The following two weeks saw Shepard make slow progress toward regaining his memories. Kelly had been picked up to make a report on Shepard's condition. James and Shepard were left alone for the day. They decided to put it to good use by talking over some of the more sensitive memories that Shepard shied away from around Kelly.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" James watched Shepard for any signs of distress.

Shepard frowned, then shrugged. "I'm not sure. I remember being arrested in December. I think it was near Christmas. I'm not sure." He sighed. "I think you were pissed off that you had to guard me for the holidays. Something about wanting to see your uncle." He smiled faintly at the snort from James. "You avoided me until New Years Eve, right?" He waited to see James' reaction. He let out a sigh of relief at the nod. "Okay. I remember you showing up with alcohol. I don't remember what it was, but I remember that it packed a punch."

"Tequila." James shrugged. "Best stuff ever."

Shepard shook his head with a small smile. "If you say so. We talked for a while, just getting drunker and drunker. It gets fuzzy, but after you wished me a Happy New Year, I kissed you."

James nodded. "Yup. Exactly how it happened. I was kinda shocked at that. You looked so lost after that kiss. I think you thought I was gonna punch you."

Shepard chuckled. "I kind of was expecting that. I was really surprised when you turned around a week later and kissed me."

James shrugged. "Hey, I just had to know if it would be the same sober."

Shepard swatted James' shoulder. "Yeah, right."

James laughed and swatted back at Shepard. "I really didn't know what to make of it when it happened, Caleb. I'd never been attracted to another man before. Then you had to walk in and turn my whole world upside down."

Shepard smiled and kissed James. "And I'm glad you let me do it."

James pulled Shepard into his arms. "If anyone had told me back then that one day I'd be married to Commander Shepard, I'd have told them they were completely loco." He froze suddenly, remembering how that word had set Shepard off before.

Shepard let his head rest on James' shoulder. "I'm working through it, Jimmy. I think you can call me loco again without me freaking out."

James nodded and rubbed Shepard's back. "I just want you to get better, mi corazón. I don't care how long it takes. I want to be back out there with you. You know, kicking ass and taking names."

Shepard chuckled and nodded against James' shoulder. "I know you do. We do make a great team."

James nodded. "We sure do." He frowned as Shepard tensed up. "What is it, mi corazón."

Shepard pulled back and slipped his hand under James' shirt. He ran his fingers along the skin over James' heart, feeling the scars there.

James chuckled and nipped at Shepard's lips. "If you wanted to get a little frisky, all you had to do was ask."

Shepard shook his head. "No." He pulled his hand back, though started tugging at James' shirt, pulling it off. His eyes focused on the scars that could only have come from a shotgun blast. "I just remembered about this. I damned near lost you, Jimmy."

"Clear." Kaidan's voice broke the silence.

James lowered his shotgun as he turned away from the Cerberus trooper he'd taken down. "Clear over here."

Shepard nodded and stood up from cover. He started to swing his rifle over his back when it happened.

A trooper came out of nowhere, shotgun held out. He fired at the closest of the three intruders.

"Jimmy!" Shepard screamed as the Lieutenant hit the ground, blood starting to coat his armor. Shepard began to glow blue as the mass effect field built.

Kaidan ducked out of the way just in time as Shepard let loose a charge that sent the trooper flying.

Shepard was on the ground next to James, tearing off his gauntlets and yanking James' off as well. He took James' hands and held them tight. "Stay with me, Jimmy. Come on, stay with me, baby." He barely glanced at Kaidan.

Kaidan was on the radio. "Cortez, this is Alenko. We need a pick up, immediately. Vega's wounded."

Shepard heard the response. "How bad?"

"Bad." Kaidan watched as Shepard applied medi-gel after medi-gel, just trying to stop the bleeding.

James coughed once, then opened his eyes. He stared up at Shepard. "Caleb, mi corazón..." He was stopped by two fingers on his lips.

"Shh. Don't talk, mi amor." Shepard unlatched the armor and removed the chestplate to get to the wound better. "It's not that bad, mi amor. Not that bad." He glanced to Kaidan, trying to stay calm enough to keep James calm.

