'On the edge of sleep, I was drifting for half the night

Anxious and restless, pressed down by the darkness

Bound up and wound up so tight'

So tight...

'So many decisions, a million revisions

Caught between darkness and light...'

Rush - Double Agent

. . .

004

The thundering noise made Lexi clutch to her head with both hands like her life depended on it. And in her mind it did. All her muscles were rigid and her thoughts were a mess. First she was wondering where on hell she was, that concern was replaced by what was happening when she recalled that she was on the Normandy and then she began to wonder if there was a fight going on. That thought made her eyes snap wide open as she began feeling up what she assumed that was the bed looking for a weapon. A laugh was what made her hands from frenetically moving around, above and below her body looking for a weapon that she never found.

Vega was looking to her with curiosity with a grin plastered on his face. She narrowed her eyes before muttering a rather groggy, "What?" By his overall demeanour she figured that the possibility of them being in attack was low, so she stops.

"Hangover?"

"Uh, yeah," she admits as she starts recalling the drinks she had with him on the day before. "Killer headache," she continues. "Thought that there was a thunderstorm goin' on. It seems it was just you walking…"

He shakes his head with the grin still on its place. "The commander asked me to get you."

She looks to the ground, to partially hide her shame, as she smooth's her hair. She assumed that John was displeased with her, well, more so than usual. "Is he mad?"

"Not that I noticed…" He shrugs. "Plus, we got an assignment… You may be off the hook for now flamita."

She takes a deep breath. "Okay. Let's get on with it then." She took a step before looking to him with her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. Why didn't he come get me himself?"

"'Cause he has more important things to do than wake you up?"

She snorts and rolls his eyes. "Nothing is more important than scolding me." She laughs lightly, regretting it immediately. Her body shook and given her state it wasn't too pleasant. "One time he… Actually, it doesn't matter."

"If you say so…"

She nods before walking away ending their brief exchange of words. They walked to the CIC in silence. Vega would occasionally glance in her direction. Last night he had been under the impression that the woman was a chatter box and the silence made him doubt his impression. Maybe it was the hangover, or maybe – and if he was the betting type, he put his money on – she was having some sort of internal debate. She kept furrowing and raising her eyebrows, sometimes she'd even groan lightly and she clenched her wounded hand.

When the elevator door opened, Shepard was by the galaxy map looking to his datapad. Lexi immediately straightens her back and she takes a deep breath before walking up to him. As if she wasn't hangover or that he had to be the one to wake her because she was late. Thinking that it wouldn't do him any good laughing at the scene, Vega bites down his lip as he falls behind her a few steps.

"You asked for me, Commander?"

Shepard removes his eyes from the datapad and looks to his sister. "Stop biting your lip, I'm not mad."

"Really?" She squints her eyes as she suspiciously looks to him.

"Yeah, really. Got bigger things to worry about, plus." He shrugs and offers her a smile. "You're an adult."

She raises her eyebrows. There must be a catch. "That's… really… enlightening…"

"You're ridiculous." He then shakes his head as he passes her the datapad. "Look at this."

"Uh." She quickly reads the email and then she looks up to Shepard, furrowing her eyebrows. "Isn't that Liara's alley?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yes. The point was that there are bigger things to worry about." He gently pulls the datapad from her hands. "Now… You won't come-"

"Surprise, surprise."

He narrows his eyes and continues like he hadn't been interrupted. "So I want you to check our supplies and make a list. EDI will assist you."

She sighs, decided not to argue with him. "Not mad my ass," she mumbles as she turns her back on him. "Pretty ass, mind you. Happy artefact hunting… Bring me a nice rock, okay?"

"And check with Chakwas too." She simply waves her hand in the air, dismissing his concern, and enters the elevator.

Vega, who was curiously looking to the brothers interaction chuckles. They were an odd pair. "Vega? Something on your mind?"

He immediately straightens his back. "Just wondering about the mission."

"Uh-uh." He decides that for now Vega was off the hook… Maybe it was because he didn't have nobody else to accompany him and Liara on the mission… or maybe, like his sister had claimed he was enlightened… "EDI."

"Yes Shepard?"

"Is she on the bathroom puking?"

"Yes… How did you know?"

Shepard shakes his head. "A hunch…"

It wasn't the first time he had seen his sister like that and he was positive it wouldn't be the last. The only thing he was curious about was the reasons that made her drink, even if she during the shore leaves would often indulge her… hedonistic… habits it was actually the first time he had seen her drink while she was on a mission… Sure, for a couple of weeks she wouldn't really be of use, still it was odd.

He glances at Vega, who still had his back straight, and squints his eyes a bit. "She told you why she drank so much?"

"Uh…" Vega scratches his neck before shrugging. "Not really. Well, nothing that made sense."

"Like?"

"Something about having a headache today." When Shepard furrows his eyebrows, Vega smiles knowingly. "Told you it didn't made sense."

"Thanks Lieutenant," Shepard mutters thinking that Vega was way too amused by the situation. "Go gear up."

