Happy Easter.
Kaidan embarks on one of the most important missions of his life.
It requires all his skill, courage, stealth and tenacity. He sets his alarm early and as soon as it screeches at him, his body responds, as if waiting all its life to be awoken and perform the most important task.
As he bounds out of bed, Shepard groans beside him and kicks him in the stomach.
"Ow! Shepard, watch it!"
She mumbles something about deer in her sleep and rolls over. She has a little streak of drool down her chin, and her hair looks like a bird's nest, a dark cloud around her head.
Unable to resist, he lingers for just a moment in bed with her. Before embarking on priority missions it's very important to say a proper goodbye to your wife.
Just in case.
Her lips are soft, and she smiles as he brushes her hair back from her face.
She cracks one eye open. "You are insane, you know that? It's like 0600 hours. You can sleep in when you're on leave, you know. They won't be up for hours yet." She smiles her fox grin, all crooked sharp teeth and lustful intentions. Her hands wander down to his boxers. "I can think of a lot of things we can do for a lazy Sunday morning in bed."
She kisses him again, long and passionately. Kaidan groans against her mouth. Shit. Abort mission. Abort. Code red in engineering.
"No," he mumbles. "I've gotta do this mission, Shepard. Everything has to be perfect."
He breaks away from her, and jumps out of bed, quickly pulling his shirt and sweater on in the chilly air. Shepard pouts, huffing, and rolls over, pulling the covers right to her chin.
"Aw, come on," he says as he yanks on some pants. "Raincheck?"
"Hmm. I'm going back to sleep. Go do your thing, Major. We'll see about that raincheck."
With that she pulls the covers right over her head, and he knows she won't speak to him again. Shepards and mornings do not mix well.
Grinning, he leans down and yanks the covers off her head. He kisses her fiercely, smelling flowers in her hair and her morning breath puffing warm on his face.
"Don't be such a grump," he grumbles to her lips, watching her eyes dance with amusement. "You'll have so much fun later, almost as much as they will."
She yawns. "Fine, fine. Go do your little mission, then come find me in the shower. I have an assignment of my own for you," she purrs, and then rolls over in bed, stretching her body like a cat, and shutting her eyes
Kaidan laughs and leaves his wife sleeping.
Stealthily he creeps down the halls of the orchard house. Ma had been so glad they came to stay for the holiday, and truthfully Kaidan is glad they have too. The orchard is perfect for his mission. The apartment wouldn't suit his purpose.
He creeps into the lounge room, listening intently for his little hostiles, but hears none. He picks up his package, and straps it securely to his back, careful not to jostle it unnecessarily. This was one backpack that could not afford to be damaged. The consequences would be extreme.
He slips out the back door, and inhales the crisp morning air. It's beautiful here. Dew sparkles on the ground, a pale sun rising to send beams of light refracting through the water.
A bird calls somewhere far off, and Kaidan feels a strange, complete contentment. This is his home. His family. His perfect little life he's built. He wouldn't change a single thing.
He pulls on his boots and bounds into the cabbage patch, taking the items from his backpack and sprinkling little ones here and there.
He laughs to himself. Cackles, really. He's like a sabotage expert. A master of stealth and ingenuity.
His mission complete in that quadrant, he jogs into the rows of grapes, depositing brightly colored packages there. He steals some of Ma's small flowerpots and overturns them, hiding more of his payload under them too.
Kaidan tries to do it like an artist. The way Garrus would plant bombs with loving care. He pauses a little at that thought, briefly considering that maybe the Normandy crew had a little bit of a workaholic problem, but shrugs and dismisses it. His attention to detail is netting results, the backyard and nearby grape rows look fantastic by the time he is done. He tries not to rush, but the thought of Shepard lying upstairs and promising a raincheck is a little too tempting to linger in the early morning light, when he could be lying under dark blankets and discovering very not wholesome things with her.
He rushes inside; careful to wipe away all traces he was ever up at the crack of dawn. The backpack is stowed away in the hall closet, innocuous and empty.
Hours later, Shepard pads downstairs, her smile large and excited. She can't deny she's looking forward to this day, even though she tries to pretend otherwise just to mess with Kaidan.
The man in question is already up and buttering toast at the breakfast bar, little eggs in cups sitting in rows before him.
She slinks up beside him and sneakily places her hands on his hips. "Hey, there. See you recovered from your shower."
"Hey," he rasps. "Just about. I think my toes are still numb, but alas, it's the price I pay to bask in such beauty as yourself."
Shepard laughs at his overt flattery and kisses him.
"Ew! Mommy! Don't!" Miles cries in between shovelling egg into his mouth, perched on his special kiddie seat at the bar. "That's gross."
She grins. "Gross is it? I'll show you gross, you little monster. I haven't had my good morning kiss from you yet, little soldier."
Her son shrieks and tries to run, but she catches him, her longer legs far too fast. He screams for his dad to help as she plants slobbery wet kisses to every section of his face.
