Thanks to all of you for reading. Special thanks to Oleander's One for guidance and general hand-holding.
There was a formal party held in Ambassador Udina's quarters to celebrate humanity finally achieving a place on the Council. The Ambassador's smile as he greeted arriving guests had a bit of a sour tone, since he had fully expected to also be celebrating his own appointment to that Council seat, and the Council had instead gone with Shepard's recommendation and chosen Captain Anderson. In Kaidan's opinion, Anderson was a bit more military and less political than the Council representative should be … but like Shepard, he couldn't forget the way Udina had turned on them and locked down the Normandy just when they had needed his support the most. He didn't blame her for not being willing to recommend the Ambassador.
He accompanied her to the party as her second-in-command, and maintained a proper distance at all times. They still hadn't determined how open to be about their relationship with one another, even though apparently it was already common knowledge. There was a difference between everyone knowing and flaunting it, though, and Shepard preferred to stay on the conservative side of that line in public. They had fully cemented their relationship, Kaidan felt, over the course of the past several nights together—the first of which had been spent just sleeping. Or, Shepard had slept, and Kaidan had lain there in the dark and watched her, the way her face changed as she relaxed into sleep and the softness that emerged in her. It was a whole new woman he had seen in the quiet depths of the night, and he knew that woman was hidden thoroughly away from everyone but him. He wondered if even Shepard herself got to see her the way he saw her.
When the schmoozing was done, Shepard gave him a nod and they made their exits—Kaidan's unobtrusive, Shepard's slowed down significantly by all the people who wanted to congratulate her, sell her something, enlist her help, or try to get her on their side in some dispute.
"The downside of being the savior of the Citadel. And the Council," she said wryly as she finally joined him outside the Ambassador's chamber.
"And the galaxy," Kaidan added.
"That's an exaggeration." She frowned. "At least, as long as the rest of the Reapers remain on the other side of the relays."
"You'll figure something out."
"Or, you know, maybe the rest of the galaxy could put their heads together and figure something out." Shepard gave a small smile. "I can't say that I enjoy that part of being the 'savior of the galaxy', if you insist, either, the part where everyone just assumes I'm going to keep on saving it."
"Aren't you?"
"Well, yes, but they don't have to assume it."
Kaiden grinned at her. "You know that doesn't make any sense."
"It makes a kind of sense," she argued. "At the very least everyone could pretend that someone else was going to be willing to step up and get things done."
They got in the elevator down to C-Sec. The elevator music had been mostly repaired, but the melody was still broken by static every once in a while. Kaidan and Shepard rode mostly in silence, exchanging a few remarks about the party guests but nothing substantive, and the same went for the trip back up the elevator to the docking bay.
Once they were back on board the Normandy, the atmosphere changed entirely. This was the private party, thrown at Shepard's expense for the crew who had stood by her so loyally. There was food and drink for everyone, and Kaidan began to relax in the familiar comfort of the Normandy.
It appeared that Shepard's next official mission, if one could consider a Spectre mission official, would be to hunt down geth cells, and most of the Normandy's regular Alliance crew would be staying with the ship. That included Dr. Chakwas, who, true to form, corralled Kaidan to look at his eyes and determine if he was truly recovered from the migraine that had taken him after the battle, and Joker, who was feted by Shepard as the guest of honor after his incredible feat not only in stealing the Normandy and piloting her across the galaxy without getting caught, but also in bringing her back in time to save the Council and, indeed, the Citadel itself from Sovereign.
Shepard's personal team were on board for this one last mission before they were to go their separate ways. Liara stood off by herself as though she were already on her way, cradling a drink, watching the proceedings quietly. Shepard spoke to her briefly, their heads together as they talked. Kaidan felt a stab of jealousy—Shepard had told him long ago that she felt a draw toward the asari, but that that was as far as it had ever gone, and he believed her, but seeing them together, bodies turning toward one another … and Liara would be at loose ends after the mission. With the exploration Shepard had made of Ilos, the discussion with the Prothean AI, the things they had learned, there wasn't a lot left for Liara to do. More details to find, yes, but Kaidan got the impression that Liara had intended to be the one to crack the code and find the answers, and now that avenue was closed to her because Shepard already had the answers—and she couldn't spend a lifetime studying what lay inside Shepard's mind. Much as she might have wanted to.
Shepard walked away, leaving Liara looking glumly down into her drink. Whatever the upshot of their conversation, she wasn't happy with it. After a few moments, she left the mess entirely, heading for her own quarters.
