Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to Bioware.

Chapter 33: Heaven

Year: 2183CE

Location: Citadel

A woman with shoulder length dark hair entered the Silver Coast casino by herself. Her high heels hit the stairs with a soft click each step she took, announcing her arrival. Her red dress hugged every curve of her perfect hour-glass figure, drawing everyone's eyes on her as she walked by. Men stared at her with desire, women with envy. But she pointedly ignored them all. She was used to this type of attention, but only a few were worthy of hers. And tonight, in this establishment in the Citadel, there was one person who was certainly worthy enough for her to make a side trip here to see in person: Commander Aerin Shepard.

But, of course she didn't make this trip just for Shepard, not even the first human Spectre was worth her time like this. She was in Citadel for business... and pleasure. And so was Shepard, as her sources had told her this afternoon. There was still an hour before her next scheduled appointment. Her curiosity had gotten the best out of her as she came to seek a glimpse of the savior of the galaxy.

Not everyone knew what Shepard had done for the galaxy. Most if not all civilians only knew Shepard had saved the Citadel and defeated the rogue Spectre Saren. Some knew about the Geth, and none had heard about Sovereign. The Reapers had returned after fifty thousand years and the public still didn't know a thing about it. Typical cover up done by fearful leaders, she thought with a silent snort as her icy blue eyes scanned the premise. Ignorant patrons were happily drinking and gambling their credits away while the threat was still looming out there, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. It almost made her sick.

A call interrupted her search for the commander. Although mildly annoyed by the intrusion, the woman in red answered dutifully, "Lawson." She paused to hear. "Tell them I'll take care of it when I get back."

With all the money Cerberus had, they still couldn't find her a competent assistant. The woman named Lawson hanged up with a soft sigh of irritation then headed to a table at the corner – a perfect spot to observe the entire floor.

She ordered a glass of wine and relaxed. Her sources had always been reliable; they had informed her that the commander was currently on leave in Citadel. And, according to that extranet site that posted sightings of celebrities, someone had spotted Shepard in this casino less than fifteen minutes ago. Shepard was here, all Lawson needed to do was to find her target.

A loud toast a table nearby caught her attention. "To the mother of thresher maw in Tuchanka!" said a krogan, raising his glass in the air. His friends laughed and drank to that meaningless drunken toast.

Krogans were trouble, drunken krogans even more so.

Lawson was about to dismiss them until she spotted a short-haired woman in that group reaching across the table then clinked her shot glass with the krogan's before draining its content in one gulp. Nothing remarkable about the woman in particular, it was what her outfit that caught Lawson's attention. Was she wearing a hoodie to this establishment?

Lawson frowned in disapproval and gave the owner of the hoodie a second look. The short-haired woman was now resting her head on the shoulder of the man next to her, laughing hard with the rest of the group at a joke the animated krogan was telling. Half of her face was covered by loose strands of hair, but the exposed half looked oddly familiar.

Icy blue eyes widened in surprise upon recognition. That woman in hoodie was none other than the commander herself. The rest of them had to be her team, Lawson reasoned. All of them met their respective descriptions in their dossiers. The turian was a former C-Sec agent; the krogan a mercenary; the quarian was on her pilgrimage; and the asari was Matriarch Benezia's only daughter. That man sitting next to Shepard had to be her lieutenant, the biotic with a L2 chip.

Their table was too far for her to eavesdrop on their conversation. Lawson regretted not having a chance to bug the surrounding. Although even from afar, she could tell all of them were at least moderately intoxicated. Nothing remotely profound could come out of their mouths.

Lawson was soon proven to be corrected when the quarian started singing out loud, "Let the moon's shining light hide two lovers with its ray..."

What the hell? Lawson scowled. That one was definitely drunk.

A hiccup interrupted the quarian but she stood and continued louder and louder without missing a beat, "Though I know that dawn will set us on course for separate ways... I will hold this night in memory for all my living days..." Leaning over the turian to caress Shepard's cheek, the quarian serenaded to the commander, "Now unmasked, I feel your skin... On miiiiiiine!"

The group cheered and applauded, oblivious to the attention the mini impromptu performance had generated. Lawson heard the entire song from her table, wishing she hadn't.

