Chapter Two
The party was moving along slowly to Miranda, her mind settled on only one of the guests there in Shepard's place. Despite having spent some time catching up with Jacob, Joker and EDI, discussing Cerberus which was sadly one of the only things they could all have an input on, she'd hardly really paid much attention. She could hear Jack just on the other side of the fireplace wall, talking with Ashley and the two human men Shepard had picked up recently. It had driven her mad when she overhead the ex-convict saying she'd needed to blow of some steam, instantly making Miranda believe she had something to do with it.
Her words of encouragement to Jacob on becoming a father were rather lack-luster compared to what they could have been, Miranda trying her best to inch over towards the fireplace to try to figure what was going on with the tattooed woman without being noticed by the others. Of course, the unshackled AI had spotted her and when she asked why it appeared Lawson was fleeing the conversation, Miranda was forced to come up with some stupid excuse about needing to go to the restroom in order to avoid arousing anyone's suspicion.
When she had walked through the main room on the bottom floor towards the nearest bathroom she was aware of, Miranda had glanced casually towards the group Jack was as speaking with. At first, she was slightly optimistic when Jack met her gaze, but when a scowl crossed her face and the biotic turned her back to the ex-Cerberus officer, it had only further fueled her frustration, steering her further along on her mission of the night. Somehow she'd have to get some information that she could use, even if it were only a few simple words.
Problem was, figuring out just how to get that information. Miranda had thought Jack was about as distant as herself with the others in their merry band of Shepard's friends, though judging from the way she was interacting with them it was making her rethink that assumption. Miranda had noted a decent number of drinks alongside Jack though. When she was in the downstairs restroom she could hear the krogan one floor up getting rowdy, giving her a bit of an idea. She was fairly certain that Grunt and Jack had gotten along well enough down on the cargo floor on the Normandy, maybe she could see if he knew anything, though she doubted it.
Making her way up the stairs she stopped at the top when she spotted the two headbutting each other in front of Zaeed and Shepard, making her roll her eyes. There certainly was no way she'd get anything on Jack with them doing that, so she'd turned around and returned to the others she'd been chatting up with. From talking about Jacob's plans on proposing to his lady, Joker and EDI getting together and a little bits of reminiscent of their journey against the collectors.
"So, what do you think of Jack?" Miranda suddenly asked them, making Joker blink at her with surprise. "I hear she's a teacher now."
"Oh yeah," laughed Joker, "and an interesting one at that I bet. Sanders doesn't let her swear around the students, I bet they could raise enough funds to purchase every biotic student the latest implants and egg-heads omni-tools from the swear jar she probably keeps." He joked, downing another drink.
"Why are you curious Miranda?" EDI asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "From what I could recall while you both served on the Normandy you both were very keen on avoiding each other, or hostile when you were forced into the same area." She blinked, recalling something from her memory. "Save for that-"
"Well she seems to have grown up." Miranda cut her short, sucking in a tight breath of air as the AI nearly continued. Horror swept up her back as she realized that while the crew might not have bared witness to she and Jack's night together, the ship certainly had. From the mess hall to the several rounds they went in her bedroom, EDI had witnessed it all. The thought made Miranda's skin crawl with embarrassment. "Maybe I'll be able to hold a civil talk with her for once, if she's had to bite her tongue around kids."
Jacob snorted. "Those were kids Miranda, and you, you certainly aren't a kid."
"I'm well aware of that." She drawled. "I think I'm going to get something stronger to drink, see you guys around." Added Miranda as she started towards where she'd seen a bar in the apartment, waving a hand over her shoulder in goodbye to the others who called after her. As she walked around the bar in the nicely furnished study, she let her mind run with ideas on just how to get Jack to speak with her about what it was between them. There was no guarantee either of them would survive the war, and if they did that they would ever meet together again either. She didn't want to be left wondering what might have happened if she didn't know just what had changed with the powerful biotic.
It's not like I expect a relationship. She thought to herself, picking a glass up from under the counter and placing it on the bar. With her that would probably be impossible. But casual sex wouldn't, it would be rather nice in fact. Her musing were cut short as she poured a bit of whiskey in the glass and the woman that was flooding her mind was sitting on the other side of the bar.
Miranda casually looked up only to be taken by surprise at her sudden materialization. "Jack!" Miranda said quickly, nearly dropping the bottle.
"Cheerleader." She simply replied, reaching over to take the bottle of whiskey from the black haired woman. "Mind not hogging all the good stuff?" She asked, one eyebrow raised expectantly.
