Author's Note: I want to thank those who added my story to their favorites or their follow lists. I am always pleasantly surprised, and grateful that you have taken your time out to read my writing. Here is another chapter, I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your thoughts on what you've read. Enjoy... - TLC

Chapter Nine

The ship was heading to the Artemis Tau cluster to look for Liara T'Soni, Matriarch Benezia's daughter. Ironically, Dr. T'Soni was an archaeologist who studied the Protheans. Shepard wanted to reach her to see if she could give them any information on her mother, or the Protheans, that might help them in their search for the Conduit. Kaidan was glad when he'd finished his shift and had nothing left to do. He was tense, his thoughts wouldn't stop turning. Saren. Geth. Shepard. "David." He needed to do something physical to work out the frustration and let his mind rest. He changed quickly before heading down to the cargo bay and the small workout area. There was a punching bag, a weight bench and a pull up bar; he figured he could take some of his frustration out on the bag.

He stepped off the elevator and as he reached the area he heard soft grunting and the sound of fists hitting the bag; apparently he wasn't the only one looking for some stress relief. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Shepard working the bag. She was dressed in a gray Alliance tank top and shorts with running shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, which rocked back and forth with each hit to the bag. The clothing she wore to workout was snug enough for him to see the muscles shifting as she moved. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he took this moment to take her in as his eyes trailed over her sculpted arms, toned abdomen and shapely legs. Her skin glistened from the exertion. Some of her hair had fallen loose and stuck to the side of her damp face and neck. Her lips were pressed together, and her brow creased with effort. He jumped when she let out a yell, and he felt her biotics ignite seconds before a blue sheathed fist hit the bag knocking it to the floor as it broke open spilling the sand inside. She was breathing heavy as she reached for her water.

"This is why we can't have nice things," Kaidan said stepping into the area and she jumped a little, the water trickled down her chin to her chest and was camouflaged by the sweat there as it disappeared beneath her top. He cleared his throat softly and smirked as she laughed and wiped at her mouth. She noticed his clothes, and the towel and water he'd brought with him.

"Sorry," She offered him as she picked up her own towel and gently pressed her face into it, drying it. "I'll be sure to requisition a new one." She promised and Kaidan shrugged as she walked closer to him.

"What did the bag do to you anyway?" He asked. He'd been pleasantly surprised to find her here, and wanted to continue their interaction instead of allowing her to leave him alone with his workout. Her eyes were alight from the activity, but still seemed sad.

"It doesn't hit back," She answered as she tossed the towel over her shoulder and sipped some of her water without moving her gaze from his eyes.

Kaidan spoke without thinking, "Well, I do," He offered. She grinned, immediately dropping the bottle from her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. He was suddenly nervous, did he really just challenge an N7 agent to spar?

"You sure?" She asked him as her grin took on a predatory edge.

"No," He said with a chuckle as he set his towel and water down on the bench and moved to the center of the area.

"Alright," She started, still grinning, as she followed him, "but I'm not holding back," She warned him as they circled each other.

"Me neither," He answered as he lifted his hands to a defensive position, fists up and forearms out. She mimicked his pose as they continued to move around each other without turning their backs to the other. It went on for a minute before Kaidan spoke again, "Ladies first, Commander," He offered her the opening offensive.

She chuckled, "I know. I'm waiting, Lieutenant," She teased back and he shook his head as he moved in and took the first shot, a quick jab she had no problem blocking before he threw in a cross that she simply wasn't there to receive. She used his momentum to her advantage and scored a quick kidney shot as she moved behind him. If it had been anyone else, he would have been surprised at the power behind it, but this was Shepard and he had no idea what to expect. "Maybe I am holding back a little," She offered and he chuckled as he turned towards her again. "I don't want to have to answer to Dr. Chakwas," She admitted.

