The notification came through while he was having lunch with Kolyat.

"It's hard," his son said before swallowing his mouthful of food and clearing his throat. "I thought the Citadel was this place where everyone lived neat, perfect lives. But there are so many people struggling here." Kolyat resumed chewing his sandwich, looking lost in thought.

Thane nodded. "It is one of the unfortunate realities of aging," he said, intending to enlighten his son to the harsh realities of the world. But as Kolyat looked at him over the second half of his sandwich, he reconsidered. The boy wanted to help.

With a sigh, he collected his thoughts. "...you will find you cannot help everyone on your own. C-Sec will be a conduit for your positive actions."

Kolyat opened his mouth to respond just as Thane's omni-tool pinged. Both men looked - Kolyat's expression irritated. It was a sore spot, Thane knew, from so many years spent putting his work before his family. But his thoughts immediately went to Shepard, and he opened the message anyway.

For the first time in far too long, he wasn't disappointed.

Sere Krios,

Former Alliance Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy has requested a personal call with you. Although Ms. Shepard is fully cooperating with our inquiries, her involvement with Cerberus is sensitive intelligence, and I cannot disclose the nature of her detention. However, Alliance Command is required to uphold the rights of husband and wife under Citadel law. You will be permitted to speak with her at appropriate intervals

Please respond at your earliest. Shepard looks forward to hearing from you.

Admiral David Anderson

He almost didn't believe it, but the message carried all the security credentials Shepard had taught him to recognize in official Alliance communications. Memories swept him under.

Kolyat cleared his throat.

"It's nothing," Thane said quietly.

The look on Kolyat's face said his lie hadn't been fully accepted. Mercifully, however, his son said nothing.

It took all his self-control to finish the rest of his lunch without responding to that message. But that evening, hope set his heart alight.

There was a fighting chance they would soon be reunited.

It was a bizarre experience, talking to alliance operators. He closed his eyes as he submitted to another round of questions, forcing his body to relax.

Every layer of scrutiny only added to his concern for Shepard's well-being. Just how tightly did they have her locked down? Did anyone at Alliance command understand that she was on their side?

Thane must have been passed through four levels of security clearance before finally being briefed on the details of the call.

They had twenty minutes - he was informed this was a "generous" amount of time. At no point were they permitted to discuss Cerberus' operations or personnel. Shepard herself was prohibited from disclosing the legal details of her detention. Thane was told the matter was "still under negotiation." And of course, the call would be actively monitored and recorded.

Finally, the words he had been waiting to hear:

"Transferring you to Shepard."

The comm rang once, then twice. And finally:

"Thane?"

"Siha," Thane breathed in relief. "Siha, I have missed you so."

"Thane I-" her voice broke for just a moment, "I love you. I love you so much."

Though he remembered her voice well, he had never heard her quite like this. Her tone carried that special kind of melancholy he remembered all too well from his clandestine calls to Irikah while he was traveling for contracts. How characteristic that he should find himself here yet again, separated from a woman he loved by a vast interstellar void.

He silently prayed for Arashu's protection, contending as best he could manage with the fact that he could not throw his arms around her.

"And I, you, Siha. Every moment without your warmth feels like waiting in darkness for the sunrise." His hands instinctively itched to touch her face. He snuffed out his frustration and focused on her. "Are you safe? Are you well?"

"I've been better, but it's not all bad. I'm not rotting away in a jail cell, if that's what you're worried about."

He let out a breath of gratitude. "Yes, I had worried. The security clearances…"

Shepard let out a low laugh. "It's more like house arrest, really. I'm comfortable, I'm just bored. And I… it's so good to hear your voice again. I miss you. I feel like I can't say it enough."

"You are in my heart always," Thane said softly. He relaxed just a bit.

"How is Kolyat?"

Thane smiled, warmed beyond words at her interest in his son. "He has finished the remainder of his community service with C-Sec," he answered with satisfaction. "They offered him a job. He is working in Wards Services, helping connect struggling families with Council aid."

Shepard let out a sound of approval. "He has a kind heart, Thane. You should be proud of him."

"Kolyat is... kinder than I deserve. I have missed so many important moments of his life."

Shepard shushed him softly. "Keep your head up," she said. "Maybe when I get out of here, we can get dinner. Kind of feel like I started on the wrong foot with him."

He chuckled. 'The wrong foot' was an understatement. Kolyat, unfortunately, would never forget being on the business end of a Carnifex the first time he saw Shepard. In time, Thane hoped he would understand.

"I'd like that," he said. "I think of you often. It's painful, the barriers standing between us. Knowing I could hold you, if not for..."

"Shhh," she hushed, the nameless human sound indicating him to be silent before she continued. "I'm not supposed to talk about it."

Thane sighed, focusing himself. Relegated to guessing games at what topics would not get them immediately disconnected, he risked a pointed question: "How much longer?"

