Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect

A/N – This is a simple little pre-Mass Effect oneshot about my favourite couple, Alex Shepard and Kaidan, and how they met. I hope you enjoy this! It was written for Elissa-Theirin as part of my fanfic giveaway on Tumblr!

She lit up the bar as soon as she walked in and Kaidan had a dizzying impression of a gorgeous smile, bright blonde hair and skin-tight pants. He tried not to stare but it was impossible to take his eyes off her, and he casually gulped down some beer as she paused inside the doorway. The blonde glanced across the room, obviously searching for someone. Her eyes fell on him and Kaidan almost choked as she grinned and waved. He looked to either side and almost slapped himself on the forehead as his friend Joker laughed and waved back.

Of course she hadn't been waving to him.

She bounced towards them, navigating her way through the crowd with an ease that left Kaidan envious.

"Change of plans, Joker; they cancelled my leave so I can't get drunk with you tonight," she groaned by way of greeting, sparing Kaidan a curious glance before she focused her attention on the pilot. "They're sending my unit to Akuze with fresh recruits to break in. Standard search and rescue mission."

"What?" Joker made a face. "Shit, Shepard! Now who's going to be my wingman at this dive?" He gestured around them and sighed dramatically. "You're supposed to help me get a date, not abandon me in my time of need."

The woman grinned and the twinkle in her turquoise eyes took Kaidan's breath away as she looked at him. "What about tall, dark and handsome here? Can't he be your wingman?"

Tall dark and handsome? Kaidan's face erupted in heat and he finished off his beer to hide his embarrassment.

"Him? Nope, Kaidan's got to get home. He's reporting for duty tomorrow too." Joker glared at them as though they were doing this deliberately to annoy him. "Looks like I get to fly solo again." He mock toasted the air.

Shepard rolled her eyes and turned her gaze on Kaidan, pinning him with an intense stare. "So, you're Alliance too, huh?" She leaned forward to be heard over the noise of the bar, and Kaidan caught a whiff of a spicy perfume.

His heart pounded a little harder.

"Yeah, Kaidan Alenko." He held out his hand and she clasped it in a firm shake.

"Alex Shepard." She held his hand for a touch longer than was necessary. "Can I buy you another beer?"

Kaidan shook his head and ignored Jokers frantic gestures behind Shepard back that he should take her up on the offer. "I'd love that but I've got to cut out early, I'm afraid. I'm shipping out in the AM on the Darwin."

She tilted her head and, to his surprise, looked genuinely sorry. "That's too bad Tall, Dark and Handsome. I would have loved getting to know you better." Shepard glanced at Joker. "What about you? Beer?"

"Do you have to ask?" Joker replied drolly. Shepard laughed as she vanished into the crowd and headed for the bar. His friend rounded on him as soon as she was gone. "Are you nuts?" he burst out. "A gorgeous woman asks you to a have a drink with her and you turn her down?"

Kaidan swallowed as a voice in the back of his head wondered if he should stay for a while longer. "I can't, I have to go."

It sounded pathetic, even to him.

"Oh, come on!" Joker slapped his hand on the tabletop and winced. "I thought you said you wanted to try dating again? Isn't Shepard your type?"

Kaidan flushed. His type? She was one of those self-assured women who was way out of his league! Women like that never went for nice guys like him. "She's pretty, but I don't think she was interested in me like that. She was just being polite."

Joker shook his head slowly. "You're an idiot, Alenko."

"Probably." He grinned and gently clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll send you a message when I'm next in town."

He moved off before Joker could reply; half because he really was pushed for time and half because he was worried that if Jeff kept pushing the point he'd cave in and stay. Alex Shepard, although not traditionally beautiful, had something about her that shone, and in his tipsy state he wasn't sure if he's make it home at all if she kept smiling at him. He wanted to stay and have that beer with her, and more of Joker's encouragement would be all it would take to convince him to stay.

So maybe you should, the voice piped up again.

Kaidan ignored it and pushed through the bar's doors into the chilly Vancouver evening air, his breath misting in front of his face. He tightened his coat around him and started along the path back to the Alliance barracks, stuffing his hands in his pockets as the chilly air swirled around him. The streets lights ahead were out and he sighed as approached the darkness, trying to ignore the sounds of someone being sick in the alley beside the bar.

"Hey buddy!" a voice called loudly. "Got a cigarette you can spare? Maybe some extra credits for a drink?" A man waved at him from the mouth of the alley, his face half in shadow. He stank so strongly of alcohol that Kaidan could smell it from metres away.

He shook his head. "Sorry, no."

