#[Kaidan is very much in his head a lot so this got long haha.] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kleinewahines · 8 days ago

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Brown eyes, usually so expressive, were dull, closed off. His internal thoughts were unreadable. Maybe even to himself. He swallowed hard enough it made his Adam's apple jump. In his mind, Akuze had been Kaidan making a point: Cerberus destroyed one colony and now that is all in the rear view because they are scrambling to 'defend' others? It didn't sound right. It sounded like more of the damn same of Cerberus doubletalk and illegal Alliance black ops denied for years after the fact.

Kaidan was then frowning hard enough it made his forehead wrinkle and his eyes narrow. As if trying to detect something off in Shepard's speech or mannerisms. A clue that this was not the real Shepard. And, hell, bringing up Akuze had somewhat been a test, if a little underhanded. A need to see some kind of anger over what happened thanks to Cerberus. He should apologize but at the moment he wasn't sorry. He had used it as a Security Question, not specifically to hurt Kat or to be spiteful. He would likely apologize later, though.

"BAaT is not the same situation, Shepard," he said, certain inflections creeping in to show his frustration; it was clear he wasn't wanting an argument. But his voice didn't get a single bit louder. His hand did pass over the port in the base of his skull, however. The port he had cleaned -- alone -- for the past two years, rather than standing side by side with Shepard in the medical bay so Chakwas could be sure they were both keeping up on their hygiene regimen while chasing Saren all over the Milky Way.

He remembered his father's words, about how he had done what he thought was the right thing when it came to Vyrnus and so he can't exactly blame himself. But... But... But. Wrong thing? Right reasons? Perhaps that was the real comparison. He had never taken a life before BAaT. Had done rather well not to take more in his career in the Alliance. Fighting on the SR-1 had definitely ruined his streak, however. BAaT was... it was a lot of things. But one thing he could be sure about was there had not been any actual illegal testing done (just a lot of pressure on teenagers and brutal training that caused a couple deaths). It was shady stuff, but nothing that Kaidan could say to disavow someone's notions of joining the Alliance. Especially his own. Vyrnus had been a mistake that was rectified. And now, they had the Ascension Project, the spiritual successor to Brain Camp.

He opened his bottle of water, considered a moment, then closed it again without taking so much as a sip. The water in the Presidium fountains nearby reminded him of Virmire. His mouth was dry but he knew his water wasn't going to make it any better.

Or maybe I should be asking if I'm giving up my career on the word of someone I'm not even sure is the real deal, he thought but didn't say. Getting emotional and personal was not going to help, Akuze mention notwithstanding. But... it was personal. It was emotional.

Kaidan Alenko was no trained HUMINT interrogator. All he had was years of dealing with all kinds of people and situations. He was perhaps a little out of his depth when it came to galaxy changing things like Collectors and Reapers. Ash had once commented that she was just a simple sharpshooter. Just show her what to shoot and she will shoot. No further questions necessary. But Kaidan didn't operate that way. He had had over three decades to figure himself out and he was a man who needed to find three separate ways to bug out of a bad situation and he needed all the intel possible before he made a move.

His biotics sparked around his hand as he pressed the heel of his palm into the bench under him. A not too literal grounding action. His face throbbed a little as if to remind him of how he got there at all.

Garrus... Joker... they had both joined up. Chakwas, too. Though he suspected perhaps that was more out of her concern for the pilot than actually trusting Cerberus as far as they could be thrown. Garrus, though? Hmm. Jury was still out on that. (Joker was kinda easy. They let him fly again. That was all Joker had needed to be on board. Kaidan wasn't sure he could blame the pilot on that one; if he had been in the same exact situation he probably would have made the same decision. Although, perhaps there was a debt thing, too? Did Joker know about Project Lazarus when he signed up? Kaidan wasn't certain and hadn't asked.)

"One thing I do know, nothing can stay secret on that ship of yours. The... guest accommodations are down a couple of bugs," he said quietly, gaze flicking to Katrina's face for a moment then away. A couple 'accidental' biotic discharges had given him some small measure of privacy, though. The ones he could find, anyway.

