Disclaimer: Mass Effect doesn't belong to me, nor do I intend to profit from this work of fiction.
Shepard grimaced as she read through her email; there was a starchy apology message from Ashley, and a request for a meeting from Anderson that read as more of a summons. There was also a brief message from her mother, but she wasn't sure how to word that particular reply, nor was she certain if Cerberus firewalls would allow a message to get through anyway, so she just shut it down for the time being. She tapped out a brief reply to Anderson, letting him know she would head to the Citadel after she took care of the next bit of business she had on her plate. As for Ashley's email, she chose to ignore it completely.
That taken care of; she stood and stretched, grimacing slightly at the persistent ache in her shoulder. She made a mental note to talk to Chakwas about it. She looked around her cabin, and smiled when she found Kaidan sleeping on the sofa, one of the model ships she'd started collecting half pieced together, resting on his chest. She ambled over, moving silently on her bare feet, set the model ship aside, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She watched as his lids fluttered open, and his amber eyes met hers.
"Tired?" she murmured.
"Hmmm," was his reply, and he lifted a hand, burying it in her soft tresses, gently tugging her closer. " Je t'attendais," he whispered against her lips, a slow smile curving his lips as she shifted forward and lowered herself to straddle his hips, her soft lips never leaving his.
"Waiting for me, huh?" she replied softly, lacing her fingers with his, her other hand cupping the back of his neck. "You've got that look," she laughed, taking in the mischievous glint in his amber eyes.
"Quel regard?" he asked, smiling innocently up at her.
"The one that says you're thinking things you shouldn't," she retorted. "Last time you had that look, we didn't speak for two weeks."
He chuckled, "I never would have figured you as being afraid of commitment, Marguerite." he slid his hand down her side, brushing the side of her breast, down to rest atop her thigh. " Mais on a dépasser cette partie, maintenant," he smirked at her, making a noise of protest when she lightly smacked his chest.
"Ass," she said, her tone mild, a hint of a smile in her eyes.
" Précisement," he agreed, and he raised an eyebrow when she leaned forward to rest her head against his chest. "Ah...?" he started to speak, but ultimately fell silent as her palm smoothed across his chest with a contented sigh. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"I've never needed anyone before you," she murmured, her words muffled in his shirt. "And now that I have you, I never want to let go. It's almost frightening how much I need you; how much I've come to rely on you."
He buried his nose in her hair, " Je n'ai jamais eu besoin de personne non plus.Avant toi."
"I can't lose you," she whispered fiercely. "I've been thinking…Before we go through the Omega-4 relay, I want to drop you off somewhere. Maybe with your parents?"
He shook his head, " Non, là où tu vas, je vais."
"I want to keep you safe!" she argued, furrowing her brow as she glared at him.
"I know you do, but how do I make sure you are safe if I'm not with you. Et de toute façon, si cette mission tourne en suicide, c'est mon droit de mourir a côté de toi,chère," he felt her shudder, and held her close. " Mais, nous allons pas mourrir. We're going to destroy the Collectors, then we'll defeat the Reapers, and afterwards, we'll hijack the Normandy and have five kids and raise them as pirates."
She tried to maintain her stern expression, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips, "I'm not so sure about that, Major," she laughed when he grimaced at her use of the nickname she had given him. "I'm still getting used to the idea of marrying your sorry ass. We're not throwing the idea of kids into the mix yet."
" Tu ne crois pas encore que nous allons gagner ceci," he grumbled to himself, and with a soft grunt, he tugged her back down to sprawl across his chest, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close. "Ont va survivre, tu veras," he murmured. "Tu es trop têtu pour faire autrement."
She just smiled and nodded her head, enjoying the rare calm moment they never seemed able to enjoy for very long. She focused on the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and listened to the soft thump of his heart in his chest, and with his hands drifting up and down her spine, sleep claimed her.
Kaidan loved watching her sleep. She had a terrible habit of talking in her sleep, mostly nonsense words that he didn't understand, and she often made soft snuffling sounds as she dreamed. He worried about her some, for all that she could take care of herself, she was far too concerned with handling the concerns of her crew to focus on herself, and as a result, recently she hadn't been getting enough sleep.
He carefully extricated himself from beneath her, and she mumbled in her sleep, and he grinned when he heard his name on her lips. Delicately, he lifted her from the sofa cushions, froze in place as she murmured a sleepy protest but settled into his arms, curling into him contentedly. He set her down on the mattress, and she mumbled again, groping for the sheets before yanking the quilt up around her chin.
