Long time no see. This takes place six months after ME2 Arrival DLC.

A Meeting Most Welcome

People on the Citadel were moving a little more animatedly lately. The cloaked figure could see this clearly. The peaceful illusion they held onto had finally been seen through, and yet news reports mentioned the Reaper invasion offhandedly like it was a small gang war no one needed to worry about.

When that thought went through the thief's mind, she could not help but glare at the news updates being broadcast above her on one of the many holographic displays. John worked so hard to protect them all, and yet when he was taken out by the Collectors a few months after the attack on the Citadel, they swept what he brought to light under the rug.

Of course, the figure did not know Shepard personally back then, but had been around the block quite a few times. What they tried to hide, the thief salvaged and viewed out of curiosity. And two years later, the figure met this man face to face. She did not know what to think of him at first. Just the feeling of him in the same room made you want to listen to his words.

His stature showed years of experience on the battlefield, but also showed a person who was open minded and did not let what he saw change him. And his: personality? Don't even get her started.

She recognized his face instantly, even though the last time she had seen him was from a news report after the first Reaper invasion with Geth. She remembered smiling at the face she saw when he was sent to recruit her. The thief had to admit she was having a fan girl moment. But that only went far enough for her to admit he looked quite handsome in her head. She met him for the first time back then.

After getting over the loss of her lover, she looked to him with gratitude when he did what she could not. She knew he did it to help her. If he had not deleted the graybox they could have eventually started a war if the information ever got out to the public. That was not the only reason. If he did not delete it, she would never have found the strength to move on with her life. And then it happened.

The spark.

She fell for him so suddenly and deeply that she thought she was sucked out of an airlock, and she waited for the right time to reveal her heart to him.

But she waited too long.

Tali'Zhorah Vas Normandy. An old friend of John's made her move first. The thief was not angry when she realized this. When she saw the quarian step out of his room and enter the elevator moments before the Omega 4 Relay, she was about to knock on John's door. She cloaked when it opened to show the girl who looked like she was glowing radiantly under that suit.

The thief's jaw dropped in shock as she slowly backed away from the door, and found her back hitting the far wall of the small lobby before sliding down into a sitting position.

John was not far behind the engineer, and stepped into the elevator as well in his armor. The close proximity the two were to each other in the elevator broadcasted itself like a drop of red food coloring in a glass of crystal clear water.

She sat there in a state of denial as the man's arm went around the woman's waist and pulled her close as the doors closed. Before they closed completely she saw what her brain could not comprehend as tears started to fill her eyes.

He kissed her. He kissed her on the visor right before her eyes in that split second before the doors closed.

It took her a few seconds to process what she had just seen. When the realization hit her, it hit hard. Tears ran down her face as she pulled her knees close to her in some childish attempt to shield herself from what she saw.

She was too late.

He visited her often within the few months it took them to get to where they are now. She sat and talked with him. They traded stories. He drank with her. After all of that, she failed. She saw something she had thought could make her happy again.

She thought she would no longer be alone.

He got to know the one and only master thief, Kasumi Goto. She wanted to lower her hood for him when he stepped into her room and smile warmly when he took in her face with those blue eyes of his as he returned his own grin.

But none of that mattered now. Tali had claimed him, and she was alone… again. But… at the same time… she was happy for them.

She got to meet Tali a few times, and they quickly became friends. Sure she felt betrayed, but John was never hers to begin with. If Tali loved him the same way she did, then who was she to get between them.

Her heart still ached ten minutes after Kasumi descended in the elevator. She felt like her legs were made out of led as she forced her shaking frame to stand and walk out of the lift.

Deep down she was happy for them. Fate had chosen John to be with Tali, and she will do everything to ensure nothing came between them.

With those thoughts in mind, she practically made John send herself into that vent. She hacked the systems as the tube she was standing in heated up quickly, and threatened to cook her alive.

