He sat outside on the chair, waiting patiently. He felt like a child waiting outside the principal's office. He didn't know how long he was supposed to wait here; his hangover from the night before was killing him. The lights, the sounds…it hurt like hell. He could barely recall last night's events, or the circumstances that led to the incident Hackett and Anderson were referring to.
The door opened and out strolled Kacey, her hand running through her short, scarlet hair. She had a small smile on her face as she took the seat next to him. He shot her a look, one that beckoned her to fill him in on the details.
"Well, that went well." Kacey sighed, almost unfazed by the gravity of the situation. Kaidan couldn't believe how blasè she was being.
"Kacey, do you have any idea how serious this is?" Kaidan asked; Kacey simply crossed her arms.
"I know. It's quite bad for you." Kacey replied, "Or it would've been, had I not told Hackett and Anderson that it was him who drew his gun first."
Kaidan looked at her, confused, "You..? What?"
Kacey simply smiled, "You told Anderson and Hackett that you don't really remember last night, and Garrus was black out drunk so he wouldn't know either way. So the only person who would know for sure would be me. So I told them that he threatened me and you were just trying to defend me, even if you did it in a rather…haphazard kind of way."
"There is no way that they believed that."
"Hackett believes it. Anderson though…well the jury is still out on that one." Kacey replied, "Besides, you've covered for me more times than I can count. At the very least, I owe you this."
"You didn't have to though." Kaidan replied, "I shouldn't have done that in the first place."
"It was for me. And let's face it, the guy did have that coming."
"On that, we can agree."
…
"Oh hey Kacey." Kaidan said as he watched the scarlet haired commander enter the room, "Why is it that you look so surprised when coming here?"
"I'm just surprised you're wanting to talk to me, that's all." Kacey replied, a little hesitant, "So I take it you're getting out of here?"
"Yeah, it'll be soon."
"Good to hear."
"Maybe you saw the vid, but I accepted Udina's offer." Kaidan said, in an effort to break the tension between the pair. Kacey flashed her signature smile at the news.
"Spectre Kaidan Alenko. That's a big deal." Kacey replied.
"Only the second human Spectre." Kaidan replied, "It's humbling. Udina thinks they might have a pretty big ceremony, even with the war. He says a celebration will give folks something hopeful to latch onto."
"You ready to take on that responsibility?" She asked.
"You did set the bar pretty high."
"Yeah well I did stop a rogue Spectre and save the galaxy so…no pressure." Kacey laughed.
"I'll do my best." Kaidan replied, "It's strange…on Mars, I should have died. The promotion from Anderson, Spectre status…These are terrible days, but I've been lucky."
"Hey, you'll do great." Kacey replied with a reassuring voice, "Besides, you're less likely to put the Council in an early grave with stress."
"Yeah, they did wonder if I was going to be as much as a handful as you." Kaidan mused; he noticed a change in Kacey's expression as she spoke, "You okay?"
"Hm?" Kacey looked up, startled, "I'm fine, why'd you ask?"
"You look like you were lost in thought, is all." Kaidan explained, still concerned, "What's going on?"
"Just the usual. A lot is going on." Kacey said, "Honestly, the sooner I'm done with all this political bullshit the better."
"Try not to knock out a diplomat." Kaidan joked.
"Trust me, Garrus and Liara have been making sure of that." Kacey replied.
"Where's your next mission?"
"Tuchanka." Kacey replied, "Not ideal but nothing I can't handle."
"I can believe that." Kaidan replied.
…
Nothing felt more soft than the cushions on the bed, and yet it took Kaidan a few minutes to remember how he got there. He had never felt more tired and the hangover courtesy of last night's party was beginning to kick in full. He was stirred awake and found himself facing the locked bedroom door, likely locked because of the privacy the pair wanted for something a little more intimate.
There were several empty bottles of beer by the bedside and Kaidan found Kacey's head resting on his chest as she stirred awake, her hair a mess from last night's ruckus.
"Hey." Kacey said as she rubbed her eyes, "Wow. Look who's here. How do you feel?"
"Why not scooch a little closer and find out for yourself?" Kaidan said slyly, rolling around to face Kacey, who was now lying on the pillows. He leaned in as he and Kacey shared a passionate kiss, causing the latter to let out a small laugh.
"Mmm, don't tempt me like that." Kacey laughed, "It would be so nice to lie here all day with you."
"I agree, but we should probably go and see if your apartment is still standing." Kaidan said, "Then maybe we can do just that."