He grinned and slid into the bed next to her, and she instantly rolled into him, draping an arm over him. He held her, watching her for a long time, lost in thought. He still wasn't sure when the exact moment she'd become so important to him, but now she was as essential to his existence as breathing, and as integral to his being as the hum of his biotics. He pushed a lock of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Ah, chère," he murmured, and shifted to press a kiss to her forehead. "Je t'aime," he whispered against her skin, and settled down to sleep.
Kaidan slouched in a chair in the Councilor's office, watching Shepard as she paced back and forth while they waited. "You don't have to stick around," she stated, feeling his eyes on her back.
"Je sais," he replied and stood, languidly walking over to where she paced. "Arrête, tu me donne le vertige," he placed his hands on her shoulders, stilling her pacing. "Pourquoi es-tu si nerveuse, chère?" he wondered, more to himself that to her.
She let out a gusty breath, "I don't know, to be honest. I haven't seen Anderson in two years. What if he doesn't believe me?" she said hollowly.
Kaidan raised his eyebrows, "It seems to me that he believed you about the Reapers, in spite of how far fetched it sounds. So if he believed that, why wouldn't he believe that Cerberus resurrected you?" he mused, and dropped his gaze to her lips. "Je pourrais t'aider a changer tes idées," he murmured, lowering his mouth to cover hers, his hands resting on her hips to pull her closer.
"I bet you could," she murmured, and pressed against his chest in protest, but melted against him after a moment, her grip shifting to fist in the front of his shirt. They heard a cough behind them, and Shepard tried to jump away from him, but he held her fast. "Ah, Anderson. Good to see you," she said awkwardly, leaning her torso away from Kaidan.
"Shepard," Anderson greeted, looking between the pair with raised eyebrows. To say he was surprised was an understatement. Shepard had also been a consummate soldier, and had certainly never behaved so…unprofessionally before. His eyebrows flew up even higher when the other man gave her waist a brief squeeze, brushed his lips against her cheek, and with a wolfish smirk, moved a half step away from her. Anderson was certain if he hadn't walked in when he had… He shook his head; it didn't bear thinking about.
Shepard took control of the situation; she could see the dark expression on Anderson's face. He'd been like a father to her since her own had passed away, and she had a feeling he didn't approve of Kaidan's pawing at her. "I came as soon as I could, Anderson. There was a situation with the quarian fleet that I needed to handle first." She heard Kaidan's disgusted scoff, and moved on before he could say anything, "What can I do for you, Anderson?"
Anderson moved behind his desk, "The Council has decided to uphold your Spectre status, they wanted me to inform you."
Kaidan snorted, "Is the new Council too afraid to meet her themselves?"
Anderson frowned, but he had hit the nail on the head, "Yes," he turned back to Shepard, "They are understandably wary of you, Shepard. You sacrificed the previous Council to destroy Sovereign."
Shepard rubbed her temples in frustration, "It was the right decision. We can always elect a new Council, but building more ships takes time, resources. I wasn't going to save those three at the cost of thousands of lives." Shepard sank down into a chair, suddenly weary.
"You won't get any argument from me, Shepard," Anderson said. "Now, we're both busy, so let's get down to business. Shepard, you should know the Alliance is tracking your movements very closely. I've managed to put them off by telling them you are on a Spectre mission, but…"
She sighed, "But the Illusive Man is leaking information that I am with Cerberus."
"Yeah. I trust you Shepard, you're one hell of a soldier, and the best N7 to come out of the Alliance, but watch your step," Anderson warned.
She nodded, "I actually have some information that may help with that." She turned to Kaidan, and waited as his omni-tool flared to life. "Alenko managed to hack into Cerberus' database to get some information. It's not much, but it may help to alleviate concerns that I'm working for the enemy."
Kaidan smirked, "Once I got past the firewalls, it was ridiculously easy. The Illusive Man should protect his information a little better."
Anderson stared, "We've been trying to hack into their system for years. How did you manage this, son?"
Kaidan just shrugged, "J'ai des doigts habile," and shot Shepard a knowing look. She made a strangled sound in her throat and worked her jaw to speak, but no sound came out. The back of her neck turned a brilliant shade of red, and she clenched her hands into fists in frustration.
Kaidan just sat there, a smug smile on his face while Shepard stammered, "Kaidan has many talents." She swallowed hard, and shoved a sharp elbow into his side, and smiled sweetly at him when he glared at her.
Anderson scowled, the pair sitting across the desk from him were acting like a pair of lovesick teenagers, not thirty-something adults. "Fine," he said sharply, getting their attention. "It doesn't really matter. This is valuable data, Shepard. Extremely valuable. I can use this to influence the Alliance to reinstate you after your association with Cerberus is ended."
Shepard nodded, and furrowed her brow while she considered her next words, "Ashley Williams was on Horizon. That meeting…didn't go well."
