Ella woke to a wall of naked muscle behind her and a tattooed arm wrapped around her stomach. A quick glance told her she had slept about nine hours. She tried to slide out from under Zaeed's arm. "Too bloody early sweetheart," he grumbled, pulling her back against him. "Go back to sleep."

"You know, I distinctly remember my bed being bounty hunter free when I fell asleep." Ella traced her fingers lazily over his tattoos.

"Are you complaining?"

"No. Just wondering if you're going to make this a habit? Let yourself into wherever I'm calling home for the moment."

"Will you wait for me naked if I say yes?"

"There is a possibility that would happen."

"Then yes."

"At least next time I'll be warned." She pinched his arm. "Will you let me up?"

"Like I said before sweetheart, too damn early."

"I realize that, but I'm under orders to eat, sleep, and heal. I've done the sleeping part, now I need to eat. And possibly shower."

Zaeed groaned. "I'll order some goddamn room service while you shower. Make it quick so we can go back to the sleep portion of your orders."

Ella made her way into the bathroom, her sore muscles protesting the entire way. The warm pulses of water had her body feeling somewhat normal. Zaeed slipped under the spray with her, his hands settling on her waist as he tugged her gently back against him.

"I believe you promised me food."

"And you promised to be quick. It's been nearly thirty minutes sweetheart. Food's been delivered."

"Yes, well, I couldn't resist the siren's song, so I stayed in the water."

His hands slid up her body, mindful of the bruises along her side. "Rest your arms against the wall sweetheart." She shifted beneath his hands as he began working the kinks and knots out of her muscles. Her head dropped to rest against the cool tile, his hands working their way from her neck to the small of her back. He traced the curve of her hip, one hand splayed across her stomach while the other dipped between her legs.

Ella shifted restlessly as he teased and tormented. Clever fingers stroked, but never touched where she wanted. The pleas rolled off her tongue before Zaeed finally circled her clit. He alternated between feather light touches and firm strokes over the small bundle of nerves. She let out a muffled sob when he settled a finger over her and stroked. Ella arched back against him as she came, his rough stubble dragging across her shoulder. She sagged against his hand and the wall. Zaeed's lips trailed across her skin, as he turned her in his arms. "So damn gorgeous sweetheart. I love it when you fall apart for me." He helped Ella wrap her legs around him, her back resting against the wall. His lips found hers as he positioned himself against her. He slid into her with a long, slow stroke.

Zaeed kept the pace languid. For once, there was no impatience, no rush to completion. Soft kisses were given between whispered words. Gentle hands trailed over skin, always wary of bruised skin. Ella's second orgasm took both of them by surprise. The tight clench of her body had him following quickly after. They stayed entwined until the water ran cool. Zaeed cleaned both of them with efficient swipes. Ella snagged his oversized shirt to wear as he slid jeans back on.

They ate in bed, Ella finishing off her plate and most of Zaeed's. He coaxed her into taking another dose of pain meds and reapplied medigel to her gash and the slightly blistered skin around her jack. She pulled him back to bed, her head tucked under his chin. Ella's hand trailed over his scarred cheek. "We're gonna match," she murmured groggily. "Guess it makes sense you're here."

"Why's that sweetheart?"

She frowned at him through the haze of pain meds and tapped his scar. "I was there. Saw it. You saw mine. We match."

"What do you mean you were there?"

"In the alley. I was there. Took care of you, just like you took care of me. Stay with me?" Her eyes fluttered shut as she drifted to sleep.

His arms tightened around her while he mentally went through the police records. The police's secured files didn't take much for a person to hack and Zaeed didn't want to leave a trail. He memorized them before they were erased completely from the database.

He was listed as a John Doe. The police had no leads on who shot him and chalked it up to gang violence. Reports said a young woman had found him and had the police called, but when they went to interview her, she had disappeared. The medics stated someone had applied medigel to his wounds, most likely saving his life. At that point he chalked it up to dumb fucking luck, but after Ella's drug induced confession, along with verbal slip the night on the colony, he had to rethink that.

