James had only seen a handful of Quarians in his lifetime, but he'd never seen one up close! And there were all the Admirals of the Quarian Fleet! He had only seen then board the ship as they discussed matters in the War Room.

James figured he'd visit the Major, now that he was back aboard the Normandy.

He found Major Alenko gazing out into space in the Observation room.

"Sup', Major! Things got pretty heated down there, didn't they?"

"Lieutenant, you were down there when Cerberus attacked, when..."

"You pointed your gun at Shepard? Yeah, I remember."

"You have to be so blunt?"

"You should have figured that out by now, sir."

Kaidan just gazed at him, with hurt in his eyes.

"DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO DO THAT? I HAD TO PROTECT THE COUNCIL FROM CERBERUS!"

"IT WAS YOUR DAMN FAULT FOR NOT TRUSTING SHEPARD! HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HER? YOU SHOULD KNOW SHE'D NEVER WORK FOR THEM UNLESS SHE ABSOLUTELY HAD TO! WHICH IS WHAT SHE DID DURING THE COLLECTOR ATTACKS!"

"I...I..."

"I may not have known her as long as you, but I know damn sure that that loco bitch would NEVER work for Cerberus for reasons like that! They've gone loco, well... more loco, than ever before!"

Kaidan turned away.

"What kind of soldier are you to doubt your own commanding officer? I've had no reason to do so."

"... you're right. I'm sorry you, Garrus and Shepard all had to see that."

Vega slapped him on the back, which knocked the wind out of him, and began to cough. James had done it on purpose.

"Don't worry about it! Just know that she won't be doing it ever. She fights the good fight."

"You sound different from when we first took off from Earth. Almost... kinder."

James raised an eyebrow.

"... and I also heard your giving Garrus a hard time with Shepard. The guy's got skill, huh?"

"So I'm guessing you had to compete for her with him as well?"

"Yup, but it wasn't as exciting as you and him have had. Damn, sparring with a Turian..."

James beat his chest with his fist.

"Hell yeah! Even gave the tough bastard a few broken teeth!"

"Now THAT'S impressive. So tell me, Lieutenant, why her?"

"... I don't know why..."

Kaidan stared at him.

"... but something about her has changed my opinion on all this... about... life. She sweet, and she believes she can try her hardest to save as many people as she can. It's almost... refreshing..."

Kaidan placed a hand on James's shoulder.

"This war is a total nightmare, but it's good to know that you've got something worth fighting for."

"What are you fighting for?"

"... my family, friends... and her. I wanna save everyone, even if I know that doesn't always work. It's pretty clear you know what you're fighting for."

"... how do you know if you love someone, sir?"

"... something inside of you just makes you want to be with them all the time, even if sometimes it can be a little nauseating. You wanna do whatever it takes to see them smile and be happy, because inside, it makes you feel happy."

"... she have THAT big of an influence on you?"

"I've had my share of love, Mr. Vega. You'll know when the time is right whether you love her or not. Just don't push yourself."

"Same to you too, Major."

"James, just call me Kaidan..."