Anderson rubbed his temples, "I know. There were reports that Cerberus was behind the attacks on human colonies. She was sent to investigate."
"Where is she now?" Shepard asked.
"That's classified, Shepard. I wish I could tell you, but while you're with Cerberus I have to leave you out of this."
Shepard frowned, but nodded, "Okay. If you see her, tell her I wish her the best."
Anderson reluctantly nodded. "Alenko, would you mind stepping outside for a minute?" He wanted to talk to Shepard, and the hulking man at her back made it difficult. He watched as they exchanged looks and with a casual lift of his shoulders, he headed toward the door.
Shepard cocked her head to the side, "Something you needed?"
He stayed silent for an uncomfortable moment, and she squirmed in her chair, "What the hell are you doing, Shepard?" he finally asked.
"Excuse me?" she bristled, sitting up arrow straight as she glared at him, "Are you questioning how I spend my personal time?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing, Shepard," he thundered. "I've known you for years. Hell, I've mentored you since you went through N7 training, and I have never seen you so much as glance at man with any sort of interest. And I walk into my office and had I been a few minutes later…" he trailed off and shook his head. "He's a mercenary, Shepard. He circumvents the law you've sworn to uphold. What are you thinking?"
She narrowed her eyes and shot to her feet, "My personal time is just that, personal. Aside from the fact that Kaidan has not done anything strictly illegal since he's joined my company. He may like to do things his own way, but he would have made a damn good soldier!" she shouted.
Anderson jumped to his feet too, "That's not what I asked, Shepard! What are you thinking? What about after this mission is over and you go back to the Alliance? Do you really think he's going to stick around?"
"Yes," she said quietly, and Anderson looked surprised at her answer. "Yes, I know he's not going to take off when I go back to the Alliance. Maybe he'll even join up, I don't know." She lifted her chin defiantly, and kept her gaze steady, "He keeps me sane, Anderson. He accepts me for who I am, and what I've done. He doesn't judge me, and though he may drive me absolutely insane, and I know that is a contradiction; he's exactly what I've always needed, I just didn't know it."
Anderson studied her for a long minute, and saw the truth of what she was telling him in the way she held her body, the way her eyes held his unwaveringly. "Okay."
The tension fled them both, and she visibly relaxed. She hadn't expected a confrontation with Anderson about her choice of lover, ever. She decided to drop the other bomb she was holding onto, "We're getting married."
Anderson gaped at her, "You're what?"
She grinned at him, "Yeah. I know. I was surprised myself."
Anderson shook his head, "Are you sure? Aren't you rushing into this?"
She just shrugged, "I don't know, Anderson. And to be honest, what are the odds that I'm going to live through defeating the Collectors. And those odds become even slimmer when you consider that afterwards, there are still the Reapers to contend with. They're still coming, that hasn't changed." She let out a sigh, "After saving the galaxy once, and dying, coming back and working with Cerberus, don't I deserve a little happiness?" She spread her hands; "He makes me happy."
"Does he?" Anderson murmured to himself, "Shepard, I don't like this, but be careful. And take care of yourself."
"Thanks. Could you get a message to my mother? Let her know I'm safe, and tell her, I don't know what to tell her. Don't tell her that her daughter is a traitor, please."
"I can handle that, Shepard."
She found Kaidan just outside the door to Anderson's office, fiddling with his omni-tool, "Tout va bien?"
"Yeah, Anderson just had a few questions," she said, and surprised him when she took his arm and leaned into him as they headed back to the tram station to go back to the ship.
"À propos de moi?" he asked, and leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Tu sais, ce n'est pas ça décision a faire, chère."
She nodded, and briefly rested her head against his chest as they walked, "I made that very clear." She released his arm, only to wrap around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder.
He wrapped an arm around her, and glanced down at her to watch as a slow smile spread across her lips. She bit her bottom lip when she was swamped with sudden need, and gently nudged him towards an alleyway nearby. He smirked at her, and followed her lead, sneaking his hand up to cup her breast. She shivered next to him, but continued on until they were out of sight of the main thoroughfare and she spun around to face him, pressing him back against the wall.
He gripped her hips as she rose up on her toes and crushed her mouth to his, devouring his lips in a searing kiss. Her hands pushed at his shirt, yanking it from his pants as she pressed her warm palms against his bare flesh. She felt his fingers digging into her hips as he pulled her closer.
"Chère," he murmured against her lips, and groaned as her fingers flicked open his belt and in seconds, his thick erection was resting in her warm palm. He moved to flip their positions, but she just smirked at him, and shoved him back against the wall. "Qu'est-ce que tu…?" he trailed off as she dropped to her knees and glanced up at him with an impertinent lift of her eyebrows. His breath hissed between his teeth as her hot lips slid over the silky head of his arousal, her tongue swirling around him.
