To their credit, Shepard's crew threw themselves into leave preparations with the kind of efficacy and effort that could only mean they really wanted to go on vacation. Within a day of her announcement, the traffic within the halls reached a crescendo matching reaper-war levels. The Normandy was dry-docking at the Citadel, where accommodations had been made for the lengthy renovation process it would undergo.

Miranda, who usually barely touched base with her, became a constant whenever Shepard visited the bridge or engineering downstairs, usually engaged in a four-way argument with Tali, Joker, and EDI. The subject matter could cover the multi-something core, the durability of the whatever-hubs, the compliance with random Alliance standards, the energy consumptions of such and such features, and even the engineer in Shepard couldn't find the courage within to listen further. Maybe she did need the time off herself.

Even Kaidan was busy, discussing logistics of going home for an extended period of time, and also dodging probing questions from well-meaning parents. She steered way clear of that. So, eventually, the day the Normandy was finally going to be handed over to the lab coats, she found Garrus alone, doing the upkeep of what she assumed (or at the very least hoped, considering they had to disembark within hours) were his last pieces of weaponry, and sat beside a rifle on the nearly empty table he was working on.

"Left it to the last minute? I'm disappointed in you, Garrus," she tutted, picking up the weapon and testing out the scope. "What kinda training-wheel range is this?" she groused. "You need a binocular to shoot someone?"

"Very funny," he said, snatching the gun away. "I'll have you know turians have shorter eyesight than humans. I'm half-blind, compared to you. The fact that I'm still a better shot anyway should make you feel ashamed."

"Wait, really? D'you actually see worse than me?"

"No idea. Probably not." He chuckled as she swatted his arm. "Stop comparing yourself to other people, it's intimidating. Also mean, it makes everyone feel bad about themselves," he complained, a mocking morose expression on his face.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "This is the last of it, right? You know we need to leave soon."

He hummed, putting the pistol away and picking up the rifle she'd been playing with. "Yeah. Don't worry, Shepard, I'm all packed. If you want to worry about anyone, I'd worry about Tali. I'm pretty sure her spare suit is still in three different decks."

"Why would-" Shepard cleared her throat and reminded herself of the promise she'd made to herself against asking questions. "Tali's already dragged Alenko, Williams, and Vega to terrify assorted Citadel shopkeepers."

Garrus barked out a laugh. "You liar. They went straight for the nearest bar and you know it."

"I've chosen to take her words at face value, because I know no one under my command would ever lie to me."

He offered her a small smile. "Uh-huh. So, what're you doing over the break? Hunting collectors in a Kodiak?"

She snorted. "You know me. Anything it takes."

"Need me for the party?"

She shoved at him. "I'm going to Vancouver. You know, connect to my roots and shit. I'm gonna commune with nature like no one's ever goddamn communed before."

Shaking with suppressed laughter, he assented. "I see. Good luck to those plants, then. But seriously," he continued, sobering up. "If you're not gonna be busy with any doomsdays – I think I'm heading to Omega for a bit," Garrus revealed. "Some old friends I need to do right by, now I've got the chance. Some old enemies, too. My father made me book a ticket home when he found out about my leave, but after that… We should all take a breather to recharge batteries anyway. Need to be ready for what's coming."

"Yeah," she agreed, but then cleared her throat uneasily. "About those enemies you mentioned…"

Garrus snorted. "Don't worry, Shepard. Nothing too drastic. Well, not deadly, anyway. I've learned my lesson."

Her lips quirked just a bit. "Right. And Tali?"

"She's going back to the flotilla. I don't think I need to tell you why," he said pointedly. "She's not convinced her father's paid her concerns any mind. I've made her swear she'll signal for help the minute she needs it."

"So what you're saying is she's gonna give her father a piece of her mind, shut down his project, possibly by force, and escape the aftermath within a few days? Someone will have to be her knight in shining armor, otherwise she'll end up squatting on some dump shack on Omega," she added in faux-concern.

Garrus was now grinning. "One can only hope."

"And you don't want to take the opportunity to meet the in-laws? For shame. Why ever not?" Shepard's straight face had withstood a lot of things, but it faltered then. Garrus briefly scowled in response.

"Yeah, you laugh it up. I'm getting away with it. From what I hear, you don't have a choice in the matter," he retorted, smirking.

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm meeting Kaidan's parents perfectly willingly."

"You let me know how that works out. Meanwhile, I'll keep banking on my excellent excuse to stay far, far away from the quarians."

"For now."

He threw the rag he was using on his rifle directly at her face. "What's everyone else doing, anyway? Haven't had a chance to ask around."