The quarian raised her glass. "To the best vid in this galaxy. Keelah se'lai!"

Again, they drank to another meaningless toast. Lawson shook her head in dismay. Was that really the group that saved this goddamn galaxy? She almost found it hard to believe.

"To the tables, Vakarian!" the krogan stood up and announced in a booming voice. "Let's win us enough credits to buy you a mech!" Lawson wondered how many shots of ryncol he had so far.

"Varren racing again? Is Quasar still too complicated for you?" asked the turian.

"Don't break anything, Wrex!" Shepard warned loudly after those two, laughing.

"It's not a party until something breaks, Shepard!" the krogan yelled back.

Meanwhile, the quarian dragged the asari up and started to dance to the faint beats from the dance floor above. The asari, the more sober of the two, said something to the lieutenant then followed the quarian up the stairs, leaving the two humans behind.

Shepard exchanged a few words with her lieutenant before they, too, left the table.

Lawson studied Shepard over her glass of wine as the pair headed the bar. Icy blue eyes gave the commander an once over, then another one. Shepard was tall; her legs were long and shapely in those tight pants which hugged her round bottom quite nicely. But did she really have to wear a hoodie? While Lawson recognized that red and white stripes down the right sleeve and knew only a few could own that item, but in her not-so humble opinion, Shepard would definitely look better in a nice fitted leather jacket. At least it would accentuate her curves and emphasize her undoubtedly well-toned abs instead of hiding everything underneath that shapeless jacket.

Lawson switched her attention from the offending jacket to the face of its owner. Even she had to admit Shepard's features were even more striking in person, and surprisingly elegant for a career soldier. Oval-shaped face, high cheekbones, full cupid's bow lips, and big piercing eyes framed by slightly arched eyebrows. Brilliant lake blue color, Lawson recalled from close-up vids of Shepard, a shade or two darker and brighter than her own. The commander looked more pale than the pictures and vids of her from a few months back. Perhaps the constant battles had taken a toll on her. And with bruises on her forehead, cuts on her cheeks, dark circles under her eyes, and not a trace of makeup on her face, Shepard was far from beautiful and polished.

So, this was the legendary Commander Shepard. Lawson had expected someone more impressive, someone who stood out from the crowd, perhaps even with an intimidating presence. But Shepard was neither.

And then, there was something that seemed odd, something that didn't match the commander's stoic image that was often seen in vids or pictures. The smile on Shepard's face as she was talking to her lieutenant too playful of an expression to be found on someone like the commander. Too sweet, even.

It was then Lawson noticed Shepard's lieutenant had put his hand on the small of her back and kept it there. It could have been a gentlemanly gesture, but the way Shepard leaned her body towards him, and the slight tilt of his head down to hers, every tiny body language added up and together they spoke louder than words. Those two were very comfortable with each other, Lawson concluded without a doubt. They were definitely more than friends.

Interesting... Lawson mused as she sipped her wine. Shepard had time for extracurricular activities while fighting the Reaper? Maybe she was as talented as the reports suggested. Or maybe she was just a woman with flesh and blood.

How would the Alliance take the news of their favorite little pet committing the cardinal sin called fraternization? Lawson wondered but quickly answered her own question. Quite simple, they would sweep it under the rug like they always did. Typical.

Lawson spared a glance at the lieutenant out of curiosity. The man who had caught Shepard's eye fitted the classic 'tall, dark, and handsome' category, Lawson would give him that much. But other than that, nothing remarkable about him, perhaps except for his L2 chip. As she recalled from his dossier, he was one of the very few L2 who was still sane and functional. She idly wondered how high his powers could spike, and if his biotics could even be stronger than hers.

Lawson dismissed the last thought almost immediately. She was created andtrained to be perfect, while his L2 chip was flawed from the start.

Flawed. Just like everything and everyone else in this galaxy, including Shepard.

Lawson shook her head in disappointment. Tonight, she had expected to finally find her equal, to meet someone just as perfect as she was. But it would seem even the savior of the galaxy was just a human, flawed like everyone else. Nothing special.

Although she shouldn't be surprised. After all, no one was perfect, no one except Miranda Lawson.

