Neross: Alright my dear readers let's just cut to the chase and get to the good stuff yeah? Because we all know there's going to be some good stuff in this chapter.
Warning: This fanfiction may contain foul language, violence, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!
Beta: Spyke1985
…..
When Jaksus woke up he found himself in the most awkward position of his life. Somehow, while he'd slept, he'd wound up tangled with Maria. His arm was her pillow, her legs were curled around his own, his other arm was swung around her waist, and the whole of her body was pressed neatly up against his. His first thought was that she fit quite well snuggled up against him. Then he thought again and his second thought was that he had a tiny human practically attached to him… And that it felt really rather nice. His third thought however, was the one he considered to be the most proper one.
He told himself, very strictly, that this was not just any human… This was Maria, the woman who he was supposed to protect. What's worse was her red face and small stature had him panicking. This is wrong, he thought, this is horribly and utterly wrong. His boss would kill him… If Maria's father and the Alliance didn't get to him first. He wanted to bolt upright and run from the room… But restrained the urge when he realized that would simply wake Maria up and make matters worse.
So instead of jumping from the bed as if it were suddenly on fire, Jaksus began to pull himself free extremely carefully. He was endlessly grateful when the most the woman stirred was to snuggle into her actual pillow. But other than that little shift the petite human stayed blissfully asleep and the turian was able to quietly escape the bed and the bedroom. He went to the refuge of the kitchen and went to work to make a pot of what Maria had dubbed 'Dextro-Coffee'. Jaksus had laughed at the idea before, because it really was just a bitter, warm, and strong drink made from the pulp of a fruit found on Palaven. Still, the human had needed an equivalent, so 'Coffee' it was.
The C-SEC officer was not laughing now though, he was grumbling irritably as he stood by the machine and waited for it to finish making his morning beverage. He was going to need the caffeine today. He really, really was. He'd poured himself a mugful and was standing at the kitchen counter, wondering when the hell his life had taken such a drastic turn for the strange, when Nava pulled himself from what had been Maria's room. The turian could hear the quarian yawn and watched as he stretched before the quarian mirrored his trek to the pot of steaming, bitter, caffeinated mercy. He stood for a moment however, glaring at the drink before letting out a sigh, and opening a pocket on his belt. He pulled out a small tablet, poured himself a mug and dropped the tablet in before shuffling through the drawers. Finally he seemed to find what he was looking for, and stuck a straw into his drink with a grievous grumble before sinking against the counter same as Jaksus.
"Trouble sleeping?" The turian asked, trying to be somewhat friendly. The quarian made an irritated sound before sticking the straw into a port in his helmet Jaksus hadn't seen before. There was a quiet moment as the drink drifted up and then the quarian removed the straw and leveled a single, angry, finger at Jaksus. "I could say the same of you my friend. Perhaps it is something in the air." The green clad engineer growled.
Jaksus simply rose a brow-plate at the quarian's grumpy tone. Nava noticed his silent come-back and visibly flustered for a moment as he seemed to try to find an emotion to convey. Apparently he chose apologetic because the quarian wrung his hands together, stuck the straw into the tiny port again and was quiet for a moment as he 'sipped' more of the drink. When he was done, Nava hung his head and said, "I apologize. It is hard to sleep when everything is so still, and quiet… And open. I miss the snug, homey feeling of the Haedra."
The turian smirked over the edge of his cup and shook his head, "Snug huh? Personally I'd probably find it crowded." He gave a small chuckle and took a sip from his drink, as Nava looked up and made a flippant gesture with his hand.
The quarian's voice was actually amused this time as he gave a laughing response to Jaksus' estimation of his home ship. "Well," he commented, "You would."
Jaksus chuckled and gave the quarian a light tap on his good arm. Then both men looked up as the door to Jaksus' room opened and Maria stumbled out, rubbing at her eyes and looking for all the world as if she'd just been abruptly awoken from a dream. She stared blankly around the room before her gaze settled on the two alien men in the kitchen and her expression narrowed before she gave a large yawn, which she unsuccessfully tried to cover with her hand. "Good morning…" She mumbled, still mostly just standing still, blinking tiredly around as if still not really awake.
Her lips twitched… As if in irritation and then her eyes snapped into focus onto Jaksus. "Oh…Jaksus. I received a message from the Sol system. My um… Grandmother… Says she got permission and passage to the Citadel to visit. She'll be here in a week. Is that alright?"
