I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.


Waiting On An Answer

David walked down into his and Jack's space under the floor, only to raise an eyebrow as he saw Jack had moved. She was sitting on a storage crate off to one side, near the wall separating them from the drive core. He opened his mouth to ask what she was doing but she held a finger to her lips, beckoning him over. he walked over to join her and she pulled him down onto the crate beside her just as Tali's voice registered in his ears, just barely audible.

"Something's going on," Jack whispered. "I think she's in trouble or something."

David raised his arm, his omni-tool appearing before he typed for a moment on it, the omni-tool amplifying Tali's voice, though not loud enough for anyone other than them to notice.

"-idea why you're accusing you?" Shepard was asking, Jack and David sharing a confused look.

"None," Tali said. "The specifics of charges like this are rarely discussed on open channels. I won't know any more until I get to the Flotilla."

"How often is someone from the Fleet charged with Treason?" Shepard asked, Jack and David glancing at each other in surprise.

"It's rare," Tali said. "It must be something that affects the entire Flotilla, not just one ship. The most recent one was Anora'Vanya vas Selani, an engineer who handed over Fleet defense schematics to the Batarians. She had good intentions. The Batarians were contracted to upgrade our systems. But they passed the defense schematics to a pirate gang."

"Was she convicted?" Shepard asked.

"No," Tali said. "She made a suicide run on the pirate gang. She destroyed them before they could attack the Fleet. She was pardoned...posthumously. Let's hope I don't have to prove my innocence that way."

"There's no way Shepard would allow that," David said quietly. "Right?"

Jack shrugged. "Depends on whether or not he wants her on the crew."

David was about to respond when Shepard spoke again.

"Okay, let's go find the Flotilla," Shepard said.

"I was going to book passage on another ship," Tali said. "I didn't think there would be time for you to help. Thank you Shepard."

"Of course there's time for me to help, Tali," Shepard said. "I'll always make time for you."

David raised an eyebrow at Jack, who was moving one finger on her right hand in and out of a circle made by her thumb and index finger on the other hand. He restrained a laugh, shaking his head.

"U-Um...I'll...program the Normandy with the Flotilla's current location," Tali was saying, obviously flustered after what Shepard said, or maybe something he did that they couldn't see. "The Admirals will be waiting for us."

David deactivated his omni-tool, shaking his head. "I think our Commander might have a crush."

"You don't say," Jack snorted.

David sat down over where they had been, noticing all of the datapads were cleared out of the way. He sighed, staring at the floor. He wasn't really sure what to do with himself. After a moment, Jack sat beside him, watching him curiously.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked.

"Right now, I'm trying to decide what to do," David said, leaning back against a strut. "I just finished working out with both Jacob and Thane, my guns are about as good as they're going to be any time soon."

"Well, we could have a drinking competition," Jack suggested.

David grimaced. "I think I'm done drinking for a while. Besides, I think that would probably be a bad idea for a few reasons. Mostly because I'm not sure I'd be able to keep myself under control."

Jack's gaze fell to the floor and she nodded. "Well, I could always tell you about more of my tattoos. You seemed to enjoy those stories."

David nodded, smiling. "Sure. If you don't mind, I'd love to hear about it."

Jack nodded, a small smile adorning her lips as she looked down, deciding which tattoo to start with.


David laughed as Kasumi finished one of her funnier stories about her life as a thief, namely one about replacing a priceless object with a dildo, just to mess with the guy she was stealing from. Jack laughed as well, nodding.

"Alright, I'll admit, that's not a bad trick," Jack said, thinking. "I think the funniest thing you guys would actually see the humor in was...me and a gang I was running with were about to make our move on a ship we were robbing. One filled with rich people, except with some decent security. We had it all planned out and were about to take the security down with no casualties, and then one of the dumbasses farted and alerted the security guard that he was sneaking up on him. The security guard got a shot off before he died, and we ended up losing about half of us in the fight."

David shook his head. "Of all the things to go wrong."

"No kidding," Jack nodded.

"Oh, I've got it!" Kasumi said. "There was the time with the glue."

"Oh, this aughta be good," Jack grinned.


David lay down, yawning, only for his eyes to widen as Jack sat beside him.

"Do you mind?" Jack asked.

David shook his head, moving his arm out of the way and Jack lay down, resting her head on his shoulder, one hand resting on his bare chest. He had gone without his shirt because it was too hot with it on, but as they lay there, Jack's fingers traced a scar on his chest, one of the few left from the Collector Ship. After a couple minutes, David's free hand moved up, catching hers and holding it from the outside. Jack's fingers closed around his and she smiled slightly.

"You've saved me twice, you know," Jack said. "Thank you for being so patient. I...I know you're waiting for me to come up with an answer still. I just...want to be sure. I've never...I don't know if I really..."

"I know," David said, giving her hand a light squeeze while tightening his other hand around her. "Take as long as you need, Jack. Like I said, I'll always be with you, so there's no rush."

"You can't make that promise," Jack said. "We might both die when we go through that relay after the Collectors. You can't promise me that you'll always be there."

"But I do," David said. "I swear to you. I will be by your side for as long as you'll let me stay."

Jack stared at him, eyes watering, before tucking her face into his chest. "Dammit. I hate it when you do that. I hate it when you make me cry like some weak pussy."

"You're not weak for crying, Jack," David said. "You're just human."

Jack ducked her head further and he smiled, squeezing her gently before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


"Are you sure you want me for this?" David asked. "I can understand Tali going, but...me? I mean...it's a derelict Reaper. Shouldn't you take one of the powerhouses, like Grunt, Jack, or Miranda?"

"Your skill with tech makes you a powerhouse," Shepard said. "And besides that, aside from Pragia, you haven't been on a mission since the Collector ship. It's time to see if that training Thane and Jacob have been putting you through has been worth it."

David groaned but nodded. "Alright."

Shepard nodded and left, David heading to the armory. As he finished putting his armor on, Jack stepped into the room.

"You're going?" Jack asked. "But it's a derelict Reaper! Shouldn't he take one of the powerhouses?"

"I made the same argument, but he was certain what he wanted," David said, sighing. "I should probably go."

"Already?" Jack asked. "What, no goodbye if I hadn't found you?"

"I was going to stop on the way," David said. "But then you came up here instead."

Jack nodded, staring at the ground for a moment before hugging him. "Please be careful."

"I will," David said. "I promise, I'll see you again in a couple hours at most."

"I'll hold you to that," Jack said, reaching forward and kissing him on the cheek. "Good luck."

"Thanks," David smiled, grabbing his guns.

"David," Jack said as he was about to leave, making him look back at her. "I'll have an answer for you after the mission."

David nodded, smiling. "Then there's no way I'll die on this one."

Jack smiled and nodded, and David left the armory, heading to the airlock.


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