She pinched the piece of cloth between two fingers and delicately dropped it on his shoulder. "Liara's gonna harass the Shadow Broker until eventually she asks for help in – uh – shutting down his business. I'm guessing."

"Sounds about right."

"I don't think Nihlus wants a break, but the Council doesn't want him not taking a break, so, over under, chances are good he's gonna be sparking some trouble somewhere. I have no doubts we'll hear about it when it happens. Very loudly. Wrex is going back to Tuchanka. I get the feeling he won't be returning."

Garrus shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best. The krogan did well with him at the helm."

She agreed. "Everyone else has personal lives I'm sure they wouldn't mind catching up on. Vega will probably stalk Ashley's if he gets bored. Joker and Chakwas are staying at the Citadel while the Normandy goes through her upgrades."

"Well, the eye of the storm's not the worst place to be," he said, stretching carelessly.

Shepard snorted. "Yeah, but the eyes don't last, you know. Not the best place either."

"We've got this well in hand, Shepard. And by we, I mean you. The galaxy will be ready."

She smiled at the wall behind him. "Well, I appreciate your confidence, at any rate." She clapped his shoulder before he had a chance to rebuke that. "C'mon, Vakarian. Wrap it up. This can wait."

Garrus considered his options, glancing from her to his equipment. He put away his weapon with a sigh. "Yeah, I suppose." She jumped down from the table lightly.

"Hurry up before Tali and Kaidan start without us."

"Do I need the chest plate, or do you think the helmet will do?"

Kaidan gave her the reproachful look of a miffed parent. "I don't know why I'm in love with you."

"So, full armor then. You really think your parents are that dangerous?" Shepard said, ignoring him. "By the way, that look on your face. That the look your mom gave you when you snuck back home after curfew?"

The scenery underneath their cab was turning green with the foliage, and Shepard pretended not to see Kaidan's scowl – which she only deserved a bit – to look down at the beginning of an endless field of trees. According to his descriptions, they shouldn't be far. She turned back to her fiancé to catch him also pretending he hadn't been watching her. She crossed her arms and he pretended harder.

"I," he began in a preppy tone of voice, "neverbroke my curfew."

That successfully distracted her. "Never? Not once?"

"No."

She resolved to sneaking him out the second night they stayed at his parents'. Which was a fun idea he'd had. Staying at his parents. For an entirely too long amount of time. An amount of time long enough to give wind to questions. Slip-ups. Too many interactions.

The point was, the second night. Not the first night, because that was probably a terrible first impression. She wasn't sure the second wasn't a terrible impression as well, just in general, but hey, Kaidan's idea, right? He hadn't yet suffered nearly enough for that, by all rights.

"Shepard? Your brainwaves are making my biotics flare up."

Shepard glared at him. "Sure they are."

"Well, they're not, but I can see you thinking."

"That's not how seeing or thinking works."

He made no sign he'd heard her. "You know, we could have stayed at some rental in the city, but-"

"We could have."

"-but, I'm pretty sure my mother would have stopped loving me for that."

Shepard couldn't help but laugh at that. But only briefly. "Right, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, about that," Kaidan started, and she raised her eyebrows at him. "Let's avoid rank and last names while we're home. Dad will get it, mom will just – ask questions. I can't answer any more questions."

Alarmed, Shepard nodded quickly. "Okay, no ranks, just – stop that. I'll start taking it seriously, drama queen."

He stared at her, probably because he'd intended for her to take it very seriously, but before she had time to question that, the cab began its descent and she looked out to see they'd reached their destination.

Her expression seemed to re-trigger the adult in Kaidan. He bumped her arm with his elbow. "Hey. I was just messing with you. They're not so bad, I told you."

"I know." She hesitated, wondering if she should ask the question on her mind. "Just – out of curiosity, you're not worried about how hard it will be to keep the whole engagement thing a secret for the entire time? Or – did you always plan on telling them?"

Kaidan shrugged noncommittally. "If it comes out, it comes out. Otherwise, it's probably best to wait, considering I'm just now introducing you to them."

She relaxed in her seat. "Oh, good."

"So, speaking from experience, with how well we handled the whole Ashley and time-travel thing, I'm sure they'll know within a week."

Shepard grimaced as the car doors opened. "Have you tried just not saying things, once in a while?"

He grinned, stepping out after her. "Relax. It'll be fine."

"Famous last words."

Shepard reflected on what had brought her to this moment as they took their luggage out of the taxi – near so far as she could remember, as soon as her ship had docked, they'd boarded an overnight ship to Earth, on which Shepard got very little sleep, despite Kaidan's most menacing efforts to glare away anyone trying to get a peek at Commander Shepard.

