"I'll preface this by saying I would like to end this meeting with all my teeth still in place," Ambassador Udina said dryly, shooting a pointed look at Captain Anderson, seated beside him.

"You should thank him for what he did," Commander Shepard all but spat out from across the table, jabbing a finger in the ambassador's direction.

From his commander's side, Lieutenant Alenko added, "If the Normandy were still grounded..." he trailed off, his gaze lingering briefly on Shepard as he finished softly, "we'd all be dead right now."

The four of them were seated around a small table in a densely crowded restaurant. Udina seemed to have grown impatient and had begun the meeting before anyone had finished what they'd ordered; the table was littered with half-eaten meals and mugs of coffee.

Udina had been the catalyst for this meeting, gathering Anderson, Shepard, and Alenko together with the dramatic yet vague explanation: "To determine the fate of humanity." She had wondered if he had been trying to be funny, but ruled that out quickly. The ambassador was always conveniently forgetting that Shepard was too often finding herself determining the fate of humanity. As this thought crossed her mind briefly, she could barely keep from rolling her eyes.

Shaking his head and waving his hand dismissively, Udina responded blandly, "I understand the captain did what he had to do. However, we haven't brought you here to discuss my dentist bill."

The three officers seated with the ambassador all exchanged looks of mild amusement as Udina paused for dramatic effect. "The Council will be wanting to speak with you regarding a certain matter, Commander, now that you're awake," Udina informed Shepard. He narrowed his eyes and his tone grew harsher as he added, "You did take your time recovering—"

"You have got to be kidding me," Kaidan breathed, his voice barely a whisper, but all of them heard him regardless.

Considering she had been bleeding internally, Shepard thought she had recovered fairly quickly. She tried not to scowl at the ambassador.

Udina seemed to get the point and didn't continue his thought. Instead, Anderson picked up where the ambassador had left off. "The Council recognized our efforts in the attack on the Citadel," he explained, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table. "It seems they're ready to accept humanity into their ranks."

"The role you've played in shaping recent events means your opinion carries with it heavy weight," Udina continued for the captain, his voice full of meaning and, Shepard thought privately, that note of arrogance that seemed permanently etched into his tone. "We have already compiled a list of potential candidates for the position, but the Council will be wanting to know whom you think is best."

"So why call me into this meeting, and not have the Council speak with me directly?" Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Council is holding a ceremony to pay tribute to what you and your team have done," Udina began, giving a brief nod of acknowledgement to Kaidan. "We've called you here... beforehand... to make sure you understand the situation, and prepare you," Udina answered. "You need to choose someone who has the necessary experience—"

"Captain Anderson," Shepard replied smoothly, cutting the ambassador off without batting an eye. She wasn't going to let Udina sneak in any tricks to influence her choice.

This seemed to dumbfound Udina for a moment. After a her answer hung in the air for a moment, he asked, "Are you... sure about this, Commander? He's a soldier, not a politician. Prefers to let his fists do the talking."

"Only with you, Ambassador," the captain offered cheerily, leaning back in his seat. "Only with you."

Shepard's mind was working quickly, racing through all the reasons Anderson would make a better Council member. She couldn't say that she just didn't like Udina. "We're about to go into war. We need someone with military experience. Someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in," she added, trying to keep a snide tone from slipping out as she recalled the moment the ambassador had grounded the Normandy.

"Very well," Udina conceded. Detecting a hint of bitterness in his voice, the commander fought a smirk that was threatening to spread across her face.

"Is that all, sir?" Shepard asked, directing the question to Anderson.

"Yes, Commander," the captain answered. "The ceremony is tomorrow at nineteen hundred hours, at some volus hotel. I'll forward the address to you. It's a banquet, so come hungry."

The two older men slid their chairs back and rose from the table. Shepard and Kaidan both stood to salute the captain and both he and Udina nodded and departed.

"Well, I suppose we should get going too," Kaidan said softly, once the other two men were out of earshot.

Briefly, Shepard met his gaze and nodded her agreement, understanding what he meant. "Don't want anyone getting the wrong impression," she agreed a little forlornly.

"Or, y'know, the right one," Kaidan pointed out with a soft chuckle.

Snorting softly in amusement, Shepard turned to leave, Kaidan close behind her. As they exited the restaurant, Shepard found herself, not for the first time, marveling at the Citadel: the people who carried on with their lives, not knowing exactly how much danger they had just been in only days ago, and how much danger was yet to come.

Most of the Citadel was still intact, aside from the Presidium, and until all the details had been worked out, just about everything was classified, so hardly anyone knew that an incredibly advanced AI had just tried to wipe everyone on the Citadel out, and summon some playmates to do the same to rest of the galaxy. Shepard had heard various rumours about what could have taken place, and had to admit that there were some very creative people out there.

"So, a banquet," Kaidan mused, breaking the comfortable silence between them as they made their way slowly along a crowded street, headed back to the Normandy.

Shepard had a feeling that she knew what Kaidan was thinking about. How they couldn't go to this banquet—or anywhere—together. Both she and Kaidan would be going, but he would be going as her subordinate. As a member of her crew, just like the rest of the soldiers aboard the Normandy would be doing. They'd continue pretending like nothing was going on between them. They were both career people; they had known what they were getting themselves into when they went down this path. Stolen moments, secrecy.

As an attempt at lightening the dreary mood that had suddenly wrapped itself around the pair, she joked, "Bringing a date?"

