A/N: Set post game. I'm sure SAM could 'switch her off' for a few hours if she asked. Not sure what Lexi would have to say about it though XD I wrote the majority of this at 4am during one of my own sleepless nights. Insomnia sucks and makes the world feel weird.
The Tempest had its own voice. Soft ticks and sighs in the dead of night. Faint humming. A light rumble and the barest vibrations if they were traveling. They weren't currently. They were docked at the New Tuchanka outpost on Elaaden.
Outside, the world was silent, save for the occasional bizarre call of some beast in the distance, echoing over the great peaks and flats of golden sand. Inside, the Tempest spoke.
Suvi lay beside Sara, cuddled into her side, fast asleep, as Sara should be. As Sara had been, before the nightmare woke her. Just a small one that left her breathless, her heart racing. No flailing this time, so Suvi could stay asleep.
She had woken hours ago, eyes snapping open to the darkness, and now sleep eluded her. She wasn't scared any more, that wasn't the issue. And she was tired, so tired. But still, her brain buzzed, refusing her the dark release she craved, sweet oblivion.
Times like this, near dawn when the world slept, never seemed quite real. Sounds muffled and hushed, leaving the sleepers oblivious to the secrets wakers might discover. It was a surreal time, none existent, perhaps on some other plane of reality. Maybe Sara was actually asleep, and this was all a dream.
Maybe her tired brain was just spouting crap.
She huffed a weary sigh through her nose, feeling bored. There were hours yet before she needed to be up. Hours that refused to pass in blissful unconsciousness. Perhaps doing something would help her to relax. She rolled her head on the pillow, leaning her cheek against the top of Suvi's head. Suvi had tangled their legs and was burrowed into her side. Escape would be difficult. But did Sara really want to escape? Suvi was warm and soft, her breath a pleasant tickle against Sara's collar bone. One hand rested on Sara's stomach, fingers curled lightly into the thin cotton of her sleep tank, as though she had known Sara would try to leave the bed that night. Morning. Whatever.
No. Sara needed to get up. She could feel her limbs growing restless, a need to fidget. She carefully began the process of extricating herself from Suvi's warm embrace, sliding along the bed and finally out into the cool night air. Suvi murmured incoherently, shifting into the warm space vacated by Sara, but didn't wake.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful," Sara whispered, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the forehead, before padding softly across the room on bare feet and out the door.
The Tempest was always bathed in bright white light. No expenses had been spared when installing the light fixtures. However, for designated 'sleeping' hours the lights were dimmed in the hallways and corridors, as though simulating night and day. When docked, this synced with the light cycles of the planet, or space station with regards to the Nexus, they were staying at. So, the ship was dim and near silent, holding its breath as the crew slept. Sara held out one hand as she walked, fingers trailing along one wall. When the tempest flew she could feel the energy humming within the walls, as though the ship had a pulse. It was still now. But she could hear the lights, a soft buzzing of current on the edge of hearing.
Her eyes ached, she needed sleep. Her brain refused.
She always seemed to end up at the vidcon when she couldn't sleep and allowed her feet to carry her through the ship. Why, she couldn't say. Perhaps because it was the highest point she could access inside?
Once, she had used her jump jets to prove she could launch herself up onto the back of her ship from the ground. She smiled at the memory. Cora had been furious and snapped at her to get down immediately. Sara had replied with a cocky "Sure, Mom," that had Drack's deep, gravelly laugh booming around Prodromos. Kallo had been mortified when he learned of it. Dusty footprints could be marring the beautiful paintwork.
That had been... What? Two, three months ago, now, on Eos. Back when they were racing the Archon to find Meridian.
The Archon was a month dead. And yet he haunted Sara still, plagued her dreams, turned them to nightmares. PTSD, Lexi said. To be expected, she said. She had been helping the Pathfinder sort through her problems, process them properly. It was helping, kind of. Suvi helped a lot, especially being there when Sara woke in a panic. But sometimes nothing they did helped, and she was left wandering the Tempest in the dark, a ghost in the night.
Sara crossed her forearms loosely against the handrail that circled the outside of the vidcon and looked out through the window at the vast rolling sand dunes of Elaaden. The great sand sea.
Sara remembered Elaaden before she had activated the vault and the atmo-processor had done its magic. Scorching hot sunlight and blinding white sand-mountains. It had felt like she was being baked in her armour every time she stepped out of the shadows. Lukewarm showers had seemed like such a luxury every time she returned to the Tempest.
Maybe she should take a shower to help soothe her enough for sleep. She still had the code Kallo had given her to override the hot water rations. She and Suvi had used a lot earlier that day though... She smirked as she remembered shower antics. Suvi complained Peebee had been giving her 'The Look' all day since, much to Sara's amusement. Sara hadn't earned herself any brownie points by pointing out that at least the hyperactive asari hadn't offered to lend them a hand again.
"Sara?"
Sara gasped sharply and whirled around to face the voice, heart hammering in her chest. "Jesus, Suvi, you can't sneak up on people like that!" She squeaked, placing a hand over her racing heart and huffing a breath through her mouth.
"Sorry," Suvi said sheepishly, coming up the ramp towards her. Her fiery hair was flattened on one side, and fluffy on the other, from where she had been sleeping. "I woke up and you weren't there," or perhaps she woke because Sara wasn't there. "SAM told me where you'd gone. Are you okay?" She paused before the Pathfinder, looking up at her worriedly.
"Mmm," Sara hummed, non-committal. leaning back against the handrail behind herself. "I was just thinking about you, actually."