Mostly, it wasn't the travelers bothering her, more the prospect of what she was on her way to. She was looking forward to it, that wasn't a lie, but she still chewed on the inside of her cheek while Kaidan slept beside her, far less concerned than she was. He would have gone anywhere else the minute she said the word, but he was clearly eager to be home.

Logically, she even knew it was gonna be fine – the kind of people she'd talked down had long since gone past in-law levels of danger. Most of them loathed her, even. She was pretty sure Kaidan's parents didn't loathe her. Yet.

She was brought back to reality by Kaidan pulling her chin up to plant a very long kiss on her lips. "I keep telling you, you're not supposed to use your brain on vacation, it's against the rules," he teased. "Stop it."

"Kaidan!"

They both turned toward the source of the noise while hastily stepping back from each other, and Shepard noted she'd lost his attention to a middle-aged woman with brown eyes and a square jaw, striding in their direction. She had a large smile on her face not dissimilar to the one that instantly grew on Kaidan's. "Mom."

They hugged while Shepard looked on awkwardly. Kaidan's mother turned her gaze to her, swatting her son on the shoulder. "Well?"

"Right – mom, Jane. Jane, mom."

Shepard stepped forward and was unexpectedly engulfed in a hug. "Good to meet you, ma'am," she said with a polite smile, when they pulled back.

She waved her off. "No 'ma'am's in my house. I know that military training is impenetrable, but it's Jai to you."

Shepard exchanged a glance with Kaidan, who shrugged, possibly the least helpful thing he could have done in that moment. So she just smiled back at Jai tightly and nodded. Satisfied, the older woman led the way back to the house. "I must admit, even I'm a little awed," she said, making small talk. "Not everyone can say they've had Commander Shepard in their homes."

Jai's small smile was equal parts entertained and mischievous, an expression Shepard had never caught on Kaidan's face, even despite the obvious resemblance. "It was kind of you to do so," she replied evasively.

"It's a pleasure. After what happened on the Citadel- It's just harder to rely on hope and faith."

Kaidan winced and gave his mother a half-hug. "Hey, I'm alright. I'll keep in touch as best I can."

"No, you won't. But she will," Jai said, nodding at Shepard with a small smile. "This is all part of my plan. She won't hide things because she 'doesn't want me to worry'."

Kaidan huffed at Shepard when she chuckled. "I'll make sure to keep you updated," she promised with a straight face.

"You two are-"

"Thank you," Jai said, cutting across Kaidan. "I keep up with all your articles on the extranet, but it's not enough. I used to do it for mentions for my son," she admitted, "but ever since he brought you up, well, there's more than one reason to read something. And even I'm not so oblivious to what's going on. You do some exciting work. Tell me, that planet you managed to make resurface – is it really full of near intact prothean-"

Shepard was gearing up for a conversation in her comfort zone when Kaidan interrupted. "I thought you had a rule about military talk under your roof," he cut in, indignant. "How come she gets a pass?"

Jai pointed at the house in front of them, still a few feet away. "Unless I've already gone insane, my roof is still over there, Kaidan. We," she said, gesturing between them, "are currently not under it."

Shepard burst out laughing while Kaidan scowled exaggeratedly. "You know, you were right," she told him under her breath, while his mother opened the front door. "I really did have nothing to worry about."

He made a face at her. "I hate you so much," he said, far too fondly.

"Come inside. Your father should be here soon, Kaidan, he's out on an errand."

"That'll be fun," Kaidan said, grinning. He wasn't even being sarcastic, the jerk.

And yet, when the man walked in and Kaidan surged forward to greet him, Shepard couldn't exactly begrudge him his happiness. "Hey, kiddo," the white-haired man said, smiling. "Finally, you're home. I was beginning to think your mother had lied to me." He was clearly gearing up to say something else, but then the door locked with a hiss, and Shepard removed her coat. That's when she was noticed.

For a second, they stared at each other. Kaidan's dad was frozen, and Jai had come back from wherever she'd gone to enjoy the show. Then, Kaidan stepped between them. "Dad, this is Jane. Jane, my dad," he introduced.

She stepped forward, pretending not to notice the man mouthing 'Jane' at least twice, and offered a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

He seemed to snap himself out of his stupor, and shook it firmly. "Pleasure's all mine, Commander." Jai let out an audible snort and Kaidan's lips trembled, because naturally he was helplessly entertained. The older man turned his glare to his son, clearly promising they'd have words as soon as Shepard was out of sight. "I had no idea Kaidan had meant you when he said-"

"Yeah, it's hilarious," Kaidan informed him. He stole Shepard's coat from her hands before she could protest and put it away. "Can you blame me?"

