Spectre B. 02

A/N - Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

Shepard protects a close friend from political shenanigans.

*****

For the first time that I could remember, most of my squad was staying out of my way. The only one who seemed confident enough to come close to me was Garrus. We were a few hours out of Aite with a young man being cared for in the med-bay by Doctor Chakwas and Mordin. Everyone on the ship was now aware of what we'd found on Aite.

Georgia stated in the shuttle on the way back to the

Normandy

that she was done with Cerberus after what we'd found. She would see out the mission and that would be it. She'd pack her things Jack was left as upset as I'd ever seen her. No anger. No fury. Genuine tears at the sight of the young man effectively being tortured by his own brother.

As for Miranda, I hadn't seen her since we had returned to the ship. I'd managed to rein in my anger when it came to talking to the Illusive Man about what we found. But as much as Georgia stated that she was done with Cerberus once we had defeated the Collectors, I'd now learned more than enough to know that Cerberus were as bad as Ashley had suggested on Horizon what felt like eons ago.

I'd already been in touch with Major Anderson on the Citadel. He patched me through to Admiral Hackett, and after explaining everything that we'd found, it was suggested that we take David Archer to Jon Grissom Academy. He would get the best of care there as his brother, Doctor Gavin Archer, had suggested that his younger brother was positively brilliant.

Garrus sat opposite me in the mess, looking up from a datapad to see the bottle of liquor. "Notice how absolutely no one is around you right now, Shepard?"

"Yeah, I know."

"If you'd shot him in the head, no one would have blamed you either."

"I wanted to. Trust me, I wanted to. But I wanted him to spend the rest of his life living with the guilt... While looking in the mirror and seeing the scars that I left on his face."

He poured two generous pours and handed me a glass. "Georgia was rather vocal about it. You know what though? I don't think it's going to take much more for Miranda to follow you out the door, Shepard. There was absolutely no way that she could justify what happened, and Archer... Well, he pretty much confirmed that his boss was aware of everything going on."

"I'll talk to Miranda later though I'm not sure there's much I could say."

We sipped at a couple of drinks, just shooting the shit, and I'll admit that spending time with a good friend did have me feeling better. He had me chuckling with a couple of old stories from his time at C-Sec on the Citadel and even managed to remember one or two from when he was on Omega. I think dealing with Sidonis had helped him remember the good work that he'd been doing there.

It was late in the evening by the time we agreed that it was probably best to head to bed. We'd both enjoyed quite a few drinks. Given that I wasn't much of a drinker, I was certainly feeling it. Garrus stumbled towards the front batteries as that's when he slept. I staggered towards Miranda's bedroom, the door open and I walked inside.

Her room was dark except for the lamps providing faint illumination to either side of her bed. I could see the outline of her body under the sheets.

"Miranda?"

"I'm awake, Shepard. I can't sleep," she replied.

Sitting down next to her, I could see the pile of tissues on the nightstand. In that moment, I knew it would only take a nudge for Miranda to walk away. She'd seen too much. Learned too much. And despite the fact that the Illusive Man had hired her because of her brilliance, she understood that he simply didn't care about anyone except himself and his goals.

"Guessing it's been a bad day for most of us," I whispered, running my hand up and down her bare upper arm.

"I wanted to shoot him, Shepard. I stood there, watching you bash his face in, and I was happy that you were doing it. Because I wanted to put him against the wall and shoot him. Who does that to their own brother?"

"That's why we're taking him to Grissom Academy. Anderson has already been in touch with the woman who runs it. Someone by the name of Kahlee Sanders is in charge. Hopefully she won't freak out when a Cerberus vessel appears on their systems."

"I sometimes don't know how you still do it, Shepard."

"What do you mean?"

"Working for... him... After everything that I've learned, I can only thank you even more that you didn't just wake up and start blasting."

"If I'd done that, I would have missed out on a wonderful woman in Georgia, and a simply incredibly woman in you, Miss Lawson." I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "And remember, you are nothing like them. You are better. I've seen it in you."

I heard her sniff, and she chuckled. "Have you been drinking, Shepard?"

