Now this chapter is just a bit of silly fun I thought of. I'd like to think it shows the way I see the Commander's relationship with her crew. Not sure if I'm communicating it properly but think POTUS in The West Wing and you might begin to sort of maybe see where I'm coming from :p
Once again, I OWN NOTHING! And dialogue encased in Italics is in French.
3. Downtime
The ship is quiet.
The SSV Normandy is en route to Virmire and the crew is indulging in some much-needed downtime. The starboard viewing deck is filled to the brim with as many service men and women as it can take, all talking, drinking and laughing. From her perch on the back of one of the lounge chairs, Shepard smiles as the sounds of her team enjoying themselves in a rare moment of rest washes over her. A group in the corner is playing poker, shouts of triumph and incredulity occasionally erupting from the table. Dr Chakwas and Engineer Adams are behind the bar bickering good-naturedly about the correct way to serve Serrice Ice-Brandy. Liara and Garrus are talking quietly near the window, staring out over the starry night all around them. Even Joker is talking to a group near the door, propped up on his crutches, arms waving excitedly. It's good to see him away from the cockpit, Shepard is starting to think he's fusing to the seat.
The familiar laugh of the man she's starting to think of as one of her best friends, draws her attention from her observations and she smiles as his gravelly voice rises above the hum of conversation, turning back to the small group gathered on the chairs next to her.
"No way. Me singing is not something anyone of you ever wants to hear." He pauses dramatically and Ash laughs, "Ev-er." He elongates the syllables with an air of finality.
"Hey I heard you the other day LT," Ash protests, "not bad at all."
"Hah! That wasn't me that was Pressly. Regular Pavaroti."
"Regular who?"
The commander snorts into her drink in amusement as Kaidan sighs, "Never mind."
He notices Shepards shoulders shaking silently and grins, a sudden thought popping into his head. "The Commander on the other hand…" He leaves the sentence hanging suggestively and Ash takes the bait almost like they've planned the entire thing. Which, Shepard notes in resignation, is entirely possible. Her crew is evil.
"Seriously?"
"J'accuse!" Shepard exclaims, pointing a slender finger at the grinning Lieutenant, her green eyes dancing, "Hell no."
"She's lying right?" Ash looks to Kaidan for confirmation.
"Hell yes. I heard her myself."
"Crap." Shepard mutters into her drink.
Arianna sighs and wonders where all of the shy, retiring Chiefs are hiding as Ash stands up, waving her arms for attention. "Would anyone here like the Commander to sing for us?"
There's a small pause and Shepard buries her face in her free hand, ignoring Kaidan's laughter at her expense, before the room explodes in cheers and woops.
"Hell no." She declares again emphatically which results in more cheering, which then inevitably decends into a slow, steady chanting of her name.
"I'll kill you later." She says, glaring at the Lieutenant who is grinning like the Cheshire cat.
He shrugs, "Totally worth it."
"Alright, alright, will you all shut up already?" The commander waves her hands for silence. "Are you all sure you want me to sing?"
There's a chorus of "Yes!" and "Get on with it!" and Shepard can't help but feel lucky she has this crew with her. This group of hardened marines and Alliance officers who treat her like she's family, not some scary overlord. She smiles.
"Fine then. Remember you asked for it."
And then she sings.
Kaidan holds his breath through the first verse, along with the rest of the room. Her voice is rich and pure and like velvet, cutting into the room like a knife then smoothing the creases behind it. She is singing "La Vie En Rose" he realizes with a smile, her voice holding none of the vibrato of the original but soaring clear and with unbelievable emotional depth over the gathered throng. She has the audience twisted around her little finger almost immediately and Kaidan can't help but wonder why she chose to be here, right now, and not in a concert hall on Earth somewhere.
The song finishes seemingly as soon as it's begun and there's a pause before the crew begins to cheer, Kaidan laughs along with them, slightly smug at their stunned expressions.
"Thankyou." Shepard tells them, a satisfied smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "Now go away."
A ripple of laughter flits across the lounge and conversation gradually restarts. Liara and Garrus join the small group just as Ash jumps excitedly off of the couch, her eyes wide.
"Where the hell did that come from?" She demands, incredulous.
The Commander shrugs, taking a sip of the clear liquid in her glass. "My mother was a singer. On Mindoir."
"Ahhhh," Liara says as she makes a connection in her head, "so that was French. I've never heard it before."
"Not many people have." Kaidan notes, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"There's only a handful of us Francophones left." Arianna adds, her tone unconsciously mimicking his.
"Well Commander, you are truly full of surprises." Garrus says with what Shepard assumes is a smile although it's hard to tell.
"Wait," Ash says with a thoughtful expression her finger pointing at nothing in particular, "she just said 'us'." She swings around so she's pointing at Kaidan. "You said something earlier, didn't you… I just thought it was gibberish because of the noise but…"
"Hah! Revenge." Shepard tells him delightedly.
He sighs, "Call it even?"
"Ah hah! Busted!" Ash punches the air triumphantly. "Say something!" She demands, and Shepard wonders just how much she's had to drink that night with an amused smile.
"But I just did!" He protests.
"She's not going to let it go until you do what she wants you know."
Kaidan frowns, thoughtfully, "You have a point. She was already a little tipsy when I got here. Geez, she's an obnoxious drunk."
Liara smiles, her head cocked to one side, listening. "So that's where your accent comes from Shepard. I've studied Earth culture a little bit but could never figure it out."
"Accent?" The Commander's face crinkles in confusion. "What accent?"
Kaidan smiles, "You can only hear it if you know it's there. You clip your 'th's' sometimes and forget plurals if you're excited about something and..." He trails off as he realises the four of their faces are a mixture of amusement and confusion, "What?"
Ignoring the blushing Lieutenant, Liara lays a hand on the commander's arm, "Your language is beautiful."
Kaidan glances at Shepard's face and can see she's feeling uncomfortably emotional as memories seem to flick across her face unbidden. He mock-scoffs at her, "Sure, it would be if she were doing it right."
He grins as her face stills and her green eyes flash dangerously. "Me? What the hell is with your accent? You completely butcher your r's and I have absolutely no idea what you've done with some of your irregular verb conjugations. It's like I'm talking to a caveman." She's waving her arms expressively and he swears her accent has almost doubled.
"Hey! Quebec has kept French pure thankyou very much. It hasn't changed in thousands of years."
"Which is why it's wrong! You're still talking in thee's and thou's."
The two of them switch to French completely unconsciously, Ash, Liara and Garrus only picking up the occasional Alliance English word thrown into their sentences.
"So… anyone want another drink?" Ashley asks, her interest in her commanding officers clearly waning.
"Sure." Garrus says, standing up to join her, "Liara?"
The Asari shakes her head, still absorbed in the rapid-fire of unintelligible syllables sprouting from Kaidan and Shepard, both of them gesturing passionately as they argue. She smiles at them, listening to the beauty of the strange sounds and watching as something as yet unnamed sparks between them.
The ship is quiet.
A/N - "But the Commander doesn't have an accent in the game." Yeah yeah I know. But she comes from Mindoir guys, Mindoir!
Ok fine - I made it up. Happy? :)