A/N: This fic is set after Kaidan and my Shepard had their dinner conversation on the Citadel! They also decided to keep the secrecy going, since they're both Alliance again. Pointless, perhaps; but these two aren't always logical. The crew got the message about the quarian admirals a day or two later, and the Normandy is on its way to the Perseus Veil to meet with them. I personally subscribe to the "FTLing around a solar system actually takes some time, hours at least" method of realism, but I understand if not everyone does! Relays are instant, but it can take hours, if not days, to reach some of the further out ones (for instance, the Mu relay taking a whole night). So there's a little bit of down time between leaving the Citadel and arriving in the Far Rim; I mean, there's six relay jumps (I counted). Oh! And in my head canon, Shep/Kaidan didn't immediately run back to the Normandy after their dinner and have wild Spectre sex.

This fic relies heavily on the fact that you've read – at a bare minimum – the last chapter of my fic, "Two Months." Takes place between ME1 and ME2: http: / www . fanfiction . net/s/7967726/1/Two_Months.

Kaidan smiled softly as he walked into the shuttle bay. The two marines sparring in the middle of the room couldn't have looked more ridiculous at first glance if they tried. Vega was a monster of a man, more muscle than anything; he practically dwarfed Shepard. She barely came up to his chest, but she was much faster, lithe and light on her feet. She also packed one hell of a punch, thanks to all her upgrades and conditioning. They looked as if they were pretty evenly matched, but Kaidan had seen her in action on far too many missions. He knew she was holding back.

Vega didn't, though. He pressed the attack only to have Shepard roll under his swing and pop up behind him, a light punch to his back pushing him away. She laughed as he swore and spun to try again.

Cortez nodded politely to him as Kaidan headed to lean against a nearby crate. Their shuttle pilot always seemed so somber; Kaidan made a mental note to talk with him later, make sure everything was all right. He turned his attention back to the sparring match, making sure his proud smirk was carefully smothered to a professional level. She could out-match any marine in the universe in a hand-to-hand contest; one of the many reasons he loved her.

"You're fast, Lola, but you don't have any power." James danced from foot to foot, assessing the woman in front of him.

Shepard grinned recklessly – Kaidan didn't realize how much he missed her bravado until that very moment – and jerked her head up. "Alright, Vega. Bring your best."

She didn't have to tell him twice. The words barely got out of her mouth before the younger man immediately began a flurry of blows, raining feints and jabs her way. The first human Spectre was good, though; she managed to dodge all but one. He landed an open palm shove, sending Shepard flying backwards. She fell onto her back, but quickly rolled sideways, pushing herself back up to her feet.

"Ugh. Okay, that's enough for now." Her hand flew to her collar, gently rubbing the spot he had hit. Kaidan's brow furrowed; Shepard could easily handle a blow like that. Was she okay?

James blinked and looked at his hand in confusion, flexing it. "The hell you got under there, Shepard?"

Her hand dug down her shirt and pulled out a bizarre mess of twisted metal on a chain. Kaidan blinked and peered from his shadowed vantage. It couldn't be…

"Never really took you for the jewelry type…"

Shepard barked a loud laugh at that. "Hah! No. No, I'm not, James. These are…my original dog tags." She tucked them back under her shirt, protectively patting them. Her voice softened. "I always wear them."

Kaidan's heart jumped into his throat. Shepard still had her dog tags? She still wore them, still kept that ridiculous promise they made all those years ago? His hand instinctively reached to his own collar, pressing against the tags hidden under his BDUs. It seemed they both were stubborn enough to never give up.

"–tossed you new ones before we left Earth?" The lieutenant's voice cut through Kaidan's thoughts.

She nodded. "Yeah, he did…but those aren't my tags. These are my tags. End of story time, I need to make sure I'm all dress blues'd up for when we get to the ship."

He tossed her a half-hearted salute and trudged back to the munitions. "Later, Commander."

Shepard walked toward the elevator as Kaidan tried to figure out a way to follow her without it looking suspicious. Suddenly he was struck with an idea. "Commander!" As he jogged toward her, she turned to simultaneously walk backwards into the lift and watch him. "I have some information from the Council."

She nodded shortly and waved him into the elevator. "Related to the quarians?"

The doors slid shut and Kaidan stepped forward to push the button for her cabin. "Not quite." He spun around and pressed her against the elevator wall as they slowly ascended to the top floor. Nothing could beat the feel of her after a workout: sweaty, warm and breathless. His lips quickly trailed down her neck, but they were interrupted by the dinging of the elevator. He groaned against her shoulder and pushed away, letting her step out first.

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining, mind you." She gave him a private wink and led him to her cabin door. Her fingers lightly danced over the pad, unlocking the room. "I really do need to get all officer'd up for the meeting in an hour, though. We've got one jump left."

He shrugged and followed her inside. "I know. I just…well, can we talk for a second? I'll even help you get dressed if you're in that big a rush." Kaidan shot her one of his more devious grins, causing her to break into quiet laughter.

