A/N: Omega DLC spoilers (the ending at least) and smex happens here! Review if you like!

Checkmate

"But I'm unarmed! You're going to execute me after I surrendered?" The General shouted indignantly and for a moment, John had considered it. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. Ash wasn't the first person he lost but even then, John knew that she was just the tip of the iceberg.

Images of Kaidan, bloodied and bruised, came up in his mind. What was worse is finding his corpse rendered to pieces by the reapers. Thankfully, his lover was back on the Normandy, safe and whole. For once, John was glad to have come alone. At least the dangers and the consequences would be his alone. He wished he could say the same for Aria though and he suddenly remembered Nyreen's words: let Aria have her vengeance.

It would be so easy. To pull the trigger and let the General slump over in death. However, he couldn't find it in himself to shoot someone who had surrendered to him.

Thus, he lowered his gun and got real close to him, a fatal mistake on his part, to say, "you don't tell the Alliance everything and I'll give you to Aria."

Before he could step back, however, he felt a horrific pain bloom out of his side and looked down, only to find a dagger embedded in his stomach. Then chaos reigned over him.

Someone shouted his name as he stumbled back and he saw that grimace of victory etched on the older man's face. It wasn't a smile but rather a smirk. No way he was going down without a fight. Thus, with all his remaining strength, he grabbed the General's throat and slammed him hard on the metallic floor.

"Wrong move, General," was all John said before allowing his biotics to gather in his other hand and slammed it in the prisoner's face. General Petrovosky's face exploded, the bits and pieces of what was left splattering out on John's face as well as the floor.

His newly found adrenaline disappeared as fast as it welled up inside of him and he found himself falling on his side, the agony racing down his spine and his head. Someone was cursing at him and he found Aria giving him a strange look. It was pained and angry at the same time, almost the same expression she wore in the aftermath of Nyreen's sacrifice. Aria didn't believe in love and comradeship. So, to see those two intense blue eyes peer down at him in genuine concern frightened him, enough to reach his hand up and feel for himself the single tear that ran down the side of her face.

"...sparkly ass is going to kill you..." came the angry mutter and that was all John heard before the world around him became silent and dark.

-o0o-

Aria usually doesn't turn her back on an enemy, most especially when her opponent was defeated. After having faced down countless enemies, she learned quickly to keep her eye on everything, even during the illusion of an opponent's surrender. For some reason, she did this time and now regrets it as the next thing she knew was Bray yelling out "Shepard!"

She whipped around, her biotics flaring up and protecting her against future attacks. Unfortunately, she was not the target but rather Commander Shepard. She couldn't help but admire the tenacity of his will and the sheer power he could bring up when critically injured. As soon as the General was dead though and with her partner having fallen to the side, she ruthlessly brushed aside any feelings that might come up and knelt at the Commander's side. A blue hand reached out and his body rolled back almost lifelessly. Something inside her clenched like an angry fist, not as terrible as witnessing her former lover's death but still bad enough to warrant a flicker of emotion on her face.

"Shepard!" She shouted, trying to sound as angry as she could. The Commander's head rolled in her direction and she cursed at the sight of the dagger embedded in his torso. It somehow penetrated even the Commander's armor and she was going to pull it out when another hand stopped her.

"No, leave it in there, Aria," a deep voice told her and Aria was just about to knock that person's head around when she noticed that it was Bray talking to her. Not really wanting to lose anymore men who were 'nauseatingly loyal' to her, she opted to not bash his head and listened.

"Bray, get the console working and tap me into sparkly ass' frequency. Anton, find me the best medical doctor we have out there."

A harsh moan caught her attention and Aria slapped John on the cheek, although with less force than usual.

"C'm on. Shepard...stay awake," she shouted to him. Then, she muttered underneath her breath, "sparkly ass is going to kill you if you don't."

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Anton returned to her, with a Cerberus doctor of all people dragging behind him. How ironic. A defeated enemy coming to save one of hers. No, she corrected herself. Shepard could never be one of hers. He was already tied down with the Alliance, his staunch code of ethics, and most importantly, a certain someone that she is now attempting to contact.

"You let him die," she hissed at the doctor, "and you're going to wish you were dead."

Intimidating a medical personnel probably wasn't the way to go in saving an ally. John Shepard was more than just an ally though, no matter how much she tried to cover it all with manipulative words and pretentious malice with him. The human was a good friend and he did undergo a lot of trouble in helping her out with Omega before the Collectors' end and afterwards on the Citadel.

