Parallax

Hello everyone! Chapter number next is up.

Thank you everyone for reading :)


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Corporal Toombs stood in the engineering bay, transfixed by a picture of a woman in a frame. She looked young, probably in her mid-twenties, and her dark eyes held a determined fire. The woman wore the Alliance uniform, her hair and makeup done perfectly to regulation. He could tell that she was no-nonesense from the fierce look on her unconventionally beautiful face.

She was dead.

He knew she was; there wouldn't be a picture otherwise. How did she die? Toombs hoped it didn't hurt her too much; his unit was not so fortunate. Thresher acid slowly dissolved armor and flesh. He still remembered the pain and the screams that roared through his head whenever it got too quiet. And the Corporal knew that the VAO would tell him that he had PTSD. Then they'd give him medication that made him number than he already was; perhaps they'd make him talk about what happened.

Toombs tensed up when he heard someone approach.

"They are our best friends; they become closer than words can describe," Shepard murmured.

He nodded, still staring at the picture.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, killed in action," she sighed.

"That's what they tell you to say," Toombs murmured, "but it's not just 'killed in action'."

Shepard nodded solemnly, focusing intently on the photo.

"Ash, my only sister," she mumbled, "sentenced to death because I had to choose who had to live or die."

"Why?" Toombs asked, his voice taking on a child-like tone.

"There were two teams," Shepard replied, "Ash was in one, Kaidan in the other. Geth had her team pinned down at her location; Kaidan and a small group were guarding a bomb. The bomb was about to go off; I had to choose."

"Secure the bomb, save the higher ranking soldier," the Corporal murmured, "Why did the corporal live while everyone else died?"

Shepard sighed and shook her head, her eyes downcast.

"I don't know why shit happens the way it does," she said, putting a tentative arm around Toombs' shoulder. "What I do know is that when life gives you another chance, you take it."

"They're going to give me drugs and then leave me," he said.

"You'll get some therapy too," Shepard replied, "they'll check in with you. You aren't going to be ditched, Corporal."

Toombs visibly shook, his hands balling into fists. The Commander placed a reassuring hand on his arm and ushered him toward the elevator to get him to the med bay. Every so often, Toombs glanced backward at the photo of Ash, seemingly unwilling to part with it.

Shepard felt the hawk-like gazes of Garrus and Wrex upon her as she approached the elevator.

"I've got some tea in my quarters," she said, her voice louder than necessary, "it's got valerian root extract in it. It's a gentle, natural sedative; I drink some to sleep easier sometimes. You look tired, Toombs. Would you like some tea?"

His response was a dull affirmative, the elevator doors shutting behind them. As they slowly trekked to the middle level, Shepard calculated her next move. Toombs was ready to snap at any moment. And though Shepard cared about the Corporal, the safety of her crew took precedence. He had to be sedated.

Doing so without further traumatizing Toombs would be a risky task. He was already worried about being given drugs, and thanks to Cerberus, was likely terrified of syringes. And there was no way that he'd agree to being sedated.

When the elevator doors opened, Shepard ushered Toombs to the mess table and signaled for Murray to keep an eye on him. Over in the corner, her Lieutenant worked diligently, his hands flying over his work console. She hated to break his concentration, but she'd need his help in case things got out of hand.

"Lieutenant," Shepard called, immediately gaining his attention, "my office please."

"Yes, ma'am" he replied. He'd been meaning to talk to her.

Kaidan followed Shepard into her quarters. The doors closed behind him and he took the opportunity to pounce. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind, his head resting on top of hers. Kaidan inhaled deeply, taking pleasure in her clean, musky scent. Sighing, he ran his hands down to her hips and drew body flush against his.

"I want you tonight," Kaidan murmured.

His mouth traveled to the area behind her ear to plant a row of kisses down her neck. Shepard stepped forward, trying to remove herself from his amorous advances. He followed hips first, his body staying in contact with hers as much as possible.

"Love you," he cooed. Bringing his face to the back of her neck, Kaidan hunched his back in order keep his hips in contact with her backside. He inhaled deeply into the bottom of her hairline; he'd never tire of her smell.

"I've got to sedate Toombs," Shepard sighed.

She broke out of Kaidan's embrace and turned around to see him giving her a puppy face.

"Wait, what?" he hook his head, trying to change gears.

"He's losing it," Shepard replied, "I have to sedate him. He's becoming a liability."

She turned from her Lieutenant to rummage through her storage cabinet. Grabbing a mug and a bag of tea, she closed the door.

"Why are you getting tea?" Kaidan asked, suspicious.

"I'm going to put the meds in the tea and give it to Toombs," she shrugged, "I need you to be aware of the situation." Shepard turned to leave. She was set to take care of the problem.

"You can't do that!" Kaidan exclaimed, gently grabbing her arm.

"Why the hell not?" She countered, wrenching her arm away.

Kaidan's jaw dropped. He knew she was willing to do whatever it took to get her job done, but this crossed the line.

"It's completely unethical!" he said, throwing his arms in the air.

"Kaidan, you know me," Shepard hissed, "you know I wouldn't do this if it weren't for the right reasons."

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Knowing that Shepard had already thought of all possible outcomes to the situation, he was torn.

"Fine," Kaidan sighed, "but next time, I won't be so nice about it."

Shepard turned to face him and sauntered over.

"And what will you do next time?" she purred.

"I'll punish you, naughty girl," Kaidan growled, his hands seeking her hips.

