A/N: First of all thank you jediserenity82, Vorcha Girl, Jules Hawk, TaiKee, ela11, and Impslave for your reviews! They made my day. :) Vorcha Girl, as always thank you for being my Beta and listening to me whine!

Apologies for taking so long! Oh, it's NSFW.

Chapter 33. Shore Leave

Smoke and dust whirled around Shepard, burning her lungs and scratching her throat as she opened her eyes. Her ears were still ringing faintly, and for a moment she lay on the floor, disorientated. Gingerly she rose to her feet, wincing as pain jolted through her arm as she pushed herself off the ground. Slowly the lingering sound of the explosion faded and was replaced by silence.

Nick listened closely.

All of the sounds she could hear came from outside of the Council chamber, but within it was quiet.

Too quiet.

How long had she lain there? Were Kaidan and Garrus hurt? Or worse, dead?

Fear gripped her tightly and, gritting her teeth, she began looking for a way to the lower part of the chamber; clambering over glass shards and Reaper fragments strewn in her path. Every step ached, but the sound of voices ahead grabbed her attention and she increased her speed, wondering if her mind was playing a trick on her.

Maybe the impact had messed up her sense of hearing?

As she neared a chunk of reaper, Nick spied several men standing at the bottom of the steps - apparently talking to others through a gap in the rubble. Her heart leapt to her mouth as she passed the large Reaper fragment, not daring to hope for the best when the back of Garrus' head came into her view. Relief spread through her when he shifted a little and she saw Kaidan next to him talking to Anderson. Kaidan was sweeping the area with his gaze.

Nick walked slowly through the rubble towards the waiting men. Her gaze fell on Kaidan's face and she saw relief flash through in his eyes. The corner of his mouth tilted slightly upwards in that half-smirk she adored and she couldn't help but grin back. A feeling of elation spread through her and, in her relief, she was tempted to kiss him senseless as their eyes stayed locked.

"Shepard, it is good to see you in one piece," the Captain unknowingly broke their short moment. He sounded more than relieved. "Are you injured?"

"Just scrapes," she answered, touching her cheek and keeping her eyes on Kaidan a little longer before she slowly shifted her gaze to their superior officer. "Well, mostly scrapes. Nothing too serious."

The captain gave her a once over, then glanced at her ground team, his expression unreadable. "Well, I think you'd better let someone check that gash and any other injuries, then we can talk more. The doctor isn't too far."

The sound of a pouch being opened caught her attention. Nick turned and found herself face to face with Kaidan, antiseptic and medigel in his hand, clearly in full medic mode. The corner of her mouth twitched as she tilted her head back a fraction while he cleaned the wound and gently applied medigel before they followed Anderson. She closed her eyes briefly at the touch of his fingers on her skin, tender and caring. Sighing softly, Nick leaned into his touch and her gaze locked with Kaidan's, desperately wishing she could get him alone just for two minutes to steal a kiss.

Nearly three weeks later, Nick woke to the sound of wind rustling through the trees outside the Alenko family cabin where she was spending the last week of shore leave with Kaidan. She opened her eyes a crack and saw snow whirling through the air outside. They had arrived at the cabin late the previous evening and had done nothing more than turn on the heat and snuggle together in front of the fireplace before moving on to bed. With a contented sigh she snuggled closer to to warm, firm body behind her and let her mind wander.

After Anderson and his search and rescue party had found them, they had spent several hours in the infirmary before being released. They had all come out of the battle only with minor injuries; Kaidan's sprained ligament in his knee and Garrus' cracked rib being the worst.

They had been lucky.

The days following the Battle of the Citadel were filled with meetings. And meetings. And more meetings. With the brass, with the Council, with the press. Her crew were dragged in to testify more than once in front of an Alliance tribunal, and Nick had been certain she would be prosecuted for mutiny. She didn't know what surprised her more - that they came out of it with nothing more than a reprimand or that she ended up getting another Star of Terra for just being stubborn.

To top things off, they had been invited to attend a charity ball hosted both by the Council and the Alliance. Even though she hated wearing dinner dress, the memory of that evening brought a smile to her face.

She stood in front of the buffet, turning the almost empty wine glass in her hands, the buzz of conversations swirling meaninglessly around her; she had eyes for only one person.

With a carefully neutral expression she watched Kaidan and Ashley dance together, laughing. He looked extremely handsome in his dress uniform, but Nick was certain that man could wear anything and look incredibly handsome. And Ashley just had the right figure for the skirted dress uniform. Nick glanced at her reflection in the mirror and grimaced, feeling highly uncomfortable in her own dinner dress, and she flicked an imaginary speck of dust off her sleeve.

With a small sigh Nick returned to her table and tried to pay attention to the conversation between Anderson and Hackett while her mind kept drifting off to the marine on the dance floor. She had just made up her mind to go and look for Garrus and the other aliens of her crew when a delicious husky voice sounded behind her.

"Commander, may I have the next dance?"

Nick avoided looking at her senior officers as she turned around to face her lieutenant. Amber eyes glinted in the dazzling light, a small smile on his face.