Jaksus frowned over his drink and his mandibles flickered in irritation, "Great… She doesn't intend to stay at the apartment, does she?" He asked, finding the place too crowded for his liking as it was.
"No… She told me she already booked a room at an asari hotel. Um Illusion I think it's called?" Maria worked out as she headed for the fridge in order to pull out a pre-packaged serving of juice that she'd brought with her from Earth. She snapped the top off the package and set it out on the counter as cold mist drifted from it and she was free to grab a glass from a nearby cabinet.
"Illusion? Are you sure? That place is pretty expensive even for asari, and they charge more if you're another species." Jaksus commented, wondering just how the hell Maria's Grandmother had managed to swing that kind of reservation. Spending even one night there would have drained one month's worth of his wages, so he was more than a little impressed… And suspicious… That some little old woman from Earth had managed to snag a room as if it were nothing.
Maria brought up her Omni-tool and the message again and then nodded in confirmation. "Yep…Illusion hotel…oh! No…. Oh no… No no no no no no. I have to go shopping." Maria started, her face blooming red as she shut her omni-tool and her eyes shot open in surprise. Jaksus frowned and Nava actually had to jump out of the way as Maria rushed from the kitchen back toward Jaksus' room.
The turian let out a low growl and tried to intercept her… But it was too late, the girl had disappeared into his bathroom and was running the shower. "I hate it when she does that…" He muttered angrily, grabbing some clothes and stealing away toward Nava's bathroom.
"This happens often?" The quarian asked, setting his mug aside and watching as Jaksus strode furiously into his new bathroom.
"More often than I'd like." Jaksus admitted.
…..
Maria rushed through her shower, berating her tired mind most of the time. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid… Always check the P.S. when it's a Shepard." She told herself, remembering what her older sister had told her about her in-laws with a laugh. Maria had more than once been surprised to find it was true. Still, she couldn't be too hard on herself… She had been mostly still asleep when she'd read the message. She'd just been in the middle of an excellent … Or rather… Embarrassing now that she thought about it, dream. She'd dreamt she and Jaksus had been curled up together on the couch watching some old vid while A'Garr laughed from a seat nearby. It had been nice, and very realistic, she could have sworn she'd felt Jaksus' body pressed up against her own. But really that was rather embarrassing of her to do. He was, after all, her body-guard and she knew it was improper for her to be enjoying such thoughts, well… Such dreams.
Still when she'd awoken Jaksus was nowhere to be found and Maria's omni-tool was blinking eagerly to alert her of some new message. She'd been surprised to find that Linda Shepard had contacted her, and even more surprised to hear she'd be visiting. Maria could only guess that the older woman must have heard about the attack she'd survived. She was strange like that. Somehow she just seemed to know things. Things she probably wouldn't otherwise know.
In any case, Maria had read the first half of the message and pulled herself out of bed, fully aware that Jaksus would want to be informed. And she'd been right of course, the turian's frown told her he was already weighing how much of an issue the visit was going to be. So she'd decided it would just be best to assuage his worries and answer all of his questions as best as she could. Although she'd admitted to herself that it would be difficult to describe her relationship with her sister's mother-in-law.
She'd grown quite close to the woman after her sister had married Linda's son. The artist was younger than her own mother by a few years and thought much differently. She'd accepted Maria's strange, reclusive behaviors in stride. During holidays she'd invite Maria's whole family over to stay at her home, and she would give Maria the use of her studio where she painted while Maria studied away. There was a quiet and calming energy to the woman that put Maria at ease in a way her own mother never could. Linda simply didn't judge her… She accepted and tried her best to fit into Maria's world.
After her sister and brother-in-law had died it had been Linda who had known how best to comfort Maria. And even later when her niece was taken away from her Aunt and given to Maria's brother and sister-in-law for care, Linda had come to Maria for comfort. Yes they had a rather strange bond…. But mostly Maria simply liked to think that they were just friends that had been tied together by tragedy.
Of course, being as close as she was you'd have thought she'd check the stupid post script message. But Maria had forgotten until Jaksus had asked for confirmation on the name of the hotel. And that was when Maria had spotted it… Linda Shepard had booked them all a spa day. Somehow the old woman had even accounted for A'Garr and Nava, although how Maria still simply could not begin to understand.