He leaned over and planted his mouth on hers. Immediately, his tongue darted out to taste her. Kaidan ignored the awkward jab of the coffee mug that Shepard held in favor of drawing her closer. Memories of them messing around the other night flooded his mind as his hands roamed her body. Now that he knew where they stood, he wasn't going to hold back. Shepard pushed against his chest, effectively breaking off the kiss.

"Down boy," she chuckled, "we've got a traumatized soldier on board that will need constant monitoring regardless of if he's passed out on meds or not. Better cool it down or we'll end up spending the whole night hot and bothered."

"Too late," Kaidan huffed.

Shepard laughed and he cracked a smile. Yes, she was right. He'd rather have the whole night to themselves than to worry about anything pressing. Waiting would make everything worthwhile.

Kaidan followed her as she exited her quarters, exchanging a quick, affectionate gesture before turning his eyes to the mess table where Toombs was seated. Accompanying him was the dutiful Murray. Toombs talked in a rushed voice; Murray nodded and listened, trying to exude calmness to his traumatized counterpart.

Shepard and Kaidan made their way to the med bay to acquire the meds. Handing the mug to Kaidan and motioning for him to get hot water, the Commander spoke to Dr. Chakwas. Kaidan set about his work and intentionally ignored the heated debate between the doctor and Shepard. He was a neutral party in the matter; he had interest on both sides of the argument. Regardless of whether or not the tea would be drugged, Toombs would drink it.

"Make sure you do it right," Shepard's voice drifted over to him.

Kaidan chuckled and arched a brow in her direction.

"It's tea," he replied, "boil water and pour it into a cup. Add the bag. The end."

"But, if you cover it, you keep the steam inside," Shepard said.

"And what does that accomplish if he's going to drink it soon anyway?" Kaidan asked.

"It..." she trailed off, unable to think of an answer. "You just do it that way! Goddamn."

Shepard stormed out of the med bay as Kaidan chuckled and poured the water over the teabag. With a whoosh of air, the Commander was back, a plate tightly clutched in her hands. She grabbed the mug from Kaidan and put it on Chakwas' desk, slapping the plate on top of the mug with more force than necessary. Kaidan watched Shepard attempt to intimidate the tea into brewing faster with her glare alone. He could tell that she wasn't genuinely angry. Her mouth drew into a small pout, her brows furrowed. Her posture was hunched and her arms crossed. She looked more like a little waif than a fierce intergalactic special agent. Kaidan liked it when she pouted; it was too adorable.

Shepard's face slowly relaxed as the tea brewed. Reaching forward, she removed the plate and drained the excess tea from the bag.

"Here," Dr. Chakwas frowned, "this is on you. I will not put these in that drink."

She handed the Commander a cluster of capsules. Without preamble, Shepard uncapped them and dumped their powdery contents into the tea. With the capsules came a generous dose of sweetener to disguise the medicine's taste. She stirred the drink and left the med bay, her Lieutenant following behind her dutifully.

Shepard noted that Toombs stayed right where he had been. Placing the tea in front of the strung-out Corporal, she waited for it to take effect. It wouldn't be long before Toombs fell safely asleep.


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Hours later, Shepard sat at her desk, typing reports as quickly as she could. She'd been staring at her console too long; the letters blurred together into an endless stream of military jargon that sugar coated the fact that she'd drugged a traumatized man against his will.

The Commander heard a beep from her console. Someone was trying to call her. Glancing at the signature, she sighed. It was Anderson. Shepard pressed the button on her console to accept the untraceable call.

"Shepard," the Councilman's voice entered the room, "I have news that you need to hear about before you dock at the Citadel."

"What kind of news, sir?" she asked, hoping that it wouldn't interfere with her work.

"The Alliance has issued a statement about what happened between you and Alenko on the elevator two weeks ago. They've also released the elevator security footage as proof that the media took things out of context," Anderson said.

Shepard opened her mouth but found herself unable to come up with some form of rebuttal.

"That being said, the Alliance has stated that there were insufficient grounds to accuse the both of you of fraternization," he sighed, "at least, that's the official word. Classified files made accurate note of the truth of your relationship and will remain classified."

"So they're just sweeping everything under the rug," Shepard murmured.

Anderson sighed and ran his hands through his thinning hair. Shepard was always blunt about things. He knew he could count on her to complete her mission and be able to accept the risks with the grim determination and stubbornness she was capable of. Yet at the same time, Anderson knew that her sharp tongue was a liability. In fact, it was the reason that he'd picked the soft-spoken Alenko to be one of her officers. The Councilman had no idea that he'd become a matchmaker in the process.

"Essentially, yes," he replied, "your mission is too important for us to bog you down with regulations like that. You and Alenko are both too valuable to the Alliance to charge with fraternization, but the Alliance needs to support its own regulations. That being said, we are asking you to be discreet with your relationship; if you are not, then the Alliance will be forced to bring charges against you."

Anderson finished his sentence with a nod, a clear indication that he was done speaking about the matter.

"Understood, sir," Shepard replied, "there will not be any problems."

They said their goodbyes and the Commander leaned back in her chair, a large grin spread across her face. It made her happy beyond belief that the Alliance had issued a statement about her and Kaidan. She didn't care that it was, on all accounts, a complete and utter lie. Sure, they weren't together at the time that she and Kaidan had been caught dancing in the elevator, but it didn't matter. They were something now. It relieved Shepard that they wouldn't be hounded by the press over their relationship. There wouldn't be the swirling rumors of breakups and affairs that most famous people tended to receive.

Shepard and Kaidan would be together without the meddling of others. Suddenly, the world had gotten a lot less complicated.

Commander Shepard shut down her console work in favor of going to bed. Sleep would come easily that night.