I Owe the Man a Drink

Lieutenant Vega left Purgatory, happy to leave the throbbing music and flashing lights behind. He walked to the opposite end of the courtyard and stood at the balcony overlooking the other wards, trying to sort himself out.

Out of the blue, the commander finally took him up on his standing invitation to join him for a drink, which surprised him. Shepard had been out on a date with Major Alenko earlier in the evening, and Vega hadn't expected to see her at all. But she showed up, dressed to kill, and in a better mood than she'd been in for a while. She let Vega talk her into buying a round of beers for the group of soldiers he had been chatting with, and was able to finish the Scottish toast he started. 'Who's better than us? Damn few, and they're all dead.' Yeah, Lola's something else, all right. Solid.

The clipped footsteps of a woman in heels and the slightest whiff of a familiar fragrance interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see Sabrina Shepard striding toward him.

"Vega, share a ride back to the ship?" She paused at the transportation terminal and hailed a cab.

"You trust my flying again, Commander?" He was uncomfortable being this close to her, but he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.

She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and stood at his side. "I didn't say you were driving, but I guess I can risk it."

Vega gave her a sideways glance. Normally dressed in a uniform with her hair pulled back, she was wearing a black dress and high heels, her dark hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders. It was a side of Shepard he rarely saw, and he wished he could see it more often. She's not interested in you, Vega. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should have hightailed it back to Earth, but he was in too deep now and couldn't let her down. Besides, no matter where he ran, she'd be in his head, haunting his every move. At least this way, he could keep an eye on her, protect her. He nearly laughed out loud at the thought. Shepard didn't need protection. She was deadly enough on her own.

The car arrived and Vega opened the passenger door, helping Shepard get settled in before he ran around to the driver's seat and pulled into traffic. She was watching him, her expression inscrutable, and he felt he had to say something.

"Thanks again for the drink, Shepard."

"Thank you for suggesting I pick up a round. A little morale building goes a long way. Who knows if those kids'll be alive a week from now." She looked out the side window and sighed. "James, I don't think I'm ready to go back just yet. Could you find a place to set down for a few minutes? A park, or something?"

"Yeah, sure." He changed course, steering them toward the Presidium. There was a spot below the market area, a stand of trees close to the lake, that would be nice at this time of night. "You okay, Commander?"

She shrugged. "Yes, I just want to take a moment to smell the flowers, I guess."

Vega nodded and set the car down on a landing pad, hurrying around to her door to help her out. Shepard's skirt had shifted up, revealing what appeared to be an N7 tattoo on her right thigh, and he tried not to stare. Blue eyes looked up at him though dark bangs; wet, red lips smiled at him. He looked away as he reached down to take the hand she held out, afraid something in his expression might betray his thoughts. Alenko better appreciate what he's got here.

"Hey, this is nice," Sabrina said, stepping forward to look around.

The area was lit by lanterns placed under the foliage at the edges of the walkway, casting a soft green glow over the white paving stones and landscaping rock. The path led to the water's edge, where a bench sat under a tree ladened with pink blossoms. She reached up and pulled a cluster of flowers from the tree, inhaling its sweet scent deeply before tucking the flowers behind her ear. "Very nice."

Vega watched as she paused to take her shoes off and tossed them aside, walking to the lake and stepping in. After wading in the shallow water for a few minutes, she sat on the bench to put her shoes back on and motioned for him to sit down.

"We're friends, right?" she asked abruptly.

"Sure."

"We can talk about things?"

He nodded, wondering what she was getting at. "Yeah, of course."

She seemed to process that for a moment before saying, "I had dinner with Alenko this evening."

And this is the problem with being the woman's friend, idiota. He smiled, hoping it would help make him sound interested. "Did you have a good time?"

"You don't really want to know, do you?" She was watching him again and he found it unnerving.

Not at all. The major had questioned Shepard's loyalties when they were on Mars, and Vega hadn't exactly kept his thoughts on the matter to himself, jumping to her defense. After seeing how upset she'd been when Alenko was injured, however, Vega decided to let it go. He knew they had a past and if Shepard still loved the guy, he'd have to live with it. He was her friend, after all.

"If he makes you happy-"

"When I told him I just wanted to be his friend, he asked me if it was because of you, James."

It took a moment for his brain to move from the first part of her statement to the second. She just wants to be Alenko's friend. His friend. And Alenko thinks...wait a minute...

