Please note that I had to switch the Anderson monument to London, as it made more sense.
Chapter XII
Kaidan entered Shepard's apartment and found her fast asleep in her bed. She was under a blanket but fully clothed. Kaidan laid beside her without making a sound. He gently moved a lock of Shepard's fiery red hair away from her face and studied her intently.
It dawned on Kaidan that the woman he loved had changed-something she would never acknowledge. The change was not so much physical as it was mental. It was completely out of character for Shepard to have a nap. She had once said that she would sleep when she died. After what seemed like mere seconds, Shepard slowly woke up noticing Kaidan gazing at her.
"Hey!" said Shepard groggily.
"Hey, Liv," murmured Kaidan soothingly.
"How long have you been here?"
"Not long."
"Hmm," grunted Shepard clearing her throat, "I was just resting my eyes."
"You don't have to justify anything to me."
"I'm not, I just...yeah, I guess I was-you're right. Thank you," murmured Shepard while slowly sitting up.
Kaidan pulled her toward him wrapping her in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was tired. His warm body was a refuge from the sorrow that was lingering within her. The calmness that Kaidan's presence brought her was welcomed. It had never faltered in giving her that extra push to keep going.
"So what was the new intel you got?" inquired Shepard.
"Nothing we need to worry about now," assured Kaidan, his eyes heavy.
Shepard wanted to insist on getting an answer to her question, but fatigue engulfed her once more, and she didn't fight it. They both dozed off, cuddled together. They woke up well into the night, and Kaidan couldn't keep quiet about what he had uncovered. The message Christopher had left him was worrisome, but Kaidan knew better than to leave Shepard in the dark. After Kaidan detailed his last two encounters, he and Shepard concluded that they would continue to gather more information on this new group, Praxidikai, before poking their heads blindly. Shepard would nonetheless pay a visit to Aria to get her cooperation in their pursuit.
When Shepard returned, Kaidan was preparing a meal. They had skipped dinner, and Kaidan had whipped up a delicious rice dish from the somewhat limited selection in Shepard's pantry. Luckily, he had found a bottle of red wine that would set the tone for the evening.
"Kaidan, what's all this?"
"We're celebrating!"
"Celebrating what exactly?" asked Shepard, surprised.
"Check your messages, we're all getting commendations. There's going to be a huge ceremony next week unveiling a monument to Admiral Anderson in London. Hackett didn't tell you?"
"Huh, yes, but I didn't know it would be so soon," replied Shepard as she read Hackett's email from her omni-tool. "Hackett wants us to see us tomorrow. We'll have to tell him to postpone it. It's too dangerous."
"What? Shepard, no!" exclaimed Kaidan while he pondered for a second on what Shepard was suggesting, "Praxidikai wouldn't dare make an assault on Earth," continued Kaidan as he took Shepard's hand in his. "The crew needs this, we all need this. We'll tell Hackett what we know and he'll increase security. It'll be alright."
"Yeah, you're right," mused Shepard, "We'll go see him first thing tomorrow morning." Kaidan nodded and smiled softly.
"Now, are you hungry?"
"I'm starving!"