She could feel her heart beating against her ear drums as she hurried through the crowd. Miranda had been careful, covered her tracks, and laid low; and still Cerberus had found her. She shouldn't have been surprised, and deep down she wasn't; if anything she was annoyed. Looking over her shoulder, she adjusted the strap to the duffel bag slung across her torso, and wove through the bodies of unsuspecting civilians.

Miranda had changed her clothing before abandoning the room she'd been holed up in, it was a necessary precaution. She knew that Cerberus was near, but she didn't know who or where they were exactly. The casual fit of her jeans, and the faded red sweater covering her white tank top was a style she typically stayed away from. But the unremarkable attire, and the cap she wore low to cover her face, made her as unremarkable as her clothing; hopefully no one would recognize her through the guise.

Rushing into an elevator, she pressed the button to her desired floor and held it down until the doors slid shut. She backed into the wall, pinning the duffle between her and the elevator as she leaned her weight against it. Rubbing the tension from her eyes, Miranda leveled her breathing and took advantage of the slow moving elevator while simultaneously cursing the casual rate with which it moved.

Cerberus wanted her dead, and she didn't have any time to waste twiddling her thumbs in an elevator. She was heading fast to the one and only Barla Von, hoping he would be able to point her in the direction of someone who could get her off the station without a fuss or leaving behind any kind of trail. If he couldn't help her, then Miranda was in a much more dire situation than she wanted to consider.

The elevator doors parted with a ding. Glancing out from underneath her cap she carefully stepped free from the metallic box and into another crowd. Her steps were measured and her careless stride was forced. Miranda needed to draw as little attention as possible, while also hurrying to meet with the well informed volus. Side stepping a slow moving couple, Miranda shouldered past a salarian who spun from the force of her pace.

"Hey, watch it," he shouted as she passed him, drawing the attention of a few people passing by.

Miranda ignored the salarian and pressed forward, not daring to stray from her path to voice an apology. She noticed that the interaction had drawn the attention of some people around her, as she tried to ignore the displeased looks she spotted two men, probably Cerberus assassins, who had been scanning the perimeter but stopped to watch as the salarian glared at her back.

She quickly lowered her head and hid her face as best she could behind the cap while blending in with the crowd. Her steps were determined and fast, and only a few more steps remained until she reached Barla Von. Then someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her reaction was immediate; with her body tensed and her eyes narrowed she freed her Carnifex from it's holster, whipped around and pointed it at the unknown person who dared to touch her.

-X-

James flicked through the terminal's inventory, uncertain if what he was looking at was an effective mod. Sighing, he leaned his weight against Aegohr Munitions' counter and continued to browse their wares. He was stuck between getting a Scorpion or just a regular pistol scope.

He combed his fingers through his hair, feeling ridiculous for even standing there. Pistols weren't even his weapon of choice. He liked things with bulk, heavy hitters; he liked his weapons to reflect himself, and pistols were too lightweight. Sure they could do some damage but they were too sleek and elegant. They reminded him of a woman who he still couldn't get out of his head.

They were finally back on the Citadel, freed up for a few hours while Shepard handled some business. It wouldn't be long before everyone was rounded back onto the Normandy and James had decided to spend that free time looking at pistols. Pistols, for christ's sake. He didn't even like pistols. But he liked Miranda, and she liked pistols, and apparently that was enough for him to stand in the Presidium Commons like some sort of love drunk idiot. He might as well be picking out an engagement ring.

Shaking his head, James pushed himself off of the counter and took a step back from the kiosk. What was happening to him? He dragged a hand down his face and groaned, fighting with the part of himself that wanted to just buy the Scorpion and send it to Miranda. James steeled his resolve, rolling his shoulders and straightening his spine. He was a man, it was time to act like one.

James turned around, ready to walk away from the kiosk before he gave in and bought something, but something caught his attention, slowing him in his tracks.

"Hey," an irate salarian voice barked, "watch it."