Kasumi pushed on. At one time she thought she was going to die in that chamber, and was wondering if she should confess her feeling to the man over the radio before she died, and wish him a good future with the lucky woman who got to him first.

But she did not die.

She survived a suicide mission and stayed on the ship longer then she planned to be after they blew up that base. The thief helped him assist another old friend of his find the one the asari needed to rescue.

The asari who had helped make it possible for John Shepard to be alive today. And after that… she was still on the ship. Zaeed had long left. Jack went… who knows where? Grunt went to the krogan homeworld. Samara was making plans to leave within the next few days when the ship would arrive at the next station to refuel. Legion was the first to go after spending some time with Tali, exchanging data. Miranda and Jacob stayed on the ship for a while.

But why was she still there?

That was an easy one. She was afraid. Not of being homeless or low on credits. She had many places she could hide. She had an asari friend on a small station near the hanar homeworld. Credits were not a problem at all. She had multiple credit accounts under more than a dozen names. And she was always checking on those shady individuals that placed bids on what she already stole.

The Manalissa biddings were still going strong even though she had stolen it three years ago.

She just did not want to leave. Kasumi was afraid that at some point he would walk in on one of those times they would normally drink together and ask why she was still there.

In fact, that was a nightmare of hers once. Yeah… grunt was on a unicycle while punching a hanar riding an elcore in the face while a small Geth was doing the robot on the krogan's head, but it was still frightening.

And then Tali knocked on her door.

Her heart fluttered at the memory. She was no longer alone, and was loved by two people she felt the same way for. Tali's beautiful face visited her in her dreams. The feeling of John's muscles was still fresh on her mind. The smell of the man's aftershave when she hugged him the next morning became one of her favorite scents. Assisting Tali with putting her suit back on after another shower together.

After that night she felt as if she was living a dream. And the looks John got from the crew when she and Tali sat next to him for meals.

She made a few jaws, and what Gardner was cooking, drop when she gave them both a kiss, John on the lips and Tali on the visor, before scampering off to her room to get another change of clothes.

She was almost skipping.

Her reminiscing almost made her bump into two asari having a conversation. Normally when she was on the Citadel she would use the vents and upper walkways so she could avoid the crowds. But with the war going on she had to find other ways getting around since they tightened the security.

She had just left after dropping off her Intel to Bau. He had been trying to catch her for longer then she could remember. The Spectre would never catch her though. She was careful.

The thief was waiting for someone to leave the elevator in front of her so she could slip in when her schedule was kicked to the side when it opened.

It felt like her heart was being squeezed by an iron fist. It had been so long since she last saw that face.

Six months after the man she was looking at was forced to destroy that damn Relay.

That short military cut black hair, the beginnings of a beard growing after he must have shaved earlier that day. That set of blue eyes.

She felt an intense wave of sadness when she saw how empty they looked.

As he stepped out, she was close enough to smell his aftershave. She wanted to jump at him and cry into his chest to make up for the time he had been incarcerated.

She heard Earth was attacked, but did not know if he made it out. A lot of things jumped up, so she could not check her contacts as much as she wanted to.

The thief thought she had lost a loved one all over again.

She got messages from Tali frequently. She had to return to the fleet.

A warm smile graced her lips when she realized she could finally tell the girl he was alive. When the Normandy SR2 was taken by the Alliance when John was arrested, she and Tali stayed together for as long as they could. Both were searching cyberspace for any Intel on John's daily activities.

It was not hard to do when the Shadow Broker 'Cough!*Liara*Cough!' Gave them a hand.

She remembered holding onto Tali tightly in bed as they watched the man sleep in the small bed he was forced to use. They both wanted to feel his embrace. His strong arms, but they could only check in on him.

She somehow managed to feel even more heart broken when Tali was called back to the Flotilla. She knew the fleet was planning something but knew better than to force it out of Tali. Other than John and her, the fleet was her life and she wanted to help her people.