"Fine. If you insist." Kacey joked.
It was clear that the party had taken its toll on everyone. Tali and Joker had clearly taken the brunt of it as both were incapacitated with a killer hangover. James was busy making breakfast as everyone gathered in the kitchen, chatting away quietly to avoid the ire of Joker and Tali.
Of course, Kacey and Kaidan's absence had been noticed by the rest of the group; Kasumi had a lot to say about what the pair could've been up to after they disappeared from view. Kaidan simply ignored it but Kacey? She took the piss; naturally. Kacey was never one to let such things slide by, and her humour was a reassuring thing. As everyone attempted to sober up, questions about what to do came to mind.
"So Kaidan, got any plans?" James asked.
"Nothing really." Kaidan replied, "Guess it wouldn't hurt to go for a wander about."
"To be honest there's a lot of people on shore leave right now." Kacey said, drinking a glass of water, "It's likely the Alliance have sent people on shore leave before we launch the offensive on Cerberus."
"Probably." Kaidan said, "I guess it's probably to help with the nerves."
"Sounds about right." Kacey replied.
It didn't take long for everyone to leave; Kaidan couldn't help but find the Silversun Strip overwhelming in sight. There was lots to do, and certainly not lacking in excitement. And yet, after leaving one of the many arcades further down the strip, he ended up bumping into Garrus, who he assumed had long left the Silversun Strip.
The turian seemed a little nervous; Kaidan wasn't quite sure why the turian was so on edge. He doubted that it was a hangover and it was something more serious, then again it could've been paranoia. It seemed that Garrus was just as surprised to see Kaidan as they bumped into each other.
"Kaidan. I was looking for you." Garrus said.
"Looking for me? Why?" Kaidan asked, curiously.
"I need your advice about something." Garrus explained, sounding more uneasy. Kaidan couldn't help but wonder what had the turian on edge.
"Okay? What's up?"
"Okay, so it's not a secret that there's something going on between me and Tali." Garrus said.
"Yeah, you have a thing for her, don't you?" Kaidan smirked.
"Basically. So the question is: how do I get her to notice?"
"Garrus, I think she's already noticed." Kaidan remarked, "Kacey and Joker aren't subtle, you know that?"
"Yeah but it's about taking it further." Garrus explained, "You and Kacey managed it."
He wasn't wrong; somehow, he and Kacey had managed to make it work. Yet it seemed that Garrus had missed the parts where they fought and guns were pointed at each other. He sincerely hoped that Garrus wasn't expecting Kaidan to endorse such behaviour; Kacey might be able to forgive and forget but Tali? She would be hurt by the gesture.
"Yeah, but that involved a lot of flirting to build that up." Kaidan replied, "And besides, if that chat with the female turian in the bar was any indication, you clearly have no idea what you're doing."
"Fair point." Garrus replied, thinking things over.
"Look, just go and hang out with Tali." Kaidan explained, "It needs to be natural, after all."
"You know, I was thinking of something we could all do together." Garrus mused.
"And what would that be?" Kaidan asked.
…
"This was your idea?" Kaidan said in an exasperated tone, much to Kacey's amusement.
"Yeah. It's nice up here, isn't it?" Garrus chuckled.
Standing on top of the bars on the Presidium was not something Kaidan ever thought he would be doing. Of all the stupidly risky things he had participated in in the last four years alone, this was by far the most stupid. Getting wasted and putting a gun in someone's face? Reckless, but not beyond the realm of possibility. Causing a bar fight to break into a panic room? It was necessary but risky. This though?
Why on Earth did he let himself get talked into this?
Liara was just about as amused by this as Kaidan, meanwhile Tali was trying her best not to freak out over the height difference. Wrex and Joker didn't seem to care, mocking each other as Kacey seemed to be the only one unfazed by their arrival, in fact, she was downright excited.
"Nice? More like illegal." Liara responded firmly, clearly not pleased to be here, "When we get caught–"
"If we get caught." Kacey corrected.
Liara was taken aback by Kacey's response, "Kacey you can't be serious."
"I mean, Garrus and I were up here before shooting bottles and we didn't get caught." Kacey explained in a blasè tone, "I highly doubt the seven of us standing here are going to attract much attention."
"And besides, we've got two Council Spectres with us!" Joker exclaimed, "C-Sec can't arrest us if Kacey and Kaidan don't want them to."
"You want them to abuse their authority?" Tali questioned.
"It's not like Shepard hasn't done that already." Wrex mused.
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Kacey asked, clearly offended.