The man muttered angrily and Kaidan walked a little faster and ignored him. He didn't mind giving credits to people in genuine need of charity, but a drunk who wanted another drink wasn't high on his list of priorities. As he wandered along his mind flicked back to Shepard and he wondered if she'd been genuinely interested in him, the thought sent a small bolt of lust through his body and he shook his head; he really needed to start dating again.

He crossed from the last pool of light into the shadows with his mind still firmly on the blonde in the bar, when the flesh on the back of his neck prickled an instant before something heavy slammed into the back of his head. Stars burst inside his head and Kaidan staggered to the ground, catching himself on his hands as his vision doubled and blurred. A boot slammed into his side and a bolt of paint shot through his body. Instinctively he felt for his sidearm and cursed when he remembered he'd left it back in his room.

Kaidan groaned and managed to stay on his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear his vision. He saw movement an instant before his assailant kicked him again, and this time he fell to the ground as pain shot through his torso; it felt like he'd been stabbed, though he knew it was probably just a broken rib. He vision cleared as the fog of pain lifted, and he realised the drunk from the alley was going through his pockets, one hand clutching a tire iron tightly.

He caught the hand in his pockets and was about to activate his biotics and Throw him when a blur slammed into the stranger and the drunk was torn from his grasp. Kaidan staggered to his feet, surprised to see blood over his favourite shirt. The sounds of fighting drew his attention and he swayed unsteadily as he saw the woman from the bar going up against the drunk.

Even with his dancing vision and pain-wracked body, Kaidan appreciated the grace and beauty with which she moved. She easily evaded the swipes the drunk made at her with his tyre iron; her speed making him looking clumsy and slow by comparison. She dodged close and landed a solid punch in his stomach, kneed him in the groin when he doubled up in pain, then grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed her fist into his face.

It was fighting at its most brutal, and Kaidan wasn't surprised when the drunk let out a bellow of pain, then a whimper, and finally dropped his tire iron and scuttled into the dark. He saw her hands twitch and wondered if she wanted to chase after him and continue the fight; battle adrenaline was a heady thing. But she didn't. She let out a loud breath and then turned and faced him. Shepard retrieved something from the ground as she made her way to his side, and when she drew close he saw it was his wallet.

"Thanks," he mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. Pain shot up his neck into his head as his hand touched the wound and he almost lost his balance.

He opened his eyes to find her supporting him, her smaller frame strong and steady as she held him. Her blue eyes looked grey in the dim light, and she flinched in sympathy as he pulled his hand away slick with blood.

"Hey there Tall, Dark and Handsome; I got you," she murmured reassuringly as he swayed again. "You okay?"

Kaidan nodded and instantly regretted it as pain reverberated through his skull. "He got me on the back of the head pretty good, but I'm okay."

Liar.

Shepard peered at his wound and recoiled. "Bullshit. You're bleeding everywhere." She pointed to the cheap accommodation across the street. "I'm staying right over there, come back with me and I'll patch you up."

Alone with her in a hotel room?

He flushed and started to shake his head when a wave of dizziness crashed over him and his head spun. "Dammit," he groaned and raised a hand to his face, accidently smearing blood over his cheek. "I think I need to sit down for a minute."

"You can sit down at my place, Marine." She started walking them towards the motel and shut him down when he began to protest. "Save it, I'm not taking no for an answer. At the very least you can let me get you some water, clean up that wound and put some medigel on it for you."

Kaidan reluctantly agreed. "Far be it for me to argue with a lady."

"Lady?" A pleasant laugh burbled from her throat and she tossed her head back. "Oh, I'm a lot of things Tall, Dark and Handsome, but a lady isn't one of them."

He would have argued with her, but it took all of his concentration to stay upright as they stumbled across the road and up the stairs to the rooms. Shepard keyed in her passcode and then led him down a hallway to what he assumed was her room, opened the door and ushered him in. By the time he stumbled inside with her he was feeling better, steadier on his feet, though his head was pounding.

The room was typical cheap Alliance accommodation; soulless and tacky. Everything was an obnoxious shade of pastel blue and the tiny studio apartment seemed full to overflowing with the few pieces of furniture it contained. Kaidan took all of it in as be crossed the threshold into her domain, watching in amusement as she slung her bag onto a counter and tossed her jacket on the tiny breakfast table.

She caught his hand and let him to the table, then pushed him down onto one of the seats. Her hands were surprisingly gentle and warm, and his skin tingled where she touched him. Shepard crossed the room and rifled in a draw, then pulled out a small bag of medigel and returned to this side. With her jacket off Kaidan could see the scars decorating her upper arms. She was young, but she'd evidently lived an eventful life in the Alliance and had seen her fair share of action.

