Bioware Owns All!

Good Night, Goodbye

The Normandy was underway again. It have been over two weeks since they got back from shore leave and Shepard was in her cabin sitting at the table with data pads strewn all over it. Each contained intelligence on a different geth objective. She was trying to put them in the order from imperative to can wait. It wasn't working.

She had thought coming back to the ship with Kaidan would have been hard. She had worked herself up about it so much, and she was wrong. It had been easy to get back into the normal routine, and although she did find that sometimes she wanted to touch him at inappropriate times, they were always on the ship and never while they were busy with a mission. They could touch and kiss when they were in the gym, as long as no one was around, but that was it. She found that just having him close was a comfort. It was enough.

Kaidan on the other hand was not finding it as easy. He was fine if they were on a mission, but he was having trouble at the oddest times, like at dinner. They would be at dinner and he would want to take her in his arms. He didn't of course, but he wanted too. Sometimes he would be talking to her over a report in the mess and he wanted to grab her and kiss her hard. Again, he didn't but he really wanted to.

It was getting late and he lay in his pod not getting any closer to sleep, thinking about her just beyond the wall behind his head. Finally he got up and looked around. Everyone that was off duty was sleeping and anyone that was on duty was at their station because it was still too early for breaks. He walked over to her cabin door quietly as not to draw attention or wake anyone. He tried the door expecting it to be secure, but it opened and he quickly entered, then it closed. She looked up from the table at him.

"Hi, what's going on?" She asked him, noticing he had on his sleepwear, sweat pants and a tee shirt. She had hers on, shorts and a tank top.

"I can't sleep" he told her, "and no one saw me" he said before she could ask, he wasn't really dressed appropriately to come into her cabin.

"Why can't you sleep?" She stood up facing him. "Headache?"

He walked towards her "no, this is a little lower"

She met him half way "oh yeah, how much lower?"

He took her gently into his arms and started kissing her. When he started to kiss the sensitive part of her neck she moaned in his ear "oh, that much lower, huh?" Then she caught her breath as his hand traveled under her shirt and tickled some of her tender spots.

He growled in her ear "You have no idea."

"I think I might" she said breathlessly as he lifted her up and took her to the bed, where he showed her how much he had missed her, as she showed him in kind.

He woke up with her face looking into his as she lay on his chest and on the side of his body. "Hi" she said.

He pulled her tightly to him "Hi."

"You're going to have to get up and get dressed, I need to get you out of here."

He groaned "No I don't want to go" and he held her tighter.

"Yeah, I know, I don't want you to go either, but you have to go." She told him.

He rolled them over so she was under him and buried his head into her neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his weight on her body. She ran her hands down his back feeling every muscle. "Kaidan." She said

"No." he said into her neck.

"Kaidan, please, be reasonable, don't make this harder than it already is."

"You smell so good." He lifted his head and looked into her face. "You are beautiful." He kissed her again.

She sighed "Your beautiful too, now get up and get dressed." And he pouted. She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Yeah, I'm afraid that as adorable as that is, you still have to leave, come on before everyone starts getting up"

He kissed her one more time and then got out of bed taking the sheet with him so he could look at her body. He looked at the chronometer "Actually we have a lot more time than I thought." And he jumped back into bed on top of her again. She protested (halfheartedly) until he touched her in the places that he knew would make her concede to his superior wisdom on the matter.

"Kaidan" she shook him. "Kaidan wake up"

He groaned and rolled over taking her into his arms burying his head into her side. "I'm awake." He told her.

"All evidence to the contrary" she told him.

He started to nibble on her side and she pushed him away and said "oh no, now we have no time to fool around. You need to get up and get dressed and we have to figure out how to get you out of the cabin in your sleepwear without anyone seeing you."

"Go and get my clothes" he suggested, "then I can stay here."

"Haven't you had enough yet?" she asked him.

"Well.. it has been two weeks" he told her.

"Yeah well you had better not make this a habit." She told him. "We are going to get caught and just because the crew isn't saying anything doesn't mean they're oblivious."

"Just tonight, please" he asked her.

