Chapter 1: Out on the Town
Shepard stepped off the Normandy, happy with her appearance. The thief had been especially helpful in finding something better than that tight dress. Now she wore sleek black pants and a strapless red top with ruching at the bottom and gold beading at the top. She also had a black jacket over the top, where she had a gun holstered in case things got ugly. Black boots completed the outfit, and Kasumi had done her makeup and hair. While she had felt painted into her dress and powdered up like a doll on Bekenstein, this felt more natural to her. She was feminine without being a doll, and Shepard felt free to move into combat if needed. Her cheeks had flushed slightly when she walked to the airlock and felt the crew's eyes glued to her, but she didn't show her nervousness. Instead, she walked into Afterlife, where Kaidan was waiting.
Afterlife wasn't as crowded as she thought it would be, but that only made it easier to pick him out. After looking around for a few minutes, she saw him sitting in a booth. She didn't want to head over right away, so she stepped onto the dance floor. Everyone knew she couldn't dance, but that didn't stop her from having fun with the music. A few Asari seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm and joined her. A quick glance at Kaidan revealed a nearly straight face. But she knew his body language, and knew that he was enjoying the sight. After a while, she stepped over to the bar, thirsty and pleasantly winded. The bartender slid a glass of water and a brightly colored drink to her before she had the chance to place an order.
"Compliments of that guy," he stated gruffly, pointing at Kaidan's booth. Raising an eyebrow, she drained the water, picked up the other drink, and walked over to Kaidan. During her walk, she took the time to take in his appearance. He had parted his hair over one side, letting part of his new bangs cover the right side of his face. A nasty scar stretched over his left cheek towards his temple. He wore a white button-up shirt that fit him well with black pants and shoes. He looked quite handsome in this attire, and she almost had to wonder why nobody else in the bar had walked up to him.
"Thank you. Mind if I ask what I did to deserve this?" She was reserved with her body language, trying to hide a grin.
"I was hoping I could have the next dance, once you finish that," he answered smoothly. She took a drink before answering him.
"I don't see why not." She paused before she finished her drink. It slid down smoothly and left a light tingle, though the nanoprobes would quickly erase all traces of the alcohol. "Why not take that opportunity now?" They walked out onto the dance floor, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend that they were in Flux, that the past two years hadn't happened. She could feel the heat from his body next to hers, and knew that he was thinking the same thing. She opened her eyes, and saw the passion in his. But a glance past his shoulder revealed Aria's couch, where Aria sat, a smug smirk on her face as she stared at the pair. Aria's old comment about finding a warm body entered Shepard's mind, and she leveled a glare at Aria, hoping to earn some privacy, and stopped dancing. "That was fun. But I think I'll head back to my ship now."
"Fair enough," he conceded. "But thank you for this dance." He bowed at the waist and took her hand, kissing it. Her face flushed as a thrill went through her. She nodded in return and left Afterlife. She walked with purpose out of Afterlife, but paused by a side railing for a few minutes. When she saw Kaidan emerge from the club with a bag, most likely his gear, and spot her, she moved again towards the shops, knowing he would follow her. But the trip to the shops was cut short as she remembered how to get to a secluded apartment building with dark alleys. She immediately changed her course to go there. As soon as she slipped in, she felt him quickly close the gap and join her.
"Anna," he whispered as he held her face in his hands. The bag fell carelessly to the ground. He kissed her passionately, their first since her death and resurrection. All their time trading secret messages had finally paid off. They had been using secret accounts, heavy encryption, and the help of Garrus and Tali to keep in contact, but Shepard had been using it as an Alliance lifeline. She had kept Alliance HQ as well appraised as she could, forwarding any info Dr. Chakwas and Joker had as well. With any hope, it would help pave her way back into the Alliance and give them the edge over Cerberus. "I was so scared I would never hold you again." His hands roamed over her body, and a sigh left her lips as his grazed her neck. She thanked him by rubbing herself against him, feeling the strain in his muscles. "And you were rolling your hips just to tease me," he growled in her ear as his hands slid over her sides, brushing against the gun. She felt his smile as she hooked a leg over his hip, giving each other better access. They were careful not to touch each other's hair, lest they give the crew the impression that they'd been making out.
"I couldn't leave you," she whispered as she slipped her hands under his shirt, enjoying the muscles he had developed over their time apart. "I tried contacting you before Horizon. You know that, right?" She looked into his eyes, fearful he would say no. But he looked at her with trust.
"Of course. I was a fool to not realize that," she heard the self-loathing in his voice and placed a finger over his lips.
"No. You had every right to be cautious. If I had been a puppet, you would have been the only one to realize it." She traced a thumb over his scar, feeling the ridging and bumps. Some of the skin around it was still pink. "Is this cosmetic? It certainly doesn't feel like it." He rubbed his hand behind his neck, coloring a little in the darkness.
"Not exactly." She raised an eyebrow and he volunteered an answer. "My last mission got a little too hot. I was too far from help to get it properly fixed up, but I was able to keep it from getting infected. Then I figured it would also be a good way to keep anyone from recognizing me here." She kissed the scar before replying.
"We have some stuff on the Normandy that should fix that. I'll let Karin know when we get on board, though she'll probably fire it up as soon as she sees you." She pressed herself against him, glad to feel his body next to her again.
"As much as I would love to stay, we do need to go there. The sooner we can complete our 'objective', the sooner your claims can be validated." He placed one last kiss on her cheek and stepped back, straightening his clothes while she did the same. From there, she stepped out of the alley first, walking back towards the Normandy, knowing he was closely following her. The decon cycle felt like it took longer than necessary, but they both finally stepped out.
