Welcome to my new story!

This is an independent follow-up to Raven hair and abyss eyes.

It's going to be a collection of one-shots taking place during ME3, BUT, with Thane along for the ride.

(As it should have been)

Enjoy!

Reapers and new lungs

Reunite

Shepard couldn't decide if she was pissed off with Thane, or incredibly impressed as she hurried through the corridors towards Huerta memorial. For god's sake, the man had gone through a life-changing surgery less than four months ago and had thought it was a fantastic idea to fight Kai Leng. Of course, the stupid drell had then taken a sword to his side and had been rushed to Huerta. Bailey had said that Thane was going to be fine, thanks to the medi-gel Shepard applied, the skilled surgeons at the hospital and Kolyat's donated blood, but she wasn't sure until she saw her lover with her own eyes.

It had been a few busy days for the commander. Pissing off a dalatrass, saving the rachni queen once more, disarming a turian bomb on Tuchanka, curing the genophage, losing Mordin and, as icing on the cake, saving the Citadel from Cerberus and almost losing her boyfriend to a wannabe space ninja. And the words I told you so were beginning to run hollow. If they had just listened to her about the reapers, about Udina...

She shook her head as she entered the hospital. There was no point in lingering on the past. She needed concentrate on the present and the future if they were even going to have a chance at winning the two wars they were fighting simultaneously.

Before long, she found herself at the reception desk. The queue was long, a lot of people either needed medical attention or needed to find their loved ones. It took Shepard less than five minutes to reach the desk, but it felt like an eternity.

"How can I help you?" The weary asari asked with a forced smile on her face.

"Can you tell me where Tha- Sorry, Tannor Nuara is? Drell, stab wound. He's a regular patient here."

"Of course." The asari looked down at her console for a few moment. "Mr. Nuara is in room 4B. I can't tell you much about his condition, but ask his doctor, Dr. Weluo."

"Thank you." Shepard gave the receptionist a short nod before leaving to let the next person approach.

Running a hand through her hair, Shepard made her way through the packed corridors. Doctors, nurses and patients were littered all over the place. Fuck Cerberus. How could they do this? It was monstrous. Fuck Udina too.

As she arrived at 4B, she urgently pressed her palm against the large, green button. With the familiar, soft swish, the door slid open and revealed a rather spacious hospital room. Kolyat was sitting on one of the chairs in the corner of the room, looking like he had just bitten into a lemon. Thane stood in the middle of the room, bare chested. There was a large bandage on the right side of his stomach.

"Thane Krios." Shepard said and walked up to him, arms crossed her over her chest. "What were you thinking? Honestly."

He looked up at her and blinked with both eyelids in shock.

"What else was I meant to do? That assassin would have taken the councillor's life." His black eyes met her green ones. "Or yours."

"My god, Thane. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She poked him in the chest. "Besides, he's with Cerberus! He has upgrades."

"I'll have you know that despite his upgrades, I stopped him from reaching his target." He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Though, I appreciate your concern."

Shepard sighed, all anger leaving her at once. It was because of the stress and the lack of sleep she had snapped, she told herself. And Thane didn't deserve that. He had indeed saved the councillor and could clearly handle himself, despite his recent surgery.

"Siha." Thane interrupted Shepard's thoughts as he reached for the shirt that had been hanging over a chair. "There is something I wish to discuss with you."

A low, annoying 'hmph' came from the corner of the room and Shepard looked over to see Kolyat give his father a burning look. Okay, whatever it was, Kolyat didn't like it. Shepard raised her eyebrow and turned back to Thane.

"I wish to join you on the Normandy once again." He said as he started to do up the buttons of the shirt.

"Commander, you cannot possibly agree with this!" Kolyat got out of the chair and walked up to the couple. "A war ship is no place for someone recovering from a lung and heart transplant."

"Kolyat, your concern is touching, but I can't simply sit here while there's a war raging. I need to do my part."

"I've just gotten you back, I can't lose you." Kolyat's nostrils flared.

