Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for me to get this up. I quite literally wrote this out three times before I felt it was ready to be done. Also, it's the shortest chapter I've written but I think you'll forgive me once you read it. With where we're headed next, it wouldn't have fit in with the next few chapters. That being said, thank you to those who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed since the last update. You guys rock! Enjoy! - TLC
Chapter Twenty-Two
Finishing off Cerberus's main base was nothing if not anticlimactic. The facility was slightly larger than the three labs on the previous planet. They had more efficient defenses on the outside, but the Mako handled them quickly. Afterward, they entered and dispatched the Cerberus workers inside but only after they were fired upon first. Once they were neutralized, they searched the facility and found the mainframe. As Kaidan hacked into the system, the program started self-deleting. He copied as much as he could before the system was wiped clean. Shepard's disappointment was expressed with a sigh and she gave the order to leave. He was able to get a majority of the information, but it was heavily encoded and would take a long time to work through.
After Shepard had submitted her report on Cerberus's activities and the death of the Admiral, she had received the order from Alliance Brass to report to Arcturus Station for a formal debrief. The crew only had a few hours left of liberty. Shepard had given them the night to allow the ship to restock and refuel while she met with the higher ups. They were scheduled to ship out early the next morning, and Kaidan didn't want to spend the evening cooped up in his quarters on the base. However, with it having been an unscheduled trip back he hadn't had time to reach out and make plans with any of his friends before they had arrived. Truthfully, there were only a few of his acquaintances still stationed here. Most were off on their own assignments. It was always hard to keep up with friends while in active duty with the Alliance.
This left him wandering the market area of the Station checking for new upgrades or modifications that he might be interested in picking up for his omni-tool or his amp. Unfortunately, there was nothing that caught his eye. Well, nothing he could afford to drop the credits for. As he left the shop, he checked the time on his 'tool as his stomach rumbled reminding him he hadn't eaten dinner yet. He made his way towards his favorite restaurant. It was the only place to get decent ramen on the station and it had an ideal view of the ships taking off and landing.
He'd ordered his food and planted himself on a nearby bench to enjoy his meal while admiring the sights of the station. People-watching was something he always enjoyed. He finished his meal and leaned back, his empty food containers in a bag on the bench next to him. He stretched his arms out along the back of the seat. When he looked up, he recognized the snug fit of a set of Alliance dress blues on the shoulders, waist, and hips of his Commanding Officer. She was off to his left, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the railing at the edge of the walkway looking over the landing area. He gave himself a moment to admire the curves of her shapely figure. It was a view he should not have been so quick to recognize, but one he appreciated nonetheless. He wondered if she always wore the pant suit or if she had occasion to wear the optional skirt. If he were a betting man, he would feel confident that even her calves were sexy. He felt the grin tug on his face and he half-heartedly scolded himself as he stood to dispose of his trash before walking towards her.
She looked his way as he approached and he was pleased by the smile she gave him. Her eyes brightening as she watched him. "Evening, Commander," He offered her as he reached her and turned to copy her stance; arms on the railing, slightly slouched, as they watched the SSV Warsaw, an older frigate, pull into dock.
"Lieutenant," She greeted with a smirk as she turned her eyes away from him. "I'm surprised the Warsaw's still in use," She commented and Kaidan agreed. They stood in companionable silence. They were close, and though they weren't touching – weren't even close to touching – Kaidan still felt like he was breaking some kind of rule. Maybe it had to do with the way he wanted to reach over and take her hand as they stood in silence. She cleared her throat softly after a moment and turned. She rested her elbows behind her on the railing and looked to Kaidan. "Did you have a pleasant evening?"
"Better than yours, I'm sure. How was the debrief?" He asked and she rolled her eyes with a near silent sigh. She filled him in on the useless meeting she'd been in with her superiors. "It just seems like they're too eager to brush it under the rug. We were able to terminate this cell so the problem is solved. You know damn well the people we killed were working for someone," She looked to him, hoping he agreed with her and he did. He nodded and she continued, "but they 'don't think it warrants further man power' right now," Her voice had dropped an octave and took on a slightly British accent as she repeated an Admiral's words. Then she sighed and shook her head.
"Well, we did take out the people doing the experiments with the Thresher Maws, so there is that," He reminded her and she looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow.
"You have an amazing ability to find the bright side," It was almost an accusation, but he had the feeling that it was something she appreciated.
"Well, when you're followed by rainclouds your whole life you've got to look for the light somewhere," He answered with a shrug and she chuckled dropping her eyes to her feet. He kept watching her, though his frame was still facing the railing. She was chewing her lip again, and he had to tear his eyes away from her. "Look, Shepard," He paused and looked around. They weren't alone but the area was so crowded it offered a sense of solitude. She looked up at him, and his eyes found hers and he was caught off-guard by the heat in her gaze. He lost the words he had started to say, and instead looked away from her, swallowing hard. "Any word on Saren?" He asked, his voice had taken on a sudden gravel tone that surprised him.
"No, I can't help but think, I don't know," She sighed and turned back towards the ships. He glanced at her.
