A/N Soo nearing the end now people, I think I'm gonna do just one more chapter even. I hope you've all enjoyed the ride. I wrote this when I was all sad after Horizon and shiz so yeh tis extremely cheesy – you've been warned. But I love it anyway.
Thanks yo-sirrah as always espesh for making sure I kept going and Bioware owns it all, though I would hope that you all knew that anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Four – A Different kind of Dinner.
The next day was much the same as any other and consisted of repairs, reports and more repairs but with one important difference. Kaidan's week was up, and this small piece of information settled a little black raincloud over the entire crew, but over no-one more so than Kaidan himself. Keira hadn't bothered to tell him what to do so he'd been able to spend the entire day wandering around the ship, helping everyone out and spending a little time with each of them in the process. In the time he'd spent aboard he'd become part of the family, part of the team, and no-one was keen to see him leave.
Eighteen-hundred hours sees Keira impatiently shooing the last few crew members into the mess hall. She'd considered pushing the dinner hour forward so she could have more time with Kaidan on his last night with them, but there was still a lot to be done and she knew she couldn't really afford to. All she wanted now was to get dinner over with so they could have as much time as possible before he had to leave. As she takes her cursory sweep of the hall, counting heads, she realises someone is missing.
"Where's Kaidan?" she asks to the room in general. Garrus, Tali and Joker share a knowing glance at each other.
"I don't know Commander." Joker replies trying not to laugh "I haven't seen him all day."
"Didn't he say something about going up to the loft?" Garrus adds, his blue eyes twinkling.
"I think so," Tali adds, "You should go look for him up there." Shepard frowns at them.
"What're you all up too?" she questions, eyeing them with suspicion.
"We aren't up to anything Commander." Joker replies, and she doesn't miss his emphasis of the word 'we'. "Now go on," he orders, "go upstairs and fetch loverboy." Keira frowns at them.
"I'm onto you." she says before sweeping towards the elevator. Behind her, her crew snickers.
"Kaidan?" she calls when she enters the loft. There's no reply but as her eyes sweep the room, she notices that the dress Kasumi had given her for her mission is laid out on the bed, the heeled shoes on the floor beneath it. As she gets closer she notices a note lying on top of the dress.
Put it on, don't argue, I'm in portside observation. - K
She smiles, puzzled but excited. Clearly Kaidan has something in store for her and she finds herself tingling in anticipation. She obeys his command and quickly changes into the dress sliding on the heels on and moving to check her reflection in the bathroom mirror. As she stares at herself she has a sudden thought and decides that she might as well really dress up properly for him, so she pulls her makeup case out from the cabinet and deftly reapplies her eyeliner. She also decides to ghost some blusher on her cheeks and opts for a slightly darker shade of red on her lips. As an afterthought she pulls her hair out of its tight bun, remembering how he had always preferred it down. Finally she wets her hands, running them quickly through her hair to reset the curls. 'There' she thinks, 'that's better.'
When she enters portside observation she gasps. The room is bathed in a soft glow and there's some gentle old-earth music playing the background. In the centre of the room there's a small round table set with dinner for two, complete with wine, and a delicious smell reaches her nostrils from the two covered plates thereon. Kaidan stands with his back to her facing out of the window. She notices he's wearing his dress blues and she remembers how good they had always looked on him. When he turns to face her, the light catching his face just right, and he smiles at her like that, she nearly forgets how to breathe. He turns and steps towards her, immediately gathering her up in his arms and kissing her.
"You look stunning," he tells her when they break apart, "You should wear dresses more often." he gently strokes the hair he loves so much. She blushes, still so unused to such compliments.
"Yeah well, don't get used to it," she replies, "I'm still a soldier, biotic boy." He grins at her and she feels her heart skip a beat.
"What is all this Kaidan?" she asks softly, gesturing to the room.
"I suddenly realised that in all the excitement two years ago, we never had time for a proper first date," he replies, and gently tucks her hair behind her ear, gazing at her as he does so, "I think it's time to correct that." She smiles up at him and feels her heart swell in her chest; she can't believe he's done all this for her.
"I've never actually been on a date." she admits to him blushing. He looks surprised for a moment but he recovers quickly.
"Well then," he replies, "I'd better make this night extra special." and he kisses her again, soft and slow and utterly perfect.
"Will you allow me to show you to your seat ma'am?" he questions as he moves away from her and offers his arm.
"Oh, of course" she replies as she takes it. He leads her over to the table, pulling out her seat for her, behaving like such a gentleman. She can't help but grin excitedly. He reaches out and retrieves the wine bottle from the centre of the table, pouring them both a glass, then he moves to the side and pulls the covers off the plates with a flourish.
"Dinner is served, madam." he states. Dinner turns out to be chicken fricassee complete with new potatoes and vegetables. As he takes his seat opposite her, she takes a bite.
"Mmm," she says as soon as she's swallowed, "This is good,"
"I'm glad you approve of my cooking skills." he chuckles.
"You made this?" she asks incredulously. She knew he could cook but it's still a surprise to find that he had cooked for her.
"Yeah," he replies shrugging, "I thought I'd spoil you."
"Thank you." she whispers softly.
"You're welcome."
They keep their conversation light and entertaining. They play the 'tell me something I don't know about you' game again. They stay away from anything too serious, because right now they don't want to be reminded of tomorrow, of all the time they wasted or of their impending doom. Tonight is for them, for them to just be together, to love each other and nothing more; it's a night of respite, of normality.
"So," she says, after they've finished dinner, leaning forwards and resting her chin on interlocked fingers, "how exactly does a first date with Kaidan Alenko end?" He mimics her, leaning forward and folding his arms on the table.
"Well," he begins, "being the gentleman I am, I will of course escort you home."
"Oh, of course," she replies. He chuckles and lowers his head, shaking it gently. He raises his gaze to her and once again she finds it hard to breathe, staring into those soulful dark depths.
"Then usually, I'd kiss you at the door and go home," he continues, his eyes beginning to cloud over with desire, "but unfortunately, I have nowhere else to sleep tonight." She feels her heartbeat quicken.
"Well then," she manages to say around dry lips, "There's not a lot we can do about that is there?" she smiles, and in a low voice she adds. "I think it's time you walked me home."
"Of course ma'am." he breathes. He stands swiftly, walking around the table to her chair and holding out his hand for her to take, pulling her towards him when she does and she doesn't miss the way his eyes sweep her body as she stands. Curling her arm around his he leads them towards the elevator and when they enter her cabin he pulls her towards him, wrapping her up in his arms. She twines her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. His kiss is soft and slow and it leaves her breathless and trembling. Gently, he scoops her up carrying her to the bed and laying her down on it.
"I love you." he whispers, gazing down at her affectionately.
"I love you too." Their lips meet again and they kiss, slowly, tenderly, lingering on until they've almost forgotten how to breathe. Their lovemaking is slow and sweet, their climaxes building gently but all the more satisfying for it and when they finally fall asleep they sleep curled up together, holding on to one another tightly, refusing to let go.