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Too Much Energy

Kaidan got out of the transport and checked his omni tool to make sure he had the right place. Shepard had sent him a message to meet her here. Here was the outskirts of one of the ward arms where the damage was minimal. He walked up to a door with the numbers on it that matched the ones on him omni tool. He pressed the alert button. Shepard opened the door and pulled him inside.

"It's about time you got here" she told him. "I have been waiting for a while." She pushed him down on the couch and climbed on top of him.

"Can't be that long, I only got your message twenty minutes ago." He told her, running his hands over her hips, as she sat on top of him. She was only wearing her shorts and a top.

She moved her face down so that it was in front of his. "You're not questioning me, are you lieutenant?"

"Well Ma'am I have the time right— "and she covered his mouth with hers so he couldn't finish. If she kept kissing him like this he was going to get uncomfortable in his armor really quickly. He sat up with her in his arms and then sat her on the couch and started taking off his armor.

"Where did you find this place?" he asked her batting at her hands as she tried to help him "just sit there a minute." He told her.

"Barla Von found it for me. He said he owed me for helping Wrex get Fisk." She ran her fingers down his abdomen as he lifted his armor off his shoulders. He stepped back so he could remove the rest of the armor without her interference. "I wanted to have some time together before we got stuck in that tin can for the next ten weeks. There is no privacy there."

"Yes, as you so eloquently showed me this morning." He walked back over to her and lay down on top of her. "That was very mean of you, by the way." He said looking into her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know, you did seem to enjoy it." she reached around him and pulled him in tighter to her "I know I did."

"Yes you love to torture me." He told her.

"Well, I did warn you if you pulled rank on me I would have no choice…" and he never gave her a chance to finish her sentence.

"Now remember Joker if you see any trace, of any ship, that you can't identify you need to get us out of here super quick." Shepard told him as she stood in the cramped bridge of the Salice.

"I know Commander you told me that several times."

"I just don't want to have what happened to the Normandy to happen to this ship." She told him.

"Right, that would be bad." He said.

"We need to find Normandy's Flight Data Recorder. There may be information on there to identify the ship, or at least give us something to find these bastards."

"Shepard you have to face the fact that we might not be able to find this ship"

"Garrus they destroyed my ship, I will find them." She bent over the panel he was working on trying to read the information he was gathering. She reached up to clear a reading and he grabbed her hand.

"Shepard if you clear that reading I will lose the trail we have been following the last two days." Garrus told her.

She pulled her hand back and scowled at him.

"Listen why don't you go inside and bug someone else and we will call you when we have anything." Joker told her.

"Kaidan and Adams sent me up here. Tali isn't back from the migrant fleet. Wrex threatened to shoot me, and I would hate to have to kill him now. Doc said if I bugged her one more time she would sedate me. Somebody had better find something for me to do or else."

"What about Liara." Garrus asked.

Shepard rolled her eyes like that explained everything. Spending too much time with Liara just caused too many problems on both Liara's and Kaidan's side.

"Don't you have reports to fill out or something?" Joker asked her.

"No, all caught up, I do them right away so I don't get backed up." She told him.

"Well then go bug Alenko, he has to put up with you." Joker said.

"Oh, and you don't have to put up with me Joker?"

"No, I don't care if you're mad at me, it won't affect my love life."

"Joker I wouldn't be so sure that my being mad at you won't affect your love life" she said playing with her gun.

"Okay Commander, I get it now, put the big gun away."

"This is very entertaining, really, now could you leave us alone, so we can follow this trail and maybe get you the information you really want." Garrus told her.

"Fine!" Shepard turned around and left the cockpit. She heard Garrus tell Joker "you better call Alenko and tell him she's coming back and she is not happy."

As she entered the cargo area Kaidan was already heading towards her so obviously Joker had been able to reach him.

"You're making the crew very uncomfortable Shepard. You have to relax." He told her noticing she was in full armor sans helmet and had all her weapons on.

"I can't relax, may I remind you there is no privacy in this place."

"Why don't you run laps around the cargo bay area?"

"Because it is too small and there are obstructions all over the palace." She told him.

"Well you need to find something to do with yourself, what did you used to do on the Normandy when you got like this"

"Find you, find Ashley, sit in cabin in peace and read, talk to crew, talk to Pressley, Talk to Tali..."

"Yeah I get it there was more to do-"

"Go to the gym and run... make out with my boyfriend in said gym." she continued.

He ran his hand through his hair "I get it Shepard, I get it." I need to find something to expend her energy in a way that won't embarrass me he thought if she stays like this she is going to start thinking of ways to torture me. Wait running, I have an idea. "Do me a favor please Shepard." he said.

"Depends."

Doesn't it always? "Please go into the mess and sit with Liara for a while and talk to her."

