A/N:After the admittedly over-the-topness of Angels, things mostly settle down a notch as Hailstorm learns to let got of the small stuff. And it's all small.
Always look on the bright side of life...
"You realise we should both be dead, LT?" Williams quietly asked Lieutenant Storm.
The pair of Marines stood huddled around Williams' workbench in the Normandy's drop bay, inspecting the damage to their respective hardsuits.
A neat hole about the diameter of her thumbnail had been punched through the ablative plating of Williams' heavy-class Hahne-Kedar suit, right over the ribcage.
A considerably less neat hole the size of a child's fist had been punched through the ablative plating between the shoulders of Storm's Mantis medium hardsuit. Looking from the damage wrought by that single round, to the LT's living, breathing form and back again, Williams was secretly convinced she was standing before an actual, honest to God miracle. She fought down an urge to grasp the other woman's hands, just to make sure she was really there at all.
The blonde officer nodded, an incongrously happy smile on her face as she lifted the rear armour plate, poked her fingers through the blood-stained hole and waved them at Williams.
The Gunnery Chief laid her own chest piece back on the bench. Both hers and the LT's suits were write-offs and the Skipper had authorised a side-trip to Arcturus for some downtime and to procure fresh supplies.
"Uh, Ma'am..." Williams began. The LT looked back at her, still smiling slightly. "Are you all right?"
"Never felt better, Ash," Storm sounded incredibly chirpy. "I mean, yeah, the whole shot-in-the-back-and-near-death-experience-with-the-apple-trees was kinda rough but," she shrugged and was still amazed that the muscles there reacted so smoothly, given everything. Chakwas did good work. Damn good work.
"Apple trees?" Williams tentatively enquired, noting the sheen in the LT's eyes. Had the doc put her something? It would explain her mood. Not that Williams wanted to see the LT reduced to a quivering wreck and crying herself to sleep at night but she didn't think that such a sunny outlook seemed to be quite the right reaction to dodging certain death. Still...people processed things in their own way.
Voice returning to more its normal self, Storm leaned in closer to Williams, "What did you see? When you were, you know, on the table?"
"You mean like the white light people talk about?"
Storm nodded and Williams shrugged, "I really didn't see anything. I could hear voices from time to time. I think I heard the Skipper crying at one point," Williams shrugged uneasily; the thought of Shepard in tears didn't seem right, somehow.
Storm's gaze seemed to turn inwards as though she were watching something inside herself as she spoke, "I was in a place with rolling green hills in all directions, crystal clear sky, fruit trees...I could actually taste the apples and here's the weird thing-"
"Weirder than a near-death experience?" Williams deadpanned. Storm grinned at her.
"All my scars," she rotated her right arm, showing the white scarring from Torfan, "Were gone and everything was perfect."
"Heaven," Williams spoke in a near whisper, knees feeling as though they might spill her to the deck.
"Hardly," Storm countered, "I don't really believe in God."
This time, Williams did take the LT by the hands and squeezed, "Ma'am, I don't want to force my beliefs on you, but that sounded like...God, you were right at the..." she trailed off, not able to voice her thoughts.
Gently, Storm squeezed back before disengaging her hands, "Some people believe all that white light stuff is just neurons in the brain firing off at random as the brain runs out of oxygen."
Williams shook her head so forcefully, strands of hair escape the bun at the back of her head and she pushed them behind her ear. "No, I don't believe that."
Storm shrugged again, "Of course, if people are brought up to believe certain things then that might influence what they see, or think they see in extreme situations."
"You think you hallucinated the whole thing?" Williams' tone betrayed her stark unbelief in this theory.
"Pain, shock, adrenaline, the drugs from the medical systems in my suit, the human brain does funny things under stress" Storm waved a hand as though to dismiss the entire affair. That was then, this was now, after all.
Williams frowned at the other woman who still had that faint smile on her lips. "I'm sorry but, how can you be so...cheerful after all that?"
Storm sighed, "Look, after I woke up and realised how close I'd come to..." she trailed off before continuing, "I realised I had to make a choice: I could either keep on letting things get to me and let that little voice in my head drag me under or I could decide to let go of all the things I can't control and just learn to accept myself and things the way they are."