"Yes," he deadpanned.

Shepard's lips twitched. "To be fair, I enabled it," she confessed. "He was just really invested in – uh – seeing the humor in the situation."

Kaidan's dad was now grinning, overcoming his shock to take it in stride. "Uh-huh."

"So, her fault, then?" Kaidan pointed out, disappearing into the kitchen, where he was instantly rebuked by his mother for trying to help.

Now his dad laughed, and Shepard's unease grew as she realized she'd been left alone with him. She was always learning new fantastic things about herself, it appeared. She could be alone with Saren, the Illusive Man, and a goddamn reaper, but Kaidan's dad? That was the real danger.

"He's quick to throw you under the bus," he pointed out, as effective in dragging her back down to reality as Kaidan was.

"He's quicker to throw himself in front of it," she replied without thinking, and reeled back her wince in favor of chancing a look at his reaction.

The expression on his face was soft and understanding, and just a little resigned. "I expect he is."

Shepard now felt an explanation was owed. "Last thing I'd do, see him hurt on my watch." Again. "You can trust that."

"If I didn't before, I have more than enough reason to now," he nodded. "You're either the most dangerous woman for him to be around, or the safest."

"Both," she compromised. "And I apologize, this got a little heavy. It's not the- best of topics. Certainly not what I wanted to be talking about."

He waved his hand as though swatting a fly away. "No, it's fine. I don't mind. I get it. We're both Alliance, Commander, even if I'm hoping I can put the sidearm away sometime soon." Right, the retirement he'd been forced out of during the war.

She shook her head, both to clear it and as a reaction to his words. "Don't – either Jane or Shepard, if you don't mind." She remembered Kaidan's words from before. "Jane," she repeated.

"Jane," he agreed. "Then I'm Danylo. Dan. Before we go after them," he said, nodding toward the kitchen door. "Gotta ask. Not judging, just – never expected Commander Shepard to be the one to throw Alliance regs. out the window. Aren't you supposed to be our model example?" he asked with some humor, though she could tell by the look on his face he wanted a serious answer.

She shifted uncomfortably. "We're both professionals," she justified, knowing she wasn't denying they'd broken the regulations. "It's – being on the field, or-" She cleared her throat and let the sentence die. "It's two different mindsets. I'm sure Kaidan would agree. We keep it separate." Well - unless they were on Mars. Or Horizon. Or Earth, though anyone could hardly fault her for that one. All in all, they were unprofessional twats, but they were good unprofessional twats, and at the end of the day, no one was going to touch them while that was true. "And we don't engage in PDA," she added drily, now enjoying making him a little uncomfortable herself.

He coughed but recovered well enough. "Plus, there's certain military careers where I'm sure it comes to a point they can't really court-martial you for fraternization, can they?"

"I think I might have hit that point around the time the reaper exploded."

The shadow of a grin crossed his face. He opened his mouth again, and Shepard would bet her life it was to discuss the reaper threat – so she was very glad for Kaidan when he popped his head out of the doorway. "You should go sit."

Dan seemed to realize shore leave wasn't the time to talk about the looming war on the horizon, so he led the way to the dining room and changed the subject instead. "You know, it was good timing when Kaidan let us know you'd have leave around now. I just wrapped up a long assignment, and it's great to have the whole family here. Lately it's just been my wife, and I've been – reminded of the things that are important. For more than one reason." He pulled out a chair for her in the old-timey gentlemanly manner Kaidan replicated so well, and she sat down in silence, letting him finish his thought. "Part of why retirement's soon, I think."

Shepard nodded in empathy. She could relate. Which said a lot of things, none of them nice, considering the age difference between her and Kaidan's dad. "I understand. More than earned. You've done the Alliance – and Earth – proud."

He agreed, looking intimidated. "Having trouble forgetting rank when you say things like that. No offense."

Grinning, she shook her head. "None taken."

"I've got Commander Shepard in my dining room," he mused, sounding somewhere between bewildered and amused. "Wasn't counting on that one this morning. Or an hour ago."

"You're welcome," Kaidan said, coming in with a tray in each hand, his mother trailing behind him. "I brought her here, remember?"

"God knows how," Dan groused, grinning. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, Jane."

"Thanks, dad," Kaidan said, sitting down. "By the way, do you know how long it took me to get on first name basis with her? You're welcome for that, too."

Shepard could see very clearly where this conversation was headed, and if Kaidan's parents started asking questions about how their relationship had developed, she was quite sure he wasn't prepared to explain to them how the prospect of dying was a great motivator.

"I'm right here, you know," she pointed out.

He took her plate without missing a beat. "You're absolutely right, and I interrupted one of your exposes on honor and service, please do go on."

