A/N: Dogs of War is a fun WIP but it is so damn angsty. This is an old project I dug out of a folder that's a bit lighter. Basically, I wanted to explore what would happen if Shepard chose to have a civilian partner instead of someone else in the military.

May, 2172

Effingham, Illinois

Big Moon Motel

The Big Moon motel was a shithole, but it was one place in town where two kids could rent a room for a night of privacy. The carpet was a garish orange and the television was ancient and occaisionally sent up an alarming spark in the air as it played ancient dramas on repeat.

Kate Shepard and Andrea Calhoun had long since discarded their prom dresses and now they were nothing more than puddles of blue and silver silk strewn across the carpeting. The two girls sprawled lazily in bed, passing a bottle of wine back and forth. Andrea took a last long drag on her ciggerette before tossing it into an ash tray by the bed. Kate watched with a curl of her lips. She despised smoking, but tolerated it from Andrea.

"Prom sucked," Kate declared as she turned back to the tv and took a swig of wine, "this tastes like piss," she declared, wrinkling her face.

Andrea Calhoun took a long swig from the glass bottle, "a-fucking-men to both." She leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend lazily.

Kate pulled away after a long moment, smiling, "wanna order take out?"

"Maybe later," Andrea shrugged, "for now I want to get trashed and try to wipe the image of our illustrious classmates grinding pelvises out of my head."

"I'll drink to that," Kate snatched the wine bottle again. "Will your mom miss you?" She asked after minute.

Andrea made a face, "mom's working the graveyard shift tonight, she won't be home till seven tomorrow. You?"

"My foster family?" Kate snorted, "they don't give a shit. Two months and I'm out on my ass anyways."

Andrea took one last swig, surveyed the empty wine bottle with regret, and set it on the nightstand. She leaned against Kate's shoulder. "That's right. you got college plans yet?"

"I uh-," Kate put an arm around the other woman, "don't think I'm gonna go. The 'rents didn't leave me much money."

The two girls fell silent. They didn't talk about Kate's family much. She arrived two years ago, still reeling from the colony attack that had killed her family. Kate had gotten detention her first day at school for a xenophobic comment she had made. Personally, Andrea had a hard time blaming her. Kate had watched everyone she ever knew die. She'd have a hard time accepting other species if her primary exposure had been at the wrong end of a gun.

Andrea had been in detention the same day for a rather public display of artistic expression. Her graffiti on the side of the school had not gone over as well as she had hoped. It was supposed to be a statement on the administrative attitude towards political speech on school grounds. No one understood artists these days.

She had been bored sitting in the quiet classroom with nothing to do and Kate had been so cute sitting there, arms crossed, slouched and scowling. Andrea had drawn a cartoon of the teacher, a woman with a ridiculous curly hairdo, as a poodle and passed it to her. She had watched as the corner of Kate's mouth quirked up into the smallest of smiles.

After detention they had walked down to the bodega and used Andrea's fake ID to buy a six pack. Together they had spent the evening by the river drinking and talking until the sun went down. Kate told her about life on a colony before the raid and how loud and bright even their small town was in comparison to the vast emptiness of a nearly uninhabited planet.

They had been together ever since.

Andrea, the artist who hated rules and authority and Kate, the rebel with a blood in her past.

Since then, Kate had told her a little about the attack on Mindoir. They came at night. They killed her whole family. She hid in a closet and watched, terrified to move a muscle. Then she had made a run for it, sneaking past Batarians with assault rifles massacring everyone she had ever loved and stepping over dead bodies.

In a few hours her whole life had gone wrong. Now there wasn't even enough money for her school. Andrea was never sure what to say. She scooted closer, felt Andrea's fingers dig into her bicep.

"What about you? What are you doing after we're done with high school?" Kate asked.

"Scholarship to art school." Andrea cuddled closer, "you should come with me, you can be my muse."

"God knows I was over half your portfolio."

"Yeah, well, when I'm rich and famous you can say you're the first nude Andrea Calhoun ever drew." Andrea smiled, the image of Kate draped across a sofa smiling softly at her was a fondly held memory.

Kate grinned at her,"And I'll still be the prettiest."

"I'd drink to it, but we're out of wine."

Kate chewed on her lip, "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." She brushed a strand of copper hair out of her face, "I talked to a recruitment officer the other day. For the alliance."

"Seriously?" Andrea sat straight up from where she had courted against Kate, wrinkling her nose, "You going to go all Starship Trooper on me now?"

"I haven't signed anything yet."

Andrea touched her girlfriend's cheek, turning her head so they were meeting eyes, "but you're going to," she stated simply.

Kate shrugged, "the alliance saved my life."

"So?" Andrea mimiced the shrug, "it's their job, not like you owe them or something."

"No, it's not like that," Kate said, drawing her knees up to her chest, "but they said maybe I could help, like, stop more colony attacks."

Andrea raised an eyebrow, "And you want revenge on the bastards who killed your family."

"You weren't there Andrea, they died and I had to watch and... I still-" she looked away, "fuck, it's not important."

"we've been sleeping together for nearly a year, Kate." Andrea touched her shoulder," I know you still have nightmares."

A long silence stretched between them. Kate stared at the curtained covered window and Andrea watched her cautiously. She was never quite sure how to talk about Mindoir. Kate always went stoic and silent.

"Do you know where they found me?" Kate asked softly. "I had to hide. They dumped all the bodies in a pit and when the alliance finally..." She swallowed, "they found me hiding there."

"Kate..." Andrea touched her hand and Kate gripped it hard enough to hurt.

"I didn't even get one of them. I didn't take down a single one. Most of them got away from the alliance, even. It shouldn't happen to anyone else. It shouldn't."

Trying to lighten the mood, Andrea spoke first, "don't you have to run, and get up early, and be all neat freaky and stuff?" She curled her lip in distaste.

Kate chuckled, "not all of us have an allergic reaction to a clothes hampers, Andrea."

"Yeah," Andrea said, "but I'll miss you," she lifted Kates hand's and kissed the back of it. Kate's hands were dusted with freckles like constellations. "I mean, when will you be home?"

"Basic is, like, three months or something," Kate said, "as long as I do everything right."

"You will," Andrea said, "when have you ever lost anything you really wanted to win." She remembered Kate in gym class head butting a soccer ball into the head of the guy known for being a bully, or Kate running track on the hottest day of summer, outstripping everyone in their class.

"And then?"

"They'll send me where they need me."

"What if-" Andrea hesitated, "what if they send you somewhere and you don't come home."

For a moment Kate stared at the wall. She didn't speak for a long time, "at least no one will miss me." Kate shrugged. She reached for the wine bottle, then seemed to remember it was empty.

"How can you say that? I'll miss you," Andrea nuzzled Kate's hair, "and what about us?"

"Us," Kate sighed, "you're going to art school. You'll meet some equally messy, artistic girl, and fall madly in love, and forget about me."

"And you'll meet some hot asari girl and forget about me. You'll probably live on Alpha Centauri or whatever their home planet is."

"Your such a nerd," Kate said and chuckled, "I hear their boobs get bigger with age."

"Is that the real reason you're going into space," Andrea rolled her eyes.

"Yup," Kate grinned, "that's me, roaming the galaxy in search of large chested, blue women." Laying down on the bed she sighed in contentment, "but for the record, Andrea, I like your boobs."

"Thanks," Andrea smiled and laid her head on Kate's shoulder, "I like your boobs to."

They lay there embracing each other a long time. "Can we just pretend this will work?" Kate asked suddenly, "just for tonight? I need..I need someone will be here."

Andrea kissed her, "then hold onto me. I'll be right here."