I really just hate Aria.

-Shepard,

Star gazing. Have been informed of a 'perfect' place for it. Your presence would be greatly appreciated. Meet at Purgatory. Must change first. Clothes blood splattered.'

-Mordin Solus

Why were his clothes bloody? What the hell had Mordin been doing?

Better yet, what had I just read?

I entered Purgatory and looked around. I couldn't see Mordin. I had left my apartment early. It wasn't technically a date, but that's what I was calling it. It was probably the closest thing to a date you could have with a salarian.

A batarian approached me from my right. I readied myself for some trouble when I recognized him. He was one of Aria's pets.

"Aria wants a word with you."

I leaned back a little so I could see around him.

Aria sat in her little section acting like the queen she thought she was. Sure, she took Omega back, but everyone would remember she lost it and Commander Shepard had to help her reclaim it. I wanted to tell the guy Aria could get off her ass and get me herself, but I didn't feel like causing a scene just yet.

I nodded allowing the batarian to lead me over.

Once we were close, Aria finally turned her head towards me. "Commander Shepard."

"Don't screw around with me and just tell me what you want." I sat down. "I'm busy."

"Are you?" She cocked an eyebrow. "You don't look it."

"Saving the galaxy is a full-time job." I crossed my legs. "You know, with the Reapers and impending doom and all."

"You can't be too busy if you're here, waiting for a certain salarian."

"The Normandy's undergoing maintenance." A.K.A. being repaired after my clone helped tear it up. "It's a forced shore leave."

"In that case." Aria snapped her fingers and her turian pet came over. "Get Shepard a drink." He nodded and hurried off.

"You didn't even ask what my poison was."

"As long as it's not that krogan shit. Poison's poison."

Alone, or as alone as Aria gets, she moved to sit closer to me. "Shepard." There was almost a purr in her voice. "Why waste your time on the salarian? I'm right here." She slid her hand up my thigh. "I know how to please a partner."

"Yeah, having multiple partners will do that."

I'm not stupid. I know what she was doing. Sure she basically had command over all the other mercenary groups, but I was Commander Shepard. I was a pawn worth having now, unlike when we first met on Omega.

She leaned in. "Jealous?"

"Not particularly."

"There's no need to be coy." She rang her fingers through my hair before whispering in my ear. "Just say the word and I'm all yours, Shepard."

I pulled away from Aria. "If wanted to try asari, would try you."

Actually, I'd probably go for Liara. Less chance of me being stabbed, or shot, or bioticed.

Aria stared at me. "You've been hanging around the salarian doctor too much." She sat back in her spot. "It's too bad I can't get THE Commander Shepard wrapped around my finger. Then I'd be a force to be reckoned with on more than just Omega."

"Which Cerberus took from you." I couldn't help myself. Whenever I see Aria, I always think about how big of an ass she was when we first met.

She was too much of a professional to scowl, but I could tell she really wanted to.

I think I hit a nerve.

"That salarian has no idea how influential he could be."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"He has probably the most powerful human lusting after him. If he chose to and played his cards right, Mordin could have the galaxy bowing at his feet."

"Then it's a good thing Mordin isn't like you nor am I dumb enough to blindly do what I'm told."

Aria leaned forward. "You're a sexual being, Shepard. Are you trying to tell me that if Mordin offered himself to you in exchange for doing something he wants you wouldn't jump on it?"

I tried hard not to smile at that. I'd been hanging around Joker too much.

"Very tempting, but no. First, I'd be suspicious if a salarian wanted sex. Second, I'm not a whore. Call me what you want, but I do have standards and this magical thing called self-respect."

The turrian pet showed back up handing Aria her drink and presenting one to me.

"About time you dragged your sorry as back over here." Aria snapped.

"Sorry, Aria, the bar's."

Thankfully, a message from Liara popped up on my omni-tool so I didn't have to pay attention to Aria bitch out her pet. I opened message.

-Shepard,

Bought you a present. Hope you like it.

-Liara

I furrowed my brow. What the hell was she talking about?

"Bored of me already, Shepard?" Aria asked.

"To be honest, I was bored before I sat down."

Seeing Mordin is always a pleasure, but I was relieved when I spotted him enter Purgatory. He wasn't wearing his normal attire. The pants were nothing special, but he was wearing a N7 zipper hoodie identical to the one I owned.

Ah, I bet that's what Liara meant.

I stood up. I was going to leave Aria with some valuable information. "You see, Aria, the galaxy has many rules, but one is more important than the rest." I knocked back my drink in one gulp. "Don't fuck with Commander Shepard." I tossed the empty glass at her closest pet. "Have a nice night." And I walked away.

That felt good. Wrong of me, but good.

I sent a quick reply to Liara, thanking her for the gift and assuring her I was already enjoying it before hurrying to meet Mordin.

"Hey." I raised my hand in greeting. "Interesting outfit. Is it new?" Like I didn't already know.

He frowned at me. "Not by choice."

Uh, oh.

"What do you mean?"

"Was helping in refugee hospital. Became covered in filth. Went back to apartment to clean. All clothing, gone."

"Except for what you're wearing now." I sighed.

"Precisely. Even soiled clothes gone."

Great, now they were getting Kasumi involved in this.

I sighed again. "I'm sure when you go back, all your clothes will magically be there."