Now she felt her heart warming up as she completely forgot her plans and followed the man through the crowds. It was him! He is alive! No longer will she have nightmares of checking on John and finding nothing but death on the cameras.

She was so overjoyed that she hardly even noticed John running into Bau and talking about the information she gave him. When the salarian said her name, she saw the man's eyes light up. He agreed to help instantly. She followed John into the Spectre office and almost could not wait for the door behind them to close even thou just sitting on the other side was someone who wanted to arrest her.

As soon as she heard the door close the floodgates were opened and she almost ran to him. He must have heard her footsteps and turned around only to see air.

Kasumi threw her arms around him as she cried into his chest. The jump told her he did not expect a ghost to hug him, but after a few seconds he must have realized it was her. His arms wrapped around her as she dropped the cloak.

"Idiot!" she cried repeatedly for him making her and Tali worry.

The sounds she made were mixed between whispered mumbles to full on sobs. She heard him whispering apologies in her ear, but they were not important to her.

She just wanted to hear his voice.

One of his hands rubbed her back as she felt the other holding the back of her head through her hood. She looked up at him and saw the warm smile being aimed at her that proved it was the same man she loved.

"You have… no idea how worried we were…" she gasped as she looked into John's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi." he whispered to her. "A lot of things happened…Earth… the Reapers."

"I know." she admitted as she hugged him tightly. "We missed you… so much…"

"Where is Tali?" he asked her as his eyes seamed to light up a little more.

The look on his face was a far better change compared to the tired look he had when she first saw him.

"She is… not here…" she answered longingly. She had not seen the quarian in months.

"What?" he asked suddenly as his jaw slightly dropped while his face showed a look of horror. It took her a moment to find out why he suddenly became so startled.

"She is alright!" she blurted out when she realized the way she said Tali was not with them sounded as if something had happened. She saw him visibly relax and show signs of relief at her words. "She just had to return to the Flotilla. I have not seen her in a few months, but we still keep in contact."

"Good." he let out with a breath he was most likely holding. He then pulled her even closer and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. "I don't want to lose anyone else in this war."

"John… what happened?" she asked him sensitively when she heard his voice.

"Like I said, a lot." he said again as he seemed to force himself to pull away from her. "I am so sorry, Kasumi… but we have to put this on hold. Too much is going on right now."

"R… right." she answered him with her heart aching. The war was bigger than them. "So…" she started as she tried to get her thoughts together and emotions in check while taking a step back from the man she wanted to get closer to. Her legs seemed to be fighting against her. "…remember when you helped me get Keiji's…" she could instantly feel the awkwardness in the air when she saw John wince at the name. "…graybox from Donovan Hock? The one with information that could start a war?"

"I thought we destroyed that information to keep you safe." John stated as he crossed his arms.

She felt the scolding tone in his voice and quickly diverted her eyes.

"I… pieced it together…" she confessed and was too afraid to look up. "I wanted to…"

"… See Keiji again…" her head snapped in his direction in shock when she heard those words.

"No… John. I…" she started but was interrupted.

"I understand. I was not there for you." his tone almost made her forget to breath.

"No, John!" she suddenly yelled, surprising both of them. "I love you. Keiji is… never coming back. I understand that." a silence fell over them as they looked at the floor.

She did not expect him to jump to that conclusion. The thought of seeing Keiji's memories did flash through her mind, but she stopped herself. The sight of him would have been painful for her. "I only… put together the Intel." she finished shakily, but firmly. "It hurts, but I did not piece together his memories all the way. I only saw the Intel." she then looked at him again as her eyes started to tear up again. "After I got what I wanted… I put him to rest."

She had destroyed the data so thoroughly that not even she could even find the right pieces to reconstruct 1% of it and then burned the OSD she had it on.

"I'm sorry…" John started to apologize for jumping to conclusions, but she silenced him with a raised hand.

