Author Note: Ummm...hi. It's been a while since I've updated Distance. Years in fact, which I'm quite quite ashamed of. If you follow me on Tumblr or Twitter or FB, then you know I haven't been well (though my mystery illness has now been solved!) but honestly, I've had this chapter ready to be posted for quite some time and I just didn't have any time to edit it. I do apologise quite profusely. I do intend to get back into regular updates and finish this fic. If you're still reading along - wow, thank you and I hope to hear from you in a review and thank you for sticking with me.

The art in this chapter is by the wonderful Jubbery! and can be viewed on my tumblr blog - vorchagirl. Thank you also to JulesHawke who really motivated me to get this chapter up, and to lauraemoriarty for sitting and writing/editing with me when I visited her.

Reports.

Gina pulled a face as she finished reading one long meandering report, only to see another two pop into her inbox.

They were multiplying like the heads on a Hydra.

She scowled at them. One seemed to be a request for more information about Kai Leng's death on Thessia, and the other was a meandering twenty page document about the Reapers massing near the Asgard System. Even as she closed that report, another one from Tali zipped into her inbox, and a quick glance showed her it was about a multitude of engineering mishaps affecting the Normandy's engines.

With a groan, she set the pad down and rubbed her temples.

The reports from the front line were coming in hard and fast now that Hackett was preparing to move on Ceberus' main base ... and all she could do was sit here and read about it! Gina scowled. She wanted to go along, to be part of the team that took down the Illusive Man after everything the bastard had done, but things hadn't worked out that way.

Lately nothing seemed to go her way.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, wincing as it creaked alarmingly under her. The Normandy needed vital repairs, Tali's latest report only highlighted that, and Hackett had ordered them the Citadel to get them done. While they were there he'd insisted she take some down time for the crew and for herself, and let the fifth fleet handle things with Cerberus.

It felt an awful lot like being side-lined, but, like a lot of things lately; it was out of her control.

A shadow of doubt crept through her; was it possible that Hackett had somehow discovered her recent illness and was keeping her out of the fight because of the geth AI in her head? She shivered. If the Alliance brass ever discovered that she had a geth AI inside of her, that she was compromised, it would be the end of her career.

But … no. He couldn't know. This was one secret which only a handful of people knew about, and none of them would have talked to anyone.

The truth was probably more simple; they were exhausted. All of them. The crew needed some R&R almost as badly as the Normandy did, and Hackett was an experienced war veteran who knew that a ship and a crew red lining themselves in a time of war was a recipe for disaster.

"Credit for your thoughts?" Kaidan slid unexpectedly into the seat opposite her, and Gina jumped.

Usually at this hour of the night the mess was empty, especially with how few crew members they had on board.

"Just thinking about shore leave." She rubbed her eyes. "Wondering how the fleet will go-"

He chuckled. "Wishing you were there?"

"Yup." She smiled tiredly. "But I know I have to sit this one out. The data we got off Kai Leng's body about Cerberus gave the Alliance everything they needed to take them out, and the sooner they move, the better. Hackett can't wait for us."

Kaidan got up and moved around the bench so he could sit beside her, his thigh and shoulder pressing against hers reassuringly. Instantly, some of the tension eased out of her, as though the warm line of his body was leeching the stress away, and she sighed and took his hand.

"I know I'm repeating myself, but the crew needs this break," he said softly, his eyes flicking to her face. "Hell, we need this break after everything that's happened. And we can use the down time to continue running scripts on the prothean data. Javik is helpful, but even he isn't sure what we're looking at exactly. We'll get through the decryption soon, but the more time we have the better."

He was right.

Kaidan was always right.

"I know." She nodded and took a breath, her mind whirling as she trailed a finger along the table top, her silvery finger gleaming. "I've been meaning to tell you … I made an appointment."

Kaidan looked at her sharply, and she heard his intake of breath. "With the hospital?"

"Yeah. Chakwas put me in touch with a doctor who is working with burns patients and trialling a new kind of skin weave. It isn't the same as having my old limbs back, but at least you won't be able to see all of … this." She gestured at her arms with distaste. "I'll look normal again."

He does not care about your cybernetic replacements, Shepard. Hunter spoke up from inside her head, the geth sounding somehow amused. Look at his facial expression, at his physical reaction to you; those artificial parts don't matter to him. And he keeps telling you that he does not care, perhaps you should listen to him?

Hunter!

The geth ignored her and continued. I have been keeping count, and have noted the exact number of times he has brought it up. If you like, I can tell you-

Ssssh! Gina shushed him. Stop being so goddamn sassy!

Noted. Less sass.

It may have been Gina's imagination, but she thought he sounded even sassier than usual in his response.

