This is the first of my one-shots about Thane and F!Shep.

Other characters will, of course, be involved as well.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think

Enjoy!

Street Kid

Early mornings were Shepard's favourite time of the day. Before she got stationed on her first warship, she used to get up early enough to watch the sunrise. It had always been a source of calm for her. To know that no matter what, the sun would rise once more. Unfortunately, there was no sunrise on the Normandy, unless you counted turning on the lights as a sunrise.

Another perk of being an early bird was to have breakfast in peace. She preferred to eat before even the mess sergeant had risen. Why people insisted on talking during breakfast, she'd never understand. Most of the people on the Normandy had now learned to not bother her before she had gotten at least one cup of coffee and one sandwich before talking to her, if they had gotten out of bed before her.

The clock next to the bed started blaring a loud, irritating beeping at the same time as every morning. Yawning, Shepard reached out a hand and slammed it down to get rid of the noise. Dressed in only an overly large t-shirt with the Alliance logo on it, she sat up and rubbed her piercing green eyes to get the sleep out of them. For a few moments, she simply sat on the edge of the bed and watched the fish swim by in the large aquarium. They were so beautiful. And carefree. With a small smile on her lips, she eventually got up. On her way to the shower, she pressed her finger on the feed button, sending brown flakes of fish food into the blue water. Immediately, the fish swam up to the surface and grabbed the food.

As she reached the shower, she removed her t-shirt and stepped in under the nozzle. The first splash of cold water immediately got rid of any sleep that still lingered in her body. Soon enough, the water warmed and Shepard relaxed. Humming a low tune under her breath, she shampooed her hair and washed her body with her unscented shower gel. She had never been a girly girl and didn't bother with scented shower products. The unscented ones were cheaper, anyway. And no one would notice if her hair smelled of roses or not.

Once she was done, she reluctantly turned off the shower and stepped out. The bathroom which had felt pleasantly warm before, now felt freezing. She quickly grabbed a large, fluffy towel and wrapped it around her thin frame. It pained her, but she had to agree with Joker. Cerberus seemed to know how to make their crew comfortable. Even their towels were nice. But she still refused to wear their clothes. She didn't have any of her N7 of Alliance clothes left, so she had purchased some semi-official looking working clothes on the Citadel. They consisted of a marine blue half-sleeve t-shirt and khaki-coloured worker's trousers, along with a pair of black military style boots.

With her black hair still damp, Shepard walked out of her quarters and stepped into the elevator. Once in there, she pressed the button for deck three. A few moments later, it announced that she had arrived by its signature ding and Shepard stepped out. Much to her surprise, a light was on in the mess hall. It was the light over the table. So, someone was up. As she rounded the corner, she looked over the table to see who had risen this early.

It didn't really surprise her that it was Thane. She had seen him a few other times when she grabbed breakfast, but he normally took his cup of herbal tea into life support after giving her a courteous nod. Why was today different? Perhaps because of the whole thing with Kolyat yesterday. Or their heart-to-heart after the mission. Either way, Shepard didn't want to pry. She simply mumbled "good morning" to him before she stepped into the small kitchen to prepare her signature cup of black coffee and full grain sandwich with cheese and ham.

Thane was, as per usual, so quiet that Shepard nearly forgot he was there. It wasn't exactly rare that he scared the ever living crap out of someone by sneaking up on them (on accident, of course). He hadn't moved out of his position when Shepard sat down. His hands were still clasped around the steaming cup and his large, black eyes were fixed on the amber liquid. Shepard took her seat opposite him and pulled out a datapad to catch up on what was happening in the world.

They sat like that for a while, lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Shepard had finished her sandwich and had refilled her coffee that Thane spoke. He was always very thorough about respecting the other members of the Normandy's squad.

"Shepard." He simply said, his eyes now burrowing into Shepard's.

"Yes, Thane?" Shepard raised an eyebrow and pushed the datapad to the side.

"There's something I wish to speak to you about." Now that his cup was empty, he placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together.

"Alright, shoot."

There was never any telling as to what went on in the assassin's mind. His face was always a blank slate. Well, unless he disappeared into his memories. The pain on his face when he relived his last time with Kolyat... It had caused Shepard's heart to break for him and she had almost pulled him into a hug. Why, she didn't really know. She wasn't exactly an intimate person.

"Yesterday, while speaking with Bailey about Kolyat, you seemed... Unusually interested in learning about the 'duct rats'."

Ah, so he had noticed that. Shepard wasn't really surprised. He noticed everything, all the time. One time, on Omega, he had simply been looking out over the crowd while Shepard spoke quickly with Aria and he had then told her about the various crimes he had seen, as well as the best ways to get in and out without being noticed. When he quietly had told her how Aria's security was lacking, Shepard had urgently started ushering him away before both of them got shot one of Aria's thugs.

"My past is public information and I assume you've read up on me. You know I grew up on the streets." She shrugged. "I never worked with assassins, though. I ran in gangs instead."

"I am simply trying to understand." Thane tilted his head a bit and looked at her. "You must possess an unusual amount of discipline and motivation to get to where you are now from such a beginning."

"I had help." She said and sipped her coffee. "David Anderson, my previous captain, found me and fixed me up. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably still be on the streets."

"That was very kind of him. Was he the reason you joined the Alliance?"

"Yes, and yes." Shepard looked into her cup of coffee.

"You must excuse my curiosity." Thane said, interpreting her behaviour as if she was uncomfortable. "If you do not wish to discuss-"

"No, no." Shepard held up her hands. "It's fine, Thane. It's just rare that people want to know about my past. And after you told me all that about your wife yesterday, you deserve to ask questions."

A silence spread between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was simply that none of them could really think of anything to say. Shepard was a bit surprised about Thane's questions. Normally, she was the one asking the questions. No one else had asked her outright about her past. Garrus and Tali had subtly sneaked in questions in their conversations with her and had gotten their information that way. In her opinion, her past was irrelevant. She was more interested in learning about the others on the ship.

"How old were you?" There was no need for Thane to clarify what he meant.

"Sixteen." Shepard looked up once more. "I tried to steal his wallet, but I was too hopped up to do it properly."

"Hopped up?" Thane raised an eyebrow at the human idiom.

"High on drugs." Shepard chewed on the inside of her cheek. "There's a drug on earth called heroin. After drugs like hallex and red sand started appearing on earth, heroin and similar substances became much cheaper. Even we street kids could afford it. When we managed to get our hands on some money, that was."

"And you used this?" There was no judgement in his voice, simply mild curiosity.

"Yes. To pass the time and to forget how hungry or cold I was." She cleared her throat. "But that is in the past."

For a few moments, Thane simply looked at her with those black eyes. She felt like she could drown in those eyes. It was like looking into a well. So many secrets that she wished to learn.

"You're quite extraordinary, Shepard." The drell eventually said as he rose and grabbed his empty cup.

"How so?" Shepard was now frowning deeply and leaned back in her chair. She still had coffee in her mug.

"Despite everything you have been through, and not just during your childhood, you maintain a kind heart." He didn't look at her as he continued. "And, without being naive, you seem to believe everyone has a redeeming feature."

Shepard had no idea what to say to that. Luckily, Thane didn't seem to expect a response, as he walked over to the sink and left his cup there right after finishing his last sentence. Without looking back, he walked into life support and closed the door behind him. What the hell was happening? She had just told Thane one of her most guarded secrets. Not even Garrus or Tali, her best friends, knew about her previous drug addiction.

Jesus christ, Shepard... She thought to herself as she grabbed the datapad again. Are you falling in love with a dying man?