Kaidan watched as Shepard brought the wine glass to her lips, mesmerized. The tip of her tongue licked the remaining drop of red liquor on her lower lip before she habitually bit it ever-so slightly. The urge to kiss her was becoming harder to contain as the night continued, no thanks to the amount of drinks he had.

He reached for his shot of whiskey and had a sip, trying not to recall how sweet those pink lips tasted or how soft they felt when they were all over him last night. And this morning.

And their shore leave had only just begun.

Shepard leaned over from her bar stool, her shoulder touching his. "That woman has been checking you out ever since she came in," she told him in a low voice. "You know her?"

Kaidan glanced around the open floor, expecting to see a familiar face. But there was none. "Which one?" he asked her, frowning in confusion.

"At the corner. Dark hair." She twirled her wine glass while subtly pointed with it. "The one in a sexy red dress."

Kaidan almost turned to find that woman in red but stopped himself in just time. "...Sexy red dress?"

She glanced at him over the wine glass with a hint of mischievous smirk. "Kinda hot."

"Wait... Is this a trap?"

To that, Shepard chuckled. "No."

Curious, he looked at where Shepard had pointed and saw the woman Shepard described. A dark haired woman in an extremely form-fitting red dress was sitting by herself at the corner, nursing a glass of red wine. Kaidan raised an eyebrow at that sight. Shepard was right; that woman was certainly quite... well, hot.

His eyes lingered on the woman in red for a second or two longer and muttered under his breath to himself, "Nice... view-" Kaidan winced at his fatal mistake and immediately corrected himself, "I mean, outfit."

Shepard didn't respond, but she heard him, he knew. Bracing himself, Kaidan turned his attention back to Shepard, fully expecting a death glare which he probably deserved. But what greeted him was a knowing smirk.

"So... you like that dress, huh?" asked Shepard nonchalantly.

He chose his words with extra care this time. "Er... I think it'd look nicer on you."

That sly smirk grew, so did that deadly edge hidden underneath it. "You want to see me in that dress? Well, why don't you go over there and ask her where she got it?"

Now this had to be a trap. Kaidan proceeded with extreme caution, almost as if he was defusing a nuclear bomb. Not trusting himself for not making another idiotic mistake, he wisely let his actions speak for him instead. Without another word, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss.

"I don't know her, and I don't want to." He placed her hand on his lap and held it down.

He observed as her expression went from sly to surprised to tender all within those few seconds. A sweet smile appeared despite her obvious struggle to hold it back. "You sure? I have a feeling she would love to know you."

"Positive," he confirmed. "I'm not interested."

Grinning, she tilted her head and looked at him. "Then I'll go tell her to back off, that you're mine."

Kaidan tightened his grip on her hand in case Shepard's joke turned serious. While Shepard was not completely drunk, she was definitely somewhat intoxicated. He had to protect her from doing something she would regret tomorrow morning. "You know, I think she's checking you out. Not me," he said quickly then gave her a little teasing smirk. "Probably another fan of yours. Should I go over and tell her to back off from my Aerin?"

"Your Aerin?" She chuckled. That smile grew sweeter. "I like the sound of that."

So did he.

"...I'm yours," she whispered. Her face drew closer.

He really loved the sound of that.

"So, what are you waiting for?" She looked straight into his eyes. "Kiss me."

"Now?"

She merely blinked yes. Soft lips parted slightly in anticipation, silently waiting for him to meet her challenge. Her hand inched up along his thigh; he could feel the warmth of her touch even through the thick fabric of his pants. Kaidan had to summon every bit of his discipline not to do as she commanded.

She was testing his limits, he knew. It was a game they had been playing for the past two days. She pushed, he resisted. It could start with a few simple words, a soft touch, then a light kiss. The longer he resisted, the more aggressive she would become, and the more he would enjoy the benefits of her advance. But in the end, she would always get what she wanted, what they both wanted. And he couldn't be any happier.

"Later," he told her calmly despite his heart had started pounding.

She leaned closer, never breaking the gaze. "Now."

"...Later." he insisted. His throat began to feel dry. "Good things come to those who wait."

