***Author's Note***

Sorry this took so long, I really am trying to post as quick as possible.

Also, I found this chapter really difficult to write so I'm sorry if you find any mistakes and the such. I did try and pick up on them during editing.

Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 42 – Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Thane was getting tired of this room in Huerta Memorial Hospital. The same tired walls, the same people, the same sounds, it frustrated him to no end that most of the past month or so had been spent in this room. First: himself after his operation and recuperation; then Marie after her abduction, and now a week later, Marie again with a hole through the joint of her shoulder. The injury was not life threatening but she had lost a lot of blood and was part way through a transfusion to up her supply again. She was awake and in high spirits at least.

She had visitors most of the time: Shepard and Garrus came every day, Tali had visited with Samara and EDI, Jack had come in and grinned at Marie's hair-cut, Jacob had sent his regards via a message, and Shepard had assured her that Liara was thinking of her. Thane doubted this; the asari seemed more wrapped up in running her business and following Shepard around.
Kaiden, to his chagrin, was the more frequent of the visitors. He had been reinstated on the Normandy and Thane had the distinct impression that he was lording it over him. The Spectre would chat with Marie for a while, smiling and laughing, touch her hand and leave. All the while ignoring the death stares from the drell in the corner of the room.

"Thane, don't be so weird," Marie had said to him as the human left the room for the second time that day, "He's only being nice."

" I am not being weird," He paused for a moment, looking into her hazel eyes that were now skimming a book that Shepard had brought her, "You don't think it weird that he comes here so often? More so than Tali and Jack?" He hummed to himself, "It is weird and I'd like to keep an eye on it,"

She simply shrugged and placed the book gently on the side table before pulling him toward the bed, bringing him down to rest on it with her, "I'll be let out soon enough and we can go home." She smiled into the crook of his neck as he let out a longing sigh.

"Actually," He started, "Shepard has been given a very nice apartment on the strip, and I believe he is hosting a party next week sometime, just for his ground crew."

He felt her deflate, "So we won't be going," She huffed, "Probably for the best, one of us will probably end up back here."

"We are going," The drell grinned as she peered up at him through her thick lashes, "I've asked Shepard if we can re-join him on the Normandy when it next leaves. We'll be back in Life Support together." And then I can finally ask her.

"Oh, Thane! That's amazing!" She bounced up onto her knees on the bed, grinning down at him before she grabbed his face and kissed him. Her joyous breathing ghosted over his face when she pulled away, leaving him wanting more, "I can't wait to see what the Alliance has changed on the ship, and to speak to that Javik guy, oh oh and to see space again!" She smiled so wide, Thane thought her face may crack. Her words tumbled out of her mouth at a hundred miles an hour, excitement rolling off her in waves, "Who else is coming to the party?"

He began ticking them of in his mind, "Garrus, Tali, Jack, Samara, Liara, Grunt, Wrex, Kaiden, us, Joker, EDI, a woman named Samantha, Kasumi, Jacob, a man named Steve, Javik, and a soldier called James."

"What about Zaeed?"

"I believe Shepard has lost track of him for the time being, I'm sure if he can make it, he'll come."

She nodded and settled down on her pillow, her excited smile still firmly in place as she thought about the Normandy and the approaching party.

A week had passed since Shepard had received the apartment but he still preferred to spend his time on the Normandy. He was lounging around in the shuttle bay, casually watching Vega do some pull-ups.
Sure, he loved Garrus, but he can appreciate a good looking man when he sees one. Vega was covered in tattoos; tribal patterns trailblazing over his arms and down his back, portraits of one person or another, a skull with roman numerals below it, a naked woman, exquisite vines, and a recent one of a star with two chevrons dissecting it, they were all amazingly done and Shepard idly wondered how much money James had spent on them.

"Hey! Loco, you gonna quit staring or what?" He gritted through his teeth as he reached the apex of a pull-up.

"I'm just enjoying the show," Shepard shifted to get a better view, "Just. Enjoying. The. Show." Vega laughed and paid him no mind as the Commander relaxed for once.

It was during his relaxing that Shepard realised just how much space the Alliance had left in the center of the shuttle bay, almost as much as there was when Cerberus controlled it. It was the same space his crew had used to spar except there were now crates piled in sturdy pyramids on either side, perfect for an actual audience and not just a ring of jeering. And just then, he had an excellent idea. How better to test out his squad than to have them spar against each other? He could weed out their strengths and weaknesses, know who to take on what missions, allow people to get grievances settled, relieve tension. It was perfect, and he knew Tali and Liara were currently avoiding each other, Javik was angry at everyone, and he's sure some of the crew needs to relax a little.

