Commander Shepard breathed a deep, satisfied sigh. As she lay with her head resting against Thane's chest, she could hear his heartbeat and feel his chest rise and fall with each breath. As much as she tried to stay out of dark places during moments like this, she couldn't help wondering how long they had to spend with each other. She could not hear evidence of the infectious Kepral's Syndrome in his lungs as she listened to his breathing, but she knew it was there. She nestled closer to him, and as Thane wrapped his arm around her waist, Liara's words echoed in her head.

"What are you fighting for, Shepard? A few stolen months with Thane before the inevitable?" That's what Liara said on her last visit to the Normandy. She was blunt, but she was right. Her old friend had given her a lot to think about during that visit. Liara was definitely changed, even more so since she had taken over as the Shadow Broker. Her new contacts and information had already come in handy for the Commander in a tactical sense, but she also found that the Shadow Broker had a vested interest in her and her crew. Not entirely surprising, but Shepard still wondered why.

She did find intel that was both surprising and entertaining regarding her crew. Shepard and Liara had a good laugh about Garrus' music preferences and Miranda's subscription to what appeared to be an extranet dating service for successful business people. Reviewing that data with Liara was maybe not entirely professional, but Shepard figured there was no harm in it. She did, however, download the file the Shadow Broker had been developing on Thane and took it with her.

The file included his medical records taken from the Normandy's med bay as well as a letter he had written addressed to Shepard, taken from his personal log. It was clear that he had not intended for her to read it until after he was gone. She had read it immediately, of course. She read it every time she was alone in her quarters, which wasn't as often as it had once been. The letter made her sad, true, but it also made her realize that Liara was right, this was what she was fighting for. The letter sharpened her focus and adjusted her perspective about the upcoming battle: the confrontation she had yet to have with the reapers. Shepard shifted her body, attempting to find a more comfortable position.

"Something is troubling you, siha," said Thane. He looked down to find Shepard's face looking up at him. She smiled crookedly.

"It's nothing," she said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything you would care to discuss with me?" he asked. Shepard's eyes lingered on his face, studying his reptilian features that were so similar and yet so different from a human face. Features that she had come to find exotic and uniquely handsome.

"I was thinking about something Liara said to me the other day," she began. Shepard paused, unsure if she wanted to continue. She didn't like to bring up his illness with him, but she couldn't help thinking it was the metaphorical "elephant in the room" at times. "She told me that I am experiencing the same thing that an asari goes through when they bond with a shorter lived species." Thane rested his head on his pillow, looking up at the ceiling.

"That is an interesting perspective," said Thane. "I had not considered that." He moved his hand to stroke Shepard's hair. He was fascinated by her hair, it amused Shepard that he always wanted to touch it. He had told her once that to his eyes, it was the same color as the sea at dusk.

"I thought so. She said it in that way she has – that calm. When she put it like that - I don't know, it brought me some peace," said Shepard. She sat up and looked down at Thane. His eyes closed for a moment, and then he moved to sit up as well.

"I am glad, siha," he said. He covered her hand with his, looking steadily into her eyes. "I can tell that is not the only thing that is on your mind, but thank you for sharing that with me."

"You're right, it's not the only thing, but sharing that with you just made me feel a lot better," said Shepard. Thane tilted his head to the side, regarding her. His hand moved from hers, brushing her cheek and lingering at the gauze covering the wound on her brow. Shepard moved in to kiss him, hoping to convey the surge of emotion she felt as he touched her face in action better than she could with words.

She leaned toward him, bracing herself against his bare chest and twining a hand around to caress the back of his neck. She brushed his cheek, his forehead, and finally his lips with hers. His skin was cool, dry and soft against her lips. She could feel the soreness of her bruises – it excited her. His breath was warm against her neck, becoming gradually heavier. With a series of deft maneuvers, Thane laid the commander flat on her back, pinning her shoulders. He was on top of her before she realized it, straddling her hips, his gaze intense. Shepard grinned mischievously up at him, impressed by his speed and grace. The buzz of Shepard's comm on the nightstand shattered the moment.

"Uh, Commander? Are you coming? Tali and I have been waiting near the airlock for the past twenty minutes," the comm relayed Garrus' voice. Shepard gaped, frustrated. After a pause and a regretful look, Thane leapt up with the same grace and handed Shepard the comm.

"Seriously?" she mouthed to Thane. He shrugged, smiling. "Garrus, I said sixteen hundred hours," she spoke into the device.

"I know. Find a watch, Shepard." Garrus spoke back. Shepard glared at the device. She squinted at her alarm clock. It read 16:10.

"Twenty minutes, my ass," she grumbled.

"It would be rude to keep them waiting," he said as he dressed. Shepard smirked, more than tempted to keep them waiting for at least another couple of hours. Ah, the price of responsibility, she mused.

"I'm coming, give me five minutes. Shepard out," she said into the comm. Shepard opened her closet and found her armor. She was pleased to find it had been cleaned. Her errand was only a routine supplies run, but full armor was appropriate attire for wandering around the gang-filled territories of Omega. "I'm sorry, I have to get down there. It was my idea in the first place," said Shepard.

"Of course," said Thane, helping her into her greaves. His hands lingered on her hips. Shepard turned around to find herself in his embrace.

"We'll pick this up when I get back," she said, her lips brushing his as she spoke.

"I shall look forward to it, siha," he replied. He caught her hand as she reached for her pistol and brushed it with his lips. She watched him leave, regretfully, then turned to equip the rest of her weapons. Here's to making this a quick trip, she thought to herself, and summoned the elevator.