Shepard looked between the two of them, wondering if she should perhaps leave the room. She desperately wanted Thane back on the Normandy, mainly to boost her morale. Being near him just made her feel better. But Kolyat was making a good point, though she didn't want to admit it to herself.

"...Should I go?" Shepard asked silently, gesturing towards the door with her thumb.

"Perhaps that is for the best. I need to discuss this matter with Kolyat." Thane walked over to her and brushed a few errant strands of hair from her face. "I also need to retrieve a few items from my apartment, if I am to join you."

"I wasn't going to ask..." Shepard glanced over at Kolyat. "But you are a grown man and if you feel you're up for it, I really need all the help I can get."

It had been such a long day and Shepard was tired into her very core. She couldn't remember the last time she slept more than four hours or ate a meal without reading a data pad or scanning planets for artefacts, troops that needed to be extracted, or other things that she felt someone else should take time to do. But it seemed like she was the only one in the galaxy who didn't have their thumbs up their arses.

As she took the elevator down from the CIC to the crew quarters, she leaned her weary body against the wall and closed her eyes for a few moments. Thane had sent her a message a few minutes back, telling her that he was going to fetch some things from his apartment before joining her on the Normandy, which was just what she needed. She needed a night of some Thane love making before going on with the war.

But there was something she had to deal with first. Kaidan.

She had agreed to let him come back to the Normandy. After he nearly died on her watch, she realised that she did actually care about him. Not in a romantic way, never in a romantic way, but as a friend. Even though he had compared her to a husk and had accused her of cheating. She just hoped that Thane joining the Normandy again wouldn't be an issue for him.

A little ding came from the elevator as it came to a stop. Yawning widely, she stepped out into the dim lighting and did her best to avoid looking at the memorial wall. Seeing Mordin's name there still hurt. He had been a good friend, a father figure of sorts. He meant a lot to her and his death had left a hole in her heart.

Running a hand through her hair, she walked into the mess. Several crew members sat at the tables. Some where eating, some were drinking coffee or tea, others were simply talking. It was nice to see her crew at ease like this. It was easy for her to forget how many people it took to make the Normandy run smoothly. All of the crew members were a valuable asset to the team.

Kaidan sat at one of the tables, with a empty plate in front of him and a glass of water. Across from him sat Garrus. The last time she had spoken to Garrus about Kaidan, the turian hadn't exactly been positive towards him. But she hoped that would change. Everyone needed to work together to beat the reapers. Internal fighting wasn't going to help.

"Kaidan, do you have a moment?" Shepard said, deciding to get right down to it. She really wasn't in the mood for small talk.

The biotic looked up at her, then down at his finished food.

"Of course." He stood up and grabbed his plate. "Just let me drop off the dishes."

Shepard leaned against the table as she watched him do just that. She could feel Garrus' eyes burn holes in her back, but he didn't say anything and neither did she. They'd have time to talk later. Garrus was probably the squad member Shepard spoke to more than any other. After all, he was her best friend.

When Kaidan was done, Shepard silently followed him towards Starboard Observation, which he had taken for his quarters. They stepped inside inside and Shepard waited until the door had closed before she spoke.

"Kaidan, I'm glad to have you back." Shepard said as she took a seat in the sofa. "But there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay." Kaidan sat down a little bit away from her. "What is it?"

"Thane is going to join us as well." She folded her arms over her chest. "And I need to know if that's going to be a problem. I can't have a team that doesn't get along."

Kaidan leaned back in the sofa and looked out over the Citadel docking bay. If she had to chose between kicking Thane or Kaidan off the ship, it would have to be Kaidan. Partly because she knew how skilled Thane was on the battlefield and how well he got along with Garrus, who she brought on nearly every mission, and partly because she simply wanted her lover around.

"I'll never forget what we had, Shepard. And I'll never stop loving you." He glanced over at her. "But I understand that you've moved on and that you're not interested in me anymore. Working with Krios isn't going to be a problem, as long as he doesn't rub my nose in it."

