A/N: And the award for longest review ever goes to . . . SARA! Thanks! I read the whole thing (yes, indeed, I did). Garrus and Kai were my go-to team as well. I swear I used them for everything. And the only reason everyone wasn't airlocked was because MarraShep is a surprisingly forgiving Shepard (out of most of the ones I've read) and is really just too tired to fill out the ensuing Cerberus paperwork.

I'm very happy all my reviews have been nice and I haven't recieved death threats yet. :) Perhaps it was sad puppy.

Don't worry, Kaidan's all nice and recovered now with no permanent facial scarring, the way we'd have it. And you'll get two chapters today. Yes! Two! Including one that I think a lot of you have possibly been looking forward to involving a particular OSD . . .

No. That isn't this chapter. That's next chapter. This chapter involves some of the things you do not say to Shepard and expect to live much longer.

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Chapter 24: Handsy Asari

"I don't like this, Shepard."

Joker studiously avoided looking behind him as Kaidan, Samara, and Shepard stood in the airlock, but took full advantage of his rearview mirrors. Shepard was wearing Kasumi's heist dress and had probably strapped several bladed weapons within easy reach underneath it. And, for once, Joker entirely agreed with Kaidan and was too distracted to stare at the vast expanse of leg shown by the dress. Shepard should not be trying to corner a killer asari with no armor or, really, anything short of the nuke launcher she was itching to try out. Justicar backup or no justicar backup. And she certainly shouldn't be on Omega wearing that.

He suddenly felt like her father, which was quite possibly the most terrifying thought he'd ever had.

"I am quite capable of keeping the Commander safe," Samara assured him.

"And I'm quite capable of looking after myself." Shepard was still defensive, like she'd been for several days.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Kaidan argued. "She kills people with her mind, Shepard. Isn't that –"

"I'm not a misguided and lonely teenager. I've had enough asari and Protheans probing around in my head that I've got some defenses I can use."

"It's not . . ." Kaidan sighed, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Shepard, I'll do it. I—"

"No," Shepard replied firmly, holding up her hand. "Alenko, I – we don't know – she could blow out your implants, you could come down with a migraine and get distracted, you . . . this is totally out of Council and Alliance jurisdictions, and Anderson would kill me if I got you killed."

"Then let me at least go with you. If Samara isn't in the club with you, I can keep an eye out in there. I just . . . I can't let you walk in there without backup."

Shepard opened her mouth, then slowly closed it and nodded. "If Samara thinks it won't tip Morinth off, and you can be discreet."

"I can be discreet."

"I believe I can use the Commander's eyes inside the club," Samara said. "We will remain in radio contact during the operation, and you will keep me informed of all changes inside the club."

"Then let's move."

Joker reflected, as the airlock hissed closed, that Shepard still didn't sound too thrilled with the plan herself.

#

Afterlife's music beat into his head, making him thankful that Shepard had insisted he not be the trap's bait. He'd be curled up in med bay for hours as it was.

Shepard wove through the crowd like an expert, even though he knew differently. She hated clubs, hated dancing. She was fine with going to the occasional bar with her crew and drinking – the party the Normandy's crew had ended up having in one of the non-destroyed Citadel clubs indicated that well enough. But she never looked this at home in crowds this large. Neither did he.

They both hated crowds – one of the other things they'd connected on.

He lost sight of her for a while as she disappeared around the bar, then appeared at a table near his. A short conversation ensued before the woman sitting there hurried away, and the man leaned back and watched Shepard leave.

Their eyes met briefly, and she shrugged. Morinth hadn't yet shown herself.

She moved off quietly, the exchange brief enough to go unnoticed. Kaidan sighed. This would be a long –

No. An asari was approaching her on the other side of the club, stepping out from the shadows. Shepard paused and they spoke, and Kaidan watched as her hand carefully slid down her thigh to the hem of her dress, placing one of her knives in easy reach.

Morinth.

They disappeared into the shadows of the booths. Kaidan raised his hand to the comm link, opening it.