"Lieutenant Alenko, I didn't know you were such an enthusiastic dancer," she remarked with a smile of her own, accepting his hand without another thought and not bothering to think that Anderson and Hackett both knew her well enough to remember she hardly ever danced. So far he had danced with Ashley, Liara and Tali. Maybe Kaidan figured it wouldn't be considered inappropriate now to ask his CO for a dance after that display?

Kaidan laughed as he lead her away from the table. "I'm not. But I figure time will pass faster this way than standing off to the side waiting for it to be over."

She faltered as they reached the dancing area. "Kaidan, I'm a horrible dancer."

He stopped and looked at Nick before pulling her gently onto the hardwood floor, placing his right hand lightly on her back. "Just follow my lead."

The warmth of his hand on her back seeped through her uniform, and the sound of his voice, low and husky, sent a shiver of delight down her spine as they held each other close. She hardly paid attention to the music or the other couples, they melded into a colorful blur as she breathed in Kaidan's familiar smell of spicy aftershave mixed with a hint of ozone. Her mouth went dry as she caught his gaze, dark and hungry, and her tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of her mouth.

They had to get out of here, before she grabbed him and kissed him senseless in front of all these people ...

Nick took a deep breath and rolled to face Kaidan, who slept soundly beside her. She propped herself up on one elbow and raked her eyes along his form appreciatively while her thoughts lingered on their dance and what followed, her body responding to the memory. It appeared having to wear a skirted uniform could have advantages after all.

He lay on his back, breathing slowly and deeply. Her eyes paused at the broad expanse of his shoulders before wandering down to his chest. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as her gaze traveled along the thin line of hair leading further down to other parts currently covered by the duvet. Nick reached out and ran her fingertips lightly through his chest hair, then placed soft kisses along his sternum and inhaled his biotic scent of ozone..

Kaidan stirred, rolling onto his side and draping one arm over her loosely. She grinned into the crook of his neck and ran the tip of her tongue up the column of his throat to his jaw, eliciting a low grumble from him as he tightened his hold around her. She peppered his jawline with kisses, working her way slowly to his lips, but his eyes remained stubbornly shut and his breaths even.

She slid one leg along his thigh and hooked it over his hips, pressing herself against him. A flicker of blue ran over his body, accompanied by another throaty rumble as she captured his lips for a kiss.

Nick wondered if he was aware that his biotics responded to her touch while he was asleep.

Or how arousing she found it.

She kissed him again, teasing his bottom lip with her tongue before slipping it into his mouth when his lips parted. He finally answered by kissing her back and sliding his hands down her body to her ass as his tongue slid lazily over hers, tasting of stale beer and mint tooth paste.

Kaidan rolled on his back, pulling her with him so that she straddled him without breaking the intimacy of the kiss. Their tongues danced around each other, and his growing erection was impossible for her to miss and she grinned against his mouth.

Wetness gathered between her legs as she ground herself against him, rubbing along his length. She moaned with pleasure at the sensation; it was enough to bring her close to her peak already. Nick straightened up as Kaidan cupped her breasts, kneading them softly before flicking his tongue over a pebbled bud and grazing his teeth against it. Her breath hitched and she positioned her entrance just over the tip of his cock, feeling the need to have him in her as he turned his attention to her other breast.

Her tongue darted out to wet her own lips as she slowly lowered herself onto him. His hands drifted downward, and, clasping her hips firmly, Kaidan looked at her with a hooded gaze as he guided her. Eyes dark with desire, lips parted, and breathing hard. Her eyelids fluttered as he moved his hips upward to meet her, stretching and filling her; and a small gasp escaped Nick when he was fully sheathed in her.

She kept her eyes on his face and began to move slowly. The warm feeling in her stomach tightened deliciously as she slid along his length, and Nick increased her pace. Kaidan wound a hand into her hair and pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss.

The room was silent except for the creak of the bed and soft sound of their gasps filling the air as Nick rode him, pinning his hands over his head, rolling and swaying her hips. She watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Kaidan screwed up his face in concentration, trying to hold out, but the shudder that ran through his body told her it was a losing battle and he came with a quiet grunt.

Nick wasn't far behind, her body tightening with pleasure as her climax neared. She wove her fingers with his, gripping tightly. Warmth spread through her, and she tensed as her breathing grew more erratic as she struggled to maintain the pace she had set. Her orgasm washed over her in waves and she cried out in ecstasy, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him again.

"Morning, Beautiful," Kaidan whispered against her lips after she broke the kiss, his voice rough with sleep. "You know, I'm getting kind of used to being woken like this in the mornings."

Nick smiled. "It's going to be like going cold turkey once we're back on the Normandy."

An amused snort was the reply. "Not exactly the comparison I'd have chosen, but … yeah."

Both lapsed into momentary silence and she closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of Kaidan's hand moving up and down her back slowly. Ever since the battle of the Citadel they'd spent as much time together as possible. Now they had a week before they had to return to duty - and to following regulations.

Nick was determined to make good use of their alone-time.

"So, what do we have planned for today? Other than christening every room?" Nick waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she slid next to him.