"Oh, alright, there probably isn't anyone downstairs anyway." She pulled on her clothes.

"You spoil me,... or I would like you to." He looked her slyly.

"Yeah, I got you that new armor, what more do you want?" she asked as she walked out the door.

"Well… I want it all." He said to himself.

He slipped out of her cabin while no one was looking and went to join everyone at breakfast.

Shepard came down from the CIC and joined them.

She tossed down a data pad "I think we need to check out the Amada system in the Omega Nebula. There are three ships that have gone missing in that sector and the Council thinks it is the geth. There doesn't appear to be any habitable planets in that system so it might be a good place for them to hide. Be ready in case we find a base" she tells them as they pass around the data pad. "We'll be there in ten hours and will start scanning then." She sat down and picked up her oatmeal, thanking Kaidan for getting it for her.

"Shepard the geth are all just weak little groups now, why are we tracking them down? It just seems a waste of time." Garrus asked.

"It's what the council wants. I have no problem going after the geth especially when three ships have gone missing."

"Yes well three ships, that is a red flag." Joker said.

"Yes, that was meant to get the Council's attention." Kaidan said. "But the geth already have the Council's attention. It doesn't make any sense."

"Well then I guess that is why we are being sent to investigate it." Shepard said.

They had a leisurely breakfast and went on for the day.

For four days they had been searching this sector and still no closer to finding out what happened to the missing ships. They had been moving systematicly towards the center of the system. Shepard was taking a break while Pressley took over. She picked up her tea and she heard Joker yell "brace for evasive manuvers!" She dropped her teacup as she felt the ship get hit. She ran to suit up her tea forgotten.

Kaidan ran over to the last escape pod, the one that Shepard and Joker were in. Dr. Chakwas and Garrus were right behind him. Trying to release the hatch Kaidan's hands kept slipping off the cold metal. It didn't help that they were shaking. He wouldn't be able to stop until she was back in his arms. The door opened and he looked inside and he saw... only Joker.

He froze and he couldn't move.

"I'm sorry Kaidan, that ship attacked again and Shepard was thrown clear. She jettisoned the pod. I think she's gone." Joker told him.

"No" Kaidan whispered. Dr. Chakwas entered the pod to help Joker, he had at the very least a broken arm.

"Kaidan you need to come away, your in charge now. You need to take charge." Garrus said, wanting to get Kaidan away from Joker in case this didn't go well.

Kaidan turned to look at Garrus not seeing him.

Liara came running up to them "where is she, where is Shepard!" she yelled grabbing Kaidan and turning him to face her. She saw the deep pain in his eyes. "NO!" she screamed banging on his armor. "NO! It can't be, It can't." Kaidan grabbed her arms and they both collapsed to their knees. Liara cried hysterically into her hands. He just sat on his knees beside her staring. Each a stark contrast to the others' grief.

Tali came up and pulled Liara up out of the snow. The two of them hug each other tightly sharing their grief.

Garrus lifted Kaidan by the arm and he stood up, then he shook his head. He had to get everyone to safety. I have to do this, she will be upset with me when she gets here and finds out I dropped the ball. He gets everyone organized and they set the emergency beacons first. Then because the planet is so cold they get the emergency raitions out and the blankets and heaters. Now they would have to sit and wait. Wait. To be rescued.

Chakwas walked over to Kaidan. "How is Joker?" he asked her.

"Shepard broke his arm getting him into the pod." she put her hand on his arm "I'm so sorry Kaidan, I know what Shepard means to you."

"She'll be back soon." he said.

"Kaidan, Shepard is gone. She will not be back."

"Your wrong, Joker is wrong. She will be here. She won't leave me alone. She knows I can't live without her. I told her. I told her, she won't leave me. She told me she would be there."

Dr. Chakwas takes his face in both her hands and makes him look into her eyes and says very slowly "Kaidan, Shepard is gone. She wouldn't have left you alone if she could have helped it. But even she could not have survived being thrown from the ship. You know that Kaidan, and now you have to face it."

That was when his whole world came crashing down around him.