"If I leave the Alliance, I lose my security clearance. Not that it would matter because tunneling into Alliance databases from the SR-2 would be foolhardy. But, I'm a Commander now. It's hard to come back from 'fraternized with Cerberus' when it comes to renewing your Clearance."

He paused, head tilting. The artificial breeze in that part of the Citadel ruffled his hair, still kept in that forever neat and tidy pompadour style accented by the natural curls that belied his mixed Human ancestry.

"The first time I disagree with a Cerberus sanctioned mission, what then? I get kicked off for sowing seeds of doubt in Commander Shepard? If I'm going to do anything, I need to know there will still be round table discussions like in the old days," he said, jaw clenching for a moment. All those ad hoc meetings, sometimes directly after Shepard had been talking to the Council (futilely, as it would often turn out). "I have experience with dealing with the colonies we have out there nowadays. I'd have to be trusted that I know what I'm talking about."

The days of 'go here, here, and here' for Kaidan had been gone before the SR-1.

"I care about the colonies just as I cared about defeating Sovereign and taking down Saren," he said with total conviction, with an unsaid 'don't make it seem like I'm indifferent to the crisis'. "But we are no good to anyone if we get stuck in the Cerberus spider web. You say you need me around because I distrust Cerberus," his free hand rose a little, as if considering taking her hand in his but then deciding against it and simply letting it drop on his lap. He doubted Shepard would appreciate the contact at that current moment of not-quite-a-fight. "So what I need to know from you, Katrina Shepard--" He had never, not once, said her full name like that before, emphasizing how firm and serious he was, "-- is that if they are using you for some awful, grand experiment, I only need to splash you with cold water, not consider you a lost cause." He understood there was an almost joke given the water bottle but... He absolutely needed her to say those words. Maybe not in that exact order, but certainly close enough. Claiming distrust of Cerberus wasn't enough. Reading between the lines: I can't lose you. Not again. Not if you're the bona fide Shepard. If Cerberus has done something to you -- or plans to, I need to know I can bring you out of it and you need to know I will try everything to do it.

She knew he had to report back to Anderson, but she wanted to make sure they talked first. Anderson knew what was going on; he knew why she was doing what she was doing, and he knew her motivations for it. Kat also knew that he'd put Kaidan in her path on purpose; Anderson was nothing if not clever, and she'd have to give him shit herself for it later. Typical meddling parent actions, she thought to herself; after all, Anderson was like a father to her. He knew she wasn't doing as well as she pretended, and he also knew that she and Alenko had grown close.

But then, that word was uttered.

Akuze.

Hew jaw tightened at the mention. If that wasn’t a low blow, Kat didn’t know what was. Akuze had always been a sore spot for her, an immediate trigger point that was often capable of setting her off, despite her usual level-headed nature. Keep your cool, she reminded herself. She couldn’t help the unconscious reaction, rubbing her shoulder as the memory of her old scars flashed in front of her eyes briefly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, doing her best to try and read him. He was being careful, meticulous, like he’d been when they first met. But that didn't change the fact that he'd had the audacity to mention Akuze to her in relation to Cerberus.

"And BAaT was supported by the Alliance, Alenko, yet you still enlisted." There was bite to her tone, and it was entirely intentional; even if he’d spoken gently, Akuze was—and always had been—a sore spot for Katrina. Very few people had ever been allowed to see the extent of the damage that was done to her; Anderson had been one of them, and since their conversation before Ilos, Kaidan had as well. It was something she'd trusted him with... and something she didn't trust anyone with easily.

But she knew she had a point: that sometimes, letting bygones be bygones, even if only temporarily, was a necessity for the greater good.

"The reason I'm asking is because you're right: I don't know that they'll let me sneak away when all's said and done, and if you think for a second I trust them, then you've forgotten who I am. Nothing about this situation is black-and-white, Alenko, and it never has been. Sometimes it's about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, like stealing an Alliance warship, ignoring orders from the Council and the Alliance brass, and going to Ilos." Doing that had been treason; if they hadn't, Sovereign would have brought the Reapers to their front door, and their efforts would have been all for naught.

