The front door slammed, and Shepard instantly reached over her shoulder for her Scorpion. Then remembered she wasn't currently armed once she felt nothing but the back of her hoodie.
"Shepard?"
Kaidan's voice rang out loud enough to reach her in the bedroom and she rolled her eyes at herself.
"I'm here," she called back, trekking out to find him in the beach house's cozy living area.
He looked up from where he was shuffling through a small suitcase and smiled once he saw her. "There you are. Almost ready to go?"
"Almost," she sighed, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest. "Where'd you run off to? All I got was a note that gave me a very specific 'be back soon'." Her brow furrowed. "And an 'XO' which left me wondering if that meant 'executive officer', or 'kiss and hug'."
"I leave that to your interpretation. And I had a few errands to run," he evaded with a shrug, averting his eyes and focusing back on the contents of the case. Of course, he knew she'd pick up on his behavior and a crooked smile quirked his lips.
"What are you hiding, Alenko?" she asked, resisting the urge to smile in turn.
"I'd never hide anything from you, ma'am," he replied in his well-practiced military voice.
"Except whatever it is you're trying to keep out of my sight, of course," she added, trying to peer over the case's lid.
"Uh-uh." He closed the case before she could catch a glimpse. "That's for later. However… I do have something to give you right now." His eyebrows waggled suggestively, eliciting a laugh from her, the sound sultry and musical.
"Oh, yeah?" she murmured breathily.
"Mm-hm." He reached for her hand, and she complied, stepping closer to him as he gently drew her into a kiss, slow and sweet as molasses. When he finally parted from her, he stared into her eyes, his expression heartfelt and so, so soft. He looked as though the most meaningful poetry ever composed might fall from his lips at any moment.
And then," It's on the porch."
Shepard's face fell comically flat. "Huh?"
He broke into a snicker and began carefully tugging on her hand. "Come on."
Befuddled, Eve followed at his insistence and let him lead her out the front door. She took in the sight of the ocean, the clear sky above, and a few groups of people speckling the white sand in sporadic intervals. There was nothing terribly out of the ordinary or unfamiliar here.
"Meet Vic."
Blinking, she looked at Kaidan, and then down to the object he was holding in his hand. A cord. No, a leash…
…Attached to a very small varren.
"Holy—!" she exclaimed, only cutting herself off as the pup quirked its head up at her. It was cuter than it had any right to be. "You got me a varren?"
"You wanted an engagement pet," Kaidan explained innocently.
Kneeling down, Eve examined the animal closer, its eyes wide and equally curious about her. "But… a varren?" Her tone was colored only by amusement.
"Well, look at him," he answered, as though this was obvious. The varren pup was absurdly adorable. "Besides… I can't really imagine the great Commander Evelyn Shepard taking a Yorkie along for her morning run. I'd have found you a Siberian tiger or somethin', but there weren't any local breeders in the area."
She glanced up from the pup to see her fiance's most charming grin—one she'd come to affectionately refer to as his shit-eating grin. Without even realizing it, a reciprocal smile had crept its way over her lips and she looked back down at the tiny varren. "Vic, huh?"
"Yep, it's on his papers and everything."
"He has papers?" She couldn't keep the incredulity from her voice.
"Pure bred certification and documented lineage."
"…You're kidding."
"Serious as a heart attack." He knelt down beside her then to watch the interaction between the pup and his new owner a little more closely. "So?" His eyes flickered from the animal to his girlfriend. "Will you accept this as an adequate token of our engagement?"
The varren couldn't have timed it more perfectly—he took a timid step forward, then another onto her lap and gave her an experimental sniff, followed by a swift lick on her chin.
Laughter erupted from her, and she fell back from her squatting position to let her ass hit the floor. Looking up to Kaidan through her mirth, she saw he was chuckling, as well. Nodding, she took a few deep breaths to compose herself. "Yes, Kaidan Alenko, I will accept this potentially man-eating animal as a symbol of your undying love and intention to marry me."
"That's what I wanna hear," he replied with a cheeky grin, leaning over and planting a firm kiss on her smiling lips. "Now go finish packing. Our transport's coming in less than an hour."
Giving the pup a good scratch behind the ears, Shepard got to her feet and sent a sideways glance toward Kaidan. "Think James is gonna shit a brick when we bring him on board?"
He barked a laugh. "Maybe… but I think he'll come to love this dog. Er… varren."
Eve dismissively waved a hand as she made her way back inside. "Dog, varren… whatever."
"And then mi comandante loca here brings a varren onto my shuttle. Like I'm the goddamn humane society." Vega was in fine form, griping in customary fashion with that ever-present thread of respect about Shepard's antics.
Garrus cackled beside him, eying the commander as she walked ahead of them with Alenko at her side, down the long hallway of the Alliance's Scotland HQ.
"Laugh it up, Vakarian. You're going to be holding Vic's leash at the wedding," she told him, sending a pointed glare behind her.
"I'll be sure to bring my side arm," he shot back smoothly.
"Alright, can it, crew," Kaiden ordered as he tried to keep a straight face. "We've got company." Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture as a figure approached them. "Admiral Anderson."
Eve had also straightened up considerably, noticing the others follow her lead from her peripheral vision.
"Major," Anderson addressed Kaidan in return, extending his left hand in offering. The other was occupied with the cane that supported his weight. Their hands met firmly before the way was cleared for Shepard to greet him, as well. His weathered face warmed instantly once his eyes fell upon her, and a fatherly smile spread over his expression. "Commander."
"Sir," Eve choked, finding an unexpected wave of emotion had crept into her throat. It was the first time she'd seen him since the aftermath of the Crucible, as they'd been separated not long after they'd each been found in the wreckage.
