AN: S'up, bitches?

It's so weird. It feels like this and Let's Try This Again (my other Shakarian fic) are racing each other. FM has the lead, but LTTA is gaining rapidly.

Also, if I disappear after tomorrow, it's because I'm gonna buy some MS points and get me some Citadel DLC action!

Once more, I love all of you guys for reading, following, and favouriting, and virtual hugs go to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review, it's always awesome to hear that people like my stuff! ^^

Of course, super thanks, as always, go out to Spyke1985 for betaing this! You're awesome! ^^

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty - As Normal As It Gets Around Here

"Would you just let it go?" Sarah asked, folding her arms as she sat across the sofa from Tiberius.

"All I'm saying is that you can't just concentrate on offensive moves," He countered.

"It's worked for me for years! I don't need you coming in here and messing up my strategy!"

"Charging in guns blazing is not a strategy! It's suicide!"

"It's worked pretty well so far!"

"Don't mistake luck for skill."

Philip sighed, eventually sick of listening to them argue. "Do I need to give you two a timeout?"

"It's not my fault he won't stop criticizing me!" Sarah replied.

"She refuses to listen to reason!" Tiberius countered.

Tia just shook her head. "I thought we agreed to not get involved with their stupid arguments after the last one..."

"I know but this might be the most ridiculous one so far."

"We're not arguing," Sarah told them, earning her a pair of raised eyebrows. "We're having a lively debate."

"Exactly," Tiberius told them, moving closer to Sarah, earning a raised eyebrow from her, although she didn't object or shy away from his touch as he moved to start nuzzling her neck. "I was just trying to show Sarah here that her lack of forethought means that she has a nasty habit of getting into... compromising positions."

She gave him an incredulous look at the innuendo, before trying to shift her weight, only to find that he had trapped her where she was. She shook her head at that, biting her lip a little as she decided that two could play at that game. "Oh, I think I'm exactly where I want to be," She told him, letting her subharmonics growl a little beneath the words as she hooked her legs around his waist, almost pulling him completely off the sofa in order to get loose, grinding her hips against his just little, in, what she thought, was quite a subtle move.

"Oh, okay! We are still in the room, you know!" Tia objected, causing Sarah to turn bright purple at the idea that she hadn't actually been as subtle as she had thought.

Tiberius gave her a humoured look, but reluctantly pulled himself from his bondmate as she grinned at him sheepishly through her blush, in a way that he could only describe as downright adorable.

"Okay, now I get it. You guys just have these ridiculous arguments for the makeup sex," Philip said, prompting Sarah to throw a cushion at his head.

"They're not ridiculous!"

Tia raised an eyebrow at that. "Sarah, you were arguing about videogames."

She shook her head. "Okay, we were debating, not arguing, and you're not allowed to make fun of my gaming habit. I didn't exactly have much else to do when I was a kid."

Philip frowned at that. "Rookie, you lived on the Normandy. Are you honestly telling me that you couldn't find something more interesting to do?"

Her gaze dropped a little. "I... was in the medbay a lot. So, no, I couldn't really do anything more interesting. Not that I would want to. I used to get so excited after I saved up my pocketmoney for weeks to buy some crappy old game from years ago."

"Wait, aren't your parents loaded?"

Sarah shrugged. "I guess. Why?"

"Well... just, normally the kids whose parents have money just get given stuff. They don't have to save up for it."

Sarah snorted at that. "You have obviously never met my parents. I mean, do I seem like some spoiled brat to you?"

"Point taken."

"Exactly," Sarah replied as her omni-tool beeped. "Gotta go," she told them, after reading the message.

"Everything okay?" Tiberius asked.

She nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, Nat just needs another sample. Plus, my own results from last night should be ready in the next little while. See you later?"

"Okay," He replied, quickly pressing his forehead to hers in goodbye, just before she left the room.

"So, are they using Sarah as a basis for curing the hybrids?" Tia asked. Philip decided to just remain quiet, knowing that he shouldn't know anything about her work.

"Something like that," Tiberius replied, shrugging, his voice devoid of the suspicion that Philip had noticed a couple of months back, leaving the human to conclude that his friend knew. He sighed a little at that. Moments like this, where they were all together, were rare. Sarah and Nat were, understandably, wrapped up in their work and, if he was being honest, the three C-Sec agents weren't much better. They all felt the weight of their responsibility bearing down on them, making it difficult to keep things straight at times. He knew that it didn't all rest on them, that there were others in this fight, taking care of other aspects of Cerberus, but they had to keep communication limited. Only essential information got in or out, to stop Cerberus from getting their hands on any intelligence, but it meant that it was easy to feel alone and isolated.

