Ashley looked at Kaidan intently. "So, do it!" she said.
Kaidan looked worried. "She's not going to like this."
"She doesn't have a choice, now open the damn door before I pull a gun and open it myself!" Ashley ordered.
Kaidan sighed and the door to the captain's quarters opened. A triumphant Ashley walked into the doorway and stopped, turning to say, "Go away now. We'll meet you at the airlock in about 90 minutes."
"That's a hell of a long time…" Kaidan started.
"Go. Away. Now," Ashley said sternly.
Ashley looked around her at the room as the door closed behind her. She went to the drawers and looked inside. Two dress uniforms, 4 sets of BDUs, standard issue undergarments and socks, 4 sets of underarmor, and one pair of old cargo-style pants and a plain gray t-shirt. "Your wardrobe sucks," Ashley muttered.
"My what?" said a voice behind her.
Ashley turned to face her commander. Lauren eyed the woman curiously. "Why are you in here?"
"I'm here to get you ready. We are going out and you are not wearing these…" she said pulling out the pants that had seen better days. "Don't you have any nice civvies?"
"I've never had a need for them since…well, since a long time ago," Lauren answered, a touch of sadness in her voice.
"Lucky for you, I brought some of mine." Ashley beamed as she opened her bag and began to pull out an extraordinary amount of clothes.
"How do you fit that in a footlocker?"
"I'm good at packing," said Ashley. "Now…I told them we weren't going anywhere fancy…" she said partly to herself as she looked through the garments. "So you need to look great, but not overly done."
Biting her thumbnail, Ashley looked critically at Lauren, then back at the clothes. She grabbed a pale lavender shirt, a white skirt and a gunmetal gray pair of high heels. "Put these on. I'll help you with your hair after I get dressed too. Your red hair will really stand out. Is it natural?"
Lauren squeezed herself into the form-fitting skirt. "No, it isn't. It is actually Alliance mandated," she said, words falling out before she could stop them. "What the hell is wrong with this skirt? Do people actually wear these things? It's like a sausage casing."
"Alliance mandated? Why?" Ashley said, ignoring Lauren's questions as she slid an emerald green top over her head.
With a slightly irritated hoist of the skirt, Lauren continued. "After Torfan, they didn't want me looking exactly the same when I went back on duty. Worried about batarian assassins. So they cut my hair short and dyed it red. My hair is actually just a plain brown, but I haven't seen it in a long time," explained Lauren. "So what do you think?"
"I think you look great," said Ashley. "You can walk in those shoes, right?"
"Yeah, my mom had me wear heels way back in high school. These can't be too different. Plus, we had balance training in N-school."
"Ok, I just don't want you tumbling around like a drunk vorcha," smiled Ashley. "Now give me a chance to kind of give your hair some volume. And makeup…are you good with it?"
"No," said Lauren flatly. "Actually quite terrible."
"We'll take care of that, no problem."
x-X-x
Kaidan approached the airlock and saw Jenkins standing there, leaning on his heels. "Hey there, Alenko!" he said brightly. "I'm so looking forward to this!"
"Are you…," Kaidan started.
"Going out with you guys, yeah! This is going to be great. Ashley said to meet here, so I've been waiting for a half-hour. I'm early I know, but well, I didn't want to miss it." Jenkins looked down to straighten his jacket.
"I'm hoping for a nice time too. I'm sure it'll be interesting to say the least…" he finished cryptically.
"So are we pairing up? Or is this more of a group thing?" Jenkins asked expectantly.
Kaidan opened his mouth to speak, thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. This is all pretty much Ash's plan. I don't know what she's got on her mind."
"Well, it'll be…" Jenkins turned to see the two women walking toward them from the CIC. "Amazing," he said quietly.
Ashley was stunning. Her dark hair was flowing in long, full curls. Her low cut green top was long and snug, hugging her hips before stopping at her mid-thigh. Her navy blue pants were slim as well, painting the woman a very flattering figure. Her lips, smiling broadly, were a rich crimson, nearly matching the hue of her shoes. She was enjoying this walk immensely as her body sauntered down the length of the ship.
