Shepard lied on her back, staring blindly into the dark. Sleep hadn't come to her tonight. It had been evading her more and more lately, dancing just out of reach. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the faces of those she had let down. Each time she drifted off, long gone cries for help jolted her awake.

Calloused hands scrubbed over her face and raked through her hair, her nails digging into her scalp at the crown of her skull. Her nerves prickled at the digging sensation and she exhaled a heavy sigh, hoping that if she emptied her lungs of air, all of her stress would leave with it. It didn't. She was left with the bitter taste of failure on her tongue.

"Shepard?"

Shit.

Kaidan shifted beside her. She couldn't see him, but she felt his arm slide over her abdomen and she knew he had propped himself up on his side. Even in the dark, she could feel his eyes on her.

"Hmm?" She tried to sound drowsy.

"Can't sleep?"

Addyson sighed. No use in lying. "No."

Kaidan's arm curled around her, pulling her onto her side and back against him. He said nothing as he brushed the hair back from her face and away from her neck, which elicited an appreciative whimper from Shepard. She relaxed into him as he delicately worked his fingers through her fiery locks, his touch bringing the fine hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Contented shivers moved in waves down her spine.

Time slowed to a crawl when he held her. Wrapped in his arms, she could almost forget about the hell they had found themselves in. Security was hard to come by these days, but he made her feel safe. Shepard wished she could stay there forever, snugged up against him where the outside world ceased to exist.

Her eyes fluttered open suddenly as Kaidan lowered himself down behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist once more, and she realized she must have dozed off. Addyson nestled herself against him, convinced that any amount of air between them was too much. She didn't miss the way he groaned breathlessly when her buttocks inadvertently brushed against his groin. Nor did she miss how his fingers curled into her flesh, an unintentional sign of his arousal that sent ripples of desire through her own body.

Addyson shifted her hips, doing her best to appear subtle as her ass pressed more firmly against Kaidan. He sighed in approval and she stifled a whimper when she felt his erection begin to grow. His hand slipped under her shirt and traveled over the taut skin of her abdomen. Shepard's breath hitched in her throat when he reached the swell of her breast.

Hands made rough by battle dragged across the smooth skin of her breast and thumbed circles around her nipple, teasing it to a rise. His lips grazed the exposed skin along her neck, his kisses painstakingly slow, his lips dragging against the sensitive flesh. Addyson reached behind her and wound her fingers in his hair. She arched her back, grinding her ass against him again and pushing her breast more firmly into his hand.

Need ignited deep in her belly, the searing heat rushed through her body in waves. Lust seized control of her body and she rolled onto her back, her body open and begging him to explore.

Kaidan detached from her suddenly, and when his touch returned, his hands were on the waistband of her sweats. Addyson raised her hips as he pulled the garment down over her ass and off of her completely.

Biotic heat warmed her as he settled beside her again, his lips returning to her neck and his hand wandering over the landscape of her body. Fire and ice followed his touch, a delicious sensation that made her both shiver and melt, as his hand traced the contours of her abdomen down to the apex of her thighs.

His fingers dipped between her legs, sliding easily between her already slick folds. He moaned against her neck and she felt the velvety skin of his erection throb against the side of her thigh. It dawned on her that he must have removed his own sweats when he had gotten up to take hers off, and she smirked in the darkness, pleased that he was as eager as she was.

Addyson reached to her side and found his erection, wrapping her hand around him and slowly working her hand along his length. Not to be outdone, Kaidan's fingers found her clit. She writhed beneath him as he circled the sensitive bud, then dipped a finger into her core. He repeated the motion again and again, tortuously slow, stoking the fire burning wildly in her abdomen.

"Kaidan..." she breathed his name, "please..."

She felt him throb in her hand at her request. He withdrew himself from her hand, and his hand from her groin, and rose to his knees. Kaidan settled between her legs as he came to rest on top of her, their lips locking, the kiss slow and deep. Addyson moaned against his lips when she felt his naked erection pressed between her legs.

Kaidan pulled away long enough to help her out of her shirt before coming back to her, his kiss more demanding, and Addyson responded in turn. Their hands explored every available surface of each others body as if for the first time. She traced every muscle of his back, dragged her nails across every sensitive area of flesh, delighted in every moan she elicited from him.

Addyson rolled her hips beneath him, her hunger suddenly voracious. His erection slid between her folds, made slick by her readiness. Kaidan reached a hand between them and positioned his tip at her entrance. Her nails dug into his back, a silent prayer for him to push inside. She raised her hips, trying to capture him, and she heard Kaidan chuckle at her impatience.

