Chapter 1 - Arrival of Chaos
Eternity Embraced

Eternity Embraced, the sequel to A Glimpse of Eternity and Eternity's Struggle, follows the tumultuous relationship of Commander Kiara Shepard and Kaidan Alenko as they wage war against the Reapers that have invaded the galaxy.

A lot of this writing expands the story that Bioware created for Shepard and Alenko's romance, adding in their personal thoughts, feelings and even altering or supplementing interactions to give a more rounded out and whole story. A lot of time, effort and tears have gone into these stories. I love Kaidan Alenko and his romance with Commander Shepard. I hope I have done the character's justice.

Disclaimer: I own only the parts of the individual personality of Commander Kiara Shepard I have developed inspired by the Commander Shepard in the gameplay. I do not own, nor hold any rights, to any of the characters, dialogue, storylines or any part in or of the "Mass Effect" game series. I want to thank Drew Karpyshyn and his staff of amazing writers, animators and voice actors. These are for fan enjoyment only and no money had been made on these stories.

Kiara Shepard was going out of her mind with all this downtime. She'd never been someone who, at the best of times, could just sit idly by with nothing to do but being kept under lock and key at the detention center was making everything worse. She knew the Reapers were coming. Already they had gotten too close, which is what had put Shepard in the position she found herself in.

She understood the politics of the situation. She kept getting reassured it was for her protection from the batarians and that, when the proceedings were over, Alliance Command would find in favor of her. It still didn't help the restlessness.

Six months. She'd been kept on Earth in her small, but comfortable room, for six months. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much downtime. She tried to make the most of it she could. She had a beautiful view of Vancouver, three hot meals a day, a soft bed and nearly any book she wanted to acquire. It was nice but it wasn't enough. She was a doer. She needed to be doing something.

She wasn't even allowed to access any files or information. She had highly restricted extranet access which, in short, meant she had nothing to keep her mind busy. So she worked out and worked on compiling what information she knew from memory about the Reapers into extensive reports. Occasionally Alliance Command would debrief her on information she knew about them, but for the most part they left her alone.

That's why when her jailer, a young Lieutenant she'd come to know quite well named James Vega, came and told her the Defense Committee wanted to see her asap, she was curious. There was a tension about the Lieutenant and an urgency to his movements. When she followed him, she looked around at the considerable number of people rushing around.

Haste and busyness erupted all around Shepard as she walked from detention room towards the Defense Committee . Admiral Anderson met them halfway down the hall and started leading her to the Committee room. Something was going on, something big. She could feel it and a familiar weight of dread settled in her stomach.

As they walked, if one could count the near jog they were moving at, Anderson debriefed her on the situation. The fleets were being mobilized and something 'big' was heading their way.

"The Reapers?" she asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"If I knew that…" Anderson trailed off. She could see in his eyes he knew it was them.

"It's the Reapers, and we're not ready for them. Not by a long shot," Shepard said firmly. She was annoyed. Six months she'd been locked away when she could have been working to rally the Alliance and the galaxy in preparation.

"Tell that to the Defense Committee," he said as they climbed the stairs and continued on their way to the meeting.

"Unless we're planning on talking the Reapers to death, the Committee is a waste of time."

Anderson tried explaining they were just scared, that none of them had the experience or the knowledge she did about what they were up against. It only stoked her ire. If only they had listened to her instead of burying their heads in the sand.

It wasn't just irritation and anger she felt thought. Her head swam as fear settled in with her the resolve. She'd warned them. She'd known this was coming. She didn't know when, or how, but she'd known Saren and then the Collector Base were just the beginning.

Now the Reapers were there. Was it too late?

As they approached the committee chambers, James grabbed her attention, "Good luck in there Shepard." When he offered his hand out, she took it and shook it firmly and gave him a nod. "Thanks, James. I'm gonna nee…"

"Shepard." She froze a half a heartbeat, knowing intimately the voice that said her name.

She turned her head over her shoulder, "Kaidan." Despite the chaos of the room around them, for a moment their eyes locked and they regarded each other. Even through the walls she'd built up against her thoughts of him since Horizon, that amber gaze of his had a way of just cutting right through them as if they were nothing.

