It felt like her body was burning, Uncontrollable, the blue haze of her biotics glowed at her fingertips. Ryder's muscles were taught, her fists clenched, nails cutting into her palms.

"All this time you've been lying to me!"

It all made sense now. Investigating the Roekaar murders, the advice he gave her about Sloane, why Reyes had been missing when she reached Tartarus that morning. All the seduction and the half-truths had led to this. Incensed, she glared at him, her intense blue eyes glowing like the hottest part of a flame.

"Not about everything. You know who I really am."

It meant nothing. Less than nothing.

Ryder could hardly focus as Sloane and Reyes eyed each other, wolves fighting over a carcass, the carcass being Kadara port. It felt as though time was moving past her, leaving Ryder a statue, frozen, encased in shock. As the pair discussed a duel she interjected, "You want to avoid war by shooting at each other?"

"Two people shooting each other is better than a lot of people shooting at each other."

"I'll take those terms."

They began circling. Feeling useless, Ryder stepped backwards. She wasn't sure what her role was supposed to be. She had given Sloane her word she would watch her back, yet every time they had spoken previously, her every syllable had dripped with derision and contempt for the Pathfinder, the Initiative, and everything she stood for. On the other hand, Reyes had lied and manipulated her so easily that she was finding it difficult to discern whether any of his actions were sincere.

"Not everything is about credits."

"That's true."

Reyes, the Charlatan, moved so he was parallel to her and Sloane. A metallic glint caught Ryder's eye. She realised it was a sniper before SAM alerted her, her eyes widening in surprise. Instinctively, Ryder opened her mouth to call out to Sloane, her limbs were primed to push her aside, to protect her. It was the right thing to do, as natural to her as breathing. But something held her back. A small, reprehensible, desperate thought; if she saved Sloane, then there would be nothing to stop her gunning down Reyes. Unbidden, her mind took her back to the Kadara rooftop where they had sat seven days ago, the expression on his face when he had thought she couldn't see him. Not charming, not deceitful, not the Charlatan. That small glimmer of something genuine, good in him, was that enough to sentence someone else to a certain death? If today had proved anything it was that she hardly knew him, so why did the image of him on the ground, gasping for breath, bleeding profusely make her chest contract so painfully? In the end it didn't matter, she did not have time to settle on the right course of action. Her hesitation proved fatal for Sloane, and Ryder watched passively as the Outcast leader fell into the dirt after the bullet pierced into her armour and through her heart.

"Bang," Reyes stood over Sloane's body, regarding her dispassionately before he blew on the tips of his fingers like they were the barrel of a gun.

Ryder stared, transfixed by the utter blankness in his eyes before turning to look down at Sloane's body. She looked smaller somehow. Reyes began shouting orders as a dozen or so Collective members scuttled out of their hidden positions around the cave. One of them nearly knocked into her in their haste as they scuttled past, but it was only when Vetra's firm fingers enclosed her arm that Ryder came to her senses.

"Are you okay, Ryder?" the turian asked, her perceptive gaze trained on her.

Ryder glanced first at Vetra then Cora. Se had almost forgotten they were there.

"I'll meet you back at the Tempest."

Cora stepped towards her, speaking loud enough that others around could hear, "Absolutely not, we'll wait for you at the mouth of the cave."

They exchanged a look that said more than words could; admonishment, support, caution. Then Ryder turned to follow Reyes, who was looking in her direction as though waiting for her. She fell into step with him as he passed through a tunnel into a separate part of the cave. For a moment she chose not to look at him, focusing her gaze instead on his shadow on the wall.

"Guess you got everything you wanted," Ryder muttered, the bitterness she felt apparent in the tartness of her words.

"What I want is peace. Sloane would've brought war to Heleus. We don't have the population to survive that."

His answer was immediate, simple, emotionless.

"Peace? You expect me to believe that was your motivator?" Ryder replied, sceptically, as a sour taste burnt at her mouth. They were alone now. This part of the cave opened out, high above the badlands. Wind whistled through the crags in the rock. "Why didn't you trust me?"

Ahead of her, Reyes stopped walking. Every movement he had made and word he had uttered since he had revealed himself appeared carefully assured, certain. Now it was as though he was hesitant to look at her, like a little boy that had been caught watching vids late into the night. He turned and a ray of light from a crack on the ceiling above him shone onto his face.

"I liked the way you looked at me. I was afraid that would change."

Although his face was held taut, the expression in his eyes was soft, far softer than usual.