"Fair enough," He answered and she came at him again. She was fast, but he was still able to block two shots before she scored on his side with a left hook. He winced and knew he would feel that later. "So, everything squared away with Williams?" He asked her as he moved in. He feinted with his left and was able to make contact with a right cross that she rolled off of, so the impact was minimal. She moved with almost a feline agility, light on her feet and vigilant. It wasn't the first time he'd thought she had some kind of sixth sense that allowed her to see where the next attack was coming from.

"Yeah, did you know her Grandfather is that General Williams, from Shanxi?" Shepard asked him as she moved in with another combo, but this time he was able to block all three hits. She offered him an appreciative nod at his acclimation to her attack style. Kaidan admitted he hadn't known that, but that explained her distrust of aliens, and her lackluster assignments despite her record and test scores. General Williams went down in history as the first, and only, human to surrender to aliens. This happened back during the First Contact War, but clearly her family name was still tarnished. "Yeah, it does. It doesn't really matter though. I don't always trust aliens, either. Not since Mindoir anyway, but we're soldiers first. This mission is not a typical Alliance mission. It affects more than humanity. She promises to be more open-minded. I just hope she can, she's talented, but if she can't work with the crew I pick up, she'll have to be reassigned."

"That would be unfortunate," He said as he tossed out another jab, followed by a cross and a hook that scored on her side. She turned towards him, grinning. He chuckled, "You shouldn't be laughing." He said with a smirk of his own. She promised she would feel it later, and they lost themselves for a few moments in the back and forth of the faux fight. He watched as her silence allowed her to dive into herself and the muscle memory of the fighting took over. Her eyes were dark and distant as she came at him. "So, why'd you really break the bag?" He asked her through a groan, after she connected with his kidney again, and his back arched from the impact.

"Today did not go the way I thought it would," She admitted after a moment as they continued their slow dance. "I was looking forward to serving with Anderson and I never actually wanted to be a goddamn Spectre," She admitted quietly. Her eyes gleamed as she moved in again and he found it harder to block her as the speed of her fists increased. With the speed came power. "Anderson was the first human face I saw on Mindoir after the attack," She was speaking quietly, and Kaidan found it hard to focus on what she was saying as he concentrated on her movements attempting to anticipate where her punches would land so he could block them. "He's the reason I joined the Alliance. Shit, he's the reason I was ready for N School when I got the recommendation. He's the reason… I'm… and I ended his career today. All because they made me a mother fuckin Spectre." She said as she pulled back and her fist connected with his ribs, and he bit back a yell. "All I wanted was to serve the Alliance, make David proud, protect the colonies in ways my colony wasn't. Try to honor my family's memory. Now, I'm the goddamn right hand for the very fuckin people who did nothing for me when my family was taken from me," She was coming at him again, fists flying and at full power.

She was intimidating when she really let loose. He could feel her biotics reacting to the energy she was expelling as she remained on the offensive. Their friendly volley was over, though not intentionally. It was like she needed the physical exertion to really let herself get out the emotional strain. Kaidan wasn't afraid of her, but she would hurt him if she let loose biotically. He watched as she disappeared into herself again. She connected with his jaw and he saw stars for a second before he let his own nodes ignite and caught her in a mild stasis. The energy field was just enough to stop her attack, as he stood straight and wiped at his mouth. He released the stasis and she dropped down and swung a leg around, kicking his feet out from under him. He fell and landed hard on his tailbone with a yelp, before letting himself lie back. After tripping him, she'd fallen onto her back and was staring at the ceiling as they nearly panted from the workout.

"Sorry, Alenko, I didn't mean to unload on you like that, but a stasis? Chicken shit," She teased as an apology as she sat and brought her knees up in front of her, looking at him. He was still on his back and he let out a chuckle. She reached out a hand to him and pulled him so he was sitting facing her. He tasted copper, and he lifted his hand to his lip and watched her wince. "Oh fuck, I must have… I didn't realize … I didn't mean to hit your face. I guess, I deserved the stasis," She reached out to touch the cut and his breath caught in his throat as he felt her biotics tingle against the sensitive skin of his lip. "A little medi-gel will clear that right up. I've got some in my bag."

