Disclaimer: Mass Effect is the property of Bioware, Microsoft Game Studios, and Electronic Arts. I am none of these, and as such make no money from this venture.

Well, this is rather surprising, Alan thought as his girlfriend pulled him down behind the far side of his breakfast bar to avoid the hail of gunfire. The day had been going so well, too.

He'd gone to work as usual that morning, spent his patrol making the rounds on the Presidium before settling behind his desk to fill out the usual paperwork. Shulin had stopped by his desk with a cup of coffee and a smile to tell him she'd be making dinner at his place and not to be late coming off his shift. He'd reflected on the cab ride home that he really had the best girlfriend ever, nervously fingering the small box he'd been carrying around for weeks.

"Don't just sit there," she hissed, "Shoot something."

Alan could follow orders, it was why he was so good at his job, surrounded by turians who felt the same. So, as she'd ordered, he waited for a break in the fire to pop his head up and take stock of the remaining thugs. Shulin used the lull to flip over their cover and start throwing people around with her biotics. There wasn't much he could do then, aside from fire a few rounds into the bodies she tossed at his feet. He was proud that he managed to pick off one she'd missed though, dropping the snarling human with a well-placed round to the head.

When all targets were down, she seemed to look around for someone in particular. Turning over bodies until she found the one he'd picked off while her back had been turned. "Augh," she moaned, leaning down to rifle through the man's pockets. "Of all the targets Alan, why'd you have to kill this one?"

"You told me to shoot, so I shot," he defended, pulling up his omnitool to call the raid in to work.

She stopped him by taking his hand and pulling him towards the door. "No time for that, I'll deal with it later. We need to move before they regroup."

She pulled him along, ignoring his protests as they took the less defensible yet infinitely faster staircase up to the garage level. Alan knew she had a car. He was jealous of course, but she'd told him her turian father had left it to her when he died. Unless he died in the last year though, she was definitely lying, he thought as they slipped into a sleek black model he wasn't sure was even on the market yet.

She was tensely silent as they swept through the light night-cycle traffic on the ward but he knew he had to ask. And if they had a quiet moment... "What was that, Shulin? Why did my apartment just get shot up by a bunch of mercs? And why didn't you let me call it in to C-Sec?"

"I..." she sighed, glancing around before dropping the aircar into cover on top of a building. Idling the engine, she scrubbed her face with her hands tiredly before turning to look him in the eyes. "I'm a Spectre, Alan. Those mercs were after me because of a drug bust I pulled a few weeks back. I almost got the ringleaders, but they slipped through my fingers. Tonight was retaliation."

"A Spectre?"

His mind stuttered a moment. His beautiful asari girlfriend was a Spectre? That... made a lot of sense, actually. But it also meant...

"So this was all a cover," his voice was flat and she flinched at the lack of emotion.

"Yes! No! Augh! We don't have time for this, Alan."

She gave another check around before lifting off again. The box in his pocket felt like lead. His heart was like ice in his chest. He smoothed his expression, masking his hurt behind a façade of cold neutrality. "Let me out, Shulin," he demanded quietly as they approached the Presidium. "If that's even your name."

"I'll let you out when we get to the safehouse and not before," she ground out between clenched teeth.

Alan was silent as they skipped between the wards; silent as she parked in another unassuming apartment building; silent as she led him to the lift and punched in the floor. She watched him as he looked around the apartment without comment. Finally she huffed. "Look, I'm sorry I kept it from you, but it was kind of a secret necessary for the sting to work."

When he didn't reply, she snarled and stormed about the place, pulling guns and armour from where she'd stashed it ages ago. Pausing at the door, she pointed back at him. "Just stay here until I come and get you. You're safe here. We can work all this out later."

And with that, Alan was alone.

ooo

It was nearly a week before Shulin could get back to the safehouse where she'd left Alan. It hadn't been her intention to get attached to the human, but he'd courted her so sweetly, bringing her presents and flowers and even writing a ridiculous poem for her. She hadn't been able to help herself. At first she'd rationalised it as furthering her cover as a simple administrative assistant, but slowly she'd found herself developing actual feelings for him.

She'd had it all planned out, too. She'd take out the drug ring - bust some thugs, shoot up some bad guys, save the day - before sitting him down to explain that she was actually a Spectre but that while their relationship had been part of her cover it didn't mean she didn't have feelings for him.

Of course it wouldn't work out that way. Saren had even warned her against getting attached. He hated humans though, so she hadn't taken his advice seriously.

Even so, she'd been prepared for anger. She'd seen enough of humanity's hot temper to know what to expect on that front. She hadn't been prepared for the cold detachment she'd received. His dead eyes and lack of response unnerved her and she knew that it was so much worse than the explosion she'd braced herself for.

