A/N: Hmm, I'm not too sure about this chapter :P Hope it sounds okay!
Onward!
Chapter Twelve
Kaidan kept watch just like he said he would. When Tom tried to enter the room – his own bedroom, Kaidan realized belatedly – he quickly inserted himself between the doorway and Shepard, who lay peacefully on the bed. If a growl escaped him he honestly wouldn't be surprised. Tom easily backed off and left the room, and if he was offended by the action he didn't show it.
Kaidan sat next to Shepard on the bed most of the time, one hand gently resting on the vanguard's shoulder, feeling the easy rise and fall of his breaths. Kaidan had administered what little medi-gel he had with him to help speed up the healing process and he hoped it helped, even if only a little.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there, keeping watch, waiting patiently for Shepard to wake up. He knew the commander needed the sleep, needed the rest. He was lucky to be alive and Kaidan still wasn't sure how he was even laying there next to him, alive and whole and not dead. It was a miracle and he didn't want to question it for fear the illusion would shatter and he'd be left alone.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when Shepard finally yawned and opened his eyes, instantly seeking him out. Hours, days – Kaidan had no real sense of time at the moment, because that didn't matter when Shepard was somehow alive next to him.
"Hey," he said quietly, looking down into tired blue eyes.
Blue eyes that weren't cold and unforgiving like the not-Shepard's.
"Hi," Shepard replied, voice just as quiet as a slow smile worked its way onto his face. "You're here. I thought it was a dream."
"Nope, I'm not a dream." Kaidan smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Better," Shepard admitted. "Sore, but much better."
"How did you even…"
"Survive?"
Despite himself, Kaidan nodded because it was something he wanted to know even when he didn't want to think about how close he came to losing Shepard again.
Shepard pushed his elbows under him and sat up with a quiet groan, resting a hand against the bandaging across his middle. Kaidan found his own hand reaching out, lightly touching the bandages, a reminder of how close it had actually been.
"I think I used a biotic charge."
The words were quiet and soft spoken. Kaidan frowned, looking at Shepard's face to find the blue eyes trained on the bandages. "Biotics? Shepard-"
"I'm not sure how, but I think that's what I did. It's kind of a blur. And I was a little shocked by the fact that I stabbed myself."
Kaidan snapped his mouth shut, frowning.
Shepard shook his head. "Our lives are weird, K."
"Dr. Chakwas should be here soon," Kaidan said. He'd left a private message for her telling her it was top secret and she couldn't tell anyone where she was going, not even 'Commander Shepard'. She'd reluctantly agreed but only if he promised to explain everything once she got there, which he definitely planned on doing.
"Anyway. I think I used a charge and tried to cling to the side of the building. I don't really know… it's all kind of a blur," Shepard admitted, finally glancing at him.
Kaidan's hand landed on Shepard's own, resting over the bandaging, entwining their fingers until he wasn't sure where his hand ended and Shepard's began. "I'm glad you're okay, Ry."
More than glad.
"So did the… not me manage to fool you?" Shepard asked, watching him.
Kaidan hesitated. "At first I… I didn't think anything of it. Why would I? I just… I thought you, he, it… whatever. I thought it was just stress, that was why you were acting differently. But then… it just… got worse and you just didn't seem like yourself."
"And I broke up with you."
Kaidan nodded slowly. "That, too. Which really didn't seem like you. I mean – there was just no emotion. At all. Except maybe anger, and… well, that's not you. Then I went back to the Normandy and not-you and Brooks came in and started talking about they… got rid of you… and things like that." He swallowed thickly, tightening his grip on that strong hand. "And I knew it wasn't really you, and that you had to be out there somewhere… I hoped you were still alive."
That I wasn't too late.
"Then I went back to the apartment and… saw where you'd been pushed out the window. I didn't… think anyone could survive that." He took in a slow breath. "I doubted you, Ry. And I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Shepard said. "I'm a little shocked I'm alive myself."
Kaidan nodded.
"Did you say Brooks? She's in on this?"
"Yeah. Her and… not-you are working together. I don't know why or what their plan is, but… they've kind of got everyone believing he's you. And they… tried to get rid of you so you couldn't say otherwise."
"Well, joke's on them, it didn't work," Shepard muttered, shaking his head.
"Yeah. I guess so."
Except even I believed it… and I'm sorry.
He should have known from the beginning that it wasn't Shepard. There had been so many warnings, but honestly, who else could it be? If it looked like a Shepard, talked like Shepard… it was probably him, right? Except it wasn't. It wasn't Shepard at all.
This was Shepard, next to him. Tired and alive at his side.
Looking back, there was no comparison. Everything about the not-Shepard screamed wrong, but at the time he hadn't known any better. Why would he assume there was someone out there that was Shepard's look alike? Now he knew better, though.
"How convincing is this guy?" Shepard asked.
Kaidan sighed and shook his head. "Not very, but… no one ever thought you could have a… look alike."
"I see," the commander murmured.
There was a knock at the door which led into the room. Despite himself, Kaidan tensed and stood, moving to stand between Shepard and the door even as Shepard muttered a brief complaint at his 'puppy guarding'.
Dr. Chakwas was a welcome sight as she entered the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Kaidan relaxed and sat back down next to Shepard.
"Commander," Chakwas said, frowning at him, "what happened? Weren't you on the Normandy?"
"Yeah… about that…"
"That is a very intriguing story," Chakwas said after Kaidan was done explaining.
"It's all true," Shepard sighed, flinching slightly as the doctor added a bit of pressure to his middle.