"I don't trust Cerberus, I never will fully trust Cerberus, nor do I forgive them for the things they've done, but that doesn't change the fact that they're doing something about the colonies that the Collectors are taking while the Alliance isn't. That doesn't change the fact that they've given me a ship, a crew, and resources to ensure our colonies are safe. And in the end, it would surprise no one if we found out the Collectors are working with the Reapers, and are targeting humanity because a human was responsible for Sovereign's downfall." Sure, they'd yet to confirm that the Collectors were indeed working with the Reapers, but it wouldn't have been too far-fetched to consider.

"So I'm asking you because you also don't trust Cerberus, and having people who I know will have my back if Cerberus tries to pull a fast one on me is something I need if we're going to accomplish this... and that's hard when half the galaxy doesn't believe the reality of what's happening." She hated the fact that the Alliance and Council were ignoring what was happening; entire colonies didn't just disappear. In most cases, there were survivors, there were bodies, there was something. She knew that; her survival on Mindoir made that clear.

"You were there, you saw Sovereign, you know the Reapers are real, and they're coming. The Council refuses to believe it, and the Alliance refuses to believe it. If working alongside Cerberus is the only way to save lives, then it's what I have to do. So don't ask yourself whether you should be risking your commission to work with Cerberus. Ask yourself whether it's worth risking it to save people." If it wasn't worth it, then it wasn't worth it; she couldn't fault him for not wanting to risk his career. But after mentioning Akuze the way he had... she couldn't say she trusted him; not when it came to the more personal aspects of everything that was happening. That was all well and fine; much of it was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

But she'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt... and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least hoping for a friend to lean on.

#C: Kaidan;#V: Collector Crisis;#serabellyms #serabellyms: Kat;#[the whole akuze thing is exactly why having a sole survivor Shep is Hard when I'm trying to write Kaidan and his distrust of Cerberus lol]#[Shane would have yelled though. She yelled at Ash. oops. :'( ]#[Kaidan is very much in his head a lot so this got long haha.]

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ripley95 · 4 years ago

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Echoes of Old Embers

Chapter 9

Pairing: F!Shepard/Kaidan Alenko

Rating: T

Chapter length: 3.8K

Story Synopsis:

After surviving the war, one of Shepard’s biggest regrets was rejecting Kaidan at Apollo’s. Fate has a way of bringing Jane and Kaidan back into each other’s lives. A misunderstanding with his family makes Kaidan and Shepard relive old history and question where they stand.

Link to Chapter 1 on AO3

Chapter Synopsis:

Kaidan and Shepard have a serious conversation that puts an emphasis on her regrets of going to the orchard.

Read to Chapter 9 on AO3

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Read the chapter here below the cut:

Shepard made her way down the stairs after her conversation with Libby. Kaidan was probably awake by now, so she figured it was as good a time as any to seek him out. As she made her way down to the foyer, she noticed some new arrivals.

"Oh, there she is," Raiya said, after hearing Shepard on the steps.

Maisie was standing behind her sister, holding a young child, presumably Austin, Raiya's son. Maisie was practically bouncing with energy and a big grin on her face. Shepard knew that her excitement was only in part for seeing her nephew again after so long. She figured it was mostly for getting to see if the fruits of her labour were effective in deceiving her brother-in-law. Shepard wasn't quite as concerned about it anymore, knowing that Libby wasn't mad at her. Still, she was interested in knowing if she could pull off being someone else all the same.

Shepard made her way to the bottom of the steps with a smile. She noticed Kaidan off to the side, leaning against the entryway to the living room. As soon as he saw her, he had a big, dumb grin on his face, clearly trying to contain any outward reaction to her new look. At least he seemed to catch on to what they were doing and didn't say anything to give away her real identity.

"Jane, this is Matt," Raiya said, drawing Shepard's attention back to them. "And that's my son, Austin."

"Hi, Austin," she said with a wave and a smile. He shyly clung to his aunt for protection. She then turned to Raiya's husband, who was distractedly struggling with all of his bags and trying to set them down, "and it's nice to finally meet you, Matt."