Just then during his musings, Shepard felt a shuffle beside him and tilted his head to greet the new comer.

"Marie!" He gripped her in a hug and laughed in her ear, "When did you come on-board?"

She pulled away with a grin, "Uh, half an hour ago I think? Just finished unpacking in Life Support, Thane is still there reacquainting himself with the space."

"Why did no one tell me you were here? I would've helped!"

"What? And ruin the chance for that big hug?" She grinned and looked around, noting the large man who was currently doing a few press-ups in the large space, "I'm just having a look around and meeting new people."

"Oh, well, that's James Vega. My sort of apprentice, sort of jailer, sort of ships trouble maker."

"I can hear you," The larger man puffed as he sat back and looked up at them, "Who's the girl?"

"This is Marie, she used to be our head engineer with Tali, one of the best tech wizards I've ever met." Marie blushed at the praise and smiled down at Vega.

"Ah," The man stood and stepped toward her. He towered over her with bulging muscles and intimidating grace, "James Vega, pleasure to meet you Lola."

She shook his hand, "Lola?"

"He gives everyone a nickname, I'm Loco."

"Yeah, because he's a crazy son-of-a-bitch," He eyed the small woman, "So, Lola, what can you do?"

"Well, I can upgrade your omni-tool quite easily and give you better range or more shots or whatever you need, augment your armour so you don't die, fix the ships engine and keep her stable, and make a mean cup of mint tea."

"Sweet, I like her." He said to Shepard who gently nodded.

"Yeah, she has a way of getting right into your heart and refusing to leave."

"Anyway, I'm gonna go and introduce myself to Javik." She began to turn.

"Sure, if you want a lecture on how plebeian we all are and how we'll never win and stuff," James shrugged when Shepard tutted, "What? It's true!"

"Yes, but he's also a very stressed and confused fifty thousand year old alien, give him some slack."

"Whatever you say, Loco."

Marie frowned, "Fifty thousand years?"

"Yeah, he was stuck in a stasis pod on Eden Prime since the last time the Reapers attacked and wiped out his entire race."

"Oh, that's so sad. I'll go introduce myself and see if he wants anything upgrading." She padded over to the elevator and pressed the button for Engineering and disappeared behind the metal doors, throwing a quick wave at them.

"So, she's very…interesting." James watched the elevator go up before turning to Shepard, his eyebrows wagging.

"Yes, and she's very off limits."

"Why? You got a soft spot for her?"

"No, and you shouldn't either, unless you want your neck to be broken in nine different places," James shrugged it off and went back to his exercises.

Marie found Javik's room easily enough, it being the one Grunt used to stay in. She paused at the door wondering if she should knock or just go in. How should she speak to him? Soothing? Carefree? With empathy? She had no idea how Javik would react to her, she had never met him and everything she had heard about it had been apprehensive and downright unlikable.
Maybe people had simply rubbed him the wrong way? Maybe they hadn't thought about him being a fifty thousand year old from a civilisation that we have no comprehension over.
With that thought, she nodded and lightly tapped on the door.

"Enter," a rumbled and crackling voice replied. She took a breath and let her feet lead her into the room.

It was dim and filled with a fine mist, almost vapour that clung to the darkened windows that overlooked the engine room. Fine gossamer hangings billowed lightly in the disturbed air and churned the slight fog around the room. Her feet were silent and she looked down to see the floor had been lined with a thin, white padding that collected small puddles of moisture. They reflected the orange glow from a screen so she looked up and saw him.

Javik was harrowing. His four yellow eyes judged her every move, his thin, crooked mouth pulled down into a permanent frown. Sickly looking green-blue skin glistened as he practically bathed in the moist air. And she shivered. Her mind bouncing back to her time in the pod on the Collector ship, what those…things, had almost done to her and the crew. What they had done to countless other men women and children. She hadn't known what to expect, hadn't thought to ask, but how she wished she had.

Don't judge a book by its cover, she chided herself.

She took a breath, "Hello," it came out a whisper and Javik grinned. His lips pulled up over sharpened teeth and her resolve folded in on itself.

She backed away and he watched her until the door shut before her. A shiver ran through her again as the glowing eyes of the Collectors flooded her mind. Marie ran to the lift and rapidly bashed the button to the crew deck, falling out of it and crashing through the door to Life Support.

She shivered even as Thane's arms wrapped around her and pulled her down onto the cot. She didn't hear him murmur comforting words into her ears. She didn't realise that she had fallen asleep until she woke up in the middle of the night cycle, feeling utterly foolish.

Again, I'm sorry this took a while and it's not very long and that it's just a filler :p

Let me know what y'all think :)