Williams was silent at this; Storm went on, "And you know what, Ash? I feel good. For the first time in I don't know how long, I feel really good. I don't have that voice in my head second-guessing me all the time and if I wander around with a goofy look on my face, so what?"
Williams recoiled half a step; the LT spoke with such passion and conviction. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I didn't mean anything by it."
Another smile broke out on the LT's face, "Ash, don't apologise, I appreciate you looking out for me." The smile quirked upwards a bit, turning mischievous, "Also, Chakwas gave me these pills..."
Williams' eyes went wide - the LT was turning into a pillhead?
Storm's head tilted back as her laughter echoed off the bulkheads. "You should see the look on your face, Williams. Oh, you're a prankster's dream."
"That wasn't even remotely funny, Ma'am," Williams ground out.
Storm shook her head, "Yeah, it was."
The Lieutenant wandered off, leaving Ash with the wrecked armour. As she went, Williams could hear her singing, "Always look on the bright side of life, de do do de do de do..."
---
Storm settled into the co-pilot's seat in the Normandy's bridge, nodding to the helmsman.
Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau turned to face her, readjusting the ever-present baseball cap adorned with the Alliance logo. "So," he drawled, "Sleeping Beauty's finally awake."
"Gee, Jeff," Storm bantered back, "Anybody'd think you actually missed me."
"While you and Williams were luxuriating in the medbay, being waited on hand and foot, a poll was conducted. You two have been voted Hardest to Kill Bitches. Congratulations," Joker extended his right hand between the seats.
Storm shook his hand, "What about Shepard?"
Joker shook his head and turned back to his consoles. "Seeing as how she hasn't had any pieces of giant alien ship that look like squid fall on her, she's out of contention."
"Hard to Kill Bitch...you think I should have some T-shirts printed up?" Storm mused.
Joker turned back to the Marine officer, "So..." he began.
"So...what?"
"Can I see it?" the tone of Joker's voice more closely resembled that of a small child contemplating his Christmas presents than that of an adult.
"See what?" Storm played dumb; she knew what. The bullet scar between her shoulders. With the aid of a mirror, she'd seen for herself the angry red mark in her back. Williams had been right - she should be dead if only from the shock and blood loss alone. Yet, here she still was.
"The scar? Can I see it?" Joker sounded as though he should have been hopping from foot to foot in his excitement.
Face and voice filled with mock outrage, Storm replied, "No you may not see the scar! Lieutenant Moreau, I would have been less offended if you had just asked me to show you my boobs!"
Joker leaned in towards the other seat, staring hard at Storm's uniform top. She was a slender woman and could never be described as 'curvaceous.' "You have boobs under there?" he said in mock amazement.
A smile tugging her mouth upwards, Storm lightly punched him in the shoulder.
Looking out the viewports before her, Storm saw the bulk of Arcturus grow slowly larger as the frigate entered an authorised shipping lane and cruised towards the headquarters of the human fleets. "I haven't been back here in ages," she said quietly. She wondered if she'd have the time to arrange a visit with Admiral Hackett whom she'd served as his personal aide for six months, before her posting on the SSV Tokyo.
"Me either," Joker said, fingers manipulating holographic control consoles seemingly at random. Looking at his hands and fingers, Storm thought that Joker would have made a good pianist. "I think I might hobble down to the flight school and rub everybody's noses in it about just how good I turned out to be."
"How to Win Friends and Influence People. Ever read it, Joker?" Storm teased.
The helmsman merely ignored her as he continued to pilot the Normandy to her destination. Keying the comm system, he connected with Arcturus Flight Control. "Arcturus Control, this is the SSV Normandy requesting an approach vector and a berth, over."
"Roger Normandy. We have you on screen, uploading approach vector now. You are clear to dock in Berth 1195 Gamma X-Ray. Please confirm."
"Gamma X-Ray?" Storm mouthed at Joker. He shrugged. He didn't come up this stuff, he just flew the ship. Joker keyed the vector into his systems and the Normandy immediately responded, banking around to her new heading.
