I do not own Mass Effect or any of the associated contact. Jagher Shepard is my Shepard and Fayelle Shepard is my friend's Shepard. This is a collection of moments set throughout the games. They're rated for language and violence mostly.
Mass Effect: Moments.
A Moment With Stolen Glances.
She was a Spectre now.
The first human Spectre.
Jagher Shepard ran her hands backwards over her hair, subconsciously checking that her bun was still in place. As she walked across the Presidium, towards the Wards Access Corridor that would take her and her team down to C-Sec, where they could catch the lift to where the Normandy was docked, she kept her eyes focused ahead. She badly wanted to lay down somewhere and close her eyes, but she knew she'd only see the faces of the Council all over the back of her eyelids, judging her even as they promoted her and made her into the only thing capable of tracking Saren throughout the galaxy.
Still walking in silence, Shepard led Kaidan and Ashley down to the Wards Access. The long hall was bathed in a bluish light and there was a large sitting area off one side. Here and there, people milled about, some in C-Sec uniforms and a few in armour of one kind or another, but the large majority were just the citizens of the Citadel, going about their daily lives.
Eventually, they reached the elevator that would take them down to the wards proper and stepped inside. Ashley, who didn't really like crowds, sighed with relief, and Jagher found herself almost echoing that sentiment; she didn't mind crowds, but the constant buzz of noise had started to give her a headache. The gunnery chief leaned against one wall of the elevator car while Shepard remained stoic in the centre. Something bumped against her hand and she looked sideways to find Kaidan, standing close, the edge of his hand brushing hers. Even though her armour, the contact was reassuring.
She flashed him a quick smile, but knew her stress showed through anyways.
"So how does it feel to be the first human Spectre?" Ashley suddenly asked.
Jagher pulled her hand away from Kaidan's, startled by the noise. She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor, sighed and then looked up. "I don't know yet," Shepard admitted.
"It's a huge deal."
"I know," Shepard said.
"Ash, I don't think the Commander needs to be reminded of how much of an honour she's been given," Kaidan interjected. He caught Shepard's green-eyed gaze with his own dark one and put as much comfort into that look as he could.
Thankfully, the outspoken officer remained quiet as the trio finished the trek back to the Normandy. As they waited for the all-clear to take off, Shepard went to her quarters and removed her armour, changing as quickly as she could into the dark blue uniform the Alliance soldiers wore. Dressed in the more comfortable clothes, she emerged onto the command deck and made her way up to the bridge.
"We've got a green light, Commander," Joker said.
Jagher nodded absently, realized the pilot wasn't looking at her and then said, "Let's head out then. Set course for that planet... where Benezia's daughter I supposed to be."
Joker raised an eyebrow. "Therum?"
"Yeah."
"Commander, are you okay?"
"Fine."
Before Joker could pry anymore, Shepard turned on her heel and marched from the bridge and headed down to the Crew Deck, planning on getting some pain killers from Doctor Chakwas for the damn headache that was just getting worse. As she hit the bottom of the stairs and made her way to the medical bay, that tingling in her spine that told her someone was looking hit her. She lifted her head and met Kaidan's eyes again.
A slow smile spread across her face, a smile the lieutenant returned.
"Are you feeling all right, Commander? You're looking a little flushed."
The Doctor's accented voice cut through the moment easily, startling Jagher into the present. She forced her eyes to find the kind and slightly lined face of Chakwas. "I'm fine. I just have a bit of a headache."
"Well come in then and I will get you some painkillers. Do you know what the cause is?"
Shepard followed the Doctor into sick bay and leaned against the desk as she waited. "Stress."
"I can't imagine your current situation is an easy one to handle," Chakwas said as she handed the Commander a green pill and a cup of water.
Shepard threw the pill back, nodded and left the office, her stress and pain making her irritable and much less friendly than normal. She planned on heading straight to her quarters and lying down until the ship reached Therum in several hours, but the path she took brought her right past Kaidan. Her legs stopped working almost of their own accord.
"Commander."
She turned to look into his handsome face. "Kaidan." Briefly, she wondered at her ease around him. While she wasn't a cold person, it usually took her a while to feel as comfortable around people. Except with the lieutenant apparently.
"How are you holding up?"
Jagher sighed, relieved that he didn't ask her if she was okay, or how she was dealing with being the Spectre. His question left room for a better answer. "I'll be all right. I just need time to adjust, I think. Unfortunately time is something we don't have a lot of." She sighed again and leaned against the terminal where Kaidan was working and crossed her arms. Kaidan placed a hand on her shoulder, his fingers lingering briefly along the neckline of her uniform and she turned her face towards his hand. She suppressed a shiver and said, "How are you doing?"
"I'm all right, Shepard."
Something in the way he answered the question changed the tone of the conversation; suddenly the air became heavy and there was tension—a good tension—between the two Alliance officers. Jagher actually took a step towards the Lieutenant before she realized what she was doing and pulled back.
"I'm..." Jagher floundered for the words. "I need to lie down before we reach Therum."
Kaidan nodded, a small grin on his lips. "I'll get Joker to wake you when we've arrived."
"Thank you."
Jagher finished the journey to her quarters, leaving a smiling Kaidan to return to his work.
Author's Note.
In my headcanon, Kaidan and Shep connected really quickly.
Next Moment: A Moment About Responsibility.