The Normandy's main deck buzzed with activity. Joker was at his usual spot in the cockpit busily preparing for flight. Lauren, Kaidan, Ashley and Jenkins entered from the decontamination bay. All but Lauren took a quick turn to the right to head for the comm room, where Lauren had told the crew to gather. Instead, she approached the pilot.
"Joker, have you heard anything more from Anderson? Or the Council?"
"No, I haven't," he answered quickly. His head turned toward his commander. "Nice outfit. So how was your date?"
"Date? Who would I be going on a date with?" Lauren questioned.
"Alenko, Jenkins…hell, it could have been Ashley. Just tell me, was it hot and are there pics?"
"Oh my god, Joker, just get the damn ship to Virmire," she ordered, turning away.
In the comm room, everyone was already waiting when Lauren entered. She could tell that her appearance, as well as Ashley's, was getting attention. She decided to ignore it. "I'm sorry for not appearing properly dressed. This was an urgent situation brought to me by Anderson. The Council is supposed to give a short briefing while we're en route." Lauren looked ahead and got Joker on the comm. "Is the Council ready yet?"
"No, ma'am. They are giving me a 'please stand by,' so they are probably taking their sweet ass time, considering we have a 10 hour flight." Joker paused, then continued to the entire ship. "Standby for jump. All stations secure for transit. Board is green…approach run has begun."
Lauren waited, knowing the ship had four relays to hit before they got to the Hoc system. She also knew that meant the Council wouldn't be able to communicate until they were clear of the relays. As she felt the crackle of static on her skin from the Citadel's relay, she looked at everyone in the comm room. "You are dismissed for the time being. The human crew will get appropriately dressed. Everyone else, stay close."
"Can I change in your quarters?" Ashley asked as Lauren walked toward the stairway. "I left my BDUs in there earlier."
"Sure. I can give you your clothes back."
Ashley was quiet during the walk down to the crew deck. As soon as the door of the captain's quarters shut behind them, she came alive. "So? What were you two talking about during your short dance? You got a little cozy there until Anderson came."
Lauren stopped undressing and thought a moment. "Um, nothing really. Just about biotics. Sometimes we can feel each other."
"Oooh," Ashley said dramatically. "I'm intrigued. What is it like?"
Feigning disinterest, Lauren said, "It depends on the person. Different biotics feel different ways. Some feel like a constant rattle in your nerves. Others are more pleasant."
"Ok, so now I have a textbook answer. What's L-T like?" pushed Ashley.
"It's, um, like, well…a cool breeze inside your skin. I don't really know how else to describe it. Satisfied?"
"I guess. What do you feel like to him?"
"I don't know. We've never talked about that before. Never got that personal."
Ashley sat on the bed, lacing up her boots. "It is a good thing I am here because you two are pathetic. Years together as horny teenagers. Then a couple more years working together at a cake job at HQ." She shook her dark curls. "You two must either be oblivious or have the best control that any human has ever had."
Lauren's eyes narrowed. "Oblivious to what?"
"Oblivious to how much you two belong together. L-Ts all giving me this, 'It's about regs' and some other lame shit. And you…" Ashley laughed. "You won't get near the guy or let him try. I don't get it. He's hot and he's obviously into you. So why not?" Ashley crossed her legs confrontationally.
"It's hard to say. For one thing, Kaidan's right about the regs. You know they could court-martial both of us for fraternization," Lauren said sternly.
"What about being a Spectre? I figured the Alliance would give you some leeway on that kind of stuff."
"You can't just go around sleeping with everyone on your crew, even when you're groundside. It screws up the chain of command. Why are you so damned persistent about this?"
"I like to help those less fortunate. What's the other thing?" Ashley continued.
"Other thing?"
"Yes," said Ashley undeterred. "You said 'For one thing' which means there's another thing. What is it? What's your major hang up about getting with L-T?"
Her determination to get answers from the already worn Lauren finally caused the commander to crack. "I can't get close to anyone else…again," Lauren said quietly.
Ashley drew near. "Again? Did L-T hurt you before?"
"No, I had a relationship a long time ago. Practically from the first day I enlisted. He was the guy who signed me up and gave me my tags. Daniel. We were apart most of the time, but somehow we grew close. He was supposed to be my fiancé. I already had the ring, but he never had a chance to propose."
"What happened?"
Lauren looked up, tears welling, but stubbornly not falling. "The Blitz. He was there waiting on a beach. I was supposed to be there that day. I got there, but it was a combat zone. If I had been there earlier, Kaidan…" She sniffed loudly.
"What does he have to do with this?"
"Kaidan saw him get attacked and killed the batarians beating Daniel. He told me he tried to save him, but it was too late."
Ashley placed a comforting hand on Lauren's arm. "Did he know he was your guy?"
"No, we weren't well acquainted back then. It had been years since I had seen him. But Kaidan was right there, he saw me lose it. That's the moment I cracked and went down the trail that took me to Torfan. I can't get close to him because I know if I lost him…I'd tear the galaxy apart."
"Did you ever think maybe he feels the same way about you?"
Lauren looked Ashley straight in the eyes. "He probably does, but I've seen him crack. He breaks like I do and the fallout is dangerous."
A/N: So I moved things a little slower…short chapter and Virmire will wait for another day. Lauren opened up to Ashley. What did you think? Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated!