Kaidan's hand tightened on hers, drawing her attention back to him. "You know that your limbs don't matter to me-"

See? For the record, that is the twenty fourth time.

She ignored Hunter.

"It matters to me." The look she gave him silenced whatever remark he was going to say, and Kaidan drew in a deep breath.

"Fair enough." His tawny eyes bored into hers, and he cleared his throat. "I've made an appointment of my own. Well … more of a booking." He grinned, and it was a slow, easy grin, one which made her blood fizz. "Do you think you feel normal enough to have dinner with me tonight when we reach the Citadel?"

Gina looked up, and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. They both knew this dinner was more than just a dinner. There were things that needed to be said; things that should have been said a long time ago.

"Yeah, I feel normal enough to have dinner with you." She smiled.

"Good." Kaidan leaned across and kissed her, one arm snaking around her waist and almost pulling her onto his lap as his tongue swirled around hers. He drew back and chuckled. "Because I had to put down a hefty deposit to get this reservation at such short notice and drop your name, so I would have been taking you to dinner even if I'd had to drag you there."

Gina laughed. "If there's chocolate and fancy food involved, you won't have to drag me anywhere."

He grinned. "Duly noted, ma'am."

The view from the top tier of the Citadel shimmered in front of Kaidan; a seemingly endless stretch of sparkling lights, skycars and lumbering transport ships. Somehow, despite how much time he had spent on the Citadel during his recovery after the accident on Mars, it was still every bit as beautiful and captivating as it had been the first time he'd seen it.

The view was still wonderfully alien and achingly familiar, and now, as always, it filled him with a sense of calm.

Possibly, he thought wryly, because a large part of him associated the Citadel with Gina and everything he found beautiful about her. The soft lighting of the council chambers and those pink cherry blossom trees made him think of the flush on her cheeks. The shifting pastel colours of the nebula reminded him of the purple tint in her armour. Even the blanket of twinkling lights from the wards below reminded him of the twinkle of biotics in her eyes.

Gina was everywhere he looked.

Kaidan let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair, wondering for the hundredth time if he should have got it cut for tonight. But Gina had mentioned she liked his hair a little longer, and it was still regulation length, so he'd left it.

Tonight had been a long time coming.

He reached into his pocket, feeling for the ring box for the one hundredth time, as though it might have magically vanished in the thirty seconds since he had last checked for it. His fingers closed around the velvety cube almost compulsively. Being nervous wasn't something he was used to, especially around Gina who normally inspired a feeling of certainty and calmness.

But he couldn't shake the horrible feeling that something was about to go dreadfully wrong.

Alchera. A pulse drummed at the back of his head. You felt this way before Alchera.

Kaidan swallowed, wanting to deny it … but it was true. The last time he'd planned to ask Gina to marry him she had wound up dead; floating in space as the Normandy burned and he'd slowly lost his mind on the planet below.

He twitched at the thought, an almost physical spear of pain shooting through him as he tightened his grip on the railing, fighting down the wave of panic.

Not this time, Kaidan promised silently. I won't lose her again.

"I'm late, aren't I?"

He straightened, slamming a mental gate on those past hurts and turning at the sound of Gina's voice.

"No, you're right on-" The sight of her stole the rest of his sentence.

It was as though the Citadel had suddenly lost gravity and oxygen, as though he was spinning out into space as he watched her moving purposefully towards him; her hips swaying and all that wavy hair bouncing around her face.

How did he always forget how beautiful she was?

Kaidan tried not to gape as his mouth dry, but his brain refused to process more than how incredibly lovely she looked. He shut his mouth with a snap and gave himself a mental shake. He had to do better than this tonight! He was not some naive little Lieutenant meeting her for the first time on the Normandy for chrissakes! He shouldn't be reacting to the sight of Gina in a dress as though someone had hit him over the head with a mallet.

But … what a dress.

The sequins glimmered in the light, and though he wasn't someone who followed fashions, the long sleeved green cocktail dress looked like something which had probably been the height of fashion before the war had started. It showed enough of her thighs to get his blood pumping, and the glimmering colour of the dress highlighted her pale skin, the richness of her red hair, and complimented her eyes. The entire outfit was topped off with simple high heels, and flesh coloured stockings and gloves - to hide her artificial limbs no doubt.

The effect was dazzling.

Forget looking lovely or beautiful, Gina looked stunning.

"No, not late," Kaidan finally managed to say hoarsely as she sauntered up and kissed him on the cheek. "You're right on time."

Gina flashed a slow simmering smile. "Excellent."

She slipped her arm in his and snuggled against him, her biotics crackling faintly in an electric tingle that Kaidan felt right to his core. The sensation was undeniably sexual, and he shivered, exercising his usual rigid control as he ignored the caveman-like desire to hoist Gina over his shoulder and drag her off to the Normandy to have his way with her.

