Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own character and plot idea. The rest are all BIOWARE'S.

A/N: So sorry for the wait. Lots of things no time to do them. i also feel i should post that this is something fun for me to do, so it may not be perfect grammatically or structurally. For that i apologize and hopefully if i have some free time i could clean things up a bit better, but for now 'what ya' see, is what ya' get'.

Rule #18

Never condescend me

Saren sat on his couch in full armor tightly gripping his knees. He had not slept well. Reluctantly, the whole night he had been thinking about Nihlus and... Shepard. The closeness of their bodies. Nihlus getting to scent her hair, and skin. There may have even been a possibility of Nihlus caressing her!

Unable to contain himself any longer, with a sharp trill he stood up and paced in front of the couch. In his head, he kept chanting 'Nihlus is wrong about me being attracted to her', but in the back of his mind he kept picturing her writhing in pleasure as a Turian's hand, similar to his, brought her to undoing. Now, his mouth and thoughts fighting against one another as he waited for her to make her appearance. Shepard had been the one to message him on his Omni-tool before she went to bed last night after all. "I'll be ready by 0600, my ass." He seethed to himself. He stopped then in realization and dropped his head defeated. That was a Shepard term.

Once he heard Shepard open her door and then close it, was when he finally stopped pacing. She was dressed in her dark Spectre armor with her helmet in the crook of her arm and a duffle bag thrown over the other. Her face stopped him from yelling. The bags under her eyes were dark and heavy. The ever present light brown color of her skin pale resembling more of a taupe color. Her eyes red and dull as she looked at him awaiting some sort of response. In an instant he realized the truth behind Nihlus spending the night. Comfort. "You told me 0600." He said in a blank voice, desperately ignoring the pain in his gut.

"It is 0600." She croaked out tiredly. "You can yell at me outside. Nihlus is still asleep." She then began walking towards the door.

Saren's gut flipped in guilt and anger. Guilt wasn't a feeling he felt ever. In all honestly he had only ever really felt it once before, and that was because of his brother. As a Spectre, you couldn't afford to be bogged down with trivial matters like that. It would just get in the way of missions and cost you your life. One of the many reason why humans never made good candidates. They just felt too much. Shepard being the rare exception. 'Or perhaps not', Saren wasn't too sure anymore. Trying his best to keep himself under control, he followed after her with brusque steps.

They walked in silence as they made their way to Saren's ship. People were now more accustomed to seeing the two together. There were many less disgusted looks cast their way by Xenophobic humans and Turian's. Which helped make things less tense between the two. Albeit now that tension had manifested itself into something entirely different.

Once the doors closed in the C-sec elevator Saren looked over at her. "May I ask what your plan is?" She stared ahead unfazed by his rare politeness.

"We're going to Omega and once there I'm going to track the Omni-tool signature with my own. We trap them in a secluded area and interrogate them." She explained in a cool voice. It was much colder than her monotonous tone she usual had when explaining her plans. It made Saren uneasy.

"Are you... going to be fine?" His voice dropped in octave. Compassion was another feeling Saren couldn't afford to feel. To him that feeling meant that he cared for another's wellbeing. Which meant he would have something that could be taken away from him and leave him in ruin. Somehow though he could fake that feeling for her.

"Fine? No, not fine." She stated and walked out of the elevator towards Saren's ship. No Shepard felt far from fine. Her brother was lost to her, and now she was aware of the growing feelings welling inside herself for Saren. Besides that, she barely got sleep last night since she had one of her night terrors. To which Nihlus had tried to take care of by holding her down and covering her mouth until she became aware of herself. A method they had worked out when she was still his student. There were no words strong enough to thank him for going through that with her time and time again. In a way, Shepard figured, this was Saren making some feasible attempt to do the same.

Once they both were on the ship, Shepard turned around and looked up at him. "I'm not mad at you. I can't be mad because I expected you to do what you did. I suppose I should thank you for the 'push', but if you ever act so childish in front of my family again, I will not hesitate to take you out. Now I recommend we focus on this mission since there's some mad person trying to kill me." Shepard stated.

They looked at each other for a while longer. Both freely examining one another's facial details to see how the other was feeling. Saren noticed Shepard becoming less tense and looking more tired. Shepard noticed the guilt he tried to hide earlier was gone and looked on at her with a more respectful eye.

