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With Kaidan taken care of for the moment, and word from Liara that the Council wouldn't see her until later in the day, Shepard had a moment for herself—and she took it, heading straight up to the resident wing of Huerta Memorial to hunt Thane down under his assumed name.

The nurses hadn't wanted to give her the information, so she pulled out her Spectre status, glad to see it was still useful, and in a few moments was knocking on the door, her heart hammering in her chest. She had been so afraid, so very afraid, that her near-endless incarceration on Earth would keep her from ever seeing him again, and even now, she didn't know if it was too late, if he was all right or if he was at death's door.

Every second that ticked by between her knock and the door beginning to open seemed like an eternity.

And then he was there in front of her, gloriously himself, no change that she could see.

"Thane!"

There was a moment where his face was blank, as he tried to place this visitor calling him by his real name, and then it filled with joy and disbelief. "Siha?"

She waited until he opened his arms to fit herself within them, not wanting to overwhelm him. He felt the same as always, as wiry and strong as he had the last time she had been with him. "I missed you so much. I was afraid—"

"I, too, when I heard the news from Earth. How did you get away?"

"How else? Joker flew the Normandy in and saved the day."

"Amonkira be thanked." He cupped her face in his hands, looking her over. "You are not hurt?"

"No. Not a scratch." She thought of Kaidan, feeling guilty that she had forgotten the seriousness of his injuries, even for a moment. "One of my crewmembers, though—we stopped on Mars, and there was this Cerberus robot … He's in serious condition."

"Which one? I will watch out for him while you are gone."

"Who says I'm going anywhere?"

"Siha. Why else are you here? You have been sent to gather help from the Council for Earth, against the Reapers. And the Council will use you to further your own ends, not yet convinced that the danger is real. You will end in criss-crossing the galaxy, yet again."

Shepard smiled. How well he knew her. "Probably," she admitted. "So if you can keep an eye on Kaidan, I would appreciate it."

"Kaidan?"

"Yes, that Kaidan. He's—he almost died, Thane. I hate it when my crew is injured."

"I know you do."

His hand was gentle on her face, and she leaned into the remembered touch. Her memory tricks had helped, sharpening her recollections of their time together, but she was no drell, and the clearest memory was no substitute for the real thing.

"Thane?"

He knew what she was asking, and with a smile punched the button to lock the door of his quarters. "I have dreamed of this."

"So have I. So many times." She kissed him, hungrily, feeling the answering urgency in the way his arms pulled her close, the clutch of his hands in the fabric of her fatigues.

Thane drew away, breathing heavily, and she felt a stab of alarm.

"This is okay, right? You're okay?"

"Yes. More than okay enough." To prove it, he kissed her again, his hands moving to fumble with her clothes, fingers sliding along her bared skin. Shepard caught her breath in a moan at the sensation.

Thane tugged her toward the bed, each of them shedding clothes as they went, and they fell together onto the narrow mattress, touching, kissing, caressing, rediscovering all the remembered sensations, until the need was too great to wait any longer. They moved together, holding each other tight as the pleasure peaked and ebbed.

They lay next to one another, smiling foolish smiles.

"When must you leave?" he asked at last.

"I see the Council later today. The Normandy left Earth in the midst of being refit, so it's being supplied as we speak, but that will take some time. We were lucky we had enough fuel to make it here. So it will be at least tomorrow before we can go anywhere." She shook her head. "Not that I have any idea where the Council will send me first. I wish it would be as simple as 'yes, of course, we'll give you our fleets against the Reapers', but … Earth will have to hold out for a while. And other planets will be attacked in the meantime. I—it's hard to know that so many people will die because I couldn't convince the galaxy that the threat was coming."

"You are only one person, and you did everything you could."

"I wish that was as comforting as it sounds."

Thane nodded, understanding.

Shepard got up, searching for her fallen clothes. "So I'll be back for dinner. Maybe with Kolyat?"

"I think, this time, I would like to have you to myself. Next time …"

She was glad he was talking in terms of a next time, having been worried she would find him downcast and ready to shed this life and hasten across the sea. "Next time," she agreed.