She narrowed his eyes at him and was about to decide how to exact punishment when Jai cut in. "No. Not in the house. It's enough what goes on out there," she explained apologetically. "I hate it when they bring work home."

"Of course," Shepard agreed quickly. God knew she wouldn't ruin the peaceful, happy pockets people fought to have in their lives, not when that was exactly what she was giving heart and soul and blood for. "I won't. I saw a garden out front. I thought those were lilies? Pet project?"

"Oh, I like her."

"Yeah, she does that."

Dan snorted.

The dinner for four went on, a small family plus Shepard reunited for the first time in a while, discussing topics miles away from stars, wars, military strategy, spaceships or soldiers. This, she reminded herself, was a taste of what she defended, even far away and detached from its finer aspects. She didn't know, but she did, sitting there with a mother, a father and their son, people in danger from the reapers in three different ways. People she had a personal stake in defending, too.

Halfway through her glass of wine, Kaidan found her hand beneath the table. Maybe he thought it a remedy for her nerves, but as she squeezed the tanned fingers back, all Shepard could think was how she'd never felt more at ease.

"You," Kaidan's father stated, "are in very big trouble."

Kaidan grinned, accepting a plate from his dad's hands. "Oh? What did I do?"

He got hit with a dirty rag for his troubles. "Shepard?"

"I thought she told you it was Jane?"

"Shepard," he repeated.

Kaidan's grin shrunk a little into a small smile. "Sometimes I can't quite believe it either."

The woman in question was still in the dining room, this time subjected to alone time with his mother, while Kaidan and his dad cleaned up. He might be paying for this later, Kaidan knew – but she was doing fine and they both knew it. Shepard could and would become the physical embodiment of poise and grace whenever she wanted to. The punishment would probably be out of principle than anything else.

His dad shook his head in amazement. "You're insane," he said in no uncertain tones, and Kaidan started laughing.

"I'll tell her you think so."

"You be quiet, young man," his dad grumbled in the parental tone he never used. "But seriously – how?"

Kaidan shrugged. He reached for another two plates. "A reckless bout of confidence that came out of God knows where."

"Yeah, that's usually it," he nodded approvingly. "Must have been some bout."

Kaidan shrugged. "Well – we'd… Talked. It's not like we hadn't both figured out we each had – intentions. It was just hard, with the regs." He glanced at his dad out of the corner of his eye, expecting some sort of comment, but got nothing.

"What did away with your misgivings?"

Kaidan winced and remained quiet, wondering how – of even if – he could phrase it in a way that didn't upset his father. "Just – perspective, I suppose," he settled on.

He was met with silence, and he wasn't really sure that was a good thing. "You know, I can tell you're happy, and that's more than enough for me," he said, a direction Kaidan hadn't been expecting him to take. "But – you said perspective. I'm sorry, kid, I gotta ask – you mean the way you saw her? What exactly is this thing between the two of you?" his father asked carefully. "Because Commander Shepard is a formidable leader and soldier, son, but-"

"Ah, dad, no. That wasn't it," Kaidan interrupted with vigor. "You know, I'd seen the vids, I thought - I don't know what I thought. I expected to meet an inspirational poster, back when she got assigned. Instead I met a person. I- I don't think I can explain any better than that. It just – mattered a lot. Still does."

His father looked a little stunned, which was becoming a recurring state this evening. "Consider the matter put to rest, then."

There were a few seconds of silence while Kaidan frowned slightly, lost in memories. Then he snorted loudly. "I can't believe you were trying to look out for Shepard." It devolved into full-blown laughter.

His father's lips twitched. "I'm a gentleman," he said, as dignified as he could.

Kaidan laughed harder. "Oh, she'll think it's sweet of you, for sure." He held up both hands at the expression on his dad's face. "Kidding. I won't tell her. Just keep in mind she could break me with two of her toes."

His dad shook his head again. "Insane," he reiterated, and Kaidan grinned, critically looking around to ascertain they were done. He heard laughter coming from the other room and trailed his gaze to the nearest clock.

"Getting pretty late."

"Well, excuse us for taking advantage of the situation. Next time, warn me I'll get to talk to Commander Shepard one-on-one and I'll think about time ahead of it."

Kaidan cracked another smile. "You gotta stop saying it like that. Mom doesn't like the ranks."

His dad snorted but didn't reply, focus on the cutlery in his hand, the last to need drying. "Kaidan," he began slowly, and Kaidan's ears perked up at the somberness in his voice. "You remember what I told you after Jump Zero?"

"Course," he replied immediately. If there's one thing I'd put money on, is that you'll have a next time.