Then with silent nods of understanding from both, they walked into the cockpit. When Saren sat down in his pilots' chair and prepared his ship for liftoff, he felt calm. Apprehension started to seep in then. How long had it been that he had gotten used to her presence? It wasn't supposed to happen. Getting used to his babysitter was ridiculous notion he would have never thought could be possible. 'As well as getting used to her staring at me', Saren thought with a scowl sensing her watching him. He then turned to her and gave her an annoyed glare. "What?"

"Why are you silver?" Shepard asked as she watched him thoughtfully. She didn't know why the question popped in her head, but it was one of the many questions she had wanted to ask Saren. 'Stupid' questions that have no bearings on the task at hand', was what Saren liked to say to her when she asked one. Well no time like the present, she sighed inwardly.

Rather than look at her Saren faced forward. He wondered what the point of all these stupid questions were. Did she have to do it as a part of his assessment? Or maybe for some other dubious reasoning. Whatever the reason he didn't have to answer. "It's rare, but silver Turian's typically come from my home world." Saren looked up at his slight reflection and glared at himself. 'Traitor', he accused the reflection staring back.

"You're not going to tell me where-"

"Classified." He cut in purposely knowing how much she hated getting interrupted. She pursed her lips slightly because of it, making him smirk in satisfaction.

"Were you teased as a kid because of it?"

"Turian children don't necessarily tease like human children. They tend to choose fists rather than harsh terms, but it wasn't my color. Biotics are frowned upon in my race."

Shepard was quiet as she wondered. What scars of his that she had seen were from that time? She knew he was never going to tell her, so with a slight smirk she ruefully thought, 'really what have I done to warrant this trust. Besides everything.' She shifted in her seat to look away from him. "Did your brother wear a bare face to?" She was pushing her luck, she knew that. Maybe it was the adopted Salarian in her that made her act like this. Inquisitive to an annoying fault, but why not? He answered her first question, why not push for the next?

"No." Saren replied resisting the urge to shift uncomfortably. Partially, because of the question and partially because for some astronomical reason her asking personal questions wasn't that bothersome anymore. She did it so fucking often.

"...Is it because of his death you took off your markings?" Shepard inquired quietly. She held her breath awaiting him to start yelling, but after a few moments of waiting there was nothing. She couldn't even hear his breathing. With a hesitant glance upward she saw him staring at her in the ships windshield. 'This is his way of staying unattached', she figured as she looked into his CyberOptics. Rather than look directly at her. He gave her a severe examining look like the one she gave when they were talking about her family.

"After Desolas died there was no point of me staying. Since I was already an outcast anyway, I decided I was to join the Spectres since they were already attempting to recruit me. Spectre's agree to be impartial in the eyes of the law. I decided I would be as well."

Shepard looked at him surprised. That was not a reaction that sat well in his stomach. It wasn't as if he was an idiot to have come up with that! He felt more surprised at her simpleminded thinking of him. "Assuming I'm not smart enough to come up with something like that?" He growled upset.

"You were only 19 Saren. I'm surprised that you made such a profound decision at that age, and saddened." She explained calmly. She was growing too used to his reactions. Before with that tone she'd feel some form of defensiveness, making her fire back an angry response of her own. Now, it didn't even phase her.

They sat quietly for a while longer. Until Shepard felt a guilty itching in the back of her head. He had answered questions. Questions that were quite personal to him. It didn't feel right not to tell something equally hard for her. "I have night terrors." She whispered. She felt relieved not to have to say anything louder than that since she knew his hearing was excellent. "That's why Nihlus slept over. Like they entail I tend to get stuck in my nightmare as I thrash about and sweat... and scream."

"He was there to keep you quiet." Saren replied refusing to let out a relieved sigh. Yet, before he could stop it, his lips twitched up in a small smirk. Swiftly he moved to frown, but when he caught her staring with humor in her eyes, he knew he had been caught.

"Don't you think if Nihlus and I were that attracted to one another that we would have had intercourse eons ago?" She couldn't help it. Maybe Nihlus was right after all? At that thought her stomach did a small flip. She felt like a teen in a sense. Albeit her teenage years were not filled with happy go lucky events like that. Not many beings her age were around on the research vessel. It was probably why she never really could relate to others her age. Especially, on this matter.