"Garrus was trying to cheer me up. It worked. We had a good laugh." I kissed her cheek again and asked, "Want me to stay?"

"Please," she whispered.

Snuggling up against her once I was undressed, I felt her shuffle to get comfortable and I was pleased to hear her lightly snoring within a few minutes. I didn't wake as early as always and my mouth felt dry. Miranda woke up as I was getting dressed, giving me a crooked smile before she got up and joined me out in the mess. We checked on David, thankful that he was sleeping. Chakwas sensed that we were there and woke up. She gave us a quiet update.

"Physically, he seems to be fine. But psychologically... Shepard, he's already autistic, but what his brother has put him through... We've certainly made breakthroughs in understanding the human brain in recent decades, but the torture that he's been put through... I simply can't even begin to list the long-term effects of what's happened to him."

"We'll be at Grissom Academy by the afternoon. Hopefully they'll be able to give him the right treatment."

After breakfast, most of the crew disappeared to one of the lounges to discuss things. I knew they were not all going to pack up and go, but I knew they were now only remaining out of loyalty to me. I had a feeling that most of them wouldn't even take the money that each contract would give them. It was tainted money.

Chakwas was still monitoring David, Mordin now back in his lab as there was little assistance he could now provide. She looked up as I walked through the door, standing on the other side of the bed upon which the young man was unconscious. Chakwas made sure he was kept asleep during the journey from Aite to Grissom Academy.

"We need something nice to remember after all of this, Karin," I stated, "So after we make sure David is safe and sound on Grissom, I'm having the ship head towards the Citadel. I've got a promise to keep." I met her eyes to see her smiling somewhat shyly at me. "Do you have a dress?"

"Maybe I should go shopping for one?"

"I've already made reservations for the night after tomorrow. You'll have plenty of time once we've docked on the Citadel. Take some of the girls."

"Oh... Won't they be jealous?" I gave her a look that had her smiling again. "Well... I mean... Yes, of course!"

"Good. Lucky that I still have that tuxedo that Kasumi had me wear the other week."

What pleased me was that nearly everyone was waiting by the airlock as David was led towards us by Chakwas. Thankfully, Grissom had been informed about our arrival on a Cerberus ship. Once the docking arm was in place, the pressure was equalised, and the door opened to reveal a small group of people waiting for us.

"Lieutenant Sanders?" I asked.

A blonde woman immediately smiled at me. "Commander Shepard," she replied, stepping forward and offering her hand, "Anderson has told me so much about you."

She joined us on the flight deck with a couple of physicians. After a conversation with Chakwas about his condition, the physicians escorted David off the ship while I followed Sanders alongside Chakwas to stand off the ship. I explained in brief detail how we'd found him on Aite and an overview of the experiments that his brother had been doing to him. Sanders couldn't hide her disgust.

"Anderson told me that you're with them to defeat these Collectors that I keep hearing about. After that?"

"Trust me, once we've defeated them, I'm gone. And so is everyone else. I think Aite is the straw that broke the camel's back for a lot of people."

"Thank you for bringing him here, Shepard," she stated, "We'll look after him and make sure that he gets the care that he deserves."

"Thanks. It was either here or the restarted Jump Zero. Anderson suggested this place."

"And he was right. Where are you going next?"

"Citadel. Then... I don't know, to be honest. I have to rely on someone for information. It's a slow process sometimes."

"Good luck, Shepard. I'm sure that I echo the thoughts of billions of humans."

Joker had the

Normandy

heading towards the Citadel once we had pulled away from Grissom Academy. I wasn't expecting Anderson or Sanders to keep me up to date with David's treatment and recovery, but if they were able to give me some good news in the future, it would certainly help me feel better about things.

The mood was better on the ship once we docked on the Citadel a couple of days later. I'd taken time to speak to everyone who had been on the ground during our mission to Aite. Jack was pleased that David was going to be receiving the care and attention that she never had. Georgia was wracked with guilt though even Jack was assuring her that she shouldn't be feeling that way. Amelie was ready to go to war with Cerberus. Others like Leliana were regretting accepting the contract though nearly all the recruits were now pledging their loyalty to me above anything else.