"First off, there aren't that many rooms. And secondly, we have all week. But," Kaidan glanced out of the window at the steady snowfall, "I think we'll have to brave the snow and head to town either today or tomorrow. I have no idea what's in the pantry, but it can't be much. Maybe some canned food. So, we could walk down into town and do some shopping or we could go for a hike."

They snuggled together and watched the snow fall in thick, white flakes.

"How far is town?" Nick asked lazily, gazing out the window.

"Not far," Kaidan paused. "Three klicks, maybe. Four at most."

She turned her head to look at him. "And you want me to walk there? We have a skycar sitting here, you know."

"You're a marine. Suck it up, Commander," Kaidan replied with a grin.

"I'm on shore leave, Lieutenant, that means I don't do more than absolutely necessary!" Nick cast a mock glare over her shoulder at him.

"Oh? I sure am glad you consider morning sex necessary."

"Consider it a morning drill. I had to check if every member of this company was ready for duty." She wiggled her ass against him suggestively.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you meant that in a purely military meaning."

Nick turned in his arms, her lips brushing his. "What do you think?"

Kaidan smirked and trailed kisses down her neck. "With all due respect, Commander, I'd rather not say."

"I could order you to, Lieutenant," she groaned as his lips brushed across her collarbone. She ran her hand through his hair, drifting lightly over his implant, momentarily forgetting the fact that they had wanted to get up.

Some time later the snowfall had ceased and they hiked through the quiet woods surrounding the cabin, snow crunching under their boots as they made their way higher into the mountains. The path took a bend and the view opened to a valley before them. Nick stopped, her gaze roaming over the valley in front and the mountains surrounding them, glistening as the sun reflected of the snow-covered peaks.

It was breathtaking.

"Reminds me of Noveria, only less harsh," Nick remarked.

Kaidan stepped next to her, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't think you can compare the two," he replied.

Nick shook her head slowly. "No, probably not. But I could imagine views like this being possible on Noveria when there isn't a snowstorm happening. And luckily the temps here are much, much more comfortable."

He chuckled warmly. "Yeah. I don't think a picnic is possible at anytime of the year on Noveria unless you're wearing Devlon Industries armor."

"That wouldn't be very romantic," she returned, smiling at Kaidan, her eyes sparkling.

"What? You don't think you'd look sexy sporting the yellow and black Survivor armor? Or the Liberator armor?" He deadpanned, looking at her with a serious expression. "You might spark a new fashion trend."

"You just be careful, otherwise you'll find yourself equipped with one of those the next time we head out to a planet with an environmental hazard warning," Nick warned teasingly.

"Of course, Commander," Kaidan answered, his voice laced with innuendo as he pulled her close. "Personally, I think the Explorer armor might suit you best."

"Shut up, Alenko," she laughed. "Or I'll punish you for insubordination."

He winked before pulling her back towards the path. "Speaking of picnics, we have a bit to go yet before we reach the spot I have in mind."

They continued along the narrow path which grew steeper and more difficult to follow the higher they climbed. At last Kaidan veered away from the path until came to a flat peak granting an even more impressive view than before.

"Have you been here often?" she asked as she turned around, sweeping her gaze over the scenery.

Kaidan spread a picnic blanket over the rock and nodded. "I generally go up here at least once when I'm at the cabin. It's really nice during the summer too, but I prefer it during winter. I always came up here when we were at the cabin with the family and I needed some space." He began unpacking the food they'd taken along. Nick sat down and he glanced over to her. "Do you have any place that you spent a lot of time at during family vacations to unwind?"

Nick took a sandwich and slowly unwrapped it. "No. Not really. We … never really did many family vacations. Half the time I spent my vacations at my grandparents because it seemed like my parents never had leave at the same time. I mean, I lived with my grandparents all through grade school." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "My parents always tried to get some shore leave together during summer vacation, but more often than not at least one of them ended up being on a cruise. We'd often go to the U.P. for a week; rent a cabin on one of the lakes and either go to Lake Superior or Lake Michigan for a day." She paused and bit into her sandwich.

Kaidan remained silent, waiting for her to chew and swallow. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear that the wind kept blowing into her face. Her eyes darted over to him and she knew he was comparing it to his childhood before he was hauled off to BAaT. His brow was furrowed and Nick smiled reassuringly as their eyes met.

"I'm not complaining, Kaidan," she told him. "I may not have seen much of my parents during my grade school years, but I think I had a pretty awesome childhood. Before I had to go to school my mom took me along whenever she went on cruises. There were never a lot of kids aboard, but those of us that were got taught the nastiest hand-to-hand combat tricks by the marines aboard, and we played hide and seek in the shuttle bay of an Alliance cruiser. Once I even hid near the drive core and no one could find me." She laughed. "Okay, I got chewed out for that one, but all in all I had a pretty exciting childhood."

The wind picked up and Nick gratefully accepted the blanket Kaidan procured from his pack. She leaned against him and shuddered lightly when he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

"Yeah," he responded softly. "I can see where that might be exciting."

Nick turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met and she knew there was nowhere else she would rather be.

A/N: I hope you're not too disappointed. Reviews are welcome!