"Good." Shepard squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you, Kaidan. It means a lot to have you back. And I care a lot about you, as a friend."

"Thanks." Kaidan gave her an awkward smile.

Stifling a yawn, Shepard got out of the sofa. She rubbed a hand over her face. Damn, she was so tired.

"Talk to you later, Kaidan."

With that, Shepard left the room. It felt good to have gotten that out of the way. Hearing that Kaidan still loved her made her feel slightly guilty, but she couldn't control either his feelings, or her own. Her heart belonged to Thane and she was fine with that. She smiled to herself as she stood in the elevator, making her way back up to the CIC. She was definitely looking forward to sleeping next to him tonight.

While she had been a deck down, talking to Kaidan, Thane had arrived. He stood by the galaxy map, with his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke with Traynor. The comm specialist looked a bit nervous, but calmed when she glanced over to the elevator as Shepard stepped out.

"Commander!" She called out. "Mr. Krios was wondering where to put his things and I didn't know where to put him."

"Is Life Support still available?" Thane asked and looked over at Shepard with that sweet smile on his face. "It was more than adequate the last time I travelled on the Normandy."

"Yes, LS is still available." Shepard said and crossed her arms over her chest. "And so are my quarters. Take your pick."

"It is hardly a difficult choice." He picked up his bag and bowed his head towards Traynor before giving Shepard a sweet kiss on the cheek. "As I recall, the bed in your quarters are more comfortable than the cot in Life Support."

"I'll be up in a moment." Shepard said as he walked towards the elevator, doing her best to ignore the blush on her cheeks. She turned back to Traynor, who was looking at her with a strange look on her face. "What?"

"I've never seen you blush." She said with a poorly withheld grin. "You can take on a reaper on foot, but being kissed by your boyfriend makes you uncomfortable."

"What yourself, specialist." Shepard said sourly. "And now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go sleep for a million years."

Thane was making himself comfortable as Shepard stepped into the room. He stood with his back towards the door as he unpacked his bag, placing his clothes in the free drawer in Shepard's wardrobe. She didn't have a lot of clothes, so there was plenty of room for his stuff.

"Hey." She said and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Siha." He turned around in her arms and placed his hands on her hips. "You look weary, my love."

"I've never been this tired in my entire life." She admitted before smashing her lips against his. "But we have some catching up to do before I sleep."

A low hum came from him, which she assumed was a sound of agreement. He steered her towards the bed and when they reached it, he simply picked her up. His strength always surprised her. And it was first now that she realised how much healthier he looked. His scales had a new shine to them and his colours were brighter. His eyes seemed to sparkle more. However, those thoughts were chased from her mind as he threw her onto the bed.

"I have thought of this often, siha, while in the empty and cold beds I've slept in over the past months. I've thought of touching you, feeling you. Even my perfect memory can't do you justice."

Why was it that everything he said seemed to kick her libido into action.

"I've missed you so much, Thane." She whispered as she pulled him on top of her.

A rumbling laugh came from him and he got up on all fours so that he wasn't crushing her with his weight. One of his hands went to the hem of her shirt and he pulled it up so that his rough hand could run over her pale skin.

As he moved his way up her torso, taking time to touch every inch, she started fumbling with his straps. The first one came loose and she got a glorious glimpse of his toned chest. They pressed their lips together once more just as his hand reached her breast-

And that was when Traynor's voice interrupted.

"Commander, I'm sorry to bother you, but Admiral Hackett and Admiral Anderson are on the QEC."

Shepard let out a groan and her hands fell from Thane's jacket. He sat back on his haunches and corrected her shirt so that she once again looked presentable, though her hair was probably a mess.

"Go, siha." He said and stood up. "I will be here when you return."

"You better be." Shepard got up and pulled her fingers through her hair.

After looking longingly on her bed, she pecked Thane on the lips and left her room. Anderson and Hackett better make it quick.