For the lovely mariahchu :) Happy holidays everyone!

"I think the turian councilor hates me."

Thane blinked and roused himself from his hypnotic state, glancing at the woman in his lap. It was a lazy afternoon, one they had been celebrating by reading and drinking tea. Shepard had never been one for sitting still, but she had done a good job of being quiet—until now.

"And what makes you think that, siha?" He murmured, putting his datapad down. She followed suit with a soft sigh, propping her feet on the arm of the couch.

"You mean besides the fact that he disagrees with everything I do? I'm not sure what his problem is, it's not like I did anything to him." She grumbled, shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair. "Things would be so much easier if he would just accept what I said once in a while. Or just shut up. Either or."

He nodded in agreement, not entirely listening. His eyes were focused on the way her fingers moved through her hair, making every individual strand shimmer. Everything he had known about hair had come from his hanar teachers-how it was painful if you grabbed it, and could be useful in blinding an opponent. No one had mentioned how erotic it could be, how beautiful it was to see her nimble fingers working...

"Thane?"

"Hmm?" She was grinning now, turning around briefly to kiss him. "You went blank for a while. Everything all right?"

"Of course. Siha…if you don't mind me asking, why is your hair short?" While it didn't come out as eloquently as he would have liked, she didn't seem offended.

"You mean like Miranda? It isn't practical for a marine," She shrugged, her eyes glinting. "It's not that short, it just doesn't cascade down my back like a perfect waterfall. You like it though, right?"

"I do," He assured her, a sweet smile sent her way. "Just a curiosity."

"Ah." She was silent for a moment. Then, "want to braid my hair?"

Braid. An interweaving pattern. "You want me to...pattern your hair?"

"Not exactly. It's sort of like knotting."

He blinked, this new explanation seeming more improbable than the last. She noticed, racking her brain for an easier explanation.

"It's just a different hairstyle, a different decoration. Like changing outfits." For the first time in a while, Shepard realized just how different the two of them were. When they were together, barriers fell down-they were a man and a woman in love. And yet it was impossible to forget the cultural differences, the physical ones; they were easily overcome, but barriers nonetheless.

While she was sure he didn't entirely understand, he simply nodded and watched her hands. "Perhaps if you show me what to do..."

Slowly, purposely, she lifted her hands and went through the motions, slowly but expertly braiding her own hair. Thane watched in slight amazement at how nimble her fingers were, how delicate her hands. They were like his own, in a way; able to pinpoint and follow through, never breaking her flow.

"Your turn."

With a perfect memory, there should have been no way for him to make a mistake-all he had to do was follow her hand motions. And yet it wasn't nearly as simple as he thought. The tiny strands were too difficult to keep together, slipping through his fingers. That fluid technique she had used was impossible with his fused digits, and more than once he lost track of where he was.

"Siha, I don't think I'm doing this correctly—"

"Relax. Just put the band on." Obliging, he tied it around the clump of hair, not pleased with the result. Not only had he failed with his perfect memory, but his abilities as an assassin hadn't helped much either.

Shepard, seeing his furrowed brow, simply smiled.

"It was your first try. Practice makes perfect, right? And besides, it's not braiding is the only way that you can play with my hair. There are others." At that she pulled his hands forward, her smile turning into a grin. "Think about how nice it would be to run your hands through my hair while it's fanned out on a pillow? All sweaty and gleaming…"

That peaked his interest. "I think I could take you up on that request." He gently grabbed her hips, pulling her on top of him and eliciting a soft laugh.

"Then let's get started, shall we?"