"Uh sure." Confusion laced her words as she handed it over, Jack taking it and simply drinking the alcohol from the half filled bottle. "Hey, I might have wanted more of that!" Miranda scowled.
Shrugging, Jack took another swig before she answered. "Get yer own bottle then."
"That was my bottle Jack." Miranda pointedly said. "You're impossible." She huffed, rolling her eyes and running a hand through her black hair.
"And you love it don't you?" Teased Jack, the bottled pressed against her bottom lip.
"What I'd love are some straight answers." She growled out, leaning over the bar towards Jack. "Did you finally get drunk enough to talk or is this a genuine, sober approach at being civil?"
Another shrug rolled itself off the younger woman's shoulders. "I guess you could say those kids taught me a few things too." Jack casually said before she smirked at Miranda, brown eyes locking with blue orbs. "And sure, I've had a couple to drink already." Her admittance made Miranda chuckle lightly. "I kinda saw you all here on your own, and figured why the hell not?" The tattooed woman added with the faintest hint of uncertainty.
"About what?" Questioned Miranda as she took a gulp from her glass.
"Hanging around with you." Jack admitted. "I'm not talking about the shit you wanna talk about though." She firmly said before taking a deep swig from the bottle.
Miranda however, took the chance to push it. "Why not Jack? At least give me a good enough reason for completely rejecting it and me, what we did."
"Cheerleader, do not make me regret trying to be as you put it, 'civil'." Growled Jack, straightening up with a frown.
"Jack-" Miranda started.
"Cheerleader-" Jack cut her off.
"I just want some-" She tried to continue only to get cut short once again.
"You're not-"
"-answers."
"-getting any."
They glared at each other, and then Miranda looked up to see Shepard standing in the archway with confusion. Miranda pushed off the bar and leaned against the study wall, Jack looking to the Commander silently. "Uh, I see you two have had plenty to drink." Shepard said as she walked over cautiously, attempting to take the whiskey from the both of them, only for blue and brown daggers to stop her in her tracks.
"Don't worry Shep, I won't smear her across the walls." Jack said, only sounding faintly genuine.
"There's nothing worse I could do to her than that haircut." Miranda jabbed with arms crossed.
"Hey me and my hair have been actually doing shit for the war effort," Jack threw back a faint smile across her lips, "meanwhile you got your bubbly butt kicked by some guy with a fucking sword."
Rolling her eyes, Miranda turned to Shepard. "See Commander? Best of friends."
Shepard snorted, rolling her eyes. "Can you two just kiss and get it over with? Hell, I've got plenty of beds if you wanna go further then that."
Both of them gawked instantly, Jack nearly spitting the swig of whiskey she'd taken onto Miranda. "What?" Miranda asked with wide blue eyes, body turning rigid.
"I mean, this is all just sexual tension right?" Shepard continued though, amusement openly displayed across her face. "Just look at you two, two powerful biotics, differing opinions, strong personalities..." She trailed off. "Not to mention you both don't leave much to the imagination..." Her pale blue eyes went up both of their bodies.
"You are shitting me." Jack muttered with disbelief.
Miranda's face was burning and she quickly tried to hide her face behind her hands. It was bad enough that EDI actually knew that they'd been intimate together, and that AI was such a blabber mouth, but if Shepard thought this then the others might have a theory or two about the pair just as well. "Shepard!" She gasped, shaking her head furiously.
Selene stared at them for a moment before she burst into laughter. "Holy shit! You two already have haven't you?"
"Fuck off Shepard." Growled Jack, redness filling her cheeks, shoving the woman to the side slightly.
"I can't believe I didn't call it sooner." Shepard kept on however, shaking her head. "All this time, it was sexual tension. When did you two finally hook up?"
"Selene, this is hardly-" Miranda started to defend them, flustered and ruffling up.
"The Reapers could harvest the galaxy and then none of this would matter." Shepard cut her off, waving a hand. "So tell me!" Eagerness filled her face, Selene leaning onto the bar towards them with a wide grin.
"Shepard, I'll punch you so hard you'll have the worst headache ever on top of the hangover you're going to have." Jack snarled out, rippling with biotics.
Holding her hands up, though she was still laughing, Shepard backed away from them. "Alright fine, I know I'm being an ass about it." She chuckled. "But hey," her tone became more serious, "I'm happy that you two are finally over the tension. And there is still a bed open if you wanna have some private fun." With a wink, the Commander strolled out of the study room towards the rest of the party.
Jack and Miranda watched her leave with mixed feelings before they turned back towards the other. "How long do you think we have until Shep tells just about everyone?" Jack asked with a hint of panic. Her entire reputation could have been at stake here.
