for her to make it to the Citadel. He hadn't spoken to her since the fateful day on Horizon, and that had been months ago.
He had sent a message to her as soon as he returned from Horizon, apologizing for everything he had said, but had never received a response. He had also contacted Joker, hoping he would have some news about Aly's state of mind. The response Joker had sent did not ease his guilt - 'You fucked up BIG TIME, asshole! You really are an idiot, aren't you?'
Since that time there had been no communication with the Normandy whatsoever. Even Councilor Anderson hadn't been able to tell him much. Shepard had been angry at the councilor, as well, and had planned the mission against the Collectors on her own, without help from either the Alliance or the Council.
Well, she hadn't been completely alone. Tali'zorah was with her, as was Garrus, Joker and even Dr. Chakwas. Kaidan, as a Staff Commander, had been privy to classified information the Alliance had received regarding the Cerberus crew on the new Normandy. He had seen the dossiers of those people Shepard had recruited, and his blood boiled at the thought that he would not be with her, while so many other potential mates would.
He knew he had no right to be jealous; after all, he was the one who had walked away. That didn't make the pain any less, however. He knew he wanted Aly back and the thought of any other man touching her made him crazy!
Earlier that day, Kaidan had been told that Aly had returned safely from the Omega-IV relay and that she had been reinstated as a Spectre, with full privileges. His heart soared at the news. Now she would be back among those people who would take care of her. She would be safe.
And, if he had anything to say about it, she would be with him.
Just as he thought he would lose his mind, Lieutenant Frank Adams contacted him about going out for some drinks. Kaidan started to say no, but knew that sitting around his apartment would only make the waiting worse. He set his omnitool to receive any messages and headed out.
Dinner at the Dark Star was just what he needed.
o~~~~~~~~o
Kaidan met Frank in front of the Dark Star and they headed in together. Immediately they could tell something big was happening. The Turian owner, Oghrinn, had extra servers on call and lights and cameras were set up everywhere. The VIP room was bustling with activity.
Oghrinn greeted them warmly as they walked in. "Staff Commander, Lieutenant, what can we do for you this evening?"
Frank cocked his thumb toward the bar. "What the hell is going on here tonight, Oggie?" he asked. "I don't think I've seen this much activity in months."
Oghrinn laughed heartily. "You guys won't believe this, but we are hosting a birthday party tonight for Alyssa Shepard, 'Hero of the Citadel'! Can you even imagine? Shepard and her entire crew, here! The advertising alone from a party like this makes it worth the extra work. Not to mention how much we owe Shepard for saving all of our hides from Saren and his geth!"
Frank looked at Kaidan and noticed how pale his friend had become. He knew the couple's history, and didn't want his Commander to be miserable all evening. "Kaidan, we can go somewhere else, if you would prefer."
"No!" Kaidan said quickly. "Aly will be here! This could be my only chance to see her! I can't miss it."
Kaidan turned to Oghrinn and asked quietly, "Will we be able to get into that party, Oggie?"
The Turian frowned and shook his head slowly. "I am afraid not, gentlemen. I received a call from Jeff Moreau, Normandy pilot, and he made it VERY CLEAR that no one is to enter the VIP room without being approved by he or Garrus Vakarian. They are keeping the guest list pretty exclusive for this one."
What they are actually doing is circling the wagons around Aly, keeping me intentionally out, Kaidan though angrily. They know I am on the Citadel and want to make sure I can't get to her. It hurt to think that his old comrades would work against him. What hurt more, however, was that Alyssa knew she was coming here and she hadn't contacted him.
Don't let that stop you, Alenko, he thought to himself. You knew this wouldn't be easy. Only a true idiot would give up when so close to the woman he loves. And Kaidan Alenko would never be an idiot again.
He turned to Oghrinn and smiled, "Oggie, can you get us a table where we can see the front door, please?"
Oghrinn nodded. "Of course, Staff Commander. Right this way." He led them to a table close to the VIP room with a clear view of the front door. "Good luck!" he said as he walked away.
o~~~~~~~~o
When the crew of the Normandy disembarked and headed to the Dark Star, everyone noticed! Not only were they heroes, but they were quite a striking group. Made up of several humans, a Turian, a Drell, an Asari, a Krogan, and a Salarian, they were by the far the most diverse team to ever walk the market area of the Citadel.
The noise factor was also a head-turner. Jack was complaining to Ken about Miranda, the 'Cerberus Cheerleader', as she referred to her, calling her a bossy bitch yet again. Garrus and Joker stayed close together, watching for any sign of Alliance soldiers that they didn't want Shepard to have to deal with.