His lips covered hers and he slid the head of his erection inside her. Their kiss stifled her moan, but Kaidan could hear the disgruntled nature of the throaty sound, and he smiled against her lips.

"Patience, Shepard."

Kaidan's voice was like whiskey on the rocks, equal parts smooth and rough, and wholly delicious. All she could do was lie beneath him, waiting, burning with desire as he continued his delectable torture. He unsheathed himself and slid his tip up her slit, tapped his hardness against her swollen bud, and then back down to her opening. Again, he barely entered her, and he held still.

One of his hands wound itself in her hair, his other arm snaked behind her waist. He held her firmly in place and Addyson was sure she would explode; everywhere their skin touched felt on fire and beads of ssweat had broken on her brow. She needed him inside of her. Her entire body ached. Every muscle tensed. She could feel herself beginning to lose control of her biotics, little blue tendrils of energy licking against Kaidan's flesh as she clung desperately to his back.

Finally, he filled her. He was almost painfully slow, burying himself inside her warmth in the smallest of increments. Addyson bit back a moan as he delved into her, deliberately taking his time stretching her with his length until he was buried to the hilt.

"Oh, Kaidan..."

Shepard was breathless as he began to move inside of her with the same excruciatingly slow rhythm as before, withdrawing from her almost completely before sinking inside of her again. Her nails dug into his back, her lips buried into his neck where she planted kisses and muffled her moans against his skin. Each time he thrusted into her, Addyson lifted her hips, delighting in the way their flesh came together with increasing urgency.

Kaidan's movements became less calculated, his thrusts irregular and quickening. His hand slid from her waist to her ass and he kneaded her flesh, lifting her up even more firmly against him. The hold he had on her hair tightened and a delicious chill crashed over her at the sensation. Addyson could feel her release building low in her core; a fire that creeped up into her belly like lava flowing, rushing aggressively forward and driving her mad with need.

It wouldn't be much longer. Kaidan was driving into her with hard, pointed thrusts now and Shepard knew he would reach his peak soon as well. She lifted her legs, wrapping them around him and allowing him access to the deepest parts of her. He groaned in approval and his lips found hers, clashing hungrily against them. His control over his biotics had nearly vanished and his energy crashed with hers, their energy crackling brightly around them in the otherwise still night air.

Grinning against his lips, Shepard trailed her hands along his back, sending shocks of biotic energy into his muscles all the way down his body. Her hands slid over his buttocks, then rested on his thighs where she summoned her energy and let the biotics wash over his body between his legs.

A cloud of biotic energy prickled at the sensitive flesh around his ass and scrotum, eliciting sounds from him she had never heard before. Shepard grinned in satisfaction; Kaidan had done the same to her once before and it had driven her over the edge. The way he began moving inside her in reckless abandon made it clear that the biotic trick was having the same affect on him.

Her name fell from his lips in a slurry of incoherent mutterings and groans of pleasure as he reached his climax. It was all Shepard could do to hang on as he drove into her, his erection reaching the depths of her core as he pumped his ecstasy into her over and over. His biotics erupted, bathing them in a cerulean haze.

Seeing Kaidan lose control as he had, feeling him empty inside of her, was enough to send Addyson over the edge. The heat that had been surging forth in her belly exploded suddenly, violent ripples of tingling heat that spread up through her chest and down into her toes. She bit at his bottom lip, but was unable to quiet the moans pouring from her lips as she rode out the waves of her orgasm. Kaidan continued to move inside her, slowing only as she reached the end of her climax.

Her legs fell to his sides and he released the vice grip on her hair and her ass. One hand cupped her cheek gingerly and he pressed his lips against hers; the kiss was warm and tender and sent a second, calming wave of pleasure through her body. Kaidan pulled himself from her slowly and fell to her side, pulling her against him and wrapping her completely in his arms. Shepard snuggled against him and let her eyes drift shut, content in the feeling of their bare flesh against one another. Their biotics faded, but the warmth remained.

No words were spoken. They didn't need to be.

There had been a time, not long ago, there hadn't been enough trust between them to measure. Now, Shepard couldn't imagine doing this without him. No matter the assignment, no matter the doubt he had in Cerberus, Kaidan was there at the end of the day to ground her, to bring her back to life. When she faltered, he stood strong. When she couldn't see the right call, his voice rang clear. When there was too much carnage, he reminded her there was still good in the world. When she wasn't sure if she could continue, he was her reason to fight. Kaidan deserved better than the life they had been born into. With any luck, Shepard would be able to help right the world and give him the life he did deserve.