Shepard staggered through the airlock, relief rushing through her. They had won and they were alive. They had blown up the Collector base, and returned, all hearts and minds intact. She was fiercely glad that every one of her crew had been returned to her.

Her first stop was the med bay. She had sent Mordin back with the crew and he had already begun necessary treatments. Most of them had been cleared of physical problems, and were gathered in the mess hall for celebration.

She made sure the rest of her squad was checked out and treated for any injuries. Mordin insisted on some medi-gel for her as well, no matter how often she insisted she was fine. Tomorrow, she knew, she would be tired, sore, and a little sick. Tonight, however, she felt no pain, only the euphoria of battle and victory. She was still tense and excited, her nerves still on fire.

She tried to suppress a twitch of impatience, but Mordin noticed anyway. His large eyes blinked rapidly at her for a moment before understanding dawned.

"Ah. Post-combat reaction common in many species. Peak experiences. Understandable. Try not to over-exert." With that, he turned and left the med bay, headed back to his lab.

Shepard...twitched again. She was torn between blushing furiously and laughing off the doctor's words. She settled for shaking her head and striding out of the bay.

She was aware that her most urgent need right now was not for medical attentions, or the group celebration going on in the Mess Hall, but she knew she could not absent herself so quickly. Mordin had made her remove her armor, so she snagged one of the extra uniforms she kept in the bay, and headed for the restroom for a quick scrub and change.

Shepard moved through the crew deck, making sure to speak to each person, hearing their experiences, and sharing her own. She toasted their victory with Chakwas, bantered with Ken and Gabby, slapped Garrus on the back, exchanged hugs with Tali. She responded to each person carefully, judging her actions on their emotional state, giving them what they needed.

As she moved through the crowd, she was aware that she was being watched. No matter where she stood, or who she spoke to, if she looked up, she would see his eyes tracking her. Her gestures became more deliberate, her voice deepened. She saw his face darken in reaction.

Finally, Shepard finished having a conversation with each of her crew and headed to the elevator. Adrenalin and endorphins sang through her system, making her skin feel too tight. She turned as she hit the button for her cabin, and her eyes met his. Unspoken understanding flashed between them as the doors slid shut.

Inside her cabin, Shepard dialed the temperature up until it was nearly blood heat. She shed her uniform and pulled on a soft pale robe. She felt sweat already slicking her skin as the temperature rose.

She heard the door open and shut behind her, though there was no sound of footsteps. She spoke without turning around.

"Edi, seal my cabin door and the elevator door to this level until further notice. Also disable all audio, video and motion sensitive monitors to this deck. I'll call you on my private terminal if I need you."

Edi appeared and spoke, "Are you certain, Shepard? I will not be able to respond to any but manual input."

"Do it, Edi."

"Understood, Shepard. Logging you out."

She turned and said simply, "I knew you would come."

A/N: This is my first fanfic, please be gentle. The second half is almost done, and should be ready tonight.

As always, all characters, etc are property of BioWare