"Round two in five, four, three, two, one."

I slid into cover behind one of the steel barricades that overlooked the rest of the arena, and checked the that I'd reloaded the rifle. Making a mistake once was one thing; running out of ammo and getting blown away a second, I might not live down.

The buzzer toned, indicating the start of the round. I popped my head up for a quick look around, only to have to immediately duck as several of the geth decided I was a conveniently placed target. Shot whizzed by, just inches from me.

"If you're gonna stay there, you might wanna try shooting back," buzzed Garrus in my ear. I glanced in his direction just long enough to see him dart forward from cover and into the maze of barricades on the lower level.

"I'd tell you to shut it, but I'm pretty sure you shoot better while running your mouth." I popped up, picked a target and squeezed the trigger, spraying fire down at a pair of geth. They'd oriented on Garrus as he moved, sitting ducks from my perch that exploded into very satisfying holographic bits as the shots connected. Something hit the platform, making my cover shake.

The whole experience combined excitement and terror in a way that I'd only previously felt while riding a roller coaster, and things seemed slow down as the adrenaline spiked.

Somewhere to my left, Jacob opened fire, the heavy whump of his shotgun a distinct counterpoint to the more rapid fire from the geth. The buzzing vibrations against my cover ceased and I moved, sliding farther down before repeating my previous maneuver, popping up and raining shots down.

Except, of course, I wasn't the only one moving. The simulated geth less than two feet from me turned and fired. At least one of the shots must have connected, because my armor jerked, a combination of force fields and internal motors flinging me back, my HUD flashing with damage warnings along my left side. Before my latest acquaintance could finish me off, he exploded into light.

"You're welcome. Now get up," Jacob said, confidence bordering on arrogance in his voice.

I slapped the "medi-gel" patch on my armor—no need for real medi-gel with only holographic bullets flying around—and rolled back back to my knees. It was definitely past time to find a new place to hide.

Light streaked past me as I flung myself towards the barricades Garrus had vanished behind, more shots slapping the area around me as I pressed my back against one.

"Hey, stay there a second, they're focusing in on you," Garrus said.

That, of course, set off alarm bells in my head and I peeked my head around the corner to see what he was talking about, jerking back as something bright flashed by my head less than a inch away.

Jacob laughed. "You know, I don't think that meant 'stick my face out so it can get shot'."

I gritted my teeth, tapped a setting on my rifle, stuck it around the corner and pulled the trigger. The resulting detonation nearly jerked the weapon from my hand, and popped a new clip in as the announcer roared out, "Double Kill!"

"I shoot better while running my mouth, he shoots better while angry," Garrus said, sounding amused. His rifled buzzed angrily as he opened fire again. "Hey, did we ever check him for krogan DNA?"

"Naw, pretty sure—shit!" Jacob shouted. His icon on my HUD winked out.

"And then there were two?" I asked, peeking out carefully. Nothing tried to blow me away immediately and I leaned out a little farther, looking for whatever had taken out Jacob.

"Get your head back in cover. Prime coming up, high on the right." Garrus barked. "I'll circle out and pick it off. You give me a ten count and then try and get its attention."

"At some point we are going to talk about me being bait." I knelt and started counting in my head, darting out at ten, spraying shots in what I hoped was the right direction.

The geth prime loomed. A little voice in the back of my head let out a gibbering sound of panic as I tracked my shots towards it. I felt like I was shooting at it with a squirt gun as the first of my shot smashed into its shields. Blue flickers silhouetted its form as its shields flared, and it raised its weapon—which from my view had more in common with artillery than a rifle.

Well. Crap.

The prime's head shattered into light as something slammed into it, taking the rest of its body with it into oblivion.

"Round Two is over."

I stood straightening as the electronic voice started counting down and reloaded as I stepped out of cover. "How you feeling, Jacob?"

"Like something stepped on my face. God damn thing spawned practically on top of me," he griped back, jogging out from the other side of the arena. "Same set-up, less dying?"