A second later a familiar tension filled the air, crackling the atmosphere with an electric spark that he knew very well. It was a similar feeling to the one he felt before stepping out of the shuttle with Shepard and onto the battlefield.

"Everybody get down!" James shouted as he released his sidearm from its holster.

-X-

"Everybody get down!" Someone shouted in the distance, and time slowed.

The man's expression darkened as he turned her around and their eyes locked. Miranda knew what that look meant. Without giving him the chance to pull out his own gun, she raised the Carnifex and shot him right between the eyes. The man collapsed in a heap onto the floor, and the crowd started running around, screaming in panic.

Cursing, she pulled the strap of her duffle over her head, accidentally knocking off her cap, and ran to the nearest cover; dodging the shots fired at her from behind. As she threw herself behind a potted plant, she slammed one of the Cerberus assassin's into the wall and shot him three times before he dropped dead.

Miranda sucked in a steadying breath as she concentrated on locating all of her enemies. They were shooting at her from every corner, making it difficult for her to guess exactly how many were after her. She glanced out of cover but hid behind it quickly before they could land a shot.

When she exposed herself again, Miranda unleashed a string of curses that could rival even Jack. A Phantom was cutting in her direction, her tactical cloak flickering as she slashed the distance between her and where Miranda was hiding. She checked how many thermal clips she had left and set her jaw when she realized it wasn't enough.

Tightening her fist, Miranda summoned her biotics and rolled out of cover just as the Phantom leaped over the potted plant, her sharp sword ringing as it slashed through the space Miranda had just been crouched. Warping the Phantom's defenses, Miranda shot at the Cerberus assassin. A snarl curled her lips when her shots fired were a fraction of a second too slow to make their mark and shoot the Phantom down before she reached her.

She gritted her teeth, unleashing a reave on the Phantom in hopes to cause some damage while the Phantom was trickily avoiding Miranda's shots. When the Phantom arrogantly threw herself in Miranda's direction, Miranda leaned out of the sword's path, brought her Carnifex under the Phantom's chin and pulled the trigger.

She didn't wait to watch as the Phantom fell lifelessly at her feet. Miranda was already moving, avoiding the gunfire as she used what was left of her ammunition to keep the Cerberus forces back. She started depending heavily on her biotics when she only had two thermal clips left.

One by one the assassins fell; but it wasn't just Miranda who was killing them. At some point or another C-Sec had joined her firefight. When she glanced around the corner it wasn't a C-Sec officer she saw; her eyes widened in surprise for a second as she recognized lieutenant James Vega. He was also dressed in casual clothes, which meant he must've been around.

For a second she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. After the last Cerberus assassin fell she schooled her expression back to it's typical detached and cool set before she glanced out of cover to make sure the coast was clear.

Silence settled in the Presidium Commons for a second before C-Sec moved to collect and identify the bodies. Miranda allowed herself to relax and stepped out of cover, only to see James walking towards her. There was a wide smile plastered on his face and she rolled her eyes at the sight of it, hiding her smile as he came close. Miranda wouldn't give him the pleasure of seeing her smile because of him, even if it was all she could do to keep her lips from stretching. Her heart beat faster as he closed the distance between them.

-X-

James couldn't stop grinning like an idiot as he made his way to where Miranda was standing, even as he saw her cold and neutral expression. They'd just killed Cerberus assassins who tried to kill her, and he was smiling. What was wrong with him? Okay, now it's time to stop smiling before she points that gun on you, James thought as he almost reached her, feeling a mixture of happiness and excitement in seeing her again.

When he was finally standing in front of her, James took the moment to revel in the sight Miranda. She was wearing casual clothes; the red sweater was a size or two too large and it hung a little from her left shoulder, revealing the strap of the white tank top and black bra she wore underneath. His mouth became immensely dry at the mental image of her wearing only the bra. It has to be a lace bra, James thought, convinced that a woman like her had a taste for beautiful and extravagant things. Sexy, yet lethal, James found he liked that combination more and more. The sweater hid her perfect curves but to James that didn't matter; he'd already seen her in the skin tight, Cerberus outfit. There was barely anything left to imagine after he saw her in it.

