The Citadel was still trying to recover from the coup the next time the Normandy docked to refuel and resupply. The billowing clouds of smoke were gone but everywhere she looked, Shepard saw evidence of the deadly attack; bullet holes in metal walls, flower memorials along hallways, too clean spots where bleach had stripped spilled blood. All this in the quest for human superiority. She was going to kill the Illusive Man if he ever was foolish enough to meet with her face to face.
Kaidan's hand brushed lightly at the small of her back as a scowl darkened her face. "How about we go get a drink?"
Her head fell back slightly as she closed her eyes, picturing a night of relief. "God, yes. That." She turned slightly to the right and locked twinkling eyes with her lieutenant. "Vega, why don't you take us to that hole in the wall you always go to when you want to get up to no good?"
"Aww, Lola. You know I'm always up to no good," he winked with a cocky grin. "But sure, I know the place." He slipped out ahead of them and led them across the station.
"What, no Purgatory this time?" Garrus glanced back at her as he walked alongside Vega.
Shepard groaned. "No. I'm still pissed at Aria for getting yet another ship I was on blown up." The pressure of Kaidan's hand on her back disappeared seconds before his fingers gripped hers. He was the only one she'd confided in about how terrified she'd been as Aria's ship blew to pieces above Omega. The feel of the ship rocking beneath her feet as the alarms blared around her had her sucking in her breath even now. Another reassuring squeeze from Kaidan brought her back to the present and she smiled gratefully at him.
They filed in the door of a darkened bar. Being the middle of the afternoon, there were only a few other patrons in the shadowy corners. The bartender looked up and grinned widely at the large group, surely thinking of the credits he'd otherwise not make. His smile, much like Mordin's, brought a pang of hurt to Shepard's chest. Was there nowhere she could go without being reminded of how much they'd all lost?
While Vega grabbed drinks for them, Kaidan walked over to one of the billiard tables and handed Shepard a cue stick.
"Oh, you're going down, Major," she said as she accepted the stick. She smirked when she noticed the bob of his adam's apple as he swallowed thickly upon hearing her address him by title.
"We'll see," he grinned back.
"Oh," she chuckled. "This where you impress me, right?" Kaidan rolled his eyes fondly while Garrus made a flustered click and looked away. "Alright then, Alenko. Impress away."
His large hands palmed the smooth billiard balls, placing them each delicately where they belonged in the triangle. Damnit, Alenko. He knew how much she liked his hands, and all the things he could do with them. She refused to be so easily distracted and deliberately turned away to watch Vega navigate the maze of tables with their drinks. She didn't turn around again until she heard the distinctive crack of the cue ball breaking the rack. If there was one thing she liked more than Kaidan's hands, it was his ass and no amount of effort would keep her eyes from straying to it as he bent over the pool table to line up his shot. Better not chance it at all.
The game progressed slowly, the both of them evenly matched in skill. For every ball Kaidan sunk in a pocket, Shepard matched on her turn. She noted gleefully that, with each switch between them, Kaidan concentrated more on his shots and less on distracting her. It gave her perverse pleasure to give him a run for his money, even in a game that was just for fun. Shepard never did anything half-assed and she never liked to lose.
When they were down to three balls—one belonging to each of them and the eight ball—Vega called the next game against the winner.
Shepard scratched, and cursed. Kaidan rubbed the back of his neck as he surveyed the set up on the table before him. With a half smile, he slid past her and bent at the waist to line up his shot. Shepard bit her bottom lip and stared resolutely at the green felt, ignoring the delectable sight beside her. A swift thrust forward sent Kaidan's ball gliding straight towards the corner and into the pocket perfectly.
Kaidan spared another brief moment to reevaluate the table before calling the opposite corner for his final shot. Another crack sent the ball spinning wildly across the table, bouncing from one bumper to the other. It came to a rest just at the edge of the pocket but didn't drop in. Shepard was mid-triumphant whoop when the cue ball tapped the eight ball gently, sending it into the dark hole and winning the game for her lover.
The handsome major grinned widely at her. "Impressed yet?"
She settled into a barstool and wrapped both hands around her bottle of beer. "I wouldn't be so cocky. It was a close game and now it's Vega's turn."
"Hell yeah!" Vega jumped to his feet and snatched up her abandoned stick while Kaidan racked again. "Why don't we put some money down, just to make it interesting?"
Kaidan looked up. "How much did you have in mind?"
"Don't forget Major, you still owe me two hundred credits for our last poker game."
"Alright," Kaidan pondered for a minute. "Two hundred credits then. If I beat you, we're even."
"And if not, you owe me four."
"I'll even let you break," Kaidan said as he came to stand at Shepard's side. He leaned down closely and let his lips barely brush her ear. "And what will you give me if I win?" A shiver ran up her spine. Damn him all to hell. If he hadn't bet money, she'd drag him back to the ship right this second but before she could answer, Vega's break sent the balls scattering across the felt. Kaidan slipped away from her and took his place at the table. At least now she could appreciate his…form without the worry of being distracted.
Kaidan won the game in three turns.
It was only as he lined up his final shot to sink the eight ball that Shepard realized Kaidan's stance was off. She let her eyes rove over his body, trying to pick out the difference. It was so subtle that she nearly missed it, but when she finally spotted it, she couldn't unsee the change. Kaidan had played her left-handed. He now played Vega with his right.
"Hmph," Garrus shook his head and twitched his mandibles in amusement as the eight ball sunk effortlessly into the called pocket. "Jimmy Vega got hustled. By Kaidan."
"Okay," Shepard laughed. "Now I'm impressed."
It was only later, after she was back in her cabin lit by the soft glow of the aquarium, that the weight of the world settled back on her shoulders and she realized that, even in his playfulness, Kaidan's behavior had been a gift to her, a brief respite from the madness and near impossible task she faced in the days ahead.