"If I don't want to wait?" she asked with a tone that sent a tickle down his spine. Shepard shifted and whispered in his ear, her lips brushed his skin, "I want you. Now."

She knew the effects those three words had on him. His biotics slipped and glowed for a second. Kaidan tried not to move a muscle, or else he would definitely grab her and kiss her then and there, and perhaps even go further.

Shepard leaned back onto her chair, withdrawing her warmth and her scent along with her. Suddenly feeling cold and strangely empty, Kaidan immediately regretted his lack of action. Not at all offended by his silence, she gave him a smile that would make him weak in the knees if he was standing. "You have thirty seconds before I change my mind."

Brown eyes met blue ones. The surroundings melt and faded away. Right now, in his world there was only her. Tension mounted as seconds flew by, neither broke the gaze.

When he allowed himself to finally move, Kaidan reached for the shot glass instead of the woman who was driving him absolutely crazy. He drained the shot and felt the warm liquor coated his now very dry throat. It was getting too warm in here, and he knew it wasn't because of the drinks.

Still holding his gaze, Shepard slowly bit her lower lip. He swallowed hard at that lovely sight, remembering the ticklish path those lips had traced earlier this morning, from his throat to his collarbone, down to his chest then to his navel...

Blue glow flared momentarily once again.

"Fifteen seconds," Shepard counted, highly amused.

He suddenly darted forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. "For now," he told her in a whisper while remaining close. "More on that later."

Shepard tilted her face towards him, the tip of her nose touched his. "Ten seconds."

He chuckled lightly in defeat. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and he didn't mind a bit.

He planted another kiss on her cheek, closer to her lips this time, then declared, "Let's get out of here." Kaidan folded. Shepard grinned.

Shepard glanced at the panel of the elevator and did a quick calculation inside her head. While alcohol might have somewhat impaired her mental finesse, her estimate should be accurate. She didn't have much time before they reached their floor. One minute tops.

As soon as the elevator door closed, she attacked. She knew what he wanted, what he liked. It took her only one night together to figure it all out. One very long night. Shepard prided herself on her efficiency, on and off battlefields.

She started by brushing her lips along the side of his neck very softly, tickling his skin with the tip of her tongue and her warm breath. When his quiet chuckle suddenly turned into a faint gasp, she knew she had hit sensitive spot. She knew she had him.

She pushed him up against the wall without breaking the contact. His hands that had been off her now planted firmly on her back, one was slowly sliding up inside her jacket, while the other ventured down, pressing her body against his. Her lips and the tip of her tongue continued their exploration from the side of his neck to his throat. His head tilted back, giving her access to everything she wanted.

Instead of following the current path up, she headed down. Soft kisses traced from his throat to the hollow of his neck, then to his collarbone over his shirt, teasingly reminding him what she had done this morning, hinting what she could do later if she wanted to.

His breaths had become ragged, Shepard noticed.

Abandoned the current path, she moved up once again. Her lips brushed against his pulse and felt it throbbing. His heartbeats quickened by every feather kiss and each teasing lick. Her kisses traced to his jaws that were cover by two days worth of stubble. Shepard couldn't blame him for not shaving, after all she was partly at fault for constantly distracting him. Besides, this slightly rugged look suited him.

She nuzzled the side of his neck and inhaled deeply. She loved the way he smelled, that warm and comforting scent was hard to describe but definitely intoxicating.

Thirty seconds, she reminded herself and continued her way up. And when she reached his earlobe and gave it a slightest bite, she heard him gasped out loud.

Smiling to herself, she turned her attention to his cheek, half nuzzling half kissing her way to the corner of his lips. To his credit, even though she could feel his heart pounding hard against her chest, he managed to hold perfectly still. His biotic glow once again started to flare very faintly. Shepard stopped and looked up to find those warm brown eyes half-opened, now covered with a hint of sheer blue glow. She didn't need to that visual confirmation to know she had him right where she wanted, the body that had been pressing against hers had already betrayed him.

Sneaking her hands up to the back of his head, she idly played with his hair while her nose rubbed against his. "Kiss me," she issued the demand once again in a whisper.

