Note: So, this chapter ended up being over 7000 words (whoops) so I separated it into two. The second part should be uploaded not long after the first. Basically, you get two chapters more or less at once! Aaaand the second half gets very NSFW.

Also big thanks to Nami Swannn for your lovely reviews! :)

As soon as Ryder had returned to the Tempest, she had headed for engineering.

"I have the coordinates. The signal points to the Tafeno system," SAM remarked.

"We sure we want to do this?" Gil looked at her, anxiously.

Ryder paused, the weight of the events they were discussing not lost on her.

"I know we're still getting our feet wet, but I don't see any other choice," she shrugged back at him.

"I knew running off to Andromeda would be dangerous, but shit… this is dangerous ."

"Only if we die," she grinned. "Thanks for your help with this Gil."

"No trouble at all, I just hope my handiwork doesn't lead us all to a gruesome and painful death," he responded, turning back to the control panel he usually worked at.

"If we do, I'll be sure to remind the others whose fault it is."

She made to leave, but his voice made her pause at the door.

"By the way, Ryder-"

She glanced back at him, "Yeah?"

"You smudged your lipstick," Gil smirked knowingly.

She groaned exasperatedly before heading off to the armoury to change for the Kadaran badlands. Before they left tomorrow, she had an Outpost to place.

As soon as she had selected Peebee to go with her, Ryder regretted it.

"So, Reyes… How is he..?"

Ryder splurted tea back into her flask. She had been taking a last sip before they left the cockpit.

"Peebee, we aren't even in the Nomad yet."

The asari managed another 17 minutes and 27 seconds before she brought it up again. They were nearly at the destination for the outpost. Ryder had been talking casually to Cora about Initiative reaction to a footing on Kadara when Peebee cut over them.

"Was he better than Liam?"

Ryder nearly drove them off a cliffside.

"PEEBEE!"

48 minutes later, after talking to Addison via vidcom and meeting the first member and mayor of the outpost, Christmas Tate, Peebee broached the subject a third time. They had barely left Christmas' station before she commented, "He's so assertive, I can't imagine he's into missionary style, did you-"

"Oh for heaven's sake," Ryder shouted, the old Earth saying her mother had often used spilling from her lips in her frustration. Several Initiative construction workers glanced over from their work overseeing placement of the white prefab buildings that were the backbone of every outpost. There were several structures in place now, Ryder grabbed Peebee by the arm of her jacket and dragged her behind one of them.

"Cora, can't you order her to be quiet or something?" she asked the biotic who had followed them, snickering.

Cora shrugged with a slight smile that was almost sly, "Even if I wanted to, do you think she'd listen?"

Ryder shook her head, "I almost miss the days when you hated each other, y'know." She leaned against the railing that ran alongside the building, "Look, I'll tell you if you don't go spreading this around."

Peebee grinned, "I will absolutely not make that promise."

Ryder made an exasperated noise, "I went over to talk about the outpost, Reyes and I agreed to terms and then, well…"

"Yes?" Cora acknowledged, expectantly.

"You're just as bad as her!"

"Ryder, for the last couple of weeks you have had the goofiest smile on your face when you think people aren't looking. I'm just intrigued to know why," Cora reasoned, impishly, sweeping her long fringe out of her face.

"Well, one thing led to another and we were kissing and… we were interrupted before it went any further."

The frustration must have shown in her voice because the two women shared a discerning look.

"Is that it? Lame, I was hoping for way more info than that! Ryder, you are such a cocktease," Peebee rolled her eyes, pouting.

"Reyes probably agrees," Cora responded.

The two women snorted with laughter.

"As ever, I'm glad to be a source of your amusement," she glanced over at the Nomad parked several metres away. "C'mon we better get back."

"Oh don't be that way, Ryder!" The asari linked arms with her as Ryder began to walk back to the vehicle. Peebee leaned close, conspiratorially, "At least tell me, the fooling around, what was that like?"

Thoughtful for a moment, Ryder grinned for the first time since they had begun their conversation, "He's… It's…"

She struggled to find the words but the expression on her face told her two squad members everything they needed to know.

"That good, huh?" Cora arched an eyebrow as she walked at her other side.

"I'm going back to meet him tonight, provided nothing else comes up," Ryder added, tentatively.

Peebee looked as though all her Christmases had come at once, if, indeed, asari celebrated the festive holiday.