"Shirt off." She ordered. Kaidan widened his eyes and she grinned as she explained, "You've got blood all over your shirt and down your back. You look yummy and all, but I'm not jump your bones while you're covered in blood." She looked taken aback and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, did I just say that out loud?"

The tension eased out of the room as Kaidan laughed and started unbuttoning his shirt. "So I only have to worry about that once I'm cleaned up?" he joked.

To his surprise she raised an eyebrow and grinned as he peeled his shirt off and hung it on the back of the chair. "I guess you'll have to wait and see."

Kaidan said nothing as she retrieved a cloth from the kitchen and rinsed it in warm water. He wasn't sure what he should say; mostly because he liked this woman and he was enjoying their flirting. It had been a while since he'd met someone who made him feel this comfortable and chatting with her was fun. Besides, if he was totally honest, there was something about her that put butterflies in his stomach.

She got to work cleaning him up and despite their light-hearted banter about her jumping his bones, she was very professional as she wiped blood off his back and neck and applied the medigel. He was able to get a good look at her up close and the butterflies went crazy as he saw that her eyes were the colour of a tropical ocean. His gaze moved over her face; her skin had a fine dusting of freckles and her nose had been broken at some point in the past, though it had healed almost perfectly.

Shepard moved to stand in front of him and began to wipe the blood from his chest. The warm cloth slid over his skin and Kaidan shivered, goose bumps erupting over him as his body stirred. It was too much, too intimate, and Kaidan reached up and stilled her hand; fully intending to tell her that he was grateful for her help but he'd finish it off himself. Instead he found himself gazing into her eyes as she looked up at him from a few inches away.

His heart pounded.

Blood roared in his ears.

The butterflies danced.

His eyes dropped to her mouth and before he knew what he was doing, Kaidan pulled her to him and began to lower his mouth to hers. He paused with his lips above hers, some small part of his mind pointing out that this was very unlike him. But before he could think things through, Shepard closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his with a hungry groan. Kaidan's hesitation disintegrated and he leaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her slender frame as heat thundered through his body.

The kiss was hot, wild, and their tongues tangled together as Shepard eagerly pressed herself against him. She was so much smaller then him that it surprised Kaidan when she broke the kiss and easily pushed him back down on the chair, then she settled herself on his lap and kissed him again, her hips grinding against his as she straddled him. She wiggled sexily and he groaned, his erection straining against his pants and pressing against her body.

How long had it been since he'd been with someone? Kaidan wondered as he trailed fingers up her body, smiling against her lips as she moaned in appreciation. Months? A year? His last relationship had been nice enough and they'd parted as friends, but it had never had the kind of spark that he felt with this woman. God, he'd only just met her and he could already feel that there was something almost electric between them.

The heat and energy between them burned like a fire, consuming what little bit of common sense Kaidan had left. He didn't care that he was tipsy, or injured or even that he had to get up at an ungodly hour to report for duty. He wanted this woman. He wanted Shepard for an hour or a night – however long she'd have him. It wasn't like him to simply give into temptation like this, but right now he didn't care.

He'd never met anyone who made him feel like this.

Shepard seemed just as eager to be with him, and he gasped as she playfully bit his neck and kissed her way along his jaw. Her fingers were feather-light on his skin, and he groaned as she dragged nails over his nipples, down his abs and unbuckled his belt – small frissons of excitement exploding inside of him. He slipped his hands under her shirt and pulled it up and over her head, then tossed it to the side as he traced the outline of her bra. He breasts, presented in a lacy black push-up bra, were magnificent, and he lowered his head and kissed the tops of the white mounds.

Shepard groaned and shuddered on him. "C'mon, Tall, Dark and Handsome. Let's take this to bed." She peeled herself off him and pulled him to his feet, her face glowing as she grinned at him.

Kaidan returned the smile; he knew just how she felt. The connection between them was explosive, exciting, completely unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. His biotics surged through him in a dizzying wave, and Shepard gasped and leaned forward to look at him.

"You're a biotic!" she exclaimed and peered into his eyes. "I saw the amp, but I've never seen someone use them up close before. You're eyes went completely blue." She cupped his face, her eyes wide with wonder as she kissed him again. "It was beautiful."

Beautiful? Kaidan followed her to the simple single bed and kicked off his boots while she peeled the rest of her clothes off. He couldn't seem to stop grinning. The usual reaction to his biotics was suspicion, contempt and sometimes even outright hostility; he'd never been called beautiful before. Shepard really was an unusual woman.

