A/N: This has no specific time line other than it takes place after ME2 and possibly even ME3
"So tell me about this doctor you had drinks with."
Kaidan Alenko stopped in the middle of the stairs they were climbing up and turned to look at the woman who was only a step or two behind. For a long moment he studied her and then answered. "No." Then he continued to ascend the stairs.
Behind him, Shepard blinked. "No? Why not?" Annoyance was creeping into her voice.
"No, Shepard." He repeated without turning around.
"You still like her, don't you?" Anger was making an appearance in both tone and face of the woman carrying enough armament to take over a small planet.
"No, Shepard."
"No what? No you don't still like her or no you're not answering me?" Shepard demanded again.
He paused and turned before closing the distance between them. With gentle hands he clasped her upper arms, ignored the silently laughing Garrus and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "I love you, Shepard. And I am not discussing her with you."
"Why not?" She persisted and glared at the Turian just behind her who was completely unsuccessful at keeping his amusement in check. "Was she pretty?"
Kaidan smiled and shook his head. "No, Shepard." He managed two steps before she began speaking again.
"That means yes, doesn't it? She was pretty. I bet she didn't have scars all over her body from fighting in battles to save humanity and the universe." Shepard sniped back.
"Why are you so determined to fight about this?" Kaidan asked her moving to the side so others could pass them on the stairs. "What possible good could come out of discussing her?"
"We're on the Citadel. You could go see her." Shepard answered crossing her arms over her chest.
Kaidan studied the woman he loved, from her soft hair and even softer lips to the hard armor she wore the way other women wore evening gowns…with style and grace. "Exactly why would I want to do that?" He'd pretty much resigned himself to this fight and even wondered why he'd tried to offset it. Shepard gave stubborn an entirely new definition.
"Because you liked her enough to ask her out to drinks." The tone in Shepard's voice was an accusation of stupidity, as if he couldn't figure it out on his own. "Or did you just dump her and never call her again?" Now there was outrage.
Yeah, there was no way he was going to win the argument Shepard was so determined to have. Pressing his fingers to his forehead, Kaidan sighed.
"Okay, Shepard. We'll discuss her." He focused on the woman standing before him and tilted his head. "But you tell me why, first."
Surprise flitted across her face. "Why what?" The question was wary.
"Why you want to know about her."
"Because you asked her out to drinks!" Shepard flung back, eyes sparking with anger.
"Garrus and I went out for drinks the last time we were on Omega. Why aren't you asking about him?" Kaidan responded pointing to the Turian in question.
From behind Shepard's back Garrus began waving his hands in the negative and shaking his head, begging not to be pulled into the discussion.
"You're not in love with Garrus!" Shepard snapped back.
With a completely straight face, Kaidan answered. "He's my bromance, Shepard. And I've never loved a bro more."
Garrus face palmed and started to quietly back away from Shepard.
"Fine." Shepard hissed moving past him, up the stairs. "I see it is completely impossible to have a serious discussion about this with you."
"You're sleeping with Mordin again." Garrus whispered joining him.
"Stop saying it like that, it isn't funny anymore." Kaidan replied wearily having no doubt that he would be spending the next sleep shift in the Tech Room next to the Salarian. Racing up the steps separating him from Shepard he caught her arm pulling her about to face him.
He'd expected to see rage and anger…Shepard was never more lovely than when she was pissed off about something and all but vibrating with the emotion. He hadn't expected to see the brief glimpse of devastation before she closed her emotions off to him and simply crossed her arms, glaring, daring him to try and make the situation better.
Taking a deep breath, he tried. "Shepard, if you want to fight about this, we can fight about this, but if you want me to be honest, you have to be. Why do you want to know about her?"
He could see the struggle for her. The literal battle it was for her to try and discuss any deep sentiment. Even when he'd first met her, she had been so self contained, so very wary of letting any softer emotion break free. Her stint with Cerberus had only made the problem worse.
"Why are you so threatened by her?" He asked softly, with confused wonder, stretching out a hand to smooth an errant lock back behind her ear.
"You asked her out for drinks." Shepard repeated as if he was meant to understand.
"Shepard, you were dead!" Kaidan's own irritation was beginning to be felt. "For more than a year, you'd been dead! Are you telling me I wasn't supposed to move on with my life?"
"No! You should have!" She shook her head. "Nevermind. Just drop it." She shoved past him and stomped up the steps.
"What did I do?" Kaidan demanded of Garrus.
"Don't ask me, I don't speak the language of pissed off Human girlfriend." Rubbing his facial scars, Garrus made a sympathetic noise. "I don't even speak the language of pissed off Turian girlfriend."
Kaidan simply groaned and wondered how long she was going to be mad at him.
Gah. She was such a child at times.
Shepard rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the ache behind her eyes.
The words had been there, really they had. She'd known what she wanted to say. How she wanted to explain what she was feeling. Why she was jealous of a woman she'd never met whose name she didn't even know.