"I know he's been deceptive before, I know I should pick a fist fight with an eiroch rather than trust him after what he did, much less let myself get tangled up in it… But I can't stop thinking about him," Ryder surprised even herself with her honesty. Rather than embarrassed, she felt relieved to finally be able to share her feelings with someone. Despite her earlier surly demeanour, she realised she had probably chosen the two of them to accompany her for this exact reason, even though she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. Of the crew, they were the only ones had said anything positive about her budding relationship with Reyes.

"Oh Ryder, you've got it bad," Peebee looked fairly serious, "but I don't think you're the only one. He seemed really touched when we helped him with Zia. And… It's weird opening up when you're not used to having anyone to rely on."

Ryder glanced at her, realising this was as much Peebee's truth as it was Reyes'.

"And if he isn't being genuine, I'll pull off each of his appendages, starting with the one between his legs," Cora smiled, grimly.

"You know you are just terrifying sometimes," Peebee stared at her.

Ryder privately agreed.

"I'm starting to worry at the length of this list of potential punishments you have for him if he hurts me again," Ryder laughed, thinking of the time Cora had previously threatened to put Reyes through a wall.

"That's what friends are for," Cora looked at Ryder closely. "Look, all this must have been a lot to deal with, on top of everything else. What happened with Sloane must've been… difficult." Ryder felt her pulse quickening the same way it did every time the topic was broached, her insides twisting. "If you ever need to talk, you know where we are."

"Especially tomorrow," Peebee winked.

Heeled boot tapping, she waited outside of Kralla's Song, a number of emotions clamouring for her attention. Nerves fizzled alongside her impatience and unease. She glanced towards the markets and locked eyes with Vetra, who was bartering with one of the merchants there, she gave her a roguish grin. Upon their return to the Tempest, Ryder had quickly changed before heading out for the port, pulling on a short skirt that flashed pale legs that didn't see anywhere as much daylight as her tanned face and neck, along with the same leather jacket she threw over everything. She'd styled her hair so it hung loose of its usual braid or ponytail, cascading appealingly over her shoulders. She wondered if anyone would recognise her as the Pathfinder looking like this, or whether they would take her as just another exile in the teeming port. The idea excited her, the thrill of getting to be someone else, to take a break from the relentless nature of her day-to-day life. There was nothing she would rather do, the need for adventure was definitely in her blood after all, but the thought of a night off was an exhilarating prospect. She just wished she wasn't feeling quite so worn out. Overseeing the deployment of a new outpost was always a pleasure, to see an actual physical manifestation of their hard work. In truth, Kadara meant far more to her than the others as it symbolised a way back for the exiles, that they might be able to scrabble something back from Tann's momentous fuck up. She also quite liked upsetting Tann. Despite this, it was still an exhausting enterprise, all the red tape and smiles, it seemed to have taken hours when in fact they hadn't been required for long.

A band of exiles passed by her as they exited Kralla's Song, cackling loudly, pulling her from her reverie. She watched them as they stumbled towards the doors which led to the docks, two turians half dragging a comatose salarian while a human woman laughed hysterically. She marvelled at them, unable to fathom what their lives must be like.

"Ryder."

She jumped, looking for the source of the noise. Reyes was stood a metre away from her right shoulder looking at her expectantly.

"Look at you all dressed up, anyone would think you'd got a hot date tonight," she replied, smiling automatically as a warmth spread through her body that was always evoked whenever her eyes met his.

He'd changed from his usual attire, switching for dark clothes, a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and boots that laced up over his ankles. The change was not at all an unpleasant one, on the contrary, it allowed her a glimpse at the muscular outline beneath his shirt.

Ryder must have been staring too long because he continued with, "Are you checking me out?"

She was so used to his upfront way of communicating, she didn't miss a beat with her response as she stepped towards him, "Well you got to see far more of me earlier than I did you, it only seems fair."

He chuckled before reaching up, cupping her face in his hand, "True. I realised though I did do you a disservice… Have been doing you a disservice."

This sudden motion felt strange in such a public space when all their other displays of affection had been somewhat secretive in nature. It felt as though it was forbidden. She liked it.

"Oh?"

"All this time I've never told you…" he murmured.

Bewildered but ensnared by his lure she leant towards him eagerly, "What?"

"... you have a fantastic ass."

"What?" she stuttered, moving backwards so his hand fell from her face.

Reyes laughed, "I'm joking, Ryder, I didn't think you were so gullible."

Ryder snickered, "You're the ass."

"Whilst what I've said is still true, I have done you a disservice of not telling you that you look gorgeous today Ryder, as ever. Particularly so when you have fewer clothes on."

"Jerk."

