If It Meant Living: Mass Effect 1

16: Interlude

The chilly morning breeze came in off the ocean and blew at the wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail.  Shepard ran along the beach, tempting the water to reach her with every wave.

The three weeks following the attack on the Citadel had been nothing less than insane.  There had been debriefings with the Council, followed by debriefings with the Alliance.  She and Anderson had received an Official Stern Look for the “lockdown incident.”  They had almost immediately thereafter been awarded medals for valor for everything that came after and because of that incident.

There had been a mountain of crew commendations and recommendations for promotions for her to write, all of them deserved.  There had been a series of memorial services honoring those that had died aboard the ships destroyed in the battle.  Those were followed by memorial services for the inhabitants of the Citadel that had been killed when Sovereign exploded. 

Mourning appropriately completed, there were parties.  Good lord were there parties.  There was a friggin parade; a concert; four cocktail parties.  There was a huge fancy ceremony inducting Anderson to the Council, followed by another party – and what a party it was.  She chuckled remembering the shenanigans that had ensued.  And there was of course round-the-clock cleanup of the incredible mess the battle had made.

Then at long last, there was shore leave.

She turned in a wide arc to head back to the house.  She had warned Kaidan that when she went running, she meant it.  But still...she should turn around, lest she run forever.  With every step, a tiny bit of the weight of the world fell away. 

The weight had started out rather heavy; she had some steps still to go.

They were at his parents' retirement home outside Vancouver.  His parents, however, had absconded off to an undisclosed location.  They had spent most of the first day asleep – there were after all months’ worth of sleep to make up.  They had also spent the second day...inside.  Mostly in the bedroom.  Not entirely though, she recalled with a mischievous grin.  Probably best to not tell his parents about that.  But this morning she had awoken bright and early, refreshed, and with a powerful itch to get outside, in this beautiful, peaceful place. 

She had spent precious little time at the ocean in her life but had already decided that was something she would rectify going forward.  The ocean exerted a powerful force over her.  It was at once both magnificent and calming.  It stretched out from her feet to infinity, an entire world to its own.  When she stuck her feet in, the water swirled around her toes like an old friend, playful, teasing.  It was much too cold to go swimming, of course.  That was a shame – she would very much have enjoyed losing herself in the waters.

She looked out upon it in wonder, in awe, in joy.   In peace.

***

She jogged up the steps and through the screen door and was greeted by the aroma of...bacon?  Oh my god.

She snuck up behind Kaidan at the stove and slipped her arms around his waist.  "You. are. my. hero." 

He turned and smiled.  “I aim to please, ma’ – ”  She cut him off with a kiss before he could get himself into trouble.

After a minute he smiled against her lips.  “The bacon’s going to burn…”

“We can’t have that.”  She pulled away and went to sit at the table, impatiently awaiting presentation of her breakfast.

“How was your run?”  He asked as he set down a plateful of bacon, eggs and buttered toast before her.

“Glorious…though this may be better.”  She dug in immediately.