"Approach vector locked in. Normandy confirms we are clear to dock at 1195 Gamma X-Ray. Out."
"Well," Storm said at length, rising from her seat, "I need to speak to the doctor." She paused as Joker laid a warm hand on her forearm and she turned a quizzical look on him.
"I'm glad you're not dead, Hayley," was all he said and released her arm. Storm nodded jerkily and left.
---
Doctor Chakwas turned as the door to the medbay slid aside with a faint hiss. Framed in the doorway was her erstwhile patient, Lieutenant Storm. Chakwas nodded a greeting towards the younger woman and waved her in. "I'll be with you momentarily, Lieutenant," she said as she completed inventorying the supplies in the medical locker. It was a short list; between them Williams and Hailstorm - Chakwas smiled slightly at the nickname - had used up the bulk of her medi-gel and other supplies. Not that Chakwas begrudged them the supplies but right now, she'd be hard pressed to find a sticking plaster to put over a paper cut.
Closing the locker and keying it shut, Chakwas turned to face the young officer. "Lieutenant, I do hope you haven't found some way to injure yourself yet again?"
Storm didn't try to fight the smile that came into being on her face. She liked Chakwas - her dry sense of humour only thinly concealed the care she had for the crew. "Doctor, I came to thank you. For saving my life. Mine and Williams'. From the way Williams sounds, you performed some kind of miracle."
"Nonsense, I simply did my job. Though I have to say, you do possess a will to survive bordering on pure bloody-mindedness, Lieutenant." Chakwas' tone carried faint praise.
Storm shrugged uneasily, "Still, I feel as though I owe you something, you gave me another chance and I-"
Chakwas cut her off, laying a finger against her lips, "Hush. I need no thanks. Now run along and enjoy your leave."
"But-"
"Go," Chakwas said gently but firmly and turned the other woman around to face the door.
"I-" Storm tried again. The doctor was being so unreasonable!
"Now, please," and with that, Chakwas herded her out the door.
On the other side of the medbay door, Storm shook her head, "What just happened?"
"Hey, LT," Williams said as the Gunnery Chief walked by. "What's up?"
Playing on Williams' concern that she may be on pills, Storm replied, "I tried hitting up Chakwas for more drugs but she cut me off, the old cow!"
Williams rolled her dark eyes, "Very funny, Ma'am."
"Yeah," Storm deadpanned, "Now I'll have to sell my body for drugs just to be able to keep functioning."
"You're awful, LT," Williams said but was unable to keep a straight face.
"Seriously, though. I tried to thank Chakwas for..."
"Working a miracle on us?" Williams supplied.
"Yeah. She totally brushed me off. I think we should buy a gift for her, or something."
Williams nodded, "You're right. She can give us the 'just doing her job' spiel 'til the cows come home but I'd still feel better if we got her something."
"Sooo," Storm dragged the word out as they walked away from the medbay, heading towards the mess while they waited until the frigate had docked. "How well do you know the doctor?"
Williams slid into her customary seat at the table, slowly tapping a finger on the surface. "Not well enough to know whether she'd like flowers, chocolates or a voucher for a massage from a hot Swedish guy."
Storm's right eyebrow quirked upwards. "Come again?"
Williams' complexion reddened slightly. "I mean, I was just saying, I don't know what to get her."
"Hot Swedish masseuses, huh? Do your sisters know the kinds of shenanigans you get up to? Also, where can I get in on the action?"
"I'm going to do us both a favour and pretend I didn't hear what you just said, LT."
In a single decisive motion, Storm rose from the table and motioned for Williams to follow. "The Commander will know her better than anybody else here," she decided and the two Marines made for the commanding officer's quarters.
---
The small mirror of highly polished metal affixed to the bulkhead over the sink revealed a pallid, hollow-eyed face. Shepard's hair, normally smooth and lustrous hung limply along the planes of her face like the wings of dead crows. The recent ordeal Hayley and Ash had been through - and she realised she couldn't afford to think of them in first name terms any more - had marked her. Shepard pulled in a deep shuddery breath, feeling as though she might crack and burst into tears at any moment. It was odd, she hadn't been shot and they seemed to be recovering remarkably well from all accounts yet lately she just couldn't sleep.