Her light blue jeans were form fitting, and again the sight left his mouth dry. His eyes traveled back up until they finally rested back on her face, smirking to the thought that no one looked as hot in casual clothes as she did. His smiled faded a bit, replaced by something slightly more lustful as he caught her eyes flickering over him; glancing quickly at his attire before bringing them back on his. James smirked. He knew she liked what she saw, even if she tried to hide it with her cold demeanor.

"Miranda," when he spoke his voice was low, maybe a little too intimate for what had just happened, but James couldn't bring himself to care. He was a man, a player, and he was going to act like one. "A pleasure to see you again."

"The feeling isn't mutual," she said in her frosty tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she visibly tried to retain her usual cold mein. Her response made the smile on his face grow.

"Don't tell me that you aren't even a little bit glad to see me?" There was a slight shift in her expression and, for a second, he could see uncertainty in her blue eyes and that made him wonder if that was her way of blushing. James was determined to find out.

"I could've handled them myself." Her eyes narrowed and her lip curled with distaste. "There was no need to rush in here and play the hero," she said hoping to change the subject, and James felt her pointed words bite into his skin with their sharp teeth; as she had intended them to.

"I know," he said, also crossing his arms in front of his chest. He wouldn't let her try to scare him off. Keeping his playful smirk from faltering, he said, "That's why I saved most of the clips and watched you do your thing instead. Your biotics are damn impressive."

Miranda leaned her hand on her hip, not allowing her grin to surface on her features at his compliment. "I know."

Well she certainly doesn't lack for confidence, thought James, amused by their little banter. Miranda watched him quietly for a moment, probably knowing that he wouldn't let the conversation go. Her jaw set with reproach as she tried again to make him back off.

"This conversation is pointless, and I still have some business to attend to. So if you'll stop wasting my time," she emphasized the last part with bitterness and tried to shove past him to collect her discarded duffle so she could leave, but James followed her steps, determined not to let her go that easily.

She'll have to throw me with her biotics if she wants me to give up, James thought and his smirk widened, even then he doubted he'd quit pursuing her. He was determined to stay with her, maybe even talk her into a drink. He kicked himself mentally at that thought; She just fought for her life and you're going to ask her out for a drink? James didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Let me guess; these weren't all of the operatives sent to kill you, so you're going to kill them before they can report back to the Illusive Man?" Miranda stopped dead in her tracks and he smiled victoriously; an expression he quickly wiped away as she whipped around to face him, the annoyance clearly written on her face. Not that he gave a damn, James was already getting used to that look.

"Yes, exactly," Miranda bit out. "So if you would just go and prepare for the next mission; I believe you have a female krogan to escort to Tuchanka." The dismissal was final and she turned quickly, her shoulders tense as if she expected him to argue.

James' eyes widened for a second, impressed with her resources to come up with that information. They just docked on the Citadel about an hour ago and she already knew where they were and what they had on the ship? James smirked again as he caught up with her.

"Actually, the female krogan is sleeping right now. And according to Wrex, krogan need a lot of sleep. Besides, Shepard has to visit the Major, so..." He swiped her duffle up off of the floor before she could bend down for it. As he hoisted the heavy bag over his shoulder, he said, "It looks like I'm free for a little while."

"Lucky me," she growled.

They both approached the terminal and waited there for the elevator to arrive. James could tell that Miranda was pissed at him for following her. He just hoped that there was some part of her that couldn't ignore his flirting; even if she fought it.

James couldn't stop staring at her back. Even covered by the too large sweater, her body was attention grabbing. His gaze travelled down her back until it stopped to rest on her wonderfully shaped rear. She was so close. All he needed to do was lift his hand a little and he'd be touching her. But the consequences were just too severe.

