Hello all! Hope you liked the last chapter ;) Warning: fluff to follow! Enjoy.

Thane awoke to the sound of water running somewhere nearby. In his semi-conscious state, he was not immediately aware of where he was. As he opened his eyes, though, and saw the blue glow from the fish tank, memories of the previous night's activities came flooding towards him.

She moans out his name, hands grasping the back of his head as he licks and sucks at her centre. His own arousal is pushed higher by her movements. She pushes her hips up towards him, seeking release.

His unbidden reverie was broken by the sound of running water coming to a halt, and moments later the bathroom door slid open, emitting a cloud of steam from within. Although the bedroom was separated from the office and bathroom areas by the cabinet full of model ships, he could see Shepard as she stepped out from the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around her head, and another towel the only thing she wore around her body. Thane propped himself up on his elbows so that it wouldn't startle her when she came to the bedroom and discovered him awake.

"Good morning, Siha," he said as she came down the steps into the bedroom. She smiled at him, and turned to the drawers hidden in the wall beside the bed, pulling out her clothing. He was struck by the familiarity of the domestic situation, and the ease with which she accepted his presence as she got ready for the day.

"I didn't want to wake you," she said while removing the towel from her head and letting her wet hair free, "You looked so peaceful." He slid off the bed, pulling his pants on as he did so, and came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck. She was damp from the shower, and her hair smelled even more wonderful than usual. Gods, but he was really starting to love this woman.

"It's very rare that someone can successfully get up and start their day without waking me," he said, still holding her against his chest, "I'm impressed." She spun away from him, but gave him another smile as she walked over to the bed carrying her clothing.

"Just because I spend most of my time charging down on mercenaries at full tilt while firing a shotgun doesn't mean I don't know how to be stealthy, too," she said, then added a quick, "Don't look," as she removed her towel. For a moment Thane thought she was serious, and moved to turn his back to give her some privacy, but her laugh made him pause. "I'm kidding, Thane," she said, "Did you really think that I'd be shy after last night?" He smiled at her, and leaned back against the wall to watch the show. She may have been soft and feminine in his arms the night before, but as she pulled on her underclothes, Thane was captivated by the wiry strength evident in the play of muscles along her arms and legs.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the sensual way that her hips wiggled as she pulled on her pants.

"Like a rock," she said, "Which is really saying something, considering how I usually wake up every few hours thinking about everything that I still need to do. You wore me out." A smug smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he responded,

"You were not the only one sleeping soundly. Although I am happy that I… wore you out so successfully." She paused for a moment to give him a smoldering look before grabbing her shirt with a laugh.

"Damn. It's too bad we have to get going. I should have woken you up and dragged you into that shower with me." Thane smiled at her,

"That wouldn't have ended well. Drell and showers don't get along very well." She raised an eyebrow in question, and Thane explained, "Well, Kepral's Syndrome aside, we come from a desert planet, originally. It's against our nature to waste water for bathing, not to mention that we don't particularly relish getting wet without reason." Shepard tried to keep her face impassive, but Thane could see the small wrinkle above her nose as she asked,

"So… you just… don't bathe?"

"Of course we do," Thane said, humor evident in his voice, "We use sand, usually, to scrub dirt off of our skin. If we're really messy, we'll suffer through a shower, but only for as long as is absolutely necessary." She didn't say anything, but pulled her shirt on over her head, and approached him. She was shorter without boots on, and he enjoyed watching the playful way her eyes lit up when she looked at him. Standing on her toes to reach, she pressed a light kiss against his lips. He returned it, matching her gentleness and not trying to push the kiss to be something more. They had things that they had to get done, and though he may not have had all the time in the world left in his life, he was content to simply live in that moment, together with Shepard for as long as she would have him. She broke the kiss after a moment, and stepped back with a small sigh.

"Better get your shirt on, Thane," she said, "We've got a Reaper IFF to go get, and I need the skills of the galaxy's best assassin by my side." He nodded his agreement, and grabbed his jacket from where it had ended up on the floor the night before. Shepard turned to grab an implement from the nightstand and ran something through her hair to pull out the tangles. He resisted the urge to help, curious as to what her hair would feel like wet, and made a promise to himself that he would find out soon enough. Pulling on his boots, he turned and walked to the door of the cabin.

"I'll see you in the Mess, Siha," he said, knowing that it wouldn't be appropriate for them to both show up for breakfast together. She turned and gave him one last smile.

"Save me a seat," she called. Thane returned her smile, and headed out to the elevator. Once the doors closed, he allowed himself a moment to breath before hitting the panel for the crew deck. He could get used to spending his mornings like this.