This, however, had put Maria into a panic, as she had no bathing suit and no flip-flops and utterly no swimming or bathing supplies and had no idea how spas on the Citadel even worked, or what they expected of their patrons. So she panicked and ran for the shower. And now she was dressing as quickly as possible, trying to brush her hair and her teeth at the same time in her hurry.
She was interrupted in the middle of the process by Jaksus who came in, probably to find something of his own, and sighed at the sight of her. He ordered her into the bathroom and told her to sit on the toilet as he grabbed his shoes, hopped into them on his way to the bathroom and then began the process of straightening buttons and clothes she hadn't realized were out of place. He popped her toothbrush into her mouth and told her to brush, as he hauled her upright and worked her brush through her hair.
The turian was surprisingly gentle as he worked and Maria was grateful for his help… Even if he did keep growling at her to keep still as she impatiently bounced from foot to foot. She finished brushing her teeth at about the same time he finished with her hair and she turned to leave only to find her bodyguard had effectively pinned her to the countertop. He turned her around, lifted her up, and sat her on the counter so he could shoot his disapproving look straight into her eyes… Which she found more than a little discomforting… For more than a few reasons.
"Before you continue on with this madness Maria, I want you to tell me what's going on, and why you have to go shopping." Jaksus asked of her, though his voice came out as a demand that had little nerves shooting up from the base of Maria's toes.
The human could feel heat rising in her face as she tried to find something to do with her hands and desperately tried not to look Jaksus in the face, as doing so seemed to send a strange tingling up and down her spine. It wasn't the most uncomfortable sensation… But it was unnerving. "Linda… That is my … Well alright she's actually my sister's mother-in-law but we're quite close… She apparently booked us a day at Illusion's spa and I don't have a bathing suit. If I need one that is. I mean I have no idea how spas on the Citadel operate and-"
Jaksus interrupted her by placing a hand over her mouth and although Maria expected him to sigh instead he simply stared at her as if her head was going to explode. She fought the urge to check if it was with her hands. "So she's not your grandmother?"
Maria shook her head and Jaksus' mandibles flashed in thought before he returned to gazing at her as if his translator had somehow had a glitch. "So… Sister's mother-in-law. So your sister's husband's mother."
Maria nodded and this time Jaksus did sigh, "Okay… And let me guess. She's either rich or famous or both."
Maria's mouth twitched and then she nodded and pulled Jaksus' hand away so she could elaborate, "Her husband was an Alliance officer and she's a pretty renowned artist. But I think most of her money comes from investments she made on Alliance interests. She tried to explain it to me once but I don't understand economics all that well. That's more of my father's area of expertise."
Jaksus quirked a brow but seemed to nod in understanding. "Okay then… Well… I've never been to a spa either so… Shopping it is then."
…..
Jaksus watched with some mild sympathy as Maria glared at the swimsuits hanging off racks before her. None of them really looked as if they would fit her. Normally Jaksus would have felt more comfortable either waiting outside for her, or running off to do his own business. But A'Garr was awol, and Nava had run off to do some job hunting and shopping of his own. Not that Jaksus would have left Maria alone with the injured quarian, but he'd have felt better being in the asari clothing boutique if he'd been in a group… Instead of alone with Maria.
As it was Jaksus could barely stand the whispers and the muffled giggles of both staff and customers alike, as Jaksus followed Maria around the shop as she picked absently through the clothes. He could tell the trip wasn't going any better for the petite human either, as her expression grew darker and darker with each suit that she'd pick up and then quickly put back. When she looked as if she was about to cry from frustration Jaksus let out a low growl of his own frustration, took Maria by the arm and pin-pointed the nearest saleswoman.
The asari was one of the few who seemed to be trying to pay the least amount of attention to them as possible, a tall specimen with a royal blue coloring and bright pink markings around soft brown eyes. She smiled at Jaksus when he tapped her on the shoulder and then frowned when she caught sight of Maria's clearly upset face. She nearly pushed the turian aside as she took Maria by the shoulder's and offered her a consoling tone. "Oh sweetheart! What's wrong? Is the big guy bothering you?"
Jaksus glared at the asari's back, irritated by her insinuation. He was thankful when Maria stopped looking like she was about to cry however. The human woman shook her head eagerly and began to play with her fingers in a nervous way. "Oh no! No he's… Jaksus is… He's just trying to help me. I'm just having a hard time finding a swim-suit that will fit me and won't look so… Um… Revealing?" Maria explained turning a bit red in the face from embarrassment.