He mused about the things she would do to him if he touched her ass. Would she just shoot me in the face, quick and painless; or slowly kill me with her biotics? James wondered and the ding of the elevator brought him back to reality. He lifted his gaze before she could catch him staring, after all Shepard still needed him at a hundred percent.

Miranda strode into the elevator as the doors parted and James was close behind her, just to be safe she didn't try to shut him out. As he settled in beside her she pushed the button where she believed were the other Cerberus operatives waiting for her. They couldn't report to the Illusive Man that quickly, but they could let the others know where she was. Her gaze was on the C-Sec officers still cleaning up the mess as the doors shut them in the tight space together.

-X-

Miranda glared at the shut elevator doors and tried to ignore the rising temperature between them in the claustrophobic space. She could hear him fiddling with something next to her but kept her attention forward, refusing to give in to her desire to look back at him, not obviously at least. But her curiosity took the better of her and she peeked at James from the corner of her eye, noticing him holding out his M-5 Phalanx to her.

"Here," he said, taking out the second M-5 Phalanx holstered at his back. Arching an eyebrow, she wondered, He carries two guns? and lifted her chin to keep up her uninterested appearance.

When she didn't immediately accept his offered gun, James explained, "I noticed you ran out of clips."

She flicked her gaze down to the gun in his hands then back to his eyes. Her gaze narrowed somewhat in annoyance, although she struggled with the part of her that almost melted at the fact that he had been paying such close attention to her. "Why should I use your gun instead of just taking the thermal clips and putting them in my Carnifex?"

James locked their gazes and smirked for the hundredth time. "Because I'm sure you can handle much bigger things than assault rifles and heavy pistols."

Their eyes remained imprisoned to one another, and for a moment Miranda allowed herself to look back into his, really looking this time. She noticed that his warm brown eyes had a hint of a foresty green color, and found their invigorating hazel depths to be very relaxing and honest. Miranda had a feeling that just gazing into his eyes could make her forget about the troubles of her life, the depressions she fought during night. They were calming her and making her chest tighten with this unknown emotion that was like a disease she couldn't get rid of; and that realization scared her a little.

When she noticed that they were staring at one another for longer than was acceptable, she decided to prove to him she really could handle bigger things without much struggle. Miranda placed her hand on the M-5 Phalanx, and their fingers touched. Her heart skipped a beat at the feel of his rough, too warm fingers under hers and snatched the weapon away from him. She quickly turned to face the elevator door, desperately hoping he hadn't caught her flinching.

-X-

James gazed deep into the pale blue orbs that seemed to freeze whoever would dare staring into them for too long. He could still hear and feel his heartbeat, despite her frigid, sexy eyes staring back into his. Never had someone's eyes had such impact on him like hers. Miranda's eyes were different from the many girls he had ever been with. She was different.

James would've been blind if he didn't catch how she flinched away from his touch; how she snatched her fingers away the second their skin made contact. He felt his heart quickening when he felt her soft, cold fingers brushing gently above his and wondered if she was always that cold. His mind then tortured him with images of a warm Miranda, writhing above him while he raised the temperature of her core until she exploded from overheating.

Swallowing hard, he willed his mind away from those images as he desperately tried to convince himself that it was the elevator's faulty ventilation that was causing it to be so damn hot in here. He glanced at the tiny panel beside her and saw they were almost there.

Readying his pistol with a smirk, he said, "Make them count," and motioned to the number of thermal clips they have left.

Miranda narrowed her eyes again, but couldn't hide the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth that curled her lips into a smile as she replied, "Looks like you love being in charge of the situation."

His smile turned mischievous as he decided to play with fire, only a little. "I admit; I'm a rather dominant type." And it had exactly the desired affect on her; her expression blanked for a second and he imagined all the dirty things she must have been visualizing.

The door hissed open and they both stepped out to hide behind the nearby wall to scan the perimeter. James felt her glance at him but was trying to focus on scanning their surroundings. The situation was serious now. Miranda's safety depended on his head being in the game, not in his fantasies. James would do anything to keep her safe.