Reyes thought being away wasn't going to be a huge problem, but even with SAM's help getting his emails under control. Keema had bombarded him with issues the second he walked into the Collective HQ.

He currently sat down in his office back home. Ryder was still fast asleep. SAM had taken it upon himself to help with her hormone control as she was sleeping very deeply for it not to affect her sleeping pattern.

"Mr Vidal. I have treated Ryder's hormones and given her a boost in Endorphins. She may feel slightly lightheaded when she wakes up, but it will disappear with time." Reyes looks up at SAM's node, the blue light slowly flickered in the hologram.

"Thank SAM. Also, call me Reyes," he reminds the AI for the sixth time.

"Is there something the matter, Reyes? I detect your stress levels are very high." Reyes sighs, throwing the datapad into the growing pile he had in front of him.

"I thought being away would not be a massive issue, but Keema has struggled with me." He rubs his sore eyes, the headache is getting worse. He grabs his whiskey, downing the rest with some painkillers. Not the best combination, but it was the only thing keeping him sane.

"I believed our work together on the Tempest had put your objectives under control?" Reyes nodded to SAM's words, and so did he.

"There were some things Keema never told me," he explains. SAM doesn't speak after that. Reyes rubs his neck, he needed to get back to work but the sun had already set and he was shattered. "I'm going to try to get some sleep, can you wake me up at 7 am?"

"Of course. Goodnight Reyes," SAM answers. Reyes smiles at the AI, getting up to head to his room.

Sara was sprawled out across the bed. Reyes smiles, stripping himself down to just his boxers. He pushes Sara up, she didn't stir in the slightest as he did. He gets under the warm covers, pulling Ryder back in to lay on his chest.

He thought living with Ryder would be odd, he'd never lived with anyone before leaving home. He was lucky enough to get his own room in the Alliance, but it felt right with Ryder. He found himself drifting off to sleep much quicker than what was normal for him sleeping alone. He never felt such peace before.

Sara woke up at 6 am, she'd somehow slept for nearly fifteen hours, though she knew she needed it. "SAM?"

"Good morning, Ryder. You may feel lightheaded when you stand up. Reyes asked for me to keep you asleep, so I did some changes in your hormone balances. You should feel much better today." Ryder smiles, she looks over to Reyes, he is snoring quietly.

"Thanks, buddy," she replies as she slowly stands up. She finds her legs wobbly slightly, but the room spinning quickly fixes itself as she rushes to the toilet.

Once she relieved herself Ryder headed to the kitchen. She was absolutely starving and wanted to cook something for Reyes. "What time is Reyes getting up?"

"He asked me to wake him at 7 am. He has had some struggles with his operations." Ryder pokes her head out from the fridge, looking down at her omni-tool.

"What do you mean?" she asks SAM.

"He believed the emails we both sorted through would give him some time to collect his thoughts. However, Keema has notified him of multiple issues Kadara is facing." Ryder scrunches her face up, looking annoyed with his words.

"Do you know of any of the problems?" she asks.

"No, however. I can hack his omni-tool to find out, however, I believe that would give Reyes reasons to not trust me." Ryder smiles, at least SAM was being thoughtful of his feelings.

"Yeah, don't do that. He will be pissed, I'll just ask him when he wakes up." Ryder goes back to hunting in the fridge. She finds some meat that looked suspiciously like bacon, though it could be anything. Deciding to give it a go, she finds the frying pan and cooks it up.

It had just gone seven when Reyes came out of the bedroom, he was massaging his aching neck. The smell was what forced him up so quickly, he thought the house was burning down. He sees Ryder struggling as she fights the sizzling meat.

"Sara, what are you doing?" he asks, rushing over. He pushes her to the side, grabbing the panhandle and pulling it from the heat. The meat's natural oils hissed at him, catching his bare chest. "Shit," he hisses as he wipes his breast bone.

"I wanted to cook for you," she says in a low tone. Reyes lowers the heat, putting the pan to the side for it to cool down. He looks over at Ryder, she leans into the counter, visibly upset. "Sorry if I ruined it. I'm not good at... this," she mutters, waving her hand between them both.

"Dove, it's alright," he whispers as he pulls her into his chest. "Do you even know what meat it is you're cooking?"

"No, I thought it was Andromeda bacon or something," she chuckles. She feels Reyes' chest vibrate as he laughs.

"It's adhi," he says. Ryder pulls back, looking disgusted with herself. The adhi were four-legged reptile-like, quadrupedal. Ryder fought many of them in the past, they were very protective of their home and hunted meals.

"Gross," she shivers. Reyes chuckles, bringing the pan to the countertop to pull the meat out. It was partially burnt but would add a nice crispy taste. He picks some up, dangling it in front of Ryder before eating it. "How can you eat that?" she groans, stepping back.

"Have you ever tried it before?" he asks, waving the plate near her. Ryder grunts at it.

"Well no," she mutters.

"Then how do you know if you like it or not?" he questions. Ryder gives in, pulling some from the plate and nibbling the crispy edge. She thought it would be either really sour or dry. But it wasn't, it tasted much like beef, however, it had a spicy hit to it. "See," he points out as he watches Ryder hum to the taste.

"It's actually nice, at least I didn't completely fuck it up," she giggles. They both picked at the meat as they made coffee and got changed. Ryder wanted to be of some use today, she knew she needed more time to settle in. But the full night's sleep and SAM's hormone concoction had her ready to tackle the day.

"What are you planning on doing today?" Reyes asks as he ties his boots up. Ryder leans against the door frame, watching him carefully.

"I thought I could help you?" Reyes quickly looks up, his eyes hooded at her thought.

"That won't be a good idea, dove." He stands up, strolling over to her. "I have some things to take care of and I need a clear head."

"Am I a distraction?" she asks with a hand to her heart. Reyes places his hands on her shoulders.

"You are not at all a bad distraction, but a distraction of wanting to tear these clothes off and stay in bed all day." Ryder laughs, she puts her palms on his chest.

"Are you going to tell me what the issues are?" Reyes drops his hands, moving past her towards the living room. "Reyes?" she calls as she jogs over to him.

"I can't tell you right now. You would not approve," he states. Ryder furrows her brows at him.

"Please," she begs as she pulls his arm. Reyes only shakes his head, turning to kiss her on the forehead and heads to the door. "I don't care what you do, Reyes. Just talk to me," she quietly adds.

Reyes stares at the door, slumping his shoulders. "Don't make this harder than what it already is. I'll be back before sundown." And with that, he leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Ryder only takes half a second for her mood to dip so much that she calls for SAM. "Yes, Ryder?"

"Follow Reyes, tell me what he is doing throughout the day." SAM was silent for a moment, he obviously didn't want to do it.

"Are you sure? You may cause personal issues if he finds out." Ryder shakes her head, turning to head to the bedroom.

"Just do it, SAM," she orders as she slams the door.

Ryder knew Reyes would detest her, he'd find out eventually. The man was smart enough to know when SAM was sneaking around him. But if he was going to shut her out of his work life, she'd force her way in.

A/N: We will be getting some domestics soon, Reyes had gotten so used to living alone and having secrets. Can he be prepared to have his relationship now at home full time?