"Sorry, Jane, was it? We knew Kaidan was bringing someone, but I never got a name," he said, as he extended his hand as a welcoming gesture.

"Yup, that's it," Shepard said with a smile, shaking his hand.

Maisie snorted from behind them, Raiya giving her a glare that promised death if she were to give away what was going on. Matt looked at them with only slight confusion, seeming as though that was a pretty standard occurrence between the two of them.

Matt had to laugh at Shepard, shaking his head. "Well, good. Correct me if I get it wrong. I can be bad with names. It's nice to meet you too.”

Shepard offered him a warm smile in acknowledgement.

"Anyway, we should probably go put your bags away. I think Kaidan and Jane were just about to be sitting down to breakfast," Raiya said.

"Ah. Message received loud and clear," Matt said with a chuckle. "Didn't mean to be interrupting anything. I look forward to getting to know you better, Jane."

"Thanks, the feeling is mutual," she still smiled back at him kindly.

Matt nodded at her as he and Raiya went upstairs. Maisie followed after them, Austin still in her arms.

"So, did Jane look familiar at all?" Shepard could hear Maisie ask, apparently barely able to contain herself as they reached the top of the stairs.

Kaidan walked over to where Shepard was standing, and they continued to listen to the muffled conversation.

"Now that you mention it, she does look a little familiar. Why? Please don't tell me I already knew her and just made a fool of myself?"

"Oh, you know her, all right. That was Commander Shepard," Maisie said with excitement.

"Haha, very funny," Matt said, thinking it was a joke. There was a moment of silence before he finally spoke again, this time, the tone of his voice more serious. "She's joking, right?"

"No, she's not. That really was Commander Shepard," Raiya confirmed.

There was another moment of silence. Shepard could almost picture the mortification that was likely on Matt's face right now.

"You can't be serious. And you let me act like that in front of her? She's going to think I'm an idiot! I have to go apologise."

"For what? Not knowing who she was? Relax, she's cool." Maisie said with a laugh, clearly finding entertainment in Matt's torment.

"Should I say something?" Shepard asked Kaidan.

He had a big grin on his face, finding entertainment in the situation. "After what you guys put him through, I think he deserves to be put out of his misery."

She agreed and yelled up the stairs. "It's okay Matt, you were perfectly charming," Shepard said, hoping that was enough to suffice.

"They could hear all of that?!" Matt said, sounding horrified.

"Seriously, Matt, it's fine," Kaidan reassured.

"If you say so," he responded, not sounding convinced in the least. "I don’t think I'll never be able to show my face around her ever again," he said more quietly. He was trying to avoid their conversation from being overheard more, but it wasn't sufficient.

Shepard decided that was enough eavesdropping for her tastes, and turned to Kaidan with a grimace, feeling bad.

"I should probably go apologise to him later. I didn't mean to be pulling one over on him," she said.

"Oh, so this wasn't meant to be a practical joke?" Kaidan asked with a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly eyeing her new hair.

"On someone I don't even know? Definitely not," she said, at least happy that Kaidan was taking a playful tone on the matter, and was making her feel better about it.

"So what's this all about then? Did coming to meet my family put you into some kind of quarter-life crisis or something? I know they can be a lot, but this is a bit over the top," he said, his smirk wider than ever.

Taking him up on his playful attitude towards it, she leaned her hip out dramatically, running her hand over her hair before flaunting it. "What, you don't like it?"

"I didn't say that." Kaidan's smile became more subdued, the playfulness leaving his eyes. "You look good," he said, looking at her seriously.

Shepard was dumbfounded by the sudden change in tone and caught off guard by the admission. She didn't know what to say, or how to take it. She figured it didn’t really matter. She was trying to avoid romantic feelings. That hadn’t changed. Who knows, maybe he was just being nice. She steeled herself, making sure to temper her response. The best she could come up with was a "Thanks.” and a half-assed smile. “So, uh, did I hear something about breakfast?" she asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Uh, yeah," he said, pointing towards the coffee table and sofa in the living room. "Mom and I cooked. I grabbed us some plates."

