"And that was it." Kacey said, "We both left, and Liara took up residence on the ship. From there, we headed towards Haestrom to recruit Tali."

"You make it sound so simple." Garrus said sarcastically.

"I can't believe you punched him." Kaidan said, "Next you're gonna tell me you punched a Reaper."

"Well, there's still time for that." Kacey replied.

"You know, after going back through all that again." Garrus mused, "There's still something I don't understand."

"Which is?"

"What the yahg said about your records being tightly sealed." Garrus said.

"Yeah, I agree." Kaidan said, "Is that true?"

Kacey simply shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I haven't seen my own record, much less know anything about it."

"You sure?"

"Confident, Kaidan." Kacey replied, "I'm not an administrator; I don't know if it's true or why they'd be there in the first place."

"Okay. If you are sure." Kaidan replied.

…

"You didn't have to come with me, you know." Kacey said, "You can have some shore leave."

"I could say the same to you." Kaidan replied, getting out of the skycar, "But I'm curious. That's all."

"Curious and worried you mean." Kacey said teasingly, "I think EDI said James was going to be there as well, so if anything does happen, we should be good to handle it."

"Let's hope nothing bad happens."

Kaidan had insisted on coming along to the lab with Kacey; she was right that he was worried about her. And with that injury, he wasn't sure if it would be safe to pursue Leviathan until it healed. Even with EDI and James there, Kaidan wanted to be there, even if it was for his own reassurance and nothing else.

As they entered the lab, his mind drifted back to the story before; he didn't believe that Kacey didn't know what was in her own records. And the very fact that the Alliance had them so well hidden and so highly classified that not even the Shadow Broker had access to them, meant there was something in those records they didn't want people to know about. His mind was racing trying to come up with a possible reason for this but found none; and it was clear that Kacey was told to keep it quiet as well.

The lab was quiet as they entered; EDI and James were already inside with James fiddling with some husk head on a machine while EDI stared at the galaxy map. Before either of them could ask EDI and James where Ann was, they heard sniffling and crying from further in. Kacey carefully walked over with Kaidan close behind.

"Hello?" Kacey said, "Ann, are you here?"

"I think that's her crying." Kaidan mused, "You should probably go talk to her."

"Me? Why me?" Kacey said, "I'm not good with these things."

"You could've fooled me." Kaidan replied.

"Okay, okay." Kacey said, walking up the stairs.

As Kacey headed upstairs, Kaidan took a look around the lab; several bits of odd-looking technology, datapads and notes covered every inch of the lab. He looked over towards one of the odd bits of tech; it looked like a large claw, and it was immediately familiar to Kaidan. It was Sovereign; or a small part of it anyway. It was weird to see the Reaper like this; he remembered fighting Sovereign when the Reaper possessed Saren. And how horrific that was. Kaidan walked past and looked around the next room, where he saw yet another one of those artifacts.

It was sat behind a protective shield; presumably to keep it from activating. The last thing they needed was Leviathan taking control of somebody else. Kaidan moved towards the table that James was at, looking at the husk head on the device as James fiddled around with it.

"I don't think playing with it is a good idea." Kaidan said.

"Why not?" James replied, poking the head again, "Its not like we can do it to actual husks."

"I don't know why you would want to."

"That's what I thought when I saw you walk in." James said, turning the husk head around, "I don't understand why you'd want to be here instead of on shore leave."

"Technically we're not on shore leave." Kaidan corrected, "And besides, I was curious."

"Curious, huh?" James said in disbelief, "Curious about Leviathan or the Commander?"

Kaidan looked at the marine, confused, "What do you mean 'the Commander'?"

James turned to face Kaidan, "I saw your reaction outside the med-bay when she was hurt. That isn't the reaction that I expected from the guy who didn't trust her."

"I do trust her."

"Yeah? Something still doesn't add up." James said, "One minute, you're both arguing and pointing a gun at each other, the next you're both inseparable. Either you two are chained to the hip or you're back together."