Her nocturnal thoughts were plagued by what ifs.
What if she'd done things differently during that last drop?
What if she'd subdued Fredericks when he had stopped her rushing out after Williams and put her own life at risk, instead of letting Storm go down?
What would she do if one or both of them died? How would she cope?
Still eyeing her reflection, Shepard calmly told herself, "You've allowed yourself to get too close them, Alison. Williams especially. What was it you told her after Virmire? She was like the sister you never had and you love her like one? And Storm? She fit into the crew so well that it's almost as though she'd always been here and maybe you something of yourself in her. Plus that vulnerable side of her makes you want to reach out for her, keep her safe."
Taking another calming breath, the Commander came to a difficult decision: she had to put up those walls that she'd kept around herself for so long and keep her personal feelings well and truly buried. Treat them as professionals, nothing more, nothing less.
Shepard turned from her reflection and splashed cold water from the small sink over her face. The door chimed as she finished towelling her face dry.
"Yes?" she said loudly enough to be heard from outside.
"Commander?" it was Storm's voice and Shepard bit her lower lip.
Deliberately putting an undercurrent of coolness into her voice and hating herself for it, Shepard replied, "Yes, what is it?"
From the change in the tone of her voice, the Lieutenant could tell something wasn't right, "Are you OK, Commander?"
"Too busy to talk, Lieutenant," Shepard forced herself to say, voice harsh. Her chest hitched up and down and a tear slid from one bloodshot eye. This is going well a sardonic voice whispered in her mind.
Voices muttered among themselves from outside for a moment and Shepard realised somebody else was out there with Storm. Williams, she guessed. Ever since...the incident, they'd been almost inseparable.
Outside the captain's cabin Williams told the LT, "Ma'am, just override the door lock already. Something's up with the Skipper." Nodding silent assent, Storm activated her omni-tool, the holographic device bathing her in amber light for several seconds as she bypassed the maglocks.
The control panel by the door flashed green and the door clicked open. Standing in the centre of the room, shoulders jerking with silent sobs was Commander Shepard.
"Skipper!" Ash pushed past the Lieutenant and rushed to comfort the Commander. Shepard tried to pull away, arms pushing her back but Williams gently took her hands and, uttering soothing sounds, pulled the older woman into a hug. Unsure what to do, Storm looked around to see if anybody else was nearby, and seeing that the immediate area was clear, ducked inside the suddenly too-small room and shut the door.
"Ma'am?" she began. Shepard was clutching Williams' back like a woman lost at sea holding fast to a life-raft. Williams looked up at Storm, her own dark brown eyes wet with tears and nodded her over. "Hey, come on, Commander, I know we both gave you one hell of a scare but..." her words tapered off and she settled for putting her arms around both Shepard and Williams. "It'll be OK, Shepard," she whispered into her superior's ear. Shepard shook her head, strands of hair adhering to her tear-streaked face.
Storm spoke more forcefully, "It will," she insisted, feeling herself begin to tear up. Oh this was great: three military women, who between them, had killed hundreds, holding onto each other for dear life and bawling their eyes out. "Come on, guys," Storm choked out, "If Joker sees us like this.."
Shepard sniffed and finally managed to speak, voice hoarse, "We'll be all over the extranet in a matter of minutes. God, this turned out well. I told myself I had to keep a professional distance between us because I let myself get to close to you both and would you look at us?" Shepard laughed softly, echoing Storm's own thoughts.
Eventually the three parted and Shepard looked each woman in the eyes. "It's wrong of me to feel like this and I know it'll cloud my judgement but, God help me, I can't help how I feel about you. Ash," Shepard took her hand and placed it over her own chest, "You are my sister, far as I'm concerned." Letting go of Williams, Shepard took Storm's right hand in both of hers. "Hayley...sometimes I see so much of myself in you, it scares me. I admire you as an officer and a soldier and...I love you as a best friend."
"God, Shepard!" Storm tried for an airy tone but the passion in the older woman's words shook her utterly. "We came in here to get some advice on what to buy Chakwas as thankyou gift and you turn all hippy-dippy on us!"