He figured that if he hadn't had Tia, he would have gone crazy long ago.

As if sensing his thoughts, the asari reached her hand out to where his was on the table. "Hey, what are you thinking so intently about?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly, before indicating across the room. "Please tell me we were never that bad?"

Tia smirked a little, shaking her head. "You don't want me to answer that," she told him, before frowning at his still distant expression. "Honey, what is it?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just… I might go stir-crazy soon if I have to stay here much longer."

"Thinking of sneaking out?"

He smiled a little at her joke, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Nah. As much as the outside world is tempting, getting shot at by Cerberus isn't worth it."

She smiled at him, sensing the true issue behind his words. "We'll get them, Philip. We're getting closer." It was true, they were getting closer, but the progress was too slow. They both knew that.

He nodded his head, giving a reassuring smile that she didn't believe for a second. "Yeah…"

"You could be happy and I won't know,
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go.

And all the things that I wished I had not said,
Are played in loops 'till it's madness in my head.

Is it too late to remind you how we were,
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur.

Most of what I remember makes me sure,
I should have stopped you from walking out the door.

You could be happy, I hope you are,
You made me happier than I'd been by far…"

Sarah smiled at the wave of nostalgia as the sound of Philip playing his guitar coming from the lounge distracted her from her hunt for lunch. Her smile took on a bittersweet edge, however, as he finished the song, remembering the 'good old days', the memories that were always tinged with a little regret. She didn't think that things would have turned out differently if she had confessed her feelings to Tiberius earlier, Cerberus would have still attacked and she still would have been injured in the attack before having to leave, but when it looked as if their relationship might only last months anyway, the idea that they might have had a few more, back before the weight of the galaxy was on their shoulders…

She didn't like to dwell on what she would lose if Nat's cure didn't work out. Thankfully, Tiberius had a way of pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. They both felt the same jarring sensation sometimes, though, when they started to think beyond the next few, crucial months, only to remember that the future was anything but sure for them.

"You're still a shit singer," she told Philip as she approached, sitting opposite him.

He simply rolled his eyes at the comment before sighing. "Rookie, you know, it might be helpful to keeping secrets if you let the other people who know, know who else knows."

She frowned a little. "Okay, you're saying words, but they don't match up in a way that makes sense. Did you have a stroke or something?"

He rolled his eyes at the bad joke. "I know that Smiley knows. It might have been nice if you had told me that he knew, so that I wasn't watching my words around him still."

She looked a little sheepish at that. "Sorry. I… I guess I didn't think. Plus, I didn't tell him, he found out months back. And then I found out that he found out. It was all very dramatic."

Philip ignored the way she tried to brush it off as a joke, as if it hadn't been any kind of big deal. "He doesn't seem… I don't know, I think I expected more…" he trailed off, unsure of how to articulate what he meant without offending her, but she understood his meaning regardless.

She shrugged, looking a little tired. "He's remaining positive. We both are."

"Wait, did you just say that Smiley was being positive? What kind of weird, alternate universe have I walked into?"

She smiled a little, shaking her head. "Well, maybe it's just that I'm a cynical bitch, and he's positive by comparison. Although, even I'm quite optimistic right now. Usually this kind of treatment would take years to develop, but Nat's progress is astounding. Things look very positive. Although, I guess I'm still a little worried... but Red's keeping me sane, helping me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can't believe I thought that I could manage this all on my own. I would have been a wreck by now, I'm sure of it…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Rookie admitting that she needs someone else, I never thought I'd see the day." She just rolled her eyes in reply, so he continued on. "I'm sure it doesn't help that you don't like keeping secrets in the first place."

She nodded, smirking a little. "Yeah, which is ironic, since I have so many of them to keep. Although, I don't plan on keeping them much longer…"

"So, is that why you're getting so sloppy with your disguise?" He indicated to her attire. She had stopped wearing the heavy layers of clothing she had always favoured, showing the odd frame that lay beneath, distinctly turian in nature, although hidden beneath soft skin. At that moment, she was wearing just a tank top, the lack of sleeves revealing the section on her upper right arm where her skin had been burnt clean off, revealing the slightly damaged plates beneath. Her hair had gotten longer as well, her fringe now covering her eyes when left alone, her glasses the only protection against the annoyance, although she seemed to be settling for simply pulling the hair out of the way instead, leaving visible the one feature that clearly screamed 'turian'.