"Aye aye sir."

Liara screams when she sees a feet sticking under her bed. Honestly she didn't really know why she had screamed, she had definitely seen more gruesome things over the years… far more gruesome that the possibility of having a corpse under her bed. Maybe it had been because her dreams had completely crashed down when she meet the protean or maybe all the times she had remained cold blooded had finally caught up on her.

Almost immediately Lexi crept under the bed with widen eyes and her hair completely messy. From the looks of it, she had been sleeping there for quite a while. When she was on her feet she raises both of her hand in the air.

"Don't scream please. Not only 'cause my head is hurting but… I really don't want Shepard come crashing in."

"What are you doing here?" Liara shakes her head when another question appeared on her mind. "Why were you sleeping there?"

Lexi smiles sheepishly. "Shepard's mad at me." She crosses her arms over her chest. "And I figure that this would be the last place he'd come looking for me. Not to mention that only a handful of people have access to the room… so it was the perfect place to sleep. Plus you said that your door was open to me when we spoke the other day…" There was a hint of defiance on the last words, as if she was daring Liara to say the contrary.

"There's a bed," Liara points out making Lexi snort.

"Way to soft, it felt like I was being swallowed."

"Liara?"

When they hear Shepard's voice Lexi looks pleadingly to Liara that huffed. "Fine, go hide." Lexie immediately crawled under the bed making Liara gently kick her shoe that was once again sticking out.

"Liara!"

"Sorry Shepard," Liara says after she glanced one last time to the bed. "I just wasn't in the mood to chat."

Lexie hears a couple of steps and her brother sighing. "I know he isn't what you expected."

"That's the understatement of the century."

Lexi was feeling slightly curious regarding what they were talking about, but since she had decided to hide… for now there was nothing she could do to find out. Well, maybe eavesdrop, not that she had much of a choice anyway. Even thought she was positive that eavesdropping on her brother and his girlfriend was and would ever be a terrible idea.

She remained under the bed for at least ten minutes. Whatever and whoever they were speaking about remained unnamed and unexplained. When they started to making out… or whatever made them quiet only breathing rather heavily… did she started regretting her decision. For once, she wasn't sure why she had gotten the urge to hide – she had done what he had asked, so she had sucked up and went through punishment; and second, she should have really seen it coming. Oh hell, why hadn't she seen it coming? And why was Liara, who was fully aware that she was there, wasn't stopping whatever it was that they were doing?

"Shepard," Liara mumbles. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry?" He repeats her words with a slightly surprised tone.

"Yes. Suddenly I feel hungry!" Even to Lexi, Liara's words sounded forced.

"If you say so…"

"Let's eat and pick this up later if it's fine with you."

"Sure…"

She counts to twenty once they leave the room and walks out of the door. Last time I hid there, she thinks as she walks almost glued to the door to avoid being seen by her brother, which ultimately, hadn't been a good call. Since she was doing all she could to avoid being detected by her brother who was by the table, she wasn't paying much attention to what, or rather who, was walking up the corridor.

"Sorry," she mumbles after colliding against Adams who gave her a confused look.

"It's alright," he states. "Lieutenant Shepard."

Sadly, he didn't speak low enough. "Lexi?"

She sighs. "Should have known it wouldn't work out."

Shepard looks to her like she had lost her mind. "What are you doing?"

"Just sayin' sorry to Engineer Adams," she mumbles with a wide grin on her lips.

She had to endure a couple odd stares from Shepard and Adams – both thinking that she had completely lost it – and a long, at least in her opinion, conversation in which Shepard stressed that fact that she had to be aware to be aware of her surroundings. That led to more scolding: how she had to get her act straight and a monologue about how not having her head on the right place would only led to disgrace.

When she was about to burst, and her lip was starting to swell from all the times she chewed it to prevent disrespect for the authority being the next topic he discussed with her… Because if she spoke she was sure she was going to say all the wrong things and make him even more angry… Shepard changed topic and told her about their new companion. Apparently, the mission in Eden Prime had resulted in something unthinkable, recruiting a protean named Javik. While Liara mumbled how her life's work and theories had crumbled down, Shepard focused on the positive part: someone who had direct knowledge about the Reapers was on board.

"Weren't you hungry?" Shepard comments making both of the women slightly widen her eyes.

"Uh, not anymore…"

He was about to speak when Lexi butts in. Liara had helped her out, so now it was her turn. "So, did he even say something about the Reapers?"

"Before or after mocking us?" Liara mutters with annoyance. "Primitives," she groans. "All my life-"

"Calm down Liara… He was just disoriented-"

"Doubt he'll get kindlier with rest."

"Sounds like a handful," Lexi comments. She then smiles. "Well, this was interesting… Now I'm sure you guys have more important things to do than to bring me up to speed… So… I'll just get going."

"Lexi," Shepard calls her making her stop on her tracks. She turns her head to him, forcing a smile on her lips. "Chawkas told me you did a good job, thank you."

She sighs in relief with a smile on her lips. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."