Chapter 14

Everyone gawked as James fell to the floor. Before Shepard could dive on to his fallen body, Kaidan hastily gripped his arms around her waist to hold her back. "Shepard! What are you doing?"

She thrashed savagely. "Let me go, Kaidan!"

"Yeah! Get him, Commander!" The children cheered her on from behind.

Quick on his feet, Dan stepped in front of the kids and began to usher them back. "All right, that's enough excitement for all of you. Get to your aunt in the kitchen. Now!" As the children whined in protest, Dan looked over his shoulder at his son. "Kaidan, get them to another room!"

"Right!" Kaidan huffed as Shepard elbowed him in the ribs, trying to break free from his grip. "Shepard, get a hold of yourself!"

Rahna ran over to James, who was slowly sitting up, trying to get his bearings. "Are you okay?" She held out a helpful hand.

James waved her off. "Yeah, I'm okay…I think."

"Not when I'm done with you, you asshole!" Shepard hissed through her teeth.

"The hell is wrong with you, Lola?" James slowly stood up.

"Let's take this into another room. Come on, Shepard!" Kaidan ordered, glancing behind him. Even though his father had pushed his cousins out of the room, he could still hear their objecting moans.

"We wanna see the fight!"

"Yeah! Go Commander!"

Shepard continued struggle against Kaidan's grasp, swearing and scratching at his hands. With a fluid sweep of his arm, Kaidan lifted her over his shoulder. "Let me go!" She angrily pummeled her fists against his back.

Kaidan ignored her griping as he turned to the others. "James, follow me. Rahna, go tell my parents that everything is under control."

Rahna reluctantly nodded in response. She watched Kaidan stomp up the stairs, carrying his angry Commander over his shoulder, while James followed him.

"Kaidan, if you don't let me go, I swear I'm going to punch you in the neck!" She snarled at him.

"You can do that as soon as I get you away from all the witnesses." He grunted as he led them into one of the guest rooms. He tossed her onto the bed and she quickly scrambled to her knees, ready to pounce again. Before she could leap at James, he stepped between them.

"Out of the way, Kaidan." She said menacingly.

"Before you spill blood in my home, could one of you tell me what's going on?" Kaidan asked them both, keeping himself firmly planted between them as a buffer.

"I don't know what she's so loco about!" James rubbed at his bruised jaw and threw a look at Shepard. "If anyone has the right to be pissed off, it should be me!"

"What? You've got to be kidding!" Shepard let out a short derisive laugh. "Why would you be pissed off at me?"

"Will you please tell me how you know this guy?" Kaidan asked her, exasperated.

Shepard glared at James. "He's the bastard who cheated on me."

"What?" Kaidan and James exclaimed simultaneously.

Shepard slowly sat up on the bed. "I walked away without doing anything that night, and it was my biggest regret in life. But now that he's here, I'm going to have to kick his ass. So, Kaidan…" She turned to him with a deadly expression. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

"What are you talking about, Lola? I never cheated on you!" James stepped forward.

"Bullshit! I walked in on you fucking another woman!"

James shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The day before my transfer, my commander let me go off-duty early so I could prepare for my departure. I came to our apartment and saw you in bed with a woman pinned under you!"

Kaidan turned to look at James, only to find him completely baffled. "That wasn't me!" James denied adamantly.

"That's what they all say." Shepard responded heatedly.

"Lola, that's impossible. I was gone early that morning and didn't come back until late evening. I waited for you to come home all night and you never showed! I had to ask around the next morning to find out that you just left without saying anything to me or anyone!"

"Impossible, my ass! I guess you have an alibi?"

"I do, yeah!"

"Who?"

"Anderson." James said flatly.

His answer rendered her speechless for a second. She shook it off and narrowed her eyes at him. "What about Anderson?"

James awkwardly shifted in place. He glanced at Kaidan who simply stood mutely to the side. James let out a heavy sigh and met Shepard's hard gaze with tired eyes. "I was with Anderson for most of that day."