This time, he couldn't refuse. His lips were on hers in the blink of an eye, his tongue demanding a taste of her. She let him while kissing him back just as passionately. His fingers dug into her bottom and pressed her even closer to him. It took all her willpower to stop herself from peeling off his clothes then and there.

She had stopped counting. All her senses were overwhelmed by his taste, his scent, his touch, and his warmth. And the only thing she knew was she wanted more.

When she eventually broke off to gasp for precious air, the elevator had already stopped.

"I want you," she repeated what she had told him earlier, panting quite heavily. "Now."

Chuckling, he rested his forehead against her and agreed breathlessly, "Now."

Within seconds, they made it back to their room, but they never made it to the bed until much later.

He never would have thought that he could fall head-over-heels for someone in such a short time. After all, Kaidan relied heavily on his self-control ever since he was a kid. And then, along came Shepard who had changed everything and brought the best out of him.

He had never been happier.

The woman lying next to him hardly look like the Commander Shepard the public used to see. Her cheeks flushed in a lovely shade of pink, long lashes fluttered sleepily a few times before she closed her eyes, a hint of content smile lingered on her lips as she slowly drifted off to sleep. She looked peaceful, even vulnerable.

Since that day he had rushed to the hospital with her bloody and bruised in his arms, both his urge to protect her and his fear of losing her rose higher than ever. It was irrational, it was illogical, but he couldn't help it. What had gotten to him, he didn't know. All he knew was one simple thing: He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.

"What are you thinking about?" she mumbled, her eyes still shut tight.

Kaidan reached out and tucked a few errand strands of soft hair behind her ear. "How do you know I'm even thinking?"

Blue eyes opened halfway looking at him. "You have been staring at me for a long time. I can hear the wheels spinning behind." She tapped his forehead.

She hated being hailed as a savior as much as being seen as vulnerable, Kaidan knew. But he also knew she could be persistent and extremely persuasive, especially when she was wearing nothing.

He slipped an arm underneath her and pulled her closer, buying himself a few precious seconds to come up with an adequate response. He always loved how her body fitted against him. Not too tall, not too short, just perfect.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, snuggling comfortably.

He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, then said the first thing that came to his mind, "You know, my parents would love you."

"Meet the parents already?" There was more than a hint of smile in her voice.

He chuckled that sudden random thought. "No... Well, unless you want to. I'm just saying they would love you."

"Are they in Vancouver right now?"

"Yeah. Mom wants to travel off-planet, but there's always something to do around Vancouver if not at the orchards."

"The only place I've been to in Vancouver is the HQ."

"Really? What about Stanley Park? English Bay?"

She shook her head. "Every time it's a direct shuttle in and out of HQ."

"Next time when we're back on Earth, we'll take some time off and I'll show you around Vancouver before taking you to the winery."

"We are still on leave, and you're already planning for another one?" She lifted her head up to look at him in feign suspicion. "What happened to you, Alenko?"

He pressed his lips softly on her forehead. "You happened."

That made her laughed. "I'm a bad influence, huh? Guess you'd better stay away from me then." She untangled herself from his arms and slipped out of bed.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"We have only one week left. I'm not going spend my entire day in bed again."

Time flew by too quickly when he was with her. Two weeks had come and gone. The Council had already handed her their next assignment. Kaidan hid a sigh. "Two more hours."

"No." Sitting at the edge of the bed with her naked back facing him, Shepard stretched lazily. Jet black hair in a tangled mess contrasted with ivory skin marked by bruises she had accumulated during the fight with Saren. And he had never found her more beautiful than she was now.

"One and a half," he negotiated and extended a hand to touch one of the faded scars on her back. Each scar had a story. While he had already discovered all of them on her body, she had yet to finish telling the tales behind every one of them. Kaidan was not in a hurry to ask, they had time. If she was willing, they would have a lifetime together.

She turned her head back and flashed a smile she knew he couldn't resist. "One."

He slipped one hand around her waist and pulled her back into his arms, where she belonged. "Deal."

It took her a few mornings to get used to waking up without the subtle hum of the Normandy. Sometimes, for a few second after she opened her eyes, Shepard had to wonder if she had died and gone to heaven. Perhaps this was her heaven – lying in bed with the person she loved, no more Reapers, no more Geth, no more fighting, and she didn't have to die to get there.

