Chapter 2: New Home

The Normandy had been docked for over an hour but no one had come for Shepard. James sat quietly on one of the cargo containers trying desperately not to wring his hands. He was normally a patient man but his current situation had him off kilter. Shepard looked as impatient as James felt. Her left leg was bouncing up and down and she kept bringing her cuffed hands up to run through her hair.

James breathe caught as he realized her hair had come undone. In all the images he had ever seen of the Commander she looked pristine. She was the emblem of military excellence. Her uniform was always pressed, shoes always shined, and her hair was always in a neat bun. James had never seen her so disheveled. He briefly wondered if she was running her hands through her hair because it was bothering her.

"If you want I can help you tie it back up, Commander." James asked the question timidly and it caught Shepard off guard. She didn't think he could ever appear timid shy his imposing physical presence. She was so caught off guard by the way he asked the question that the question itself didn't register.

"Excuse me?" Confusion laced through the words as Shepard spoke.

"I could help you with your hair, since I think you'd have a hard time doing it in omni-cuffs." Shepard smirked as James shifted uncomfortably. She wondered if he was normally this out of sorts or if it was just because she was the Commander Shepard. She internally groaned at the last thought. She hated fame and most days she missed being the lowly grunt straight out of basic. Everything had been so much simpler when she didn't give the orders.

James watched her intently as the silence spread between them. Worry started to grow in him the longer he had to wait for a response. When two solid minutes passed, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Commander?" Shepard jerked her head up at the Lieutenant's words. She was so lost in her own mind that she hadn't even responded to his offer. She presented a brief smile, unsure if she was trying to convince him or herself that everything was fine. Her thoughts still wandered. She wondered why James had offered to help her. She was, after all, a traitor in the eyes of most of the galaxy and a terrorist to many. Letting the world see her as a crazy mess would be appealing to a lot of people but, he wanted to help her. Shepard realized that she was letting another pregnant pause carry on for far too long so she decided to trust him.

"I would appreciate it." The word's left Shepard's lips as nothing more than a whisper.

James quickly came to stand behind Shepard, his hands deftly removing the hair tie that had slid down most of the length of her auburn locks. His hand running through her hair felt soothing and she wondered if he had done this before.

"James, where did you learn to put hair in a bun?" She asked the question lazily as he began twisting her hair to wrap into the distinctive bun shape.

"Mi abuela. She had arthritis pretty bad before she died. I used to brush her hair and put it up for her. I can also do long braids if your ever in that kind of mood, Commander." He chuckled as he finished tying her hair up. He stepped back, admiring his handy work. "Perfecto" he said with amusement and managed a wink at the Commander before returning to his seat.

Shepard was struck by an admiration for the Lieutenant in front of her. He was not at all what he seemed and she was drawn to him for it. He made her feel like she wasn't a terrible human being. His simple act of kindness reminded her that at least one person was on her side. She allowed herself to grin at the thought.

James had seen Commander Shepard feign a number of smiles in the last hour. This one was real and radiated from her. It reached her eyes in a way that the others hadn't. Pride swelled as Vega realized she was smiling at what he had done for her. He couldn't help but smile in return.

Anderson walked in just in time to see the both of them grinning at each other like school children. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he realized what he was getting into; these two were going to be a handful. He sobered when he thought of the media frenzy waiting for them outside.

"Shepard, sorry for not coming sooner but we have a situation." Shepard visibly tensed at Anderson's words and James noticed a furrow in her brow that hadn't been there before.

"Nothing is ever easy." The words were quiet as they left Shepard's lips and she sounded defeated. Her faced fell as she stared at her feet. James felt his gut churn at her sudden change in demeanor. He wanted nothing more than to see her smile again. His yearning for her happiness confused him but he pushed his thoughts to the side as he waited for Anderson to continue.

"No, it's not. Someone let slip that you were turning yourself in today. There is a mass of reporters, fans, and protestors at the docking bay. We disembarked and went into headquarters for more than an hour. We even made a show of everyone getting off the ship and leaving but the crowd won't disperse. They know you're here Shepard. Now were just trying to find the safest way to get around them." Anderson sounded exhausted and Shepard realized that he hated this as much as she did. James couldn't help from speaking the first thought that entered his mind.