"Don't be sorry for caring about Me." she comforted as she stepped to him again and wrapped her arms around him for the second time that day. "We can't let a crazy… wall, crazier than usual, hanar run around." She then looked up at him and stood on her toes to place her lips on his. He quickly returned it and looked a little annoyed that she ended it. "I can tag along cloaked, maybe I can help you dig up some dirt on the hanar."

"I'd appreciate it."

When those words left his mouth the thief activated her Omni-tool and cloaked as she smiled at him. Before they continued Kasumi could not stop herself from standing on her toes again and giving him a peck on the cheek that made the man wrap an arm around her invisible waist and pull her closer so he could kiss her on the forehead and then reluctantly letting her go.

She followed him to the Spectre terminal like some kind a puppy and watched his every move as he typed on the holographic display.

"Turns out I have the authority to bypass privacy settings and track financial data, transit records, and personal communications for all employees in the hanar embassy." he explained to the air. Kasumi placed her hand on his left shoulder, making him turn a little in her direction as he continued. "My Omni-tool should lead us to the consoles we should access."

"Shepard, I'm checking security reports." Bau's voice reported through both of their Omn-tools when John linked with hers so they both could hear. "Can you track the transfers coming from the hanar embassy?"

She almost giggled at John's face when the salarian practically said the same thing he had just told her.

"On it." he then logged off of the terminal and started walking to the door with the hooded woman right behind him.

"Bau's got a good plan. Hanar are predictable." she agreed as soon as the call with the Spectre in question was dropped. "Anything suspicious in their terminal use should narrow down our list of suspects."

"So you approve of Bau?" John asked curiously.

"Absolutely. He's a good Spectre. The galaxy needs more like him." she answered honestly. She had seen him help many people.

"And the fact that he's trying to arrest you?" that worried question put a smile on her lips.

"Well, nobody's perfect." she joked before leaning in. "And last time I checked, YOU were the only person able to trap me with those biotics of yours." Kasumi whispered playfully. "And I would not mind being "trapped" again…"

Her smile broadened as she watched a small blush appear on his face as a warm feeling went through her at the memory of the times they had used his biotics in their games. Just the thought made her cheeks heat up to the point that she could have sworn she was burning.

Suddenly being so close to him again had excited her greatly and made many thoughts flood her mind, which tempted her to act on them. And she'd admit most of them were things she wanted to do after forcefully disrobing him.

She snorted a little as she watched him try to act normal in public.

The thief had to be serious, but found the situation so… fun.

She stopped teasing him when they reached the first console and watched as he activated his Omni-tool so he could put his Spectre magic to work. It must not have taken long for him to find something since he called the other Spectre a few seconds later after reading a little.

"Bau, I have some possible hits." he started. "Got some strange money transfers on Bolohn and, Oloon is sending a lot of data."

"Bolohn's clean." was the salarian's quick answer. It sounded like he was reading something on his end. "His money transfers are to support his mistress. Not sure about Oloon. I'll pull his bio."

"I'll check Oloon's personal records and pull his recent messages." John said before dropping the call while something suddenly came to Kasumi's mind.

"Can I just note how odd it is for a hanar to have a mistress?" She had to admit a lot of women, mostly asari, dreamed of being in such an encounter.

Not that she was ever into tentacles.

"You know, if Bau catches up with you, I can grant you immunity." he suddenly voiced comfortingly, not even attempting to comment on what she had just said.

His words made her feel speechless as her throat suddenly felt dry like she had not drunk in days.

The thought had not occurred to her. He had the authority.

Possibilities appeared in her mind, making her suddenly feel confused on what she could possibly say.

"Kasumi?" he inquired when she did not say anything back.

"What… if I join up?" she asked him as they started walking. Kasumi noticed the slowed pace he was going so they could lengthen the conversation. "I don't want to be roped into another suicide mission." the thought frightened her. Seeing the colonist melt into paste before her eyes plagued her in her nightmares sometimes. Sometimes she was the one melting.