"I-"

"I know," he interrupted softly. His dad looked back at him and he plastered a reassuring expression on his face. "It'll be okay. Wherever- whatever happens. Promise you, I'm right where I need to be."

There was a beat of silence, and then – "The one time," his dad replied with a sigh, "the one time I wish I'd hear you say you were done fighting."

Kaidan shook his head firmly. "Not a chance. Not until the war's over. It's my fight too."

His dad seemed to accept that easily, even he was slightly disgruntled. "And I couldn't be prouder of you. Just come home." His eyes trailed to the door, where the hum of two voices had quieted somewhat. "And bring her with you."

"Trust me. Top of my priority list."

The vacation Kaidan had expected was a little waylaid by the fact that Anderson had wised up to the fountain of diplomatic wealth that was Commander Jane Shepard. Every day without fail, she'd inevitably disappear for a length of time not justified by a bathroom break, and then he'd inevitably track her down to a new niche of datapads, screens full of junk data and communication logs, where Anderson - and sometimes some other harassed-looking embassy employee – emerged as a see-through painting over wooden floor, marble, leaves if need be.

This was a good thing, a Kaidan of another time and patience and priorities would say. Shepard having any say in how the galaxy was run was a dream for said galaxy, certainly. Just not for him, because it was hijacking his shore leave.

"Why exactly is the matriarch being so urgent on this matter? I thought asari prided themselves on calculated patience," Shepard was saying this time, as he found her, knees crossed on his bed. Her eyes were flickering over the datapad she gripped, hyper-focused on the text speed-scrolling by.

Kaidan sighed and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, carefully out of Anderson's eyesight. Her eyes only found his for a bare second, but they were distinctly apologetic, and it wasn't like he could stay angry at that.

"What does it matter? The issue won't go away if we figure out her motivations."

Shepard made a disapproving noise at Anderson's words. "Because if we know why, we can work out a less disastrous solution for everyone. Or valuable information, the kind that switches the upper hand from her to us."

Anderson muttered an unintelligible collection of noises that Kaidan would have never thought to imagine as obscene language, and Shepard pretended not to hear a thing. "I'm starting to regret this job."

"You know the other option was Udina, right?"

"That's exactly why I held out this long before I started to regret it."

"I don't think it's been a week yet."

"I know."

Shepard cracked a smile. "Tough it up, Captain. Someone needs to get their hands dirty."

"I don't remember when the definition of getting your hands dirty became this." She finally laughed then.

"That's s- Found it," she interrupted herself suddenly, hands stilling on a particular piece of data on her datapad. The amusement seemed to have drained out of her like light sucked into a black hole, but now she looked smug. "I think I need to have a word with the matriarch."

"What is it?"

"She has a friend. Regular communication with the Shadow Broker."

"What?" Anderson sounded stupefied. "How could I have missed that?"

"You weren't looking. Here." Her fingers danced on the screen of the datapad and Anderson looked down, presumably at the information he'd just been forwarded. "Her contact."

"This is just a gibberish message to some girlfriend, it's barely encrypted."

"I know. It's full of codes, not gibberish."

"How do you know?"

Shepard met Kaidan's eyes again with a hidden grin. "A little bit of inside information. I've – crossed paths with the Shadow Broker," she said hesitatingly, not really twisting the truth. "I've seen this encryption before."

"I- fine," Anderson huffed. "I won't ask. Go on."

"This phrase here – she's dropping a meeting place. It'll be appropriately deceptive, of course. She'd likely have been looking for someone of a completely different description, probably an agreed upon number of blocks over from the specified location."

"It's not an address."

"No, a stand-in for one," Shepard agreed. "It doesn't matter. The important bits are where she's discussing the laundering operation and her stashed funds."

"Corruption is rampant on the Citadel, Shepard, this isn't news. How is it relevant?"

"Because – her 'girlfriend' – isn't a girlfriend. This note was sent to the detainee she's so vehement about contacting, as luck would have it."

"What a coincidence."

"Let me speak to her," Shepard repeated, "and then you'll have the leverage you need to appease those salarians without treading on any unbruised toes. Just remember you can't hang this over the volus' head later. Or the matriarch's, for that matter. Don't be – too direct."

Anderson snorted. "The council better appreciate this. Thanks, Shepard. I owe you. Again."

Shepard hummed dismissively. "Happy to help, Captain."

"I'll speak to you soon. Good to see you, Alenko."

Kaidan started to attention, and Shepard seemed torn between snorting and grimacing. The expression on Anderson's face wasn't very telling, other than a knowing front. "Ah – yes, sir, you too."