Shepard seemed to shake herself and pulled her hair into a pony tail secured with a thin elastic band. In a matter of moments, the professional Commander persona was back in place and Storm was glad. Seeing Shepard with her defenses in pieces at her feet...it had scared the hell out of her. And Shepard speaking so frankly about how close she felt towards them? Storm felt humbled and deeply moved that Shepard considered her in such a way.
"A present for Chakwas?" Shepard began, all business again. "She has a thing for old Mills & Boon romance novels."
"Seriously?" Williams answered, honestly shocked. The doctor seemed far too no-nonsense to buy into sappy romance stories. Still, looking at herself, most people were surprised by Williams' love of classical literature.
"Yeah. She also loves piano music, Storm."
"Realllly?" Storm smiled as an idea came to her.
---
Once docked at Arcturus and having cleared security, Storm and Williams took a intra-station tram to one of the many outlets human corporations had established on Arcturus to sell their wares to people onstation. Shepard had set Storm up with a requisitions account and enough credits to purchase some better-quality armour.
Exiting the tram into the crush of humanity, Williams asked the Lieutenant, "How do you think the Skipper knew about the doctor and her books?"
Storm shrugged, gaze intent on the entrance to a nearby Rosenkov Materials outlet. "She's a Spectre. Spectres are supposed to know stuff. Could be the paperback book I spied poking out from under a folder on her desk though."
Arrayed inside the store's display window were three mannequins, each wearing an example of Rosenkov's light, medium and heavy Titan-model hardsuit. The hardsuits featured a black and grey camouflage pattern particularly suitable for combat in urban environments. Pointing at the heavy-class model, Storm asked the Gunnery Chief, "What do you think?"
Williams cast a critical eye over the display. "Titan suits have above-average ballistic protection but the shielding's maybe too low for my peace of mind."
"I can fiddle with kinetic barrier emitters; amp up the output," Storm said confidently.
Williams turned to the Lieutenant, "Won't that void the warranty?"
The Lieutenant chuckled. "There's a reason most armour manufacturers never have to worry about warranty issues - if their gear doesn't stand up, the wearer isn't usually in a position to lodge a claim."
Williams nodded sombrely. From what she'd been able to glean after the attack on Eden Prime, Corporal Jenkins who'd been in Shepard's ground team had suffered the exact fate the LT had mentioned. Scuttlebutt said that the barriers on his Onxy had simply collapsed and the ballistic plating failed to hold up under the barrage of gunfire that had dropped him.
Inside the store, the Marines were met by a professional-looking young man wearing navy-blue trousers and a long-sleeved white business shirt and tie.
"Welcome to Rosenkov Materials' Arcturus branch. How may I assist you, Lieutenant, Gunnery Chief?"
"Yes, we're interested in the Titans you have on display," Storm said.
The man nodded, "Excellent choice, Lieutenant," he beamed. Chances are, he would have said Excellent Choice if Storm had just told him she was interested in being used as a target drone. He had that kind of corporate boot-lick look about him.
Corporate Boot-Lick Man gestured for the Marines to follow him and as he led them to the rear of the store and the changing rooms he said, "We have a special this month only: a free choice of either a combat exoskeleton upgrade or mod-nine medical exosystem."
"Medical exosystem," Storm and Williams chorused in unison.
"Excellent choice!"
Storm covered a laugh with a hand.
Corporate Boot-Lick Man began his marketing shtick, "The latest-model Titan features a lighter composite ballistic compound with weight reductions of fifteen percent across the range yet it also offers a higher level of ballistic protection than competing models."
Storm ran her fingertips over the surface of the offered breastplate, feeling the slightly roughened texture of the ballistic compound and, by her estimation, Corporate Boot-Lick Man hadn't been lying about the weight reduction. "What d'you think, Williams?"
"Let's try them on and see how they fit."
In the change booth, mindful of any cameras and bored security staff hoping for a flash of pixellated nipple, Storm kept her underwear on as she worked her way into the hardsuit. With the last of the catches in place she activated her omni-tool and interfaced with the hardsuit's onboard systems. Storm stepped out of the booth as the suit ran a diagnostic check. When all systems checked out green, the Lieutenant performed a series of stretches, testing the limits of the suit's flexibility and found it comparable to her old Mantis.
