Mordin happens to be one of my favorite characters in Mass Effect 2. I wished he was a romance option. But alas he wasn't. This is my little tribute to the romance that I wanted to happen.

Big Shout out to Insidious Harbinger for Beta-ing.

Love Sickness

Commander Chiara Shepard paced her room with a frustrated expression on her face. It had been another sleepless night and the end of the mission was drawing ever nearer. It might look a long way off, but from past experiences Chiara knew that the final battles could come quicker than could be expected. She knew she should talk to someone…but who would be awake at this god forsaken hour? She glanced at the clock on her bedside table-- 5:45am; Chiara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew one person that would be awake, but could she bother him with her problems? Chiara glanced at the clock again--5:46am; yes.

The door to the tech lab opened with a hiss and Chiara stepped in slowly. She hovered by the door, in case she wanted to make a quick exit.

"Professor, do you have a moment?" She felt herself asking slowly. Mordin looked up.

"Shepard? What are you doing up at such an hour? Sleeping problems? Due to stress? Ill? Hmmm yes, come in, come in. Let me have a look at you." Mordin said and Chiara found herself standing in front of Mordin. Mordin pressed a button and the doors locked.

"Now Shepard, sit." Mordin ordered, not looking up from his work. He continued tapping away at the console, pausing to gesture to the desk. Chiara leaned on the side of Mordin's desk, that familiar feeling of light headedness began to set in. "Now tell me. What's wrong?"

"Well, I can't sleep, I can't eat. I've been feeling lightheaded, sick, hot then cold, heart beating faster than normal-" Mordin raised his hand, halting Shepard's speech.

He looked up from his work. "How are you Shepard?"

The question caught Chiara off guard. "I-I-I don't know…, I can't sleep and when I do sleep I have nightmares." Chiara looked down. "Horrid visions, dreams, premonitions, I don't know what they are called, but I'll wake up screaming…" Chiara trailed off, she could feel Mordin's eyes on her, and she felt her stomach do a flip.

"Insomnia and nightmares. Down to stress. Life problems like fear, stress, anxiety, emotional or mental tension, work problems, financial stress," Mordin coughed, "Unsatisfactory sex life."

Chiara felt her face burn; the last time she'd done anything like that was with Kaiden…over 2 years ago. "Can't be that Mordin."

"Oh? Thought humans had high sex drive. Strange, have to correct data." Mordin mused to himself.

"No wait, I'm not saying that I don't have a high sex drive. Well I..erm…Just haven't had a partner in a while."

Mordin gave Chiara a questioning stare. "Why? Many suitors on board for you, yes? Many people interested in you Shepard. Not including myself of course. Other crew." Chiara raised her eyebrows; she didn't know anyone else on the ship liked her.

" Oh… I didn't really notice…" Chiara said softly, looking down at the floor.

Mordin stared at Shepard, knowing what he said was technically a lie. Yes. He was interested in humans. He was interested in Shepard. Just Shepard. Something about her. That fire. That passion. That raw desire that she seemed to carry with her. But why should he bother Shepard with his unrequited feelings. Shepard would never return them; he doesn't have anything special about himself. He wasn't strong like Garrus. He wasn't 'sexy', as Yeoman Chambers said, like Thane. They were much more suited for Shepard. Mordin shook his head, he was getting distracted. Shepard might have noticed. Throw science at her. Confuse her.

"Signs of stress may be cognitive, emotional, physical or behavioral. Signs include poor judgment, a general negative outlook, excessive worrying, moodiness, irritability, agitation, inability to relax, feeling lonely, isolated or depressed, aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, eating too much or not enough, sleeping too much or not enough, social withdrawal, procrastination or neglect of responsibilities, increased alcohol, nicotine or drug consumption, and nervous habits such as pacing about or nail-biting-" Mordin continued to list other signs and effects of stress, when he noticed Shepard wasn't even listening. "Shepard? Shepard? Chiara?"

Chiara's head snapped up, she had gone into her own world, She was staring at Mordin, there was something about him, she didn't know what, but something about Mordin made her heartbeat quicken, her stomach tighten.

"Sorry Professor…kind of out of it…" Chiara muttered, she looked down again.

