A/N: Remember that time Lexi went missing...? :P

Sara strode anxiously into Vortex, the club that had popped up almost immediately after the Uprising on the Nexus and had been an instant hit with the newly awakened colonists, and glanced around herself, searching for a familiar face. Techno music played from hidden speakers, relatively quiet at this time of day but still loud enough for her to need to raise her voice should she wish to be heard. Only a handful of tables were occupied which made spotting Lexi easy. Sara felt relief flood through her, the knot in her chest loosening, and released a breath. She hadn't expected to find Lexi here but it was the only place that made sense after exhausting all other options.

Lexi sat alone, away from the other patrons, nursing a bottle of alcohol and a half-empty glass at a table in a booth in one corner of the club. She hadn't seen Sara yet, and didn't look likely to notice the Pathfinder any time soon. The asari sat staring morosely at the tabletop, oblivious to her surroundings. How long had she been here? She had been missing for over an hour now, had she spent that whole time in Vortex drinking? Alone? Sara felt a pang of guilt. Someone should have noticed that Lexi was hurting. She should have noticed. Lexi was a member of her crew, it was her duty to care for each and every one of them.

Sara took a moment to wipe away the worry on her face, replace it with nonchalance, then finally made her way across the room to her wayward doctor.

"There you are!" She said overly cheerfully. "Looking for the meaning of life?" She tipped her head, motioning to the near-empty bottle of wine on the tabletop.

Lexi threw a poker face her way. "At the bottom of a bottle?" She asked slowly, words slurring. Sara shrugged her shoulders and dropped into the booth, sitting opposite Lexi with a sigh.

"I don't know, it's a pretty popular place to look," she quipped. Lexi continued to stare her down miserably. Sara let her glare for a moment, her own gaze uncharacteristically soft as she allowed her concern to show. "You shouldn't just skip out like that, you know? Everyone was worried."

Lexi gave a derisive snort, clearly not believing that. "As you see, I'm fine." She said stiffly, looking away from Sara, across the near-empty room.

"Uh huh?" Sara replied sceptically. Lexi's eyes narrowed angrily, snapped up to meet Sara's.

"What?" She demanded sharply. "I can't kick back? Have fun?"

"Woah!" Sara held her hands up in surrender. "Hey, sorry, I meant no offence. You just…" She hesitated.

"Just what?" Lexi challenged.

Sara paused awkwardly, not sure how to continue. She was making an absolute mess of this. She should have called Suvi…out of all of the Tempest crew, their softly spoken science officer was probably best suited to talking Lexi out of her mood. But it was too late for that now. In the end, Sara settled with speaking the truth, "you don't seem like you're having fun." She leaned forwards, resting her forearms on the table, brow knit with concern. She had never seen Lexi like this before. Lost, bitter, drunk.

Lexi dropped her gaze to huff out a disappointed sigh. "I grew up on Omega," she said softly. Sara barely heard her over the music playing over the sound system "You'd think I'd know how to drink."

Sara cracked a half smile. "I'm sure you can still drink me under the table. Now," she ducked her head to catch Lexi's gaze, "what's this really about?"

Lexi kept eye contact for only a moment before looking down at the table again. Sara could see she was struggling to find her words, not wanting to admit to the problem. "Peebee thinks I don't care about the crew," she admitted finally. "That you're all just experiments to me. Do you…?" She stopped awkwardly, then looked up to meet Sara's eyes again, her own creased with worry. Worry that she wouldn't like the answer to the question she wanted to ask. "Is that how you think I see you?"

Sara was baffled. "Since when do you care what Peebee thinks?" She blurted.

"It's not the first time someone told me that," Lexi said grimly. "In fact, every one of my exes said something similar. And that's not an answer."

"You wouldn't be moping in this bar if you only saw us all as experiments," Sara pointed out.

Lexi scowled. "I don't mope."

Sara hid a smile at Lexi's tone. "And you wouldn't organize all those group dinners."

Lexi's shoulders slumped and she lowered her eyes once again, definitely moping. "You mean the ones no one shows up to? Like the bulletins no one reads?"

"Ah."

Lexi's head snapped up, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Ah? What's 'ah'?"

Sara leaned forwards, believing she had zeroed in on the second part of the issue. "Do you feel underappreciated by us?"

"Don't psych me, Ryder, I'm the doctor here," Lexi warned her tersely.

Sara sat back and nodded seriously. "Of course."

Lexi ran one fingertip down the length of her glass, chasing condensation. "I suppose it's entirely possible I feel a bit like I don't belong," she finally admitted. "Part of that is my efforts being dismissed. Part of it is a worry that Peebee's…issues with me are shared by the crew," her eyes flicked up to meet Sara's warily. "I don't think you're all experiments."

"I know you don't," Sara told her gently, reaching across the table with both hands to clasp one of Lexi's. "And we appreciate you. I mean, who else is gonna scold me for getting into some dumb situation while she patches me up again?" Sara raised one eyebrow, giving Lexi a sloped grin. "Huh?"

Lexi rolled her eyes good naturedly. "You enjoy putting me through that, don't you?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of that statement," Sara replied with a cheeky grin.

Lexi couldn't help laughing.

"So, are you going to share your wine or hog it?" Sara asked playfully. Lexi chuckled and pushed her glass and bottle across the table towards the Pathfinder.

"Help yourself, I think I've had enough already."

Sara shook her head and nudged it back. "Save it for another time," she said. "I was just joking. Wine's too classy for me," she flashed a grin and Lexi responded with a small smile. "Come on, let's get you back to the ship." Sara leaned back in her seat, preparing to stand but waiting for Lexi to move first.

"Are you escorting me, Pathfinder?" Lexi asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't know, think I'll have to?" Sara teased with her cocky sloped smirk.

"I can walk just fine," Lexi replied. "Just…" She looked away, embarrassed. "Perhaps we should wait until I feel a bit more sober. I don't want the crew seeing me like this."

"Of course," Sara replied. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

"I'd like that," Lexi said, getting to her feet. True to her word she was steady enough. Sara stood and picked up the bottle of wine. "And Ryder? Thank you."

Sara looked sideways at her in confusion as they made their way across the club towards the exit. "For what?"

"Coming to find me," Lexi said, looking away. "For talking."

Sara grinned and playfully bumped their shoulders as they stepped outside, leaving the music and the heavy smell of alcohol for the bustle and cool air of the arrivals hall. "Any time," she said, leading Lexi away from where the Tempest was docked and heading deeper into the Nexus. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Lexi smiled. "Right."