Then she'd opened her mouth and gibberish had poured forth.
Finding herself walking in front of a boutique, Shepard paused and studied the Asari mannequin in the window wearing a long, beautiful gown.
Had Kaidan ever seen her in a dress? Unlikely since she couldn't remember the last time she'd worn one…and that was without the two year 'dead' part of her life. The most colorful part of her wardrobe had been when they went to that planet with the purple foliage all over the place and she'd enhanced the camouflage on her armor so she'd blend better.
No wonder he'd never asked her out.
Yeah, they had great, amazing sex. Really amazing, she mused with a foolish smile on her lips as she recalled that morning. But it had started with battlefield flirting. They'd kept it low key because of rules and regs but her death had kind of interrupted that little problem and made it go away. Now, they spent most of their time together on missions or on the Normandy. In fact, it was for those exact reasons that she didn't care when he went out for drinks with Garrus or Joker whenever they hit a port. As much as she loved him, there were times she really needed a break from him.
But it would be nice to be asked out. To have a meal together that didn't involve her disarming the weapons from her waist and back before she sat down.
"It would look lovely on you." A soft voice spoke from near Shepard.
She flinched and went for her hand cannon, startling the Asari who had stepped out of the store.
Shepard flushed painfully and deliberately moved her hands away from her weapons. Gah, she was an idiot!
"I'm sorry." She shook her head wondering if she was going to start kicking small children next.
The Asari gave a lovely smile. "No, it's my fault. I can see that you are a warrior. I should have made allowances, Commander Shepard."
Someday she was going to be used to the fact that everybody knew her name and face.
"I should…go." Shepard stepped back.
"Would you like to try it on?" The Asari asked, motioning to the dress in the window.
"Oh, Hell, no." Shepard answered without thinking, revolted by the idea. "I mean…ah, just shut up, girl." She muttered to herself rubbing her forehead.
The Asari, instead of being offended gave a delighted laugh. "Let me guess…saving the Universe doesn't leave much time for the warrior to be a woman."
Appalled, Shepard felt tears spark in her eyes. "Look, I'm sure there's a Battarian slavery ring I need to take care of…somewhere. I'll just…"
"What's his name?" The Asari persisted moving closer. "The man you want to wear that dress for?"
"Kaidan." Shepard whispered, staring miserably at the sales woman.
Extending a hand, the Asari smiled. "Shall we find a dress that Kaidan would like to take you dancing in?"
Terror filled Shepard in a way the Reapers had never been able to inspire. "Oh, no. I suck at dancing. Completely horrible. All stiff arms and no rhythm. I'd like him to still want to be with me, not run screaming. Or even worse, fall down laughing hysterically."
Laughing the Asari tugged her into the store. "Come on. Leave yourself in my capable hands."
"Okay. Now I'm worried." Garrus spoke, his small eyes darting about, searching the walkway for the familiar armor and weaponry.
"We looked at the Upgrades and Armory. We looked at the Tech store." Kaidan agreed, his own gaze searching. "We even looked at the Souvenir shop which mercifully hasn't sold any fish today."
"It's not like her to disappear. Shepard knows better." Garrus' tone was becoming apprehensive. "Maybe she went back to the Normandy?"
Kaidan shook his head. "I checked. EDI says she hasn't called in since she left with us."
"Anderson." Garrus said the name abruptly. "Of course. She's probably checked in with him. She usually does that at least once per visit to the Citadel."
Relief filled with purpose had Kaidan nodding his head. "You're right. Let's go find her." He began walking toward the nearest public transport kiosk passing by an elegant dress boutique that he didn't give a second glance.
Shepard stared at her hand cannon, sitting on the fitting room couch, with a longing usually reserved for Skyllian dark chocolate. She really wanted to shoot herself in the head and promised herself she would if Nyesara brought out one more design that Shepard simply had to see herself in.
Why was she doing this anyway? The chances of Kaidan asking her to go on a dinner date were nil. She was already sleeping with him. As far as he was concerned, all the hard work was past and now he got to reap the benefits.
A small protesting noise had her shaking her head, rubbing the soft skin where her forehead and nose met between her eyebrows. That had really been unworthy of her to think. Kaidan wasn't like that. Besides, how was he to know what she wanted if every time she opened her mouth she sounded like a jealous shrew?
Really, did he love her any less simply because he didn't take her to dinner once in a while? Even just out for drinks the way he had that doctor whose name and face she didn't know and couldn't line up in the sights of her favorite weapon.
Was a nice dinner really worth fighting with Kaidan over?
Besides, what would she do with a dress? Where would she even store it? Two people were living in the Captain's cabin on the Normandy and that didn't leave room for useless items.
"You really need to stop seeing the dress as the enemy." Nyesara said in a soft voice filled with laughter.
"It is the enemy and it's winning." Shepard answered in sour tones.