She pulled her hand away and made to stand when he spoke, "Don't worry, it'll heal," She let herself sit back down on the floor in front of him and he continued, "Commander…"

"Shepard," She corrected as she rested her chin on her knees and looked up at him.

"Shepard, may I ask you something, about what you said? Feel free to tell me if it's out of line," She nodded. "Do you think you won't be able to make Anderson proud as a Spectre?"

She held his gaze for a long moment before answering. He was about to let her off the hook and apologize for the breach of protocol when she finally spoke. "No. I know he's already proud of me," She said with a chuckle that lacked the required humor, as her eyes dropped from his. "I was 16 when I met David. He became something like a big brother to me," She paused and looked down to her hands, where she picked at a torn cuticle. Her voice was soft and sad when she spoke again, "It's a crazy profession we've chosen. You want to do well, and be recognized but you have no control over who does the recognizing. My goal was never to be involved with Council politics. I wanted to advance as far as I could in the Alliance and retire before my name was a weapon feared more than my pistol. With the addition to Spectre to my title, I think it's too late for that," She admitted, and her eyes moved up to his and it seemed as if, for a second, she'd forgotten who she was talking to but she didn't seem to regret the admission.

"That makes sense," Kaidan nodded, "You don't think the reputation would make your pistol more effective?" He knew what she was talking about, he had seen it happen to other's throughout his career. They go from front line heroes to working back room politics until they retire from boredom more than anything else.

"For now," She said, effectively closing the topic. "So," She said as she stood and reached out a hand to him. He took it, allowing her to pull him to his feet. They moved to the bench to grab their water and towels. "Why are you so against offensive biotics?" She asked him and he sighed. She lifted her water to her lips and drank, her eyebrow arched as she looked up at him. "I'm serious. Alenko, you threw a fully armored Krogan across the room with enough force to knock him out cold," She said it as if he was unaware of what he had done.

"I have worked very hard to reach the level of control I have," He said as he straddled the bench. He didn't like talking about this, but she had opened up to him, so it was only fair he returned the gesture. She mirrored him on the bench, her towel around her neck. "When the biotics manifested, I was terrified. My parents were at a loss. One day, after school, these men showed up. My parents had packed a bag for me and I was sent to Brain Camp," He saw the confusion play on her face, "Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training, but to the kids it was known as Brian Camp. Listen, let me know if I get too informal, protocol wasn't a big focus at BAaT," Kaidan said and Shepard shook her head.

"This is certainly not a formal debriefing," She urged him on, "besides I asked."

He paused for a minute. She had asked, but it had only been to take the focus off herself. "It's kind of funny," He said simply, and Shepard asked what he meant, "We finally get out here, and the final frontier is already settled and the residents don't even seem impressed by the view, or the dangers." He felt a gentle twist in his core when she smiled at him. It was soft and friendly, and it warmed her features pleasantly.

"I knew it," She said quietly and he gave her a questioning look, "You're a romantic! Did you sign on for the dream, Alenko? Secure man's future in space?"

He found himself grinning easily, "Yeah, well, I did read a lot of those books as a kid. You know, where the hero goes to space to prove himself to the woman he loves, or, you know … for justice," She was smiling still, and he found he appreciated the way her smile lit her eyes. "Maybe, I was a romantic," He conceded, "in the beginning. But, after BAaT, I realized 'the dream' doesn't exist. My goal now, is simply to do something good and, you know, see what's out here," She asked about BAaT then and he hesitated. There was something about the way she looked at him, that gave him the courage to tell her about it. He let out a deep sigh, "Well, Biotic Acclimation and Temperance didn't last past the airlock, we all called it Brain Camp. It was a place for us to 'commit to an evaluation of our abilities, so an understanding of biotics could be compiled.' It wasn't the best situation for a group of kids, but it beat the brain tumors some kids got from the 'accidental' exposures." He filled her in on how his mother had been exposed, and his opinion on whether or not the exposures remained accidental. He was glad to hear she agreed with his assessment.