"No offense sir but Alliance HQ is a military base. Civilians can't just camp out at the docks, so couldn't we force them to leave?" James almost regretted the words as soon as he said them. He was a good soldier and questioning a superior officer was not a part of his usual behavior. Anderson quirked an eyebrow before responding.

"Yes, technically we can escort them off base but if we do that for Commander Shepard there could be political blow back. The brass won't let me do it. Believe me, I tried." Shepard looked up from her feet to see Anderson looking older than he ever had before. James almost looked guilty for asking the question and offered Anderson a curt nod for his reply.

"So what do we do?" Shepard knew she wasn't in a position to offer suggestions. She was, after all, the source of all this fall out. She hated politics but she cared for Anderson. The thought of causing him anymore grief pained her greatly.

"Major Coats is working on a solution. We are planning on leaving in the Normandy and docking somewhere else. From there, we can take a shuttle back to the rooftop of HQ. Civilians won't have access no matter how hard they try." Just as he finished the words Shepard felt the telltale hum of the Normandy's engines starting. They were off before Shepard or James could question the plan.

It was a short ride to the alternate docking bay and Shepard was relieved when Anderson said they had the all clear. The Normandy was her ship, her home, but she felt hollow without the crew. And the longer Shepard was aboard without the people she cared about the more her skin began to crawl.

"Alright Lieutenant, you are to stay by Shepard's side throughout the transport. In fact, those are your orders for anytime she is moved. Understood?" Anderson was all business when he needed to be and James straightened in response.

"Yes sir!" James saluted and moved to Shepard's side, offering a hand to help her up. She took it without thinking and a spark shot between them. Shepard and James both knew it was because she was a biotic and they both tried to leave the thought at that.

They made their way to the nearby shuttle without incident. James stood dutifully at the Commander's flank. His eyes swept back and forth across their surroundings and Shepard noted that he seemed like a capable soldier. She only vaguely heard Anderson talking to the shuttle driver.

"Major Coats, thank you for your assistance." Anderson sounded like he was joking with an old friend. Shepard felt the tension in her body ease as she noted their calm appearances.

"Anytime sir." Major Coats grinned as he brought the shuttle deftly down on the rooftop of Alliance HQ.

The shuttle door opened and Shepard was blinded by the sunlight. For a moment she let herself wonder what time it was compared with galactic standard. Anderson and James exited the shuttle in front of her and James turned to offer her his hand. She didn't need it but she took it all the same. She wouldn't refuse his hospitality when it was probably going to be the only nice treatment she was to receive for a long time. In the back of her mind, she realized that she also wanted another excuse to touch him. She shoved that thought away before it had time to fester.

In the distance they could see the Normandy… and the crowd of people surrounding her. Shepard grimaced. She hated the spotlight; hated her own fame. She was a soldier and she liked doing her job but ever since Elysium people wanted interviews and autographs. It made her stomach turn every time someone called out "Commander Shepard!" in public.

Anderson and Major Coats led James and Shepard through Alliance HQ to the detention center. Soldiers instinctively saluted as they walked past and Shepard felt her heartache.

How much longer will I be a commander to salute?

She brushed the thought from her mind just as they reached their destination. Anderson entered a few commands into the door and led them into the apartment. Shepard couldn't believe how nice everything was; she was supposed to be a prisoner, not a guest.

For his part, James had been silent since the shuttle. He was lost in thought and when he had seen the mob in the distance, he started fuming. People treated Shepard like a fucking commodity. It dawned on him that he had done the same at one point and his mood shifted.

Am I no better than those pendejos?

Shepard had earned his respect as a soldier. How long had he forgotten she was a person? He treated her like some paragon of humanity when she was just human. She had strengths and flaws just like he did. James was brought back out of his mind as he crossed the threshold to Shepard's apartment.

Scratch that. Our apartment.