"I didn't say you had to join up." he corrected.

"No… but…" she trailed off as they entered an elevator and John selected Docking Bay E-24.

As she felt the drop of the lift she was still silent. Her head was still wrapped around his words. She wanted to be with him, but did not want to be in a position to where she was able to see the horrors created by the Reapers. Kasumi would go through hell for him and Tali, but was frightened of what could happen to them.

She did not want to fight anymore.

This feeling appeared the first night she was with John and Tali. She loved them both and never again wanted to see either of them on a battlefield.

When she felt something warm wrap around her waist she jumped. She was still cloaked and did not think anyone could see her and started to panic until she realized it was John.

Kasumi quickly relaxed as she got closer to the man and placed her head on his chest as her arms wrapped around him.

The longer they stayed like that with her head resting on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, the more she felt at piece with everything around her. Nothing was coming between them, no one coming after her for the bounties on her head, no more fear, no more death, and no more war. Just her, John, and Tali.

This is what she wanted, to be with John and Tali for the rest of her life.

When the doors opened she was awoken from her dream and glanced outside to see an asari pause in mid step to take in the odd sight.

Imagine putting your arm around someone next to you. Now make that person invisible to the world.

That was what the asari saw with a raised eyebrow.

Kasumi quickly gave John's chest a soft pat and he snapped out of the dream as well and removed the arm and motioned like he was stretching it to get rid of some aches as they walked past the asari.

The asari watched John for a few seconds and shrugged before stepping into the elevator they had just used. Kasumi had to bite her lip to contain the laughter that wanted to come out.

"Any longer and people might think the Citadel is haunted."

He chuckled lightly as he approached a console and activated his Omni-tool. His smile quickly turned into a scowl as he called Bau.

"Bau, Oloon's doing some heavy lobbying for the hanar to support the war effort." he informed as his eyes skimmed through the data again.

"So he's clearly not indoctrinated." Bau summed up. "Who's opposing him?"

"An unnamed hanar recently posted here from Kehje." John answered after a few seconds of reading. "I'll check transit records for incoming hanar."

"It all comes down to the war… and you trying to pull everyone into it." Kasumi whispered to herself as they started moving again.

"Would you rather the Reapers win?" John asked her.

Kasumi didn't think anyone could have heard what she had said.

"I wanted…" she couldn't finish the sentence and took in a deep breath to steady herself before trying again. "I wanted to spend the rest of my time with you and Tali… but the only way I can do that is if I fight alongside you." she looked at the ground as they walked through the dock full of refugees. "I don't want to fight anymore, John… I never want to see anyone aim their weapon at anyone I love… ever again…"

If his face changed when he heard her whispering she did not see it since her eyes were pulled to the floor. But even if he did look, she was still cloaked.

She noticed he activated his Omn-tool as they walked, but she did not get to see what he was doing. He must have been reviewing the information they just gathered.

Instead of explaining he walked up to the next console and read through the files.

"I've got a list of hanar arrivals, Bau." he said with a tone that made Kasumi's eyes begin to water. "Forwarding it to you."

It did not take long for the other Spectre to say a profanity over the line. "Damn. These are all face names from the Alliance raid. The hanar names from the Alliance raid are all soul names." they heard a sigh from the other end. "And hanar soul names are private. There's no private record. Can you get back to their personal communications?"

"On it. Maybe we'll find names there." the man said as he logged off of the terminal and started walking back the way they came.

As they walked a question appeared in her head. "So how's the rest of the gang? Met up with anyone else?"

"Garrus is helping out on the Normandy." John answered.

"He never could pass up a good fight." the thief commented. Garrus was either fighting with John, or spent most of his time calibrating the same thing for hours on end. "See, Jack?"

"Haven't seen her." he then glanced in her direction where he heard her voice. "Why are you asking? I thought you did not want to join the fight?"