James didn't know what to say; he was caught completely off guard and coughed nervously. It was one thing to have feelings for her, and another thing entirely to actually talk about them, never mind talk about them with her. Vega thought he'd been good at keeping his feelings hidden. Is Alenko trying to help me out here or fuck with me?

"Kaidan laughed when I asked what he meant, said it was obvious you have a thing for me." She turned to look up at him. "Do you have a thing for me, James?"

"Look, Commander-"

"Just answer the question, James." She poked him in the arm, her voice taking on that 'don't mess with me' tone she used to intimidate people. "Do you have feelings for me?"

Staring down into those blue eyes, he knew he couldn't lie to Shepard. He wasn't nearly quick enough to try to pull one over on her. "Yes, and I'm sorry. I know it's totally inappropriate. If you want me to-"

"Why didn't you say something?" she asked, cutting him off.

The question confused Vega. He rarely dared to imagine having this conversation with her. In fact, when he first pictured himself trying, he figured she'd slap him across the face. Shepard didn't put up with any bullshit from anyone.

"Vega, you still with me? Why didn't you say something?"

He stood up and started pacing. "Like what? You're my commanding officer, Shepard. There are rules and regulations, the mission-" His voice trailed off and he shrugged. Muy bueno, estupido.

She cocked her head to one side. "I didn't think either of us was that hung up on regulations. God, we're a couple of idiots, perfect for each other."

His heart pounded in his chest and he stopped pacing. "What was that?"

"Cut the crap, Vega. Your hearing is just fine." Her tone had softened, and she was smiling, shaking her head.

He felt like an idiot. Of course it made no sense whatsoever that she'd go on a date with Alenko, get back together with the guy, and then wander off to have drinks with another man. Vega knew she was better than that, but it had never crossed his mind that she might have feelings for him, too.

"Do you need me to clarify the situation for you?"

"Ah...please."

She moved quickly, full of the same bold confidence she exhibited in everything she did, and stood on the bench to look him in the eye. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, deeply and passionately, holding nothing back. Vega could feel the truth as clearly as if she were shouting it at him and he pulled her closer, returning her kisses with fervor.

Pulling back, he looked down at her. "Don't get me wrong, Lola, I am not complaining. I just don't get it. When-"

She smiled and smoothed her hands across his chest. "It's hard to say, James. You've just been there for me, since we first met on Omega. You were this rabid fanboy, ready to knock out anyone who said anything against me, you watched over me, made me feel safe. On Mars, as stupid as that was, you charged in to save the day, and even though you were really divided about leaving Earth, you've stuck with us. I didn't really think about it, us, until dinner with Kaidan."

For once James didn't wince when she said the major's name. Maybe the guy isn't such a jerk after all. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't want to get back together with him because too much has changed, there's too much distance between us now, and I've changed. But something else was holding me back, too, and it wasn't until he asked about you that I realized-" She looked James in the eye. "I tried to blow it off, but he asked me how I'd feel if you left the Normandy today, if you weren't there when we got back. He told me to think about it, said I deserved to be happy. It took the elevator ride from Apollo's Cafe to Purgatory to realize he was right."

"Hijo du perra. I owe the man a drink." Vega pulled Shepard into a tight embrace. "This might take some getting used to, Lola."

She nodded against his chest. "Mmm. Just promise me something, James."

"Anything."

"I need to know that you give a shit about living."

He ran a hand over her head, smoothing her hair, and tipped her head back. "I do, Lola, I do. So...how would you feel if I left the Normandy?"

She frowned and slapped his arm. "I'd be devastated, James. And then I'd have to track you down and beat the shit out of you, which would jeopardize our entire mission, so don't even think about it."

"Duly noted, Commander." He pulled her close again, happy to feel the warmth of her body against his, wondering how he'd managed to get so lucky at a time like this.

"James?" Her warm breath across his cheek sent a shiver down his back to his groin.

"Mmm?"

"I'm ready to go back to the Normandy now. Join me for a drink in my cabin?"

"Hell yeah, Lola. Don't need to ask me twice."

She laughed as he picked her up and carried her back to the car, and Vega felt better than he'd felt in a long time, as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. They may all die tomorrow, but he'd die a happy man if he was at Sabrina's side.

A/N: Happy holidays, Zevgirl! A little slightly sappy romance for you. I hope you like it! Thanks for your friendship.

And thank you, readers.

Translations are easy ~ Idiot. Good one, stupid. Son of a bitch.

Have a great weekend! Cheers, Biff.