Storm looked over as Chief Williams stepped from her booth, looking all manner of intimidating in the heavy-class chassis. She held her arms out by her side as she turned in a slow circle."What do you think?" she asked.
Storm nodded. "If I were a man, the only thing on my mind would be how hot you look right now."
Williams' hands fell to her sides. "K...tad disturbing, Ma'am."
"Hey, look on the bright side: the bad guys'll be too busy pointing you out and saying Phwoar! Eh lads? to actually shoot at you."
Williams nodded solemnly to Corporate Boot-Lick Man. "We'll take them."
---
With the hardsuits paid for and delivery to the ship assured within the hour, Storm and Williams set about finding a bookstore.
During the walk from the armour store, Storm noticed a familiar figure hobbling towards them with the aid of crutches from the other direction. And it wasn't Joker.
"Coops?" Storm greeted her old room-mate from her time on Arcturus. The brunette woman in dress uniform and her right foot swathed in strapping tape halted and leaned back against the wall.
"Storm? The frack are you doing back here? I thought you couldn't wait to get out?" Lieutenant Kylie Cooper enquired of her old roomie.
"Shepard authorised a side-trip to procure more supplies. This is Gunnery Chief Williams, by the way."
"Ma'am," Williams saluted.
"Chief," Cooper nodded back.
"What happened to you?" Storm nodded at the ankle.
Lieutenant Kylie rested the back of her head against the wall, eyes closed. Opening her eyes again, she said, "OK, so final of the Marines v Navy Pukes women's basketball tourney. Final quarter, three minutes to go. Coach sends me in off the bench 'cause Simms fouled out, right?"
Storm who had little to no interest in basketball, women's or otherwise nodded. Kylie went on, "I'd had a pretty good game myself, eight points, two rebounds and a block."
"Neat," Williams put in. Storm merely smiled and nodded.
"So I have the ball, I go in for a three point jump shot from down town, land badly and boom, my ankle's screaming bloody murder. Doctor says it's only badly sprained and there's no ligament damage. Still aches like a bastard though."
"Ouch," Storm said in commiseration. "Did you make the shot?"
Kylie laughed humourlessly. "That's the worst part! The ball rimmed out and in the end, the Navy pukes beat us by five. Ugh, we'll never live that down, I swear."
As Kylie got her crutches back under her arms, she gave Storm a closer look. "You seem...different somehow, Hayles. It's like something's been lifted from your shoulders."
"Recent events have forced a re-examination of my priorities," Storm answered. "Life's too short to let myself be pulled down by things I can't control."
Kylie's face fell, "Damn, and I was hoping for a story filled with lots and lots of hot sex!"
Williams laughed and Kylie nodded, an impish smile on her face, "Oh yeah, around here if you know where to go and who to get drunk, you can have a good time any night of the week. Been nice seeing you again, Storm but I have to run...or hobble."
As Storm and Williams watched Kylie head away from them, lips pursed and eyes narrowed in concentration, Williams said, "She seems nice."
Storm smirked, "Hmm-hmmm. Kylie's real popular if you get my drift. She's a sweetheart once you get past that, though."
The bookstore, which bore the name Page Turner, carried a wide variety of books both in electronic format and in hardcopy. Inside the store and surrounded by shelves of books seemingly stretching out before them into infinity, the soldiers were met by a rail-thin redhead who managed to make Storm look like a plus-sized model in comparison.
The redhead wore a nametag reading Paige Turner - Proprietor. Cute thought the Gunnery Chief. Paige smiled in greeting, flashing too-white teeth. "Good morning! How can I help?"
"Bodice-ripping romance novels," Storm said, managing to keep a straight face. "Got any?"
Paige nodded enthusiastically, strands of copper-coloured hair flying. "Of course, of course! Right this way, ladies."
"Uh...LT," Williams said, "I'm gonna go stand over there for a while," Williams pointed vaguely at the exit. And left before the officer had given her leave to.