"Great! I'm starving," she said, making way for the couch, not wanting to linger on their awkwardness.

She sat down in front of the smaller plate, the other one obviously being Kaidan's helping with a much healthier size for someone with the caloric requirements of a biotic. It looked amazing. It was a full cooked breakfast with eggs, bacon and toast all arranged nicely, with a cup of coffee on the side. He likely didn't know that Shepard already had a cup earlier. She wouldn't complain, though, especially after the lack of sleep for the majority of the previous night. It all felt luxurious compared to the colourless oatmeal that the hospital usually served her thanks to their low rations on just about everything else. She waited for Kaidan to sit next to her before she started eating. She grabbed a strip of bacon and let out an audible sigh as she slumped back into the couch.

"Damn, Kaidan, your family sure knows how to cook."

"The bacon was all me. I told you I was good at it."

"Hmm, well, I suppose you didn't have any garlic to burn this time," she said teasingly.

"Hey, now, that was a good steak."

She let out another sigh at the memory, "Yeah, it really was," she smiled at him, lost in the nostalgia of it. "That was a good day," she said. One of the only good days throughout the war, in no small part, thanks to him. She wouldn't ever want to go back to that time for so many reasons, but she missed the camaraderie they shared while they were still on the Normandy together. In a lot of ways, this felt like that. Except, now it was filled with a lot of awkwardness and regret.

He leaned back into the couch, too, his own strip of bacon in hand. "It was, wasn't it?" he said with a smile that Shepard matched before the conversation dulled into them both enjoying their breakfast. Neither of them particularly wanted to revisit memories of the war. After a few bites, Shepard turned to Kaidan, noticing that he had been staring at her.

"What?" she asked, noticing his look of amusement returning.

"So, I have to assume that this is why you disappeared this morning," he said, finally pointing to her hair again.

Shepard laughed, realising that she still hadn't given him an explanation. "Ah, right. Yeah. Kidnapped by your sisters, I'm afraid. I only just managed to make an escape for it right before coming down here."

"That explains a lot. So what happened? Did Maisie force you to do it? I can have a talk with her if she's bothering you. I mean… more than she's already been causing trouble."

"Oh, no. No need for that. Aside from the whole misunderstanding, your family's been great. Really. I actually did this for Libby. With Raiya and Maisie's help, of course."

"Ah, okay," he said, finally putting all of the pieces together. "That makes a lot more sense now. Has she seen it yet?"

"She has," Shepard nodded.

"And how did that go?"

"Surprisingly well, actually. She's just having a bit of a rough time, but I think things have been successfully smoothed over between us."

"Good," he said, sitting back on the couch and relaxing a bit more. "That's good."

Another moment of silence passed between them.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"I didn't say it before, but after I saw her reaction yesterday, I felt like a bit of an idiot. I think she's always felt a little left out of this family. She and I are both the middle children. That usually means we'd be the ones getting the least attention. Because of my biotics and everything that went on at Jump Zero, I got a lot of special treatment from the family. I think that resulted in her feeling completely left out most of the time when we were growing up. This wedding was supposed to be about her, and now I've gone and taken that too."

Shepard nodded at that in quiet contemplation. She could understand the predicament. Maybe it wasn't all fun and games growing up with a lot of siblings after all. "If it's any consolation, when I talked to her, it didn’t sound like she was upset with you. Maybe she wouldn't have told me, though, since everyone has gotten the impression that we're dating," she said with a weird emphasis on the word. She noticed a weird expression on Kaidan’s face that she couldn't quite read. She figured the assumptions were just getting to him too. "But anyway, she seems like she's putting a lot of stress on herself over everything. She misses your dad. I wouldn't be surprised if she's feeling a little alone right now, but I don't think her outburst was really about you taking her day away from her."

"Well, that's good to know, but I think I should go talk to her later all the same."

"I think she'd like that," Shepard said honestly. Libby did seem like she could use some more emotional support than she'd been getting through all of this. Maybe it would give them both a chance to talk about their dad more.

Kaidan glanced at her. It looked like he was unsure of what to say. He let out a sigh. "Can I admit something?"