"Sure. I mean, as long as you get shot less this time." Garrus chuckled. "You know, they are never going to let that slide."

Jacob muttered something something under his breath as Garrus looked my direction. "You good?"

Neither of them could see the wolf-like grin on my face, but they surely heard it in my voice. "I'm fine. Look at the score."

The other two glanced up at the overhead projection. A flashing 3200 blinked down at us, nearly a thousand points higher than the other night. Jacob grinned. "Alright, let's get it done."

"Not bad at all!" shouted Jenny from the table that she, Gabby, Kelly, and Ken had laid claim to. Jacob, Garrus, and I hurried up the stairs to the main floor to join them, and I squeezed in next to Kelly.

Kelly turned and leaned up to place a kiss on my cheek, which also let her whisper in my ear. "Your stalker is back."

I fought the urge to go stiff as a board and murmured in response. "Where?"

"At your seven o'clock. She got here just after you guys went into the match. Wanna bet which one she tuned into?" she said, leaning back against me.

I shifted a bit so I could wrap my arms around her waist. It felt good to be this close, even if half of the reason was so we could talk without being easily overheard. "Not a chance in hell I'm taking that bet. What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"The kind I hope I can train." Kelly smirked as she leaned back against me and I glanced in the direction she'd indicated. It took me a moment, considering she'd changed her hair and her outfit, but I managed to pick out Alice Wake, sitting at table with three guys. She had their full attention, and they seemed to be having a normal conversation, flirting and all, but considering that it'd been an entirely different set of guys two nights ago, the odds she was just here for the company seemed unlikely.

"I don't suppose we have enough evidence to have her picked up?" I whispered in Kelly's ear as I put my back to the Cerberus operative again.

"Not according to Admiral Anderson. She wiped the cameras from the apartment, and she's not actually done anything here. He could pick her up, but she'd be out in a few hours at the most." Kelly pushed against my hands and I let go. She turned around to face me, looking up. "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt. That second round, I mean."

I rolled my shoulder. "I'm fine. Wasn't that bad." I didn't mention that my whole left side felt like a it'd been punched by Grunt a couple times, and I'd probably be purple from my shoulder to my knee. That just didn't seem manly. Couldn't have that.

"Damn, she works fast!" Ken tapped something on the table, and the scoreboard from our match vanished, replaced with a news article, posted just minutes ago.

I sighed as I read the headline. "'Pre-Spaceflight Human drawn to idea of Bloodsports'? Really? Yes, because holograms bleed. When did she write this, she's been here the entire time!"

"Probably didn't, some intel spook did it for her, she just gets to sign her name to it," Ken muttered. "What's not fair, is that it's been read two thousand times since it went up, oh … fifteen minutes ago?"

I didn't even bother trying to hide my disgust. "She's got to be trying to get a reaction. That's the only thing that makes any sense at all."

"Maybe." Garrus said reaching over and picking up his drink from the table. "Anyone else going to have a go, or was that the last one for the night?"

Ken and Gabby both shook their heads. Jenny gave them an irritated look but shook hers as well. "I want in next time though."

"If nothing else, you can have my spot," Garrus promised, setting the empty glass down. "In that case, I think it's time to walk the love birds home."

I rolled my eyes as we all stepped away from the table, Kelly's hand slipping into mine as we headed for the door. I glanced one more time at Alice's table, but she didn't even look in my direction, at least not obviously. I couldn't tell if she didn't notice, or if she was just that good, able to track our progress without bothering to actually look.

It'd been nearly two weeks since Alice's break in, and our little group had fallen into a routine. In the mornings I would meet Jacob or Garrus, and they'd drill me on hand to hand, weapons, and in the last few days, security systems and ways to bypass them. We'd break for lunch, then I'd stop in to see Mordin and the other Alliance doctors that Anderson had brought in. More tests, scans and the occasional blood sample would follow, then I'd meet Kelly for a combination of dinner and Fifty Questions, then off to the Armax Arena or settle in for a movie. Vid. Whatever.