If only they could stay like this forever.

But this wasn't her life. At least not yet. Soon enough, she would be out there searching and fighting the remaining Geth across the galaxy. The Council had given her a new mission, and Shepard had no choice but to take it. As a soldier, she had been trained never to question her orders, but her experience with the Council had given her more than a few pauses. Still, as boring as the mission sounded, Shepard would finish it with nothing short of perfection. After all, not every assignment had to be life changing; she had her share of mundane ones. And this time, her crew would be with her, he would be with her.

The ambient lights hidden in the ceiling dimly lit up the room, but her eyes had long gotten used to the dark surroundings. Shepard shot a glance at the man sleeping peacefully next to her. Half of his face was buried onto the pillow, his hair was a mess and she absolutely loved it. Just as she loved everything about him. From the professional side, to the caring side, to the most rarely seen adorably dorky side, and of course, the hidden passionate side.

He was, well, perfect... Shepard thought with a smile slowly spread on her face.

She would surely miss waking up next to him, starting tomorrow morning for the next few weeks until her mission was over. Even though Shepard had the authority to bend every rule in the galaxy however she wanted, they had decided to respect the Alliance regs. Once an Alliance marine, always an Alliance marine.

Good thing they had three weeks to get everything out of their systems.

Shepard cast another glance at Kaidan who was still in his dreamland, wishing she could wake up to this sight everyday for the rest of her life. The thought of it was enough brought a rather sweet smile to her face, but she had to force herself to wipe that smile off and shove that thought away for now. In a few hours, she would have to be back on the Normandy, back to reality.

All good things must come to an end.

Shepard shook her head and reached for her omni-tool to start checking all the messages she had ignored since her shore leave. Lying in bed deleting mails certainly wasn't the most romantic way to end a shore leave, but as long as Kaidan was next to her, Shepard was happy.

Before she could get to the second page of her mailbox, Kaidan started to stir and soon opened one sleepy eyes. The orange glow from her omni-tool cast a shadow on his face.

"Shh... go back to sleep," Shepard coaxed quietly.

"...What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Still early. Not even dawn. We're not leaving until noon. Get some sleep."

"We only have a few hours left." He took her omni-tool from her and put it on his side of the nightstand, out of her reach.

"Hey," Shepard protested.

Kaidan ignored her and pulled her into his arms instead.

Trapped between his arms and his chest, Shepard had never felt safer in her life. "I'm not your pillow, Mister," she faked a complain, hiding a smile.

"You've been using me as your pillow. Now it's my turn."

"Fine. Until you fall asleep." She pressed her lips on the hollow of his throat.

"And if I don't fall asleep?"

"Then we'll have to find something else to do, don't we?"

He only chuckled and gave her a kiss on top of her head then rolled onto his back. His arms never once loosened, bringing her along with him. Shepard found herself back to the familiar comfortable position, her head resting on his shoulder. She shifted to snuggle even closer, burying half of her face onto his chest. Without a doubt, this was her heaven.

For the longest time, they remained still. She could hear his heartbeats as he idly stroke her hair.

"Can't believe it's almost over," Kaidan broke the silence in a voice almost as lower as a whisper. "Wish we have more time together."

"We've spent the entire shore leave together," she reminded him. "Most of the time right here."

"Not enough."

"So how much time do you need?"

"I prefer a lifetime."

That was a surprise. Shepard was touched beyond words. For a short moment, she couldn't wipe that sweetest grin plastered on her face even if she wanted to. She kept her face buried onto his chest until she could compose herself.

The mischievous side of her couldn't resist this golden opportunity. Hiding the grin, she pushed herself up and looked at him with a teasing smirk. "Is that... a marriage proposal?"

"What?" Sleepy eyes suddenly widened. "No!"

Suppressing the strongest urge to laugh, Shepard put on her best hurt expression. "...You don't want me."

His eyes widened further in panic. "No! No, that's not what I mean. Down the road, sure, if the Reapers don't come back and wipe the entire galaxy. But proposing now? Here? No. That's not fair to you. It's something that has to be done just right, you know? The flowers, the ring, the er..." He paused to take a breath, it was then he noticed she had hidden half of her face under the blanket, shaking with silent laughter. He narrowed his eyes at her upon sudden realization. "...You're messing with me."