She pushed his arm and Reyes took the opportunity to grab her hand, pulling her into a kiss. She was aware of eyes on them and made to pull away but he only persisted with his affections, sliding his tongue against her lips enticingly and slipping his hands around her waist. Her resistance crumbled and she relaxed, her tongue meeting his for a few heartbeats before he pulled away from her.

"Are you trying to show off?" Ryder questioned, her brow furrowed.

"Can't I just be pleased to see you?" he asked, and the way he looked at her made her regret her words. It reminded her of when she'd accused him of using her for leverage.

"I'm pleased to see you too," she replied, slotting her fingers through his.

The frown faded from his face.

"So, it's your night off Sara, if you could do anything, what would you do?" he asked, animatedly.

"You haven't planned anything?"

"Well, I…" he looked the closest that Reyes Vidal ever looked to sheepish, "I have several ideas but then I thought, since you don't get a lot of free time, I'd ask what you wanted."

Ryder didn't speak for a moment she was so taken aback, "That's… That's the nicest thing anyone's done for me since I came to Andromeda."

When she met his eyes, his slid away from hers, "Don't be too taken in, I am trying to seduce you after all."

"You know you've already done that," she smiled.

His gaze flashed back to hers as he returned her grin and repeated his question, "So?"

She thought, playing with his fingers absentmindedly and observing as people passed them by. Her hunch about them being watched hadn't been wrong. She saw an asari with yellow markings stood across the plaza quickly jerk her head away as Ryder looked at her, there were three angara who glanced over at them with narrowed eyes at interludes in their conversation, as well as two collective agents cloistered nearby, steely-eyed as though guarding against something. It had been naive to believe people wouldn't recognise exactly who she was.

Ryder sighed, "To just be normal for one night."

"Kadara is hardly what you'd call normal," he lowered his voice, "and you are dating the Charlatan."

"I know, it's just I don't get to do the things everyone else does, go for drinks, unwind. Every time I try I get pulled back into being the Pathfinder again. Even with us, every time we've met before this it's been about business," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's silly."

"It's not."

"Well if it isn't Reyes Vidal and the Pathfinder," a soft angaran voice purred.

Intent on their conversation, neither of them had noticed Keema Dohrgun approach, several angaran bodyguards in tow.

"Keema, I hope your new position is treating you well,' Reyes nodded, acting for all observing as though he wasn't the Charlatan. As he turned to talk to Keema, he enclosed Ryder's hand with his.

"Exceedingly," she smiled in a self-satisfied manner, before turning to Ryder, "you found him in the end I see?"

Ryder blinked for a moment before she realised what Keema was talking about. With all that had happened, it felt like days since she had seen her that morning not hours.

She nodded in response, "Hiding in plain sight."

"Ha! I don't think Reyes has any desire to hide from you dear. It is nice to finally see you together, I thought it'd never happen…" her eyes flicked to their entwined hands.

"Actually we were just about to-" Reyes swallowed.

"I love it when you make him squirm, Keema," Ryder sniggered.

He glanced at her, "Whose side are you on?"

"Ryder, you should come and have dinner with me sometime, see if we can make him squirm some more," Keema chuckled.

Keema's lilting laughed reminded her of rainfall in a forest, and of why Ryder had first liked her when they met. She decided that perhaps she had previously been a little harsh to judge her for simply enjoying the advantages of her new station.

"I'd be delighted," she replied, warmly.

"I'll be in touch… I won't keep you from your charming companion any longer, Reyes."

Keema swept away just as suddenly as she appeared.

"It suits her… almost too well," Ryder mused aloud.

"Enough about that. Let's get a drink," Reyes nodded towards Kralla's Song, "I can't promise you normal but I can promise not to call you Pathfinder."

"That's a start," she agreed.

As soon as she laid her eyes on them, the bartender Umi was rolling them, "Great. You two. Just order something quick before I have to be subjected to any more of your truly atrocious flirting."

Ryder leant against the counter, "I have no idea what she means, do you?"

"No idea," he circled his arm around her waist, hand sliding underneath her jacket. Despite getting to know him rather more intimately, the unexpected motion was still enough to make her chest and throat feel tight. "What would you like?"

Umi looked like she didn't like where this was going, "You both know I only serve whisky."

They ignored her.

"I think you know what I'd like," Ryder turned her body towards him pointedly, running a hand down his chest.

"Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean, Ryder," Reyes replied, playing along. "Maybe you should demonstrate?"

Umi made a thoroughly disgusted noise before slamming two empty glasses on the counter.

