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Under Better Circumstances 10 - Rousing Intentions

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Title: Under Better Circumstances - Chapter 10: Rousing Intentions
Author: xRebel666x
Game: Mass Effect
Characters/Pairing: Commander Nevada Shepard (femShep) and James Vega

Chapter 10 - Rousing Intentions

  The Lieutenant was slowly reclaiming his bearings, flexing his arms and stretching the muscles used from the previous night's encounter. As he continued his morning ritual, he tossed around and noticed someone was no longer lying beside him. Propping himself up, he groggily looked for the womanly figure. James quickly discovered his commanding officer sitting at the foot of the bed, wearing nothing more than his grey Special Forces shirt and her black lace panties.

  Vega enjoyed the sight of Nevada Shepard in his shirt, especially since it was large enough to droop over her shoulder and reveal the top of her arm. He marveled at the difference in their sizes yet knew he could never base someone on looks alone. Even though she was more than half his size, she still packed a powerful punch and could subdue him without even trying.

  "That shirt looks good on you, Commander," he chuckled, rubbing the base of his mohawk.

  She didn't budge… she didn't even glance up to acknowledge him. Shepard was hunched over her knees with her attention fixated on the damaged helmet resting in her hands. Her tormented eyes were lost in the memories held inside the broken shell of her old helmet.

  The Alliance Marine scooted behind his fellow soldier and felt her tense body stiffen upon his presence. Looking over her shoulder, he could see her troubled gaze reflecting off the helmet's visor. "Something the matter, Lola?"

  "It's nothing… nothing to be concerned about," she grumbled.

  "I have every right to be concerned," he replied, wrapping his arms around her stomach, "You can fight all that you want but you can't push me away now… especially since I have you."

  "Fight?" the word bitterly rolled off her tongue, "All I ever do is fight. Fighting for everyone even when they didn't believe me, risking my life without question… and then dying at the expense of my constant struggle. I died in an attack from the Collectors and was resurrected just so I could fight the Reaper forces. How many people can speak from experience about death?"

  "Only you."

  "Exactly. Everyone overlooks my death, they expect me to suit up and act like nothing ever happened. Yet I spend every night reliving the painful memory in my dreams… no one cares about the mental turmoil my death left in its wake. It's not easy coping with the thought of being rebuilt, knowing that you were completely reconstructed with hardly anything from your prior existence. But I cannot show them how broken I feel and how scared I am of dying again. I am cursed with experiencing death twice… take my word on this, once was enough," she closed her swollen eyes, the tears welling up as she fought the memories of her final moments.

  "Once may be enough but you're forgetting something," the Lieutenant stared into Nevada's aching brown eyes.

  "What?"

  "This time around, you have me."

  Shepard glared at him, confused about his notion.

  "Hear me out, Lola," his soothing voice comforted her, "The memories of our past constantly haunt us. Even though mine could never compare to your experience, I spent a lot of sleepless nights remembering the incident on Fehl. By the time Anderson picked me up on Omega, I felt like a lost cause… but then I met you and that's when everything changed. When we were apart, I was nothing more than a broken soldier. But together… my shattered pieces melt together and make me whole again. I am forever in your debt. I just hope I can return the favor."

  Nevada leaned back against Vega's muscular chest and allowed her body to loosen up. Feeling his arms gently squeeze around her mid-drift, she whispered, "You already have… you made me feel like a human again."

  The toned marine smirked at his accomplishment, "Then that's what I'll keep doing. To me, you will always be THE Commander Shepard. The war hero of the Blitz, the first human Spectre, and the best N7 operative I know. I could learn so much from you."

  Catching his subtle hint, Shepard raised her eyebrow, "I have the feeling there's something more…"

  "I guess maybe I've got some things on my mind too," he confessed, "I wanted to get your opinion on something."

  "What is it regarding?"

  "Being an N7…"

  Shepard paused for a moment, curious about his intentions before proceeding, "Ask away, Lieutenant."

  "What'd you do when you got asked to join the N7 program? I mean, was it a no-brainer for you or did you think about it before accepting?"

  "I'm a soldier, Vega, and I wanted to be the best damn soldier I could be," the tone of her voice reflected her strong commitment to the uniform, "It doesn't get better than N7."

  "So I hear."

  "You get the best training, best equipment, best assignments…"

  "And they expect the best in return."

  "Yes, they do," she directed her attention back to the object in her hands. Running her fingers over the crack in her broken helmet, the reminder of her undying duty, she questioned, "Why are you asking?"

  "Well, even all the shit that's going on… somebody, somewhere managed to track me down and forward an N7 commendation. It's dated the same day the Reapers attacked Earth," James shared but his tone sounded conflicted.

  "You don't sound too thrilled."

  "Well, aside from the fact that there won't even be an N7 program if we don't win this war, I just… being a soldier's the only thing I've ever been really good at. And not because I try. Hell, I'd've kicked my ass out years ago."

  "I'm glad you didn't," she nudged him.

  He tightened his arms around her and nuzzled his cheek against her ear, "I'm just not sure if I'm ready to lead again. I don't know if I want that responsibility."

  "Being a part of the N7 is a big deal, its one hell of a commitment. There's not a single N7 that hasn't sacrificed themselves or their soldiers at some point. I'm living proof of that," she pointed out.

  "What do you think I should do? Should I accept it? Assuming there's someone out there to accept it…" his uncertainty was clearly vocalized in his tone.

  "It's entirely up to you but it sounds like you already made up your mind. I know you're a damn good soldier, Vega. I'll stand behind whatever you choose but I don't think you should waste this opportunity," confirming her stance on his decision.

  "I was hoping you would agree, makes what I'm going to ask next that much easier."

  She squinted her eyes, asking, "Make what easier? What do you mean?"

  "Well," he took a deep breath, "I was hoping you would be my training officer."

  She cocked her head to the side, "Excuse me?"

  "I figure with you as my training officer, how could I fail? Right?

  "So not only will I be your commanding officer and your love interest but now I'm going to be your mentor too?" she asked, concerned about the requisition of another task.

  "Yeah," he nodded.

  "Aren't you asking a bit much from me?"

  "I would never have asked if I didn't think you were up to the task."

  She shook her head, "You do realize that I'm not going to go easy on you. I'm not going to soften your training just because you're sleeping with me."

  "You were never easy on me to begin with. I know I can handle whatever you throw at me," James smartly remarked.

  "Don't take this lightly, Vega."

  "I'm not. And I won't. You might think I don't take things seriously, but when I commit to something... I fully commit. Hell, as soon as we return to the Citadel, I'm going to get a tattoo to celebrate."

  "Maybe I'll join you."

  "Really? You're getting one too?" the Lieutenant asked, perking up at the thought.

  "No. I'm just tagging along to harass you…" a wicked grin crept onto her lips, "and slap your tattoo once it's done."

  "You can be so cruel."

  "You know you enjoy it."

  "Yes, I do," he returned the smile.
ALAS! The long awaited continuation of Under Better Circumstances! It may be short but it's in preparation for the chapters to come... of which some of you may hate me for.

Chapter 1: [link]
Chapter 9: [link]
Chapter 10: VIEWING
Chapter 11: [link]

James Vega and all things Mass Effect belong to BioWare. I'm just doing this for fun. ^_^
© 2012 - 2024 RebelATS
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Violet-Wynd's avatar
I just hope your ending is better than the one we got.