"She's drunk, it won't take her long at all. Hopefully everyone will think she's just making it up, or forget about it themselves." Miranda said, face still burning red. "Oh we're fucked aren't we?" She asked Jack after a moment of thought, despair across her face.
"Nah, we just have to deny any stupid questions anyone asks. After all, we're not together." Jack said with a bit more control on the situation. "And Shepard makes up some crazy shit when she's drunk, I doubt anyone will believe her."
Miranda stared at her brown eyes. "Do you really want to take that risk? We should figure out just what is going on with us first before we tell anyone anything, assuming Shepard talks that is."
Subject Zero narrowed her eyes at her. "That wasn't all some ploy to get me to talk was it?" She accused Miranda.
"No!" She sharply said. "I'm just as concerned and taken aback as you are Jack." There was a long moment of silence between them. "So what do we tell them?"
"That it's none of their damn business?" Scowled Jack.
They could hear people laughing and dancing in the dining room, Shepard's voice among them. "Jack, if we don't survive this war I don't want to be without answers." Miranda's voice softened, hoping that not approaching the topic in an aggressive manner would get the changed convict to co-operate. "We didn't talk about it on the Normandy because that was where we were. But we haven't seen each other in a long time and I haven't stopped thinking about that night and the following ones before Shepard was arrested and the Normandy grounded." She admitted suddenly.
Jack stared at her before she ducked her head and took another swig of whiskey. "Damn." She muttered, shaking her head.
"I understand if you don't feel the same way Jack, but I need to know. I refuse to be tugged along like some toy you can decide when you want to play with and when you don't." Miranda firmly said.
"Miranda, I just..." Jack trailed off, eyes working down their way from a pale soft face to one of Miranda's prominent assets. "You have fantastic tits." She simply said, the implication of it making Miranda smile.
"And you have a lovely ass." Miranda praised warmly.
"The thing is Miranda, I don't want to have to care for anyone else right now, not with the war going on. What if you go and get yourself killed huh? Cerberus, Reapers, plenty of assholes out there thinking that you should be taken out." She continued far more seriously.
Miranda frowned. "That's on just about everybody's mind too Jack, but if you're too afraid of trying when we might not have anything left after this, then you're never going to have a chance at happiness." She replied. "And since when did you not take risks?"
"Since I started to see when they had more of a chance for failure than a pay off." The tattooed woman said softly, wrapping her fingers around the neck of the whiskey bottle.
"So since you've matured." Concluded Lawson. When Jack gave a loud, gross, burping sound Miranda smirked. "Some anyways."
"It's just, with my kids already I don't really want to add to the list of people that can hurt me if something happens to them." Jack said, ducking her head and averting her eyes.
Miranda could hardly believe it. "Jack, you of all people, are scared?" She gawked.
"Don't go spreading that around will you?" Jack scowled. "I have a rep for being a badass bitch for a reason."
"I know, that's why I fell into bed with you." Smiled Miranda, reaching over and daring to take hold of the other biotic's hand. "You don't have to protect me Jack, I can handle myself. Worry about your students, not me." She assured her, staring intently into milky brown eyes that made her weak in the knees. Jack's lips were pulling lightly into a frown, obviously she was seriously thinking about it. "You pushed me away because you didn't want to get hurt, I understand that. I used to do that a lot too to those I really did care about. And now look at me." She laughed bitterly. "The only real friends I have are Jacob, Shepard, and you."
They stared at each other over the bar for quite a while before Jack smirked. "You really want me to kiss you don't you?" She asked huskily.
"Actually I really want you to do more then that." The black haired beauty bit her lower lip for a moment, leaning in closer towards Jack, eyes dropping hungrily towards a wrapped chest.
"Shepard did offer up a bed..." Jack added, a devilish smile across her face.
"Think we can sneak past everyone upstairs?" Challenged the operative.
"Fuck yeah, they're all drunk off their ass by now anyways." Triumph flashed over the ex-convict, and she firmly intertwined their fingers.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Miranda goaded, stepping around the bar.
Laughing, Jack led the way with their hands clasped towards the stairs, running as fast as they could past anyone that might be looking. They were up in a few moments, passing groups too involved with each other to notice the rushing pair. It almost felt like a dangerous mission for a moment, the thought of getting caught like that, but at the same time Miranda really didn't care. They claimed the first room they could, a bathroom to the side and a queen sized bed in the center, slapping the lock on the door before they spun on each other, lips smashing into the other forcefully.
They had a lot of lost time to make up for.
AN: Wow, this is stupidly late. Sorry guys, I'll be better about the next one I promise!