Not tonight.

Tonight was for other things.

His heart sped up at the thought of what he had planned instead, and Kaidan swallowed.

"Shall we?" He asked, gesturing towards the restaurant.

Gina nodded, and Kaidan led the way inside where a fussy salarian waiter took control and steered them towards the table he had booked. The restaurant was charming; private, warm, and full of dark corners with candle-lit tables where two reasonably well-known people such as themselves could snatch a moment of privacy.

Their table was situated close to the back, beside a window that had a stunning view of the Citadel habitat ring. Kaidan didn't pay much attention to the menu, and blindly pointed at the first thing his finger landed on when the waiter appeared to take their orders.

He watched Gina without really being aware of what he was doing, his eyes trailing over features which, sometimes, he still couldn't quite believe were really back. There were nights when he dreamed about the awful moment when he'd lost her, about the gut-wrenching sense of loss and pain that had screamed through him. About the senseless hate he'd felt for the world, for Joker, for the faceless aliens that had taken her away.

Losing her had broken something in him, though he hadn't faced it at the time. It had broken something that Kaidan hadn't known could break. Every day she'd been gone, he'd tried his hardest to join her without really being aware of what he was doing. The letters KIA had danced along the edges of his mind each time he'd taken a mission. Teasing him with the ghost of a chance that this time he wouldn't come back either. That maybe this mission would be too much and he'd get to join her.

But he hadn't.

He'd lived and lived and lived and lived.

And in the end, so had she.

Kaidan drew a deep breath as his eyes met hers and a jolt of connection, of grounding, shot through him. Getting Gina back again, accepting that the miracle was real, had fixed the gaping wound in his soul, but the fear of losing her again, especially after the reaper virus and how close they'd come, had brought the old fears back to the surface.

He drew in a breath, held it for a beat, then slowly released the air, expelling the momentary anxiety that had welled up. Being afraid didn't mean he had to accept the fear: the past was the past, the future was the future.

Gina was his. He was hers.

And hopefully, hopefully, tonight would make that official.

Nerves assailed Kaidan as Gina's eyes clashed with his again, a bolt of brightest green meeting his honeyed brown. He reached out and took her hand, so used to coolness of her artificial fingers that the texture of the glove surprised him for a moment. But it was only a moment, then he was lost in her eyes once more, so nervous and excited that he barely tasted any of his champagne.

And yet, somehow he felt more grounded in this moment than he'd ever felt in his life.

This was it.

His heart pounded. Thundering as though he were about to charge into battle, as though this were the fight of his life.

But there was no fight, no resistance.

He reached for the ring box with a trembling hand.

"I should have done this a long time ago," he broke the silence without warning and squeezed her hand gently; feeling the pulse of her biotics against his skin.

She smiled, and there was a kaleidoscope of emotions in her eyes, flashing and wheeling past so fast he couldn't read them all, but chief amongst them all burned love.

"I loved you from almost the first moment I met you, you know." Kaidan continued after drawing a breath. "I mean, I think you know how I felt. I wasn't very good at hiding it."

Gina laughed softly, her eyes twinkling as she took a sip of the bubbling champagne. "You weren't, but I felt the same."

"It was fate," he said confidently, his nerves fading as she grinned and nodded. "I'm not sure if I should thank the geth for bringing us together, but I can't imagine my life without you."

She chuckled and squeezed his hand. "Me either."

He slid off his chair, his chest tight as he pulled the small velvet box from his pocket, his hands solid, sure, not fumbling at the catch like he'd dreaded they would as he opened it.

It really was easy, he thought. Not like fighting a battle. Not like charging into war. It was easy, like breathing.

Kaidan looked up again, a slow smile spreading across his mouth as he gazed up into the face of the woman he loved.

"Gina Shepard," his heart skipped a beat as she froze, her lips parting in surprise. "Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Kaidan swallowed as he opened the box and held up the ring, an antique gold and emerald ring he'd found in a shop on Earth years ago, with a stone the same colour as Gina's eyes. He'd bought it knowing that it was meant for her. He took another deep breath when she didn't answer. "Will you marry me?"

Gina gazed down at the ring soundlessly, one hand covering her mouth as though to hold in her breath, then her eyes darted from the ring to his face and then finally, after what felt like an eternity, or maybe two, she nodded quickly and burst into tears. The next thing Kaidan knew she was in his arms, her face pressed tearfully into his neck.

"Yes," she mumbled in a voice thick with emotion, "Of course it's a yes!"

