Act I : XVIII

SSV Normandy

Slade Jordan tried his best to ignore the pain emanating from his stab wound, realizing Doctor Chakwas would order him back to the medbay if she saw him in discomfort. It mostly hurt only when he took a step, so he tried his best to walk very cautiously and control his breathing. Chakwas followed Slade to the captain's quarters, then shook her head condescendingly.

"Well", she sighed. "I hope you accomplish whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Please come back to the medbay when you two are finished. If you have not returned in half an hour, I WILL come looking for you."

"Thanks for the warning", Slade gulped before knocking gently on the door. Karin turned around and walked back to the medbay as the door hissed open. Zoey walked out of the doorframe, wearing her favourite N7 sweater over her blue fatigues. Her vibrant, green eyes were always the first thing that grabbed Slade's attention, and he always felt the need to look away in order to avoid blushing.

"Hey", Zoey said softly, only a few decibels above a whisper.

"Hey", Slade returned. "Do you have a minute?"

"Even better", Zoey declared. "I have several minutes. Come on in." Slade slowly followed Zoey into her quarters. He was surprisingly underwhelmed - he expected a luxurious suite, completed with a four-poster bed and an over-the-top vanity - but was instead greeted with a very simple room; in fact, the only pieces of furniture were a desk, a small table with two chairs, and a twin bed, which was noticeably unmade. "Excuse the mess", Zoey apologized. "I wasn't expecting to entertain guests." Slade's expression of disgruntlement must have shown on his face.

"No, no, no", Slade said quickly. "No need to apologize. It's not the mess that's bothering me. Honestly, I was expecting the Normandy's CO to have more…ummm…furniture…"

"Is that so?" Zoey laughed as she took a quick glance around her quarters. "Remind me to bring that up with Admiral Hackett when they pass the next budget proposal. I definitely wouldn't mind a hot tub in here." She paused to give Slade a small smile, which he quickly returned. "Oh, well", Zoey continued. "It might not be fit for a politician, but it's home. Anyway, what's up? I'm sure you didn't come by just to inspect my standard of living…unless…well, did you come here to inspect my quarters?"

"Nope", Slade chuckled awkwardly. "Just came by to…ummm…well…apologize, I guess." Zoey raised her eyebrows, but did not say anything, which Slade interpreted as a signal to continue speaking. "About what happened with Balak…I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders. Maybe if I listened to you, those engineers might still be alive. You're the commander here, and I definitely owe you more than just my obedience. You saved me from Eden Prime and gave me a home, the least I could do is be a good crew member. So, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Slade took a few breaths, mustered his courage and continued speaking. "With all that being said, I have to say I still don't agree with what happened down on the asteroid. Balak should be dead, not left in a prison cell somewhere. People like him don't just drop everything and start playing nice. I'm not saying you made the wrong decision, I'm just saying I don't agree with the choice you made. Even so, I still should have followed your orders, regardless of my own opinions. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're the commander, and I trust you, so from here on out, I'll follow your orders without question, even if I don't necessarily agree with you. If you ask for my opinion, I'll give it to you, but it won't affect my ability to follow directions." The room was silent for a few moments before Zoey said something.

"That's…ummm…surprising", Zoey remarked. "I definitely didn't expect you to apologize for that…Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did! I'm just…surprised. I also didn't expect you to stand up for yourself like that…I'm impressed, Slade! Actually, I'm very impressed. Where did all that inspiration come from?" Slade's nightmare began replaying itself in his head, and he quickly shook it off.

"I decided I need to start doing things for myself", Slade reported. "Which includes standing up for myself, and taking responsibility for myself. So, here I am. I'm glad you're impressed. I guess that means I accomplished something, at least."

"Well, I'm proud of you, Slade", Zoey beamed. "I accept your apology, and I'm glad we've reached an understanding. Also, from this point on, if you ever disagree with me about anything - ANYTHING at all - I'd like to know about it. I want you to follow my orders, but I also want you to think for yourself. So please, if you do end up disagreeing again, let me know ASAP. Deal?"

"Deal", Slade smiled.

"Well", Zoey chirped. "I guess it's my turn to apologize now. I'm really, REALLY sorry I slapped you. I didn't mean it, it just…happened. I regretted it the moment after it happened. Please forgive me? Pretty please?"

"I guess I deserved it", Slade commented. "I forgive you, Commander." Zoey gave Slade a wide smile before stepping forward and pulling him into a hug. Slade felt his face and ears instantly heat up, but he was surprisingly content with the physical contact. He carefully returned the hug before Zoey released him.

"You need to work on your hugs", Zoey teased.

"Is that an order?" Slade shot back.

"Do I need to MAKE it an order?" Zoey rebounded.

"Go ahead", Slade smirked. "It's not like I'll listen."