Author's Note: Okay, this one is a little longer than I (once again) anticipated, but I wanted to get to a certain point (the same point I wanted to get to in the last chapter, but didn't). Once again, there is dialogue from in-game and there is some in-game dialogue with my own twist. Forgive me. This is a very pivotal part of the game and I love a lot of the dialogue. So, enjoy!

"There might be survivors in here," Shepard informed her squad quietly over their internal comms, watching her HUD. "Survivors are always a priority."

"When's the last time that you saw Cerberus leave people alive?" Few people had the courage to question her like that, but Garrus well…Garrus was Garrus.

She cast a triumphant grin his way that was barely visible through her helmet as she said, "Grissom Academy."

Shepard motioned them into cover as she pulled out her beloved M-98 Widow and gestured for Garrus to pull out his own sniper rifle (a Black Widow). They sighted down on the two targets.

"Got left," Garrus informed her quietly.

"One," she murmured.

"Two," he responded.

"Three," they said together and pulled their triggers, effectively dropping both of their targets.

"Damn, Scars, you're almost as good as Lola- in the shooting department, that is. You can't hold a candle to her looks and moves." James eyed the impassive Shepard as she reloaded her rifle and replaced it on her back, pulling out her Mattock.

"Almost?" Garrus snorted.

"You hesitated," she informed him matter-of-factly. "Your target fell after mine.

James and Garrus both stared at her in shock. Her tone was much too harsh for the conversation. Garrus looked her over carefully- looking for any blood that might be seeping out or an expression of pain (he had gotten a lot better at reading human expression since the old SR-1 days). There was nothing.

She ignored the two men and gestured for them to follow. Shepard was unsure what it was that had set her off.

James' careless flirtation?

Garrus' shot?"

Sighing, she flipped to a private comm link with Garrus. "Sorry," she murmured.

"I get it," he assured her.

"Care to clue me in?"

"It's just like Horizon," Garrus pointed out, ignoring her flinch. "He was in danger and you were running at 150%, just in the hope that you could save him. We- Kasumi and I-…well…we were just slowing you down."

He is here, she thought frantically as she set off in a run as soon as her boots hit the ground. She barely paused long enough to pull out her Mattock (one of the few good things that Cerberus had given her since she was revived).

She was aware that she was talking to Mordin, but she didn't know what she was saying.

It didn't matter.

Kaidan was on Horizon- in a colony under attack. She couldn't let the Collector's take him. She would sooner trade herself in so that he might escape. It was worth losing her own life (again) so that he would continue on.

She knew that Garrus and Kasumi were struggling to keep up. Once again, it didn't matter- she had to save Kaidan.

"We're here to save everyone on the Citadel- not just one person."

"Whatever you say, Shepard, whatever you say."

Kaidan wasn't quite sure when he had started to hate Udina. It might have started when he first met the obnoxious ambassador. He had discredited Shepard's words as quickly as the Councilors. It might, even, have started after the SR-1. Udina had been on the front lines of those spitting on Shepard's name.

Still, he had to protect the jerk.

It would be better if Udina knew how to shut his damn mouth. It seemed that Udina didn't understand that they were in a hostile situation. He might as well have been flashing neon lights and providing a beacon for Cerberus to find them.

"Udina," Kaidan hissed, spinning around on his heels. He held up a warning finger in Udina's face. "I don't think you grasp the severity of our situation."

"Major-"

"Shut the hell up," he snapped, letting his temper get the better of him. "We are in a hostile situation. At this point, you listen to me- I am in charge. We cannot afford for you to bring the whole of Cerberus down on us because you can't shut up for five minutes."

"It's your job to protect us," Udina huffed indignantly.

"I am just one soldier. There are a lot more of Cerberus than even I can deal with." He turned back around and murmured, "I'm not Shepard."

Kaidan sighed. That was the main problem. She was just so damn good at everything she did.

Well…except for cooking and dancing.