"Yeah, I just can't be bothered any more. You know, no one's even mentioned it? I think they're all afraid of offending me or something. Either that or they just asked Nat. Anyway, I'm kind of using this as a trial-run for when I go out into the big bad world without hiding for the first time in… well, ever. I'm through with secrets."

He smiled, trying to be reassuring since she was so obviously terrified by the thought of going out into the world without the safety blanket of her secrets. "Good, because you're terrible at keeping them."

She smirked back. "As if you're much better. After all that shit you gave me about not telling Red stuff…" She trailed off, seemingly as surprised as he was at the words coming from her mouth, although she quickly covered it up.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He knew she wasn't buying it. Hell, even he could hear the cracks in his voice.

"Now who's a bad liar?"

He sighed agitatedly, shifting so that he was sitting forward more. "Look, this isn't the same-"

"Philip, it's exactly the same! You're keeping things from her because you think you're protecting her."

He shook his head, his darkened gaze turning away from her. "Look, Rookie, I don't expect you to understa-"

"You feel guilty for leaving," she interrupted, shocking him a little. "You had to leave, to get out of the dead-end track you were on, and get away from the family that wouldn't accept you for who you were. Except, your younger sister. She was the one person that actually understood you, and you left her behind. So now you're on Earth, you're feeling guilty, and things are looking worse than ever with Cerberus. Your sister is your best bet for intel on the whereabouts of your father, so you're trying to find her, but you're scared that she won't forgive you for leaving her there. And you won't tell Tia any of this because you're trying to protect her from the past that still haunts you, as much as you try to deny it." She finished what she was saying, the glazed look that had fallen over her eyes finally lifting, leaving her looking, not just tired but worried.

Not that he really noticed. He was still trying to digest the information that he thought no one else knew. "You know," he finally managed, still frowning with confusion, "sometimes I think you're completely oblivious to what's going on around you, but other times… other times, you seem too astute."

She shrugged, not wanting to freak him out. Hell, her telepathy freaked her out most of the time. "You give yourself too much credit. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

Technically true, she thought, but I wouldn't have had the faintest clue if it wasn't for my... abilities...

He sighed, leaning back in his chair once more, a little relieved to actually be able to talk to someone about it. "I haven't seen her in... God, it must be seven years now. She was only fourteen at the time. She'll be twenty one now... That's so weird."

Sarah nodded. "Tell me about it. I haven't seen a single member of my family, apart from Mordin, in three years. I spent the first fifteen years of my life with almost no contact with anyone outside of the close-knit group and now..."

"Now you're on your own," he finished for her.

"Yep. How'd you deal with it? When you left for the Citadel, I mean."

He shrugged. "I think there was maybe... three days before I met Tia. Before that I was... I guess I was just glad to be out of there. I didn't really think about the fact that I didn't know anyone."

"I had... a few months before I met Cee. I didn't mind being on my own, but not knowing what was happening with everyone I care about? It drove me crazy."

Philip nodded, before frowning a little. "Wait, you really don't know anything?"

She shook her head. "Even Aun- the Shadow Broker couldn't help to send messages safely. I saw Hilary once or twice while she was still at flight school, but we had to be careful about the meetings. I couldn't risk anyone finding out that I was still alive. If Cerberus had known that I was still out there, they would have... well, there would have been only one sure way to get to me. Through the people I love."

"Can't most of the people you love take care of themselves?"

She nodded. "Of course. But, not everyone. Hell, a strong enough force could have taken you three down and we still have no idea how many hybrids Cerberus has... I would never forgive myself if anything happened to anyone I cared about because of me."

"Rookie, if Cerberus hadn't attacked, do you think the Executor would have ever sent us?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I was furious enough when she did have reason to send you, convinced that she had put you all in unnecessary danger-"

"Okay, you do know that we're all specially trained operatives now, right? I haven't been behind a desk since before you left."