"Alenko? That's the contact? He's the spec op?" Joker's near whiny tone was enough to step on her nerves.
"What did I say before we came to Omega?" She reminded the pilot.
"So you knew?" He all but spat.
"Yes, I knew. Hackett told me."
"So you just didn't tell us before now?"
"I didn't say anything to keep the crew from sharpening their village pitchforks. Now, I'm going to sort several things out. If you have any more non-essential grievances, they can wait until I'm done." She turned around and motioned for Kaidan to follow her. She quickly realized just how curious the crew was about the Alliance operative, as almost everyone on the ground team and most of the day crew was out in the CIC or the mess hall, subtly trying to grab a glance at the Alliance operative. Miranda and Jacob both gave him disdainful looks, but Shepard kept them quiet with a glance. "Staff Commander," she indicated the medbay doors, and he walked through. "I brought a guest, Karin. I think you'll like him." Karin turned and smiled before frowning.
"What did you do to face, Kaidan?" She clucked her tongue as she inspected the scar better. "You're fortunate that we can fix that here. Yours is a relatively small scar, and I've had practice, so it shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes to fix this. Lie down," she instructed, indicating one of the beds.
"You get yourself fixed up, Alenko. I'll start us on the approach to Aratoht once we get our supplies on-board." She patted him on the shoulder. "EDI, where can the Staff Commander go to rest afterwards?"
"Unfortunately, there are no available beds on the Normandy." Shepard thought for a moment before a delicious idea came to her mind. Hiding her smile, she looked at Kaidan. "Would I offend your manly Alliance sensitivities if I offered the couch in my cabin for you to sleep on?" He partly got up, looking at Miranda's quarters.
"There's a couch in there?" He asked incredulously. She let her smile slip at that point.
"No. My cabin is above the CIC." His eyebrows rose.
"Well, is it comfortable?" He prodded. She laughed in response.
"Cerberus didn't cut corners. It's comfy. You'll be able to rest." He thought for a moment before nodding.
"That doesn't seem unreasonable."
"EDI, please allow Staff Commander Alenko access to my cabin. Oh, and EDI, when the Staff Commander is in my cabin, enable the same privacy protocols that I have." Shepard ordered calmly.
"Of course, Shepard. Logging you out," EDI responded.
"Go on and get your cabin ready, Anna. I'll take care of him and let you know when he will head over." With that, Dr. Chakwas shooed the Commander out of the medbay. Anna busied herself with fixing a pretend bed on the couch, getting food for both of them into her cabin, and making sure that Miranda, Jacob, Joker, Jack, Zaeed, and Kelly knew better than to mess with him. Finally, Dr. Chakwas said that Kaidan was finished. She greeted him as he got off the bed. His scar was now gone, and the skin where it had been was healed.
"Ready to head out and deal with the angry village mob?" She asked him.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He took a deep breath, then stepped out of the medbay to find Garrus and Tali waiting nearby. "Hey, how have you two been?" Realizing the stupidity of his question, he quietly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"So how's it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?" Garrus asked.
"Pretty shitty to be honest. Point made." He answered. Garrus nodded.
"As long as you understand that. And what's with that outfit? Joker said you were trying to go woman-hunting in it?" Kaidan and Anna snorted at that comment. Leave it to Joker to make a typical smart-ass comment.
"What can I say, Garrus? Omega is no longer your turf, so I'm free to look around." Kaidan cracked a grin.
"Joker also says that you're the newest person to get use out of the upgraded medbay's capabilities." He fluttered his mandibles as Kaidan nodded. "Shepard and I have had to use it as well. Apparently trying to kiss a rocket is bad for your face." Both men gave a hearty chuckle. Tali cleared her throat in the background, causing Kaidan to turn and give a hesitant smile to the Quarian.
"You were an ass on Horizon, just so you know," Tali stated.
"Yeah. I know pretty well by now." Kaidan answered, having the humility to stare at his feet.
"But I know that's part of who you are." She reached forward and pulled him into a hug. Kaidan's face was shocked for a moment before he returned the embrace.
"Thanks, Tali. That means a lot." The two parted, and Anna felt some relief at the whole situation. "So how was life back in the flotilla?"
"Different, but good. I was doing important missions for my people." As the three began to catch up, Shepard noticed a good portion of the crew disperse and head back to their various duties. She hadn't expected Miranda to leave, but suspected nothing good would happen when Kelly began her approach.
"You must be our newest crew member," Kelly said. Definitely not the best thing to say, Anna thought as Kaidan stiffened.
"Alenko is working with me for one mission. That's all, Chambers," Shepard answered for Kaidan sternly.
"Either way, what little I could glean of your record was impressive. Everyone says you have remarkable biotic strength. You must have some interesting stories to tell about your missions." She stepped closer and closer, applying a sickeningly sweet charm that, if anything, seemed to repel Kaidan.
"Most of the best stories come from my time on the SR-1. I was lucky enough to serve with a talented, diverse crew and serve under an equally talented Commander. However, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and hungry." Kaidan turned from her towards Gardner before Anna stopped him.
"I had Gardner send dinner up for both of us. We both need to be well rested for this mission. Joker, once we have the supplies, let me know, and we can head out for Aratoht."
"Yes, ma'am. Should be another hour before we undock," Joker informed her. With that, Shepard stepped into the elevator with Kaidan, heading up to her cabin.