Shepard shook her head. "Nope, you're not getting a show that easy." The quick snap of his fingers in response turned her quiet chuckle into a roaring laugh.

"Shepard, may I inqu–" The melodic voice run through her room's speakers.

"–No, EDI. You know the rules."

The AI sounded confused. "The ones on which we agreed while visiting the Citadel?"

"Yep."

"My apologies. Taking you completely offline."

Kaidan blinked a few times before just having to ask. "Rules?"

Her hand waved dismissively as she searched through her small closet. "Oh, she was asking advice on romantic relationships. I told her that she could ask me whatever she wanted, but that she wasn't allowed to spy on me. She was all, 'but Shepard, watching hormonally induced courtship behavior amongst humans in its natural state is most educational.' That's about the point I pulled the friendship card on her; thankfully, it worked."

"Hormonally induced…? Wait. The ship. Was asking…about romantic relationships? Do I even want to know?"

She paused and turned, giving him a serious look. "Ask Joker."

Oh, lord. Leave it to Joker to find a way to romance the ship. Kaidan shook his head quickly. "Now I really don't want to know. But…that's not why I came up here."

"Well, then why did you come up here?" Her small smile made his heart skip a beat.

He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders, thumbs sliding under the chain around her neck. Their eyes locked; the somber look she gave him told him that she realized what he was doing. His thumbs slowly lifted it up, pulling the twisted tags from under her shirt. Her hands reached up to hold the metal as he pulled her into a hug.

His voice was muffled by her hair. "How did you even…?"

"Liara and Hackett, a month or so after Horizon. I…haven't taken them off since." Shepard rested against him for a moment before pushing back to catch his eye. "Did…do you…"

The faint hope mixed with dread in her voice threatened to rip Kaidan's heart out. He reached for her hands instead of responding, gently placing them against his own collar. Bright green eyes flickered down, watching her fingers as they slowly caressed the faint outline of his dog tags. Almost reverently, she carefully lifted the metal tags from under his shirt, cradling them in her palm. He covered her hands with his own as they stood in silence for a few long moments.

Emotion had made her voice thick when she finally spoke. "You, too?"

Kaidan pulled a hand from hers and tilted her chin up. When their eyes met again, she gave him that small smile. The one he hadn't seen in almost three years. Her lips had barely curved up at all, but through the tears, her eyes shone with hope.

The sight knocked the breath out of him. All he could manage was a weak, "Yeah."

She crashed into him, arms lacing around his back, exactly like she did prior to Ilos. The memory flashed through his mind before coming back to the present. His hand laced through her hair as the other gently stroked her back.

"I never gave up, you know? Not completely. I should have, but…I couldn't. I just…couldn't." Who was he kidding? He never would have gotten over her and Kaidan knew it. He was the luckiest bastard in the entire universe; the woman he loved had died, and he was given a second chance with her. His arms tightened around her, lips pressing against red hair.

Shepard squeezed him before pulling back and slowly trailing kisses up to capture his mouth with her own. She shoved him back against the closet door with a loud thunk. Everything else immediately faded away; the only thing that mattered, the only thing he could concentrate on, was the feel of her lips, the way her hands traced up and down his chest, the lingering scent of sweat on her skin. He had dreamed of it countless times, but every single one paled in comparison to actually having her in his arms.

He dragged his hands down her back, reveling as she shivered against him, before slowly tracing up her sides. They eventually found their way to her face, cupping it firmly. Her moan of surprise quickly died away as he parted her lips.

"I apologize for the intrusion, Shepard, but I have an urgent message."

They both jumped at the sudden third voice encroaching on their private moment. Kaidan groaned and let her face go, rubbing his neck instead.

She glared up at the speaker. "I swear to god, if you're here to tell me that Anderson is waiting for me at Flux, I will kill Joker…"

Kaidan was not expecting that response. He let out a loud chuckle and leaned to press a kiss against her forehead.

"I do not understand. Please do not kill Jeff, Shepard. Admiral Hackett has called into the comm room and ordered you to speak with him before we dock with the quarian ship."

Shepard groaned this time, running her hands over her face. "Ah, shit. Thanks, EDI. Tell him I'll be there in five, in my blues. And…please log me out again."

"Of course."

As soon as the silence settled over them, he reached to pull her face to his once more, giving her a short but passionate kiss as a reminder. His words washed over her lips in a whisper, "We're continuing this."

She watched him with heavy lids as he forced himself to leave. Duty called, as it always did with the two of them. The fact that he was walking away on good terms again made it a little easier; the fact that they both were wearing each other's tags and knew it made it a lot easier.

He turned and reached to touch the tags beneath his shirt, smiling softly. Her hand reached to touch hers, returning the smile. As was so often the case in their bizarre relationship, words weren't even needed. The door slid shut and he headed to the elevator.

Too bad he didn't have time for a cold shower before they arrived.