***Author's Note***

Sorry I've been away! Exams and stuff :(

Thank you to my helper, Gamer072196! :D

Enjoy

Chapter 4 - Curiosity

Shepard left Miranda's quarters with papers and data pads full of information on their sleeping guest. An old photograph of her surprised him. She looked so happy and full of life, squeezing her face into the frame with three other people. Siblings. A tall blonde girl, a dark-haired man and a small blonde boy. The family resemblance was uncanny.

"Hard to imagine her this way..."

"Imagine who?"

Shepard collided into Garrus with a cry, dropping data pads and papers everywhere.

"Jesus Garrus! You scared the crap out of me!" Bending to pick up the papers, Garrus joined him scooping another picture up into his taloned hand.

"Sorry. Wow! She looks so different!" He cheeks were chubby and bunched with her wide smile as she stood holding hands with the tall blonde girl.

"Yeah, apparently that was taken a few weeks before she disappeared." Shepard stood rearranging the information.

"No wonder they searched for so long. They look so happy." The youngest, the boy of around five or six was balanced precariously on her hip as he held the eldest mans hand. His blonde curls blew in the wind, fighting with the other girls. Garrus pointed to the boy. "Her kid?"

"Nah, brothers and sisters. Or that's what it says anyways." He pointed to the description below it.

"Damn, that's harsh."

"Yeah." Shepard thought for a moment. "Hey, Garrus, why were you on my terminal the other day?" With all the commotion he had forgotten to ask about it. He was curious about it. He only uses it in an emergency, family...

"Ah...my sister, she...um...gave me some bad news. I'll talk to you later about it. You seem busy." He turned quickly and left for the forward battery.

"Yeah...see ya..." Wow, struck a nerve there. And with that he moved to the med bay. Intent on getting permission for cutting Marie's hair. He looked back down at a picture. Not too short though.

Thane stood observing the drive core of his new 'home' he presumed. Beside him slept Marie, now covered in a woolen blanket given by Dr. Chakwas after her rather unconventional bath.

He stood awkwardly, feet spread apart as to avoid stepping on the long dark hair that spilled onto the floor.

Hair, Thane decided, was an odd thing. Many thousand filaments protruding from the human scalp. Disturbed by wind and water, and yet it insulates them. Odd. Her hair was darker with damp. His curiosity burned within him.

"How is it hair changes when wet?" As far as he could tell, human skin remained the same when wet, but their hair...

How does it feel?

The many humans he had killed and he had never wondered about what they felt like when he wasn't snapping their necks. He could do it. Just one touch of her hair. No one is here. No one would know.

He brought his fused fingers to his chin as he pondered his predicament. The young, old? Woman was looking healthier than she had when he first boarded the ship a few days ago. Her form was filling out as the nanites did their work repairing wasted muscles. Colour was returning to her face, a light pink high on her previously grey cheeks. He stretched out his hand, slowly inching closer and closer to move a stray lock from her brow.

"Hey Thane." He dropped his hand.

"Good evening, Shepard." His obsidian eyes were back on the drive core. "I was just observing the ships drive core."

"Tantalus...I think. You'd have to ask Tali."

"Indeed-" A flash in the reflection of the window made him turn quickly to his new commander.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Shepard stood innocently, laying out implements onto Thane's desk.

"What are you doing?" A comb, scissors, nail clippers.

"Chakwas gave me the go ahead to cut sleeping beauty's hair and nails." He smiled at him.

Sleeping beauty? He looked at Marie. "Beauty?"

"An old Earth saying." Shepard proceeded to lay out pictures of Marie in her old life. One in particular caught his eye.

She was at a desk, her hair loose and past her shoulders, a shorter segment framed her eyes as she held up a picture for a young boy in her lap. Who is he? The picture was obviously taken without her knowing, her face relaxed, a soft smile of pride on her face as the child read to her. Irikah...Kolyat...is that what they looked like? He frowned. You wouldn't know.

"Hey! I was thinking about using that one!" Shepard took the picture away from Thane. "It shows perfectly how she wore he hair before."

"I see." He clasped his hands and sent a prayer to Arashu. Hoping the boy had a full life without her in it. Like Kolyat. He nodded and moved to take a seat. Watching as Shepard started his work. "I have a question, if I may." He saw Shepard tilt the corners of his mouth up into a smirk.

"You may." A laugh, deep and rumbling. "God that is so archaic."

Thane furrowed his brow. "I apologise. I will be more straight forward." Another laugh.

"No need Thane! I'm just unused to it."

"I see."

"Sorry, what's your question buddy?"

Buddy? "Yes. How long do you expect her to be asleep?"

"Ah. Chakwas says any day now. The nanites are still fixing her up. In the meantime, we'll stay on Illium whilst I help a friend with a small problem she has." He cut a mighty length of hair from her, if she sat up Thane would think it would reach the small of her back. Hair Thane itched to touch.

"Smallish?" He leant forward on his hands to watch Shepard at work. The commander stood with comb and scissors suspended in his mouth as he tied back his own long hair.

"Yeah, she's had a small tiff with the Shadow Broker." Thane's eyes widened. "No biggie."

"Do you require my assistance for this?" Shepard shrugged.

"Nah. I was thinking, since you and Marie are sharing this room, and if it's okay with you...if you would watch her when she woke. A friendly face, someone she can get familiar with." And with that he got back to work leaving Thane to think about his new job assignment.

When he next looked up he had to admit that the human knew how to get hair to do what he wanted, matching the picture perfectly.

"Not too bad I think. What do you think, Scales?" Thane cringed at the impromptu nickname.

"It looks like the picture." Shepard smiled a thank you at him. He then got to work on the girls nails, mercilessly clipping away at them. Thane looked down at his own nails, the small amount of vanity he allowed himself.

The clipping stopped and he looked up as Shepard began piling the chopped hair and nails into a garbage chute bag. "All done!" He turned slightly before turning back to Thane. "Thanks for watching out for her for me. I'd do it but there's never enough hours in the day." He looked down at his feet, seemingly deep in thought as Thane waited him to finish. "So... err... yeah, thanks Thane." He turned away again and Thane allowed himself to relax slightly before he was interrupted again. "Oh, and if you want to touch her hair, just do it. It's not like she'll know." then he left. Leaving thane to sit with his mouth slightly open in shock.

How did he-?

His thoughts were put on hold by a mumble from the cot opposite him.

Again I'm sorry for the wait, and I hope I made up for it today :)

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

-Sophus xx