As he began to slowly, carefully, lead the Councilors forward again, a small smile broke through as he remembered the first time that he had seen her dance.

Garrus, Joker, and Kaidan all sat at the bar in Flux. Shepard had given them two days leave before they had to report for a mission on Virmire (one that Shepard wouldn't give anyone details about until they were on route- apparently to keep word-of-mouth non-existent while on the Citadel).

It was decided that her squad (plus Joker and minus Wrex) would all go to the club together. She said something about it being the perfect way to unwind together. Gambling and booze- dancing for those inclined.

"Ten creds say that the Commander shows up in her BDUs," Joker said, slapping down the amount on the bar with a wicked grin.

Kaidan sat down his beer and smirked. "You're on, Flyboy." It was a bet that he was sure to lose, but he still couldn't resist a bet against Joker- hadn't been able to resist since that first best on the Normandy before they had even left dry-dock.

"Count me out, I wouldn't- Spirits," he hissed, his mandibles flexing as he stared at the entrance.

Tali was in her normal enviro-suit, but Ash was dolled up. Her dark hair was down from its bun and flowed in soft waves over her shoulders. She was wearing a tight long-sleeved shirt that plunged to reveal copious amounts of cleavage, a short skirt, and heels that, the guys were sure, added six inches to her height.

They spotted the guys and slowly made their way over to them, dodging through dancers with ease. They smiled as Tali took his seat beside Garrus and Ash sat next to Joker.

Joker, after prying his eyes from Ash's bare legs, asked, "No Shepard?"

"She said that she had to finish a report first, and then she'll come," Tali explained. She paused for a minute and then turned her covered face to Ash and said, with a smirk evident in her voice, "Of course, that was after she almost fell out of her chair from seeing Ashley's outfit.

"Liara?" Garrus inquired.

Ashley snorted. "Something about her and Shep's last joining being a huge drain and she still needs time to recoup."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure that that's what it is," Joker said sarcastically, looking pointedly at Kaidan.

Kaidan decided to ignore that statement (as if he even knew how to respond to it, anyway) and looked at Ash. "What did she have to say about," he broke off as he tried to figure out the best way to put it. After that turned out to be pointless, he simply gestured at her outfit.

"Like Tali said, she almost fell out of her chair."

Joker narrowed his eyes and asked, "But what was she wearing?"

Ash looked at him with wide, hurt eyes. Kaidan decided to save him. "We have a bet," he explained.

"Well, she was wearing her normal BDUs," Ash explained, still looking suspicious.

A new song started and Ash flashed a huge grin at Joker. Looking pained, Joker muttered, "I can't dance- brittle bones, you know?"

"Sure you can, I see a place over there," she gestured towards the tables, "that looks relatively safe."

Joker sighed but let Ash lead him to the dancerless area. After a few moments, Tali and Garrus went on the dance floor.

Kaidan decided that that was the worst possible triple date….

Or, it would have been if it had actually been a date….

…Or if Shepard had even shown up….

With a glass of some kind of liquor (he honestly couldn't say what it was) in hand, he let his gaze wonder over the crowd. His eyes stopped onto the back of a woman. She was wearing pale, blue jeans that hugged her rear like a glove and, even though they were covered, hugged relatively nicely on her mile-long legs that ended at her shoes. She was wearing a gray tank top that hugged every inch of her lithe torso.

When the woman turned around, he was positively floored. He was on his feet and shoving people out of the way before his thoughts could process everything.

"Shepard," he breathed when he reached her. He struggled not to reach out and touch her- the bare skin on her shoulders beckoning for him to caress it.

She looked up at him, cocked her head a little, and smiled his favorite smile. "Kaidan," she said in way of response.

"Dance with me?" he asked.

Her eyes widened fractionally and she shook her head. "I can't dance."

"Then why come at all?"

Her smile turned a bit mischievous. "I do drink and gamble. I can't dance."