The asari stilled for a moment and then stood and smiled in an almost… Conspiring way. Jaksus felt a twinge of dread settle at his back. "Oh I see. Well no problem then, come on sweet heart and I'll find you something absolutely gorgeous."
Maria smiled but then turned bright red in the face when the saleswoman twirled her around and placed her hands at her hips. "You've got some great hips so I'm sure we can find you a suit that'll have your boyfriend going all atwitter. From me to you I have to say that most turians are big fans of supportive hips." The asari laughed in a twittering voice and then took Maria's arm in hers and led her back to the swim-suit section.
Jaksus practically had to run to keep up, and was, at this point, just as embarrassed as Maria as the asari led her around. The sudden change in the flow of the day had him nearly flabbergasted… Maria as well it seemed, as her mouth kept opening and shutting like a fish. The poor human was the same shade as her hair and stuttering out something along the lines of "Really he's not my… We're not… We're just friends … I think. And I couldn't… Oh dear lord… Does that come in blue?" Maria asked, her eyes lighting up as the saleswoman pulled out a white bathing suit that seemed to have caught Maria's eye.
"Trust me sweetie you'll want the white. Now here, take these, " the brown-eyed asari added, shoving three more suits into Maria's grasp and then turning her toward the nearest dressing room, "And you change into the first one while I pull a few more options, alright?"
"Thanks but really this is-"
"And don't forget to come out and show off a little so we can gauge your boy's reaction alright? Now in you go."
"But he's not-!" But Maria was cut off as she was pushed into a dressing room and had the door slide shut behind her. "My name's Corina so just call if you need anything dear!" The asari called through the door turning with a truly wicked grin toward Jaksus, making him stiffen in response.
"Your girlfriend is absolutely adorable. Is she a trader? I couldn't see a small woman like that as an Alliance soldier." Corina asked politely, heading back to the swim-suit section once more, leafing more carefully through the options now that Maria was safely behind a dressing-room door.
Jaksus frowned a bit and rubbed at his neck, "She's not a trader she's a… Uh… A scientist working as a consultant for the Alliance. And we're not together."
The asari paused in the act of pulling out a particularly daring purple suit and shot Jaksus a disbelieving stare. "Uh huh… Somehow I seriously doubt that." She told him.
Jaksus glared at Corina and was about to respond when a tiny, nervous sound dragged their attention back toward the dressing rooms, where Maria was peeking around the corner, trying desperately to hide all but her head from view. "I um…I tried on the white one." She said, her face flushing red again the second she spoke, ducking back into the safety of the dressing room hall the second Jaksus and Corina approached.
Jaksus' tongue swelled and stuck to the roof of his mouth as he finally caught sight of Maria in the swim-suit. It was a one-piece… If you could truly call it that… And boy oh boy did it show off her hips. It clung to her waist and rode low enough that her hip bones were exposed by the peek-a-boo panels on the sides. They left a great deal of her waist and torso completely bare until the suit reclaimed her body somewhere just beneath her breasts. The suit then cut in to reveal all of Maria's shoulder and collar bone to secure itself just around her neck. And when Corina made her turn around he could see how the suit left her shoulder-blades exposed and wrapped around her hindquarters like a paler second skin.
The turian wouldn't have been half surprised to find that his jaw was on the floor at his feet. Maria really did look quite… Sexy. True it wasn't in the traditional way, she wasn't like those asari he'd seen who were tall, languid, exuded confidence, and a kind of 'glamor'. But those women never seemed accessible. They were the type of women who expected to be seduced and enjoyed the power they held because of their beauty. Maria looked as if she'd simply fall into a puddle of mush if she were even touched. Her red cheeks and big doe-eyes sparked something in him that wanted to devour her whole. And honestly, the reaction frightened him. She was a human… She was under his protection… And more often than not she was more a vulnerable child than a woman he could sink his teeth into.
He snapped out of his short daze as he heard Corina give a knowing chuckle from behind him, her brown eyes staring straight through him as if he were made of glass. " 'Not together' huh?"
…
Much to Corina's displeasure (and Jaksus' immense relief) Maria settled on a deep-blue suit that was very modest and (as Corina told it) completely boring. After that point the asari insisted on helping Maria shop for whatever else she needed since her shift was apparently over and Jaksus had little room to argue, since Maria had very few ideas on what was appropriate on the Citadel and Jaksus had no ideas on what was appropriate for a spa. Jaksus was only grateful when they'd finished getting all the things on Maria's list, located A'Garr, and dropped Corina off at her second job.