She makes it extra wet and gross, licking the side of his cheek, and laughs herself, pleased to see him almost explode with excitement the way only children can.
"Daddy! No! Stop her!" he cries between gasped breaths.
Kaidan takes pity on him, and pads over plucking him up and into his arms, away from Shepard.
"I know, buddy. Mommy's so mean. Here," he sets him back down in his seat by the breakfast bar, "Finish your breakfast. I'll make sure your mom won't try and eat you again."
He gives Shepard a stern look. "You sit your butt down in that chair and eat your breakfast, too."
"Yeah, Mommy!" Miles pipes up. "You gotta listen to Daddy when he tells you to eat breakfast. It makes you big and strong."
Shepard mock frowns at him. "You know, you're just like your dad."
Miles beams at her, his little bunny teeth protruding, as if she just paid him some wonderful compliment. "I know!"
She settles in beside him and ruffles his dark, curly hair fondly. Kaidan sets a plate of toast cut up into little rectangles before her, and two hard boiled eggs. Ravenous, she starts shovelling it down.
"Where's Andy?" she mumbles around a bite of food. "He didn't come and jump on me this morning. I thought you were getting him breakfast, too."
Kaidan shrugs. "When I got Miles up, he was still sleeping. So I let him. I think he's got a bit of the sniffles. Ma's just giving him a bath now."
"Oh no." She frowns. "I'll go check on him."
She leaves her toast behind and pads into the bathroom where Ma is just pulling a woolly sweater over her youngest son's head. He still looks sleepy and rumpled.
"Oh, buddy" Shepard breathes. "You not feeling so good?"
Her two year old frowns up at her, big brown eyes doleful. She swoops down and picks him up, giving him a tight hug. Bundled as he is in his sweater, he feels like a rather soft and warm teddy bear.
"Shepard, dear," Ma says. "I thought the bath might perk him up, but it looks like it's going to be a quiet day for little Andy."
"That's OK," she murmurs, kissing his soft hair. "He can hang with me while Kaidan and Miles run around crazy. We'll have our own fun. Thanks, Ma."
She nods, and as Shepard holds him still, drags a brush through Andy's soft hair.
"There we are, all handsome."
Shepard moves back into the kitchen and settles back in her perch by the breakfast bad, propping Andy upright in her lap, and starts to feed him some toast while munching on her own. Kaidan leans over the bench from where he was making coffee and moves some hair back from Andy's forehead.
"Not feeling so good still?"
Shepard shakes her head. "That's OK. We'll start the hunt soon, but maybe it'll just be a short one for Andy. I think it's a day of some big naps."
"I don't want to nap!" Miles protests. "I want to eat chocolate."
Kaidan smiles. "Well, you can do that then. The Easter bunny has brought a lot of eggs, and I don't think Andy can eat them all without your help."
Miles eyes light up.
Kaidan watches as Shepard leads the boys outside, Andy still glued to her hip, clingy and tired. Miles runs around crazy, practically vibrating on the spot to be let loose on his hunt.
Kaidan sounds the charge. "OK. Ready! Set! Go!"
Miles is off like a shot, dashing for the nearest brightly colored egg, snatching it up into his small palm.
"Daddy! Daddy!" he calls. "Look what the bunny brought me!" He holds his prize up into the sun, the purple glittering. Kaidan snaps a picture on his 'tool, wanting to hold the memory forever.
He runs after him, his job as designated egg holder vitally important. Shepard follows more sedately, speaking quietly to Andy as she picks eggs up for him, watching him smile as he takes in his bright, chocolate presents.
Miles streaks down the rows of grapes, his laughter echoing across the fields. Ma stands at the back of the house, snapping away with her own 'tool. Kaidan knows that the pictures will be framed and hung proudly on the walls, or used as bragging rights when she meets up with some of her friends.
He can practically hear it now. "Oh yes, this is my son Kaidan's children. I mean, I don't want to seem boastful, but they are the most handsome boys I have ever seen. Shepard, his wife... oh you know Shepard, saviour of the galaxy? I talk about her all the time. Well, she's very pretty, too. Yes. My boy did very well for himself."
Kaidan rolls his eyes. She's terrible for bragging and trying to make her tennis club friends jealous.
Shepard moves over to him as Miles lets out a particularly loud yell at the discovery of one of the more massive eggs Kaidan had bought and hidden under a flowerpot.
"You know..." she says. "I have to admit. You did a damn fine mission here, Major."
"What can I say?" He smiles, leaning down to wrap his arms around her and kiss her forehead. "My superiors always complimented me on my tactical and admin skills."
"Not the skills I compliment you on, though," she murmurs, shifting Andy into his arms and then sneakily grabs a handful of Kaidan's butt.
He yelps. "Shepard! Not in front of the kids."
She laughs, the sound tinkling across the fields.
Miles' head pops up from a long section of grass. "Ohh! Mommy, did you find a good egg?"
"You betcha," she calls. "The best egg in the galaxy."
Kaidan is starting to think he needs another raincheck, but settles for kissing her instead.