"How? Anderson wasn't even stationed at the base."

"I know. I drove two hours out to meet him at the Alliance base in Phoenix."

"What were you doing with Anderson?" She asked warily.

"I had to ask him something." James muttered.

"Ask him what?" She pursued.

James threw up his hands and yelled, "I was fucking asking for his fucking permission to fucking marry to you, all right?"

At those words, Kaidan felt his blood run cold as the color drained from Shepard's face. She was as still as a statue, unable to even move her lips to respond.

Kaidan took a dry swallow and turned to James. "You were going to propose to Shepard?"

"Yeah." James crossed his arms and stared uncomfortably at his shoes. "I figured that if I was going to take that leap, I was going to do it all the right way. Anderson is basically her father, so I made sure I would ask him face to face rather than over a comm link."

James raised his eyes to gaze at Shepard. "Anderson wasn't going to be Earth-side until the day you before you left, so I made sure to go after him as soon as I got the chance." James let out a dry laugh at the memory. "Shit, he scared the hell out of me. Lectured and threatened me for what seemed like hours. Next thing I knew, we were in the officer's club, drinking down a bottle of mezcal to celebrate. Anderson got me onto a late evening shuttle back to our base."

James' mouth turned into a thin line. "If you had said yes to my proposal, Anderson was going to arrange it so that I would join you at your new base. But I got home, waited all night, but you never came. Just left all your things behind and didn't say goodbye. I tried to call you a hundred times but you blocked me from every single one of your comm channels and returned all my emails."

"Anderson never said anything to me." She whispered.

"Anderson thought the same thing I did. We both figured that you somehow found out that I was going to propose and you bolted away before I got a chance to do it. You know, cold feet. He probably figured it was best to play ignorant since it was your business and all. I never would have thought the reason you disappeared was because you thought I was stupid enough to cheat on you."

"So…if it wasn't you that Shepard saw, then who was it?" Kaidan asked quietly.

James took a moment to think about it and then swore when the realization hit. "Damn it. I think I know. Lola, do you remember Bobby from the old squad?"

She slowly nodded and James let out an angry sigh. "That morning, I gave Bobby the spare keycard to our apartment. Since you were leaving the base, the commander was moving me back to the barracks since the units were specifically for couples. Bobby was next in line to get the place with his girlfriend and he asked me if he could grab a look at it before they moved in. Bet you anything that it was them having themselves some thrill sex in our bed. Culo!" He swore and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Shepard asked, her ire rising.

"Well, what the fuck do you believe then?" James shot back. "I just gave you an alibi…two of them if you count Bobby! It pisses me off that you threw our relationship out the hangar over a damned assumption. If you thought it was me in bed with another woman, then why the hell didn't you bust into the room and kick some cajones?"

Shepard winced and looked away. She recalled it too easily. The flash of pain stabbing at your heart, discovering the person you loved was with someone else. The tears burning under her lids as the image seared into her brain. "I don't know. When it came to fight or flight, I went with the latter."

"Well, I'm glad you took the rational route." James said sarcastically.

Shepard glared at him balefully. "You could still be lying."

"Doesn't matter now. If you punched that guy in our bed like you did to me a few minutes ago, we wouldn't even be having this damned conversation. If you excuse me, I'm going to ask the Major for some ice for my jaw." He said irritably and trudged out the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kaidan and Shepard remained in silence for several minutes. He looked over at Shepard and saw the tempest of emotions running across her face. She was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, clutching at the quilt underneath her hands.

Everything she had believed about her former first love has been shattered into thousand pieces. She was left to pick up the broken shards, searching for something that resembled the truth.

Kaidan saw the pain in her eyes and tried to ignore the unsettling sensation battering against his gut. "Shepard." He said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She replied lifelessly.

Kaidan gently reached down to take hold of her chin, brushing his thumb against her cheek. "It's a lot to take in."

