Deadly fingers grip the fabric of Shepard's nightshirt, brushing against the skin underneath with just enough pressure to wake her from her slumber. An aroused growl fills her ears, minutely scaled flesh pressed firmly against soft human skin. No shirts? What happ- Ohhh... The memories of the night before come flooding back, making Shepard grin.

"You should be mindful of what you do with your hips in your sleep, siha." His hand remains fisted in her nightshirt, resting on her stomach just above her bellybutton.

"But not when I'm awake?" She purrs, grinding her ass against his clothed groin, earning another throaty growl from the Drell spooning her.

"I'm beginning to think the human definition of 'slowly' varies greatly from the Drell's." He murmurs against her neck, the warmth of his lips mixed with the vibration of his voice making a shiver run down her spine.

The former Spectre gazes into the dark eyes of the Drell laying on his back beside her, chest rising and falling quickly as he struggles to calm down. Maybe it's the hallucinogen taking effect, but the sight was extremely alluring. Acting with a mind of their own, her hands start to fumble with the top of his leather armor. Every instinct tells her to stop, she's breaking her own rule, but she aches to feel his body against hers again.

It's not long until her own white cotton t-shirt is thrown to the floor as well, her bare breasts flush against his muscular chest. Panting fills the room, both wary of making a sound. They're like hormonal teenagers that have sneaked their girlfriend/boyfriend into their room while Mom and Dad sleep, scared to go too far. Thane rises to his knees, pulling her up with him but not breaking skin contact. He winds his fingers tightly into her hair and smashes his lips to hers. It isn't long before their tongues fight for dominance, both being too stubborn to give in. He loves how she tastes, like there's a hint of sugar on her lips. The hallucinogen from his saliva makes her world bright and crystal clear, and his body not nearly as close as she needs it to be.

"Siha, if you let me continue, you know I won't stop until EDI informs us that breakfast is ready. Tomorrow morning." His voice is breathy and full of want, mirroring the desire flowing through Shepard's veins. It's been a month since she'd even heard his voice, her body has missed him as much as her heart did.

"Hm, I AM tired..." She smiles against his mouth, evil plan piecing together in her mind. "Yeah, let's just go to bed." They share one last passionate, heated kiss before falling into their places on the bed, Thane throwing one arm possessively across her stomach.

"Like I said, you're going to pay for this one day." Her smile grows wider with every twitch of his member against her ass, until he manages to will the arousal away. For now.

"Breakfast is ready in the Mess Hall, Shepard." EDI's distinct voice calls from her platform near the door.

"Thank you EDI." She responds, then turns to the exotic, gorgeous (and shirtless) man laying in her bed. "You know, she would've been interrupting something if we hadn't stopped." Thane can see the mischievous twinkle in her eye, and momentarily wonders if she gets some sort of sadistic pleasure from torturing him.

"If you hadn't passed out yesterday, I would've been far less concerned about your health. And last night would've been entirely different. Don't worry, I'll get you back." She responds by throwing his leather top at his face, not surprised at all when his hands capture it gracefully. She watches rather voyeuristicly as he pulls it onto his body, shoulders gyrating much like human males do when adjusting their open-front clothing.

They both wander over to the cabin door, before he stops and faces her to ask, "So, when does this 'slowly' business start that you mentioned?"

She pushes her lips against his hungrily, hands poised at his chest as she slowly starts pushing him backwards. The kiss quickly becomes hot, frustration from the night before making their bodies tingle and burn with need every time his skin brushes against hers.

Suddenly she breaks the kiss and takes a step back, stifling a laugh as her eyes land on the bewildered expression tainting his features. When did we get in the elevator?

"Now." She takes a few backwards steps, gaze level with his and sweet smile touching her lips, before turning around and retreating back into her cabin.

Shepard runs a brush through her russet-colored hair, detangling the many knots that formed overnight. She examines her image in the mirror, unhappy with how naked her eyes are. Rooting through unused makeup behind her mirror, her fingers pluck out a single shade of eyeshadow. Shepard runs an index finger along the shimmering brown substance then applies it to each eyelid, pausing afterwards to critique her makeup applying skills. Well, I look better than I did before. That works, I guess.

She takes a minute to slip into something more public appropriate, and decides on the dress Kasumi got her. Shepard throws the Cerberus issued outfits onto her bed, possibilities running through her mind on how she can dispose of them.

Time to get some more vacations planned, since everyone should be together in the Mess.

Once Shepard makes it to the crew deck, she's surprised by the overall noise coming from the Mess Hall. With her number 1 loudmouth, Garrus, still being aboard she shouldn't be. Maybe it's just the laughter she hears that's effectively surprising her, is that Thane?

"Shepard!" Her crew calls from their seats, meals nearly gone. Breakfast must be good today. She glances at their plates, pancakes for the humans and some sort of gross-looking paste for Garrus. She isn't even going to try to guess what is on Mordin's plate. Thane toys with a piece of fruit on his tray, full from the pancakes they convinced him to try. He says a quick prayer to himself, hoping the unusual food isn't what sends him to the Ocean.

"Good morning crew. Now that we have Thane, I'd like to drag everyone on another vacation. Whose turn is it?" Shepard watches their faces light up even more, a warm feeling settling in her chest.

"I think it's only fair if we let Thane choose this time." Liara speaks up, coming around the corner from the room she effectively kicked Miranda out of. Said Cerberus cheerleader sends the Asari an icy glare, whose blue lips curl into a smile.

"A desert then. Thane, did you have a planet in mind?" Her eyes land on the Drell, and she feels her heart flutter when she notices his intent gaze already fixed on her.

"Your homeworld has deserts, correct? I'd love to see it." The room is filled with 'awwww's from the female audience, and silent eye-rolls from the males.

"It does... Alright, looks like we're going home, my human crew members!" The room erupts in cheers, drowning out Shepard's musings to herself. I don't know what it is, but... I feel like a different person in front of everyone like this.

Short but sweet chapter, I hope no one minds.Next couple of chapters will be their vacation to Earth, let's see if Thane and Shep can keep their hands to themselves the whole time. Hopefully not, right? Slowly working my way towards the next major part of my plot, aiming for level 10 at this point. Super excited!

Also, I'm noticing that the first chapter I posted has double the amount of hits that Chapter 2 has, and so on. If anyone that disliked that chapter but kept reading anyway is reading this, can you tell me what was wrong with it that made people stop reading? Thanks to everyone else that is reviewing/favoriting, it means a lot and keeps me writing. I'm definitely open to advice on how to make this story more interesting though, so please leave me a review if you have any ideas.