I liked the routine, especially since I knew it would end eventually. Whether Alice and Cerberus got tired of observing from a distance, or the Alliance decided that it wanted a more controlled environment, at some point the vacation would be over.

"What do you think?" Kelly asked.

I blinked, my attention snapping back to the conversation that I'd totally not been listening to. "I … uh … think whatever you think?"

Kelly gave me a strange look that crossed amusement and annoyance, while both Gabby and Jenny burst into laughter. Ken and Jacob traded a look that I had no idea what it meant, and Garrus tilted his head, a rumbling chuckle coming from him. All-in-all, that had most definitely not been the right answer.

"Very smooth," Garrus said, as we passed the arena's front desk. He turned toward Kelly. "Well, since he's clearly not able to think for himself, a little alcohol won't hurt him in the least. I have to go meet with Captain Bailey in an hour though, so you all are on your own. Try to not get killed."

"Eh, I'm game," Ken said. Gabby shot him a warning look, but the resident scotsman ignored the danger and put on more steam. Ken glanced around between us. "What about that new club, Purgatory?"

Kelly and I stiffened at the same time, that name ringing in our ears like a damn bell. I gave her hand a little squeeze, and she returned it. Messaged received: you are not alone.

"I'd be fine with that,." Jenny piped up. She elbowed Jacob, who gave her a startled look in return. "What about you?

"Uh, sure. I guess I'm cool with that," Jacob flipped his omnitool open. "You all heading straight there? I need to run and errand or two before I can completely check out for the night."

"Sends us a message when you get there. I heard this place is huge," Ken said, leading us towards the waiting skycars.

Kelly and I fell back as Jacob and Garrus both took off. I squeezed her hand again. "Sorry. Got lost in thought. Do you want to head out with them? We don't have to."

Kelly smiled and leaned up to kiss my cheek. Her lips were soft and warm, and I didn't mind the sensation in the least. "No, let's go out and have a good time. Cutting loose for a bit would be good for all of us, I think."

I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer as we moved to rejoin the others. That would be more than alright with me. What harm would a few drinks do?

I opened my eyes and searing beams of white hot agony lanced straight into my brain.I threw an arm over my face in an attempt to defend myself from the sudden attack, the pain unbearable. The light vanished and I groaned, my head pounding like I'd let Zaeed ring my bells a few dozen more times.

I lay there, doing a mental inventory of both my current state, which seemed to be somewhere near death, but lacking the whole bleeding out or an actual injury.

Hangover. Joy.

Someone nearby made a unhappy noise and something warm and soft pressed against my side, molding against me in a very appealing way. I slowly peaked one eye open.

Kelly shifted a little closer, her cheek pressed against my chest as she used me for a pillow. We'd apparently kicked the covers off the bed, and she seemed to have stolen one one of my extra shirts and had used that for sleepwear, and not much else. She murmured, still asleep or so far gone she might as well be, and curled close, one of her fair-skinned legs laying across mine.

For that matter, I wasn't entirely dressed either, though I didn't have any recollection of taking off my shirt, or shoes. My pants were still on, which a part of me was both disappointed and relieved about. Things had gotten crazy, but hopefully not so crazy that I wouldn't be able to look people in the eye.

I carefully opened my other eye, slowly adapting to the dim lighting, my head throbbing in time with my heart as I listened to Kelly breathing, and just … relaxed as I tried to piece together the previous night's events. I didn't get very far before things started getting disjointed. I remembered getting to Purgatory, Ken and Jacob beelining it for the bar, and a pair of shots of something red and blue, and then a whole lot of confusing colors and sounds.

"How long have you been awake?"

I looked down at Kelly, who hadn't moved really, but she'd opened her eyes, one hand rubbing the sleep out of them in a slow, lazy gesture.

I smiled and lowered my hand from my head to slip it behind her back. "Not long. Will be fine as long as no one makes loud noises. Probably."

She laughed and shifted, settling her chin on my chest and looking into my eyes. "Someone had a little issue with overindulging. You are lucky I insisted you take those meds and drink some water, or I think you might have been sleeping next to the toilet instead."