Mordin moved away from his work console. Work could wait. He stood in front of Chiara. "Come now. Chin up. You are Commander Chiara Shepard. Nothing can bring you down. Not Sovereign, not the Collectors, not the Reapers. You can beat this Chiara." Mordin said passionately. Chiara never heard him speak so passionately unless it was about his art. She still remembered when he sung 'I Am the Very Model of a Scientist Salarian'. She smiled at the memory. Mordin saw Chiara smile, but she was still looking at the floor, slowly, not to startle her, he touched her face gently and moved it upwards so she was facing him. Chiara blushed.

"P-P-Professor?" She stuttered. She never noticed how much Mordin's eyes sparkled.

"There, can see your pretty face now. No need to hide." Mordin said softly. He was getting in too deep. He was feeling hot, then cold. He was also feeling very lightheaded. He swallowed slowly.

"I think I know what you are suffering from, Shepard."

At this point, Chiara didn't care what she suffered from, as long as she got to spend more time with Mordin. She gave Mordin a quizzical look.

"Love Sickness. Studies in neuroscience has involved chemicals that are present in the brain and might be involved when people experience love. These chemicals include: nerve growth factor, testosterone, estrogen, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin Adequate brain levels of testosterone seem important for both human male and female sexual behavior. Dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are more commonly found during the attraction phase of a relationship. Oxytocin and vasopressin seemed to be more closely linked to long term bonding and relationships characterized by strong attachments. Some side effects of this mirror what you are feeling."

Chiara looked confused, she looked very confused. Mordin knew this would break his heart, but he had to ask to help Shepard. If Chiara was happy with someone else, then he would be happy for her.

"Who do you think about, or who are you around when you feel like this?" Mordin said after a few moments. Chiara sat there, deep in thought. She thought of the crew. She thought of each of the members and then she thought of Mordin, when he had his hand on her face. She thought back to other times, on the battle field and off.

Mordin took her silence as confusion.

"Thane? Garrus? Jacob, Joker" Mordin began listing staff and comrades on the ship. Chiara shook her head. Mordin was confused; he'd listed every available member of the ship.

"Someone off the ship?" Chiara shook her head again. Mordin couldn't take it anymore.

"Damn it Shepard…Chiara Who?" He growled. Chiara couldn't help but flinch when Mordin raised his voice slightly.

"You…" Chiara replied and leaned forward, placing a kiss on the Scientist's face. Mordin jumped back. Chiara looked hurt.

"Me? Why Shepard? Nothing special." Mordin said quickly. He was confused, she loved him? But why?

"You are intelligent, you are charming, and you are just you. Since knowing you Mordin, that fire has burned brightly in me, the fire to do what's right. To face the Collectors and the Reapers and show no fear. To work towards a better world. I thought after Kaiden…I would never love again. But Mordin, I do love you. And if you don't feel the same…I will walk outside this room and never mention it again.

Mordin was torn. Did he do what his heart wanted? Tell Chiara that he loved her? Did he even know what love was? Salarians have no concept of romantic love, sexual attraction, or the biological impulses and social rituals that complicate other species' did he do what he knew was right. Tell her no and end the complication before it started.

"We are different Shepard…Salarian's have little to no sex drive, while Humans have a high sex drive."

Chiara nodded. "But a relationship isn't always based on sex. What do you feel Professor-Mordin?"

Mordin closed his eyes. He thought back to the times with Shepard, the missions, the chats. The jokes they shared. He smiled at the memories. Chiara watch him slowly. She wasn't going to rush him. She watched his facial expressions; she smiled at the way his mouth twitched up, meaning he wants to smile. After what seemed like an age Mordin opened his eyes. Slowly he moved towards Chiara. Placing his hands on either side of her face, Mordin kissed her gently.

This.

This was what he wanted.

"For fucks sake you fucking piece of crap. Open this door before I blow it off the hinges!" Jack cried out in annoyance.

"I'm sorry Jack, but Professor Solus is with a patient right now. He does not like to be disturbed." Said EDI, her voice as calm as ever.

Jack growled and punched the door. "I don't give a fuck about the frog, I need to see Shepard. And I know she's in there. I heard her moving about earlier. Now open the door before I blast it open."

EDI debated with herself for a second. If Jack did indeed destroy the door, that would cause severe complications and tensions on the ship. So EDI unlocked the door. As Jack stepped forward she wished she'd had just walked away. Shepard was lying on Mordin's desk and he was hovering over her. They were both clothed, but Jack knew where they was heading.

"EWW SHEPARD YOUR FUCKING THE FROG?!" Jack cried out, loud enough to wake half the crew.