Kaidan crossed his arms, "What do you think, James?"

James narrowed his eyes at the biotic; probably looking for some sign on Kaidan's face that would give away the answer. Unfortunately for James, Kaidan had a pretty good poker face. Even if James had guessed right, Kaidan wasn't going to say anything; it was bad enough dealing with Garrus' teasing, he didn't want James to be added into the mix.

"Hmmm. I think…you two are back together." James said, "Either that, or you wish you were."

"Is that right?"

"I think so." James replied, "And if you won't tell me, I'll ask Lola."

"Good luck with that." Kaidan said as he heard voices from the other room.

"You studied the rachni?" He heard Kacey say.

"I wrote my dissertation on them." Ann's voice came through, "My father thought it was a waste of time, but now…it might actually help us understand Leviathan."

"How so?" EDI said.

"We think of the rachni as telepathic, but there's really no such thing." Ann explained as she headed towards Kaidan and James, "At short range the queen uses pheromones to give orders. At long range, she uses an organic kind of quantum entanglement communicator. Whatever Leviathan does must be similar, entangling particles to simulate neural activity. It uses the artifact to establish connection, and then it controls the mind of anyone near it."

"We didn't detect any energy emissions from the artifact." Kacey said.

"But the Reapers were able to use the artifact to trace Leviathan somehow." EDI added.

"My theory is that most of the time, the artifact simply acts as a receiver." Ann explained, "We'll only be able to trace Leviathan through it when it actively takes control of someone."

"As it did on the asteroid." EDI said.

"Right. Unless it needs something, Leviathan doesn't bother communicating. I guess it and my father have something in common."

"You said Leviathan's control was similar to a quantum entanglement communicator, which is untraceable."

"Yes, but this isn't a natural QEC." Ann elaborated, "Leviathan has to send a pulse through the artifact to alter your mind and create the quasi-QEC effect."

"And that can be traced." EDI said.

"Right, just like at the dig site." Ann replied, "The Reapers were tracing the signal by activating the artifact. My father wanted to be at that dig site. He was getting too old for long digs, but he hated being stuck in the lab. He nearly missed my graduation because he was on a dig. Showed up still wearing his field gear. God he'd have hated dying here."

"Yow! Son of a…"

"James, you okay?" Kacey asked.

"I told you not to play with that thing." Kaidan said.

"Yeah, yeah I know." James replied, "Hey EDI. Husk bites…they don't turn you into a husk or anything, right?"

"I recommend you apply Medi-gel." EDI replied after a long pause.

Kaidan shook his head as James applied the Medi-gel as EDI advised. Kacey, however, turned her attention back to Ann, who looked down at the galaxy map, visibly upset.

"Ann, I know this is hard." Kacey said softly, "But if there's anything more you can tell us…"

"I don't think there's anything more I can tell you." Ann replied, "But maybe I can show you."

"What are you saying?" Kacey asked.

"The artifact only sends out a signal when Leviathan's controlling someone." Ann explained, "So let it control me. You could trace the signal."

"You mean let it take you over?" Kacey said shocked, "That's too dangerous."

"Its my call, not yours." Ann responded, defiant, "You said I'm your last chance to find this thing."

"We have no idea what will happen."

"If we wait, the Reapers will get to Leviathan first. I'm the only one here who's spent enough time with it to do this. You're looking for something to fight the Reapers, Commander. I'm looking for the monster that murdered my father."

"We still don't know what we're looking for."

"Then let's find out."

"I'll trace the signal." EDI said, moving towards the galaxy map.

"Commander," James said as both he and Kaidan approached Kacey, "This thing we're doing with Ann…sounds dangerous as hell."

"I agree." Kaidan added.

"Noted." Kacey dismissed, "But we don't really have another choice. EDI?"

"Energy signature locked in." EDI said, "Waiting for activation."

"You sure about this?" Kacey asked Ann, "You don't have to do this."

"Yes. I'm sure." Ann said, sitting on a stool, with James standing behind her.