She smiled, happy for all her friends had accomplished in her absence. "I know, I just... I worry. I'm a worrier. Plus, I call bullshit, Spec Ops means more paperwork, not less." He smirked at that. "Anyway, even if Cerberus hadn't attacked, I think it would have just been a matter of time before she sent you. Like I said, I'm a worrier, and she knows that. I was going crazy, not knowing what was happening with everyone. Plus, being separated from my bondmate didn't help. So, yeah, she would have sent you eventually. Speaking of, was she alright when you left?"

He nodded, frowning a little. "Yeah, of course. I mean, she's my boss, so I don't really know her, but I think so. Why wouldn't she be?"

Sarah shook her head, dismissively. "No reason. I'm a worrier, remember?"

He smiled at that. "Well, as far as I know, there's no reason to worry. The latest reports from the Normandy were the same as ever; no incidents to report, but no leads either. The most interesting news from the last three years is probably Riley."

"Riley?"

"Yeah. Kara and Lona's daughter."

Sarah's gaze dropped at that. "See what I mean? I didn't even know. I'm close with all of my family, but to hear nothing for three years? It's just too weird..."

"Well, if I find my sister, we can hopefully get enough info to lift the lockdown and get out of here. Then you can catch up with everyone."

She smiled at that. "You know who might be able to make that search go faster? Your bondmate! Go, tell her."

Philip frowned a little. "She's not my bondmate, she's my fiancée."

"I've seen the way you two look at each other. She's definitely your bondmate."

"Okay, I'm still not sure on the whole 'bondmate' thing. So, you and Smiley are married, right?"

She shrugged. "Kind of. It's like being married, but really meaning it."

"You've lost me again."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You can't equate it over. I am tied to him in a way that humans just... don't. Turians evolved in very tight family groups, they are much more dependant on social interactions than other species. Family connections are hard-wired once made."

"Yeah, yeah, Tia tried to explain it, but it was stupidly boring."

"Then don't ask. Look, basically, our bodies attune to each other on a basic, chemical level, so that we only respond to each other's pheromones. It also makes other stuff easier."

He frowned. "'Other stuff'? Wait, do I actually want to know?"

She rolled her eyes. "In one sentence: bondmates are evolution's way of setting up a solid family unit by making sure you're a good match and then making sure you stick together, which is why it's such a weird fluke of biology that Red bonded to me at all..." She then start to blush a little, looking a little sheepish. "But, from a less clinical point of view, I just... even if I wasn't terrible with words, I doubt I would have adequate ones for how I feel about him, you know?" She was bright purple by the time she finished, hiding her face behind her hands in embarrassment.

He couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "Yeah, the girl who hates to rely on anyone, let the boy, who also hates to rely on anyone, steal her heart. It's a classic fairytale."

"I actually always prefered the original fairytales. You know, where everyone died gruesome deaths. Far more realistic."

"And if anyone ever needed proof that you and Smiley belong together..."

"Hey, Nat, have you seen-" Sarah halted midway through her sentence as she sensed an almost nauseating wave of worry emanating from her friend. "Is, erm... Is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Everything's fine," she answered distractedly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're worried about something," Sarah answered simply, wondering a little why her telepathy seemed more tuned in than normal.

Nat sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sure it's nothing..."

"But?"

"But, nothing. You need to stop worrying so much."

Sarah smiled a little at that, nodding. "Maybe you're right. Okay, I just need to find the treatment I made up earlier and then I'll be out of your hair for the rest of the night. Red says he's got a surprise for me. I'll admit, I'm a little bit wary, but it's so sweet of him, I don't even care."

That only seemed to intensify the worried feeling coming from her friend.

Flashes of fire...

Her leg burning...

Screaming for those she knows are lost...

Sarah pulled herself from her friend's mind as fast as she could, walling herself up as best she knew how.

"Nat, seriously, what is it?" She asked, her friend's determination to keep it from her dropping at the seriousness of her tone.

"As I said, I'm sure it's nothing. Just... a bit of a roadblock."

"What kind of roadblock?" She tried desperately to keep the fear from her voice, but it wasn't working.

"The kind that can be overcome. I just... I need time," Nat admitted, her gaze not quite meeting Sarah's.

"Time that we don't have?"

"Maybe... Zu, look, I promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure you get you two get your future, okay? This is just one more problem, and it's one we can deal with."