Kaidan could only grin as she wrapped herself around him, clinging with all her might. He tangled a hand in her hair, tipping her head back so he could kiss her, relief and hunger pouring through him as their lips met again and again. He forgot the restaurant, forgot the window with the beautiful view, he even forgot the fussy salarian waiter hovering nearby ... until the dark eyed alien cleared his throat pointedly and pulled them back to reality.

Laughing, they broke apart, and Kaidan helped Gina to her feet, settling her back into her chair and using any excuse to touch her; to touch his fiance. The waiter sighed, clearly annoyed, and cleared his throat again to get their attention. Kaidan sat back down and turned to face him, expecting to see a plate of food in his hands, perhaps an entree which he couldn't remember ordering.

But there was no entree, there was no plate at all, instead the salarian simply gazed down at them with a look of intense annoyance on his face and flicked his fingers towards a figure standing half-obscured behind him.

"This individual insisted on being allowed to speak to you," He looked as though he had tasted something sour. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Kaidan started to apologise, started to say it was probably Alliance business, when he caught sight of the figure who has been standing behind the waiter and his voice dried up. The bubbling happiness he had felt moments before evaporated and with a wild eyed stare, he jerked his gaze from the figure, to Gina, and then back again, unable to believe what he was seeing.

They were… identical. Not similar in the way that twins or sisters might be, but identical. His eyes slid over identical red hair, green eyes, and pale skin. Every detail of the stranger was a perfect match for Gina, and right now she was staring at him in much the same way that Gina had on Horizon; as though she knew him and hadn't seen him in years.

"Kaidan…" her voice was soft, like Gina's but … different. He couldn't place it, but there was something in her tone that set her apart from his Gina.

A shiver worked its way down his spine, and without thinking, he got to his feet. "What … is this?"

His question came out strangled, and a long way from the calm and in-control question he had been intending to ask.

"Please, I need your help." The woman moved closer, and with a clatter Gina sprung to her feet, facing the doppelganger with an expression that was something close to terror. The clone blinked as though seeing her for the first time, and then swallowed and held out a hand. "I'm sorry, I know this must be strange, but I need-"

"That's close enough." Kaidan stepped between them, his biotics flaring in warning. The woman nodded quickly and stopped short, her eyes widening. He frowned at her. "Who are you?"

The question sounded cold, distant, and the figure flinched at his words.

Gina made an angry sound. "Isn't it obvious? She's some kind of Cerberus… thing. This is sick, even for them."

"No! I'm not your enemy! I'm just … " she drew in a breath, closed her eyes as though gathering her strength, and then spoke quickly, "You're right, Cerberus made me, but I'm not here to hurt you." Her eyes moved between the two of them. "I know how this must look, but I can explain everything. Just not here; Cerberus is after me and they're going to work out where I've gone sooner or later."

"Gina?" Kaidan glanced towards her and then back on the clone. "This is your call."

She let out a slow breath and stepped up beside him, her face tight and unreadable. "I don't trust Cerberus, but I want to know what the fuck is going on. We'll take her back to Anderson's apartment until we can figure out what why in the hell Cerberus has a...a…"

"Clone?" The double supplied, and she cast a nervous glance behind her. "That's what I am. A clone. I really will tell you everything, but I need help."

"Fine." Kaidan lightly touched Gina on the back, the horrible tension radiating from her dissolving the last of the lingering happiness he had felt at their engagement.

The shore leave, he gathered, was over.

They left the restaurant together, the clone pulling on a hooded cloak that looked like something a black ops spy might have warm. It was only when they got home that he realised Gina was staring still at the clone, that she hadn't stopped staring the whole way back, and that she was focused on one particular thing: her hands

He frowned in confusion ... and then realisation hit him and his heart sank.

The clone had hands. Real hands. No artificial limbs or glittering wires, but limbs of flesh and blood. And for Gina, who had only ever seen her cybernetic parts as a symbol for the loss of her humanity, it would make the clone seem more human than she was.

Their gazes clashed, and he saw a flash of bitterness and fear in those green depths before she tore her eyes away. He wanted to reach out, to hold Gina close and tell her everything would be okay ... but one thought held him firmly in place. A thought built of his own private nightmares and secret insecurities as it whispered through his mind.

It's what you always feared, the thought clung like cobwebs inside his head, that Cerberus cloned her, that Gina died and never really survived. He tried to shake the thought away, but it clung, sticking to his brain as he watched Gina walk the clone inside of the apartment.

Maybe you were right, the voice insisted. Maybe Gina really did die.

Maybe … they're both clones.

A/N - Oh no, oh Kaidan. Will the clone spell disaster for them? Is she really the victim she seems to be? :D I can't wait to write more! I hope you guys enjoyed this - let me know and say hi so I know you're still reading.