Kaidan was nearly asleep when the door to his room pinged. Someone was requesting entry.
This late? Kaidan grimaced. But "Yeah?" was what he called, signaling whoever it was to come in.
He was surprised again as the doors gave way to a drell, nodding in thanks and stepping over the threshold. Kaidan hadn't seen too many drell before, not even here on the Citadel. "Can I help you?"
"It is I who would like to help you. May I sit?"
Kaidan waved at a stool that was somewhere over his shoulder, the one Shepard had used when she's visited earlier that day. She'd sat at his bedside and they'd talked for a while. It'd been nice to clear the air with her. The drell did not sit as close as she had, something he was grateful for.
"Who are you? he finally asked.
"My identity is... complicated. But I am a friend of Shepard's. We worked together to take down the Collectors."
Kaidan's heavy brow furrowed. "You're the assassin. Krios."
"You're very well informed."
"What do you want?"
"To help you as I said. And that's only if you need me." He waved a webbed hand at his chest. "You see Major, I am also a patient here. I have a degenerative disease... one that kills me slowly. But my skills are still honed. If the Citadel were to become compromised I would see to it that you were safe."
"I... don't understand."
"The war has begun. The reapers will find their way here. And I know that association with Shepard can be deadly; she is their greatest enemy. They may seek to use those who are close to her." The assassin smirked. "And I've heard the two of you are quite close."
"Cut to the chase," Kaidan scathed.
"If they arrive sooner than later, if you are not yet healed, then I will protect you."
"Why go out of your way to help me? You don't even know me."
"Ah, but I do. I know how much you mean to her. I know how her voice would catch in her throat when someone mentioned you. I know the far away look in her eye." He blinked, wet, black eyes shifting uncomfortably. He began speaking rapidly, as if a dam had broken. "Her eyes, normally burning embers, are flat, devoid of all light. It is one of the few times I have ever seen her like this. Siha, I press, what is it? She is thinking about him again. It is the only time she looks so disconnected - from me, her work, her immovable purpose. It's difficult, she finally explains. She looks up from her fidgeting hands. Meeting her eyes, I recognize her pain. All things worth keeping are, I agree. I return the smile that she rewards me with." Another blink. "My apologies. The memories of my time spent with her are... vivid."
"Were you two...?" He can't bring himself to finish the question.
"Together? No. We shared a common goal and a common grief, but never a bed. I lost my wife some years ago. She'd lost you."
"I lost her," Kaidan all but growled.
"Why the distinction? She was incapacitated for two years and then spurred by her lover after you were reunited. She too experienced loss. Do not diminish her pain by only recognizing yours." Standing dismissively, Krios moved for the exit. "In any event, if you are in need, I will be there as a favor to her. She is a good friend to me, and you will be there long after my time is over. I will make sure of it." He turned back abruptly. "I have just spent some time on Earth with my son. We learned some of your history, and that Christmas was fast approaching. I've heard it's a good time to be generous." And just like that, he was gone.
"Merry fucking Christmas," Kaidan muttered, suddenly wide awake and in a sour mood.