He swallowed hard at the revelation, suddenly feeling very nervous for this mission. But Anderson interrupted his thoughts.

"Shepard, get settled. I am going to debrief the Major and the Lieutenant. Here, let me get those cuffs off of you." He reached over and released the omni-cuffs and Shepard instinctively rolled her wrists and began to stretch, releasing the tension from the last few hours. James couldn't take his eyes off her. Anderson cleared his throat and gestured for the two other men to follow him to a table in the common area; then he continued.

"Lieutenant, Major Coats will be your commanding officer on this mission. He reports directly to me and you can trust him. I won't always be earth side so I can't take the lead on this." James nodded and Anderson continued. "You already know that you are going to be living here with Shepard. Any other guards answer to you. They are already assigned specific shifts but you can adjust the schedule as you see fit." James listened intently. He was being given command again and his stomach was in knots. He tried to take solace in the fact that Major Coats was the superior officer and technically the one in charge, but the feeling of dread never quite left him. If Anderson suspected any of James' doubts, he didn't let on.

"I'll leave Major Coats here to explain the finer details of this operation. If you need me Lieutenant, you know how to reach me. Try to get Shepard into some kind of routine. With a soldier like her, it will help with the downtime." James saluted before Anderson turned to leave. He turned his attention to Major Coats for his briefing.

"I don't know if you've figured this out yet or if Anderson told you outright but I'll say it anyway. We're not here to keep Shepard in; we're here to keep everyone else out." James was standing at attention and he felt the bruises from his fight on Omega more now than he had all day.

"Anderson informed me, sir." James didn't know Coats and while Anderson had been friendly with him, James didn't know if he should be easygoing around his superior. As if reading his mind, Coats responded.

"I'm not big on formalities Vega, you can relax." James let his massive shoulders sag slightly and his hands came to rest at his sides.

"Let me tell you a little about the apartment. There are no cameras. From what we gathered from the Normandy, Cerberus has access to unlimited tech. We can't risk hacking attempts. If they ever get enough information, they might be brave enough to try something." James swallowed hard at the idea.

"Shepard has no extra-net access. We're going to confiscate her omni-tool as soon as were done here. Her first meeting with the Defense Committee won't happen for at least a week so get acclimated to the set-up and your team, I expect you'll be here for a while. Any questions?"

"When will I meet my team?" James was eager to meet his people and worried about the moment he had to start giving orders. The conflicting emotions were doing a number to his insides.

"Tonight. You have two guards who work four days on, three days off right now. They overlap every fourth day so that you can have team debriefings. They work twelve hour shifts starting at 2000 and running until 0800 the following morning. Unless they are meeting with you, they are instructed to stand guard in the common areas. This way they have line of sign on the main entrance and the windows. You also have three on call guards for transports and any other situations where need extra bodies. Anything else Vega?"

"No sir." Vega responded with military precision in his voice.

"Well then, I'll be on my way. I expect weekly updates Lieutenant." Major Coats turned and walked out the door so quickly that James didn't have time to respond. He let out a long breath and tried to calm his nerves. He turned looking for Shepard but she wasn't in the room.

She must have gone to find her bedroom.

James knocked on the first door that he saw and Shepard answered quickly. Her hair was down again but this time it seemed intentional. She also had removed the BDU jacket she was wearing so only a tight fitting black tank was covering her upper body. James swallowed hard to keep professional. His eyes had a mind of their own and traced their way down the curve of her biceps and across her chest.

"Liking something you see Lieutenant?" Shepard meant to call him out on his ogling but the words had come out like an invitation. She mentally kicked herself.

James couldn't think.

Is she flirting with me?

He shook his head to clear his mind before meeting her eyes.

"I figured you would want some updates Commander." James sounded almost as flustered as he looked and Shepard couldn't help but grin.

"Alright, how does my prison work?" There was a teasing tone to her voice and it put James at ease.

"You know as well as I do that this is more of a safe house than a prison. If you really wanted to, you could hand my ass to me as you strolled out the front door." The image made them both chuckle. James began to speak again as they both regained their composure.