Kaidan came over and knelt down, running scans and also adding some medi-gel. He looked up at Shepard. The look was clear. If he didn't get to the Normandy soon, he wasn't going to make it.

Shepard nodded. "Come on, Cortez! Now!"

"Almost there," came the response. Ten seconds later, the shuttle touched down nearby. Cortez was out in order to help get James on board.

Kaidan sat up front with Cortez, staring out at nothing while Shepard tended to James in the back. When they arrived on the Normandy, Chakwas met them in the shuttle bay to stabilize James before moving him.

Shepard started to follow when James was being taken to the medbay. "No. You go get cleaned up first. He's going to be fine." Dr. Chakwas stared down Shepard, making it clear she was giving an order to the Commander. He nodded and went to do as he was told. He didn't even make it past five steps before he broke. He crumpled to the ground, biting his lip to keep from crying.

Cortez knelt beside Shepard and put a hand on his back. "Commander?"

Shepard just shook his head, not trusting himself to talk.

Cortez nodded. "I understand. Come on. Let's get you out of your armor and cleaned up. Then you can go see James."

Shepard nodded and let Cortez help him. He glanced over to see Kaidan watching him wistfully. When their eyes met, Kaidan looked away.

"I was so scared, Jimmy." Shepard trailed his fingers over those scars. "I was so fucking scared."

James put his hand on top of Shepard's. "Caleb, I'm here. I made it out. I'm still with you. I'm not going anywhere."

Shepard shook his head. "I remember that day." He frowned.

James caught Shepard's chin with his other hand and made him look at him. "What is it?"

"I remember that Kaidan was very jealous of you, but he helped. He actually helped save your life. I think that's when he realized it was over between him and me." Shepard blinked several times, then shook his head, breaking James' grip.

"Yeah, the Major threatened to kick my ass several times." James shrugged. "Always because I'd done something that pissed you off, or so he thought. You should have seen his reaction when I bit you hard enough to leave a mark. I thought I was going to be target practice."

Shepard stared at James, slack jawed "Are you serious?" He places two fingers over James' lips. "Hold on." He closes his eyes and frowns. "Yeah. You told me about that before." He sighed and lowered his hand.

James came storming into the cabin. "You have got to do something about that pendejo!"

Shepard looked up from his reports. "What? Who?"

"Alenko." James sat down next to Shepard and kicked his boots off. "He just threatened me! And I mean threatened! The whole going blue biotic freak show. I thought I was gonna be a smear on the floor!"

Shepard frowned. "Wait. What?"

James groaned and leaned back. He touched the bite mark on Shepard's neck. "That's what I'm talking about. He came down all pissed off because he thought I hurt you. When I tried to tell him that I never do anything you don't want me to do, he started up with the blue. If Esteban hadn't walked in at that point, there's no telling what he'd have done."

Shepard rubbed his forehead. "I'll talk to him. Again. He's jealous of you, Jimmy. He doesn't get it. What he and I had is over. Long over. I thought I made that clear in the hospital, then again when he came back on board."

James shook his head. "You shouldn't have to, mi corazón. That's just it. You shouldn't have to go telling him to leave me the fuck alone."

Shepard snorted. "Jimmy, Kaidan still loves me. I can tell by how he looks at me and how he acts around me. It's going to take time. I'm going to tell him not to go down to the shuttle bay alone when you're down there again though." He set the datapad down and turned to James. "Besides, you know how crazy I am about you." He smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

"That was the day before you were shot. Wasn't it?" Shepard frowned.

"Yeah." James picked his shirt up and put it back on. "I didn't have a problem with him after that, so I guess you're right. That's when he realized you were mine." Shepard smiled. A real one. It grew as he saw the reaction from James. "Damn, mi corazón, I haven't seen you smile like that since... since... well, in a long damned time."

Shepard chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, well, I haven't really felt like really smiling until now." He leans in against James. "And you're the reason why I feel like it now." He captured James' lips with his own, closing his eyes and losing himself in the sensation.

When Kelly got back late that night, she found Shepard and James fast asleep and curled up together in front of the fireplace, a blanket just barely covering them. She found herself smiling at the sight before going off to her room for the night.