"Samara. Morinth's made her move. They're on the other side of the club."

::Can you see them?::

"No. I'm moving."

::Do not spook her. If she senses a trap, she will run.::

"I'll be careful."

Kaidan carefully made his way across the club, driven by the idea that, if he was not diligent, the asari would kill Shepard as easily as if she was a child. He couldn't have that, no matter what he currently thought of her. An empty table was across the nook from them, and he sank into it against the wall. Shepard gave no indication that she saw him, although her shoulders relaxed just a little more.

The club was too loud to make out what they were talking about, but whatever it was seemed to amuse Morinth in some way. Shepard was amazingly calm, considering what she was doing, but her hand never strayed far from her thigh. Kaidan watched, never making eye contact, his stomach seemingly fighting to destroy itself from the inside out.

That was it. After he was done this mission, he was going back to Anderson and Hackett and telling them he wanted a quiet, groundside posting where he didn't have to deal with Spectres, Cerberus or Reapers –

Maybe after the Reapers were gone, then. Either way, damn it, he was going somewhere quiet after all of this.

Morinth stood, and Kaidan's reflexes shot back into high alert as Shepard stood with her. As they walked past him, Shepard met his eyes for half a second as her hand flicked to her wrist, activating the tracking device Mordin had given them for the mission.

As soon as they were out of earshot (not long, given the club), Kaidan opened his communicator again. "Samara. They're moving. Shepard's got the tracker on."

::I see them. Meet me outside the club, and we will pursue.::

Kaidan stood, thankfully leaving the pounding music behind. He wished the bad feeling he'd developed would have stayed behind as well.

#

"I love clubs." Morinth's voice was still silky, still smooth as Shepard settled herself on the opposite end of the couch, hand gently slipping back down by her knife. "People, movement, heat. I can still hear the bass, like the drums of a great hunt out for your blood. Here, it's muted, and you're safe. Is that what you want?"

Shepard allowed a small, wry smile to creep across her face. "People feel safest before they die."

"It's true. You're never safe." Shepard's expression mimicked itself on Morinth's face. "I've never understood the fascination with safety. Some of us choose differently." She moved like a cat, perching herself on the armrest next to Shepard. Shepard refused to move, instead steeling herself for the inevitable. "Independence over submission? I think we share that, you and I."

Shepard shook her head, finding herself unable to break eye contact. "We've both killed many times. But that's where the similarities end."

"Why do you say that I've killed? What do you know?" She paused before moving to Shepard's other side. "Let's stop playing games. Who are you? What do you want?"

Shepard's hand slid down her thigh, gripping at the hilt of her knife. "That's privileged information."

"Cute." Morinth draped her hand across the back of the sofa, and Shepard caught it before pushing it back down.

"And I don't like handsy asari."

"Then it's good I don't need my hands."

Shepard had nearly stood when Morinth's eyes went dark, and she immediately went on the defensive. She forced images through her head – husks, scions, praetorians, Collectors, Reapers, whatever she thought of to keep her head. Morinth's voice drifted through her mind. "Look into my eyes, and tell me you want me. Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want." The words were like fingers dancing through her mind, and Shepard pushed them back forcefully with an impressive image of – what was that, anyway?

"Surprise," she murmured, finally managing to get to her feet.

"But you . . ." Morinth blinked, leaping to her feet as well. Shepard's hand continued to grip her knife.

"Trust me, I'm used to asari." Come on, Samara . . .

"Oh no. I see what's going on. The bitch herself found a little helper." Morinth flared, and Shepard hardly had time to react before she found herself slammed to the floor, pinned by a combination of biotics and the asari's own body. Her hand was still wrapped around the knife, but she couldn't work it out of the sheath on her thigh. "It's too bad she found a simple human."

"I'm not a simple human," Shepard retorted, trying to work the blade out without tipping her off.