She paused in mid step before speaking. The hooded woman knew he did not mean it, but it felt like a slap to the face to her somehow. "I don't want to fight. Does not mean I don't want to know what's going on."

If he had been about to respond he did not get a chance to since they reached the terminal they had been to a few minutes ago. "Bau, here's the correspondence. If there's any mention of soul names…"

"I've got it." Bau cut in. "A recent arrival. Zymandis. Soul name: Regards the works of the Enkindlers in Despair." he read off. "He was with the Alliance team that massacred the batarians. He's been on "special research assignment" ever since."

"So he got his tentacles on some Reaper tech." John concluded.

"Looks that way. I'm sending you the NavPoint for his office. I'll meet you there." two seconds later John received the NavPoint as they stepped into the elevator again.

"I would never force you to do anything you did not want to do." he mentioned after a small silence.

Since he was no longer talking to Bau, that meant he was talking to her. He had went on his Omni-tool again and typed in a few things quickly before lowering his hands to his sides.

She had almost forgotten how… dexterous his fingers were.

"I- I know." Kasumi whispered quietly. Subconsciously her hand reached out and held his as a lump started to form in her throat.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and they stayed like that for the rest of the ride. When the doors opened she did not want to let go of him as if he would vanish without a trace.

She had to when she saw Bau waiting for John. The salarian would notice something was odd.

The men gave each other a nod as they walked into the office. The hanar was at a terminal, slowly typing away with a tentacle. A human was leaning against the doorframe they had all walked through and gave them a glance before looking forward when Bau turned to him.

The thief could see the look in the corner of the man's eyes as he watched John step forward.

"Zymandis?" John asked followed by Bau stepping forward.

"Or should I say, Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair?"

"It seems this one has been apprehended, but confinement is irrelevant." the hanar said in monotone as it turned. Kasumi did not really know how to read a hanar's facial expressions, but she had a feeling he did not care he had been found out. "The work of the Enkindlers cannot be stopped."

"Why are you trying to help the Reapers?" John growled as he took another step.

The hanar slowly turned back to the holographic screen before answering. "We obtained information regarding the Enkindlers from classified sources."

"The Enkindlers. You mean the Protheans?" John asked as his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. As you are aware, Commander Shepard, the Protheans eventually became the Collectors." somehow she got the feeling the hanar was preaching to them. "And the Collectors serve the Reapers."

"You've got to be kidding me." John growled.

Bau was slowly inching his hand to his side arm as he took a step as well.

"Therefore as a faithful servant of the Enkindlers, we too must serve the Reapers."

"You big… stupid… jellyfish." Kasumi would have snickered at John's choice of words, but this situation was a bit too shocking for her

This was just too crazy.

She leaned forward a little and whispered in his ear. "You know. I support religious freedom for all species, but that's just crazy."

"Your skepticism does not matter." the big stupid jellyfish went on. "When the Enkindlers uplift us as their chosen sapients, the galaxy will bear witness."

"I don't think the Enkindlers are going to be doing anything today." she could see the snarl forming on his face.

"Your belief in your victory is mistaken. Our planetary defense network is largely automated." he replied without a hint that he was intimidated by the Commander's words. It can be disabled with a single virus." Kasumi did not need to be a fortuneteller to see where this was going. Zymandis turned a little to them. "…Which I have just uploaded."

"Damn it!" Bau seethed before he suddenly looked like he realized something as he activated his Omni-tool. "Wait… a virus would be detected unless sent on low-priority channels, which have a time lag." the same thing was going through her mind as she looked around the office and noticed the terminal on the other side of the desk. "I may be able to block the upload."

Suddenly the man at the door charged Bau and grabbed his neck with his hands. Bau's eyes widened farther as his hands struggled to free himself.

"You may be Delayed." the hanar traitor mocked.

Kasumi was already de-cloaking and about to jump over the desk.

"Help him! I'll handle this!" she yelled to John as her hands turned into a blur over the orange glow of the terminal.