"No, Commander, it's simply another form of armor." Nyesara tilted her head, considering the flounces on the dress before her. "But in this case, you may be right."
"Look, I'm grateful you've taken the time to try and help me…" As she spoke, Shepard began shoving the material off her lithe body and gingerly stepped out of it.
"I think I've made a mistake." The Asari murmured taking the dress.
Relieved, Shepard smiled. "Yes, well, no harm, no foul. I'm not even bleeding so let's call this fight a draw and I will go back to my regularly scheduled insanity."
"No, no, Commander." Waving a hand, Nyesara quickly caught Shepard as she reached for her armor. "I think I'm trying to make you complicated. You aren't a very complicated woman."
"Try telling Kaidan that." The words were dry and self-deprecating.
"He's one of your soldiers, isn't he?" Nyesara asked steering Shepard toward another holo booth. "The one with the really fine butt?"
"That's my stud-muffin." Shepard quipped resigning herself to another session of fashion torture.
"I like his eyes, too. They're very kind for someone who must have seen what he has and done what he has done." Nyesara began wrapping another form of holographic cloth over Shepard's body. "I'm betting he likes simple, too. Why bother with straps and fasteners when you can just go for booty gold with a single tug?"
"Because I like the foreplay to last longer than two minutes." Shepard answered sardonically. "Don't get me wrong, Kaidan has a lot of self control. A lot." For a moment she danced through her memories of that morning and slid neatly into her happy place and away from the Warden of Retail Prison. After a moment she gave a reluctant sigh and returned to reality. "But he's still a guy, bless his fine ass."
Nyesara paused and then smiled. "I have it. I know what you want and what he will like." She banished the holo cloth and tapped open a nearby console screening through the images. "Historic human. Earth. Chinese origins. Short sleeves, long skirt with slits up the side to mid-thigh."
A holo began forming about Shepard, a shining gold like Tech armor to begin with that formed snugly against her body and began to take the shape of a cheongsam. The simple form hugged her and the Asari cooed in pleasure.
"Let's see about color." The holo began swiping through the colors almost faster than the eye could catch.
Shepard stared at the dress and knew it was right. She looked like a woman in it. A soft, womanly woman a man would want to ask out for drinks. The woman who wore that dress didn't need a Hand Cannon strapped to her waist or a Widow Maker slung over her back. She didn't need extra slots for ammo. She didn't need a state of the art proto-type ship with advanced tech where everyone on board answered only to her.
The woman who wore that dress just needed her man and a place to simply be with him where the rest of the world couldn't touch them. Not with demands, not with orders, not with pleas for help. Not with impossible expectations.
"I'm so sorry." Nyesara sounded appalled. "You hate it. I don't know why I even bothered."
Shepard blinked at her, pulling herself out of her thoughts to find her cheeks wet. "Oh. Oh, no. No. I love the dress. It's perfect." She wiped at her eyes self-consciously. "It needs a decent color. Maybe a pattern on it?"
Nyesara hesitated until Shepard gave her a reassuring cocky yes-I-saved-the-universe grin. "A pattern would be wonderful. Cherry blossoms? Or a meteor shower over Hann-Sha? There are some lovely firebirds motifs I have on file."
Smiling, Shepard turned back to the mirrors showing the holo outline of her dress. "Show me." She said simply.
Now he was getting worried.
"Maybe we should try just calling her." Garrus offered, still searching every human face that passed by.
Scrubbing the back of his neck, Kaidan opened his mouth only to have the air in his lungs exhale in relief. "There she is." He motioned to the armor clad woman coming out of a clothing boutique across the way. "Looked like she just came out of that dress place."
Garrus followed his gaze and nodded. "Hunh. She must have needed a bathroom break or something. I told her to go before we left the Normandy."
Kaidan laughed a little harder than the joke called for and shouted Shepard's name to get her attention. Of course this also got the attention of most of the wandering sentients in the area who began tilting their head to see if it was THE Shepard. "I wondered why there was a dent in the wall near the docking panel."
"Hi, guys!" Shepard beamed at them making both males wary. "Want to go look at fish?"
Kaidan shared a glance at Garrus but the Turian shrugged. Shepard had stomped away completely furious and now she was all sunshine and daisies.
"Uhn…" Kaidan articulated while Garrus began shaking his head.
"We spoke with Anderson." The Turian said quickly. "There's a problem with a merchant ship out near Illium. We should take you to him so he can brief you himself. Right now. No time for fish."
Shepard gave a shrug, still smiling. "Okay. Sound like slavers or pirates? Or both?" She led the way toward the nearest public transit.
Should he press his luck and find out if she was still mad at him, Kaidan wondered as Garrus shrugged at him.
Or maybe Mordin could sleep alone in the Tech room that night if he just let things be. That was the prudent choice, right? Not cowardly at all to want to duck a fight with a woman who could make mercs cry just by saying a harsh word.
Besides, Shepard knew a lot of harsh words.