"I can't imagine you being afraid," she replied, an edge to her voice. Before he could speak she moved towards the exposed part of the cave, standing at the cliff's edge and looking out at the dry, arid land, the steep, impossible bluffs and peaks. There was something beautiful about the harsh environment, untamable yet so full of potential. It was far easier to focus on this than her present company. She didn't want to look Reyes in the eyes, if there was more deception there she didn't trust herself not to throw him over the edge.

"You don't believe me?"

Footsteps confirmed he was moving towards her, and she span around to face him, "I knew you were a shady bastard but I never expected this... I trusted you."

He stopped centimetres away from her. A single strand of raven black hair had fallen from its careful parting, an accidental but attractive addition as it invited being swept back into place. Involuntarily, her eyes travelled over his face as she took him in in a way she had been avoiding since his true identity was revealed. Beneath strong cheekbones his lips curved as though he was perpetually considering doing something mischievous, his bottom lip slightly fuller than the top and achingly biteable. The long slope of his nose was almost perfectly, annoyingly straight, separating eyes with honeyed depths that glinted with the everpresent promise of something more. Her pulse quickened, and she could almost feel herself relenting. It was as though this man had been made to test her. But this made his betrayal burn all the more.

"Ryder…"

"The party, the emails, the flirting, all just so you could get to Sloane," she snapped, "anything to give you an edge over her. You used me."

"Ryder, Sara, that's not true…

It was the first time he had called her by her first name. Ryder could think of a thousand different situations that would have been better moments than this one. At least 7 of those situations currently involved Reyes slowly being eaten by an eiroch, but an alarming number still involved scenarios that would make her blush if she allowed herself to focus on them.

"I may have been misleading you about my identity, about my intentions for looking into the murders. I didn't say it was about undermining Sloane. But with my intentions towards you, it was different."

Reyes reached out to grab her arm. Without warning, her biotic barriers flared up instinctively and his arm recoiled as though he had been given a static shock. He winced, clutching at his hand momentarily, grunting in pain.

She ignored him, anger burning through her hotter than the Kadaran sun, "How can you expect me to believe you? That you can't still gain from this? I'm sure a Pathfinder's leverage is worth a lot on Kadara."

She knew immediately that she had struck a nerve. He turned away, talking a few steps towards the tunnel through which they had come. For a restless moment, she thought he was going to leave. He stopped, shoulders rigid, his reply coming through gritted teeth, "That's low, Pathfinder."

Ryder took a breath, trying to calm herself. For some reason, it felt easier talking to him whilst his back was turned.

"Look, I let Sloane die because of you. It goes against everything that I am supposed to be as a Pathfinder…"

Reyes turned around. His dark eyebrows were knitted together but his words were slow, steady, "You hated Sloane."

"That doesn't matter, I said I would protect her," Ryder was twisting her fingers into knots and looked down at them rather than facing the indignation in his face.

"I don't regret killing her, and I'm certainly not going to apologise for it," he replied, testily.

"I know you don't, I'm not asking you to," she glanced back up at him, her blue eyes met his brown ones. "It's just I let her die because I didn't want you to get hurt, or worse."

A look of slight bewilderment crossed Reye's face before he quickly masked it, his voice regaining its usually velvety tone, "You know I would never have let that happen."

She shook her head.

"Reyes."

Gingerly, she reached out for his hand and was relieved when he didn't pull it away. Pulling off his glove, she noticed his hand was rough, a myriad of scars adorning his fingers. Inspecting the skin of his fingertips, she saw they were blackened slightly where they had met her barrier.

"I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. My biotics have been a little unpredictable lately, this happens sometimes."

"Like a defence mechanism? Like an… erizo?" he grinned with the familiar smile she was so fond of.

"Huh?"

"A hedgehog, Pathfinder," SAM interjected.

"Reyes Vidal, are you comparing me to a rodent?" she replied, incredulously.

"A prickly, angry one? Yes."

She tossed the glove in his face, trying her best not to return his smile even though the corners of her mouth were twitching.

He reached up, pushing strands of hair out of her face, "Cute one though."

This agitated the frenzied fluttering sensation in her chest and Ryder could feel the situation slipping from her control as if it were corporeal, physically in her hands.

He was maddening.

She studied his face carefully, "You said you were afraid, well I was… am afraid that I made the wrong decision, that you're not the man I thought you were."

"Well, who did you think I was?" though his face fell, lips a firm line, his eyes remained curious.

She thought for a moment, "The man that told me honestly why he came to Andromeda, that liked me calling him a better man. The man that woke up to talk to me at 3 in the morning."

