Kaidan Alenko eyed a rather dazzling looking Commander Shepard from a crowded table in Purgatory. She was at the bar ordering another round of drinks for the Normandy's crew. He wasn't a current member of that crew, but he knew most of them, and had defied death with some of them, so an invitation had been extended to him, in case he happened to be on the Citadel. He was. He wasn't sure if Shepard had requested his presence, though, or if someone else had seen fit to let him know about the party. She'd been ignoring him most of the evening. Kaidan, on the other hand, couldn't help watching her. She was wearing an unbelievable dress, several inches above her knees, skin tight, sleeveless, low cut in the front, and heels. Heels. Never mind the fact that he'd never seen her in a dress before; he'd never thought she'd wear such impractical footwear. But there she was, and it was damn sexy. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Which is why he'd noticed that she had already danced with that over muscled lieutenant seven times now. And she'd looked good. When had she learned to dance? Another thumping song began, and the Lieutenant grabbed Shepard by the arm and pulled her back to the dance floor. Was she…smiling? He hadn't seen her smile like that in years, and it had been rare then, even around him. His eyes narrowed as he watched them. Their bodies were pressed together, her arms were draped around his neck, his hand was…. Kaidan nearly choked on his drink. That was his commanding officer! That upstart muscle head had his hand on his commanding officer's ass. And she wasn't bothering to remove it. The Shepard he remembered never would have allowed something like that in public. What had gotten into her? Even when they had been together aboard the SR-1, she had never been overly open about their relationship, trying to observe protocol, even though they were breaking fraternization rules almost every night. Everyone knew, but on deck she observed the rules of rank. He hadn't argued; he'd agreed with her. But now, watching Shepard and Vega on the dance floor…. He raised a hand to his temple; he suddenly felt a very bad headache coming on. He rose from his seat, spoke a few words with one of Normandy's crew members, and headed toward the bathroom.

He splashed some cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. "Get a grip, Alenko," he muttered to himself. As he was drying off his face, the object of his irritation walked in.

"Major. You wanted to see me, sir?" James Vega strode in, confident, sweaty, cocky. Kaidan studied him a moment before speaking.

"It's about your conduct out there. Commander Shepard is your commanding officer, not to mention the commander of the ship you serve on. Just what do you think you're doing?" James's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly not thrilled with this lecture. Kaidan pressed on regardless. "You should have more respect for her."

"I do respect her," the younger man insisted, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Then act like it, Lieutenant." James let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead.

"Look, pendejo-"

"What did you call me?" Kaidan interrupted angrily. He didn't know what the word meant, but he was sure it was an insult.

"Figure it out. And figure out that the Commander doesn't want you hanging around her anymore. You broke her heart and abandoned her. She's finally moving on. Don't drag her back down."

"Lieutenant, you are out of line." Kaidan strode forward and got in James's face, his fist clenched at his side. Vega glared back defiantly, but didn't seem in the mood to start a fight. He took a deep breath and met Kaidan's gaze.

"Look, Major. If she wants you back, I'm not going to stand in the way. But she already carries the weight of the entire galaxy on her shoulders. She doesn't need this. She doesn't need you coming in and fucking with her head. If that means she's finding out you're not the only man in the universe, then just let it go. It's your own damn fault. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and just leave her alone." Vega easily shouldered around Kaidan and walked out the door, ending the conversation, but leaving a very irritated Major behind. Kaidan heaved a heavy sigh, trying to calm himself down. The words Vega had left him with swirled in his mind with his feelings for Shepard. Had he been careless? His heart ached every time he looked at her. Even on Horizon, when it had nearly stopped at the sight of her…before he opened his mouth and tore her down. He'd been completely thrown off guard to see her working with Cerberus. But hadn't he apologized for that already? What else could he do? He wanted her back…didn't he? For a brief moment he wasn't sure. If she'd changed this much in such a short time…. Maybe she wasn't the same Shepard he'd fallen in love with. With another sigh, he exited the bathroom.

"Major." Kaidan spun around at the familiar voice.

"Vakarian." Garrus Vakarian stood leaning up against the wall by the bathroom door. Clearly he'd been standing guard…or perhaps he'd come as back up. Kaidan winced slightly at the thought, wondering if his former crewmates were turning against him. "I didn't realize Lieutenant Vega needed a Turian bodyguard."

"He doesn't. You might, though." The Turian gave him what passed for a grin for his species, and Kaidan immediately understood. He'd been there to keep James from beating him up. He'd really had enough of this for one night.

"Give the Commander my regards and apologies for ducking out early. I have other business to attend to." Without waiting for a reply, Kaidan climbed up the stairs and left Purgatory.