A/N: takes place after the end of Promises Kept.
Bioware owns the Mass Effect universe and all characters within. If you don't recognize a character, it's probably mine.
Beta: pixelatrix
Zaeed groaned as he sagged against the back wall of the elevator going up to the apartment. He'd had a rough day – hell, he'd had a rough week, and it was still only Wednesday – and all he wanted to do now was sit and relax with Lucy. He'd been incredibly jealous that she'd opted to work from home all week and been able to spend so much time with the twins, instead of the nightmare clients he and Carlson had met with.
Soft jazz music played on the sound system as he walked through the front door. He didn't see or hear his wife anywhere.
"Lucy? Sweetheart?" he called, walking swiftly from the entryway to the kitchen. He stopped abruptly when he saw her dancing around the small space and humming as she stirred the contents of a large mixing bowl.
After a couple of minutes, she finally noticed him and smiled. "Have a good day, honey?"
"Infinitely better now I'm home." He looked around as he walked over and took the mixing bowl from her, setting it on the counter before he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "Where are the boys?"
"Uncle Steven's taken them for... well, he says he'll keep them 'til Friday, but I have a feeling he'll be calling in a panic before the night's over."
"And what prompted you to – oh bugger."
Lucy smirked as the color drained from Zaeed's face. "Forget about something, honey?"
He shook his head. "Not the day, just..." He kissed her quickly and turned back toward the front door. "I'll be back soon."
He could hear her laughing as he raced out of the apartment. He'd been so intent on getting home after work he'd completely forgotten the stop he'd meant to make first.
By the time he returned an hour later, the apartment was filled with the delicious smell of Lucy's baked macaroni and cheese, one of his favorite dishes. He also spotted a plate of chocolate chocolate chunk cookies on the counter and wondered what else was on the menu.
Not finding her in the kitchen, Zaeed set the wrapped box and flowers he'd bought on the counter, snagged a cookie, and went hunting for her. He finally found her in the nursery.
"Did he give up already?" he asked, fully expecting to find his sons in their cribs.
Lucy glanced at the cookie in his hand and shook her head. "The boys aren't here, but Uncle Steven has already called me three times," she said, looking at the contents of each crib. "He can direct troops in a war with no problem. But give him a pair of one year-olds for a few hours and he panics."
Zaeed chuckled. "Yes, well, it's understandable when they happen to be named after him and your brother. What's the fuss about anyway?"
"Eddie apparently refused to go down for a nap, and not entirely because of new surroundings. I asked if he had his blanket, because I knew it was possible I'd forgotten to pack it, I was in such a rush to get them ready before Uncle Steven got here." She rolled her eyes as she stooped to pick up a well-loved blanket featuring varren pups and krogan babies, a Christmas gift from Wrex and Eve. "Of course! I don't know why I didn't think to look under his brother's crib."
"So, we've got to go down to London then?"
"No need. Vega and Cortez are being darling little helper monkeys and taking it."
Zaeed raised an eyebrow. "Voluntarily, and together?"
Lucy laughed. "Yes, honey. Neither of them have dates tonight, so they're going to some concert or whatever together. The venue is right around the corner from Uncle Steven's place, so they said they'd take it on their way."
The VI chimed. "You have a visitor. You also have a vid-chat hail."
"Thank you, Glyph." Lucy sighed as they walked down the stairs. "All right, I'll get the door, you get the vid-chat. I can't talk to him anymore today."
Zaeed was surprised to see the twins on the screen when he sat down at the terminal in the office. He smiled and waved to them as they grinned back at him. "Hi, boys. I see your great-uncle Steven has given up on getting you two to sleep."
"Not quite," Hackett's grumpy voice said from off-screen. "But d– close. Did Lucy find the blanket?"
"Aye. She's handing it off to Vega and Cortez now. You should have it within the hour."
Eddie and KJ started giggling and clapping as Lucy crouched down next to the desk chair. "Good night, boys. Be good, okay? Daddy and I love you both very much," she said patiently, blowing a kiss to each of the twins. "And Uncle Steven?"
Hackett appeared on the left side of the screen. "Yes?"
"If you send another hail tonight, it had better be an actual emergency."
"Noted. Good night and..." He shook his head. "Just... good night."
As the screen went dark, a timer in the kitchen went off and Lucy stood up. "I'm gonna go finish dinner, all right?"
Zaeed followed close behind her, running into her as she stopped suddenly by the counter.
"You remembered!" she squealed as she picked up the bouquet, ten red and white tulips and three blue ones in the middle.
"'Course I bloody remembered," he said in a slightly pained voice when she threw herself into his arms. "I'm not likely to forget something I've been doing every goddamn year for almost a decade."