Shepard looked at him, confused as her heart began to flutter. "Always."

"I'm really glad you came, even with this whole mess. When I saw you in Vancouver and heard you needed a place to stay, I was almost glad for it. I think our talk in the cabin yesterday made me realise why."

Shepard perked her head up slightly to show that she was listening intently.

"Did I tell you that this is only the second time I've seen them all since I got back to Earth?"

"No, I don't think you ever mentioned that."

"I still remember the day I got here, and it wasn't a happy one, at least, not for me."

Shepard looked at him curiously.

"Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing my family. I missed them. It was a relief knowing that they were okay, and of course, they were happy to see me. Things weren't so simple on my end, though. To them, me coming home was like an answer to their prayers. I had been MIA, so knowing that I was safe was something to celebrate. But to me, coming back to Earth was just confirmation that my dad was really gone. For them, their whole focus was me providing them with something to celebrate and be happy about. It was like I was filling a void. I couldn’t take that away from them. But the whole time I was here, it just felt like something was missing. It felt wrong. I forced my happiness for their sake, but I'll admit there was a part of me that was dreading coming back here. I guess I just liked the idea that I'd have someone else to focus on. Have a distraction so I could be that for them again when this is supposed to be a happy occasion."

Shepard paused with the severity of the statement. She could understand wanting something to make those feelings easier. She could see herself serving as a good distraction for that, though she was sad about the circumstances of why he needed one. Of course she'd be that for him, though. It was even enough to make her feel a little less regret for coming out here, knowing that her presence might make things easier on him.

"Well, you've served as a good distraction in my moment of need. Least I can do is offer you the same," she said with a halfhearted grin, hoping that it was a casual enough statement. If circumstances had been different, she'd say something like she'd always be that for him whenever he needed it, but she knew she couldn't be promising things like that anymore.

Kaidan's eyes softened at the gesture. "I'm glad I could have been that for you. But still, I'm sorry things have turned into such a mess here. I never meant for things to get so out of hand. I just hope you don't regret coming."

It was like he was reading her mind or something. Maybe she wasn't as good at hiding it as she thought she was. Of course she regretted it, just not in the way he thought. The more misunderstandings happened, the more she wished they were real. She wished that they had woken up in the cabin with smiles on their faces and light kisses as they cuddled more deeply without a care in the world, instead of quickly and embarrassingly separating themselves. She wished that she could have gone through his family photos with him at her side, hearing every one of his stories associated with them. She wished that she could hug him now while he was struggling to come to terms with losing his father. She wanted her admission to Raiya to mean something, and her efforts to appease Libby to be the first of many bonding moments. As much as she hated to admit it, she wished Maisie would get to flaunt the fact that she was right about her and Kaidan's relationship this whole time.

"Don't worry. I don't regret it," she said, practically lying straight to his face.

"Well, good. I'm glad. I'd hate for you to feel unwelcome here."

Shepard nodded at the irony of it, as she huffed out a laugh. "I think if anything, I'm probably a little too welcome."

"Right," Kaidan said with a sigh. "I'll have to figure out how to deal with everyone eventually. I'm not really sure how to get them to see reason on this one."

"That might be difficult, especially after this morning," Shepard admitted, though, she already regretted it, not knowing how to explain this one without saying too much.

"What happened this morning?"

"Oh, uh, nothing new,” Shepard amended quickly, trying to think of something. “Raiya and I just had a long discussion. Maisie had already gotten to her.”

"Ah, well, I guess I should have expected that," he said to Shepard's relief, glad that he didn’t prod more. "I don't know if it would do any good at this point, but I can call a family meeting to let everyone know we're really not together if it would make you feel better."

The thought of that gave Shepard an internal sense of panic. "I appreciate the thought, but if it's all the same to you, it might be best to leave the lectures about that until after we leave. Libby's already had enough stress with everything, and this week really should be about her. We should probably try not to add more drama than there already is," she said. She really didn't want to burden Libby with more drama, but a big part of her was worried about the ramifications from Raiya now too. She had confided in her, and telling her that there was no relationship after admitting that she loved Kaidan felt like it would be a betrayal of her trust that she was gracious to give in the first place. Shepard figured that would have the potential to add a considerable amount of drama. This was meant to be an important time for their family and she wasn't about to ruin it or make things worse for Libby. She could deal with the fallout later, after the Alenkos had all enjoyed this time together.

