Chapter 2: Whiskey and the Devil [Note: ME2!]
Killing the last of the Collector beasts that had invaded Horizon, Commander Shepard looked around her. Her companions joined her and reloaded.
The newest, Grunt, a krogan of considerable skill, seemed to be ravishing in the aftermath of the battle. She chuckled softly looking at him, he was excitedly pacing while reloading his shotgun.
Garrus, one of her best friends, looked at her and asked, "What the hell was that thing?" He was referring to the flying Collector monstrosity, that had shot beams of energy at them. It had been bitch to kill.
"No idea, remind me to ask Mordin." And with that he nodded.
The civilian from before came charging at her then. Cursing the Alliance, laying blame on them. She offered him a few kind words, which didn't help calm the man. She had changed since being rebuilt by Cerberus. Loosing two years of her life, she had become softer in the aftermath.
Then she saw Kaidan and froze. She knew via the Illusive Man, that he would likely be there. But she didn't prepare herself.
He spoke, but she didn't consciously register a thing he said. She just looked at him. He had changed, he looked older – but no less handsome. His expressions were different. Hardened. No thanks to me.
She said a few things, but forgot them instantly, which was unusual. She was in a trance. Garrus broke her out of it when he said, "Dammit, Kaidan. You're so focused on Cerberus that you're ignoring the real threat."
She grew angry then, mostly frustration brewing - struggling to break free. She had been calmer and more thoughtful until that point. She fought to maintain her composure, until he left.
Once aboard the Normandy, she saw her crew gaping, shocked by her frazzled appearance. She hadn't been this pissed-off in a long, long time.
Shortly after a tense talk with the Illusive Man, she found herself going down to engineering, which was usually her safe-haven. A place for her to loose herself in calibrations.
She was still wearing her armor, when she all but yelled at Ken and Gabby, asking if there was anything that needed to be done. Gabby cautiously replied with a soft, "No, ma'am."
She turned, and stormed off. I need a drink. She practically barreled into Jack, who had a fresh bottle of whiskey in her hand. Perfect. She grabbed the whiskey and chugged it. The biotic growing more, and more furious with each large gulp.
"Hey, bitch, that's mine!"
Shepard couldn't contain herself anymore, she yelled at Jack. Yelled every obscene thing she could think of. When she was done, the biotic had a devilish grin on her face.
"Damn Shepard. Who tried to set you on fire this time?"
She didn't expect to find a companion in Jack, a friend when she needed one most. The two women went down into Jack's cubby, cursing men and drinking. Her thoughts about Kaidan would have to wait.