Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare.

[Chapter Three: Someone Like Me]

Shepard walked down the steps carefully, quietly. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness before descending the whole way. It got better once he was down, the faint red light helped guide his way towards his goal: Jack.

As he turned the corner he looked for the familiar outline of a shape he favored. Usually she was on her cot, sitting there in silence and contemplating only God knew what. But as he walked up to the area, much to his disappointed…she wasn't there.

Shepard sighed heavily, staring at the empty bed when suddenly from the darkness he felt someone press up against his back and a head rest in between his shoulders. Shepard tried to turn to face her but a pair of heavily tattooed arms wrapped around his tender ribcage and squeezed firmly.

He inhaled the familiar scent softly, a happy smirk coming to his lips as he gently pressed back into her embrace. "This is nice," he thought.

Things don't always go as planned with Jack: As soon as that came to mind, she stomped around him and punched him square in his right shoulder…hard.

"Or not."

"What the fuck, Shepard."

John rubbed his shoulder, wincing as he looked at her. "What'd I do?"

Jack clenched her mouth shut and paced back and forth in the same small area. "You," she growled under her breath, "...you scared the shit outta' me that's what!"

She abruptly stopped in front of him, eyes almost in slits. "And what the hell were you thinking! You're in the middle of goddamned fire and you start to fuckin' strip? Did you think giving the Collectors a peep show was going to throw off their aim?"

Shepard couldn't help but let out a laugh, which in turn caused him to hold his side. He never considered how idiotic he just may have looked as he ran in desperation towards the Normandy. "I'm sorry, Jack. It was the only thing I could think of that would make me even remotely faster. You saw that gap I had to jump. I was tired. I am tired. And my armor wasn't exactly light."

Jack narrowed her eyes at him. "Fuckin' idiot, I swear."

"Hey…but you gotta' be impressed with that leap." John brought his hands up, indicating the size of the gap he had to jump with an overly enthusiastic and exaggerated gesture. "That jump? It was preeeetty big."

Jack rolled her eyes; her tone was flat and unimpressed. "You want a medal or somethin'?"

Shepard smirked, "What? You got random medals just lying around to hand out to people? Because in that case, I would definitely agree that the leap I did deserves one. A big one that's all gold and shiny."

"Remember what I told you about your jokes?"

Shepard looked at her with innocence. "That they were hilarious?"

She chose to just outright ignore him.

"…or not."

Jack looked him over for moment. "So…you hurt or somethin'?"

Shepard wondered what would have made her think that before realizing that he'd been unconsciously holding his side protectively, "Nah. Not really. Just...maybe cracked a rib or two. Can't tell you where though. It was either after the Reaper, during the Reaper, or slamming into the Normandy."

She wasn't happy to hear this. "You should have just taken me with you! I would have watched your ass way better than the Cheerleader or the frog. Otherwise this shit happens. Lucky it's just a rib and not a damn bullet in your head."

Shepard just looked at her, trying his best to explain, "Jack, it's not that I didn't—" She lifted a hand to stop his talking. He snapped his teeth shut once in his mouth, annoyed at the gesture.

A moment of silence passed between the two.

Jack's curiosity finally got the best of her as she took a step up to him and removed his hand from the injured side. She aggressively lifted his shirt to expose his lean stomach and the gigantic bruises that covered the area that seemed hurt him most.

John winced but held down the sound that wanted to leave his lips.

"Shit, Shepard… maybe you ain't a pussy after all. You took a good hit."

John smirked at her, "Don't be a pussy was on my check list. I told you. "

Jack considered him for a moment and then took a last glance at his rib cage. "Med Bay. Now."

Shepard softly removed her hand and lowered his shirt. "Not now. There are way too many people that need the medical attention more. This can wait. It only hurts when aggressive and very attractive women punch me or lift pieces of my clothing too quickly."

He waited for a snapped response or maybe even another smack to his body but was surprised when he saw Jack just stand there biting her lower lip, frowning and looking to the floor. She crossed her arms under her breasts and softly said, "…sorry."

Shepard blinked at her. This was the only time he'd ever heard Jack use that word.

She looked up at him and scowled, her tone beginning to show signs of all kinds of irritation and anger, "What? What the hell are you looking at?"

"It…nothing. Nevermind."

Jack shook her head dismissively and walked to her cot, leaving him there standing alone. Shepard cleared his throat and looked to his feet. "I guess….that was as good a sign as any to say 'get the hell out of here, Shepard'."

He gave her a wistful look before he turned to leave but was stopped when an annoyed, '…where the hell you going' was stated towards him. Shepard turned to look at her and shrugged, "…I figured that was your way of telling me you were done talking."

"Fucking clueless."

"Was it not?"

Jack looked at him, more annoyed than ever. "If I wanted you to leave, I'd just say so. I didn't say that now did I?"

Shepard looked at her, not wanting to argue. "No. No I guess you didn't." He stood there for a moment more before deciding to walk up to her cot and take a seat next to her. "…is it alright if I sit here?"

She shrugged, not even looking at him. "S'whatever."

Several minutes passed by in absolute silence. She was never one for long conversation but he never did mind. Shepard looked at his hands, down to the ground between his legs, he'd look around the room he'd seen a hundred times before, and then finally let his eyes catch glimpses of Jack.

Face…neck…shoulders…arms…back…she was beautiful; tattoos and scars alike.

"Hey, Shepard…?" John snapped to when he thought he'd been caught catching eyefuls of her.

"Yeah, Jack?" He waited for the worst.

"Can I…Can I just fuckin' ask you somethin'?"

Shepard relaxed a little before noticing the question and tensing right back up, "Sure. What's on your mind?"

Jack stood up from the cot and paced a bit, looking as if trying to gather her thoughts.