Half-smiling, Kaidan shook his head. He looked pensive for a moment, then said, "I wonder if we really knew what we were getting into when we, uh... before we touched down on Ilos."

Swallowing, Shepard shot him a glance and found he was looking at her the same way she was looking at him. A warm tingle rushed through her. The couple broke their gaze awkwardly and stared directly ahead as they moved forward. Shepard shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the lusty fog that had settled in.

Kaidan cleared his throat, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck. "Anyway. We both knew about regs and rules. I think we made that part pretty clear. Maybe it's been too long since I've... felt this way about anyone, but I guess I just forgot what it feels like when you can't have something that you... want," he finished a little lamely.

Shepard found herself half-smiling at the man she was growing to care very deeply about. There was just a part of him that she found absolutely adorable. When it came to her lieutenant, there were no silly relationship games, no drama. She had enough to worry about. With Kaidan, except that breaking regs part, everything was easy, open. Honest.

"It's interesting, in a way," Shepard said softly. "How we both knew the career implications this could have, but didn't realize how much hiding all of it would affect us emotionally."

Kaidan nodded. "I guess some days are going be harder than others when you're in l—in our situation," he covered up hastily, shoving his hands into his pockets as they went along.

Her stomach flip-flopped pleasantly. Although she was almost certain of what Kaidan had been about to say, she didn't press the issue. They continued talking as they meandered idly back to the Normandy, taking their time, browsing the occasional military supply shop. It was a nice feeling, one almost of privacy, even in the crowded throngs on the Citadel ward arm. Just the two of them, enjoying the walk, the conversation, and the company. They didn't touch on the subject of their relationship again that day.

Shepard was starving. "Come hungry," Anderson had said. She scoffed softly under her breath. Formal ceremonies had a way of causing every single person who believed they had the right to speak their mind to prattle on endlessly. The polite term for this being, of course, a "speech."

The ceremony was being held in a large room in a very grand and expensive hotel run by a wealthy volus family. Since she was the one the Council was honouring, she was seated with them and other "notable people" at the head table on a stage, instead of more comfortably among her crew. She was trying very hard not to look extremely bored, and found it increasingly difficult to stifle her yawns. To distract herself, she looked down at the sea of round tables before her.

Her crew took up several tables. There was Kaidan, the first face she looked for, and as she caught his eye, he gave her a very subtle half-smile, which she returned even more subtly. Next to Kaidan was Joker, looking as bored as she felt, his crutches leaning against the back of his chair. She could pick out Adams and Pressly as well, both shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

The non-humans she had grown close with were present as well, scattered here and there, mostly seated at tables with the Normandy's human crew. It felt strange to think of them as "aliens", now, after being through so much together. They seemed no more alien to her now than her hand did, especially judging by their current behaviour. They all seemed just as bored, restless, or uninterested as any of the humans were.

At long last, and after many, many speeches, it seemed there were no more people who felt the need to express the gratefulness of the entire galaxy to Commander Shepard and her crew. That was something for which Shepard herself was immensely grateful. At last she could quell the rumble in her stomach.

While the food was probably the best she'd had in a long time, she found herself wishing the night was over. This would have been easier if she had been allowed to sit with her crew, an officer rather than a hero. She was not a fan of being recognized like this. In truth, she found it rather embarrassing. Put somebody else on the poster, she'd told Kaidan once. Alas, that didn't look like that was going to happen.

She ate her meal and nodded politely along with whatever the volus next to her was chatting about, though she wasn't really paying attention. After some time, it seemed like people had had their fill of both food and windbags for the evening; gradually, they began to trickle out of the room. Shepard pushed back her chair and stood up, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible while she hurried over to her crew's tables.

"Commander, I dunno how you did it," Joker said as she joined them around a table. "But I wanted to congratulate you—y'know, on not falling asleep."

Shepard smirked. "Thank you, but I could not have done it without these five hundred people I feel the need to list out and thank individually," she said with mock loftiness. Those seated around the table all chuckled appreciatively.

Her crew was making small talk around the table; those who had been sitting at other tables had pulled up chairs or stood, leaning against the backs of others' chairs. Now that their bellies were filled and they didn't have to listen to a bunch of people they didn't know talk about the things they'd already lived through, they seemed disinclined to leave, even though they had all been offered free rooms for the night.

Remembering this, she subconsciously glanced at Kaidan, wondering, rather daringly, if it would be possible to sneak him into her room unnoticed for the night.

Kaidan, however, was looking a bit pale.

"Alenko, are you okay?" Joker asked, who also seemed to have noticed Kaidan's skin was now several shades lighter. "You look like you saw a gho—"

An unfamiliar voice entered the conversation from behind Shepard: "Commander Shepard?" The heads of her crew swiveled to see who the newcomer was.

Another notable person, probably here to congratulate her. Stifling a sigh, Shepard stood and turned around. She found herself looking at a remarkably attractive woman with long, black hair, creamy skin, and a beautiful smile. She was offering her hand, so Shepard took it.

"Commander Shepard," the woman said again, shaking her hand firmly and vigorously, "it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rahna Pamuk."

Shepard blanched as something clicked on in her brain. She whipped her head around to stare at Kaidan, but he only blinked slowly, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She turned back to face Rahna and swallowed, hoping the action would help her muddle through her next words: "Pleasure's all mine."

A/N: My thanks to all the readers for their time, and to Vshard for making this chapter what it is now. Without her help, this chapter would probably be a lot harder to follow, so three cheers for her! Lots more to come. Input welcome.