Title: Close to the heart
Author: Cw7421
Game: Mass Effect 3
Time Line: Starts from the middle of the ME 3
Pairing: Connie Shepard and Samantha Traynor
Disclaimer: Mass Effect is property of Bioware
Rating: Teen
Close to the heart.
Connie Shepard was running on top of some broken scaffolding when several husks appeared from underneath her. Shepard had lost sight of Admiral Anderson who had been ahead of her. She trained her eyes down the sights of her assault rifle and took out the husks with three well placed shots. She turned round to be the back of a person she knew almost as well as herself. The bronze skin, the short black bob of hair and the sleeves that are rolled up to mid arm length. Samantha Traynor had her back to Shepard but as Shepard approached her the body started to mutate. The skin on her arms crawled and her back began to contort and make horrible popping sounds. As Shepard recoiled in horror Sam turned her face towards her as the skull began to turn metallic, her eyes begin to turn blue and her mouth begin to open in a black scream. Shepard screamed as she turned into a husk and then Sam leaped at her with her blue eyes glowing.
Shepard awoke with a start, her large t-shirt drenched in sweat and gasping like she had just sprinted a hundred meters. She slowed her breathing down put her hand over to the other side of the bed to where Sam was sleeping. It was empty, Shepard's head whipped round to see crumpled sheets and no Sam. In blind panic she stares round the rom and runs to the bathroom in an effort to find Sam. She was nowhere to be found. In alast ditch attempt to locate her SHepaard called out.
"EDI, locate Specialist Traynor!"
"Certainly Shepard," after a two second pause the voice returned to say "Specialist Traynor is down on the engineering desk..."EDI pauses and then replies "Her brainwaves indicate that she is stil in deepest sleep and she is walking to wards the airlock."
No more words where nessarcay Shepard vaulted out of the room into the evlater and punched in the command to go to the engineering deck.
Samantha was in her parent's house on horizon, the sun was shining through the windows and the heat was warming her clothes as she walked out of the open doors into the street. Suddenly a deafening roar from an incoming collector's ship sounded over the streets. Collectors flew down and began to grab people and force them into pods. Sam began to run for her life towards the doors of the military base that was at the end of the street. As she neared the doors something grabbed her around the waist she struggled and fought with all her strength as she saw the rest of the colony fall into the collector's hands.
Shepard had arrived on the engineering deck and saw the naked Sam walking slowly towards the air lock door. She called her name as she ran towards her and as Sam's hand reached for the airlock lever Shepard put her arms around her waist and pulled her away from the door into a tight hug. Sam fought and tried to lash out at Shepard, several times succeeding and giving her several long deep scratches across her stomach. Shepard almost shouted her awake and as she eyes opened she looked wildly round before she burst into tears. She clung to Shepard as her legs began to crumple and if it weren't for Shepard holding her she would have collapsed. Sam tears began to ebb as she felt the heat from Connie's body and soft skin of her arms wrapped round her. Connie bean to whisper comfort into her eyes and finally her sobs reduce and he breathing returned to normal. Once Shepard was sure that she was going to be alright she loosened the hug enough to look in her tear stained face. Sam smiled when she saw those green eyes just slightly covered by her red hair and then she looked down only to see the fact she was naked. Shit I walked all through the ship just in my birthday suit. Upon realising this fact she clung back to Shepard trying to cover her naked body. Sam whispered to Shepard.
"Honey, if you haven't noticed I'm not wearing very much and if you wouldn't mind lending me your t-shirt to cover myself I will head back up to your cabin.
Shepard seemed to smile and whispered "I don't mind"
"Oh" Sam says with a small grin on her face "If that's the case then I might just take a trip round the ship to see if anyone is up. I might even have a couple of interviews with Diana Allers".
Shepard seemed to get the point. She considered going back to get some clothes for her but she didn't want to leave Sam after what she had gone through so instead she sacrificed her t-shirt she had been wearing to give to Sam which left her in just her underwear. Shepard then picked Sam up in her arms and carried her back towards the lift. Sam rested her head against Shepard's shoulder and closed her eyes as she was carried back up to Shepard's quarters.
Once the lift had reached the top floor of the Normandy and they were back in Shepard's room Shepard placed Sam down on the floor and sits back on the bed.
Shepard puts her head in her hands and remains silent. Sam walks over to her and is surprised to see tears rolling down her face, Sam sensing her distress sits down on the bed beside Connie. Sam places her head on Connie's shoulder and wrapped her arms round her waist. "Please tell me what's wrong, Connie". Shepard remains silent. Sam remained quiet and looked and the perfect woman who was crumbling inwards as she looked on helplessly. As Sam was studying Shepard she noticed the scratch marks on Shepard's stomach. She looked at them wondering what they could be. The red furrow marks had small specs of dried blood in them and as she pulled her hands over them she realised in horror that the scratches match exactly the spacing of her own fingers. She had been the one who had scratched Shepard, Saviour of the galaxy. She stood up to leave but Connie said mournfully, "Please don't go".
"I can't stay Shepard look at what I did to you."
"I guess you don't want to see the rest then". Shepard said with a hit of humour in her voice.
"Tell me I didn't do anything else bad" Sam moaned as she buried her face in her hands not wanting to see the rest"
"That depends whether you like them or not". Shepard smirked as she pointed towards she feet. Sam uncovered her eyes to see a darkish mark on Shepard's right calf, about 5 cm from her ankle. As she looked closer she saw that it was a tattoo of the word Samantha Traynor written in loopy Gothic writing. Sam looked shocked as she looked over the rest of Shepard's body as she noticed 4 more. One on the front of her thigh just below her underwear, one on the left hand side of her stomach, one on the front of her chest just below her collar bone, one was in the middle of her right bicep and the last was in very small writing on the back of one of her hands. Shepard had been looking at Sam face as she studied the tattoos. "So what do you think of them?"
Sam wasn't quite sure what to say, 99% of mind was thinking, I'm now printed on the famous person in the galaxy, and the other 1% thought, That's just a bit creepy. So as to not misjudge the situation Sam replied "I'm very touched Shepard but can I ask why they are placed in those spots.
Shepard looked rather sheepish and then murmured "I like having you with me even if you can't be there in person so your name is under every piece of armour I wear. So I can always have you with me." Sam looked lovingly at Connie Shepard.
"Thank you, Connie this means more to me than you could understand."