Sarah nodded, putting her effort into keeping her features still, although she didn't bother to silence the worried whines in her subharmonics, knowing that Taliya couldn't hear the-

Wait, Taliya?

He always called her Taliya...

Sarah had to figure out how to stop herself from delving into the thoughts of others without meaning to. It was just too much for her to handle, especially when the memories were so... personal. Hell, that would be like someone peering into her memory of saying goodbye to Red three years ago, or what had happened to her and Harry...

She had no business seeing that.

"Nat, it's okay. Really. I just... thank you, for doing this for me. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. Now, if I don't go now, Red will start to wonder where I am..."

She grabbed the vial on the desk before heading out of the lab, only to run straight into Red, waiting for her.

"You okay, ani?" He asked softly, drawing her into his arms.

She melted into his touch, letting down her guards so that he knew what had happened, without her having to tell him aloud. "I really need to figure out a way to stop from slipping into other's thoughts. Sometimes I couldn't even do it if I tried, but some days, like today, I don't know why, but I just can't stop it."

"Hey, it's okay, these aren't your memories," he murmured reassuringly, running his talons through her lengthening hair.

"But they happened to somebody, not just that but a friend..."

His subharmonics trilled with reassurance as he pulled away a little. "Maybe we should head to your office."

She nodded, understanding that they shouldn't be having this conversation where anyone could walk in on them.

The second they were behind closed doors, she collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. She smiled a little as Red lay down next to her, although her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.

"There was a house fire," she explained softly. "Before that she had a husband and a son. Now she has neither. It's why she's so determined to help me, so that we can have a future together. But she's never told me. So now, everytime I see her, I'm going to have to look her in the eye and pretend I don't know."

She felt his hand become entwined in hers as he just kept on trilling reassurance and comfort. It was a few moments before he spoke again. "I might have something to take your mind off it."

"Yeah? Is this your surprise?" She asked, turning onto her side to look at him.

He nodded, his free hand moving up to brush some of the hair from her eyes, gently tracing her scars as he went. His other hand left hers, briefly reaching around before returning, pressing a small disc into her palm. "It's an encoder. It's not secure for long range use but planetside communications should be safe. The signal should be completely undetectable and undecipherable for anyone tapping it. I figured you needed to see the good you were doing first hand, and since you couldn't leave and no one's allowed to enter..."

"You got me a way to call Cee?"

He nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. "You need to see the good."

She grinned at him before leaning forward, softly pressing her lips to his mouth plates, earning her a pleased trill of his subharmonics. "You have no idea how much I love you..."

He smiled at that, his subharmonics trilling with a little humour, and a lot of love, echoing her own adoring tones. "I think I might." They remained like that for a few moments before he indicated to the disc. "So, are you going to use it or are you going to let it go to waste?"

"Now?"

"Well, why not? It's not too late yet."

She nodded in agreement, getting up so that she could load the encoder up onto her terminal, before sending a communication request to her friend.

She answered almost immediately.

"Zu!" Cee cried.

Sarah grinned at her friend. "Hey, Cee."

"Wait, I thought you were on lockdown. No communication in or out."

Sarah's grin widened a little, blushing just a little as her eyes drifted to where Red was sitting at the other end of the room, focused on his datapad, pretending not to listen. "Red worked something out for me."

Cee grinned in response to her friend's evident happiness at having her bondmate back. "Oh? So, am I going to actually get to see your bondmate, or are you keeping him hidden away."

Sarah shrugged. "So long as he's not too busy pretending to not listen to us." Red looked up at that, causing her to shake her head. "Get over here and say 'hi'."

He rolled his eyes before getting up, making his way back over to her desk.

"Red, this is Cee. Cee, this is Red. I'm sure you've both heard enough about each other from me."

"Hey," Tiberius said to the turian on the screen while she folded her arms, giving him a stern look.

"So, you're Red," she commented, her slightly frosty tone making Sarah frown a little. "Look, I know that you two only separated because of Cerberus, but Zu was a wreck from the moment I met her. If you ever hurt her like that again, I will pull your plates off one by one, starting with your fringe. Understood?"

Red nodded quickly. "Yes, Ma'am."

Sarah shook her head, well aware that her friend had just essentially threatened to skin him alive and chop off his balls. "Cee, come on, be cool. It wasn't exactly easy on him, either."

"I'm just saying, Zu. I care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt again. Plus, I owe you so much..."