Shepard watched her carefully. He looked at the way she wrung her hands as she paced and the worried look on her face as she thought. The biotic exhaled sharply, seeming to be more annoyed with herself than with Shepard. Then again… he could never tell. It was probably him.

"I wanna' know what your damage is."

Yep. It was him.

"Excuse me?"

"You know. You gotta' be some kind of fucked if you're wanting something like me."

"Jack its no—"

"I'm being one-hundred and fifty fucking percent serious, Shepard. I want a straight answer from you."

"Jack, I—" Shepard grumbled at being interrupted after being asked for an answer.

"Because someone like you? They don't want nothin' to do with someone like me."

Shepard shook his head in confusion. "Someone like me?"

"I've done shit. Some shit I did for the sake of doing shit. Ya' know?" She looked frustrated with herself as she tried to explain what she thought in a cohesive sentence.

"It's just. It don't make any sense, Shepard. You've managed to become the damn poster boy for humanity. Who the hell manages somethin' like that? And not ONLY that, but you got the Council and Alliance on your side too? Shit even Cerberus hired you. Fuck, they brought you back from the dead because you're such a badass." She rolled her eyes at herself; a little pissed she had to describe him like that. But it was true.

Shepard sat on the cot, looking at her in all sincerity. "Jack. I wasn't always like this. It was a long road I had to travel to get the training and the—"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you were a little shit when you were a kid but you've pretty much been on the straight ever since. Me? Hell. I'd probably either be dead, passed out drunk, back to my old crap, or all three if it weren't for you comin' along to bust me outta' that life…"

Shepard quirked a brow as he though quietly, "…dead AND drunk?" He kept his smirk hidden, thinking it best to keep the comment to himself. She was trying after all, so Shepard respected her enough to not remark.

Jack sighed, looking down at the front of her mapped torso, then up to Shepard, "I…Shepard, I got a record longer than this damn ship, enough ink on my skin to rewrite the fuckin' bible, I'm batshit crazy and know it, and I don't even got big tits to add to such an awesome personality," she stated, sarcasm dripping off her words. "I ain't even pretty… not like the Cheerleader, or hell, even the Buckethead. I'm no good for you. But day after day you…you show up again. You ain't left yet and that…that ain't normal, Shepard."

Shepard held a finger up to her. "Jack, will you just…shut up?"

Jack looked at him, anger clearly written all over her face. No one talked to her like that. A small spark of biotic mass flicked off her fingers. Shepard exhaled, "Listen. I could give a shit about your record. That isn't you anymore. You're here. You're not out there on some rampage and you're sure as hell not in that damn prison anymore. You could have left at any time when I got you out. There wasn't a person aboard this ship that made you stay. The only thing I ever did was ask for your help."

Jack considered his words.

"But you stayed of your own accord, and that shows me something, Jack. That tells me something. And that should speak volumes to you too." Shepard studied her for a moment. "…and you know what? I agree with you. You're not pretty."

Jack's head snapped up to stare him straight in the eyes. Her face seemed to cross over a thousand emotions. She tried not to let it show, but failed. Shepard could clearly see anger, shock, self-consciousness, hurt, and everything in between."

"Fuck you, Shep—"

"You're goddamn gorgeous. Jesus Jack, you're stunning even."

Jack sucked in her breath and lowered her face, turning from him slightly.

Shepard slowed down his words only somewhat and made sure his tonality came out softer.

"Jack. I don't want Miranda. I don't want the bucket—…erm…Tali. I come down day after day because I want you. And you might not think that's normal but hell…do I remotely even seem normal to you?"

"You really piss me off you know that?"

"Wait…what?" Shepard sighed heavily leaning back against the wall as he sat on the cot.

"Damn it, Shepard…I was fine with being me. I came to terms with that shit a long time ago. I'm a criminal. A no good—I get that. I took it and made what I could with it. Hell, it got me here didn't it? But you? You came along with your fancy ship, shiny armor, and niiiice fuckin' guns…"

That made Shepard smile.

Jack saw and pointed at him "You shut the fuck up till I'm done."

Shepard removed the smile at once.

"Shepard…you make me wanna do better in this 'verse that's just so completely…fucked." She struggled with her emotions, trying not to let them show in her voice or face. "You make me wanna… be better. I ain't used to feeling like that."

John stood up then and slowly made his way towards her. She had her arms crossed insecurely under her chest, eyes looking down at her boots. Waiting to see if she'd protest, Shepard cautiously drew her into his embrace and held her tightly. Jack let her head rest on his chest for a moment but kept both arms in place under her breasts. However, before Shepard could say anything, Jack shook her head. She pulled away from him and turned her back, facing the now empty cot. "What the hell, Shepard," her voice cracked.

"Jack…it's—"

"Get out."

Shepard shook his head. "I told you already. I'm not going anywhere."

"Well I want you to fuckin' get lost! Get out!"

Shepard took a step back. He didn't quite know what to make of the situation. "Jack let me just—"

Her biotics flared up into a light blue-black aura around her body. She lowered her hands to the side, showing him that she meant it. They glowed brightly and Shepard knew to back off.

"Get. The fuck. Out."

Shepard took another step back in withdraw, nodding his head slowly, sadly. "Alright. Alright, Jack. I'm leaving." He turned to walk towards the steps but before exiting simply stated, "Dinner in a few. If you're hungry…feel free to join me and the crew on level three."

Jack dimmed the fireworks but kept her distance and refused to look at him. "I ain't a people person. No thanks."

Shepard clenched his jaw before turning to go up the stairs and out of her room.

[End of Three: Someone Like Me]

A/N: I realize that Jack may (maybe not for some tastes) be coming off a bit too mouthy, but I figure since this is literally the evening right after her 'paramour' that her character shouldn't have changed that much. It's a long road to crumble all your walls and bare all your insecurities.