"In our culture its improper for a single male to be in the same bed as a Virgin female, unless they intend to do something about it." He explained curtly.

"Or you just don't like that it was him and not yo-"

"SPAR!" Saren roared as he got up from his chair. He couldn't take it anymore. The tension, the smells, even the slight burning taste of pheromones in the air were suffocating him. Sure in a way he admitted that she was right, but his pride could be slightly misplaced for the time being. His lust was taking over, and it needed to be sated. Just not in the way he would have preferred.

As he began to move to his gym on his ship he noticed she wasn't following. "Now!" He demanded and stormed away.

Shepard smirked to herself. There was something empowering turning on a bastard like Saren. Slowly, she cracked her neck and got up from her chair. She took her time as she walked into the combat room. Calmly, she watched as Saren paced back and forth angrily. He had dressed down into a tight fitting spandex that cut off around the middle of his thighs and arms. Then with a calculated slowness to rile him up further, Shepard started pulling off her armor pieces one by one. She giggled to herself when she heard the angry and desired filled chirps he let loose to the air. Once again she was happy that she applied that amplifying enhancement.

When she was done she walked over to her locker and took out her boxing gloves. She had learned her lesson after their first spar, the scar on her leg a reminder. "I believe you owe me the first hit." She said before she used her teeth to tighten her glove. She looked back at him and noticed the predatory smile that lit his face as he stared at the scar on her leg. Apparently it was a reminder to him as well.

"Fine, you'll need the handicap anyways. Take off your Omni-tool." The cockiness in his voice knew no bounds.

"Take out your amp." She countered with an unamused lifted brow. He grunted and slide his hand to his shoulder and easily unhooked his biotic amp and placed it with his armor strewn by his locker. She smirked and held out her arm. He stared at her confused. "I already put on my gloves." She replied with a shrug.

In frustration he snatched up her wrist and shuddered at the feel of her hot skin. It was like a branding iron in his lust ridden state. She was toying with a horny Turian. That was a dangerous game and he knew she knew it. Spirits that danger excited him to no end. Quickly he disengaged her Omni-tool and placed it with her things.

He nearly jogged to his place across the mat from her. They both got into a beginning stance. Then without the slightest warning twitch, Shepard sped up to him and began throwing a right hook toward his face. She swiftly changed it to a straight punch almost catching Saren by surprise. With a palm to the outside of her wrist he batted it away and countered with an uppercut toward her stomach.

Using a quick inside pivot, she moved her back to be in his personal space. She then moved an elbow to the soft side of his abdomen. He gave a silent snarl at the bruising hit, but the adrenaline that came with it was welcoming. Before she could move away he kneed her in the small of the back sending her stumbling forward.

The hit sent a shockwave up her spine. It was stupid of her to leave her back to him for so long. She shook her head chastising herself as she got back into an attacking stance. In unison they ran forward at one another readying themselves for an intense battle.

Shepard and Saren stretched across from one another panting like Varrens' after a fight. They looked like them to. Bruises and small scratches littered one another's bodies. Shepherd's more so apparent than Saren's. Her normally tan skin with numerous spots of purple, red, and blue. That was another thing he liked about human bodies; easily being able to see his handiwork.

Another thing that brought a vicious grin to his face, was the fact he brought out the animal in Shepard. 2 hours into their fight she started shouting and snarling as she threw painfully hard shots at him. They were also very precise, but he expected no less considering her prior training.

A moment in their fight popped into his head as he thought about her punches. She had gone into a stance unfamiliar to him, and made amazingly fast hits at his face. It had been slightly devastating before he broke away from them. "The stance...you took…when you sent all ... those punches at my face...what is it called?" He huffed curiously.

A smile went to her face as she bent from side to side. "It's a boxing... stance." She replied, amusement filling her voice.

"Boxing?"

"It's a human sport... You use these gloves... in it actually." She took a few deep breaths to level out her panting. "Basically, you stand in a square with ropes along the edges keeping 2 opponents inside along with a referee."

"What is this 'referee's' goal?"

"He watches and makes sure there aren't any illegal punches being thrown as well as braking apart the opponents if they get to close to one another. He also names the winner when one of the opponents fall and can't get back up within a 10 count."

Saren nodded. It figured humans would exploit sparring as a form of entertainment. He guessed they also placed bets in it to. "So the opponents just spar?"