"Wait, you want me to talk to Liara?" she asked eying him suspiciously.

"Just talk to her, she has been missing you lately and I trust you." he told her.

"It's been over a week Alenko, I don't know if you should be trusting me." she said and she turned on her heels and headed towards the mess.

"I'll be in to get you in a little while." he told her, just in case she got any ideas.

Liara was sitting at one of the tables with several data pads strewn around. She looked up when Shepard came in, and she smiled.

"Hi Liara, what are you doing." Shepard asked her plopping down in a seat across from her.

"I am collating data that we have obtained so far about the Reapers. It is still broken and in pieces and I am trying to fill in the pieces."

"That's a good idea." Shepard said "So how have you been?"

"I am quite well Shepard, how are you?"

Bored "I'm okay" She put her arms on the table in front of her and leaned on her elbows. "I would be better if we could find out something about the vehicle that attacked the Normandy."

Liara put her arm out on the table, her hand coming close to Shepard's hand but she didn't quite touch it. "Yes I can see how that would be important. If we find the vehicle we might be able to find out why they attacked." She looked in Shepards eyes. "I know that you need to find out why"

"Not as much why as in 'why us,' but why as in 'we did nothing to you why shoot at us'." She looked at Liara's hand and wondered again for the umpteenth time if she realized that she was always trying to touch Shepard. "More importantly does it have anything to do with the Reapers."

Liara had reached Shepard's fingertips and she started to trace the tips with her finger. "Well, we could, I mean if it's okay with you, we could try and see if there is anything more your in mind from the beacon, that might help us find out more about the Reapers."

Shepard was trying to ignore Liara playing with her fingertips because she didn't want her to get all silly and embarrassed, and really she wasn't hurting her fingers. "I don't think that's necessary right now Liara, give me some time, okay."

"Certainly Shepard, we will take all the time you need." she started to trace Shepard whole fingers one at a time.

Shepard left the hand that Liara was playing with on the table but moved the other one out of reach. "Yeah I just got rid of some of the bad dreams, I need time okay."

"Oh sure Shepard, that would be okay."

Trying to get Liara on a subject other the Shepard she asked "So Liara what would a regular day in the life of a Prothean be?"

Liara's eyes lit up "Well..."

"So Adams what do you think?" Kaidan asked. "It's in the corner so it's out-of-the-way. We can see it from our worksbench that we have over there, so we can make sure she isn't getting into trouble. And it should work out all her extra energy."

"It's a good simple design strong and made to last. Are you sure she will use it?"

"Pretty sure, although sometimes she surprises me I think she will like this."

"Maybe we should put privacy walls around it," Adams suggested.

"No..." and give her a place to scheme I don't think so " no, I don't think that's necessary, plus we do need to keep an eye on her in case she decides to take something apart." He said, knowing that it was one of Adam's biggest fears.

"Oh there is that, yes that would be bad, and if this keeps her busy, it will also keep her out of my hair. Good idea Alenko, why don't you show it to her now."

"Yes Chief, I believe I will." and he left for the mess.

He walked into the mess and saw Liara holding onto Shepard's hand, which she dropped as soon as she saw Kaidan. Shepard didn't even flinch so he was pretty sure whatever Liara had decided to talk about, Shepard wasn't really paying attention. Liara's need to touch Shepard whenever she could was one of the reasons he didn't like them to be alone together. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, he did, it just made him uncomfortable, he didn't know why.

"Shepard, come with me I have a present for you from Adams and me." He told her watching her snap alert, he was right, she hadn't been paying attention.

"Oh sure, hey Liara it was nice talking to you, see you at dinner okay?" She smiled at her.

"Oh yes Shepard, see you then." Liara smiled back.

Shepard followed Kaidan back into the cargo bay and over into the corner opposite of the mako. He was in front of her so she didn't see what they were heading for, because she was too busy looking at his assets.

"So, what do you think?"

"About what?" she asked still staring at his butt. He turned around and afforded her a view of the other part of his body she was quite fond of. She smiled.

"Shepard" he grabbed her arm and pushed her in front of him facing forward so she could see her present. They had built her a treadmill from spare parts they had on the ship. Kaidan watched as her eyes lit up and she got a big smile on her face.

"Now you can run and you can watch what is going on in the room. We will all be in sight of you, so you won't feel left out and can keep an eye on us. Okay?"

She put her hand on his forearm and looked into his eyes, he could see the happiness there. "Kaidan, thank you. I love it." She turned around and found Adams looking at her from the worktable "Adams, thank you so much."

"You're quite welcome Commander, Anytime" he told her.

"I'm going to take off my armor and give it a try right now" and she headed for the bedroom where the storage lockers were.

As Kaidan watched her go he thought: Yeah, I was hoping you would say that.