Paige linked her right arm through Storm's left and guided her to several shelves of paperbacks featuring women whose bosoms all but spilled from the old-fashioned gowns they wore and men with impossibly smooth bare torsos and long hair. Doctor Chakwas...you're just full of surprises.
Releasing the Lieutenant's arm, Paige said, "As you can see, we carry a wide selection! Five for ten credits! Get 'em while they're hot!" Storm managed a weak smile as Paige tittered to herself.
Storm picked up a bundle of novels at random, briefly read the blurb on the back of each one, and became more and more mystified by the Doctor's reading habits with each one. Shepard with her old-timey music, Williams and Wordsworth, me with my classical piano and Chakwas with her...OK words fail me. Still, who was she to judge?
Storm carried her bundle of romantic literature over to the customer service counter, parted with ten credits, and, declining a recyclable bag, got the hell out.
Outside the store, books under one arm, she hissed at Williams, "Thanks for leaving me alone in there!"
"Ma'am, did you see the look she gave us? She thought we were...you know!" Williams held up her hand and crossed the middle finger over the index.
Storm looked nonplussed. Williams went on, "And there's you asking for 'bodice ripping romances!' My God!"
For Storm, the penny finally dropped. She glanced back over at Paige who caught her looking and gave her a come hither smile and a saucy little wave. "That would explain the way she took me by the arm before..."
---
"So, we need a way to get the doc down to the garage without arousing her suspicion," Shepard mused as she, Williams and Storm met later in a small cafe in a less-busy sector of Arcturus.
"We could punch Mike in the throat hard enough to crush his windpipe and have her come down to intubate him," Storm said brightly and sipped from her tea.
Shepard and Williams just eyed her steadily. "Or not," she added.
Williams frowned. "She's too smart to fall for a faked injury, we should just be straight up with her."
Storme nodded, "Hmm yes, Oh Doctor, we need you to come down to the garage because we have a pile of trashy novels for you..oh and I want to perform a few piano concertos for you!"
Williams glared at her, "You don't have to be such a bitch about it!"
Shepard raised one hand, the other rubbing her temple. Her two closest friends...carrying on like three year olds. "Ladies please. I'll talk to Chakwas. Lieutenant I want you to head back to the ship and set up your keyboard. Dress uniform please," Shepard nodded as Storm rolled her eyes, "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing," Shepard went on. "Williams, find some wrapping paper and a pretty ribbon and do the books up."
"Sorry Skipper, I left my pretty ribbon in my other pants," Williams quipped before leaving the table.
---
The collar of her dress uniform slightly too tight against her throat, Storm sat before the keyboard, waiting for the medic to arrive. As the sound of the humming elevator reached her, she rose from her seat, smoothed down her clothing and joined Williams who was similarly attired and holding the gift-wrapped stack of romance novels in her hands. Together, they stepped forward to meet the elevator as the doors slid aside, revealing a puzzled looking Dr Chakwas and Commander Shepard.
"I trust there is some method to your madness, Commander?" Chakwas said in her dry way, as she eyed the soldiers before her.
Williams stepped forward, bearing the books like a holy offering. "We wanted to give you something to say thanks for saving our lives," Williams began and, seeing the look of protest on the older woman's face, added, "And we're not taking no for an answer. I heard you liked romance novels so..." and Williams handed over the bundle.
Accepting the package, Chakwas turned with an arched eyebrow to Shepard, "And from where did you hear that?"
Storm led the doctor to a seat fashioned from an empty ammo crate with a pillow atop it and urged her to be seated. Somewhat reluctantly, the doctor complied and watched as the young lieutenant settled herself before her keyboard. Storm inclined her head towards the doctor. "Any requests?"
"Well...I've always been partial to the Moonlight Sonata," Chakwas answered.
Storm nodded, "Yeah..." she said and began to play.
When the impromptu concert was over Dr Chakwas spoke quietly to Williams and Storm. "Thank you," was all she said.
"No..." Storm replied, "Thank you."
A/N: Certain parts of this chapter turned out heavier than I had intended. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is from Monty Python. Props to Zing-Baby who, in kronots, likened Sovereign to a giant squid. And Dr Chakwas and romance novels? It was either that or books about serial kilers :)