"It's a shame, really," Morinth continued, ignoring Shepard's interjection. "I was going to enjoy this so. However, I would assume that, since the bitch has found one helper, she's possibly found more. Like . . . ah, yes. The human male following you around in the club. Did you think I wouldn't notice him? I thought he was attracted to you but now . . ."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Shepard struggled to get her fingers tighter around the knife against the barrier holding her down.

"Perhaps . . . with you out of the way . . ." She laughed lightly, the field clamping down on Shepard even more. "Men are open to suggestion, are they not? If you will not give me the opportunity to enjoy this, then once the bitch is taken care of . . . perhaps he will instead."

Shepard closed her eyes briefly, forcing herself to stay calm. "You won't have that chance. Your reign of terror ends tonight."

"Is that so? I'm just as strong as the bitch, and I doubt your other little friend will be of much use." She paused. "It'll be the best way to celebrate my final victory, you know. Two kills in one night . . . and one I can take my time with."

Shepard finally worked the knife out of its sheath and jerked it across the underside of Morinth's thigh. The asari, distracted, accidentally weakened the biotic field around them. Shepard used the distraction to flare, summoning a charge that would have impressed her had she not been so incredibly pissed.

It wasn't incredibly useful, but did succeed in getting Morinth off her. Morinth flared again as she regained control, but Shepard beat her by slamming her elbow into Morinth's face, following it with a push that knocked her back into the window. Shepard slammed her back into it again, the glass cracking behind her and the knife pressed against the asari's throat.

"You listen to me, bitch," Shepard snapped, knife clenched in a trembling hand. "If by some chance Samara doesn't kill you, and you get the bright idea to come after him or anyone else on my crew I will inflict pain upon you that your Ardat-Yakshi mind can only barely comprehend." Morinth started to flare, and Shepard slammed her into the window again. "You're going to stay there like a good little murderer or I'm going to hold you in a biotic field. Got it?"

"Let me join you," Morinth croaked around her broken nose and whatever facial bones may have gotten in on the action. "I'm just as powerful as she is. Just help me –"

The door zipped open and Samara and Kaidan hurried through, both of them already flaring blue. Shepard realized she was still flared herself, and carefully dispersed it. "She's all yours, Samara," she said calmly, stepping back. Morinth sagged to the ground.

"Shepard –"

"I'll be outside."

Kaidan followed her out, waiting until the door closed to panic. "Shepard, what happened in there?"

Shepard glared at him, sliding the knife back into its sheath. "I broke her face."

"I noticed that. But what happened?"

She paused, eyes flicking over his face. She threatened YOU, she wanted to yell at him. I took you in there, and she realized you were with me, and she threatened YOU. Instead, she took a deep breath. "I don't like handsy asari."

"Handsy asari?"

"Asari are handsy. Very handsy. And I don't like it."

"So you went N7 on her ass because she tried to touch you."

Shepard paused again, raising an eyebrow. "No, Kaidan, I went N7 on her ass because she threatened y-to end the mission," she finished in a hurried mumble, looking anywhere but at him. "And I didn't know how fast you two were tracking us. I had to take matters into my own hands."

Something shattered inside the apartment. "What did she threaten, Shepard?" Shepard started to turn away, and Kaidan grabbed her forearm. "Shepard." He missed whatever she said. "Marrakech . . ."

"You," she murmured. "She realized that you were tracking me, put it together when she found out who I was working for, and threatened you."

"She –" Kaidan didn't have time to pursue the line of thought Shepard had just produced as the door slid open, letting Samara step through.

"I am ready to leave this place, and get on with my life," Samara murmured, hardly noticing Shepard pulling her arm away from Kaidan's hand. "Are you ready as well?"

"Are you okay?"

"Shepard . . . what do you think I will say? What can I say?" Samara shook her head. "I just killed the bravest and smartest of my daughters. There are no words. Perhaps I will try another time. For now . . . show mercy on a broken old warrior and let us leave."

"Of course," Shepard said gently, turning back towards where the Normandy was berthed.

Kaidan stared after them for a minute, still trying to process what Shepard had just said. After a second, he snapped out of his reverie and hurried to follow them, not particularly wanting to stay on Omega by himself.