"Oh yeah like disobeying the Council repeatedly and telling them to fuck off doesn't count." Joker snickered as Kacey gave him a light slap to the upper arm.
"I still can't believe you did that." Liara said.
"Why not?" Wrex chuckled, "It sounds like her."
"You know what else sounds like Kacey?" Kaidan smirked, "Standing on top of the Presidium shooting glass bottles… at oncoming traffic."
"Relax, nobody got hurt." Kacey replied.
"Maybe so, but that's still a stupid idea." Kaidan remarked.
"Well in that case, I guess you don't want a turn?" Garrus said, holding up two sniper rifles, "Makes sense, I suppose; your aim isn't as good as mine."
"Give me that gun." Kaidan said, not about to let the turian sharpshooter get away with it. Garrus snickered as he handed Kaidan the loaded rifle.
"Who wants to throw the bottle?" Garrus asked.
"I'll do it!" Kacey said, grabbing the glass bottle, "Ready?"
"Ready." Kaidan said, aiming the rifle. Kacey threw the bottle, which went soaring through the air. Kaidan waited until the bottle was in his line of sight before pulling the trigger. The bullet shattered the glass bottle, causing shards to fall into the pool below.
"Nice." Kacey remarked.
"He clipped it." Joker quipped, "You nearly missed."
"At least I can hit the bottle." Kaidan smirked as Garrus got into position. Kacey threw the bottle and it didn't take Garrus long to shoot the bottle.
"Show off." Wrex muttered.
"Kacey, throw two this time." Garrus said, "Let's see who's the better shot."
"I really hope we're not here just to watch you two shoot bottles." Liara mused.
"No, you'll get a turn." Garrus mused, "Just be patient."
Kaidan had to admit that a sniper rifle was not his weapon of choice; he preferred small arms like pistols and submachine guns, an assault rifle was about as far as it went. The only ones here that used a sniper rifle was Garrus and Kacey, the latter of whom Kaidan knew was ruthlessly efficient. The gun Garrus had given was heavy, and Kaidan had a feeling how this was about to go down.
"Ready?" Kacey said as the pair nodded. Kacey threw both bottles; Garrus shot the bottle clean through the centre while Kaidan hit the top of the bottle. Both shattered and fell as Joker snickered.
"That was another near miss." Garrus scoffed.
"Or a headshot." Kaidan countered.
"You know you've got four rifles; why don't you two, Wrex and Joker give it a go and Tali, Liara and I can decide on who's the better shot?" Kacey suggested.
"That sounds like a fun idea." Tali added amused.
"This is going to suck." Joker mused as he grabbed the rifle.
"Why, cause you can't aim for shit?" Wrex chuckled as Kacey, Liara and Tali picked up the bottles.
"So, ladies, who do you think is going to win?" Joker smirked as Kacey shot him a disapproving look.
"Not you, that's for sure." Kacey quipped, "I think you know already."
"Yeah, yeah you're gonna pick your boyfriend." Joker huffed.
"I'm picking Garrus." Tali said.
"And I'll pick Wrex." Liara added.
Once they were ready, Kacey, Liara and Tali threw the bottles. Kaidan hit his bottle and smashed it to pieces as did Garrus and Wrex, who roared with satisfied laughter as the bottle broke. Only Joker missed his shot, with the bottle landing in the water below. Kacey snickered as Wrex roared with laughter at the sight; Joker pouted in response.
"Wow, it looks like you nearly hit your bottle." Kaidan remarked as Joker lowered the rifle.
"Fuck off." Joker pouted, "If I was using the Normandy's cannons…"
"Then you would miss." Garrus chuckled.
"Right, guys, pass the guns." Kacey said, clapping her hands together, "Let us show you how it's done."
"You think you can do better?" Garrus scoffed.
"She knows she can." Wrex laughed, "My money's on Shepard."
"Same here." Kaidan replied.
"Likewise." Joker added.
"I'll put mine on Tali." Garrus said, leading to a snicker from Joker.
"Oh thanks." Liara replied sarcastically.
"No offence Liara it's just that…" Garrus looked over at Tali and Kacey, "They are better shots."
"Okay, just watch this." Liara said with a determined look.
Kaidan, Garrus and Wrex threw the bottles. Kacey flawlessly smashed hers to pieces. Tali managed to hit hers and Liara clipped the top of the bottle, still smashing the bottle. The trio turned with smirks on their faces.
"Well, would you look at that?" Kacey smirked.
"Oh ha ha." Joker continued to pout.