With their clothes gone they came together again on the bed, giggling and laughing as they struggled to fit on the single mattress. Everything felt warm and right, and Kaidan grinned happily as he caught her beneath him and kissed her once more, breathless with excitement as desire ran rampant.

Shepard had been beautiful clothed, but unclothed she was incredible. Her body was petite and leanly muscled, with small rosy tipped breasts that fit snugly into Kaidan's hands. She, like him, had her share of scars, but it was the small mole just above her belly button that caught his attention and he circled it with his finger before sliding down to press his mouth there. Shepard giggled at his gentle kiss, and gasped when he dipped his tongue into her bellybutton and then slid lower to conduct a very thorough investigation of her nether regions.

She groaned his name in pleasure and squirmed as he explored her innermost parts with his tongue and fingers, licking and nuzzling until she was wet and panting. He loved hearing her sounds of pleasure, but when she tugged him back up her body and slid her hands around his member, he was happy to switch places. The thought of being inside of her was almost too much and he grasped her bedcovers as she stroked him lightly.

Shepard took her time as she took her own tour of his body, kissing and licking a path down his chest; casting the occasional mischievous glance at him as he struggled to stay still under her teasing hands. When she finally took him in her mouth, working her lips and tongue up and down his shaft, he couldn't control his hips as they left the bed and he thrust into her mouth. Lust and need thrummed through him, and he could see the pale blue wisps of his biotics already dancing over his skin as he tensed.

"I can't last much longer," Kaidan managed to gasp, unsure if he was happy or disappointed when she let him slide from her mouth.

"Me either," Shepard admitted as she settled herself over him, her features barely visible in the dim lighting. "But I want to make this last as long as I can."

He nodded and held onto her hips as she took him in her hand and guided him to her entrance. Slowly, oh so slowly, she lowered herself onto his hardness. Kaidan groaned in ecstasy; the sensation of sinking into her tight, velvety, warmth was incredible, and when he was at last sheathed inside of her Shepard began to move with slow rolls of her hips. She was gentle - perhaps out of consideration for his injury or perhaps because she really did want to make this last.

They moved together as the pleasure built; a warm fullness that spread throughout Kaidan until it seemed to burst through skin. And it did; his biotics erupting around him in a flowing light as he reached his climax and cried out. Shepard followed close behind and her body tightened around him as she gasped and came.

She looked incredible as she arched over him; bathed in the flicking blue light that came from his body. Kaidan was certain he'd never seen any sight as beautiful. When her orgasm passed she fell beside him with a delighted giggle and leaned over to kiss him, cuddling against his chest happily.

"Is your head okay?" she asked abruptly as she propped herself up on an elbow. "I didn't think about it while I was … ." Shepard grinned sheepishly and let her words trail off.

Kaidan returned her smile. "I'm fine." He reached a hand behind his head and he could feel where the medigel had already knitted his flesh together. "Barely a scratch on me and my headache is gone as well."

"Good." Shepard dragged a sheet over their bodies and snuggled close. "You do this a lot, Tall, Dark and Handsome?"

"What? Get beat up outside bars and then go home with strange women?" He glanced down at her and tried to look serious. "Of course. All the time."

She snorted. "Liar. I bet you're one of those good boys who follows the rules and never steps out of line."

Kaidan ran a hand down her back, tracing his fingers lightly over her spine. "You could be right there. So what about you? You don't strike me as the kind of girl who usually drags injured men back to your apartment?"

Her lips curved into a smile against his skin. "Nope," she confessed. "But there was something about you that I couldn't resist." She kissed his neck and slid a leg over his. "Maybe it was those biotics. Wow."

"You didn't mind them?"

Shepard laughed and shook her head. "Not one little bit, Mr. Kaidan Alenko."

He tightened his arm around her and dropped a kiss on her head. "So, when do you get back from your mission? I was thinking next time we're in town we could skip the beating and the injury, and I could take you out to dinner? It's the least I could do after you patched me up."

Her eyes sparkled. "Sounds good. I'll send you an extranet message and we can catch up again after Akuze." Shepard grinned lazily and added, "Though it's more a babysitting job then an actual mission. I should be back in a few weeks."

"The Darwin's on a similar schedule." Kaidan told her, his mind already flicking over places he could take her to dinner.

Kaidan gave her his address and tried to stifle the excited feeling in his stomach. Their eyes met as they saved each others numbers and he knew, without a sliver of doubt, that he'd found someone special and that she felt the same. It was strange, but even though they'd be parting ways in the morning, he knew he'd be seeing Alex Shepard again.

A/N - This was a lot of fun to write - so I hope you enjoyed it! Feedback and reviews are loved!