"I'm gonna be right here." James reassured Ann.

"Okay." Ann took a deep breath, "I'm ready."

"Kaidan, drop the containment shield." Kacey ordered.

Kaidan walked over and pressed the button that dropped the shield, giving Kacey a look that screamed 'This is crazy'. She looked at him with a concerned look; one with a sense of desperation on it.

"Artifact online." EDI chimed.

"Anything?" Kacey said to Ann.

"Nothing yet." Ann replied, "Wait. There's something…I feel a chill…"

Kaidan could see the artifact glowed vibrantly as Ann became increasingly off balanced. James had his hands on Ann's shoulders to keep her steady.

"EDI?" Kacey said.

"No trace yet." EDI replied.

Kaidan then noticed Ann shaking violently as James struggled to keep her steady. Kaidan immediately went to help James as he struggled to keep a hold of Ann.

"Commander." Kaidan said.

"Holy hell!" James mused.

"What the hell?" Kacey said, carefully observing the scene in front of her.

Kaidan could now understand why James was struggling; the way Ann was moving was so sporadic and violent it was like riding on top of a bull, struggling to hold on. Even with both of them trying to keep Ann steady, she still shook around like crazy.

"Signal is tracking." EDI said, "Maintain connection."

"For how long?" Kaidan asked but he never got a response.

"Turn Back." Leviathan said with Ann's voice, "The Darkness Cannot Be Breached."

"Dios!" James said as both he and Kaidan attempted to pull Ann back.

"Maintain connection!" EDI chimed.

"Listen to me!" Kacey said firmly, "I found you. And the Reapers are right behind me!"

"You Have Brought Them." The monotone voice of Leviathan said, "You Are A Threat."

"So are you." Kacey replied, undeterred, "I've seen what you can do. The war needs you."

"There Is No War. There Is Only The Harvest."

Ann attempted to attack Kacey; but Kaidan and James managed to pull her back down. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep Ann restrained.

"EDI, do we have enough?" Kacey asked.

"Partial lock." EDI answered, "Maintain connection to narrow the search."

"Commander, We gotta put that shield back up." James said, struggling against Ann's violent movements.

Kacey looked hesitant; Kaidan understood why. If they got a more precise location, they could finish this and give Ann the closure she needed. But it was clear that Leviathan was going to try and kill her through Ann if they ended up losing a grip on Ann.

"Shepard, we have to put the shield back up. Now." Kaidan said.

"The Cycle Cannot Be Broken."

Ann nearly sent James and Kaidan tumbling forward, but thankfully the pair managed to remain steady on their feet. Kacey looked lost in thought as she observed Ann's violent movements.

"Shepard!" Kaidan shouted, snapping Kacey back to reality.

"Do it." Kacey finally said.

Kaidan hit the shield just as Ann tumbled forward from the removal of Kaidan's restraint. As she sat up, James assessed the woman, who had a severe nosebleed and was extremely pale. Kacey looked at Ann, with a worried, guilt-ridden face that Kaidan had only seen once before.

"Jeez, look at her." James said.

Kacey kneeled down in front of Ann, "Ann? Ann, are you alright?"

"I…I'm not sure." Ann breathed slowly, "It hurts."

"It's going to be okay. You did great." Kacey replied, "EDI, did we get anything?"

"Yes, Shepard. But it will take time to search." EDI replied, "Coordinates sent to the Normandy."

"This better be worth it." James said.

"Agreed, Lieutenant." Kacey sighed, "Anything else, Ann?"

Ann walked towards Kacey, exhausted, "It was dark. Cold. I can tell you this much: Leviathan is angry."

"It knows we're getting close." Kacey replied.

"I think it wants to kill you."

"Who doesn't at this point?" Kacey sighed, "Come on, let's get you some help."

