Part II

The recreation and fitness area of the ship was empty as the doors opened and Shepard and Traynor walked in. There were usually a handful of crew spread around the room using various pieces of the exercise equipment, but the two ladies had the place to themselves this morning. Shepard cast her gaze across the room, plotting out what her choices for today would be. She ran the plan through her mind, mentally checking off what needed to be done: upper body, cardio, strength and endurance. Before moving to the first machine she cast a glance in Samantha's direction.

"Sam, please don't take this the wrong, but what are you doing here? You usually aren't one to hang around this part of the ship."

"I may not be as muscled as you and Lieutenant Commander Williams, but I do my part. I run on the elliptical to stay trim and fit. Besides, you never know when I may have to punch a Husk."

"Now there's a sight I would love to see. Do you even know how to punch?"

"Hey! I may be the Communications Specialist, but I went through Basic Training like everyone else! We had a section on CQC."

"But do you remember it?" Shepard teased as she turned to face Samantha, smiling as she playfully brought up her fists in a classic boxer's pose, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"I um…I do!" Samantha said as she assumed her own fighting stance.

Immediately Shepard burst out laughing as she watched Samantha try to mimic her position. She smiled and shook her head. "Sam, right now you are wide open to at least three counterattacks, and if you throw a punch with your wrist bent that way you'll dislocate it."

Samantha frowned as she dropped her fists and looked at the floor. "Well, that's why I'm not the legendary Commander Shepard. You are such a meanie."

"Hey now," Shepard said as she walked to Samantha and playfully rubbed her upper arms. "I was only teasing. If it makes you feel better you can give me a spanking later."

Samantha looked up to Shepard, battling to keep her playful pout even as she smiled. "Don't tease me like that, Alex," she said. "I just may do that."

"Alright, alright. Let's get serious. There is still a lot to do here."

Shepard turned from Samantha and walked toward the big mats in the center of the room. She stretched her arms out and over her head, pushing them as far as they would go and feeling her muscles loosen. Standing perfectly upright Shepard raised her leg perpendicular to her body and held it up, letting out a small groan as her calf stretched. Behind her Samantha had taken a seat on one of the weight benches and watched.

Getting down on all fours, Shepard aligned her back and leaned forward. As the Commander had her rather shapely backside up in the air the door opened again. Lieutenant James Vega walked in and immediately his eyes widened. "Oh, hey, Lola! No need to put on such a show just for me!"

Shepard finished her stretch and looked over her shoulder to Vega. "It wasn't for you anyway, James." She looked to where Samantha was seated, blushing as usual. Samantha looked up to James and smiled, but her cheeks were still red.

"Oh, hey, Duchess, sorry. I wasn't trying to make things awkward," Vega said as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

Samantha stood and walked to James, patting the man on one of his large shoulders. She knew a lot of marines who kept their bodies in top physical shape, but Vega was more of a mountain than a man. If Vega decided to leave the Alliance he could easily get a job as the biggest and baddest defender on any football team he wanted. But right now her thoughts were more on watching the giant stumble uncomfortably from one excuse to the other. It amused her to see someone besides herself being socially awkward.

"So, James," Shepard continued as she leaned forward onto her hands and knees and brought up one leg and then the other. "It seems like I could use your help. Our dear Ms. Traynor here could use a touch up on her fighting abilities. You seem like just the man to help us out."

James looked to Shepard, back to Traynor, and then to Shepard again. "Don't get me wrong, Commander, not that I'm not flattered, but isn't that something you could do, or maybe another member of the crew? What about Garrus?"

Shepard finished her stretches and easily popped up to her feet. She crossed the mat back to the two of them and smiled up at Vega. "Because turians and humans fight differently in close quarters. Also, Garrus is always calibrating something."

"Yeah, that sounds like him. 'Sorry, Shepard, I know Harbinger is right outside, but I'm in the middle of some calibrations. Can it wait?'" James mocked the turian's voice, doing his best to sound like him. "So, what do you want me to show her?"

"For starters, that she should always be prepared for anything," Shepard said as she quickly closed the distance between them, hooked her arms under James's and in one quick motion, tossed the marine to the mat and locked his arm in place. "See, Sam?"

"Very impressive, Alex," Samantha said as she looked from Shepard to James who stared up at both women.

When Shepard looked at Samantha, James used his immense upper body strength to pull Shepard down onto the mat. As soon as her body hit the mat, James rolled her onto her back, straddled her, and pressed her wrists to the mat. James stared down into Shepard's bright green eyes as he spoke to Samantha.

"But you always have to be ready for a counter attack, too, chica," James explained as he maintained his grip on Shepard. The Commander smiled at James as she brought up her legs, hooked them under James's arms, and pulled the man backwards. Both marines popped up to their feet and assumed fighting stances as they circled around the mat.