Kaidan gently touched her upper arm (he couldn't stop himself). "It doesn't matter. Dance with me." He noticed an extra chain beside the chain that held her dog tags. Kaidan wished that he had the courage to reach out and reveal what was attached to it.

She worried her bottom lip, drawing Kaidan's eyes down to her mouth. "Fine," she finally said, "but you can't make jokes about my inability to dance."

Kaidan took her hand and led her into the squirming mass of dancers. He didn't stop progressing until they were in the very center. She looked completely confused and out of her element. With a gentle smile, he lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and laid his hands on her hips (trying not to think too hard about it else his body react inappropriately.

Even as they started dancing, she stepped on his feet three times in the first minute and she had no rhythm (he found it ironic that she was more graceful when there were hundreds of bullets flying at her than when there was nothing more than the beat of a song). With every stomp on his foot, she would look at him apologetically and try to step away from him, but he held firmly on her hips. His foot was throbbing.

It was okay though because the crowd assured that she was pressed against him and, with the way that she smiled at him, he was pretty sure that she could have shot him in the foot and he would still be in bliss.

He was pretty sure that he loved her.

Shepard glanced through the glass in the hallway in time to see the Salarian Councilor's cloak fizzle out.

"Bailey, I found him- he doesn't seem to be hurt…which is more than can be said about his guards," Shepard said over the comm, motioning James and Garrus to scout out ahead to find a way to Valern.

"Get him somewhere safe, Shepard- he's the one with evidence against Udina," Bailey instructed.

A man with dark hair and Reaper upgrades dropped down from the rafters in front of Valern. Shepard hissed, "Shit," and shot out the glass. She shielded her face and jumped down in front of the man. He flipped over in order to put Valern between them.

Damn ninja skills.

Pointing her gun at the ninja-man, she warned, "Don't even think about it."

"Shepard," Valern gasped, keeping his eyes on the ninja as Shepard and said ninja circled him. "He's going to kill us all!"

She was trying to line up a clean shot. Problem was that the bastard was so damn quick. "That remains to be seen," she said in reply to the Salarian- but mostly to taunt the assassin.

"I mean Udina. He's the one who's staging the coup! He's got the other Councilors now!" When Shepard didn't answer, he gasped, "To hand over to Cerberus!"

"They're fine for now- Spectre Alenko is with them." She hoped that he was, anyway.

"Udina nominated him- Alenko could be with Cerberus too!"

Shepard ignored Valern as Garrus and James (finally) made their way through the door. "Three on one, buddy. It's over."

Ninja man stared at her for a long moment before he smirked. "No. Now it's fun."

Pictures didn't do her justice. He had studied her dossier in great detail and she was utterly fascinating. Her skills put her as one of the deadliest opponents he had ever faced, and her looks made her the most stunning. Even with the murderous glint in her eyes, he could have gladly taken her in that moment.

Oh, she would put up one hell of a struggle- it was ingrained into her very nature to fight. She would bite, scratch, and scream, but that would add to pleasure.

And, given enough time, she might even come to enjoying it as well. It would take a while to break the loathing and hatred, but he was willing to be patient with her.

Hope Shepard, he could tell, would like things rough and lasting.

And he was perfectly willing to give it to her.

James watched as the drell dropped from the ceiling behind the ninja bastard. He slowly pulled his gun up to take aim.

…and he should have pulled the fucking trigger!

Instead, they commenced in hand-to-hand combat that moved too quickly to follow. Even Shepard had taken a step back, not bothering to lift her gun.

In a moment, it all seemed to stop.

"Thane!" Shepard gasped. The ninja pulled the blade out from the drell and ran off. Anger- the likes of which James had never seen- and hatred flooded Shepard's face. "You son of a bitch!" she snarled, racing after him.

Garrus rushed to Thane, leaving James to stand awkwardly besides Valern. "Help me up, Garrus," Thane gasped.