…

After leaving the lab and ensuring Ann was in safe hands, Kacey sent out a message informing the crew that the Normandy would be leaving tomorrow to search for Leviathan. Kaidan had insisted on a break; he had to speak to Kacey properly and, as he explained to the scarlet-haired commander, she needed time away from the ship. A bit of a break before they ran back into whatever hell was waiting for them out in space. It was at this point that Kacey had let slip about an apartment she was given by Anderson located on a part of the Citadel called the Silversun Strip. And that was where the pair were heading for the night.

Kaidan had heard about the Silversun Strip; it was a bright, colourful, and luxurious part of the Citadel. It was filled with all sorts of leisure activities from arcades to restaurants to casinos and bars. But it was also a place that he would never have associated with Kacey. The very fact that he thought that, was symbolic of the fact that he didn't know as much about Kacey than he would've liked; something that he was beginning to learn over the course of the war. And while his opinion of her had not changed the more he got to know her, he had to admit that she was much more mysterious than she first appeared.

Kacey was often portrayed as a stoic, kind and virtuous hero, a chivalrous paragon of what a soldier should be, Alliance or otherwise. Ever since the Skyillan Blitz, she was viewed as a perfect, kind, compassionate, charming hero. One that, to many, would be rather intimidating to talk to if you ever got the chance. Kaidan had to admit that the first time he met her, he was just like everybody else; viewing her as the undefeatable soldier who took on hundreds of batarians to save Elysium, the hero of the Alliance. When he had first heard from Anderson that it was the Shepard that was going to be their new Commander, he had to admit that he was initially intimidated. His previous Commander prior to Kacey was an extremely strict individual, and one that seemed to have it out for Kaidan from the start. They had made their opinion on biotics clear, and often wanted Kaidan to refrain from using them in case he 'hurt somebody'. But upon meeting Kacey, he found that she was not entirely like the stories; she was as kind, compassionate, virtuous, and charming as the stories, but there was so much more to her. She wasn't intimidating, not after the first couple of days had passed. She was extremely approachable once he got used to her presence and also extremely silly, humorous, and modest, something that had thrown him off at first, but he now found to be one of her more endearing traits.

It took a while for them to adapt to the change; Kacey at first seemed to be much more reckless and rarely listened to her crew on the battlefield. Kaidan especially came to blows with Kacey regarding her reckless attitude and her blatant refusal to listen; something that had not gone unnoticed by Anderson. It had gotten that bad that, the pair ended up taking their sparring match to a more violent degree. Verbal insults turned into fisticuffs so much so that it took Anderson to split them up. And the weirdest thing was that Kaidan had forgotten what they had said to each other back then.

He remembered sitting in front of Hackett's desk, Kacey next to him, being told of a 'team training exercise' the pair were going to go through to work their problems out. Despite their joint refusal, Hackett had made it clear it wasn't an order they could disobey. And so, they were dropped off on a hostile planet to find a deactivated distress beacon with just enough supplies to last two weeks, in which they'd have to work together to make it out the other end. It was through this experience, and the unpredictable and unexpected situation they found on the planet that Kaidan had ended up holding high respect for Kacey. And had seemed to earn Kacey's in return. Upon their return, the pair had got on much better, maintaining a strictly professional relationship, before developing a strong friendship while on shore leave. Back then, never in his wildest dreams he imagined still serving beside Kacey or falling in love with her and her reciprocating his feelings. His past self probably would've thought he was crazy; Kaidan was always so insistent of following Alliance rules and regs down to the letter. But when it came to Kacey, he became much more impulsive and less stringent.

Nearly ten years had passed since then, and it was hard for him to imagine. Nearly ten years of knowing Commander Kacey Shepard. And he knew he wouldn't trade those ten years for anything.

"Well, here we are." Kacey said as the skycar lowered onto the platform.

The bright lights of the signs that adorned this particular part of the Silversun Strip was starting to hurt his eyes. Kacey seemed to pick up on this quickly and led him inside the apartment block where her apartment was located.

"Tiberius Towers." Kaidan said, "Sounds fancy."