"Each fighter brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the battlefield," Shepard explained as she ducked under a big fist from Vega and slammed her palm into his lower back, sending him stumbling forward. "Lieutenant Vega is much bigger than me and definitely wins in the physical strength department. However, I can move faster and strike quicker than he can. I can't attack outright because he would always win, but if I watch for his openings and slower reaction times, I can whittle him down."

Shepard thrust her foot at Vega from the side, but the big man caught her ankle and pushed her back. The Commander hit the mat, but immediately popped back up and went for another kick. Vega scooped her up from below, spun, and planted her back first onto the mat. Samantha winced at the impact, but Shepard didn't seem overly phased. She rolled to the side as James stomped where she had been only seconds before. This time Shepard grabbed James's ankle and pulled, causing the big man to fall in a massive heap. Right away she was atop him with her left forearm pressed to his throat and her right fist ready to deliver a massive blow.

"Okay! Okay!" Samantha yelled. "Point taken. I think we can all agree that Alex won that one."

Shepard climbed to her feet and offered James a hand. Once on his feet he clapped Shepard on the shoulder and walked to the water cooler against the wall. He took a long drink and turned back to the two women. He rested his hands on his hips as his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. "Good sparring, Shepard," he said. "One of these days I will best you. I'll figure out all of your moves eventually."

"Keep dreaming, James," she said. "I have tactics for all situations."

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he returned to the mat and looked at Samantha. "So, Sam, you ready for this? Let's talk about stance and stature first. Come on, like this."

Shepard watched as James worked with Samantha, teaching her CQC 101. The image brought back very fond memories of her own boot camp days under Gunnery Sergeant Jill Dah. The woman was very impressive, both because of her astounding 6'3" height and her experiences with both Admiral Anderson and Saren Arterius during her enlisted days. As Shepard watched, James carefully caught Samantha's fist in his hand and explained about correct posture and strength.

Shepard moved to a bench on the side and took a seat. After checking the weight setting, she grasped the handles and began to pull the bars towards herself, feeling the strain in her arms and chest during each repetition. Shepard counted off each set as she watched James continue to work with Samantha. She couldn't help but think despite the playful tone James was taking with her, that those skills may be needed at one point. There were still memories of when the Collectors took away the entire crew while she was away on a mission. If Samantha had been aboard then, if they had not reached the Collector base in time…No, Shepard shook the bad thoughts away as she stood and moved to the next machine in the line.

As she worked her shoulders and back with overhead lifts she saw Samantha was now on the elliptical, quickly running as James stood next to her, barking out both orders and encouragement. There was a part of Shepard who knew James was a damn fine marine – the man had certainly saved her ass quite a few times on missions – but she glad to see he was proving to be a good squad mate on the ship as well. Once the last set was done, Shepard pushed the bars back into place and stood, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Okay, James, I think she's had enough," Shepard said as she noticed the visible duress Samantha was under. He nodded and Samantha eventually slowed down her motions until she came to a stop. As soon as she let go of the handlebars, she fell, but James was there to catch her. He helped her back to her feet as Shepard quickly closed the distance between them. "Sam, what's wrong?"

Samantha waved her hand and spoke between heavy gasps. "I'm okay, I'm okay, really…I…I just overdid it. I set the tension hi…higher than usual. I'm okay, Alex. I promise."

As James walked with her to the closest bench, Shepard got water and brought it to her. Samantha took the water and drank it eagerly, downing the contents instantly. Shepard brought her another and she downed it just as quickly. James kept a hand on her shoulder as she caught her breath.

"Sam?"

"That's better. I think I'm all right now. I just needed to catch my breath and get some water. Thank you."

Shepard wasn't convinced. She took a step towards Samantha and laid her hand against her chest. "Jesus, Sam, your heart is really racing. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Some mild chest pain and burning in my legs and arms," she said. "Please don't kill James, Alex. It isn't his fault."

"I know that, Sam," she said. Shepard looked to James. "Take her to see Dr. Chakwas. Just in case."

"You got it, Commander," James said as he helped Sam to her feet.

"Really, Alex, it's not a big deal," Samantha said as she stood and pushed James's hand away.

"The Lieutenant is taking you to see Dr. Chakwas. That is an order, soldier."

"Yes ma'am," Sam said, somewhat defeated. She knew she and Alex were breaking Alliance regulations with their relationship, but with all that was going on the brass wasn't too eager to exert the man power for a court martial. They weren't about to risk punishing Commander Shepard at this time, either. Still, Shepard was her CO and her orders were to be followed.

Once the two had left the room Shepard moved to the cooler for some water. She took a few more drinks and then exhaled as she walked to one of the stationary bikes. Shepard straddled the bike, set the tension, and began to ride. She stared ahead at the wall, more specifically a certain light near the top. As she picked up speed and casually noted the burning sensation in her legs her mind went to Reaper ships. When Sovereign and Harbinger both had spoken to her, a prominent red light glowed. She wanted nothing more than to shove her favorite shotgun right through that glowing orb and blast all of them back into Dark Space.