The link cut off on Anderson's arched eyebrows before Shepard could try to spin some explanation for his presence. "Well, at least I don't think he cares much about those fraternization regs." She shrugged.

"Uh-huh," Kaidan said doubtfully, climbing onto the bed to sit next to her. "I didn't understand squat of what that was about, but you need to speak to an asari matriarch?"

Shepard nodded, running a hand over her hair. "Yeah. Just trying to figure out what to say to her," she mused. "Gently, she wouldn't like aggressive approaches. Skirt around the point, asari tend to love that. She needs to hear an accusation, maybe a threat, though. Depends on how skittish she is at this point," she rambled, and Kaidan let her, falling back onto the bed while his fingers played with the hem of her hair, loose over her back.

Eventually, she brought up the matriarch on her omnitool, careful to keep only her own head within view this time, and then she opened her mouth, voice cutting and lilted, and he lost track of her endless spiel.

He really hadn't lied when he'd told her he'd like her to teach him the way she charmed the world around her. He could watch her talk all day and forget to look away – the way she pulled and prodded and caught her relentless grip on some thread invisible to everyone else, yanked soft and hard and soft again. She'd walk and run and wander her circles around her target, and eventually produce the shiny end of the thread she'd pulled.

It was all so easy, too - she drew her lane, her tone, her words, her topic; she switched and shifted and hinted and got exactly what she wanted.

"You've gotta - find their vibe," she explained later, in the kitchen, distracted and distracting.

"What?"

She glanced back, "Everyone's got tells. What they're telling you, or how they're behaving – it gets twisted, or encrypted, or a little broken sometimes. But at the end of the day, there's a pattern there. You just need to look past the shrills and the lows, ignore all the nonsense noise, and if you catch on and play along, it's easy to - find common ground. And if you're really good at it, you can probably get it as close to your own ground as possible."

His mouth was hanging open. He shut it when Shepard gave him a questioning look. "So how do you do that?" he asked in an attempt at self-rescue.

She shrugged. "You play it by ear, stall a little, try different lines, get closer and closer to what you want. Then you stumble upon the exact right thing to say, and they'll tell you. A prompt smile, energized conversation, renewed attention, there's lots of ways to tell. I call it the gotcha moment." She looked pleased with that in the way a child would, which was endearing and amazingly out of place in her speech. "From then on, it's almost boring. Water circling the drain. You're watching it all drain out, but the dam's already broken. It's just a matter of time."

Kaidan mulled over that for a moment. "You're dangerous."

"Now he notices."

She fished for her coffee mug for what was the twelfth dose too many. He would have said something about it but got sidetracked.

"Wait, have you ever done that to me?" he asked, struck by a sudden horrifying thought. "Have I needed manipulating?"

She wiggled her eyebrows at him, restraining a grin. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I would, actually, very much."

Now she really did burst out laughing, and he was left with no answers. A few hours later, he realized he'd played right into her hands, somehow, still syncing to her tune, or having hers sync to his. He wasn't sure, her metaphor had gone right over his head.

He did also realize, however, that he couldn't have been too hard a sell. His reaction to her was knee-jerk and conspicuous - her smile would have broken him to Shepard.

It was a good thing she was on their side, was his last sleepy thought, later, before the smell of her shampoo pulled him under.

Kaidan made it halfway through their leave with this routine – expecting at least three hours of Shepard's day to be taken by work she wasn't supposed to be doing. His dad thought it was funny and only a little impressive, and his mom had no idea, because, true to her word, Shepard diligently kept those matters out of Jai's sphere. She wasn't entirely sure she liked that Dan was getting a glimpse into the complicated realities of her life, but so far, no one had expressed concern.

Kaidan didn't seem too bothered by it, or at least he wasn't telling if he was – he just wanted to spend time with her. The feeling was mutual. He decided to do something about it one early morning, sneaking around at the crack of dawn before waking her up pleasantly.

"You're mine for the day," he informed her, somehow up before her, and already fully dressed.

She blinked up at him several times from her position on the bed, and he handed her a cup of coffee like the hero he was. "I wasn't yesterday?"

He climbed the mattress to sit next to her and waved her personal datapad in her face. "This thing – in collusion with Anderson – keeps stealing you away." She grimaced apologetically, but he shook his head. "I'm not blaming either of them, I'd be doing the same thing, but – today I'm in charge."

She let a smile play across her lips. "Yes, sir," she saluted.

He put the datapad away and poked her shoulder. "I'm not kidding."

"I believe you." She leaned forward and dragged him into a kiss. "What's the plan?"

"Have you ever gone sailing?"

She pulled back. "Sailing?" she repeated.

"Yeah. With ships. Only, the old-fashioned kind."