"Well, thank you," I said, laughing. It hurt, my head rattling, but not so much to make me stop. "Much better company here than in the bathroom."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Not that I was complaining, but you kind of insisted. You were … persuasive, too. "

My cheeks heated up and I glanced down, double checking to make sure that I was in fact still wearing pants. Or had I gotten dressed at some point? "Uh, did we …"

Kelly laughed, leaning up to press her lips to mine in a slow kiss before she answered. "No. I figured you were too drunk to be making that kind of decision."

I relaxed, leaning my head back. It wasn't that I didn't want to explore things with Kelly in more detail. A lot, lot more detail. But I wanted it to be sober and in full control of my faculties if we were going to take that step.

Kelly pushed herself up onto an elbow, eyeing me thoughtfully. "I left the painkillers on the counter. Why don't you go find something to take them with and get dressed. I'll shower, then we can figure out breakfast?"

"I'm tempted to suggest we shower," I teased as I propped myself up. "But we can save that for later."

Kelly laughed and slid off the bed. She stretched, a languid, lazy motion before she started towards the shower. I felt my mouth dry out a bit as and I just couldn't be sure if that had been an invitation to join her or just more teasing on her part. The door closed behind her and the water started running.

I growled under my breath, and rolled out of the bed, my head hammering like someone had rang a gong next to my ear. Yeah, not in any shape for shenanigans right now. I picked up my discarded shirt, tugging it on as I wandered out of the bedroom, bee-lining it for the kitchen and the promised pain meds.

I almost missed Anderson at the kitchen table, reading a datapad, coffee mug in his hand. He looked up as I entered the kitchen, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched me. "Good morning, son. How you feeling?"

His tone didn't give me a clue how to react. "I uh … have felt … better." I pulled my gaze away as I snatched up the pills, downing a pair with a glass of water.

"I'd guess so," Anderson said.

I glanced back at him, but he'd returned to reading his datapad. I relaxed a bit. Not mad. Maybe just a bit annoyed, but not mad.

"Though if Ms. Chambers is going to spend the night more often, I'd recommend closing the door in the future."

"I … yes, sir," I managed to choke out. I didn't think it was possible to die from embarrassment, but if it was, I would be well on my way to it.

Anderson's rumbling laugh filled the kitchen. "Relax, son.I've seen shore leave before. I just didn't expect you to be the party kind."

"I'm really not." I refilled my glass and sat down opposite him. "On the other hand, once things start, it's really hard to stop."

"I've been there." Anderson smiled and held up his datapad, giving it a little wave for emphasis. "I have to sit through one more meeting like the one from yesterday, and I'll need to blow off a little steam myself."

"All things considered, sir, I'd recommend shooting something over drinking. Pretty sure that's actually safer." I rubbed my head, the meds already working to dull the sharp edges. "Hell, even getting shot at might be safer."

Anderson laughed again and you had to like the sound. The man conveyed a sense of confident warmth. He could be hard, just like Commander Shepard, but Anderson had smoothed away a bit of that harsh edge with time and experience.

I heard Kelly before I saw her as she called from the other room. "I'm thinking we go out for breakfast? What sounds goo—" She came into the kitchen, still drying her hair and froze, her eyes getting as big as saucers. "A-admiral, I-I didn't know you were here."

"It is my apartment, Ms. Chambers, even if I do spend most of my time in the embassy," Anderson said, openly amused. He looked between her and me for a moment, smiling as he rose. "I'll leave you kids to your own devices. Try to stay out of trouble."

Kelly and I looked at each other as Anderson left, the front door whooshing as he left the—no, his, don't forget—apartment. Her cheeks were scarlet, and if the way I felt was any indication, mine matched perfectly.

I coughed. "Well. That was … awkward."

"Oh my god. When did he get in? I didn't even …" She covered her face, so mortified that she couldn't speak.

I couldn't help it. I started laughing as I crossed the distance to her and wrapped her in a hug. She started shaking with laughter as well after a moment.