She personally oversaw the poor doctor and her assistants tend to the Commander, who had lost consciousness some time before the doctor's arrival. They were just about to bandage his side up when Bray came back and showed her something on his omni-tool. She nodded and then took out hers.

"Bray," she said, "make sure Shepard doesn't expire under that doctor's watch. If he dies, kill the doctor too."

"Yes, Aria," was all Bray said but he gave her a meaningful look before departing her side. The Asari boss ignored it in favor of answering the call in private.

A man's face appeared on a small screen at her wrist. If it wasn't for that particular scene in Purgatory and Shepard's drunkenness that one night, she might have taken longer to figure out who Shepard was 'soft' on.

It seems, however, that Shepard had told him a lot of Aria than she preferred.

"Aria, this is an unexpected call," he said in a polite tone. His eyes indicated otherwise and Aria couldn't help but be relieved that at least Shepard's love interest wasn't a complete Alliance idiot.

"This isn't a social call, sparkly ass." The statement came out rather crudely and immediately the man's face became stoney and almost closed off. "It's Shepard,"

The stoic mask slipped for a brief second and she saw a mirror image of her own disbelief of Nyreen's death. Then it disappeared quickly and she had to applaud the man's quick recovery.

"When and where?" Ah, to the point. A practical man indeed.

"Omega. Bring a shuttle to the main dock and Dr. Chakwas. I prefer the utmost discretion."

"Cerberus took Omega-"

"An intelligent man," she interrupted, "but it's safe. For now. Let Bray know that you're here."

The man nodded and his screen went blank. "And he didn't even say good-bye."

-o0o-

Kaidan and EDI were the only people who knew of Shepard's mission in Omega but had promised to not say anything to Alliance Command until he got back or he was dead.

When EDI commed over the PA system and advised him to be in his personal quarters to take a call, it set off a red flag and he could already feel a migraine coming in.

He had feared the worst at the sight of someone he did not really want to see at the moment and his heart pounded in the duration of gearing up while prepping the shuttle. Steve had asked him if everything was alright and Kaidan didn't want to lie to him, especially when he was the main pilot. Also, Steve cared about Shepard and it wasn't fair to withhold information about his lover.

"He's fine," was all Kaidan could manage. "Just trust me on this."

Steve gave him a look of disbelief but took it at face value for now.

Dr. Chakwas was as professional as ever and she didn't question Kaidan's request to accompany him on his way to Omega. She didn't even batter an eyelash when she was literally told to stay behind in the shuttle at the Omega docks.

Apparently, Aria's victory over Cerberus was very recent. The stench of blood and sweat made him sick to his stomach but he strode on, determined to get to Shepard as quickly as possible.

At the Afterlife entrance, he wasn't surprised to see a Batarian standing guard, along with a whole troop that stood with him. He was shocked, however, to hear a Batarian ask if he was here for Shepard and that he should hurry along. Perhaps some Batarians had forgiven Shepard for the Alpha relay mess, at least for the moment.

Aria was waiting for him in her usual alcove but the Asari's bloodied form and torn suit didn't make his face pale at all. It was the sight of Shepard lying down, his torso stripped bare and bandaged. The bandages appeared fresh but it was already stained with blood and Kaidan immediately tuned into his field medic mode.

Ignoring Aria in favor of touching Shepard, to physically reassure himself that his lover was still alive, he rushed to the supine form and cupped a pale cheek. His lover moaned and his eyes opened, revealing unfocused blue orbs.

"...Kaidan..." he whispered in a questioning tone.

"Sshh. I'm here. I've got you."

His thumb brushed the man's cheek with tender affection but Kaidan didn't want to show too much of his emotions in front of the infamous Asari Queen of Omega.

After he checked Shepard's vitals, weak as expected, he turned back to Aria, expecting her to grace him with a cold, icy stare and a blunt 'get out' statement. Instead, she stood up to him and effortlessly picked Shepard up, with a 'follow-me' order thrown back at him over her shoulder.

Normally, Aria has her underlings do all the heavy lifting but something must have happened here, something dreadful to warrant even an action as simple as helping out a person to the shuttle.

The journey back to the shuttle was uncomfortably silent and the human sentinel was glad to be with a more familiar person again. Dr. Chakwas gave Aria a small smile of thanks when the Asari gently deposited him on the stretcher they had before focusing all her attention on maintaining Shepard's vitals.

Aria promptly exited the shuttle without a word, again, and Kaidan had to ask her a question, even if it meant pissing her off even more.

"Why?"