"Honestly… I don't know."

A harsh, frustrated rasp radiated from his throat. "Ridiculous." He said simply. "I am a patient man, Siha. However..."

Shepard's voice was sincere - almost pleading. "It won't be forever. I promise." Was she trying to convince him, or herself?

"If you fail to uphold that promise, I may have to come and collect you myself," he murmured.

"Careful..."

"...metaphorically speaking, of course," he added swiftly.

Shepard laughed.

"Ah yes, 'metaphorically.'" Thane could envision her air-quoting, a charming human gesture he'd also observed other species mimicking. "Well if we're speaking metaphorically... where would we be going on such an escape?"

He made a keen sound, an amused hah, indicating to her he'd thought a great deal about this.

"...I would not wish to besmirch your reputation any further."

"Please," she said, her tone dismissive. "I'm not sure you could do me any worse than I've already done myself."

"Oh, I believe I could," he smirked. "I will continue, if you wish."

Her answering laugh was light. He loved that sound.

"Hold on." Thane heard a rustling of movement on the other end of the call. A muffled, soft sound of fabric dragging over a microphone, and then she returned.

"I thought I'd make myself comfortable," she said with a tone that betrayed her smile.

His brows rose, imagining her relaxed and stretched out on her bed, hanging on his next words. He had meant to simply tease her, ever aware that their conversation was a privilege that could be snatched from them at any time. And yet the suggestion in her voice was unmistakable. She was aroused, and she wanted more.

Any other day, he would have eagerly played this game. But he paused, wanting to be especially sure she understood the risk.

"...we are being recorded, Siha."

From the other end of the call, he heard a shaky inhale, and then, finally: "I don't care. I want them to know I'm yours."

Her voice was painted with wanting. It set fire to his blood.

"I see." He smiled, despite knowing she could not see him. "Then I'm certain you won't mind if I also make myself… comfortable."

"Oh, please do, Sere Krios."

He stood from his desk and arranged himself on his bed, unbuttoning his pants to relieve the pressure of his building arousal. Shepard's breath barely whispered through the call, just loud enough for him to imagine her chest rising and falling, her body coming alive in anticipation.

"Now then, if you are ready..."

"I've been 'ready' all morning, Thane."

He hummed, excited at the prospect of her waking up in such a state, missing him so viscerally.

"I regret that we do not have time for the degree I wish to savor you," he murmured, absently sliding a hand along his abdomen to sate his need for touch. "Simply hearing your voice takes my mind to sinful places."

"I dream about you sometimes," she whispered. "Your hands on me… your voice in my ear, just like this."

"Soon," he said earnestly. "The moment they release you, I will be there to return you to the stars." He huffed, steadying his breathing. "We could go anywhere you wish, if only I could be alone with you. Our destination is unimportant. My home is in your arms, Siha. My hearth, the fire of your kiss."

Thane swallowed, his need nearly painful between his legs.

"...in fact, I'm not sure I could wait until we arrived."

"...go on."

"I am a man of discipline, Shepard, you tempt me like I could have never imagined. There are a thousand ways to touch you, and your skin sings to me a thousand more"

He sucked down a breath. "The moment we're alone, I would kiss you everywhere your pulse thrums strongest. Along your neck, inside your wrists, over your heart... between your thighs."

Thane sighed, recalling the beauteous warmth of her, the slick heat at her core. The most sacred part of her body, aching for him. Was she touching herself even now? This was a niche of sexual pleasure they had not yet explored. He had never watched her pleasure herself for the sake of it - an oversight that demanded to be rectified.

With a hiss of relief, finally, he freed himself from his pants and ran his fingertips along the sensitive underside of his shaft.

"You visit me in my dreams, Siha. Your lips part in desire as I touch you. Your beautiful eyes flutter closed, dark lashes lying against your cheeks when you sigh in pleasure."

Shepard groaned. "You're a damn tease, Krios."

He hummed his agreement.

"Teasing you may well be the best part of being with you. I wonder, can you feel the fever in your blood as I can? The flush of color that rises to your skin beneath my lips and hands? Cultivating your arousal is a privilege I am delighted to exploit."

He gripped himself tighter, recalling the heady, intimate scent of her arousal as her body responded to his touch.

"When I am buried in your flesh, Siha, your desperation is tangible."

She let forth a small mewl of frustration. Muffled, to be sure, by her lower lip between her teeth. He could picture her clearly in his mind, her lovely human features contorted with desire.

"I don't think I can get any more turned on than I am right now," Shepard panted.

"Your body tells its own truths," he rasped. "You come to me flushed with wanting, yet your pulse quickens further as I undress you, the layers of your command sloughing off you like rainwater. My heart sings to see you vulnerable in my arms, gasping and tensing beneath my touch. By the time I arrive where you burn hottest, it's all I can do to control my own need. I have to taste you."

"Fuck, Thane."