Ryder resisted the urge to laugh and continued, "Well, I could represent it pictorially for you… A few line graphs, maybe even throw in a pie chart if you're lucky."

"Ah well, you see, I learn best when I use my hands, I'm a very physical learner."

Despite the fact they were talking in jest, his comment sent Ryder's imagination into overdrive.

"By the goddess," Umi looked as though she wanted to put several holes in them both with the knife she kept concealed beneath the bar, "just take your drinks and go."

As it always was at night, the cramped bar was incredibly busy, so instead of sitting, they leant against the bottom pane of one of the open windows that looked out onto the Kadaran sunset. As soon as they were out of earshot of Umi, Reyes laughed, and the sound was so infectious it made Ryder snort as she took a sip of her drink. This sent whisky burning down her throat and up her nose, only serving to send her further into hysterics. Once Ryder had composed herself they stood huddled close together, discussing Kadara and the Nexus, both finding amusement over imagining and reimagining Tann's reaction when he found out about the Kadaran outpost. She told him about the other planets she had seen, the beauty of Havarl, the tenacity of the angara living on Voeld, describing some of the missions and adventures she'd had that weren't classified. Ryder even found herself talking about the desolation of Habitat 7, glancing away when it came to the death of her father and swiftly changing the subject. It surprised her how easy it was to talk to Reyes, beforehand she had worried that outside of the flirtatious exchanges they might struggle to converse but it was quite the opposite. Unexpectedly, Reyes had spoken a little about himself, chipping in when she talked about Elaaden (having visited it himself once or twice). He talked briefly about the years he'd lived on Omega in the Milky Way, somewhere she'd never been but had heard colourful stories about. Reyes also elaborated on what life on the Nexus had been like before he had left, how he had been a pilot before Tann's reign had become too much to bear. Whatever the subject, when it came to his personal life he was vague on details when he talked. Ryder didn't probe him any further, however, remembering Peebee's advice. Draining their glasses for the third time Ryder felt a little light-headed and cursed herself for not stopping for something to eat beforehand. She wondered if Reyes felt slightly nervous, like she did, considering the rate at which they were drinking. She corrected herself immediately; there was no way he would possibly get apprehensive considering how forthright he had been with her, how unabashed.

"It was never just about business you know."

"What?" she frowned at him, her attention had deviated a little as she lost herself in the intonation of his voice, his accent always stirred something within her, left her feeling feverish.

"What you said earlier… Well, it started off being about business, but I wouldn't have asked you to Sloane's party if it was just that," Reyes elaborated, he twisted a section of her hair in his fingers cooly. She responded by smiling softly which he returned with a curl of his mouth.

"I'll get us another drink?"

She nodded, watching him as he moved over to the bar, her eyes travelling over his body admiringly. Her smile lingered for a few moments before fading. Now he was gone Ryder took a sharp intake of breath, for a brief second letting in all of her nagging doubts; that she was losing her mind she was so completely enamoured with him, that she could die tomorrow and none of it would matter, that she was being stupid and reckless even being here… and breathed it all back out again. It was a technique her father had taught her for dealing with battlefield stress, how effective it was, however, was debatable. Steadying her nerves she glanced around. She'd been so focused on Reyes that she hadn't observed much of the other clientele. They couldn't have been there more than a couple of hours but it seemed busier than it had been before, rowdier as many voices shouted over the regular thump of the music. Some people had started dancing, and, as wasn't unusual at Kralla's, there was a krogan slumped in the corner asleep that no one dared wake. A woman crossing the room caught Ryder's particular attention, only because she was painfully familiar and yet Ryder was having difficulty placing her. Her vivid red hair was cut in a stylish bob and she wore a self-assured smirk that was the only thing that detracted from her charms, as she was clearly fully aware of the many eyes that were following her approvingly across the room. The bodysuit she wore was skintight, almost giving the illusion it had been painted onto her body, hugging each of her ample curves. She moved with a delicacy Ryder could never master, as her own figure was sculpted by combat. She parted the crowd with mere taps on shoulders.

Ryder had a sinking feeling.

When she reached the bar, Ryder's misgivings were proved legitimate as the woman tapped Reyes on the shoulder. As he turned she leant in close to speak to him, grasping his arm. Ryder felt a burning, bitter sensation in the back of her throat. Reyes' first reaction seemed peculiar, as though he were in less control than usual. He stepped backwards, although he did not have much room to do so, and glanced over at where Ryder was standing. He looked remarkably uncomfortable. Sensing that he wanted her to do so, Ryder stepped towards them. The woman followed Reyes' eyeline and looked at her, taking Ryder in with an unimpressed expression, one she had definitely seen before.