"Yeah…it is." Shepard murmured and met his concerned gaze. "Kaidan…could you leave me alone for a few minutes?"

"Sure. Take all the time you want."

Kaidan bent down to kiss her gently on the forehead. He left the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He leaned his back heavily against the door and took a deep breath. He didn't know what to do or what to say.

Damn it, how was he supposed to act in a situation like this?

From inside the room, he heard Shepard's faint muffled voice through the door. "Anderson? Are you busy? I have something I want to ask you about…"

Kaidan took another steady breath, ignored the sinking feeling in his chest, and walked away.

Dan had coerced his nieces and nephews to grab their plates and eat outside. He was able to buy their compliance with promises of ice cream as long as they behaved themselves for half an hour. With Shepard still shut in upstairs, the rest decided to start eating in the dining room.

Kaidan picked at his food as he stole glances at everyone else around the table. James held an ice pack to his face as he shuffled the roast beef around his plate. His mother was trying to lighten up the atmosphere by engaging in small talk with Rahna. His father was taking frequent sips from his coffee mug, which Kaidan assumed was laced with liquor.

Kaitlyn, who didn't witness the disastrous event firsthand, turned to James. "You haven't even touched your meal, sweetheart. Does it not taste good?"

"Oh." James lifted his head, broken out of his reverie. "No, it's great, Mrs. A."

"Does your jaw still ache? I know you Alliance soldiers are rowdy, but you really shouldn't be rough-housing while you're inside the house." Kaitlyn chastised.

Kaidan looked at Dan, who took another long swig from his mug. Apparently 'rough-housing' was the story his father had given his mother.

"Yes, ma'am. And don't worry, your food is great as always." And to prove his statement, James began to shovel food into his mouth.

"I think it's quite amazing." Rahna smiled at James before turning to Kaitlyn. "That he and Shepard knew each other from long ago before. It's an incredible coincidence that they met here today."

Kaitlyn nodded. "It is, isn't it? Tell me, James. How did you and Shepard know each other from before?"

James swallowed down the food in his mouth before he answered. "We…uh…were both in the same squad when we were recruits."

"You must have been very close." Rahna said thoughtfully.

James lowered his eyes back down to his plate. "Uh…I guess so."

Kaitlyn's eyes softened as she gazed at James. "You know what? I think you and Shepard would make such a lovely pair."

Kaidan and his father both choked on their drinks at her comment. Dan put down his mug and turned to his wife. "Honey, don't say odd notions like that. You'll make the boy feel weird."

"Why not? I'm just saying that they both suit each other." Kaitlyn replied, clueless to her son's discomfort.

"I agree." Rahna concurred and looked at Kaidan. "Two people reunited after so many years. It's very romantic."

Before Kaidan could change the subject, James spoke up. "The Commander and I just knew each other back then. Simple as that. Nothing romantic about it."

"Aw, James…" Kaitlyn started.

James gave her a crooked smile. "Sorry, Mrs. A. But she is an interstellar hero. She can find someone better than me." His eyes quickly went to Kaidan and darted back to his mother. "Besides, I need to keep myself free when you finally decide to leave your husband so we can run off together into the sunset."

"Oh, you." Kaitlyn giggled as she waved James off.

Feeling a mixture of relief and guilt, Kaidan watched his father amicably swat James on the back for his joke. He found himself laughing along with them.

Rahna laughed as well, but her gaze never left Kaidan's face.

After they were finished with the meal, Kaidan helped his mother clear the plates off the table while Dan made good on his promise to the children and called them all to the truck to take them out for ice cream.

In the kitchen, Kaitlyn wrapped up a plate of food and set it to the side. "Shepard still hasn't come down yet. Should I take the plate up to her?"

"You don't have to worry about it, mom. She…was on an important call with a Citadel Councilor." Kaidan murmured, stacking the dishes into the washer.

"It must be a very daunting job to be a Spectre." Kaitlyn sighed.