The safehouse was empty, as she'd hoped it wouldn't be but known it would. Mechanically, she replaced her armour and weapons, trying to tell herself it was better this way. He wouldn't be able to stand up to her normal life and humanity had yet to prove themselves worthy of Spectre status. It was as she was idly straightening the tchotchkes she kept around to give the place a sense of normality if it was ever raided that she came across the box.

It sat innocently on her bedside table, weighing down a small, folded note marked with her name in quotes. Oh Goddess that hurts. She opened the note first and immediately wished she hadn't. She sat down heavily on the bed and tried hard not to cry. She didn't dare open the box. Instead, she wrapped the note around it and went in search of her human.

It was odd, as a Spectre, to find herself blocked at every turn. Oh, the ladies and gentlemen at C-Sec were all unfailingly polite and never denied her access to anything, but no matter what time she seemed to stop by Alan was never in. Finally, a girl named Sarah took her aside and told her it was probably best if she stopped coming by. When she caught the flicker of pain on Shulin's face, the human darted a look around and slipped her a note before patting her arm and leaving her with her cooling coffee.

They met in a small cafe and when the whole tale had spilled out over tea and khave, Sarah asked to see the box. Shulin watched her carefully as it was opened, feeling her heart sink at the look of pity and shared pain when the human saw what it contained. The asari risked a peek, confused over the symbolism of the glittering band yet not ignorant of the amount Alan must have saved to purchase it.

"It's an engagement ring," Sarah murmured, shaken. "It's an offer. A promise to marry - to bond. Usually for life."

It was a tribute to her torture resistance training that Shulin only gave a shuddering sigh and closed the box, tucking it back into her armour.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably for a moment before leaning forward again. "We... have a bit of a pact at the station, as I'm sure you've noticed. I think I can convince them of my plan but only if you know what you want."

Her voice hardened and the asari had the unpleasant sensation of being scolded like a young maiden, "I won't be a party to setting that poor boy up again just to watch you break his heart a second time."

Shulin swallowed hard and nodded, listening intently to what the other woman had to say.

ooo

Well, this is a surprise, Alan grumbled silently. For the past month or so, he'd come in to work to find a small gift on his desk. At first it had been a welcome change to the monotony of the weeks since he had left Shulin's safehouse, his heart and a ring in a box on her bedside table. Now it was to the point that his co-workers would try to guess what would show up the next day.

Whoever was leaving them knew his schedule which, he had to admit, was a little creepy. He'd once stopped by on his day off and, out of curiosity, peeked in to find his desk bare. He'd been strangely disappointed. His next shift, however, saw a small bottle of cologne accompanied by a small kaliti bud, barely opened. Caetus chuckled and told him the flower was native to Palavan and was generally given as an apology.

Still, it was getting a little awkward. This present was the smallest he'd seen yet, it's size was a little worrisome but he pushed that thought away as soon as it had formed. Caetus and Illora were leaning against the side of his desk, just waiting to see what was inside. Alan knew from experience that ignoring them wouldn't make them go away and ignoring a gift just encouraged them to open it for him.

He sighed and sat back in his chair. Tipping his head towards the hovering turians, he rested a hand on the box. "I think I need a bit of coffee before I open this one. One of you want to get me a cup?"

It wasn't really a request but, as soon as he'd asked, a steaming mug of the heavy black brew was at his elbow. Sarah snickered at his bewildered expression. "Better open it before they do. Wouldn't want their talon-prints all over it, would you?"

Both Caetus and Illora snapped their teeth at her in mock warning and she laughed all the way back to her desk. Taking a fortifying sip of the hot drink, Alan slowly peeled the wrapping from the unassuming package. When he finally pulled the last of the paper from it, he froze. There, nestled in tasteful trappings, was the box he'd left with Shulin three months ago. Exactly three months, he realised. Damn.

Caetus, apparently ignorant of this particular present's significance, nudged him lightly. "Well? Going to open it or are you going to let us have the honour?"

Alan's hand closed on the small black box possessively and, breathing deep, he cracked open the lid. Inside, rather than the ring he'd bought for the asari he'd wanted to marry, was a small piece of paper, folded into a tiny origami kaliti. Spying marks across the delicate petals, he gently unfolded the flower.

I'm sorry.

Shulin's handwriting.

He couldn't breathe. He needed to get away.

Shoving the paper and the box into his pocket, Alan grabbed his keys and fled. Maybe they'd fire him for leaving so abruptly but at that moment, he didn't think he could muster the will to care.

Across the room, Caetus caught Sarah's eye and nodded once, deliberately. She gave no indication of understanding what he meant, but her hand flicked to her omnitool and she subtly pressed 'send' on a priority message.