(A/N: Must have more feedback. Thrive on feedback. Please?)
A Little Downtime
Shepard sat on the bed, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes were closed as he listened to Kaidan talking to him.
Kaidan sat in a chair near to the bed, feet up on the bed. He looked up from the datapad, then sets it down in his lap. "And, Joshua Shepard, are you even listening to me?"
Shepard doesn't open his eyes, but he nodded. "Mmm-hmm."
Kaidan crossed his arms over his chest. "So? What did I just tell you?"
Shepard opened his eyes then shrugged. "I dunno. You asked if I was listening to you, not listening to what you were saying."
Kaidan tried not to smile. Oh, he tried. He failed. He shook his head. "Jerk." He had to laugh. He swung his legs down, then sat on the bed next to Shepard. "Well, if you'll be so kind as to listen to what I have to say, you'll learn something."
Shepard nodded. "Okay. What?"
Kaidan took hold of Shepard's hand. "Just stay calm, okay?" He waited for Shepard to nod. "Hackett gave me the list of those who will be there for the debriefing. Your mother's on it."
Shepard drew a sharp breath, then let it out slowly. "I hope she's not indoctrinated."
Kaidan nodded, then moved slightly so his arm was around Shepard's shoulders.
Shepard leaned in against Kaidan. "You need to know, Kaidan, that I'm going to kill whoever's indoctrinated."
Kaidan tensed a little, but nodded. "Should I warn Hackett?"
Shepard nodded. "Probably should. If he gets in the way, I'll go through him. I don't want to have to do that." He twined his fingers together with Kaidan's.
It was Kaidan's turn to draw a sharp breath. "What the fuck? Shepard?"
Shepard looked at Kaidan for a moment, then sighed. "Kaidan, I respect Hackett a great deal. I don't want to have to kill him, but I will if it means killing whoever is indoctrinated."
Kaidan shook his head. "And if it's your mother?"
Shepard was silent for a very long time before sighing. "I'll never forgive myself, but I'll still pull the trigger."
Kaidan tightened his hold on Shepard. "I don't get it, I mean, I know what you told me on Horizon about the whole thing, but this is just insane."
Shepard closes his eyes and rested his head on Kaidan's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm not sure I'd believe it either.