"At least there were other kids there, you weren't alone," She offered as she clasped her hands in front of her and lifted them over her head stretching her torso. Kaidan heard the joints in her shoulders pop as he forced his eyes away from stretch of taut abdomen exposed as her shirt rode up.

"There was that. We were all in the same position, pulled from our families and stuck together on the fringes of space. There was a group of us who would get together every night before lights out, you know play cards or network games," Kaidan admitted and Shepard made a face at him. "What?"

"You were all teenagers at the time, right?" She asked and he nodded. "You expect me to believe you played cards and network games every night? Come on, I'm sure you found more exciting ways to pass the time." Her tone as accusatory, and lightly teasing, yet Kaidan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"No, well, not me anyway. I'm not the sort of guy who does that kind of thing lightly, Shepard," He confessed and she raised a skeptical brow at him. "There was one girl I spent a lot of time with…"

"Uh huh, I knew it," She teased.

He continued, through a smile, "…but we kept our clothes on. She was from Turkey, and her family came from money. They were so embarrassed by her biotics, they couldn't wait to ship her off when she'd manifested. She was smart, though, and charming as hell. She was beautiful, but not stuck up about it. A lot like you, actually," He said and couldn't help but notice her blush, though she tried to hide it as she drank from her water.

"Sounds like she meant a lot to you," She offered, letting his flirtatious comment go without response.

"She did, once upon a time," Kaidan admitted. "Maybe she felt the same, but… you know life happens," He said, desperate to change the subject.

"Sounds like there's a story there, Alenko," She pried gently, and he could feel her eyes searching his face. For the first time since he was 17, he thought he might want to talk about it. He just, wasn't ready. It was an event that fundamentally changed him, and he didn't want to admit what had happened when he'd lost control.

"There is," He admitted, "and it's the reason I tend to work defensively," He allowed himself a teasing grin before he continued, "Unfortunately, it's classified."

His grin spread wide when she threw her head back and laughed her rich, throaty laugh, "I outrank you, Lieutenant, you know I can find out," She reminded him after a moment.

"Not this you can't," He challenged, and her arched eyebrow told him the challenge had been accepted.

"I'm just going to say this on the topic then, as your CO," She said, and his felt a pang of regret at the reminder of rank, "I am surprised you haven't advanced further. You have the commendations, test scores and experience to back up a promotion. I think your aversion to the offensive is holding you back. I've been serving with you for less than a week, and I'm already impressed, between the Krogan at Chora's Den and that stasis you had me in a moment ago. That wasn't even full strength for you, was it?" She asked him, and he confirmed her suspicion. "It was remarkable and if you would allow yourself to stand out the way I think you can, you could be fast tracked to a command of your own."

He felt like he was glowing at her praise, "Thank you, Shepard. I will consider your advice. This is certainly shaping up to be an unparalleled mission."

"Fuck yeah it is, we're going to need every edge we can get," She agreed as she stood, his eyes moved with her. "Thanks for the spar, maybe I won't replace the bag." She was grinning and he chuckled.

"Thanks for listening to me whine about my childhood," He laughed, a little disappointed she was heading back to work.

"I asked," She reminded him. "I wanted to get to know you better, that's all." Her words stunned him for a second, "I mean it, though, thanks for this," She said as she took two backwards steps towards the elevator.

His brow creased, "Do you, uh, make it a habit of getting this personal with your crew?" She'd stopped walking when he'd started speaking. When he'd finished his question, her lip was pinched between her teeth. She didn't answer immediately, just kept her eyes on him. She took a breath, and paused before letting it slip out. She didn't answer his question, just turned on her heel and went to the elevator. She kept her back to him as she waited for the doors to open. His eyes remained on her the whole time. She entered the elevator, and turned to push the button.

Her only response was a question Kaidan had no idea of the answer to, given just as the door to the elevator closed, "What do you think?"