"Siha, I would devour you until you are so thoroughly ravaged, you beg for reprieve."

He heard her breath hitch, closing his eyes to welcome the visual memory of her body in an attempt to soothe his aching need.

"Shall I describe for you in detail?"

"Don't stop."

He could hear it in her throat. She was desperate.

"You taste like the breath of the ocean," he keened, wanting with every cell in his body to immerse his mouth in the paradise between her legs. "You tense beneath me, warm and slick within and without. I would drown in you if only to earn the swell of your release. " He pumped himself in frustrated need, fighting to overlay the sensation of her wet center over the scales of his fingers and palm.

"I am afire with need, Siha," he huffed breathlessly. "Tell me you feel it too."

"Holy Shit, Thane, you have no idea what you're doing to me," she said from the other line. "What I wouldn't give to fuck you right now."

His hand gripped tighter at those simple words, the carnal vocalizations of her need taking form as she swore in his ear. His need flared ever higher knowing they had an audience, Shepard uncaring. Such filthy words leaving her mouth just for him - to sustain his arousal.

"Tell me," he rasped.

"...I'm touching myself," she said after a pause. "I'm so wet… if I close my eyes, I can imagine it's your tongue. My god, the things you do with your mouth..."

Thane swallowed, his mind fabricating the image of her fingertips moving, spreading her arousal over the flushed lips of her sex.

"Memory cannot compare to the sight of you," he groaned. "I want to watch you come undone by your own hand, and then claim you while you scream in ecstasy."

He heard her suck in a breath on the other line, and then a low moan. He knew that sound - the one she always made when he penetrated her. She was doing it with her own hand. Thane bit his lip at the thought.

"I want that," she gasped. Another rustle of movement, another sigh. He could picture her writing against her sheets. "I want you to fuck me until I scream."

"If only you knew how beautiful you are, astride me in lust and power - the way your face contorts in pleasure." He fought back a moan and pumped himself faster. "You are... A very enthusiastic lover, Siha. It drives me mad. The gods may forsake me for the ways I wish to ruin you."

"Thane," she gasped, her voice huffed in desperation against the receiver, "Thane I'm so close-"

"Not yet," he growled. "I want you to feel my cock pulse inside you as I fill you, Siha. I want to pin you down and watch you writhe beneath me, desperate for more. You look so beautiful when you beg for me."

Shepard was desperate. "Please, Thane, I want-"

"What do you want, Shepard?"

"Let me- I can't- please, please-"

"Yes," he hissed. "Let me hear you."

Her strangled moan on the other end of the call threatened to end him right there.

His voice was low and rough, breaths hissing out into the call with need.

"Come for me, Siha. I want them to hear what I do to you."

He heard her gasp, her voice saturated with breathless release. He savored the long, vulnerable moan as she crested, and every trembling gasp that followed as she pulsed in climax. The memory of her clenched around him in time with her cries. He vividly recalled how her fingertips would dance across her center in frantic, jerky circles.

It finished him. Together they dissolved into a chorus of unfettered ecstasy. Stars apart, this was the closest he could hope to be to her - intermingled voices joined by the miracle of technology. It would never be the same as being with her, but for now, it would have to be enough. His body shook with release, warmth flowing across his fingertips, sliding beneath his palm as he pumped himself through his orgasm. Seconds of bliss stretched into eternity and snapped back, like breaking the surface of a pool after a dive.

Soon the only sounds between them were sated breaths as two hearts slowly recovered from their shared euphoria.

Thane sagged back into his bed, in no hurry to clean himself. "Light years apart and I can still make you scream as though we are one," he said breathlessly. "You are a gift, Siha."

His eyes fell closed, savoring the song of blood in his veins, the slowly fading aura of post-climax euphoria. Shepard's answering silence was a point of pride for him - confirmation that she'd been well satisfied by their distant union.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you to the galactic core and back, Thane."

"I don't suppose we will be permitted another call after that," he said at last.

Shepard laughed. Thane could hear the distinct sound of a smirk on her lips. "That depends on who's listening. Maybe I could ask them for a copy."


James Vega pointedly did not look at Shepard that evening when he delivered her dinner. He entered her quarters without a word, setting it quietly down on the dinette.

"Something the matter, lieutenant?"

He looked toward her, making a point to avoid her eyes. She was at her desk, as usual, chin propped up on the heel of her palm, a book sitting open in front of her. He could feel the blush creeping up his neck. She looked as smug as she sounded.

"No sir," he said in a rush, stiffening. "Shit - ma'am."

Shepard barked out a laugh, turning away, her tone dismissive. "As you were."

James didn't miss the smirk tugging on one corner of her mouth.

"Dios," he muttered as he shut the door behind him.

Only an hour longer until the end of his shift. He'd have to fight hard to keep his mind off her until then.


Thank you so much for reading! I'm zet-sway on Tumblr!