Kaidan looked at her more seriously after that. "Okay. If that's really how you want to deal with it, I'm fine with that. I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable while you're here."

"It's fine. I'd rather not make things any worse than they already are. If we act casually enough and just don't confirm anything, maybe they'll drop it."

Kaidan looked at her and nodded in confirmation, the air filled with silence.

"Oh, there you two are," they both heard from behind them. They sat up straight and practically whipped around, startled by the suddenness. Ada was standing at the bottom of the steps.

Kaidan and Shepard looked at each other a little shocked for not having heard her come down the stairs. They hadn't even considered that they were having this conversation so out in the open until now.

Ada staggered momentarily, as she caught sight of Shepard. "Well, you certainly look different. I hope my daughter didn't put you up to that," she said, referencing Shepard’s new hair.

"It's a long story, but don't worry about it. Nothing was done against my will," she said with a small laugh.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. But anyway, there's still so much to be done before tomorrow. Would the two of you mind giving me some help?"

"Of course, mom," Kaidan said, already getting off the couch to help.

"Great. The lawn needs to be mowed, and there's a bunch of dead branches on the ground out there."

"Sure thing. But Jane's still recovering, so she should probably sit out."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I already had plans to put her to work helping me out in the kitchen. That way, she can still take it easy."

"I don't know if you want to do that," Kaidan said with a laugh. "She's a spacer, military brat. She's used to eating rations or cafeteria food. I don't think she's cooked a day in her life."

Shepard gave him a disgruntled look as she also stood from the couch, meeting them in the foyer. "Hey! I can cook."

"Sandwiches aren't cooking," he said with a teasing grin.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of payback for saying that you burned the garlic or something?"

Kaidan gave her a defensive look. "No, nothing like that. Just want to give my mom a fair warning," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, hush. It's just food prep, Kaidan. I'm not going to make her cook anything. I'm sure she can peel some carrots," Ada said.

"That, I can do," Shepard said with a smile.

"See? Perfect," she said, giving them both a satisfied grin. "Now stop teasing her, and Jane, you can meet me in the kitchen when you're ready," she said, bustling her way over there.

"You think you'll be okay in there alone with her?" Kaidan asked.

Shepard let out a small chuckle. "I've been in plenty worse situations than food prep, Kaidan. I think I'll be fine. The carrots, on the other hand… well, we'll just have to see about that."

That brought a smile back to Kaidan's face. "I wasn't talking about the carrots, Shepard, but I think you know that. It can be intimidating to be around parents. Especially if she might have gotten the idea that we're together."

"Yeah," she said, still looking slightly amused with herself. "Well, I've already been stuck with each of your sisters at some point or another today. I'm sure I'll be fine with your mom, too."

"All right, if you're really sure."

"Something tells me there's no backing down from your mother," she said, as she went back to pick up her and Kaidan's dishes.

"There really isn't. She's a force to be reckoned with. But then again, so are you."

Shepard smiled at that. "That may be true, but it's one thing to be up against a reaper. It's another thing entirely being up against parents. I'm not so sure I could win in a fight against your mom."

"You're not instilling much confidence here, Jane. You sure you're going to be okay left alone with her?"

"It was a joke," Shepard said with a grin. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Okay," he finally agreed. "But if you need anything, don't hesitate to come out and flag me down."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," she said as she finally walked off towards the kitchen. Kaidan's mother seemed to be the least prodding of the bunch somehow, so she really hoped it would be fine. All she had to do was keep her foot out of her mouth… Then again, maybe that was something to worry about after all.

#f!Shenko #f!Shepard/Kaidan Alenko #f!Shepard #Kaidan Alenko #mass effect #fanfiction #mass effect fanfiction #mini slow burn #angst #friends to lovers #accidental dating #my fic on tumblr #my writing

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