Kaidan sighed as he settled himself into his room. He began to check his messages via his omni-tool and was unsurprised by the lack of messages he had received: a few from Alliance Commander, one from Jack, one from Adria, and two from two different Spectres.

"Major, I've received data on your biotics team. Download to a datapad will take approximately one hour."

"Thank you, EDI."

Shepard stood quietly in the doorway and watched the Prothean curiously. Part of her yearned to touch him- to understand his pain while letting him have experiences that weren't solely based on war. Another part wanted to just understand him- who he was.

"I do not want your pity, Commander," he informed her without turning around.

She entered and walked up to his water basins. "I don't pity you, Javik. You wouldn't be who you are were if not for what you have experienced," she informed him matter-of-factly.

"I was born in a time of war. Mine was not a conception born from love, but of a need for future soldiers. There isn't a memory that I have that doesn't consist of learning to be or being a soldier."

His opening up to her would probably become a rare occurrence, so she decided to seize the opportunity. "That is no way for a child to be raised."

"Could anything else be truly expected? We were forced to adapt- to change- as the galaxy shattered around us." He turned around and looked at her with an intensity that almost surprised her. "Did you not notice change when you were brought back after two years?" Before she could answer, he continued on with his thoughts. "For you, the changes were sudden- noticeable-. But, when you evolve with the change or are born after, you don't notice as much or realize what might have been.

"So, for this, I pity you, Commander. You have not been given such an opportunity to change- whether that is for the better remains to be seen."

Kaidan,

Things are slowly getting back to normal. There's more C-Sec patrolling everywhere on the Citadel, but, otherwise, it's fine. I thought that maybe the war wouldn't touch here, but I guess I was wrong.

I heard about what you all did. I'm very surprised that Commander Shepard was able to broker a peace between the Quarians and Geth. I don't know what you would've done, but I'd've been tempted to let the Quarian's defeat the Geth.

I know that things between us didn't work out. However, I don't think it'd do well to focus so strongly on your commander. If you play your cards right, I could set you up with a pretty redhead that I met not so long ago.

Take Care,
Adria

Kaidan knew that he only wanted one pretty redhead and she was currently making her normal, post-mission rounds on the Normandy. She would start out at the helm and then head down to the cargo bay and work her way up. Garrus would be next to last and he would be last.

KA: Just got done with my post-mission routine and read your message. I'm going to decline your offer to set me up on a date.

AM: Commander Shepard is lucky to have you. Despite everything, you're loyal to her. Most men would have given up.

KA: I was the one in the wrong. The only thing that is difficult about her is what makes her who she is- her personality.

AM: I still think you should consider Lia- she definitely seems like your type.

KA: I didn't realize that I had a type. Not that it matters, because I'm not looking for a date.

AM: Sorry, Kaidan, I've got to go- patient just arrived that requires intensive brain surgery. We'll talk later.

What in the world did she mean when she said that Lia (whoever the hell that was) was his type?

He had been different- an anomaly at the time. From his uniqueness sparked change. Before she had met him, she hadn't thought twice about putting multiple rounds into the chest of one of his kind.

Before him, she wouldn't have mourned the loss of his kind.

"Right before he died," EDI began, appearing beside of Shepard, "Legion asked a question. Why didn't you answer him?"

Looking down at the nameplate in her hands, she smiled. "Because he already knew my answer and Tali needed to admit hers out loud."

EDI stood silently as Shepard placed Legion's name on the memorial wall. "Even though he was a machine, you put his name up there?"

Shepard turned to EDI and gave her a small smile. "I don't care if someone is organic or inorganic. Legion was Geth, Thane was Drell, and Mordin was Salarian. You are an AI, Garrus is Turian, and Liara is Asari. None of that matters to me.

"He served aboard the Normandy and fought against the Reapers. There's no reason for his name not to be put up."

"You are a remarkable person, Shepard," EDI stared. "Not many others would be so accepting."

"I don't care about color, texture, or components of someone's body- nor should anyone else. Acceptance should never be remarkable, EDI, is should be expected."

"Kaidan," she greeted him with an easy smile.

"Commander," he responded without thinking.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Wrong. Let's try again." She walked away from him so that she was out of sight and then came back. "Kaidan," she repeated.

"Shepard." He was rewarded with a smile. "It would only be fair if I called you by your first name," he pointed out.

"There is no power in this galaxy that could force be to give away that piece of knowledge. 's not personal- just cautious."

She was like that, he was discovering- not relinquishing very much knowledge about herself. She was a challenge and a puzzle.