"You're so sweet," she muttered underneath the blanket before quickly burying her face into the pillow and burst into laughter.

"You'll have to pay for that." That was the only warning she received before the attack.

Shepard had one weakness only a few people knew: She was ticklish. That strangest sensation rose from her sides, causing her to twitch and scream as his fingers brushed her skin. But the attack didn't stop there. She rolled away from him, he pressed on. The harder she squirmed and dodged, the more persistent his ticking fingers became.

Screams blended in with laughter as the struggle continued until they fell off the bed.

Kaidan held onto her to break her fall and landed on his back.

That immediately sobered her up. "Oh god. You okay?" asked Shepard breathlessly. "Sorry!"

"Yeah..." He mumbled then drew a breath and looked at her with his eyebrow arched ever-so slightly.

Her well-honed instinct told her the attack was far from over. Her battlefield experience told her the best time to retreat was when the enemy was down. Shepard held her poker face for just a second more then suddenly pushed herself away from him to escape.

But Kaidan was faster.

He sneaked his arms around her waist then rolled off his back and pinned her underneath him.

It all happened in one second. Before she knew, Shepard was staring up into those warm brown eyes. That rare mischievous glint was unmistakable.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, holding her down firmly.

She knew more than ten ways to disable him, most of them were painful, but Shepard remained still. "All right. I'm sorry. But..." She paused and smiled to herself. "I agree. A shore leave isn't enough. We need a lifetime..."

Mischievous glint was gone in an instant, a pure surprise look surfaced very briefly, then quickly replaced by a tender gaze.

"You don't need flowers, or even a ring," she continued softly. "All you need to do is ask."

He stared at her, speechless.

"And I'd say yes." Shepard paused again then added jokingly, "Probably. I don't know. There's no guarantee. Maybe I'll even have you wait."

Kaidan chuckled and touched the side of her face gently. "I'll take it, as long as it's your decision, even if you want me to wait for a decade or two."

"Twenty years?" She made a face. "I'll be almost fifty by then. You sure you still want me?"

"But I'll also be twenty years older. I should be asking you that."

"I've a feeling you'd look even better with age. Guess I'd better start laying claim to you while I still can." Bright blue eyes gazed into warm brown ones lovingly. "So... A lifetime together then. Sounds good to you?"

"Lifetime sounds perfect," he agreed with a tender smile and sealed their deal with a kiss.

A/N: Shenko overload. Savoring the last shoot before popping the heat sink.

Answer to the questions left in the anon review: Sorry, have to use this space again. I usually answer back in PM or emails but there's no way to contact you back. So here we go.

Anyway, will Shepard stay loyal? I don't know about you, but to me, after Horizon their relationship is pretty much over. Kaidan's letter is the nail in the coffin. So when I saw clips of ME3 Kaidan went "you cheating on me" thing if Shep hooked up with others in ME2, I was like "WTF? YOU TWO WERE ON A BREAK, ALENKO!" and "Stop apologizing, Shepard! He told you he was seeing someone else. So what's wrong with you hooking up with others (ahem, the guy who has stood by you not once but three times and has never once doubted you, aka the Space Batman)?!" BUT, like I said last time, I'm not Aerin Shepard. And she's pretty messed up in part 2. I've said right from the start in the prologue that there is no love triangle, not changing my stand on that. Doesn't mean Shepard won't love anyone else. After all, there are many types of love.

As for how long part 2 is going to be. I've no idea. But I'm not going to focus on every character on her team. If you're expecting a detailed epic journey of Shepard recruiting and getting the loyalty of every single one of her teammate, you'll be very disappointed. Part 2 focuses on Shepard's struggle with her humanity (or what's left of it) instead of the hoops that she has to jump through to form her new team.

Part 1 I pretty much followed the game, part 2 I start to take a few liberties and sidestep a little. And part 3 will be what you would call an AU fic, where I've changed things right from the start. So there's that. Hope you'll stick around, because, as a writer, part 3 is where the fun begins. Imagination gone wild.