AN: Ok, one more chapter after this. Enjoy!
Shepard showered and dressed quickly. She didn't want to leave Alenko out with her mom any longer than she had to. God only knew what kind of thoughts that woman was putting into his head. Kids, marriage, kids…she practically ran into the kitchen. To her surprise, they were talking about her dad's truck.
"So I turned it on, and it works just fine," Alenko finished before taking a sip of his coffee.
"What? No way!" Shepard sat down at the table, forgetting her embarrassment from their bathroom incident earlier. "Dad and I would sit in the barn for hours trying to figure that old thing out. I can't believe you got it to work!"
Alenko shrugged and gave her a smile making her heart skip a beat. She quickly looked down and concentrated on pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Why don't you two go for a ride?" Hannah suggested, and Shepard looked up in surprise.
"Um…what?" Shepard asked, her hand paused in mid-air as she reached for the sugar bowl.
"Yes, it'll be fun!" Hannah's face lit up. "I'll make you some sandwiches, and you can have a picnic by that pond you love to go to. Why not?"
Why not, indeed. Shepard wracked her brain for an excuse not to go when she saw Alenko's face. She knew he was probably dying to drive the truck, and the look of excitement on his face melted her heart.
"Sure," Shepard said, trying to sound like it was no big deal. "We can go right after breakfast."
She was rewarded with a big smile. What was it with Alenko's smile that made her heart go crazy? It took all she had not to grin like an idiot. She knew her mom was watching her closely, and she didn't want her to think that she was starting to feel something for Alenko. Thinking he was hot did not mean she was falling in love with him. Because she wasn't. Really.
Alenko excused himself to go outside and get the truck. Both Hannah and Shepard cocked their heads to the side as they watched him leave.
Well, if there was one thing she had in common with her mother…they both liked a good ass when they saw one.
Shepard forced herself to relax. What was the matter with her? She could talk to Alenko just fine on the Normandy. Why was she so nervous now? Maybe because he frickin' saw you naked.
"You know, in my defense, your mom told me that you had gone out for a run," Alenko said, startling her. It was almost as if he had read her thoughts.
And she told me you were outside in the barn. "I guess I got back earlier than you expected," she forced a laugh, the embarrassment from earlier returning full force. Back on the Normandy, she always felt like she was in control. She was the Commander. But get her away from her ship and armor, and she was just another woman making awkward conversation.
"Can't say I wasn't surprised when you opened the door…naked." He parked the truck and opened the door to get out.
Shepard quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back in. "Alenko, I swear that if word gets out – "
He put both hands up in defense. "I won't say anything. I promise." A corner of his mouth was working its way into a smile.
"This isn't funny!" she cried out, though his smile was contagious. "You're not the one that was standing there naked." Her embarrassment was slowly abating.
"If you had gotten there a few minutes earlier, the roles would've been reversed."
She shook her head and made her way out of the truck. She didn't even want to think of a naked Kaidan Alenko. Seeing him in a towel was enough to send her heart racing. She grabbed the picnic basket and blanket from the bed of the truck and started walking toward the pond.
"I still can't believe you got that truck to work," she called over her shoulder, deliberately changing the subject.
"No big deal," he said, catching up to her and taking the picnic basket while she set the blanket down.
"I would sit in the barn for hours watching my dad play around with that old truck." She paused, thinking back on those days. The thought of her father made her nostalgic, and she made a pretense of smoothing out the blanket on the ground. "No matter what he did, he never got that damn truck to work. But the time with him was priceless. Something I will forever hold in my heart."
She sat down and looked away from him. He had already seen her naked, she didn't want him to see her all emotional, too.
Alenko sat down beside her and cleared his throat.
"Shepard…"
The mention of her name surprised her, but she said nothing. Alenko was always so formal and respectful even when they were off-duty that it was nice seeing him away from the military scene. Maybe this weekend would do him good and loosen him up a little.
"There was nothing wrong with the truck," he continued.
It took a while for the words to register before she slowly turned to look at him. "What? What do you mean?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "The truck," he repeated. " I didn't do anything to it."
Confusion settled into her thoughts. "You mean you didn't fix it?"
He nodded, his eyes giving her a gentle look. "I think your dad just pretended to be fixing the truck so that he could spend time with you." He gave her that odd look again, the one she had seen on the shuttle when she had given him a last chance to back out. That look and his words reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite think of what it was.
She gave him a sad smile and turned to look at the water. She had requested every shore leave to coincide with the shore leave of her parents. She would always look forward to spending that time with them, but what she had loved the most was being out in the barn with her dad.
"I think in the back of my mind I always knew there was nothing wrong with the truck. It wasn't so much about fixing the truck, but rather the bonding time that we had while doing it." She sighed, not wanting to get too emotional. "My father was a great man. You would've liked him."
"If he was anything like you, I know I would have," Alenko replied placing his hand on top of hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.
And then it hit her. Alenko's look, his words. She turned back to him, her hand still in his. "Hey, you know that control panel next to my cabin on the Normandy?"
She felt him stiffen. "Yes…"
"Is it ever really broken?"
A pause. This time it was Alenko's turn to look away. She watched a play of emotions go across his face and, when he finally turned to look at her, his eyes were intense and serious.
"No."
Shepard walked back into the house feeling content. They had eaten their sandwiches in comfortable silence and returned to the house, neither really making an issue of their conversation. She had preferred it that way.
Sure, her heart had danced a little jig when she had insinuated he was just 'fixing' the control panel so that he could spend time with her. She enjoyed talking to him, and there was no harm in just talking, right? That didn't mean he was going to propose marriage right then and there (much to her mother's dismay).
"Hey, ma!" Shepard called out going through the house. "We're back." Alenko, always the tech, had opted to stay outside to study the mechanics of the truck.
She paused when she saw a note in the kitchen.
Honey,
I'm meeting some friends in town. Might not be back in time for dinner. There are steaks in the fridge (and candles in my room). Enjoy your evening!
So, her mom had conveniently met some friends in town, had she? Shepard walked to the fridge and, sure enough, there were only two steaks marinating in plastic bags. And, what's this? A six-pack of beer? Her mom had sure been busy while they had been out.
Well, she would have dinner with the lieutenant. But that was all she was willing to budge. He was sleeping on the sofa tonight and tomorrow morning they would be on their way back to the Normandy (and away from her mom).
Shepard almost laughed out loud. Was this really the best her mom could do? An accidental scene in the bathroom and dinner alone with Alenko? The picnic didn't really count as her mom didn't know the truck worked. Or did she? Not that it mattered anyway. Her mother's plan to set her up with Alenko was not working.
Shepard made a mental note to gloat to her mom before leaving the next morning. Hannah thought she was so clever, but Shepard had been on to her from the start. She couldn't wait to tell her mom that her plan had failed.