Tali and Garrus were playing a noisy game in the corner, and Shepard went over to watch them, cheering for Tali, who had an edge on Garrus already. Kaidan joined them, adding his voice to encourage Garrus. The turian didn't have a chance against Tali, who was a master at any type of mechanics, including games, but he was holding his own better than most could.
The game ended with Tali the clear winner, chortling to herself as Garrus paid up, pretending to be disgruntled. He and Tali actually got along quite well.
Tali sighed, looking around the room. "I will miss this."
"When do you leave to return to the fleet?" Shepard asked.
"I have leave until after this mission, but there is pressure for me to return and help analyze the data on the geth you gave me."
"I hope it's useful to you."
"I hope so, too. If it can help regain our homeworld …" Even through the mask she wore Kaidan could see the bright dreaminess of Tali's eyes as she thought of it. While he had thought she might stay on permanently, working on the Normandy and fighting at Shepard's side, it was clear her first love was her people and always would be.
"You sticking around for a while, Garrus?" he asked.
The turian shrugged. "Hard to say. We'll have to see what opportunities present themselves."
"I hope you'll stay. Your place is open as long as you want it," Shepard told him.
"I know. And I appreciate it." Garrus's eyes warmed slightly. "But even your leadership may be too much restriction for me. I'm thinking maybe I'd like to be a merc." He glanced across the room at Wrex. "Think he'd take me on?"
"Not a chance!" Wrex roared. He came toward them, leaving behind the group of crew members who had been hanging on another story of his adventures. Wrex was by far the most colorful character on the Normandy. "You think I'd get anywhere with a millstone like you around my neck?"
"Millstone?" Garrus retorted. "I'll have you know I'm—"
"Yeah, yeah, the best shot in six galaxies. We've all heard it already." Wrex grinned—or at least, Kaidan thought he did. Krogan anatomy made it hard to tell. "Anyway, after this I'm done being a merc."
"What?" Shepard turned to him, her eyebrows flying up. "Are you—?"
"Yeah." He almost looked sheepish now. "I'm thinkin' maybe I'll go home, take a stab at leading my people. And I do mean stab."
"Sounds like they could use you."
"Hope so. Meantime, let's drink!" He raised his glass, clearly uncomfortable as the focus of conversation, and the rest of them followed suit.
Joker raised a glass from his seat at a table nearby. "We drinking to the Normandy, best ship in the firmament?"
"Something like that. Maybe to the best pilot, too," Shepard said, smiling warmly at him. "Glad to have you at the controls, Joker."
"Just try to pry me away."
Kaidan was glad at least one member of the team was staying aboard more or less permanently—along with Dr. Chakwas and a number of the soldiers.
The party went on for several hours, people disappearing one or two at a time back to their quarters. Shepard looked the other way when some went off together, winking at Kaidan as she did so. He felt a warmth spreading through him, knowing what was to come tonight. He could hardly wait to get her alone. With that in mind, he kept his drinking to a minimum, wanting to be clear-headed and able to remember the night.
By the time the door of her quarters slid shut behind them, he was more than ready to touch her, hungering for the press of her body against his. He drew her into his arms immediately, kissing her fiercely.
"Kaidan," she whispered, tilting her head back as his lips moved down the column of her neck.
"Juniper." He was working at the top of her uniform now, impatient to see her bare in front of him. She helped him, both of them awkward in their haste. At last their clothes lay scattered around the room and they lay naked together in the bed, hands roaming freely. Shepard's hair was down, spread around her face on the pillow, and Kaidan nuzzled the dark strands as his hand parted her legs, finding the heat between them, stroking and caressing.
Shepard's hips rose off the bed, her hands clutching at his shoulders, her breath coming heavier and faster as his movements sped up. "Hurry."
He was half-tempted to slow down, to tease her a little, but she pushed at him, rolling him onto his back, and once her strong, firm body was climbing atop his, he was no longer tempted to hold back. Instead he lifted his own hips, meeting her as she came down, the heat of her enveloping him. He groaned her name as she began to move, rising and falling in an increasingly erratic pace, too close to take it slowly.
Shepard cried out, throwing her head back, clenching her muscles around him, and that sent him over the edge, groaning at the suddenness of the pleasure that flooded him.
She slid off him, tucking her head against his shoulder, and he turned his head to kiss her temple. "Seems hard to believe we're really here," Shepard said after a long time.
Kaidan nodded. "And with a new adventure just over the horizon."
She pushed herself up on an elbow, looking at him. "As long as we're doing it together."
He smiled. "We are."
"Good."