A/N: Sorry about not updating this. My muse was occupied with other things...thanks for the reviews! And favorites! Follows, too! I am happy to get any at all. Especially with a very first, on-going, chapter Shoker fic.
Disclaimer: Bioware owns Mass Effect.
Close Calls and Smiles
Finding this Liara T'Soni turned out to be easier said than done. Eventually, with Shepard's determination and his skill at the controls of the Normandy, they were able to locate the asari. All they had been told was she was somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster. Now they were in the Knossos system of the cluster, stationed just outside the planet Therum.
Shepard paced behind him and Joker's eyes followed her like cat followed a mouse.
Finally, he broke the silence with, "you keep pacing like that you're going to burn that figure eight into the floor. Hell, that scowl just might become permanent."
She stopped and turned toward him with an arched brow. Despite the words not being all that original, a smile was teasing the edges of her lips. He could see it in the way the corners twitched. "For all you know, it might be."
"What's got you so worked up then?" That sounded a lot dirtier out loud than it did in his head.
She grimaced sheepishly. "How long did it take us to find out where this Doctor T'Soni was?"
He clucked his tongue. "Couple days; luckily you had me, or else it would have taken the better part of a week."
"Cock sure as always. Anyway – my point is this; we don't know what's down there. I like knowing what I'm getting myself into."
"This coming from the woman who fought off the batarians on Elysium? The hero of the Skyllian Blitz?"
Shepard rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Did you stop to think that maybe that's why I like knowing what I'm getting myself into?"
"Touche."
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Getting any readings on the surface, Joker?"
"Nothing solid, Commander. Too much interference."
"Shit, well, guess we have no choice but to go in blind. You," she pointed at him meaningfully, "be ready to get our asses out of there if need be."
He couldn't help but grin as he replied, "Aye-aye ma'am."
Shortly after Shepard, along with Kaidan and Tali, had landed on the surface, Joker was quick to warn them of his 'off-the-charts' readings. Along with her earlier ambivalence, the readings were broadcasting trouble as brightly as the Chora's Den neon lights. After a dozen tension riddled moments of nail biting suspense, Shepard and her squad, in the Mako, were ambushed by Geth. Waves of them. Joker could only watch as drop ships flew in low to drop off troops and mechs; if he was to swoop in and help the commander, he would be giving away the position of the ship. Sort of a contradiction to being a stealth vessel. Despite his cool and often nonchalant demeanor, Joker was twitchy up until the moment Shepard(and the others, of course) entered the cave in search of the asari doctor.
He was almost relieved, but – as always – things were quick to go from bad to worse.
"Joker!" Shepard's voice came through the comm after a very pregnant silence that had Joker on the edge of his seat. "Ace! Hey, do you read me?"
"Aye-aye ma'am! Keeping all your teeth down there?"
"Barely! The mountain is about to come down around my ears, it seems!" She laughed, despite the serious gravity of the situation. "Remember what I said before? Ready to get our asses out of here? On the double, if you don't mind!"
"On my way Commander! Rest assured, there's a fire under my ass!"
Joker's fingers flew across the piloting controls, directing the Normandy to the last coordinates he'd received on Shepard's current position. Irritation spiked briefly at the appearance of smoke wafting from all sides of the mountain. Was the Commander in a bloody volcano? Sure Therum's surface consisted of more lava than land, but damn! Shepard seemed intent on testing his cock-sure attitude – or she really did believe that he was as he claimed; the best.
"Come on. Come on." He felt like he was holding his breath. He probably was, because he felt slightly dizzy by the time he sucked in a breath at Shepard's appearance. He kept the ship as close as he could without risking hull damage as Shepard sprinted out of the collapsing caves; pulling up the rear as the rest of the squad – plus one – ran out before her. The rocks and mountain crumbled behind her and she had the gall, while panting and flushed, to grin cheekily back at the mountain.
The feeling that he'd swallowed his heart didn't ease until Shepard – and the rest of the squad – were safely back on board the Normandy. Only then, and when he safely placed the Normandy away from the volcano, did it let up.
"Hey Commander?" He fired up the comm with a heavy sigh, though a smirk teased the edges of his lips. "For future reference, the Normandy isn't equipped to handle landing in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and damage our hull. Just saying."
"We almost died and your pilot is cracking jokes?" exclaimed an unknown voice; this must have been the newest of their team, the asari, Liara T'soni. With that one sentence, dripping in unbelieving contempt, left Joker feeling like he might not end up liking the new addition.
"You'll get used to it," Shepard assured with a chuckle. "He just saved our asses. If anyone gets to be cocky, it's him."
Joker found himself grinning, suddenly more at ease in that moment than he had been for, well, a long time. By the time the meeting adjourned and Shepard had hung up on the council and their bullshit(much to his amusement), he was still sitting there in his seat, grinning like an idiot. When Shepard came strolling out toward the cockpit, whistling, he continued to grin, for her to see. She saw it and returned it, pearly whites and all; Joker realized then that he didn't mind looking like an idiot if it got her to grin like that.
After all, she did have an amazing smile.