"I am your guard on the day shift. There are two other guards for the night shift that will be posted in the common spaces but they don't start for another four hours. There are a few guards on call, just in case. There aren't any cameras in the apartment either."

"No cameras? Huh, this seems pretty lax, even for a safe house."

"Well cameras can be hacked, Commander."

"True… at least no one will see me naked."

James stood dumbfounded at the offhand comment. She seemed to be taking everything exceptionally well. He couldn't understand how she was keeping it together. He made one mistake and went on a bender on Omega. If Anderson hadn't found him, he probably would have gotten himself killed by now. She had the tougher call and she was paying for it in spades. Yet here she was cracking jokes.

"James?" She quirked an eyebrow as she watched him. "Everything okay?"

He regained his composure and answered with "yeah, commander."

"You're not going to stop calling me commander are you?" She was genuinely curious. She knew it was only a matter of time before her rank and title were stripped from her; would James abide by that?

"No way. You earned it." Shepard had her answered. She would always be the Commander to him. Why did that hurt to think about?

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way." She answered absentmindedly.

She wondered briefly if James was just another fan. Did he see her as larger than life, even now? The idea was sobering.

He doesn't even see me as a person, does he?

Shepard retreated into her own mind. She was tired of being everyone's hero. Being the hero got her killed, violated back into the world of the living, and now arrested pending a court martial. She wanted to be Jane; the woman who like whiskey and model ships. She wanted to be Shepard; the grunt just out of basic. The hero legacy had been thrown at her feet when she was just 22 years old, thanks to the Skyllian Blitz. Ten years of spotlight, autographs, adoration, criticism, and hatred. She was done; maybe imprisonment would be nice. There were no reporters in prison.

James watched Shepard as she became lost in her own mind. He still couldn't quite figure her out. There were moments where she was friendly and then in the next, melancholy would cast a shadow on her. That's what was happening now.

Is this what it looks like when someone breaks?

James hoped that wasn't happening. Shepard was the only hope for humanity. Her trial was going to be a publicity stunt. None of this was serious, humanity needed Shepard to defeat the Reapers. Anderson and Hackett believed her when she said they were coming. She had two of the highest ranking officers rooting for her; she was going to make it out of this. James just had to keep her distracted until then. In that moment, he realized his purpose. Protect Shepard from everyone, including herself.

He was trying to find a way beyond the walls she was building back up around herself. Maybe teasing her would do it.

"You sleepwalk or anything Commander?" He wanted to nudge her elbow but realized that would have to wait until they built a better rapport.

She chuckled as she answered. "No, why?"

"Got to make sure I don't lose you Shepard." The words took on a double meaning for Vega. He couldn't lose her to herself. Depression was a bitch and once its claws are in you, its hell to get them out.

"Is that so?" Shepard's voice took on the flirty tone from earlier and once again it had been unintentional. She steeled herself.

I need to stop. I'm going to lead this guy on…

James winked at Shepard again. He could work with flirting. Marines flirted all the time; it was a great way to occupy yourself in between battles. But, he had never taken it farther than the harmless interactions. Fraternization had never been appealing to him; too much room for everything to go wrong.

Like with Treeya.

He tensed. It was unintentional but he quickly regained his composure. He wondered if Shepard had noticed.

She noticed. She wanted to ask what had bothered him in that moment but couldn't find the words. So she changed the subject.

"Four hours huh? Still got those cards?" Shepard and James both relaxed now that they had something to do.

James found a new deck of cards as he scanned the bookcases in the apartment. He couldn't believe how many analog books there were. Most people read off of their Omni-tools.

Shit.

He remembered that he needed to confiscate Shepard's Omni-tool but he wasn't sure how to go about it. He didn't want to treat her like a prisoner but she was one. He figured he was just go with the straightforward approach. He walked back to where she was sitting at the table and sat down with the cards.

"Commander, I'm going to have to confiscate your Omni-tool." Shepard new it would happen. She wondered if she could send a quick message discretely before James noticed. She thought better of it, she wasn't sure who she would want to contact anyway. She loved her team, her friends, but reaching out to them when they wouldn't be able to get a message back wasn't fair. She silently handed over the piece of tech.