Once she was in the system she quickly looked for anything that had just left the office terminal. She almost did not see the virus attaching itself to an advertisement on its way to the hanar homeworld.

She heard the sound of the bodyguard hitting the wall shortly followed by a gunshot the made the hanar fall to the ground.

The virus was being a little tricky. It had multiplied and attached itself to messages leaving the Citadel. Most of the strands were dealt with instantly, but were a decoy for the original copy that was about to escape.

It was about to get away, but she gave it junk data, making it slow down enough for her to catch up to it. And with a few more bushes of a few buttons it was gone.

"Got it! Upload's disabled." she told them as she let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like we are in the…" and that's when her heart stopped for a second. Red appeared on the screen as beeping was heard. "…wait, he's got some kind of failsafe." she shouted while turning. Her eyes focused on John as she started to run. "Get down!"

Before she could get far enough away she felt the force of the explosion at her back, propelling her forward.

John and Bau were pushed back by the blast and were covering their eyes. In the explosion time stopped, she started having thoughts of what would happen in the next few seconds.

She felt alright. Nothing felt out of place or damaged, thank God.

Within the span of a second she formulated a plan. She used the momentum from the explosion and turned her back in a way that it looked like she hit the wall hard. Kasumi had to suppress the grunt when she made contact with the surface and slid down lifelessly as her cloak covered herself.

"Kasumi!" she heard John yell and mentally slapped herself for the act she had just pulled.

After she was cloaked she got back to her feet quickly as quiet as she could and saw the shocked look on his face along with a flabbergasted look from Bau. John looked far more distraught but she could easily tell it was an act.

She let out a small sigh of relief at that discovery. The idea of putting John through something like that was something she saw as unforgivable.

"She was here the entire time." Bau said with a shocked look plastered on his face.

She did not know a salarian's eyes could open that wide.

"She… was a brave woman." John said with a voice he made sound breathless and almost a whisper.

"I intended to arrest her." Bau mumbled to himself, still in disbelief.

John's head turned to the second Spectre with a glare. "She helped me take down the Collectors, and was important to a lot of people." he growled. "And if you hadn't noticed, she just died saving the hanar homeworld."

Kasumi couldn't stop the smile forming at the corners of her mouth. He was a surprisingly good actor.

The room was filled with silence as the salarian diverted his eyes from John a little bit. She was not that great at reading salarian expressions, but she did notice the small widening of the eyes that showed he translated what John said, followed by a look of sadness and regret.

"Point taken." Bau sighed as he looked back to him. "It was an honor to work with you, Shepard. When the time comes, I'll be there to return the favor… with a few friends."

He then started to walk out of the office as Kasumi walked to John's side.

As soon as Bau was out of site, she was going to apologize to John about her hastily made plan. But what happened next threw her for a loop.

"Hey, Bau." John called before the Spectre could leave the room. He turned to John with a questionable look on his face. "I am going to wipe Kasumi's track sheet."

Bau's jaw dropped for a second before he developed a confused look. "Honorable, and she does deserve it, but I am afraid it is too late for that."

Kasumi would have smiled at Bau's praise, but she was too shocked by what John was doing to even move.

Suddenly both men's Omni-tools lit up with a red message. John didn't even bother to look at the message, but Bau opened it quickly.

"It's from the Council." he read as his big eyes skimmed over what was on his Omni-tool. "They… What?" he looked up at John with wide eyes and a slacked Jaw as if what he was reading was impossible. "What is this?"

Kasumi wanted to know as well.