Kaidan could see Joker, who was standing talking with Pressly, turn when Ashley brushed by him. The pilot, mouth agape and not worried about being seen, held his hands out slightly as if to frame the feminine figure that was now moving away from him. Pressly shot a dirty look at Joker, who shrugged his shoulders innocently. Kaidan smiled and shook his head.
Beside the flashy Ashley walked Lauren. The first thing Kaidan noticed was her eyes. They had a gray smoky shadow and dark liner around them that made the blue stand out. Her lips, smirking slightly and not full like Ashley's, were subtly pink. The lavender shirt was loose but sultry bearing one finely muscled arm and shoulder. The skirt was obviously tight and the heels high, Kaidan thought, but she walked as confidently in this outfit as she did when she walked in her armor.
"You guys ready?" Ashley said as they neared.
Jenkins, who hadn't quite recovered his voice, nodded an affirmation. Taking the cue, Ashley took her place at his side, looping her arm in his. "Ok, let's go. I'm famished. It takes a lot of effort to look this amazing," she laughed.
Kaidan looked at Lauren and similarly offered his arm. Lauren, taken aback for a second by Ashley's abrupt move, took the offered arm lightly. "You know this isn't me," she said quietly to Kaidan.
"Yeah, I know. Your fashion sense ends in a grubby pair of cargo pants," he smiled. "But it's nice to change things up, right? Break out of the rut."
"I suppose," she sighed. "But if I catch Joker making any of those faces or motions toward me, his ass is mine."
Kaidan chuckled. "I think that would be exactly what he wanted."
x-X-x
Ashley stayed at Jenkins' side as she led them to the place she had planned. They made an interesting pair, Lauren observed. The younger soldier's tongue had been loosed and now the two were chattering and laughing together. Jenkins no longer looked nervous, but was rather bursting with pride, probably flattered by the woman with him.
"You know," Kaidan said, as he and Lauren stayed a few strides back from the pair, "I always thought Jenkins had a thing for you. He always seemed so starstruck."
"I never noticed…except on New Year's at Anderson's party. When Anderson introduced us, I'd never seen a jaw drop like that before."
Kaidan nodded emphatically. "Exactly. After midnight, he wouldn't leave your side, remember? Oh…wait, no…you don't remember."
Lauren blew a breath out of her lips. "Yeah, not really one of my better moments."
"It wasn't all bad. And I did save both of your lives," Kaidan teased.
"I guess you did. But I nearly killed you the next morning. I was so worried something had happened that I couldn't remember."
A dark smile flashed across Kaidan's face. "Were you worried something had happened or worried that you couldn't remember it?"
Lauren turned her head to look at his surprisingly flirtatious words. For a short moment, her built-up tolerance to his biotics dropped and she felt a cool feeling rush though her nervous system. She knew he could feel it too because goosebumps raised on his skin as they had on hers. As she cocked an eyebrow, he cleared his throat in discomfort and he looked straight ahead. "Sorry," he said. "Bad time to feel a power spike in my amp."
Biting back a wicked smile, Lauren looked toward Ashley and Jenkins, who were still loudly chatting, but had stopped in front of a restaurant. It was an eclectic place. Asari waitresses, fully clothed in old-fashioned human styles like acid-washed jeans and loose flannel shirts, served human food, old-style southern American food like barbecued meat, cornbread and beans. There was a stage in the round and on it stood an elcor, singing, or at least what they consider to be singing. Lauren didn't recognize the style of music, but it was definitely human as well.
"This is a new place. Apparently, humans are a little trendy," explained Ashley.
"I'm no music buff, but is that elcor trying to sing Broadway?" asked Kaidan.
Jenkins laughed. "My sister loves Broadway stuff! That's exactly what it is…kind of."
"What the hell is he…wait, is it a woman elcor?" said Lauren. "The pink made me question the gender."