"You need to stay down, Thane. Help is on the way," Garrus said quickly, sounding like he was fighting emotion.

"I'm already dead." James looked over in time to see Garrus help Thane to his feet. "Afterwards, don't let her stop- don't let this break her. Protect her."

Thane stumbled after Shepard, leaving Garrus, James, and Valern standing silently.

"Let us hope that this is not a forewarning of what is to come," Valern murmured.

"Councilor, you need to stay here under cloak until C-Sec arrives," Garrus informed him.

"Garrus, James," Shepard's voice cut through the comm, "we've got to move. The assassin is running."

A loud band, followed by increasingly lighter bangs sounded from the roof of the elevator.

"What's that noise?" Tevos gasped, looking around frantically as she stepped closer to Sparatus.

"Gunmen," Kaidan hissed , pulling out his pistol (and didn't he just wish that he had upgraded to a M-77 Paladin or a M-5 Phalanx- anything but the M-3 Predator), "Get down!"

He aimed his gun at the ceiling and fired three shots. He could hear the gunman roll- forcing him to believe that, whoever it was in the shaft, they knew how he shot. He moved his pistol angle so that it would shoot further away and fired. From the way that the person shuddered in their roll, it was clear that the fourth shot hit.

Udina stopped the elevator, looking more panicked than he had the entire time. "Go!" Kaidan shouted to the councilors once the doors opened.

"Damn," Kaidan murmured once he and the councilors were on the balcony. "Cerberus took out the shuttle- seems like they knew where we were going. Everyone back to the elevator! Move!" he ordered.

Kaidan turned around in time to see Garrus lock down the elevator and Shepard point her gun at one of the councilors (he didn't turn around to see which one).

He raised his gun, but went only as far as her left knee. "Shepard? What's going on?"

This looks bad, Kaidan thought frantically. Shepard has us backing into a corner with her gun pointed at a Councilor.

"Shepard's blocking our escape!" Udina exclaimed, breaking into Kaidan's thoughts. "She's with Cerberus."

Kaidan raised his pistol in line with her chest. "Just hang on. I've got this," he instructs, moving in front of Shepard's line of fire. "Everyone just needs to calm down."

Shepard lowered her gun so that the barrel is pointed at the ground. "I can explain this, Kaidan," she practically begged him (while still sounding somewhat-professional and no-nonsensical). She frantically searched his whiskey-colored eyes in the hope that he would have some measure of faith in her.

Even after so long, he was able to tell what she was thinking.

"Come on, Shepard," he drew, sounding suspicious- but not outright damning. "Gun drawn on a Councilor…kinda looks bad."

Okay. Yeah. He had her there.

She completely relaxed and motioned for James and Garrus to lower their guns "We don't have time to negotiate. You've been fooled," she looked at the Tevos and Sparatus before focusing back on Kaidan, "all of you." She was pulling out all of her persuasiveness- if she didn't, there was a chance that only one of the two of them would walk away from the confrontation…both she and Kaidan knew it. "Udina's behind this attack. The Salarian Councilor confirmed it."

"Please," Udina scoffed. "You have no proof- you never do. It's the reason no one believes you."

"Yeah, and see where that go everyone," Garrus huffed loud enough for everyone to hear.

Shepard ignored Garrus. "There are Cerberus soldiers in the elevator behind us," she explained, gesturing to said elevator. "If you open that door, they'll kill you all."

Tevos stepped up slowly and said, "We've mistrusted Shepard before…and it did not help us."

"No shit?" James muttered.

"We don't have time to debate this!" Udina snapped. "We're dead if we stay out here. I'm overriding the lock."

Udina moved from behind Kaidan and Shepard stepped forward, bringing her gun up to point at him in a single step. Kaidan, too, moved- only to put himself between Shepard and Udina, his gun still pointed at Shepard's chest. Again, Shepard lowered her gun.

"Kaidan," she murmured, her eyes pleading with him. "Please."