Suvi raised an eyebrow. "Good things, I hope?" As if she didn't already suspect where Sara's thoughts had gone.
"Oh, yes," Sara said, one corner of her mouth twitching up in a barely concealed smirk. "I was thinking about how you hog the bed, how you put Drack to shame with your snoring… You know, the other day I woke up thinking a thresher maw was attacking the ship, but it was just you."
Suvi gasped and shoved Sara's shoulder with the heel of one hand. Sara rolled her shoulder with the light strike, laughing at her girlfriend's indignation. "I do not snore!"
"No," Sara agreed, arms circling Suvi's waist as she grinned down at her. "You snuffle adorably in my ear while cuddling up to me."
Suvi rolled her eyes good naturedly, resting her head against Sara's shoulder, crossing her arms behind Sara's back. "You tease too much, you know? You'll give me trust issues."
"We can't have that! No more teasing," Sara promised gravely, though her blue eyes shone with mischief.
Suvi smiled and tipped her head back to kiss beneath Sara's jaw. "Wouldn't be you if you didn't."
Sara snorted humorously. "Might get in less trouble, though. Tann told me I need to treat him with more respect." She rolled her eyes.
"You do sass him a lot..." Suvi said fairly.
"He deserves it!" Sara whined. "It's like every decision he makes is to further his power rather than for the benefit of the Initiative. I don't like him."
"You don't have to like him, just play nice," Suvi pointed out. "Don't forget, he fell unexpectedly into a position he had no training for, just like you."
Sara paused. "Did you just compare me to Tann?" she asked, lower lip jutting out in a definite pout.
"I..." Suvi hesitated. "Yes. Technically. To make a point about empathy." She raised one eyebrow at Sara's reaction.
"I hate you."
"Oh, I'd better leave then," Suvi retorted playfully, pulling away from her and making for the ramp across the vidcon.
Sara caught her hand and pulled her back, giving her a sloped smile. "Now who's being a tease?"
"Is it me?" Suvi asked, trying to look mischievous and succeeding only in filling Sara's chest with warm fuzzy feelings.
"Yeah, you," Sara said, reaching up to smooth down Suvi's sleep-mussed hair. "My cute science officer." She gave a goofy grin.
"I'm your sleepy science officer," Suvi replied, eyes searching Sara's. "Did a nightmare wake you?" Sara had fallen asleep before her, she was sure of it. Something had roused her and kept her awake, sent her walking the ship.
Sara's expression fell, and she looked away with a sigh. "I'm okay, Suv."
"Is that a yes?"
Sara fidgeted. She hated talking about it, acknowledging that nightmares sometimes gave her panic attacks or left her wide awake, thoughts whirring. She felt weak, pathetic. The others on board the Tempest had all gone through similar experiences to her and they seemed fine. Though, she supposed, she held the record for most deaths.
She could feel Suvi watching her quietly and knew the redhead wouldn't relent. "Yes," she muttered finally.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Suvi's soft tone held a definite scold.
"Because I was okay," Sara insisted, meeting her concerned gaze again. "I just... Couldn't get back to sleep."
Suvi looked sympathetic and reached out to rub her hands consolingly against Sara's upper arms. She realized then just how cold Sara's skin felt. The ship air was cooled to counteract the heat that built throughout the day in Elaaden, and Sara wore just a sleep tank and shorts.
"You're cold…" She stated, now rubbing Sara's arms in an attempt to warm her.
"I'm fine," Sara said again, leaning back against the handrail and glancing about the vidcon. Suvi dropped her hands to her sides. "I keep thinking... Maybe I'm still in cryo sleep and everything that happened... Dad, the Archon, Meridian, it's all just some nightmare. And I'm going to wake up on the Ark and find none of it happened."
"Maybe that's true," Suvi said. "If so, that means we get to meet for the first time again." She smiled softly, fingers trailing Sara's forearm.
"You mean, you get to seduce me with your wily Scottish charms again?" Sara teased and Suvi laughed.
"If by that you mean pine over you for months before engaging in awkward flirting and scaring you away with a kiss, then, yes. Exactly that." She raised one eyebrow, smiling warmly as she remembered how they had both seemed to get impossibly flustered while attempting to gain the affections of the other.
"I wouldn't change anything, anyway," Sara told her seriously. "Everything that happened brought us together, one way or another. And for that, I'm grateful."
"Smooth talker," Suvi said with an affectionate smile. "Now, come on, you need sleep if you're going to handle Morda later." She reached for Sara's hand and began leading her towards the ramp that sloped down to the tech suite below them.
Sara groaned. "Ugh, thanks for reminding me…" It was just a progress meeting to see how the Nexus outpost and New Tuchunka were working together, but Morda was always a handful. Sara never really knew how to deal with her. Morda seemed to enjoy Sara challenging her, though. She liked to see a 'squishy' with fire in her, though Sara wasn't really sure what constituted as 'fire' and what would be viewed as insult, and, subsequently, end with her becoming a nice grease spot on the rocks of New Tuchunka.
"You're welcome," Suvi remarked, tugging on Sara's hand as the Pathfinder began to resist. "Come on, let's get back to bed, I'll make you hot chocolate."
Sara scoffed. "I don't care what the Initiative says, that stuff is not hot chocolate." Suvi glanced back at her, eyes bright with laughter. "But I wouldn't say no…"
She happily trailed after Suvi, feeling lighter and more relaxed after their talk. This time she knew, on returning to her quarters, there would be no nightmares to disturb her. There would be only sweet dreams of a certain Scottish redhead.
A/N: I'm currently working on a full Andromeda fic set after my other one so stay posted (Y)