Author's Note: This is a pretty short chapter, and I am posting one tomorrow which is much longer though not the longest by far. Hope you enjoy. Please review
Ali sat on the ledge of the window in the shuttle bay. Vega had gone to the lounge to get a much needed drink, and Cortez was somewhere else on the ship taking a break from fixing the underside of the shuttle. The sky was filled with stars just like it was all days and nights, but there was a cluster of stars directly in front of her which was particularly beautiful. "How are you feeling?" Thane asked from the floor.
"Almost fully healed thanks to the genetic modifications. Can make almost anyone jealous of my healing rate," she answered without looking down at him. "How about you?"
"Dr. Chakwas did some tests on my blood. She says that the oxygen level has risen since the last time she tested it. She remains confident that I will be fully healed in a matter of weeks."
"I am glad to hear it. At least, I didn't kill all those Cerberus agents for no reason."
"I have you to thank. If it wasn't for your stubbornness, I could have been dead in a few months." Ali quickly dropped from the ledge and walked away not even looking at him.
"Don't talk like that."
"I apologize. I didn't mean to offend you, but it could have been true."
"I don't want to think about what could have happened if the Hanar scientists hadn't found a cure." She stopped walking and hugged herself as if she was suddenly cold. "Please, don't make me even contemplate it."
Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "I upset you, and I apologize. I am simply pleased that you are unharmed." His face was pressed against her neck sending his hot breath across her exposed skin.
"What about the scientists?" she asked trying to divert his attention.
"They are gone, but they have agreed to work on the Crucible until the threat has passed then start work on the cure again." He had made his way to her shoulder rubbing his soft, cool lips over her skin and gently scraping his teeth over her shoulder.
"I have a question"
"What is it, Siha?"
"What were the Hanar saying after I talked to them on the shuttle?" He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest.
"They were saying that you handled yourself very well, and they were impressed by the fact that you risked your life for a Drell assassin who obviously didn't want to be saved. They could sense the hero that you are, and they respected it." His arms tightened making her lean against him even more. He was a hard mass of muscles and calm behind her making her just want to collapse into him. "They also asserted that I had made a good choice in my mate. They said that you are beautiful, strong, intelligent, and full of life and warmth. And no person could have made a better partner to an assassin." Ali let out a laugh shaking her head against his shoulder.
"Now you're just making that up."
"I would never lie to you, Siha." She looked up into his face to see him staring at her. Tilting her face up, she touched her lips to his moaning as his tongue met hers.
"Thane, we have to focus on saving the galaxy," she said moving her face away from his looking across the bay with her head still on his shoulder. His chest vibrated with a silent chuckle before he kissed her neck and released her.
"What would you propose we do instead?"
"Do you feel up to sparring? I haven't had a good workout since I left the Citadel."
"Absolutely, I admit I have missed our sparring," he chuckled taking a few steps back.
They moved around each other in blurs. Both were so good and so well matched that neither landed a real hit. They either blocked or moved around a punch or kick. But as the fight stretched out, they started battling harder just trying to touch each other. "Yep, I have definitely missed this." She murmured as they circled planning the next several moves.
"Do you not have your other assassins to spar with?" he asked.
"Well, yeah, but I beat all of them too easily. You're always a challenge."
"Because you haven't won yet?" She laughed as they circled each other.
"You haven't won either."
"I have never claimed that I won." Ali wouldn't let him rest for too long, and she went into a series of hard attacks not letting up until they were both panting. She hadn't been worked this hard in a long time, and she loved it. By the way his eyes were shining, he was enjoying it too. She was breathing hard and sweat was glistening on her skin. Thane had taken off his jacket by this time, and she could see that he was straining himself as well.
They kept fighting neither slowing down in their assault. The thrill of the fight had numbed them to the outside world and even the strain of their own body's. Both knew they had to end the fight, but they were so evenly matched in technique that it could have gone on for an eternity with neither getting the upper hand for more than several seconds. Sweat was dripping off both of them, but neither slowed to even wipe their brow in case the other would use it to their advantage.
Ali changed tactics moving faster than he could. While he had strength because his muscles were denser than a human's, she could move her weight around a lot faster. She landed a few good hits to his body making him grunt when they connected. Ali kicked him hard in the chest momentarily forgetting that his lungs were still weak. Thane fell backwards hitting the ground hard. His breath came out of him, but as her brow furrowed when she realized what she had done, he flipped up fast and tackled her to the ground knowing she couldn't overpower him especially when she didn't have enough time to move out of the way.
Thane had her pinned under his superior body weight, but she was giggling. "That was a dirty trick, Krios."
"Does this count as a win?" he asked smiling as well. She kissed him deeply instead of answering not caring that both of them were covered in sweat.
"Do you count it as a win?"
"No, not if you lost on purpose." She shrugged running her hands up and down his spine. "What happened to focusing on the mission?"
"You are very good at diverting focus. At least mine." He chuckled again unhooking her arms from around him and rising. "You're no fun."
"Maybe my self control is more evolved than yours." He offered his hand to her which she took.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No, as I said, I am feeling better than ever, actually. But I could ask the same question."
"I only have a scratch left really."
"May I see?"
She gave him a 'Is this just to see me with some clothes off?' look, but obliged lifting the hem of her shirt until the bottom of her ribs. Thane slowly ran a cool thumb over the thick red line making her shiver. "I apologize."
"No, it tickled," she elaborated looking into his dark eyes.
"Really?" He teasingly ran his finger over the same spot making her bite her lip to keep herself from smiling. She leaned into his neck teasingly flicking one of his frills with her tongue.
"You know anyone looking out the engineering window can see us?" she whispered before pulling away from him and moving back to her window. "As I said, we need to stay focused on the mission for now, and I believe that neither of us will be able to pull ourselves out of life support if we do anything rash." Ali smiled before jumping back up to her ledge of the window.
"You certainly know how to keep a man interested, Siha." She glanced at him feeling warmth flow through her. He turned silently walking away to the elevator.