She felt the familiar pull to go to him, her heart aching to be wrapped in his arms and strengthened against what was to come. Yet, for all she wanted to go to him, things had changed. She had changed. And, as it was made clear on Horizon, so had he. Pain she had buried, or thought she had before her trip through the Omega 4 relay, flared again in her chest.

It wasn't the time for sentimentality. The Reapers had come.

Kaidan felt as if his entire world suspended when she turned and looked at him. She looked healthy the months of downtime seeming to have done good for her. He knew her better than that though. He knew she had likely been chaffing at the bit for the last six months while she was confined.

Still, she took his breath away and for the briefest of moments, all the baggage between them seemed minuscule in comparison to how good it felt to see her again. The realization at his happiness at the sight of her tore at him and reawakened the turmoil within him over his feelings for her. He wanted her. He still loved her. But Cerberus had driven a wedge between them and he wasn't sure it was one they could overcome. Was she still with them? Would he ever be able to trust she wasn't still under the Illusive Man's influence?

Turning fully, Shepard approached Admiral Anderson's side as he addressed Kaidan, pulling the Major from his thoughts, "How'd it go in there, Major?"

"Okay I think. Hard to know. I'm just waiting for orders now," Kaidan replied, taking an 'at-ease' stance in front of Anderson. Shepard's eyes moved over his face. He looked as tired and worn as she felt, even with her six months of forced rest she'd taken. His jet black hair had even starting to go a bit grey, leaving him with a dark salt and pepper look. It was surprisingly a good look and it fit him well.

She'd seen what she'd looked like. Since she awoke at the Cerberus lab after their little 'Lazarus project' of resurrecting her, she'd felt like she'd aged herself. Too many hours pouring over missions. Too many hard battles. Too many friends losing their lives under her command. Too many long, sleepless nights.

At least some things were returning to normal. Though her eyes would never be the emerald green they had been before she 'died', instead remaining the now bleached white, her black hair that had been shorn to her shoulders was finally getting its length back. Though it wasn't to where as she had before when it grazed the bottom of her hips, it was long enough that it brushed the middle of her back. For the most part, though, she kept it as she always did - back in a bun to keep it out of her face.

Suddenly the conversation hit her as she came from her thoughts, "Major?" she asked, looking to Kaidan.

"You hadn't heard?" Anderson asked her, giving a glance her way.

"No. I hadn't," she replied as she felt another dagger of emotional pain stab into her. It wasn't that he was Major and she didn't even hold a rank. That didn't bother her in the least. If anyone deserved it, it was Kaidan. It was that she hadn't known. She hadn't heard. Somehow, she thought, she should have known.

"Sorry Shepard…its been…well…" Kaidan began as he looked to her, the anger and contempt she had last seen written upon his face gone. Pain was written there now along with a myriad of other emotions. He was guarded as well. Though she tried, she couldn't read him or what he felt. It pulled at her own pain. There had once been a time they'd been an open book with each other.

"That's okay. Just…glad I bumped into you, Kaidan," Shepard said. She could see the words, too many unspoken, held in his gaze and she knew they reflected in her own. She could feel the weight of them staring back at her. Still, she couldn't look away. Not with him holding his gaze on her, unwavering.

"Yeah," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling just barely as he gave a small smile, "me too." That small smile took her breath away and that spark of hope she had nestled deep down, the glimmer she'd thought dead with the Collector mess, gave a tiny flare. For a moment, she thought he genuinely seem glad to see her. One of the Committee aides broke in, "Admiral."

"Come on," Anderson said, striding forward and following after the aide. Still she looked at Kaidan as he watched Anderson walk away then look back at her as she followed after the Admiral. He gave a small nod and she felt the corners of her lips reflecting the small smile he had given her earlier as she walked passed him.

Just before she stepped into the Committee room, she overheard James ask Kaidan if he knew her. "I used to," was all he said yet as she walked, she could still feel the weight of his gaze following her as she disappeared into the Committee room.