He held his arm out to her, waving her to him.
With a half-sob, half-laugh, Shepard wasted no time grasping him in a hug, both trying to be very careful of their respective injuries. "I'm glad you're okay, sir," she muttered shakily in his ear.
"Same to you, kiddo."
"I understand we have some business to discuss," Admiral Hackett's voice crackled over the vid comm link. "Though I'm sorry I can't be there in person for it."
Shepard resisted the urge to shoot a glance at Kaidan, wondering just how much he'd told Anderson when he'd arranged for this meeting.
"Yes, sir," she replied clearly. "I understand. You're needed in London more than we need you here right now."
Hackett nodded, and then looked to Anderson. "Admiral, if you'd like to begin."
This took Eve by surprise, and her expression wavered to confusion as she turned her attention to Anderson. She hadn't thought they'd get right to her debrief just yet, considering she was still technically on leave.
Anderson read this on her face immediately. "We know you're still on leave, but we figured now's as good a time as any since we could all manage the time. Effective the first day of your return to active duty, you'll be promoted to Major. There will be all the formal hoopla, of course, but we figured you'd appreciate not having any major surprises your first day back."
Shepard was momentarily speechless. It didn't seem that unexpected, considering, but all the same, she'd been damn near court marshaled not even a year before. When she could find her voice, she managed to breathe out a few words. "Thank you, sir."
"You deserve that and a lot more, Shepard," Hackett added with a nod.
Braving a look at Kaidan, she saw that he was practically glowing as he looked back at her, unadulterated pride radiating from his dark eyes.
"There will be a few other things to discuss upon your return," Anderson continued, unable to hide the smile in his voice, "but we can't resist saving you at least a few surprises."
"And with that, I'm afraid I have to depart," Hackett said, offering another nod to each of them. "If you need my personal attention, please send me a message and I'll make myself available at the next possible opportunity. Otherwise, Anderson can give me a rundown later."
"Take care, sir," Shepard said, turning her attention to Anderson once the holo flickered and disappeared.
He shifted from his rigid stance then, and she guessed he was getting a little tired. "Would you like to continue this another time, Admiral?"
"Hell no," his gruff voice replied. "Let's have a seat, though, and get through this so you can get back to your friends." He gestured to the conference table to the side of the large room and lowered himself into a chair with a harsh exhale. "Now what is it you wanted to discuss?"
"We, ah, we have some news, sir," Kaidan piped in, taking a seat beside Eve as she sat across from Anderson. "I know it's… well, it's not exactly kosher with regulations, but we're hoping that we'll receive some, ah…"
"Favoritism?" Anderson supplied, lifting a brow.
A smirk appeared on Kaiden's lips. "I… suppose you could call it that, yeah."
Suddenly, a dark look fell over Anderson and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Eve. "Shepard, please tell me you're not pregnant."
She nearly choked, but fought—like hell—to keep her face even. "No, sir."
"Good," he grunted.
"However," Kaidan quickly interjected.
"Oh, Lord," Anderson muttered under his breath.
Kaidan continued, pointedly ignoring the remark. "Shepard… Eve has agreed to marry me. And, at the risk of overstepping any bounds, I just want to put it out there that we don't exactly need Alliance permission, as our Spectre statuses are still active. But… we want your… well, blessing, for lack of a better word."
For a moment, no one said anything, and Shepard was tempted to squirm in her seat. She forced herself to remain focused, however, and not look at Kaidan. The way he was grasping her knee under the table clearly expressed just how nervous he was, too.
The laughter that suddenly burst from Anderson nearly startled her off of her chair.
"Oh, I had you for a minute there, didn't I?" the old man gloated through his chortles.
Eve and Kaidan relaxed and exchanged a brief glance, amused with themselves for getting so worked up.
Once his laughter began to fade, Anderson shifted to lean forward over the table. "Don't be ridiculous, Major. Of course you have my blessing. If anyone in the Alliance has an issue, they can take it up with me. And I highly doubt anyone will." He reached over to pat Shepard's gloved hand. "Congratulations, both of you. I couldn't be happier for you. There are no two people more deserving, especially after all this."
Eve pressed her lips together to stave off another bout of increasing emotion. For the time being, she could only nod her gratitude.
"Thank you, Admiral," Kaidan offered in her stead, giving her knee a light squeeze. "There's something else, as well."
Anderson only gave a nod, waiting for the Major to continue.
"We'd like to be married on the Normandy."
The gentle smile that curled Anderson's lips didn't make it any easier on Eve's internal emotional battle. "Of course. The repairs are well on their way, thanks to the AI, and I estimate she'll be up and running in a little under a month."
Kaidan once again gave his thanks before he carefully nudged Shepard meaningfully, speaking up once more. "And… there's something else."
"Oh, for the love of God, son, can you just get it all out at once?" Anderson chided, no bite behind his bark.
Taking an unsteady breath, Eve tentatively reached out to cover Anderson's hand, her eyes fixed on his. "I'd… be very grateful if you would be the one to give me away."
It was Anderson's turn to go silent, and Shepard saw the unmistakable glimmer of wetness forming over his eyes.
"It would be an honor," Anderson whispered.
And thar you have another chapter just to touch on a few fairly significant issues before we progress onward. Thanks for the reviews and faves, and a special thanks to kittymills for the feedback and suggestions. I always welcome ideas, so don't be shy, kiddos. And if you didn't see it before, I did bump up the rating for some fairly -ahem- adult things that will likely be happening down the line.
Please drop a review if you can take the time. I always like to hear what you have to say.