"Mind if I ask you a personal question?" he asked suddenly.

Surprise flickered in her eyes, but she nodded. "Grab me a cup of tea, meet me at a table, and you can ask."

He adored that about her- her attempt at a request that carried the undertone of an order. He knew that she couldn't help it- at that point, it was all but bred into her. She meandered her way to the mess tables as he readied her tea and his coffee. By the time he made his way to her, she was situated in a strategically placed seat that gave her the most visuals and the greatest access to cover.

As soon as he seated himself, she asked, "You got anyone back home waiting for you?"

Her question startled him (mostly because he wanted to ask her the same thing) and he was silent for a few moments. "No one but my parents. You?"

She took a long drink of her tea. "The Normandy is my home," she informed him.

"You have anyone special here, then?"

Shepard leaned towards him and dropped her voice so that he had to lean closer. "We'll start with special and see where if goes from there," she purred. She finished her tea and nodded briskly. "Thanks for the chat, Lieutenant. Same time tomorrow?"

Okay, so he lied to Adria. He definitely had a type. Long ago, he would have gone for someone like Adria- sweet, innocent, and naïve.

No matter what he tried to convince himself of, he was drawn to kind, adventurous, quick-witted, stubborn, strong women.

…or maybe it was just Hope.

"Nice to see some things never change," Kaidan said, not even looking up from the datapad that he was reading (which happened to be the deployment locations of his students).

Shepard walked over to the observation window and looked out at the stars, shaking her head against the memory of three years ago. Sometimes it was worse than others- it was really bad after sleeping in her bed (what had Cerberus honestly been thinking when they put a window over her bed- she had been spaced for god's sake)-, but it had gotten a little easier since her house arrest (six months of seeing stars through atmo was definitely worse than a few unpleasant memories).

"You've been on the Normandy for two weeks and you're just making this observation now?" she asked a little dryly, touching a hand to the cool window.

Kaidan smiled and put down the datapad. The words hadn't made any sense since she had walked into the room anyway. "Nah, just finally saying it out loud. I bet you still talk to Garrus just before me- I'm last."

"What does that even mean?" she demanded as though he hadn't spoken. "'Some things never change.' Everything changes." She frowned at the hostility in her voice and changed her tone. "Everyone changed. You changed." Her voice wasn't angry anymore, closer to flat and apathetic.

That was worse than angry.

He took a moment to think about what she had said. She had been just a little...off...since he had come back aboard the Normandy...no, before that- since he was in Huerta. She always seemed to be bracing for...something. "You didn't," he pointed out. "And that's not bad."

"Isn't it?"

They lapsed into silence- both unsure how to break it. "I know this great place on the Citadel," Kaidan finally said, causing Shepard to turn her head to look at him.

"Oh?" she asked.

Slightly shaken by her...coldness, he continued, "I hear that the food's pretty good. I was just wondering if you want to go."

Shepard turned around and faced him full on, her N7 jacket sagging slightly off of her right shoulder- revealing the thin line of her tank and a bit of her shoulder. Her eyes were searching- almost suspicious. "What're you planning on wearing?"

"Well, it's a pretty fancy place, so I'd probably dust off my suit that I have on the Citadel. D'you have something to wear?"

She felt her suspicious gaze turn cold. "Do you mean: do I have something other than dress blues or a pair of pants and a jacket? Maybe you think I'd show up in my BDUs?" Why was she angry with him, she wondered. She had been dead! Why did she expect him to stay loyal to a corpse?

"No! I just wondered if you needed time to shop," he answered, shocked from her anger. There had once been a time when he would have backed down- taken her coldness as a sign of rejection-, but, as she said, he had changed. Instead, he stood up and faced her full on. "So, do you?"

Shepard raised her chin enough to look into his eyes. She wasn't going to let her opinion of his new attitude show. "I haven't even said that I would go yet," a smile playing on her lips against her will.

He knew that look. Even after so long, he knew what that look meant. She was going to play hardball, and she was going to enjoy every moment of torture. He cocked an eyebrow and decided to change her rules. "But you're going to. How about we meet in the airlock on the second day of dock?" he proposed.

Again he surprised her. Shaking her head, she decided to throw him off his game somewhat. "No. I'll meet you where it all began- at the observation point in the wards," she countered, "second day of dock."

She expected him to cringe at the memory and was awarded with such. She gave him a small smile before patting his chest gently. "I guess you have a couple days- four to be exact- to try and get out of it, Major," she informed him before walking away- not sure if she wanted to smile or be angry.