As for Chakwas, there was no missing her excitement about our date. As soon as the ship docked on the Citadel, she was at the airlock with Samara, Miranda, Kasumi and Kelly.

"Reservations are for eight," I told them.

"We'll be back in plenty of time," Miranda assured me, "Although are you coming back to the cabin, or have you booked elsewhere for the night?"

"We're heading to his cabin," Chakwas stated, "No need for us to stay anywhere else. We're both adults and I know that there will probably be gossip tomorrow morning."

"I'll meet you here by the airlock at half seven. We'll go for a drink before dinner."

I had told the crew that they were free to come and go as they pleased as I had nothing from the Illusive Man, and I wasn't aware of any requests from other crew members. I did receive a message from Sanders with a brief update on David's condition. It echoed what Chakwas had told me. Physically, he was okay. But she told me that it was going to take intense therapy for him to even slowly begin to recover from his ordeal.

The ship was almost deserted though it gave me time to do some work. Garrus walked past me while I was busy typing away at my terminal, joking that I shouldn't wait up as he had a hot date organised. I told him to have fun and that I'd let him know if we would be leaving in a hurry. Noticing Tali hadn't been one of the many to walk on by, I eventually found her down in engineering. She was delighted to see me as always, and I wondered why she hadn't gone with Chakwas and the girls.

"Gabby, Ken and I want to make sure this ship is absolutely perfect for when we go through the Omega Four," she explained, "We don't want it to be a one-way trip as much as you do. Therefore, there are protections we can put in place to make sure that the drive core will be ready to go, no matter what happens to the ship otherwise."

"Are you going to get off the ship while we're here?"

"Probably not. I've never felt particularly welcome when I'm on the Citadel, even when I'm in the company of others."

"Need me to go kick someone's arse?"

She chuckled at the offer. "No, Shepard. And I doubt you'd need to kick them. Just give them that stare of yours and they'd slink off."

I headed upstairs to my cabin with plenty of time to spare. Shaved. Showered. Dressed. EDI did let me know when Chakwas and the girls arrived back though I didn't want to see what she was wearing until we would meet. I was downstairs on the flight deck with a few minutes to spare. Joker had swung his chair around so we could talk to each other though I knew someone was approaching when his eyes widened.

There was a cleared throat, turning around to see Doctor Karin Chakwas looking... I'd never seen her in such a dress before. She smiled at me as I'm sure my jaw dropped wide. Her shoulders were bare though the hem was down past her knees, and she was wearing heels of the same colour. And from what I could see of her legs, she was wearing stockings as well. Faint make-up included some eye shadow to really bring out her eyes.

"Wow," I finally whispered.

"She scrubs up well, doesn't she?" Kelly asked. It was only then that I realised every woman of my squad was behind her. The fact that I hadn't noticed anyone except Chakwas quickly had them all laughing at me.

I kissed Chakwas on each cheek and felt her pressing her firm body against mine. "Now we expect you to bring her back nice and early, Shepard," Miranda stated with humour.

"And definitely control how much you choose to drink," Georgia added.

"I won't want too much to drink anyway," Chakwas stated.

We walked hand in hand away from the ship towards the Presidium as I knew Chakwas would want something quiet and intimate for our date. Conversation continued to flow easily as we ended up in a bar frequented by the numerous species of council space. Although we talked about our careers, we focused on stories before we started working together. Even though I had been rather well-known before joining up with the

Normandy

originally, she only knew the myth, not the man.

But much of our conversation through dinner focused on my 'death' and then my 'resurrection'. She was interested in how I had dealt with it all given that I had been gone for two years, everyone had moved on with their lives, and I woke up to find humanity under attack yet again.

"Having the mission to focus on straight away has probably helped me deal with it," I admitted, "I think if I'd been woken up and then just had to deal with it, knowing that I was with Cerberus, knowing that everyone thought me dead. What about you, Karin? We've talked a hell of a lot though... How did you deal with it?"