Currently Shepard was sprawled out on the bed with Chakwas sitting where Kaidan sat previously, hands lightly roaming across the commander's body in search of hidden injuries. Kaidan himself stood off to the side, giving them room.
"Well, that explains why you've been so disinclined to see me," she said with a shrug. "Honestly, I should be used to things like this by now. Never a dull moment around you, Commander."
"I try," Shepard said, rolling his eyes.
"How is he?" Kaidan asked.
"His wounds were severe but are healing nicely," she said. "The bandaging isn't particularly necessary at the moment though I would prefer he kept it on for the time being. Your energy reserves, on the other hand, are running low, Commander."
Shepard sighed. "Yeah, yeah, don't use biotics, blah, blah blah."
"This is serious," Kaidan said, narrowing his eyes at the commander even as Shepard tossed him a tired look of his own.
"Same old, same old," Shepard said. "I wouldn't have used the biotics if it wasn't necessary."
"I see that," Chakwas said, "but you should at least be a little more concerned for your own well-being."
"That's what I have all of you for."
Kaidan shook his head. "How is he, Doc?"
"Thankfully he didn't do anything too severe so his system is still fried but stabilized."
The sentinel breathed out a relieved sigh.
Finally, some good news.
"However, I am going to say this again, Commander – no more biotics until I say otherwise. Understood?"
"I'll try," Shepard said, shaking his head as he sat up, brushing her aside. "So what's this not-me been doing?"
"Something about the archives," Kaidan replied. "He said something about changing a bio-signature."
"Crap. He's stealing my life," Shepard muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I bet he altered DNA samples or something like that. It's going to be that much harder trying to prove that I'm the real Shepard."
Why would anything be easy.
The plan was simple, or at least, it was in theory. Talking about it and doing it were two entirely different things, though. And it all relied on Kaidan because it was agreed that the not-Shepard wouldn't let Chakwas get anywhere near him because she might be able to easily see that he wasn't the real thing. Kaidan, however, wasn't perceived as a 'threat' because not-Shepard technically broke up with him. He thought that was the end of the story.
That left it up to Kaidan to set their plan in motion.
Shepard and Chakwas followed him onto the Normandy, Shepard in a borrowed black hoodie from Tom so no one could tell who he was. From there Kaidan was on his own until he rendered not-Shepard unconscious, which could be tricky.
Things got even more complicated when he found not-Shepard in the war room with Garrus, Liara and Brooks.
Great. Nothing's ever easy, is it.
Not for him. Not for them.
Not-Shepard looked at him as he entered the room, cold blue eyes narrowing in irritation, but he didn't say anything about his presence. Instead he shifted his focus back to what he and Brooks were looking at, a holographic image of… Shepard's apartment?
"The attacker would have had to have come through the window," Garrus was saying.
Great. They're talking about the attack and it was not-Shepard who did it.
Kaidan quietly stepped toward the group, easing his way around toward not-Shepard. Brooks was blocking him, though, and Liara was on Shepard's other side. There wasn't a clear angle, at least not one that he could use before the others caught wind of his plan and incapacitated him.
He didn't think they'd appreciate his 'knocking the commander out' plan. Especially when they still thought it was actually Shepard. He'd have to do it quickly and hope Dr. Chakwas and Shepard were ready to bail him out of jail, so to speak.
Not-Shepard eyed him warily for a moment before he returned his focus to the holographic image.
Kaidan anxiously fingered the syringe in his pocket. Dr. Chakwas assured him it would render not-Shepard unconscious in roughly three seconds. It could do little to shelter him from the fallout, though.
He inched a little closer to the commander, now standing somewhat behind Brooks. So far no one noticed him moving. He took in a breath, calm and relaxing, before he sprung.
He was on not-Shepard before anyone knew what was happening, stabbing that syringe into the imposter's neck, injecting the liquid. Hands were suddenly on him as not-Shepard collapsed to the ground, the mixture working quickly. Garrus slammed him up against the wall while Liara and Brooks knelt next to not-Shepard, checking him over.
"Kaidan, what are you doing?" Garrus growled, shaking him.
"That's not Shepard," Kaidan replied, ears ringing from the way his head slammed back into the wall.
"What are you talking about?" Garrus asked, confused. "Of course it-"
"Kaidan's right," came the real Shepard's voice as he and Dr. Chakwas filed into the room, causing Garrus's grip on Kaidan's shoulders to go slack, releasing the sentinel.
Liara stood, shocked, while Brooks was tossing him murderous looks.
"That's not the real Shepard," the commander said, taking off his hood. "I am. Brooks has been lying to you."
Brooks released a sound which might have been a shout or a snarl and lunged at Shepard, the quick glow of her omni-blade her only sign of attack.
Kaidan moved before he knew what he was doing, sliding between her and Shepard. There was the sharp pain of her blade pressing through the soft flesh of his stomach, twisting in all its glory, before she ripped it out and lunged past him as he went to his knees.
"Kaidan!"
Warm hands grabbed at his face, twisting his head so he looked into those worried blue eyes.
"Kaidan, stay with me. K?"
His vision blurred and he felt so tired…
His hands found the gaping hole in his stomach and he looked down at the blood.
"Hey, no, no, look at me," Shepard said quietly, hands brushing against his cheek, "look at me, K, only at me. You're gonna be fine, okay? Kaidan?"
Heavy eyelids closed, unable to stay open any longer.
"Kaidan, no, hey! Look at me!"
He tried, tried to open his eyes, do what that voice was saying but it was so hard…
Darkness clouded his mind and he knew no more.
A/N: And there's that :P Like I said, not sure about this chapter, but meh. Thanks for reading and please review!
~Muffy the Dough Slayer~