Menae had been a trip. James was unwinding down in the cargo bay, cleaning his rifle at his workstation. He could hear Cortez working on the shuttle behind him. Putting the Vindicator back together, he set it in the weapons rack and called out a farewell, getting onto the elevator to the crew level.

He knew Shepard had been in meetings since the new Primarch had come on board, so he hadn't seen her since they got back to the ship. The crew deck was mostly empty, the crew a skeleton team of who had been on board when they left Earth.

Heading for the lounge, the door opened and he saw Liara sitting there on one of the couches, her back to him.

"Hey, Doc, you seen-"

"Shh!" She hissed, cutting him off sharply and looked over her shoulder at him. "I apologize, but she hasn't been sleeping." Her whisper was gentle and he moved around the couch, seeing Sarah laying with her head in the Asari's lap. She was curled up, her hand resting near her face on Liara's thigh, sound asleep as Liara wove her fingers through her hair. The scene was almost domestic and intimate, relaying even more of their history to him.

"You want me to…" The statement could have meant a couple different things, but she seemed to know what he was trying to say.

"No, it's quite all right." Liara said, "She's comfortable and I don't wish to disturb her." There must have been some kind of expression on his face because she gave him a gentle smile. "James, why don't you come see me in my office later? I'll let you know when and we can talk."

"Oh...kay." He said, somewhat confused, pausing before he turned and left the lounge, leaving Sarah to rest.

Later, Liara looked up as the door to her office next to the mess hall opened, James taking up most of the space.

"Come in." She said, stepping away from the monitors lining the walls and he walked into the room, looking around with a low whistle.

"Nice spread." He said and she gave him a small smile.

"It serves it's purpose."

"You wanted to talk to me?" James asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Are you attracted to Sarah?" Liara asked and he cleared his throat at the sudden question.

"What do you mean?" He asked, shifting slightly.

"James, I may only be a hundred and nine-"

"Only."

"But I'm not naive." She said with a slow smile at the interruption. "I see the way you look at her, and I see how you are... conflicted."

"I'm not-"

"You're wondering about the relationship between Sarah and myself. I've known her for far longer, been through so much with her. She and I have…history." Liara said and he looked away with a nod.

"I get it." James said, a sinking feeling forming in his chest. They had "history", and based on the scene he had walked in on earlier, they were picking up where they left off. He never figured Sarah would be attracted to women, or Asari, but then he was hoping she was attracted to him. "I won't get between you two, and I'll back off." He turned, going to leave the office.

"Lieutenant! James! Oh, Goddess…" He stopped, turning back to look at her. "It's not like that at all." She said, her cheeks purpling slightly in a blush. "Sarah and I aren't...involved. We are simply...close. Goddess, it's difficult to explain. She and I shared consciousness twice while she was hunting Saren three year ago, but it wasn't sexual, it was merely...an exchange of information. My knowledge of the Protheans helped her process and understand the information she received from the Beacons."

"Okay." He said slowly, still not fully understanding.

"But that, and I believe the human term is, a door that swings both ways. She was in my mind as much as I was in hers. I can feel her, sometimes, like a shadow or an afterthought in the back of my mind. While the melding wasn't sexual it was highly intimate. Our...closeness is not one born of physical intimacy, but one born of knowing each other completely." Liara said, "If it helps, I don't believe Sarah is attracted to Asari."

"But Asari seem to be attracted to her." James said, "I seen the looks she gets sometimes from the Asari on the Citadel, it's like she has a spotlight on her that only they can see."

"Yes, well, Sarah exudes strength, confidence, intelligence and, I am not ashamed to admit, not a small amount of sex appeal." Liara said, blushing again gently, "As base as this sounds, Asari are drawn to her because children with her would possess those qualities, making her quite desirable as a bond-mate."

"Have you...you know...thought about it?" James asked and she gave an embarrassed chuckle, her blush intensifying making a wide smile pull across his face.

"Yes, I do admit that I have...entertained the thought of what it would be like to be with her in that way." She admitted, "But as I've said, Sarah doesn't seem to be attracted to Asari. She does, however, seem to be attracted to you." It was his turn to blush, heat creeping up the back of his neck.

"How do you um…"

"As I've said, I've been in her mind. Not recently, but I know her, I know the types of men she is attracted to. Though Thane was a surprise. I never thought she'd involve herself with a Drell." Liara admitted and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Drell?" He asked.

"Oh Goddess. She hasn't told you about Thane." She leaned to the side slightly, looking around him out the door. "Close the door. She's going to be angry with me for doing this, but you have the right to know. Especially if you intend on pursuing her." Reaching behind him, he hit the control and the door slid closed, Liara going over to her terminal and typing into the inputs. Various pictures of the same Drell came up on the screen, mostly surveillance photos it seemed, some of them appearing to be recent. "Thane Krios." She said, "An assassin trained by the Hanar under the Compact, sort of an agreement the Drell have with the Hanar for bringing some of them to Kahje."

"How did they meet?" James asked, standing next to her, looking at the man whose name Sarah had breathed in her sleep all those weeks ago. He hadn't expected him to be an alien, if he were being honest, and certainly not so...alien looking.

"Sarah recruited him on Illium while she was gathering a team to go beyond the Omega 4 Relay." Liara explained, "He is, by all accounts, the best assassin in the galaxy, having over two thousand confirmed kills to his name. In fact, she recruited him after she tracked him down on his way to a contract. Nassana Dantius." After inputting a command, what looked like security footage came up on one of the screens and James watched as Thane dropped from the ceiling, killing several armed guards before killing an Asari with a point blank gunshot to the midsection, gently laying her down on the desk as she died.