"Actually, if you listen to the lyrics, it's a cross-dressing man. It's a guy in costume," said the unexpectedly knowledgeable Jenkins. "This is actually a hilarious show."
Taking their seats around a table, Lauren, Ashley and Kaidan listened and laughed while Jenkins explained what was actually happening in the show the elcor was performing. When he finished, Jenkins applauded heartily while the rest gave the young soldier his own ovation.
They had nearly concluded their meal when a band came out to the stage. It was a group of asari, wearing leather and spiked jewelry. Their makeup was heavy and they adorned their head crests with piercings. "This doesn't look like Broadway anymore," said Ashley. "This looks like something I'm going to like."
One asari on drums counted out a beat to the others and the music started. It was heavy with guitars and the drums. The music was strange, but catchy. People in the restaurant began to get up and dance. Ashley was one of them. "Come on," she said, grabbing Jenkins by the arm. "Let's go!"
Kaidan started to stand from his seat, but saw Lauren was not moving. "You don't want to dance?" he asked.
"I still don't dance, Kaidan. You of all people should know that."
"Can't argue with you there. You are pretty awful. Nearly violent," he laughed.
Lauren smiled at Kaidan's description. They sat silently watching Ashley and Jenkins dance since the loud music made it nearly impossible to talk. After a few songs, the tempo and volume changed. The asari's voice, once harsh, now turned sweet.
"Close your eyes, give me your hand.
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand? Do you feel afraid?
Am I only dreaming…"
"This is the worst song I have ever heard," said Lauren.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad. Earth had apparently pretty horrible taste in music when this song was out. I forget when she said this song was from," answered Kaidan.
"Why aren't you guys dancing?" said a slightly stern Ashley. "This is a slow song. Nobody can mess this up."
"I don't dance. At. All," said Lauren plainly.
"She's god awful," agreed Kaidan.
"I don't care. Jenkins is getting me a drink and we are taking a break. Now get out there and turn around in a circle. We'll hold the table."
"Since when are you in charge?" said Lauren, not moving from her seat.
"Since I'm the one paying the tab. Now move it, or else you are both cut off."
Kaidan stood, shooting Lauren a sideways smile. "They have Canadian lager here, and I haven't had that in ages. Come on, just one song, Lauren. Let's humor our dictator." He held out his hand.
Lauren rose, giving the glowing Ashley a large eye roll. She and Kaidan moved closer to the stage where other couples were swaying with the music. He put his hands on her waist, while she placed hers awkwardly on his shoulders.
"Boo! You two look like little kids!" yelled Ashley.
Kaidan used his arms to move Lauren's to wrap around his neck, bringing them closer. Their eyes met as the song changed.
"I can't fight this feeling any longer
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.
What started out as friendship has grown stronger,
I only wish I had the strength to let it show…"
The lyrics fell hard on Lauren's ears. Suddenly she was that insecure teenager again, wishing for something to happen, but terrified that something would. Kaidan lifted a hand from her waist to scratch the back of his neck. As he did, her skin filled with goosebumps again as she felt a rush of cool from his biotics. "Sorry…again," he said. "I think I need to get my amp checked out. It seems like you can feel that. I'm not sure if it's uncomf…"
"No, actually, it's fine," interrupted Lauren. "I, um, never told you, but back at Brain Camp, I kind of liked it."
"Oh," Kaidan said, a little surprised. "It's act…"
"Commander," a strong voice interrupted Kaidan a second time. They turned to see Capt. Anderson standing there, face hard. "The Council has just received a comm. You are needed to go the the planet of Virmire. Immediately."
A/N: So a longer chapter! I hope you enjoyed some fluffy stuff! I had to change the "always awkward in dresses Shepard" thing. It's been played out. Why can't she be comfortable in heels? She's Commander F-ing Shepard! Wouldn't she have excellent balance? I say yes…so Lauren is cool in heels. Reviews are loved and met with excitement, so please do review! Thank you for reading!