"I – have not, actually. But I get the feeling you'd have me try it today."

He smirked. "Get dressed."

She stood up, stretched, and arched an eyebrow at him, finding him appropriately distracted. "And are you my pilot for the day?"

He refocused. "I am not, because you're too pretty to die. But it's fine, it's a tourist thing. You pay the sailor. I've been loads of times. I like the ocean."

"I know," she replied, smiling. "Alright, Alenko. Today you show me the wonders of Vancouver. I'll leave the datapad here."

He cheered childishly, and she reached for her hair band. "Ten minutes."

Once, Shepard imagined the salt water she was smelling would have been inexorably connected with ships. Couldn't have a hull without water, navigation without sailing. The world was so big, the ocean even bigger, and the ships that cut through the endless seas with no proof of destination a brave display of human ingenuity.

The galaxy was much bigger, of course, the universe infinite, and there was no water in vacuum. A ship carved its way through nothing now, and the monsters were metal instead of flesh, real instead of imaginary.

In short, space did not smell like salt water.

It was strange, to feel as if she belonged here and knowing she didn't. She was human – she was on Earth, she was home. Where she was born, not where she lived. She was a space marine on a boat.

She was bigger than herself, now. The stage was larger, the cast more numerous, diverse. Meant more than a blue rock in the Sol system.

Everything was switched, opposite, changed and upside down. Life kept moving and everyone moved with it. So now ships belonged in the void instead of the water, and there were too many more things to discover, so much bigger than the world, bigger still than the ocean.

Kaidan sneaked his fingers down her arm and through hers, while her head lolled on his shoulder to meet his eyes. An effective way to bring her back to the present. "Worth leaving Anderson at home?" he asked through a grin.

She kissed him as a way of replying.

Shepard admittedly didn't know much about sailing, but the water didn't look too turbulent to her, and their pilot had been half-snoozing the whole time. His job seemed to consist mostly of pulling a long metal stick back and forth as a directional apparatus, keeping a rope tight in his fist, and let the wind take care of the rest. The boat was just large enough that it kept steady and jostled little, instead of knocking them on their asses. It wasn't some huge, luxurious thing eccentric Earth recluses sometimes had, with a cabin and somewhere to hide from the elements – just a boat, barely large enough for three people, requiring a combined effort to keep balanced. In all likelihood, some hidden tech was probably involved too, but she wasn't about to mention it.

The sail overhead kept whizzing and whooshing from one side to the other against the gusts, sometimes with enough strength that if one of their heads happened to rise a little too high, their best-case scenario was a concussion while floating in the water. They were regularly showered with spitting sea water, enough that she could feel her hair suffering, and the sun alternated from scorching her face to pleasantly warming the rest of her body. Her extremities were freezing wet and even in the calmest of conditions, the noise of the waves was significant.

Shepard loved it. Kaidan had known she would, too, judging from the self-satisfied look on his face. It was more than worth the hair and skin damage.

"How did you know this would be-" She could hardly find the appropriate words.

He shrugged. "Seemed about right. I'll take you to the docks later, you can see some relics." A big wave spit enough water over the board to drench part of her pants. "Then again, you also just like getting messy once in a while," he added, smirking.

"I'll live," she said, snuggling closer anyway in a losing battle against the cold.

He tapped his finger to her nose. "You're gonna get sunburnt."

"Not all of us can be born with skin so tanned you can walk right up to the sun without consequence."

"I'm sure walking up to the sun would do very little to my tan," he agreed seriously. "Probably because you'd need skin for that, and I feel like at that point, I'd no longer have one of those."

"Well, then don't walk into the sun. Problem solved."

"This is why they call you the galaxy's superhero," he sighed.

She shook a little, trying not to laugh, and hit his chest with the back of her hand. "That's right, I'm a problem-solver."

He grinned and looked around, mind long gone and far away. "It's just weirdly peaceful, isn't it?"

She hummed. "Kind of requires a patience for manual labor no one's had since they invented automated – well, everything. It's nice. Slowing down."

He buried his nose in her neck, a nose that was actually somehow warmer than any part of her skin that wasn't her face. "Can we stay forever?"

She checked the time. "How does another hour sound?"

"Perfect," he mumbled.

She spent the rest of her shore leave in this bubble with Kaidan, enjoying all the things she was fighting for before she had to strap her marching boots back on. When the last day came, she was even sad to say goodbye to his parents, who'd been nothing but supportive and accepting of her. Kaidan found a good way for her to think of it.

"You're on your way back here. You'll fight for this, Shepard. I will too. Told you before." He kissed her cheek. "Now, come on. Normandy's waiting. Let's bring this to a close."