She turned and with the way the red light shone on her blue eyes, she looked a little bit sad. No, that was perhaps just the trick of the light. At least that's what Kaidan had told himself. Aria wasn't known for her emotions.

"It's Shepard," came the simple answer before she walked away. "Now leave and if I hear the Alliance are coming here, I'll kill them too."

-o0o-

A week later...

Kaidan startled awake, his body jolting and his mouth opened to let out a cry of "Shepard!' An arm tightened around his belly and soft kisses were planted on the back of his neck. Even in his state of duress, the kisses on his sensitive area caused a hint of arousal to rush through him. However, the fear was stronger and Kaidan had to look back, to see for himself that John wasn't lying dead on Aria's couch, his eyes wide open and gazing at him in the final moments of his life.

"John...John..." he couldn't help but chant his name again and again until it became a mantra.

"I'm here, Kaidan," John reassured him in a low voice. Another kiss, this time on the lips, was soft and affectionate.

"Please...show me that you're here...it's selfish...but-" another kiss interrupted him, followed by its harder counterparts. It had been a week after the Omega incident and John was already healed, moving about as smoothly as if he wasn't injured in the first place. In fact, it was Kaidan who bore the scars from that event, emotional scars despite the lack of anything on his face.

Kaidan let out a quiet moan as kisses trailed from his lips and down his throat. John nipped sharply at the base of his throat and he groaned again, arching his head back, letting the slight pain of those marks remind him that John was still alive, with him in his bed.

Rough hands stroked his flanks soothingly before they departed to their separate destinations. One hand focused on bringing a nipple to hardness while the other caressed his throat briefly before traveling down to an inner thigh.

His legs parted, to allow Shepard get closer to his most sensitive area, and Kaidan almost sobbed out loud as a warm tongue brushed across the other nipple while hot fingers skimmed gently across his erection. His own hands were wrapped around John's head and they grazed through the soft buzz of John's head. There was nothing to hold unto so Kaidan had to clutch at the sheets when his member was teased with soft, wet licks.

He was just about to moan a protest when the licking stopped and, suddenly, before he could stop it, a hoarse cry of pleasure escaped his throat at the fluttering sensation against his entrance.

Soon, his mantra of John became interrupted with gasps and choked sobs as John claimed him in the most intimate of ways. Oh god, how that tongue would spear inside him, without holding back, before mercilessly brushing across it. It soon settled into an unpredictable rhythm, one that had arching him upwards and wordlessly begging for more.

Soon, a slender digit joined in and it went deeper than the tongue could, touching him and bringing him even closer to his climax. Then another digit followed suit and not before long, a shout of 'Shepard!' echoed in the cabin as Kaidan reached the heights of his orgasm.

He wasn't even given enough time to come down from his high when hands positioned his legs to the side of John's thick waist before a hard member slowly penetrated him. Not even the orgasmic bliss could prevent the jarring pangs of pain coming up at the initial penetration and Kaidan breathed steadily, to will himself through the first part.

His hands scrabbled for support and they held unto the massive biceps, the fingers digging ruthlessly into the muscles as John went deeper and deeper, never stopping until he bottomed out.

When John did, he stopped and laid against his chest, the heavy weight a welcomed burden as it reminded him that John was truly here and not a dream phantom. His lover's breath was hot and ragged, the heat coming off below his right ear. Soon, the feeling of too much became not enough and Kaidan whispered, "please...move...I need...I need you to move..."

It was all he could manage before John's hips moved away, pulling that delicious hardness back out of him until the tip was all that's left inside him. Then, he pushed back in, hard but slow before settling into a pleasing pace. Eventually, even the slowness didn't suit Kaidan and the sentinel begged for more, for John to go faster, harder until his pleas were muffled by John placing his lips over his.

His own erection was trapped between their bodies, the slickness of their sweat providing the necessary friction for it to be rubbed and brushed, the pre-cum seeping out of the tip making their bodies even slicker.

The fear of his dream had finally rescinded, washed away by the overwhelming pleasure of John thrusting inside of him, of his lover's own chant that consisted of Kaidan's name, interspersed with 'Love you' and 'almost there.'

When it happened, it was both sudden and simultaneous, a rare thing for the two lovers. As soon as Kaidan started to tighten up, John's pace quickened until both cried out each other's name.

Kaidan almost couldn't breath. John certainly had shown him that he was still here and, as John kissed him over his heart before stilling into sleep, Kaidan wrapped his hands around his lover's strong chest and held him tightly, vowing to never let him out of his sight again.

-FIN-