"In a way. Depending on the type of boxing, your only allowed to use certain parts of your body to fight with. For example, in traditional boxing you only throw punches. You rely on your footing, speed, and strength. What I did on you was what's considered speed punches. The fighting style comes in handy with unsuspecting aliens."

"How do you defend it." he demanded as he stopped stretching his legs, and gave her his attention. In his line of work getting taken by surprise is a death sentence. There was also the fact he refused to die from some humans' form of fighting entertainment.

Shepard scoffed, "Pretty easily." She walked up to him and went into a crouch as she grabbed his arms and placed them in front of his face. "Keep your arms up." She gave a soft laugh at his glare. It was a bad move she realized when she saw his muscles tense.

One of his arms grabbed hers, and yanked her forward sending her partially into his lap. His other hand shot out grasping her throat, bringing her head into a slightly uncomfortable angle to look into his eyes.

"You like his eyes?!" Nihlus laughed loudly making Shepard pout slightly in embarrassment. "I've seen a Krogan shit himself after getting one of Saren's more fearsome glares. And you think they're pretty?!"

"I don't think they're 'pretty', I think they have an intensity to them. From what I've seen of them at least." She explained as she went about scrolling through the galaxy chart on Nihlus's ships display.

"Well I wouldn't recommend saying THAT to him when you meet him." Nihlus said with a chuckle. A playfully devious grin slowly made its way across his face. "Or maybe I should tell him how cute you think his eyes are?"

She shot him a devastatingly annoyed glare. "You tell him that, and I'll tell him you slept with Matriarch Benezia our last shore leave."

"Liar!"

She gulped under his stare. 'Don't say they're pretty. Don't you dare say it', Shepard internally chanted to herself as she stared unblinkingly into them. She was hypnotized by the striking blue pupils against the black surroundings. She knew they were cybernetic, but they fit Saren perfectly. Intense, and direct while just being on the edge of evil. While she thought his hand gripped her tighter.

Now hyper aware of his gloved hand on her throat she realized how he could be very nearly slicing open her carotid artery. When she gulped she could feel it roll over his hand which caused her to stiffen even more. There was fear in her yes, but it was a fear of not being able to hold herself back from throwing herself at him.

She didn't have some sort of BDSM fetish per say, but there was just something enticing of having someone (possibly) overpowering her. She was always in control. Always the top dog in the alliance army. Even as a Spectre she was getting better than most. There had never been anyone to be a long term suitable rival; until him.

Before she could stop it, her throat let out a soft desire filled whimper causing her skin to flush. 'That wasn't ever supposed to happen', She gulped again and only made things worse.

A smirk slowly lengthened across his face. Holding her throat in his hands he realized how much he enjoyed this ebb and flow of a power struggle between the two. Shepard was strong in her own right; he knew she could easily get out of this hold. Yet, here she remained because she wanted to. She liked that he was powerful. Liked that it was him making the decision of what to do next to her person. Riding high on a mixture of adrenaline and desire, he tightened his talons further for a moment. Grazing his hard, sleek mandibles against the side of her face he whispered, "I could kill you right now if I chose to." All the while holding eye contact with her.

Suddenly, her eyes shifted from blank boredom to that of intensity. They held a mixture of defiance, and curiosity. Would he actually try to kill her? Of course he was capable, but could he actually go through with it. He had threatened to do it enough. How much had truly changed since then?

In response, she snaked her hand up his carapace curling her fingers around the hard edge. Delving her fingers into the soft underside. He trembled slightly at the feel, and gave a heated sigh through his nose. Within the silent tense moments staring at each other, Shepard's fingers slowly stroked the skin. The beckoning movement she made caused him to inch closer and closer to her lips.

Suddenly, a sharp bleeping from Shepard's Omni-tool had them break apart. Panting wildly, she made several attempts to grab for it behind her. Finally, snagging the annoying tool she answered the call with a hard jab from her finger. "What?!" She shouted at the caller.

"Woah, just calling to see how things are going?" Nihlus's voice asked apprehensively on the other end.

She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. When she lifted her head to look at Saren, she caught the glimpse of his back walking out of the room. Her eyes then trailed down to the ground. 'Of course,' the simple phrase was all she could think in that moment. "Things are going fine." Her voice stated in a falsely calm tone. 'Right?'