John opened his own Omni-tool and started reading out loud. "We have reviewed your testimony and agree that such an action would most likely benefit the rest of the Galaxy at large. The human named Kasumi Goto is here by cleared of all crimes and accusations directed at her for as long as she does not repeat her past actions. No innocents have been harmed in her thefts. Two out of three votes were in your favor. All current searches for Miss Goto or now standing down. We will no longer advertise her bounty for bounty hunters, and will free her if anyone catches her. Signed by, Councilor Tavos." Kasumi could not believe her ears. When did he…? And then she remembered the times he went on his Omni-tool. He had planned to grant her immunity from the beginning. A part of her wanted to hug him, while the other wanted to smack him on the back of the head. She did not want to go to war!

"I don't understand." Bau repeated as he read over what was most likely an order for him to stop trying to arrest her.

"I gave her immunity." John announced as he turned off his Omni-tool.

"But why bother?" Bau repeated himself. "Sure she saved lives, but she is no longer among the living, Shepard."

The thief then saw the grin working its way on John's face before an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.

Startled by the action, she accidentally deactivated her cloak and phased into existence closely at John's side, making Bau's jaw drop again in surprise.

"She's alive?" Bau almost yelled as his big eyes bulged.

"Umm… Hi Bau…" Kasumi weakly greeted with a small wave. "Nice to finally meet you, in… person."

After a pause he let out a relieved sigh as he walked back to them.

"Likewise." he agreed as he held up a hand that Kasumi shook. "It looks like our game of cat and mouse has come to an… unexpected close."

"Yeah, I am just as shocked as you are." even though she was going to give John an earful as soon as they were alone, a smile still forced itself on her face.

"I am to assume you two are… together?" Bau asked awkwardly as they let go of each other's hand. "It would explain why Shepard would clear you of all your charges." he then glanced at John. "And so you know, they are quite a lot of charges, not that I would report him if my guess is accurate."

"We are, though after what he just pulled, we will have to get back to you on that." that last part she said as a glare was aimed at the man in question who still had that smug grin of his on his face.

Bau nodded as he started to turn away. "Pleasure to meet you: Miss Goto."

And just like that she watched him walk out of the room. When the doors closed the next sound in the office was from the slap that hit John on the left side of his face, quickly making it redden.

"Ok. Ouch." John complained as a hand went to his burning cheek while the other was moving his jaw in a way that said he was trying to get some feeling into it. "I might have deserved that."

"Damn right you did." Kasumi sneered with her arms crossed and four feet between them. The glare she was aiming at him could have deterred a thrasher maw. "I told you I did not want to fight!"

"And you still don't have to." John shot back with his hands at his side while a visible red handprint formed on his cheek.

"How is that, John?" she yelled. "You just told the whole galaxy you recruited me!"

"But not to fight." he said clearly with that grin starting to form again, even though the action must have been painful.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"The Crucible Project needs technical experts."

"I'm not a scientist!" she shouted at him.

"No, but you're the best thief in the galaxy, and you can hack unfamiliar technology better than anyone." she did not know what to say about all of this. "They could use your help. And think of it: you can work from the Normandy…" a smile started to appear on her lips as what he was saying started to make sense. "It's not like anyone is going to see if you are working the right hours…"

"You say the nicest things…" Kasumi said seductively when she saw what he was getting at. She started to take elegant steps towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck when they met. "I'm in, if I am aloud to "Work" at late hours of the night."

When his arms wrapped around her waist she almost shuddered at the contact. She looked up into those blue eyes that knew how to make her feel weak with just a glance.

When she saw the mark on his face she suddenly felt regret as she stood on her toes again and kissed the hot cheek.

"I think the right thing for me to do before I get to work would be to pay for the damages I caused." she said this in a flirty manner as she pressed her breasts into his chest. The contact was starting to make her cheeks heat up as well as her heart rate started to speed up. She then leaned in so she could whisper. "I will leave the punishment up to you."

"Really?" he asked playfully as he pulled her closer.

"Yeah, but not here." She quickly stated as she pulled herself out of his embrace and smiled at the look on his face. "C-sec is going to be here soon for that guy you knocked out, and I think the hanar is starting to smell."

That snapped him out of his thoughts as he remembered where they were.