Sarah shrunk away from that, sheepishly. "Cee, you don't owe me anything-"

"Zu, if it wasn't for you, I would never have gotten together with Damien. And between stupid biology and ridiculously outdated adoption laws, we never would have had the opportunity to have children."

"How are the treatments going, by the way?" Sarah asked, eager to change the subject.

Cee grinned, her subharmonics trilling with happiness. "Last one was yesterday, so now it's just a waiting game."

Sarah frowned. "Wait, if you came off the hormonal regulators when I told you to, you should go into heat in the next month."

Her friend shook her head. "Six weeks ago. The doc said that being on Earth has messed up my cycle. So, now I have to wait five months."

Sarah sighed. "One of the annoyances of being a diestrous species, I'm afraid."

"Tell me about it. You know, Damien said that human females are just constantly fertile. How crazy is that?"

"To be fair, even on Earth, humans are an oddity," Sarah reasoned.

"Wait... so how does that work with hybrids?" Cee asked.

Sarah's gaze dropped at that as she carefully kept her subharmonics in check. "Well, as with almost all hybrid traits, one of the species' genes will be dominant over the other. I think it's turian for fertility cycles, but I'd have to check."

Cee frowned a little, her subharmonics trilling with question. "You have to check your own fertility cycles?"

Sarah's gaze dropped even further. "That's, ah... that's one of the flaws in my own genetic code. I don't have a fertility cycle. A wrong base sequence got switched out somewhere so the tertiary structure of... and I'm boring you with science, aren't I? But, don't worry, I fixed it for all new hybrids. I just, can't fix it for me. Too tricky. I'll probably make things worse in the long-run."

Cee shook her head, her subharmonics trilling with sympathy and apology. "Zu, I had no idea. I mean, look at me going on about having kids and-"

"Hey, Cee, stop it. Seriously. I'd just... rather not talk about it, okay? The important thing is that I fixed it for everyone else. Including you."

Cee nodded. "Yeah, I really hope that this lockdown doesn't last too long. I'd feel better if you or Nat were around to make sure things are alright."

Sarah gave her friend a reassuring look. "I'm sure it won't last that lon-" she was interrupted by the sound of her terminal beeping, informing her that she had mere seconds left. "Sorry, the encoder only gives us a few minutes."

"Alright. I hope to see you soon."

"Same," Sarah replied as the terminal deactivated. Red quickly made his way over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder reassuringly as she rested her head in her palms.

"You okay?" He asked.

She nodded tiredly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, for this. You were right, I needed to be reminded of the good we do. It's just so easy to lose sight of it when it feels as if Cerberus is around every corner..."

He remained silent, just allowing his subharmonics to trill with reassurance until she sat up properly, sighing a little, showing him the vial she had retrieved from the lab earlier. "On a different note, I made this up earlier. I know that my eyes have been bothering you and, quite frankly, they're bothering me too. This should reverse the suppression of my turian genes, give me my eyes back."

He smiled a little at that. She had been right, it was a little unnerving to have her gazing back at him with those green, human eyes instead of the ice blue turian ones he had grown to love. "So, what do you have to do?"

She pulled a medkit from her desk drawer, extracting a needle. "I need to inject it."

"You're going inject yourself? Blue, you're terrified of needles, I don't see that happening."

She was about to argue, but her gaze dropped only to see her hand trembling a little. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to manage it. "Dammit... I'll go get Nat."

"Blue, hold on a second, I can do it. I have had medical training, remember?"

She frowned a little, clearly reluctant, but finally just gave a resigned sigh. "It just goes in the arm, like a vaccine," she told him, handing him the needle.

"Don't look," he told her softly.

She nodded, shifting her gaze away as she did her best not to tense up, knowing that it would only hurt more. "This is a right pain..." she grumbled.

"So, think of something else," he replied.

"Like what?"

He was very quick to reply silently with something more than a little distracting through their bond, causing her to bite her lip as she tried not to move an inch, despite the memories flooding her mind.

"There, done," he told her, placing the needle down as he turned her around to face him, his hands resting lightly on the curve of her slender waist as his eyes seemed to scan hers.

She laughed a little at that. "Red, it'll take a couple of days to work. You're not going to be able to see the change."

He sighed a little at that, but nodded in understanding. "Okay, I guess that makes sense..."

"But, you did give me some really good ideas on how to pass the time..."