A/N: I was gone for a little while for the holidays, but now I am back. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

HERS

Shepard woke up warm and content. She looked to see the handsome man lying beside her, softly breathing. His arm was around her waist, so she gently maneuvered herself out from under it. Walking toward the bathroom, she stopped and looked back at Kaidan. He's back on the Normandy. Back with me. I need to do something for him. There are a million other places he could be where he would be much more beneficial to the war effort. I don't even have a job for him on the ship.

Shepard stepped into the bathroom and started up the shower. As the water washed away her drowsiness, she began to think of a way to welcome Kaidan back. Obviously, I could bang the shit out of him, but are we ready for that yet? No, something more subtle. Lathering up with shampoo, she remembered the Citadel resort where Kaidan had cooked for them. I'll cook something for him! Dinner? No, too complicated. Maybe bake something?

Finishing up quickly, Shepard dressed and hurried out of her quarters before Kaidan awoke. She had work to do, and she wasn't sure how she was going to do it.

Arriving on the crew deck, Shepard looked around to make sure no one was hanging around the mess. Feeling satisfied that she wouldn't be disturbed; she opened up the cabinets and began looking for inspiration.

"Hey, Shepard? Looking for a snack?" Liara's voice made Shepard jolt.

"No, not really…I was, um…" Shepard's face turned a bright shade of crimson.

"Is this about the major?" Shepard hated that Liara always cut to the chase.

"Maybe…I wanted to make him something, but I can't cook."

Liara started shuffling through the cabinets. "Are you wanting to make him breakfast? Or a treat?"

Shepard traced her finger on the counter. "A treat sounds good."

"What does he like? Chocolate, fruit, cinnamon?"

Shepard's face pinched into a frown. "I really don't know…"

"Ok," sighed Liara, "then you should probably make something easy that everyone pretty much likes. Chocolate chip cookies."

"Do you know how to make them?" Shepard said slowly.

"Well, no, but I've had them before. Bought them from a human bakery on Illium. They were very tasty. Besides, how hard can it be to make little circles?"

HIS

When Kaidan awoke, the spot in the bed where Shepard had been was cold. He sat up and looked around. I guess she went on to her duty shift. Why didn't she wake me up? He shook his head and climbed out of the bed. His back was stiff from the way he had been leaning against the headboard all night. Groaning, he held his arms over his head and tried to stretch.

He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself since he really had no assignment on the Normandy other than to accompany Shepard on ground missions when she asked him. He still hadn't heard anything from his parents and he was trying very hard not to worry about them. I'm sure they are fine…they were heading out to the cabin. Anderson said the Reapers were focusing on cities. They escaped. It's ok.

Kaidan's stomach made a loud protest of hunger. He needed to get something to eat quickly, but a quick look in the mirror said he needed to bathe first. Kaidan undressed and quickly got in the shower. The hot water felt great and eased away his tension, but not his worry. The previous night, he and Shepard spent a long time talking and reminiscing. She had said how much she liked his parents, how much fun she had in Vancouver, and now…He shook his head. He didn't want to face it. Not right now.

Shutting off the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, he looked again around the Shepard's room. She really did make it hers, he chuckled. He heard a small squeak and looked over at Little Kaidan, the space hamster. He wondered how much abuse the little guy actually took from her. Kaidan didn't know much about animals, but the hamster looked well-fed and healthy. He couldn't help but think that she probably poured as much love into him as hate.

It was this side of Shepard that he loved so much. She was strong to the galaxy, but to him, she was soft and vulnerable, even nurturing. In a funny way, she reminds me of Mom. Kaidan's heart fell again. He hated not knowing, and there was precious little information coming from Earth. The likelihood of their survival wasn't good, and Kaidan knew that. He mentally chided himself for being so moribund.

Still, as he waited on the elevator to reach the crew deck and the mess, he couldn't help but wish he had some bit of home with him. He had left Earth so quickly he had nothing from his own apartment, which was also likely destroyed. No mementos, no holos, nothing. The elevator door opened and Kaidan suddenly felt very lonely in the universe.

A strange smell wafted into his nose as he rounded the corner into the mess. He saw Liara standing over a tray, gently placing something on it with a spatula. Shepard was hunched over pushing a baking sheet inside one of the ovens. Curiosity overwhelmed him and he approached the pair, realizing the smell was just unusual for a ship, but actually quite enticing.

"Hey! What are you two up to?" he asked.

Shepard closed the oven and straightened up. "Oh hey, Kaidan. We were just making something for you." Her smile was warm and inviting. The mess kitchen was literally that. Flour was everywhere and Kaidan couldn't quite figure out how these two really intelligent women made such a disaster. Shepard looked disheveled and Liara looked serene as usual. The whole situation made him laugh from the absurdity.

"I'm impressed," said Kaidan, nodding his head. "What did you make?"

"Chocolate chip cookies," Liara said simply.

Shepard looked at him expectantly "Why don't you try one? They just came out of the oven!"

Kaidan picked up one of the cookies which was warm and smelled wonderful. Shepard smiled proudly as he took a bite. He couldn't help but mentally brace himself thinking that Shepard probably hadn't learned to cook in the past few years after coming back. When the taste hit his tongue, his eyes opened wider in surprise. They taste just like my mom's. Soft baked. Did she use real butter?

"This is…fantastic. You…I mean, you both made these?" Kaidan said, still chewing.

"Well, of course we did," Liara piped in, barely containing her exasperation. "We are quite capable."

Kaidan sat and finished eating the cookie in silence, watching the pair continue, but particularly Shepard. They had made a bit of an assembly line. Liara scooped the dough onto the sheets while Shepard placed them in the oven and watched the cookies hypervigilantly. She hovered like his mother did when she would cook. Tasting the last fading bit of cookie in his mouth, he was suddenly embarrassed to feel a sting in his eyes. Oh my God, I cannot cry. He closed his eyes and tried to will away the feeling.

"Kaidan, what's wrong? Are the cookies bad?" Shepard was right beside him now.

He cleared his throat. "N-no, they're great. Really."

Shepard sat down beside him and leaned in close. She smelled like cookies. "Come on, Kaidan. Level with me."

"I, uh, was just thinking about my parents. I still haven't heard from them. I've been worried."

Shepard placed a sticky hand on his. "I can't say something to make you feel better, because I don't know that it's going to be ok."

"Actually, this helps," he said, motioning toward the plate of cookies she brought. "They taste just like my mom's, and it makes this sort of feel more like home."

Shepard stood up and brushed herself off. She placed a dusty kiss on Kaidan's head and whispered into his hair, "I'm here, Kaidan. I'll be home for you."