Sorry for the extended period of silence *sheepish grin*

Here is a short chapter update, just to wile away the time or whatever.

Enjoy ;P

"Kaidan? What happened? Where-" 'Shepard' began but stopped when he noticed the shock on the other man's face. He was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly doubled over as extreme pain shot through his body. Kaidan stood absolutely still for a few seconds until the pained moaning and gasping coming from the shuddering figure in front of him proved to be too much.

"Easy does it, um Commander. Just lay back, you've um, been through a lot." Kaidan said as he slowly pushed the clone back against the bed.

'Shepard' winced as the pain continued, a cold sweat breaking out over his body, making him shiver. Kaidan frowned at the scene before him, still conflicted as to how he should be treating the clone. The way he had looked at him when he first opened his eyes, the recognition in his voice, the way he had said his name... All of this was proving way to confusing. It took him a few more moments to reach a decision.

He walked over to the nearby cabinet and quickly sorted through the bottles and boxes until he found what he needed. Mixing the contents of the bottle he found with a cup of water that stood next to the bed, he sat down and offered it to the clone.

"Chakwas always gives me this when my L2 starts acting up. It tastes like piss but it really helps."

'Shepard' reached over with a shaking hand and accepted the cup. He took a sip, pulled a face and nearly spit it out but eventually swallowed it. Kaidan grinned before urging him to finish the rest. Soon the shivering had subsided and 'Shepard's' breathing was back to normal.

"That stuff really works." 'Shepard' said in a hoarse voice, closing his eyes.

"That it does."

'Shepard' grinned, his eyes still closed. He lay still for a moment before he sat up straight again with such speed that Kaidan nearly fell off the edge of the bed.

"The attack! What happened?"

"Shepard, what are you talking about?"

"Explosions, rushing to save everyone, saying goodbye to-" he trailed off for a moment before continuing, "...then not being able to breathe, crushing darkness..." he finished, a distant look on his face.

Kaidan's eyes grew large as he realized what the clone was going on about. He had all of Shepard's memories up until the Collector attack almost three years ago. This complicates things...

'Shepard' looked up into eyes. His brows wrinkled together.

"Kaidan?"

"Yeah? Sorry I was just," he paused. "I'll be right back. Just have to go check on something." He said and walked over to the door.

"You just relax, Commander." He said before the door slid shut behind him.

He could hear a muffled 'ok' from the other side. Kaidan sighed loudly and leant against the wall for a few moments, his eyes closed. He didn't know how to handle the situation. His first thought was to go get John but he was still ashore with Garrus and Vega. Eventually he decided to go ask Liara what to do.

He found the scientist glued to one of the many monitors that lined the walls in her quarters. She briefly looked up to see who had entered but said nothing, furiously typing away at the console. Glyph, the Asari scientists VI assistant hovered over to him.

"Dr. T'soni will be with you in a moment, Spectre Alenko."

Kaidan nodded. It was still a strange thing to be called Spectre.

He decided to lean against the wall as he waited. Finally Liara stood and walked over.

"Sorry about that, Kaidan." She said with an apologetic smile. "I was in the middle of some important work regarding the Crucible that simply couldn't wait."

"That's ok." he said with a small grin.

"What did you want to see me for?"

"It's well, um the Commander."

Worry momentarily flashed across her face.

"What? Did something happen?"

Kaidan caught the concern in her voice.

"Oh, no I'm sure John is fine. It's the 'other' one I'm referring to."

Liara frowned.

"The clone, you mean?"

"Yes. He's awake."

"Is he violent?"

"No, just confused. I gave him some pain meds. He's resting now."

"So what's the problem exactly?" Liara asked.

Kaidan paused a moment before answering.

"He seems to have all of Shepard's memories up until the Collector attack. Three years ago."

Liara stood silently taking in the info.

"Liara, He thinks HE is the real Shepard. When he opened his eyes, the look he gave me..."

The scientist looked up at him.

"Kaidan. He might seem identical, but he isn't."

Kaidan sighed.

"I know... what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to wait for John to get back. For now just keep an eye on him."

Kaidan nodded. He had been hoping she would be of more help but he guess she was just as unsure as he was. Turning, he bade both her and Glyph goodbye and headed back to the med bay.

The clone smiled as he entered carrying a tray.

"Thought you might be a bit peckish after-" he trailed off for a moment. "Chef whipped this up a while ago. Wasn't too bad." He said, twisting the conversation in a different direction.

'Shepard' sat up as he approached.

"Thanks. I was just about to call someone for some room service." He said with a grin.

Kaidan placed the tray on the clone's lap and took a seat.

"It would be best if you stayed here for a while..."

'Shepard' gave him a side long glance as he chewed.

"Okay..." he said slowly as he watched Kaidan's face.

"Kaidan, what's wrong?"

Kaidan looked down at the floor for a moment before speaking.

"Commander, there have been a few developments since you last opened your eyes."

'Shepard' eyed him suspiciously.

"What kind of developments?"

"Well..." Kaidan began, but before he could say anything else, the door slid open and in strode Shepard.

"Good, it seems I'm finally awake."

Kaidan sighed as he looked from the one Shepard to the other. The clone's eyes were wide as he stared at the approaching figure. He glanced back at Kaidan, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"You're not the most tactful person in the galaxy, are you?" Kaidan asked the Commander came to a stop on the opposite side of the bed.

"No, I guess not." He replied with a grim smile before turning his attention to the figure on the bed.

"We haven't been properly introduced." He said holding out his hand. "I'm Commander Shepard."

The clone looked from his hand to his face. Slowly he reached out to take the offered hand. Then everything was a blur. In a flash the clone had flipped Shepard over the bed, lunging after him. There was a momentary struggle but the element of surprise tilted the conflict in the clones favour. Soon the clone had Shepard pinned to the floor, his own pistol pushing into his temple.

"No," the clone breathed. "I'm Commander Shepard."

Ok, I have a few questions...

Do you like the direction it's going in? Any changes you'd like me to make? Suggestions please?

Also, I don't want to keep on calling the clone 'Shepard' because its gonna get confusing eventually.

Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

P.S: Sexy time suggestions?