He swallowed hard, and his eyes crossed as her hand came up to cup his balls, gently fondling them as her lips travelled up and down his length at a torturously slow place. He shuddered as her tongue stroked him from base to tip, ending with a delicate swipe of her tongue before she repeated the procedure, driving him mad. She pulled her mouth away from him, and licked her lips as she looked up at him, "Do you need me yet?" she murmured seductively.
"Je...uh, crois que tu as manqué une place," he breathed, and sucked in a breath when she just smiled at him, and her soft lips enveloped him again as she hummed in the back of her throat. He groaned deep in his throat as she toyed with him, licking up and down his rigid length. It took all of his effort to prevent his hips from thrusting against her hot lips, with a harsh grunt, he jerked her to her feet, and pushed her back against the wall.
He struggled with the fly of her pants, and her own fingers were shaky with need as she tried to help him. After a brief struggle, her pants were around her ankles, and he turned her so her back was to him, and he nudged her feet apart, parting her thighs to grant him access to her molten core.
She let out a keening moan when his fingers found her wet center, and slipped against her damp folds. She pressed her hips back against him, moaning her need for him. "Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive, chère, que tu as besoin de moi si désespérément?" He wondered softly, teasing her slippery entrance with the head of his swollen shaft.
"I didn't want to wait," she panted, clutching at the hand he had splayed across her belly.
She cried out as he slid home within her, her slick muscles stretching around him as he filled her. He clamped his teeth down on the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, and a sudden orgasm exploded through her. He pumped his hips into her relentlessly, taking in each mewling cry from her lips, groaning deeply as her walls tightened around him with each stroke. "Maggie," he panted, his lips pressing just behind her ear, "Je vais pas durer," he muttered with a groan.
"Then don't," she managed between gasps for breath, one hand pressed against the wall before her, the other still clutching his hand. Her head fell back against his shoulder as she cried out once more, her climax building to new heights with each thrust of his hips before ripping through her. His arm tightened around her, and with a shout stifled against her shoulder, he emptied into her as she spasmed around him.
She slumped back against him, trusting him to catch her weight. "Jesus," she muttered, trying to stand under her own power and failing miserably as her shaky knees gave out. "Jesus fucking Christ," she greedily sucked in air, trying to regulate her breathing.
He nuzzled her throat, his lips skimming over her skin, "N'importe quand tu veux baiser dans une ruelle, je suis jeu," he murmured, watching as she pulled her pants up her hips, setting her clothes to rights.
She snickered at him, and straightened. "You're on." She turned, and rose on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. "Sometimes, I need you so much it's scary," she whispered.
He smoothed a hand over her hair, "Je sais, je vais nulle part.Je suis à ta disposition," he replied easily.
"Good to know," she said, taking his hand in hers. "I plan to use you. A lot."
He just grinned as they made their way back to the ship.
Je t'attendais - Just waiting on you
Quel regard- What look?
Mais on a dépasser cette partie, maintenant But we've moved passed that now
Précisement – Accurate
Je n'ai jamais eu besoin de personne non plus.Avant toi - I've never needed anyone either. Until you.
Non, là où tu vas, je vais - No, where you go, I go.
Et de toute façon, si cette mission tourne en suicide, c'est mon droit de mourir a côté de toi,- And anyway, if this does turn into a suicide mission, it's my right to die by your side, chère
Mais, nous allons pas mourrir - But we're not going to die.
Tu ne crois pas encore que nous allons gagner ceci - You're still in denial that we're going to win this
Ont va survivre, tu veras - We'll survive, you'll see
Tu es trop têtu pour faire autrement - You're too stubborn to do otherwise.
Je sais - I know
Arrête, tu me donne le vertige - Stop, you're making me dizzy
Pourquoi es-tu si nerveuse - Why are you so nervous
Je pourrais t'aider a changer tes idées - I could help take your mind off things
J'ai des doigts habile - Clever fingers
Tout va bien -Everything okay?
À propos de moi - About me?
Tu sais, ce n'est pas ça décision a faire - You know, it's not his decision to make
Qu'est-ce que tu…? - What are you…?
Je...uh, crois que tu as manqué une place - I…uh, think you missed a spot
Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive, chère, que tu as besoin de moi si désespérément - What's gotten into you, chère, that you need me so desperately?
Je vais pas durer - I'm not going to last
N'importe quand tu veux baiser dans une ruelle, je suis jeu - Anytime you want to fuck me in an alley, I'm game
Je sais, je vais nulle part.Je suis à ta disposition. - I know, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm at your disposal.