Zaeed kept her snug against his body until the alarm on her omnitool chimed. Ella's head burrowed into his chest as she slapped at the offending noise. He couldn't stop his laugh from escaping as he silenced the alarm for her.

"Mmmm, still tired."

"I know sweetheart, but you need to make your report."

"Tell Steven to go away."

"Not gonna work. And we need to talk."

"Fine. You talk while I get dressed." She stripped off his shirt, momentarily distracting him. Ella was halfway dressed when she turned to him. "Are you going to talk, or just stare at me?"

"You were awfully chatty before you fell asleep." He threw his shirt back on, ignoring the way it now smelled faintly of Ella's soap.

"Oh? What exactly did I have to say?"

"Something about how we match and it makes sense since you were there when my goddamn face got blown off." He watched her freeze halfway through lacing up her boots. Ella stared at him, wariness and a hint of fear crossing her face. "Got something you'd like to say sweetheart? Or can you only tell the truth when you're fucking high."

She recoiled like Zaeed slapped her and she fought to keep her biotics from flaring. "I did what I thought was right."

"By goddamn lying to me for the last four years?"

"By keeping myself safe! I watched them carry you off just praying you weren't dead. I had your blood all over me. Do you know what they would have done with me if I waited with you? A runaway teenage biotic? They would have labeled me a slut and you a John. I would've been in jail."

"That doesn't explain why you lied ever since then Ella."

She tugged a jacket on over her fatigues and tried to control the tremor in her voice. "I spent three years wondering if you were even alive. When I finally saw you again, all I felt was relief and I just . . . couldn't bring myself to tell you. It wasn't a moment I wanted to re-live. Then I was at boot camp and when I saw you in Ireland things were different. I was different and I knew you didn't remember that night. I was selfish and didn't want things to change."

A knock on the door was all the warning they had before Hackett and Anderson entered. Steven's eyes narrowed as he took in Zaeed's scowl and Ella's watery eyes. "Are we interrupting something?"

"No sir." Ella's too quick response had both officers staring at her.

"Not a goddamn thing," Zaeed echoed. "I'll be going now." He shot Ella one last, indistinguishable look, before leaving the hotel room. Steven glanced between her and the now closed door.

"I'll have my report to you in two hours sir. Which, I believe is when we were originally supposed to meet."

"Change of plans Shepard." Captain Anderson handed her a data pad. "You're being transferred."

"Transferred?" She glanced over the information in her hand. "Rio? Wait, N school?"

"Orders came down last night. Apparently you've been a contender for a while now. Your actions over the past two days sped the process up."

Ella stared at the two men with slight suspicion. "Who exactly put my name forward?"

Hackett quirked an eyebrow. "I forgot how suspicious you are Shepard. Captain Fulbright made the initial request after your stint with him. Two subsequent squad leaders also put your name forward."

"I . . . thank you sir. I guess I'll need to return to Arcturus to get my things."

"You're assigned the last transport out. Twenty four hours Shepard." Anderson headed for the doors. "I still expect your report before you leave. You did good out there kid." She sent him a faint smile as he left.

"Well that was unexpected." Ella tried, and failed, at a passable smile.

"What happened Ella?"

"Nothing. Can we please not talk about it?"

"Just answer one thing for me. Do I need to have a talk with Massani?"

"Please don't. He's your friend and, honestly, this is something I screwed up."

"Okay. I won't pry for now. But if he screws up . . ." he let the implied threat hang in the air.

She let out a groan and buried her face in her hands. "Is this part of the 'you're family now' package? Because I don't remember it being explicitly stated that you'd threaten the men in my life."

"Consider it an added bonus Ella. It's too late to back out now."

She paused and looked up at him. "I wouldn't change it Steven," she admitted.

"Good, because you're stuck with me kid."

A/N- I'd love to hear what you think of this so far? Love it? Hate it?