"Damn." He said when the footage ended.

"According to communications, their relationship began sometime after they met, and continued until she surrendered herself to the Alliance following the Alpha Relay incident."

"Are they still together? I mean, it wouldn't be a good idea to step on the toes of an assassin." James said, attempting to lighten some of the weight in his chest with humor.

"I honestly don't know. I know she still cares for him deeply, but there is...something, I don't know if I should…"

"Doc."

"No, that is something she should tell you herself. It is not my place." Liara said and the images vanished from the screen. "It's nothing" She paused, searching for the right words. "It's just complicated. Now go, I have work to do."

"Fine, I'm gone." He said, seeing that there was no use in trying to get any more information from her. Waving his hand over the sensor, the for opened and he left the office, hearing it close behind him as he walked away.

Heading back into the lounge, he stopped as he saw Sarah sitting on one of the couches, her back to the door. She looked over her shoulder at the sound of the door opening and he saw the corner of her lips perk slightly as she saw him.

"Hey." She said and he went around the couch, seeing her with her legs curled under her, datapad in her hands.

"Hey." He echoed and she scooted over slightly in a wordless invitation, even though there was plenty of room on the couch. He sat down next to her, looking over as she curled against his side, his arm draping across her shoulders. "You scared the hell out of me on Menae with that damn stunt you pulled with the Brute."

"Consider it payback for Mars." She said with a giggle.

"Lola…" He sighed, "You know what? No. Your nickname isn't Lola anymore."

"Aww, I was starting to like Lola."

"It's Loca now." He said and she shifted slightly to look up at him.

"Loca?"

"Yeah, because you're fucking crazy." He said and she laughed, making him smile. "We going to talk about it?"

"The fact that I'm apparently out of my mind? I thought that's what we were doing."

"About that kiss you hit me with in the shuttle bay."

"Ah, that." Between raiding a Cerberus lab housing Reaper tech and then Menae, they hadn't spoken about it, but it hadn't been the time or place to talk about how her heart had raced, her mind had swam, and heat had coursed through her veins. The last time she felt like that was with Kaidan, and that brought on a whole different set of problems. She hoped he wouldn't hurt her like Kaidan had, but it still made her hesitant.

"Yeah, that." He said, his brow arching slightly.

"Well you weren't exactly complaining, James." She said and he shrugged.

"I wasn't expecting it, so I didn't exactly bring my A-Game." He said and she gave a short laugh.

"What exactly is your A-Game?" She asked and he moved closer to her, hand holding her shoulder. Head tilting to the side, he looked over her face again before gently brushing his lips against hers. With a low sound, he claimed her mouth with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat, his lips moving against hers hotly as he pulled her closer, almost into his lap. Her hands grasped at his shirt, his shoulders, anything to ground herself as his tongue slipped into her mouth, driving away any and all sensible thought.

She shivered as his hands slipped under her shirt, touching the skin of her waist and back and she cradled the back of his head when he broke the kiss, burying his face in her neck while he fought to catch his breath.

"Well that backfired." He muttered and she snorted. With a roll of her eyes, she pushed him back, sitting in his lap astride his thighs. His hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her closer and a blush crept over her face at the feel of him hard and thick between her legs.

"Apparently it backfired a lot." She said, her fingers curling into the back of the couch. His tongue skimmed over his lower lip as he looked up at her.

"Just give me a minute and I'll be good." He said, hands sliding up to her back. "Though you aren't helping."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"You're right, I'm not." She said and ran her fingers through his hair. "James, this doesn't have to be complicated if you don't want it to be. It can be just this," she pressed down on him suggestively, his hands clenching on her back. "If you want."

"That not what I want, Sarah." James said, "I want you. To be with just you. The only man in your life, not some guy you have fun on the side."

"I'm coming out of a pretty intense relationship. I care about him a lot, and he's very important to me." Sarah said.

"Why are you leaving him, then?"

"He's asked me to let him go." She said, her fingers tracing idle figures through the short hair at the back of his head. "He kind of wants to meet you, actually."

"Yeah?" James asked, not sure if he should be concerned at the fact that she and Thane (and he knew she was talking about Thane) had talked about him.

"He just wants to know that I'm going to be happy."

"I get that." He said with a nod. "Thane Krios, right?"

"How did you-Garrus, Liara, or Joker?"

"I'm not going to rat them out." James said, "They just thought I should know. Apparently it's pretty obvious to everyone there's something between us."

"How much did this mystery person tell you?"

"Just that he's a Drell you got together with while you were taking down the Collectors."

"Nothing else?"

"He's a pretty beast assassin, but that's about it."

"That's all?"

"Yes, ma'am." He said and she gave a sigh, looking away from him.

"Okay." She said, but he got the feeling she was holding something back. After a moment, she turned her attention back to him, a small smile pulling at her lips. Fingertips touched the side of his face gently as she leaned into him, her lips gently brushing against his in a featherlight kiss which he returned just as gently.

"What is it that you want, Sarah?" James asked as she pulled away.

"You." She said simply, "However you'll have me, I just want you."

"You should know that when I do these things, I'm in it for the long haul."

"I wouldn't mind a little stability in my life, I don't seem to have much of it anymore." Sarah said and leaned into him again, arms hanging off the back of the couch as she pressed herself flush to his chest. The smile that he had when she kissed him was small, gentle, and happy.