"Oh god. We are never living last night down, are we?" she said, wiping a tear away.

"I'm pretty sure that is going to haunt us for as long as we live. If not longer." I glanced down as my omnitool dinged at me with a pair of messages. I pulled away from her so I could flip it open, scanning the first one. "And apparently Mordin wants me to come by a little earlier, so we'll see to rush breakfast a bit.

"That's fine. I need to finish filling out some paperwork at the embassy, so I'll be busy there for a while. I'm getting classified as an Alliance Physician, if everything goes through." She laughed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing her eyes. "I just got cleaned up, too."

"You look fine. And congrats. I hope that's not bad luck or anything to say it now." I flipped open the second message and frowned at the image, till it hit me what I was looking at. I choked and slapped it closed just as Kelly gave me a perplexed look. "Um … I know last night got … crazy. But you didn't mention us doing body shots." And I thought Anderson comments had been embarrassing. "... Off an asari dancer."

Kelly just started giggling.

Mordin's lab wasn't actually supposed to be his lab, but I got the impression from the people at the hospital that they didn't know how to stop him. I waved at the girl at the front desk as I walked past, not really bothering to wait for her to wave me through. I'd been through here so many times, that everyone at the front desk knew who I was and where I was going.

A few people whispered as I walked through, and I glanced toward the sound. The pair of nurses stopped speaking as I passed, and I kept moving, trying to not think of what kind of thing would elicit that reaction.

I am never ever drinking again. Never. If the option is go back into stasis or drink, I'm going into stasis.

The door to Mordin's lab opened and I looked around, spotting the salarian scientist in the corner at workbench. I moved to join him, peering down and trying to figure out what he's doing. "Good morning. What did you do to your omnitool?"

"Not mine, yours. Only need to finish … done." Mordin straightened and turned, offering it to me. "Yours damaged on Purgatory. Decided upgrade needed."

I looked down at the band still on my wrist before taking the one he offered me. "I've had it flicker a few times, but nothing too bad. Didn't realize anyone else had noticed."

"Ms. Chambers explained how you survived there. Very cleverly done. But model not designed for that kind of stress." He tapped the new omnitool in my hand with one long finger. "Newer model, much stronger power reserve, additional defensive and offensive capabilities. Recommend practice." Mordin looked around, frowning. "Perhaps not here. Could be quite destructive, some chemicals flammable. Would be ill-advised."

I swapped omnitools and synced my information to the new one with a few taps on the screen. So much easier than having to re-enter everything manually like I had to on my old cellphone, though a little creepy too. Data seemed just a bit too easy to move from one thing to another. Not secure in the slightest. I looked up at Mordin. "So, should we go somewhere and test it?"

Mordin nodded. "Yes. Should practice before attempting to use in self-defense." He frowned as the door to the lab opened again, and Garrus entered, his eyes darting around the room in a predatory manner. It set my teeth on edge, my blood pressure rising.

"Mordin, have you had anyone in here. Anything out of place?" Garrus demanded striding in, all business.

Mordin's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing. "Unlikely. Security measures untouched. Why?"

"We got a message from Shepard that said to get all our people off The Citadel and into hiding. He didn't give Anderson a clue why, just that things had gone badly and that there was going to be fallout." Garrus glanced out the window, watching a pair of skycars warily. "Micah, you are getting off the station. Mordin, I know you didn't plan on coming back, but you might want to consider it as well."

Mordin shook his head. "Mission complete. May return to Surkesh. We shall see."

"Suit yourself." Garrus turned to me, his hand hovering over his side arm like he expected to be attacked at any moment. "Micah, we need to go. I think I was followed on my way here."

Shit. Why did this keep happening to me.

A/N: I am sorry! Please don't hate for this being...what...month's late? *hides* Holidays are bad times to attempt to do anything cohesive lately, and work has been actually quite busy (including my first work business trip.) THEORETICALLY, the next few chapters should be faster, as I've actually got segements of them written that i just have to piece together. We'll see if that's what happens in practice though. Thanks for reading!