Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or the characters presented here. I make no profit from this, it is just for fun.
A/N1: Another story that has been sitting in my computer for a long time.
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There was almost total silence in the Captain's quarters aboard the new Normandy. Only a light electrical humming could be heard but it was a soothing sound. The room was illuminated by the aquarium, where about a dozen different colored fish could be seen tranquilly swimming. Shepard had purchased some on every occasion in an effort to fill the emptiness of her cabin. Some had died before she had figured out how to properly take care of them. The great thing about it was that they apparently were very easy to care for. They only required a specific amount of food every day, but Shepard, who had never previously owned a pet, hadn't been aware of that. Luckily Kelly, her yeoman, had pointed it out in time for some of them to survive.
Fish where the furthest thing from Shepard's mind as she laid in her bed awake. Her entire attention was on the person laying beside her sleeping. She was turned to her side, looking at his serene countenance. His soft breathing was even and unhampered. For as long as she had known him, there hadn't been an indication of his disease. Nobody would have thought that Thane was dying. No doubt it was a sign that the drugs he was taking were working. At least for now. In a way it seemed so surreal that he was suffering from a terminal illness, which was why she had such trouble believing it, even though it was one of the first things that Thane had told her when they met.
Tears gathered in her eyes but she fought them. It wasn't the time for it. In less than an hour the mission they had been preparing for so long would begin. It was for that mission that she had been brought back to life and she knew that she had to see it through no matter what. So she didn't have time to cry. The possibility existed that soon everyone aboard the Normandy would die. She would of course do anything in her power to prevent such a thing from happening but there were no guaranties she would succeed.
For now, the only thing she could do was hope. That and enjoy the moments she had with the man she loved. Thinking back at the mission in Illium, she would have never imagined that the assassin she was looking for and who had been so much trouble to track down, would be the person she would feel so close to. Almost instantly, they had realized that there was a strong connection between them. She had never felt like that with anyone. They had so many things in common, it was as if they were in the same wavelength. She had never fallen in love so quickly and so deeply as she had with Thane. There was an old and somewhat popular human belief that each person has only half a soul and that somewhere exists his other half. That other half is the person you are meant to be with, the one that completes you perfectly, your soul mate. Shepard had always scoffed at that belief, until now. There was no other explanation for the way she felt for Thane.
Ever since her resurrection she had felt disconnected. It had seemed so unreal that she had actually died and then come back to finish the fight. Two years was a long time. Everyone had changed but for her no time had actually passed. Kaidan had moved on, Garrus had become more grim, Tali had matured. She hadn't been here for any of it. So, she had tried to occupy herself with the mission. Having a purpose was always a productive way to not think about things that didn't really have a solution. But then he came along, allowing her to feel again, to be connected to someone. Even though she had known how unwise it was to fall in love with a dying man, she hadn't been able to resist. She had done a lot of soul-searching and she had decided that she wanted to be with him to the end of his days. After all, there were no guaranties, especially with such an impossible task ahead of them.
At least she knew now that Thane didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave her. He was as desperate to live, to be with her as she was. She couldn't help how powerless she felt, knowing that the strongest determination couldn't affect the outcome of this situation. Facing the Reapers didn't scare her as much as loosing the people she loved.
"Siha, is something the matter?" his gentle voice pulled her away from her thoughts. He was looking at her with a hint of concern.
Realizing that her hands had curled into tight fists and that her knuckles had turned white from the pressure, she released her grip. His protectiveness was something she really liked about him.
She felt his hand on her cheek and she closed her eyes, relishing the feeling. His touch always relaxed her.
"Mm...I was just thinking."
"What about?"
"How much I love you," she said, looking straight into his eyes.
For a moment he seemed surprised, probably expecting a different answer. He probably realized that she was lying, or at least telling him half the truth. Thane was one of the few people who could read her, she couldn't hide from him. However, he didn't question her answer. In response, he smiled, "I love you too Siha."
She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso, laying her head on his chest. Thane responded by pulling her closer, into a tight embrace.
"We have gone through much...you and I."
Thane nodded, "that we have... "
"Let's try to stay alive through this," she looked up at him, " then we will take some shore leave to visit a desert. I would like to see Earth again and I hear it has a large desert there. We could visit it."
"Whatever you want," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her.
If that sounded a bit condescending; Shepard didn't notice or care at the moment. She just deepened the kiss. Enjoying the feelings and sensations this man was awakening inside her.
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