"Isn't this nice?" Tali said, catching the group's attention.
"Hmm?" Kacey tilted her head.
"I mean, it's just us. The original team from the first Normandy." Tali explained, "When was the last time we did something together, like this, just us?"
Kaidan thought for a moment; Tali did have a point; the last time would've been around four years ago, before the Collectors destroyed the first Normandy. A lot had happened since then, but to be together like this again…Tali was right, it was nice.
"I wager it would've been four years ago." Kacey remarked.
"It would be." Liara said.
"Yeah, then I died and you all stopped talking." Kacey replied, "Why is that, by the way?"
"What?" Joker mused.
"Why did you all stop talking?" Kacey asked, "I mean, I was dead so…"
Kaidan wasn't sure how to respond; it was clear by everyone's expressions that they didn't either. After a few minutes of silence, Joker spoke up first.
"Remember when I said we drifted apart? And how the Council and Alliance broke us up?" Joker began, taking a seat on the crate nearby, "Yeah pretty much everyone who served on the Normandy got reassigned, Kaidan and I included. I was grounded. Pretty much on the bench."
"And you?" Kacey asked, with a look of concern on her face. Kaidan sighed as he tried to figure out where to start.
"I was reassigned to one of the frigates in the 63rd flotilla." Kaidan explained, keeping a close eye on Kacey's expression as he spoke, "Under Admiral Kolchek. He's…not the biggest fan of you and didn't seem keen on taking me and Adams."
"You and Adams were assigned there?"
"Yeah." Kaidan replied, "I stuck around there for about a year and half until Anderson pulled me out and I got stationed on Horizon. I had no idea why until the Collectors showed up."
"Honestly if you're under Admiral Kolchek, the Collectors are the least of your problems." Kacey remarked.
"I take it you knew him?" Kaidan asked to which Kacey nodded.
"I served under him. He's an asshole." Kacey explained, "A tough son of a bitch, but an uncompromising one. Suffice to say, we clashed a lot. That was, until the Skyllian Blitz, and I was reassigned."
"That explains a lot."
"I think it might be worth mentioning that Garrus disappeared as did Liara and nobody could find them." Joker said.
"And Wrex and I went home." Tali added.
"Sounds like you guys were all over the place." Kacey mused.
"Well it was bad but it's better than being dead." Joker scoffed.
"Oh yeah? And where does Alliance house arrest fit into this?"
Joker smirked, "Somewhere in the middle. Could've done without the interrogations though."
"Same here." Kacey remarked.
The group laughed as sirens could be heard in the distance; Kaidan assumed that it was C-Sec, likely informed of the group's presence on the Presidium bars. Joker rolled his eyes as Kacey looked over the edge, a cheeky smile on her face.
"I don't know about you but I reckon that's what? A 14 foot drop into a 20 foot deep pool of water?" Kacey said; Kaidan had a sneaky feeling as to what she was planning.
"I'd say so, yeah." Kaidan replied.
"Wait. What are you planning to do?" Liara asked.
"Well, it's clear that C-Sec is coming for us." Kacey said, "Now if you like, you can squeeze into that skycar and try to get back to the Silversun Strip without getting caught. Or you can be adventurous and…"
"Jump." Kaidan replied with a smirk as both he and Kacey jumped off the bar and landed into the water with a splash. As Kaidan reached the surface of the water, he found Kacey moving her sopping wet hair out of her face, revealing the very familiar cheeky smile that Kaidan loved so much.
Kaidan looked up, with Kacey following his gaze as Joker, Liara, Tali, Garrus and Wrex looked down at them, with Wrex and Garrus howling with laughter as Liara looked almost mortified.
"Race you back!" Kacey shouted as Garrus bolted towards the skycar with Joker in tow. The sirens were growing louder as the C-Sec cars were coming into view.
Kaidan began to swim back towards dry land with Kacey, pulling himself up onto the ledge before helping Kacey up. The pair were soaking wet as they bolted from the edge of the lake to the elevator to take them into the Wards, slipping and sliding across the floor.
"You think we're going to get caught?" Kaidan asked as the elevator descended.
"Nah." Kacey replied, "Even if we do, they can't prosecute Spectres."
"You know, when people think of Spectres being above the law they think about murder or bribes, assassinations and so on." Kaidan said with a small laugh, "I don't think diving into the pools of water in the Presidium was one on that list."
"Let us be the first." Kacey laughed, "We really are an example of humanity's best and brightest, aren't we?"
Kaidan snickered, "Oh absolutely."