Even the years she was dead, he still bought the same bouquet, a replica of her wedding bouquet, on Valentine's Day, her birthday, and their anniversary.
"And what's this?" she asked, turning away again to pick up the small red velvet box.
He shook his head and took it from her, slipping it into his pocket, as he distracted her with a kiss. "You can have it at dinner."
She pouted before she turned toward the stove, bending over as she retrieved the macaroni and cheese from the oven and set it on the stove top. "You're no fun."
"You sure about that, sweetheart?" he teased, pressing up against her back and winding an arm around her waist while she stood with her hands gripping the counter.
"On second thought, dinner can wait," she whimpered as he slowly kissed and nibbled at her neck and shoulder, his hands working under her oversized gray sweater to knead her breasts through her bra.
He chuckled darkly. "Thought you might say that," he murmured as he turned her to face him and deftly unclasped the bra, bringing it along when he slipped the sweater over her head and dropped both on the floor behind him. The rest of her clothes, and his, quickly followed as she all but dragged him to the couch in the den.
She gently pushed him until he sat down. He reached for her but she swatted his hands away and danced out of his reach. "You just sit and watch," she said, grinning mischievously. "If you're good, I'll let you touch. In a minute."
He raised an eyebrow. Where the hell had this come from? Not that he was complaining. Their sex life was anything but boring, but he couldn't remember the last time she'd taken charge like this.
She drew his undivided attention as she slowly ran her hands over her body, cupping her breasts and pinching her nipples, before her right hand trailed down to dip between her legs. He nearly swallowed his tongue when she moaned as her thumb brushed lightly over her clit. She took a step toward him, though still maddeningly out of reach, before she dipped two fingers into herself, thrusting them slowly in and out a few times. She pulled them out, took another step forward, and thrust them back in. She did this several times until she was standing between his legs, and repeated the process once more, drawing her fingers out very slowly, daring him to react.
He was itching to touch her, but knew she was playing the same game he often played with her. If he moved to touch either her, or himself, before she said he could, she would move even slower, denying even longer the release they both craved.
She just stood there for a long minute, a devilish smirk on her lips as she tested his resolve, before she finally nodded once.
He immediately seized her right wrist and tugged gently, silently urging her to come closer. As she straddled his lap, balancing herself with her left hand on his shoulder, his tongue darted out to taste the fingers of her right, before he brought them into his mouth and sucked them clean.
She kissed him hungrily when he'd released her fingers and then began a slow journey with her lips and tongue, kissing and licking his neck, the scars on his chest and abdomen. She slid off the couch and knelt between his legs, finally taking him in hand. She licked the underside of him from base to tip before taking him into her mouth. He threaded his fingers through her hair as she took him in slowly until he hit the back of her throat for a moment and she started pulling away just as slowly.
When she'd pulled away, he tugged her up so she was straddling him again. He guided her down onto his hard length and immediately thrust upward, both of them moaning with relief when he was buried to the hilt within her.
As she rode him fast and hard, he gripped her hip with one hand, the other slipping down to brush her clit. He increased the pressure on her clit and it wasn't long before she was panting, clenching hard around him as her orgasm washed over her. A few more thrusts and he followed her.
"Bloody hell, sweetheart. Where did that come from?" Zaeed asked once he'd regained the ability to breathe.
"You started it," Lucy said with mock indignation. She shook her head with a breathless laugh. "And also, I figured if we waited 'til after dinner, someone somewhere was gonna find a way to interrupt us. And I was not gonna let that happen. Not on Valentine's Day."
It was another few minutes before they separated, both walking on shaking legs as they made their way up to the bedroom to shower before dinner.
Zaeed had to restrain himself as he watched Lucy flit around the kitchen while wearing nothing but his dress shirt as she finished cooking dinner. A quick fuck against the counter wasn't worth the possibility of a burnt kitchen.
Finally, everything was ready and they sat down to dinner. Lucy's eyes lit up when Zaeed pulled the box from his pocket and handed it to her.
She gasped as she opened the box. "It's gorgeous," she whispered, running her fingers over the gold shell and starfish pendants. She looked over at him, a hopeful gleam in her pale gray eyes as she took the necklace out of the box and put it on. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
He nodded. "The beach house is finally ready, kid-proofed and all. We can go any time you want."
She squealed and got up, throwing her arms around his neck as she kissed him and straddled his lap. "Thank you, honey. I think this is the best Valentine's Day present you've ever given me."
"Really?"
The mischievous grin was back as she climbed off of his lap and started walking toward the stairs, her hips swaying seductively. "Let me show you exactly how much I appreciate it."