From there Jaksus let the Krogan escort Maria back to their apartment and set off himself for C-SEC headquarters. It felt odd to him to see his superior while in civvies, but it was good to catch up with his friends in the unit. Apparently most of the unit was celebrating since Kryik had been slated for Spectre training. What's more, a rookie had recently been brought in the squad who not only seemed capable but who had a good sense of humor. Jaksus paid his respects to both the rookie Chellick and to Nihlus, who had been friendly with him but never all that close, and then went off to give his report to the Executor.
The Executor was waiting for him by the time Jaksus finally got to his office and the older turian gestured for him to take a seat. "I've heard about that incident near the docks. Your performance was commendable given the situation."
Jaksus fought the urge to look surprised, it was the first time since he'd joined C-SEC that he'd gotten a compliment from a commanding officer. "Thank you sir."
The Executor simply nodded, made a note of something on a nearby data-pad and made a gesture for Jaksus to go on with his report. Jaksus relayed the recent turn of events, perhaps twisting them a bit to seem more professional (leaving out the bit where he and Maria were now sharing the same bed completely). The Executor only asked him a few questions and gave a few suggestions as he listened. Until at last Jaksus got to the part about the invitation to the Illusion Hotel spa.
He held up a hand and leveled Jaksus with an almost sympathetic stare, "I might try to persuade your ward to abandon that idea if I were you Vikil. The security at Spas can be notoriously shady and unless you're willing to agree to one of those cross-species couples arrangements Ms. St. George will be outside of your protective reach."
Jaksus stilled and nearly slapped himself in the forehead… He hadn't considered that. He fought off an audible groan and nodded to the advise. The Executor smiled, gave him a dismissing wave, and returned to whatever he'd been at work on before Jaksus had come in. The ruddy turian left, his mood suddenly pensive as he worked out how to break the news to Maria… And just which news to break.
He was mumbling rather furiously to himself when he bumped into Tchaolin Han, his Salarian friend from another unit. The dark-skinned salarian laughed at the look on Jaksus' face, as well as his apology and waved away the turian's excuses. "You've got your head up in the stars Vikil. That baby-sitting job turning out to be too much for you?"
Jaksus smiled and surprisingly shook his head, walking down the steps alongside his friend as they headed for the front door. "No I'm doing alright there… Mostly. Maria's alright once you get used to her. She's just… Accident prone I guess."
Han settled Jaksus with an almost disbelieving glance and smirked, "'Once you get used to her' huh? Sounds like trouble to me. You should just be happy you're not working the case I'm on. I got saddled backing up a Spectre and you know how they can be."
Jaksus stared in surprise at the Salarian beside him, "No kidding? Geez who's toe did you step on to get saddled with that assignment?"
Han rolled his eyes and sighed as they turned the corner and headed down the last set of stairs, "They say I got the case due to 'exemplary performance' but if you ask me it's because my supervisor caught me at the range using his rifle instead of my own. It's not my fault the idiot put his identical gun in the wrong rack. But anyway, now I'm stuck acting as clean-up to a guy with a bigger stick up his butt than Vakarian."
Jaksus gave the salarian a sympathetic pat on the back, "Sounds rough buddy. But I'm sure you can handle it. What's your Spectre's name anyhow?"
Han went still and nervous and tossed his head in the direction of the requisition's office where a young, bare-faced turian was emerging. Jaksus felt cold just at the sight of him, "By the spirits… Saren Arterius? Seriously? But he's-"
"The youngest one ever to be inducted… Yeah… I know. Look I gotta go Jaksus. I'll call you up for a drink if I survive this thing." Han told him, beating a hasty retreat.
Jaksus watched him go and couldn't help the pang of sympathy he felt for his friend as he got a glance of those cold steel-blue eyes from across the entry hall. "Suddenly my problems don't seem so bad…" The ruddy turian muttered to himself, before he grabbed a transport and hurried back to his own assignment.
….
Neross: I'm so so so SO sorry this took so long. As I've said before I've been going through some health issues, and now, unfortunately, some personal issues as well. In any case I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't forget that if you really want me to update faster the best way is to feed my creativity with a review. Oh, and I also want to give a big thanks to my new Beta Reader Spyke1985. They've been a big great help and I'm really looking forward to continue working with her.
Until next time, keep on rocking out!