Farewell

[paragonsoldier]

Shepard shuts the Door behind her a little harder than necessary and scans the bar. She hopes Kaidan's here. She was going to write him an e-mail, a final farewell in case she doesn't get back from this mission. But she keeps writing a few words and deleting them, over and over again. She has to talk to him in person.

Please, God, let him be here.

Comments

[notamutant]

Whatever deity out there must be listening, because lo and behold, Kaidan is here. Currently, he's seated on one of the bar's couches, quietly focused on working on his omni-tool.

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

Shepard's relieved for about a second, before she realizes that this means she has to tell him what she's about to do, and he's really not going to like it.

She takes a deep breath and walks over to him.

"Kaidan?"

[notamutant]

Kaidan looks up at the sound of Shepard's voice, a faint smile in place until he registers her solemn expression. His smile fades, replaced with a vaguely worried expression to match Shepard's.

"Hey," he says softly in greeting. "Something wrong?"

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"I took my squadmates to Gei Hinnom to answer a quarian distress call," she says. "When we came back...the Collectors found the Normandy. They took everyone - except Joker. We can't wait any longer. We're going to follow them right through the Omega 4 relay."

[notamutant]

Kaidan's silent for a long few moments. His omni-tool switches off without input, and he regards the woman in front of his solemnly.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be able to talk you out of this," he says softly, turning to look at his hands in his lap. "Not with your crew captured by the Collectors and them still being a threat to everyone in the galaxy. I guess I knew, even when you first started your mission, you'd be doing something stupidly brave and I wouldn't be able to be there to watch your back."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"It isn't like going to Ilos," Shepard says, walking around the couch. "Not exactly." She sits down. She can't look Kaidan in the eye. "Going through the relay was the plan from the beginning. We found an IFF on a derelict Reaper that should let us navigate it safely. Of course, that's how the Collectors found the ship - it signaled them when we hooked it up. We didn't realize until it was too late."

[notamutant]

"Well, I suppose now, more than ever, I have to trust Tali, Garrus, and whoever else you've gathered to watch your back for me."

He pauses.

"Though if I know you, they're probably all behind you, one hundred percent. You inspire nothing less than that."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

That doesn't make Shepard feel better. It just means they'll cheerfully follow her to their deaths.

"I wanted to tell you before I went," Shepard says. "So you don't get blindsided again." Pause. "I should've gotten in touch with you as soon as I could after Cerberus revived me - whether they were listening or not. It's..." She chuckles bitterly. "It's not like they didn't know about us, anyway."

[notamutant]

He shakes his head, and, well, if he leans against her slightly in comfort, he doesn't outwardly react to doing so.

"It was stupid of me, blowing up at you like I did. It would have been the easy thing to do, contacting me, and getting away from Cerberus as soon as you realized who they were. But you never really go for the easy option, do you? You did the right thing, staying with them. No matter what anyone else says."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"I think you said that about stealing the old Normandy and haring off to Ilos," Shepard says. "I guess history is repeating itself."

[notamutant]

"You must be fated to do crazy things, then. That are also the right thing to do at the time."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

Shepard looks thoughtful. "What about the other thing we did before Ilos? Was that a good idea? And this isn't a rhetorical question."

[notamutant]

Carefully, as if approaching a wild, feral animal, he reaches to thread his fingers with her own, giving her plenty of time to pull away from the intruding limb and digits.

"Yes," he says simply, his voice low. "I think it was."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"Good answer," Shepard says.

She intends for it to be a slow and relatively chaste kiss, but it sort of runs away with her.

[notamutant]

He's definitely okay with that, and well, if he isn't, his mouth's a little busy to say otherwise at the moment.

The kiss is returned, of course, as Shepard lingers, and the arm not currently attached to the hand holding hers wraps around Shepard to pull her in closer.

He's missed this.

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

Shepard has to pull away to take a breath eventually. "You know," she says, "some time we're going to have to do this when we don't think one or both of us is about to die."

[notamutant]

He grins, possibly a little giddily as he rests his forehead against hers, catching his breath.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"That gives me some pretty strong incentive to come back alive, then," Shepard says. She stands up, taking both of Kaidan's hands in her own. "Join me upstairs?"

[notamutant]

"Glad I could help, then."

He stands as Colene takes his hands in her own, and, in a bout of silliness, scoops the woman into his arms and kisses her again before heading for the stairs.

"I thought you'd never ask."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

* * *

It's some time later when Shepard burrows under the covers (they didn't exactly turn the bedclothes down while they were, you know...), and takes a deep breath - not to calm herself, but because she feels like she can breathe freely for the first time in months and she wants to enjoy it.

"I think," she says, "we waited way too long to do this."

[notamutant]

"I have to agree," he rumbles in agreement, shifting to draw Colene close and press a lazy kiss to her bare shoulder. "Definitely too long."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"Well, better late than never," Shepard says, cuddling up to him. "And it means we get to make up for lost time!" She gently brushes her lips against his temple.

[notamutant]

Kaidan smiles fondly, letting his fingers trail lightly along Colene's back as she settles close.

"And with Milliways, we have all the time in the multi-verse."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

Shepard really likes it when he does that. "Good point. We don't have to go back for a good long while."

Shepard will have to go back eventually, of course. But it's nice to know there's no rush.

[notamutant]

He knows she likes it, which is why he does it again while capturing another kiss.

"Good to know. I don't think I'm going to let you go anywhere for a while."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"Just how are you going to do that? Tie me to the bed?" Shepard grins. "I hope so. It'd be fun."

[notamutant]

Kaidan just grins at Shepard's words and hooks a leg over her hips, shifting to perch above her.

"Maybe. Or I could do this"

And...oh, that is an inventive use of mass effect fields.

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"Ooh! That's...tingly," Shepard says. She's squirming a bit, but not with discomfort. "I didn't know you could use biotics that way."

[notamutant]

He smirks and leans down to nip her jaw gently.

"It's not exactly a battle tactic," he murmurs. "I'm not surprised."

[paragonsoldier.livejournal.com]

"Well, I appreciate your...mmmm...ingenuity," Shepard breathes. She tries to kiss him, but since she's a bit, well, constrained,she'll need his cooperating to succeed.

[notamutant]

He'll cooperate...eventually. For now, he's relishing the sensation of having Colene beneath him and at his mercy.

With time, he'll also show her what else he can do with mass effect fields.