"What I said before about you knowing who I really am… it was true. That was all me, no lies." He thought for a moment, "And for the record, I didn't know when I talked to you last night that we'd be moving on Sloane so soon, my operatives on the inside saw an opening."

Ryder frowned, "Would you have told me not to come?"

"No, it's better now you know. Even if it changes things."

She regarded him thoughtfully, eyes tracing over the lines of his face when she thought she caught a whisper of apprehension in his eyes.

Irresistibly, her eyes were drawn to his lips and she breathed, "Nothing's changed."

As though this was what he had been waiting for, Reyes stepped forward quickly.

"You have bad taste in men" he muttered, slyly.

In response Ryder stepped back automatically, heels colliding with the cave wall. Reyes placed his hand against the wall next to her head, kissing her so abruptly it took her a moment to react. She broke away from him, their lips a hair's width apart, her blue eyes alight. She could feel his disappointment, the reluctance of his limbs to pull away from hers.

She had to stand on her tiptoes to whisper sultrily in his ear, "The worst."

Reyes pushed her back against the wall with a flash of a grin and her breath hitched at the sudden hot contact as his lips returned to hers. Still, it was different from the other times they had kissed. Above the streets of Kadara, he had kissed her softly, slowly, his fingers stroking her neck before tangling in her hair. He had taken his time, she realised, every press of his lips against hers was careful, considered. Only when she let out a long, ardent sigh had he deepened the kiss, pulling her close into his chest. This time his lips burnt against her skin with surprising firmness. Impatiently, he stroked his thumb down her lips so they parted, his tongue brushing against hers fervidly.

The first time they had kissed it had been a distraction, the second had been an invitation, this time it was about possession. He wanted to make her his.

His body was pressed so closely against hers she could feel the warmth of his skin through his clothes. Exhilarating, the distinct scent of his aftershave sent adrenaline firing through her system as it brought back a multitude of recollections; their firefight with the Roekaar, the first time she had seen him, his shock when she kissed him for the first time. She ran her hands up his back, one smoothing over the shaved hair along his neckline before twisting into his hair. Slowly he ran his hand down from her neck, only slightly brushing the side of her breast, to settle on her hip where his fingers clasped restlessly. At the same time, he slid his tongue softly against hers, teasing, torturous, repeating the same motion yet deepening it over and again. In response she entwined her arms around him, pressing herself against him so he could feel the lines of her body curve into his. This elicited a rumble of approval from his throat, and he spoke between kisses, "Ryder, I don't know if I should be relieved or disappointed that you have on armour right now."

She pulled away from him slightly to steal a look at his face. She smirked, "What if I was wearing nothing at all?"

Reyes chuckled, voice lower than usual, "Don't tempt me."

He leant forward to kiss her again, lips almost on hers then-

"Charlatan, sir we… Oh…"

Reyes' head snapped back and he pushed himself away from the wall, staring at a young salarian who looked as though he would very much like to walk off the cliff face. He nearly dropped his pistol when he found both the Charlatan and the Pathfinder staring at him, both looking disgruntled. It didn't help that Reyes' hair was sticking up at the back, and Ryder's mouth and chin were red with stubble burns.

Reyes cocked an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"I didn't know you were busy sir, I…"

"What is it?" There was a note of frustration in his voice.

"Sorry, I err, oh, I was just going to inform you we're heading for the port with the rest," he shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Very well, I'll expect your report later."

"Yes, sir."

The salarian nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to leave.

"Bye!" Ryder called after him, cheerfully.

Reyes sighed, leaning against the wall, "I suppose I should go and see to my end of things."

He looked almost petulant.

"That's disappointing," she smoothed out his collar before combing his hair back into place, "I wasn't done with you yet."

His eyes glinted wickedly. "Is that so?"

She kissed him, positioning her hips very precisely so they rested tantalisingly against his. Tipping his head gently to the right deftly with the tip of her finger, she moved her lips to the hollow of his cheekbone and down his neck before nipping at the skin just above his collarbone. The resulting sigh made her grin.

"Ryder-" he began.

"Err, Ryder. Are you okay? We've been waiting here for a while," Vetra's voice asked hesitantly over the comm, loud enough for Reyes to hear.

"I'm fine, give me a minute," she responded, crisply.

As she disconnected the comm she buried her face in his chest, letting out a cry of frustration.

Reyes laughed, "It's probably for the best." He tipped up her chin so he could see her, "You really are something else, Ryder…"

"I'll come by tomorrow to talk outpost?" she asked, extricating herself from his grasp and moving to leave.

He grabbed her hand pulled her into one last kiss. He muttered breathlessly, "And finish where we left off."