Here's Sunday's drabble. It's about 12:40 Monday morning (thankfully I don't have to wake up early today), so I'm not exactly caught up, but it's close enough. This drabble is back in first person.

The inspiration for this drabble is my long-lasting search for the right name for Shepard. I finally found one I like, and so I was prompted to establish her character a little more. In Kaidan's point-of-view, because who doesn't like the blossoming stages of love?

As always, enjoy and leave me a review.

10 Days-Expectations

Commander Sarah Shepard, Hero of Elysium, was a lot different than I had expected her to be. Sure, there were stories about her. Almost everyone who had served under her had a positive regard of her. She was a natural leader, a war hero, a fair commanding officer, and open-minded. In general, I had expected good things of her. From the first moment I saw her, she had blown those expectations away.

At first sight she wasn't a very imposing figure. About average height, she had pale skin and deep brown hair that ended abruptly at her shoulders, curling slightly at the ends. Her eyes were an indescribable shade of blue, outlined by thick eyelashes and light eye shadow. Her lips were obviously colored, slight pinker than they would have been naturally. She smiled briefly at one of the crew, lighting up her eyes. She was very feminine for a soldier. And to me, she was beautiful.

Shepard's first few days on the Normandy were spent getting to know all of the crew. She connected with her people, smiling and telling stories while still managing to keep the air of leadership she had acquired somewhere along the line. Shepard even managed to get Joker's regard, listening to his concerns and matching his sarcasm with a wit that rivaled his own. Within days she had established herself with her people.

If there was ever any doubt in my mind that she was not skilled enough to be Commander, it was erased the first moment I saw her fight. She fought with the precision and accuracy of a warrior. Always ready, alert, and focused, she directed her squad on with wisdom and authority.

There was so much to her. Every time I thought I was starting to understand her she did something that completely threw me off. The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to know about her. And the more I realized that this could become very bad for me, very fast.