James grazed her hand gently as he reached for the omni-tool. Shepard shivered slightly. James stared, in awe of the effect he had on her."

Get it together! That was harmless.

He couldn't help himself as he teased her. "I tend to have that effect on women."

"Uh, huh." The sarcasm in Shepard's voice was laid on thick and James mentally kicked himself.

He started to shuffle the deck, thankful for the distraction. They played a few rounds and an amicable silence spread between them. Shepard's mind was elsewhere but she managed to keep her footing in the game. She looked at James, trying to get a read from him. Not just about his hand but about the man himself.

Damn, he's big.

That was a stupid thought. Shepard looked at his face and marked the features. Strong jaw, tan skin, scars, full lips, kind eyes…

What the fuck?!

She shook that train of thought away and focused on him again. The bruising spread across his face haphazardly and she couldn't help but wonder what had happened. She had to ask.

"Who decided they hated you enough to stomp on your face?" She smirked slightly.

"Some assholes on Omega." Shepard caught the fury behind his eyes. It was terrifying. It was the first time that his size truly scared her; she never wanted to be on the receiving end of that rage.

"Well, it's always some asshole." She jokingly chided.

"It's a long story." James didn't want to talk about how she made him rip the monitor off the wall. He didn't want to say that he was struggling with what happened on Fehl and she triggered all the emotions he refused to deal with. He didn't want to talk about any of it. So he changed the subject. "How about we trade stories. I don't really want to talk about Omega or how I got there so that is my one."

She quirked an eyebrow and looked at him from over the tops of her cards.

"Your one?" There was a mischievous grin across her face and his breath caught in his throat.

That's fucking hot.

He regained some of his composure before answering. "The one I'm not ready to share."

Shepard knew what that felt like. She wondered what her one would be when he asked. Elysium or Virmire? He probably already knew about Virmire. She still wasn't ready to talk about it, or what happened after. She struggled to find her voice for a moment.

"Alright James, ask away." She couldn't think clearly enough to ask him a question first.

"Why'd you enlist? And don't give me that crap about serving your species." He knew what she told the press, he wanted the truth.

She smiled, the bright full smile that he had seen earlier and he melted.

"My parents were both career military. The truth is, on my 18th birthday, I didn't know what else to do. No one had given me options. I was on the ship with my mom and knew that because I was an adult I wouldn't be allowed to stay with her. She was stationed on Anderson's ship. I walked up to him and told him I wanted to enlist. Almost 14 years later and he's arresting me. What a time to be alive." She laughed so hard she snorted. James couldn't help but join her. They laughed until they couldn't breathe. They laughed until their faces hurt. Shepard laughed until tears streamed down her face. Then they laughed some more. The craziness of the situation washed over them both. Eventually, they returned to their game; sore from laughter but in better spirits. James looked up at Shep as he dealt the next hand.

"Your parents still serving?"

"My mom. Dad died right before the Normandy SR-1 was finished. Mom and Dad were still married but… well, Shepards tend to put service before… everything." She struggled to find the words. Her parents were the epitome of dutiful. It had hurt when she was a kid. Her mom was more compassionate than her dad. She spent her time off duty being a loving and caring mother. Shepard's father did not and it still hurt.

James let it go, family was rough and he wasn't sure he would be any better at explaining his. They played in relative silence until they were both too hungry to concentrate. James checked the kitchen but there wasn't any food stocked. He made a mental note to correct that and ordered two plates of food from the cafeteria.

It was 1900 by the time the food arrived. They had played cards for almost three hours and neither of them was winning really. James suspected they were both far too distracted to get their head in the game.

They made small talk as they ate. Shepard asked James where he'd done basic training. They each talked about their tactical style. Shepard suddenly felt tired. When the night shift guard arrived, she took the opportunity to excuse herself and go to sleep. It had been a long day.

James watched her as she walked away. There was a person under all the grandeur of the commander. He was looking forward to meeting her.