"Wait till you see the apartment." Kacey replied as they got into the elevator, "I couldn't believe Anderson gave it to me."

"Did he tell you why?" Kaidan asked.

Kacey shrugged, "He said that he didn't want it anymore. He was going to retire here after the war but…being on Earth reminded him of how much he missed it. So, he plans to retire on Earth and said I'd be doing him a favour by taking the apartment. That and he said I needed my own place, not a room on a ship but an actual home."

"You never had one?"

"Closest one I got was when I was a teen, still at school on Arcturus Station." Kacey replied, "Never really had a permanent place."

"So, a big wide apartment is a bit out of your comfort zone?" Kaidan teased.

"A bit." Kacey replied, "Plus, once you see it, you'll understand why."

They promptly left the elevator and Kacey unlocked and opened the door. Kaidan stepped inside and couldn't believe what he saw.

The apartment was huge; a large seating area consisting of two sofas and an isolated wall with a fireplace sat in front of them, with a piano next to the huge windows nearby. Above the fireplace, Kaidan could see a shelf with several miscellaneous books on it. As he walked further in, he could see another seating area behind the wall with another sofa in front of a large screen. Next to it was an opulent bar. The large and fancy kitchen was on his right, with a cooking island, while in the back of the room was a large table with a Normandy SR-2 model on it.

"Anderson gave you this?" Kaidan said.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either." Kacey said, "He was pretty insistent that I took this place. I didn't feel right taking it, still don't I guess."

"If he insisted, then he must've really wanted you to take it." Kaidan replied reassuringly.

"You say that now but wait until you see the hot tub in my bedroom."

"You…have a hot tub?"

"This apartment has a hot tub. And I apparently own it now." Kacey replied.

"No way."

"Follow me if you don't believe me." Kacey replied, "I'll show you."

Kaidan followed Kacey upstairs as she continued, "This place has three bedrooms; one downstairs with workout equipment, one along there and the master bedroom, which is where the hot tub is."

Kacey led Kaidan inside her room and pointed at the bathroom, where the hot tub was bubbling away.

"See? I told you." Kacey said.

"I…have several questions." Kaidan said.

"Can they wait until after we get in the hot tub?" Kacey said with a smirk.

"Is it even big enough for two people?"

"It only fits two people." Kacey said, "And its deep enough so if you want to get in, now's the time."

"I can't believe I'm just finding out about this." Kaidan said, taking his boots off.

"You're the only other person that knows I have this hot tub and this apartment." Kacey said, undoing her shirt, "And I intend to keep it that way."

"Just our little secret?"

"Absolutely." Kacey replied.

Kaidan was quick to remove every article of clothing aside from his boxer briefs, with Kacey left in nothing but her bra and panties by the time they raced each other into the hot tub, leaving their clothes scatter behind on the floor, forgotten. The hot water was soothing, a far cry from the facilities on the Normandy. He was probably the most relaxed he had felt in a while; even Kacey looked more relaxed.

After a couple minutes of silence, Kacey splashed a bit of water on Kaidan, a cheeky smile across her face. Catching on, he splashed a bit of water back at her, continuing their little game until Kacey moved in a little closer and Kaidan moving next her. She leaned in, Kaidan copied her as they kissed passionately, with Kacey wrapping her arms around his neck while Kaidan had his own wrapped around her waist. Kacey moved till she was directly in front of Kaidan, whose right hand ran through her scarlet hair and traced his fingers down her back towards her waist. After several minutes, they pulled away, resting their foreheads together, smiling.

"I love you, Kaidan. So much." Kacey said with a warm, honeyed smile.

"I love you too, Kacey." Kaidan replied, caressing her left cheek, "I can't imagine my life without you.

"Me either. And I don't want to let you go again."

"I don't want to let you go either."

Kacey blushed red, before leaning in to kiss him again. Kaidan returned the kiss, feeling so happy, so ecstatic that he didn't want the moment to end. Everything between them was as it should be.

And he wasn't going to let go of it again.