"Yeah, guess it is."

James stepped into the kitchen. "Hey, Mrs. A. I'm sorry that I won't be able to stick around for dessert. I just got a message from my captain. I need to head back to the base as soon as possible."

"Oh, that's too bad." Kaitlyn frowned. "We hardly see you anymore."

"Sorry. I'll stop by again the next time I'm in town. I'll send the Major a message to let him know I had to go while he was gone."

Kaitlyn gave him a hug. "Make sure you do. Stay safe, darling."

"I'll see you out." Kaidan threw the dishtowel in the sink.

As they passed the dining room, James nodded to Rahna who was still sitting at the table. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Rahna smiled and raised a hand to bid him goodbye. "The same. I hope we meet again."

As they approached the front door, James turned around to shake Kaidan's hand. "Thanks for having me over, Lieutenant. Sorry for the craziness."

Kaidan shook his head. "Nothing to apologize for."

James briefly paused. "And…take care of Lola…I mean, Shepard, for me…will you?"

Kaidan widened his eyes in surprise. "You know?"

"I'd be a lousy soldier if I didn't have an instinct about these things." James grinned wryly.

Kaidan shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm…sorry."

"Shit happens." James shrugged, trying to mask the grief coming through his indifferent façade. "Just treat her good, okay?"

"James."

They both turned to see Shepard coming down the stairs. She walked up to James, straightened her shoulders, and took a deep breath. "One punch."

James blinked. "Huh?"

Shepard folded her hands behind her back. "I'm giving you a free shot…anywhere you want, go for it."

James glanced at Kaidan, who returned his confused expression, and turned back to Shepard. "What do you mean, Lola?"

Shepard evenly met her eyes to his. "I'm sorry for punching you earlier. To make up for it, you can take a swing at me."

James crossed his arms. "What brought this on?"

"I…spoke to Anderson. We talked for a while. I was wrong. I'm sorry, James." Shepard mumbled her apology.

James let out a small chuckle. "It's okay. I guess one of these days this'll be a great story to tell while I'm drunk."

Shepard squared her shoulders again. "I'll feel better if you give punch me. Do it."

"You're kidding me, right?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Punch me, James. I outrank you now. It's a direct order." She stated and squeezed her eyes shut.

James looked at Kaidan again, who merely shrugged. James sighed, made a fist, and stepped forward. "All right. Here it comes."

Shepard braced herself for the hit. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, and James lightly chucked her in the chin. Before she could protest, He gave her a familiar impish grin and turned around to leave.

"Later, Lola. Take care of yourself." He called over his shoulder as he strolled out the door.

After the door closed, Shepard felt her chest agonizingly tighten against her heart. She shakily wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make sense of the painful desolation that suddenly came stabbing at her being.

Kaidan watched the gloom wash over her sea green eyes and slowly reached out to take her into his arms.

From behind, Rahna cleared her throat and they both spun around. She flashed a beautiful smile, "Mrs. Alenko wants you to know that dessert is ready."

"Oh…right." Kaidan turned to Shepard. "Uh…my mom set a plate aside for you if you're hungry."

"Yeah." Shepard took a deep breath to stop any tears escaping from her eyes. "That sounds great."

Rahna sympathetically tilted her head at Shepard. "Mr. Vega seems to be such a nice gentleman. I'm sorry that he had to leave so quickly. He spoke nothing but sweet things about you. You must have been very close."

"Yeah." Shepard grimaced from the pain gripping her chest again.

Kaidan saw the anguish return on her face and turned to place a reassuring hand on her arm. Before it could touch her shoulder, Rahna stepped up and gently took Kaidan by the hand. "Come on, Kaidan. Your mom said she wanted your help again."

Unable to reply, Kaidan allowed Rahna to lead him away.

A/N: Sorry that my updates have been getting to about every week, but I've been trying to make them longer as they go XD

And please don't worry, James will be coming back to the story. =)