"We'll find him," He promised and she looked up at him, her lips pulled in a smile as she thanked "Mr. Bright-Side" and he chuckled. He felt her gaze on him, it always surprised him how tangible it was. He cleared his throat softly, "Listen, I have this feeling in my gut that something is going to happen soon. Maybe that's silly but I can't help but think that, one way or another, this mission is going to end and soon," He paused and looked towards her, meeting her eyes. He thought she looked almost hopeful. He clasped his hands in front of him and his voice dropped to a near whisper. No one but Shepard would be able to hear him, even though they were surrounded by a sea of strangers in uniform. She leaned closer to him, it was barely noticeable from the outside, but he felt the rush he had associated with being this close to her. "Eventually, this mission will end and when it does, you won't be my Commanding Officer anymore."
"No, I won't and it will be nice to get away; to have a real shore leave," She added softly, and glanced back up at him. "Do you know where you'll be taking your time off?"
"Well, truthfully, I kind of hoped any shore leave we had would be joint," He admitted quietly and she raised an eyebrow, and smirked up at him.
"That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" She teased and turned her eyes away from him, looking out over the landing area. He admired her profile as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He didn't answer her. He turned his body slightly towards her, supporting himself with one elbow on the railing. He was waiting for her to turn her eyes back to him. It was a long moment filled with the thundering of his heartbeat in his ears before she looked at him. His eyes flicked down to her mouth as she wet her lips.
"No," His answer was simple. She smirked, and nodded, as her eyes searched his. "And when we're on leave, together, I plan on buying you a meal."
Her face was unreadable as she stared at him. It felt like forever before she spoke leaning in even closer to him, oblivious to the people milling about around them, "Are you asking me on a date, Lieutenant?" The nearly husky tone in her voice sent an instant shiver down his spine, and he felt the heat rising from his collar as his heart pounded madly against his ribs.
It was his turn to move closer, and he took a small step to the side so his arm brushed against hers on the railing without moving his eyes from hers. He felt the gentle tingle of her biotics against his arm. He leaned slightly closer, ignorant of the people passing behind them. "Yes," He answered in a whisper, and he watched her cheeks flush. He liked that; that he could say something and make her react that way.
"I don't know how that would work out for you," She said simply, her eyes moving from his to his lips and then out to the vista before them. His head cocked in response, not sure what she meant, so he asked her. She turned back to him, her face serious. "Don't you know? I eat baby thresher maws for breakfast," She said, and then her face broke out in a smile and she laughed, looking away from him again.
"Breakfast? Now who's being presumptuous?" A pregnant silence fell on them, both aware of the unanswered question still hanging between them. That breach of protocol, that step out of bounds, and try as he might he couldn't bring himself to care that it was against the rules. He cleared his throat, "Well, Shepard, we could start with dinner. What would you like?" He asked again, an uncertain rasp thick in his voice. She turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed and he realized she was enjoying this. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it without answering him as she kept her eyes on him.
"Full grown Thresher Maws," She answered with a squint in her eye, unable to keep a straight face as a grin broke out on her soft features. Kaidan sighed deeply with a gentle chuckle and looked away from her as the anxiety burned in his chest. Why was she making this so difficult on him? Then, thankfully, she threw out a life line. "Kaidan," She whispered his name and he looked up at her. "No woman wants to be called by her last name when she is asked out on a date."
Realization dawned on his features; he'd never once called her by her first name. The Alliance part of him would never have allowed it, while the man in him had rolled the name around in his thoughts and dreams, where the Alliance had no control. Yet, she'd just given him permission, in not so many words. He licked his lips and spoke again, "Sloan," he watched as her eyes closed when her name had left his lips. Her chest rose and fell with a deep sigh before her brilliant blue eyes met his again, "what do you eat for dinner?" He asked quietly and Kaidan saw something new in her eyes, something he had never noticed before, and he wished he could look at it all day.
"That depends," She said, her voice soft and he raised his eyebrow, "on where you take me." He felt himself grin and she blushed as she looked away from him. His mind spun. He had just asked his Commanding Officer out on a date. He had just asked Commander Shepard – no, no he hadn't. He hadn't asked Commander Shepard out on a date. He had asked Sloan Shepard and she had said yes. Now, more than ever, he wanted to reach over and take her hand in his. He had almost given in to the impulse when he heard the quiet ping of her omni-tool. "Goddamn it," She whispered and looked to him. "Sorry," She said softly as she read over the message, her face lit by the bright orange glow. After a silent moment, she looked up to him with pure excitement in her eyes. "It's the Council, they've got a lead for us," She informed him and he answered her smile with one of his own.
"See, what did I say?" He asked her and she laughed richly.
"I've got to get to the ship to take the call, uh, we'll talk again, soon," She promised and he nodded. She took one step backwards, before turning on her heel and nearly running to the ship. He watched her go, not able to help thinking that she had an extra bounce in her step as she went. He turned his smile back to the open air in front of him and sighed deeply before checking his 'tool and deciding it was time to get some sleep. Hopefully, the next day would be busy with this new lead. Now, they just had to track down the rogue Spectre and take him out before he could call a race of sentient machines to wipe out the galaxy. No problem.