Chakwas sipped at her glass of wine as we were waiting for our main meals to arrive. "Your funeral was incredibly difficult, Shepard. The only thing that provided some amusement was the long line of women seated at the front. But I just remember that I was sad to have lost such a good friend. I remember our times chasing Saren fondly to this day."

"Any regrets?"

She reached forward to take my hand in hers. "I had only one. That I had been so worried about admitting an attraction to you and I knew that I had missed a chance at perhaps sharing something unique and special. I was never jealous of Ashley, Liara or anyone else you were with. Part of me knew that I would have thoroughly enjoyed joining in. But I'm still older than all of you by a margin. Liara might be older than me though certainly doesn't look it."

"No regrets now?"

"None at all. Shepard, I would have always been happy to just remain a good friend, like Samara or Kasumi. But... Well, I'm here now and I can't think of a single place that I'd rather be right now."

"And do you want it to end how I think we both want it to end?"

"Absolutely."

Dinner was fantastic and filling enough that Chakwas knocked back the offer of a dessert, choosing to finish with a hot drink before I paid the bill and we wandered out, again holding hands though Chakwas was soon leaning into my side, wrapping my arm around her. I'd chosen another bar for us to spend a few hours, buying her more than one glass of her favourite liquor and dancing to the music that allowed her to mould her body into mine. It was easy enough to just sway, numerous other couples surrounding us though our eyes were only for each other.

The first proper kiss we shared was a special moment. I made her smile when one of my hands immediately moved down her back to her firm arse. We kept things sensible while we were dancing although I didn't miss the fact that she did press her body even closer when it was obvious that she was exciting me. The way her eyes lit up made me chuckle. She gave me the sort of smile that suggested she liked what she could feel.

"Shepard... We should return to the ship," she said after yet another slow dance. We shared another kiss before she added, "I'm going to be blunt. I plan on waking up with you tomorrow morning. And I know you get up early, so the only request I have is that you stay with me."

"Of course."

The ship was quiet when we walked aboard a few minutes later. Taking the elevator up to my cabin, there was no sign of any nerves from Chakwas. I led her inside and down the steps towards the lounge.

"Drink?"

"I'm not here to have another drink, Shepard," she replied, turning to see her reaching behind to unzip her dress, "Though I think I do need help with this..."

She turned around so I could lower her zip from where it was on her upped back to just above her arse. The dress carefully slid down her body to reveal the fact that she hadn't worn a bra, dropping down over her firm arse to show that her panties didn't amount to much, and she was wearing thigh-high stockings and suspenders.

After carefully placing the dress on one of the lounges, she turned to face me, and I drank in her body. Breasts were probably just larger than a handful. Toned body otherwise. She was fit for a woman of her age. Stepping towards me, I felt her press against me again as we shared a steamy kiss. Dinner and dancing had been pre-foreplay. Her hands were quickly moving to get me as nearly naked as she was, making me chuckle when she was very careful when placing down my tuxedo and shirt next to her dress.

We were both completely naked once we ended up in bed together, her eyes continuing to gaze into mine as our hands explored each other. I knew how old she was, and although there were a few signs that she was mature, it was obvious that she had looked after herself. She spent a lot of time on her feet each day, and I knew she exercised and kept to a good diet.

Her nipples were darker than most of my other lovers though they were just as sensitive when it came to getting my lips wrapped around one. She was on her back, and as I pleasured her upper body, one of my hands was between her legs which were now spread wide, feeling the heat of her pussy. The moans she made only aroused me further.

"Shepard," she whimpered, glancing up to see her gazing at me, "I know what you want to do. All your girls..."

"Trust me, Karin... I've thought about this for a long time."

That made her smile. "Me too," she whispered.

Kissing down her body, I savoured her scent before I slowly ran my tongue up and down her slit. I could have teased her, but I wanted to taste her. She moaned as my tongue got to work, noticing that she grabbed a pillow to ensure that her head was lifted enough to watch me. Her hips slowly moved in time with my tongue.

"Yes!" she groaned softly, "Just like that, Shepard. Clit... Not too much... I'm very sensitive..."

"I'll do as the doctor ordered," I stated with humour. It earned a chuckle.