Sometimes I wonder if those 3, now 4, realize they might be hurting not helping. Mordin wouldn't be any fun if he was annoyed all night. Wait! The Salarian Emotional Whirlwind! (Tali coined it not me). He'll get over it in no time.

I coughed. "Anyway, you said something about star gazing?"

"Yes, come." He gestured for me to follow. "Was informed of a section of the Citadel now accessible because of damage. Great view of stars."

"And you know this how?"

"Patient at refugee hospital. Treated for broken ankle. Easy fix. Explained ankle broke while climbing down from mentioned area."

When we walked through the market, I stopped at one of the shops and purchased a blanket. Mordin gave me a curious look. "You can't star gaze without a blanket." I explained. "Just like you shouldn't travel the galaxy without a towel."

He studied me for a moment, shrugged, and continued to lead the way.

I hoisted myself over the edge of the debris pile. "Damn. So much for lazy shore leave." I helped Mordin up, though he really didn't need it. "Good thing I wore my hiking boots."

He looked down at my shoes.

"It's a….forget it. Bad human humor."

I pushed some debris away with my foot and laid out the blanket. "This is how you star gaze on Earth." I sat down and leaned back on my arms.

Mordin followed suite.

"There a reason we're out here? Or up here, I guess."

"See stars every day. Boring. No longer appreciated. Shame really."

"I agree with you there. I haven't done this since I was a kid."

"Never star gazed before."

I snapped my head over to him so fast I think I heard a 'crack'. "Never?" I couldn't believe it. Who's never star gazed?

"Never." Mordin didn't take his eyes away from the stars. "Busy. Tasks always need doing. Enemies to kill. Patients to heal."

I tilted my head back up. "When I was a kid back on Earth, I was going down a bad path. One night, after beating up a couple of kids from a rival gang, I just flopped back on the ground exhausted. I was staring up at the sky and thought how beautiful it was out there and how the world around me was so…not. I decided that's where I wanted to be." I raised my left hand as if I could grab the stars. "Fly through the stars, see the universe." I dropped my arm to lean on it again. "This isn't exactly what I imagined."

"Sovereign, Lazarath Project, Collectors, Reapers, live prothean, or clone?"

I pretend to mull it over. "I'd have to go with." Falling in love with a salarian. "The giant ass fish tank in my cabin."

Mordin chuckled at that.

"Are you enjoying the view?"

"A peaceful past time." He paused. "Your story, true?"

I smirked at him. "Maybe."

We sat in silence until I noticed him shiver.

I sat up. "You cold?"

"Due to excessive damage, certain areas of the Citadel have yet to be reconnected to the temperature monitors. System unaware area is not properly heated."

"So?" I elongated the 'o'.

"Yes."

Was that so hard?

"That's what blankets are for." I tugged on ours.

We freed the blanket. I wrapped one end of the blanket around my shoulders and held out the other end invitingly.

Mordin sat beside me and I enveloped him in my blanket cocoon.

"Told ya we have to have one for star gazing."

This would be my favorite blanket forever.

He was sitting so close to me. I could feel him breathing. If I wanted to, and I really did, I could lean in and kiss him. His mouth wasn't that far away. This was a cliché romantic moment and if I was with someone other than Mordin, I'd think it was planned that way.

"Do it, Shepard." My mind screamed. "This could be your only chance. Forget the stars. Kiss him."

I pulled Mordin closer. At this point, if we were any closer, he'd be sitting on my lap. Not that I'd mind. Mordin shifted and he was now leaning on me. My heart rate doubled.

"Shooting stars aren't stars."

"Huh?" That caught me off guard.

"Shooting stars. Actually burning space debris."

And with that he not only ruined the moment, but the magic of shooting stars, though to be fair, I was pretty sure I already knew the shooting star thing.

"Oh, yeah?" Not one of my more intelligent answers. "You'd think they'd gather it up and reuse it."

I felt Mordin shrug. "Not my expertise."

This weird conversation was probably for the best. Kissing Mordin would have probably made it awkward. I'll stick with the could be romantic atmosphere over the awkward one.

"Hey, do other species have constellations?" I asked.

"Imagine so. Constellations tend to go hand in hand with primitive religions. Before science, natural phenomenons required explanations. Such thinking is found in most species. Also tends to be basis for art."

"And we know how much you like art. It's too bad Earth's…indisposed. I bet you'd love The Louvre."

"Ah, yes, the museum with the Mona Lisa. Shame it's all rubble."

"Yeah, everything in the galaxy's probably rubble." I sighed. "Right when you decided to retire. I think that's the galaxy's way of saying you can't."

"Extreme measures?"

I laughed. "If we survive this, I'm definitely retiring."

"Bad idea. Who would save galaxy?"

"Right, that. I'll take a long vacation then, like a few years."

Maybe spend them on an island with a certain salarian collecting sea shells.

I wonder what old man Mordin would look like? Is that what I'm sitting next to right now? Damn, if that was true, young Mordin would be…wow.

I cleared my throat trying not to think about it. "I'm about to save the galaxy a third time, take out the part where I killed all those batarians, and I should have accumulated a lot of vacation time."

"Salarians have no concept of vacation time."

"Wasn't aware they retired either."

We shared a good long laugh.

My omni-tool flashed. "Hmm?" I activated it. "It's a message from Javik."

"Hard to imagine Javik sending a message if not important."

I agreed. "Let's see what it says."