Ryder gasped as she finally recognised the brown eyes and the contemptuous look within them, "Zia? Zia Cordier? But you…"

"Died?" the woman laughed, but it contained no humour.

Utterly confused Ryder stared at Reyes instead, "She was… dead."

A thousand possibilities flooded her brain. Had it all been a setup? Had Zia survived their altercation? If so, why would Reyes not have told her?

"Sara, this is Aria Cordier, Zia's twin sister," he took this opportunity to move closer to Ryder, extricating himself from Aria's grasp.

Ryder stared at him in disbelief, muttering under her breath, "SAM?"

"Accessing Initiative personnel files… It would appear Mr Vidal is telling the truth. There are records of two female human twins with the surname Cordier, last footage of either of them is on the Nexus before the uprising. And this is Aria, their DNA is, of course, identical but Aria has a childhood scar on her cheek that Zia did not," SAM replied over their personal channel.

Reyes' gaze darkened as he observed Ryder's scepticism and he passed her her drink. Ryder had to resist the urge to drink it all in one gulp in an attempt to lessen her creeping feeling of anxiety.

"First name basis with the Pathfinder, Reyes, my you have moved up in the world," Aria mused, her eyes fixed back on Reyes' face, they had an eager look to them. "Although you always would do anything to end up on top."

The innuendo in her words was not lost on Ryder, who blurted out, "You're not angry? Your sister is dead because of us."

"Oh no, my sister was a piece of work, we were always in competition, always wanted the same things. I wanted to come to Andromeda, so did she, I carved a name out for myself in Kadara, so did she, I wanted a certain man, so did she," her eyes flickered suggestively to Reyes again. "You did me a favour, really."

Reyes chuckled, though he didn't look quite so laid back as usual, "Funny, and to think I thought we were doing for it for our own reasons."

"Yes, particularly as I didn't even know you existed," Ryder said, tartly. However, something else was bothering her just as much as Aria's overt flirting with Reyes, "But she was your twin. Surely you grew up together? And you don't even care that she's gone?"

Ryder thought of Scott still unconscious on the Hyperion, recovering from the news that their father was dead and that their voyage to Andromeda had gone spectacularly awry. She tried most days not to think about him as when she did her chest ached at his absence.

"What's it to you?" Aria glared at her for a moment, before reassembling her features in a more relaxed expression. Ryder couldn't help but feel she'd touched a nerve. "She obviously started something she couldn't finish, more fool her."

Her accent was just as beautiful and alluring as her sisters. It made Ryder want to punch her in the throat.

"Ryder has a twin brother, he's on life support, " Reyes snapped, defensively. "Now if you excuse us."

Reyes placed his hand on Ryder's lower back, which did not go unnoticed by Aria. In sync, they both immediately finished their drinks, neither keen to remain in present company any longer.

Aria's eyes widened in fake shock, "Oh I'm sorry, am I interrupting? I thought you looked as though you'd made an effort, Reyes." She looked at Ryder, "I just hope you know what you're in for honey, I hope you like sharing, my sister didn't."

Unlike the last time she had met one of the Cordier sisters, Ryder didn't have a retort ready.

She slammed her empty glass on the bar, "Absolute pleasure to meet you."

Ryder stalked off, unsure if Reyes was close behind her or not. Full of adrenaline, she pushed through the crowds blindly, until she found herself next to a particularly large krogan with bones attached to his armour and a very familiar gait.

"And that's when their heads fell off!" Drack roared, completing what was clearly an incredibly funny joke as the small crowd surrounding him, who she soon identified as Jaal, Vetra, Liam and Gil, had collapsed into various levels of drunken laughter.

"Pathfinder!" Gil cried as he recognised her, "Fancy seeing you here! You've got to hear this, tell it again Drack."

"Err, actually I'm on my way out so-"

"Nah, it's not as funny if you've heard the punchline," Drack interjected.

"Ryder, I did want to ask you something about tomorrow…" Jaal began but stopped as Reyes appeared at her shoulder. "Oh."

Overwhelmed, Ryder took hold of Reyes' hand and carried on walking straight through the doors and into the plaza area of the port. She turned and moved to one side, where there were fewer people, and leaned against the wall.

"Sara?" Reyes said her name, tentatively.

Ryder pressed her hands over her face, "I really shouldn't have asked for normal, should I?"