Grunt, the Krogan, was yelling about "getting to the booze faster" and Mordin Solus, the Salarian scientist, was busy asking everyone around him if they had remembered their contraceptives - 'just in case', he added with a smile.
The quietest member of the group was the human mercenary, Zaeed Massani. He walked slightly apart from the others, lost in his own thoughts. Those thoughts, as it turned out, were all of Alyssa Shepard.
Zaeed knew he wanted Shepard from the first moment he saw her on Omega. She had a body to kill for, and a brain to match. She was also one of the meanest bitches he had ever met when you got on her wrong side.
He had joined the suicide mission for two reasons. The first was the shitload of credits that Cerberus had offered him. The second was to recruit Shepard into helping him kill his oldest enemy, Vido Santiago. Vido and Zaeed had started the mercenary gang, the Blue Suns, when they were only teenagers.
Eventually, Vido had gotten greedy and had made a power play for control of the Suns. He had succeeded in his coup, and had convinced some of Zaeed's own men to hold him down while Vido shot him in the head.
Unfortunately for his old partner, the shot hadn't killed Massani, only pissed him off and he sought Vido for twenty years to kill him before finding him on the planet Zorya.
Zaeed made the Zorya mission part of his agreement with Cerberus, and Shepard had agreed to help. They'd reached Vido, but the slippery bastard attempted to run and the gas plant he was hiding in caught fire, with a little help from Massani.
Zaeed was sure that Shepard would choose the plant workers over his revenge, but she simply smiled at him and said, "let's blow Vido straight to hell."
In that moment, Zaeed knew he had to have her. He would have taken her right there on the ground if they hadn't been in such a rush.
Since the Zorya mission, he'd dreamed of her every night. Each dream became more and more sexual, his need for her increasingly desperate. He would harden while watching her move across a battlefield, covered in blood; while sitting in the mess hall, watching her eat; and ALWAYS while watching her practicing hand to hand combat with Thane Krios, the Drell assassin, in the cargo hold.
He was pretty sure the Drell got hard, then, as well. And that was Zaeed's other concern - competition. Alyssa Shepard was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen, and he was sure that over half the crew, both men and women, wanted to get her into bed. He knew for a fact that Garrus, Jacob and Thane would all give it a go.
Through it all, though, only one man bothered him - the asshole ex, Kaidan Alenko. Zaeed had been with Shepard on Horizon and he had seen the hell Alenko had put her through. He wasn't sure whether he or Garrus had been more eager to rip the man's spine out.
Men like Alenko made Zaeed sick! He had the strongest, bravest and most beautiful woman in the galaxy and he called her a traitor? And left her behind! Well, that would be one mistake Zaeed would make sure to capitalize on.
If Alenko ever came near Alyssa again, Zaeed would make sure it was the last thing he ever did!
o~~~~~~~~o
Kaidan saw Garrus and Joker the moment they entered the Dark Star. He moved deeper into the corner and lifted his menu to his face so they would not see him. Frank noticed immediately and said, "So, those are your old shipmates, huh?"
Kaidan nodded and spoke softly. "Yes. And now they are keeping me away from her."
Frank glanced at the group and spoke, "Getting into that party isn't going to be easy. There are some scary looking individuals there. And if they are as loyal to Shepard as I have heard..."
"Oh, they are, I am sure." Kaidan interrupted. "Shepard inspires amazing amounts of loyalty in her crew." And if I hadn't been so stupid, I would be there with them, he thought.
"Speaking of Shepard," Frank said, looking around the bar, "where is she?"
Kaidan had been thinking that exact same thing. Obviously she had not come in with them.
As if reading his thoughts, Oghrinn approached Joker and spoke, " Good evening Mr. Moreau, Officer Vakarian. Welcome to the Dark Star. I... don't see the Commander. She is coming, isn't she?"
Before either man could speak up, a bald, tattooed woman strolled forward and poked Oghrinn in the chest. "Oh, don't worry, Shep will be here. Some of the women on the ship are currently using her as their personal Barbie doll and playing dress-up. Now," she announced loudly, "let's hit the bar and get drinking!"
The crew started to move through the VIP doors. Joker turned to thank Oghrinn for his help and stared in amazement, his mouth dropping open. "Oh! My! God!" was all he could say.
Kaidan followed the pilot's gaze and felt his heart stop in his chest.
Alyssa Shepard entered the Dark Star, and she was magnificent...