Under Better Circumstances 7 - Pieces

Title: Under Better Circumstances - Chapter 7: Pieces
Author: xRebel666x
Game: Mass Effect
Characters/Pairing: Commander Nevada Shepard (femShep) and James Vega

Chapter 7 – Pieces

  "Maybe Kaidan is right, maybe I need to make the most of things while I still can," Shepard muttered under her breath, waiting for the elevator so she could return to her quarters. "No. Protocol comes first. Duty before personal engagements… that's how it has been and how it must continue."

  The elevator opened and she stepped in, slapping the button to her level. She leaned against the corner and crossed her arms, speculating, "But time is short… the world is at war… maybe I can bend the rules a little… I think… I think he's getting to me."

  Without a second thought, she brought her fingers to her lips. Remembering how James Vega's moist lips brushed against hers and how dangerously close he came to sealing their distance. She could still feel the imprint of his large hands warming her lower back, teasing her flesh with their embrace. Her senses heightened as the opening door shot a blast of air, vividly reminding her of the way his breath felt against her bare skin.

  "He is getting to me," her voice growled, storming out of the elevator to leave her ghostly visions behind.

  Before opening the steel entrance of her quarters, Nevada paused and hung her head. She dreaded the mess that lay inside. Her anger was her weakness and the warpath in her room only served as a validation.

  But when the door opened, she was stunned. There wasn't any evidence of her prior retaliation. The shards of broken glass… the bits of wooden chunks… the scraps of paper… all gone. The only thing that remained was the dent from her vicious punch. Apart from that, everything seemed like before.

  "What? How'd this? Who..." she asked puzzled, "EDI, who cleaned up my quarters?"

  The Normandy's AI tuned in, "Lieutenant Vega, Commander. After you went to address Major Alenko's request, he stayed behind to tidy your quarters."

  "That was… awfully nice of him…" she mumbled, amazed at his attention to detail.

  "The Lieutenant also wanted me to advise you of the dish he left on your desk, requesting you have at least one bite."

  She didn't know how to respond to the Lieutenant's act of compassion. Ever since they first met on Omega, he found ways to display his kindness to the Commander. She reminisced all the times he kept her company while she was in confinement, sneaking in tequila on the loneliest nights and playing chess to help soothe her nerves. Even with all his kind acts, Shepard continued playing with his emotions. Pulling on his heartstrings and teasing him with the impossible… she felt ashamed for her false advances.

  As she walked towards the dish on her desk, she noticed a large wrapped box on her bed. She took a closer look and discovered a little envelope resting on top of the package. Her heart began racing, pounding harder and harder against her chest the closer she got.  

  Nevada sat down next to the large box and picked up the envelope. Inside there was a note, reading:

       Lola,

       I meant to give this to you earlier but never had the right moment. Since I know how much chess means to you, I figured now would be the opportune time to replace your board. Please don't break this one.

       James

       P.S. Now you're going to have to win every time.

  She propped the gift on her lap and began carefully tearing off the wrapping paper, revealing an unmarked cardboard box. Shepard opened the top and immediately had tears well up in her eyes. There was a custom made chess board inside and each piece was handcrafted to resemble her enemies and her supporters.

  On the black side: the rooks were Sovereign and Harbinger, the bishops were Atlas Mechs, the knights were Kai Leng and a Cerberus Commando, the pawns were all the various husks she encountered since Eden Prime, the king was the Illusive Man and the queen was the Cerberus logo.

  Nevada picked up the handcrafted king and sneered at it, "He's right… I have to win every time."

  On the white side: the rooks were Wrex and Grunt, the bishops were Thane Krios and Liara T'Soni, the knights were James Vega and Garrus Vakarian, the pawns were her other squadmembers and crewmates, the king was the Alliance logo, and the queen…

  Shepard pulled out the queen and stared at it with tender eyes. It was her. A little miniature piece of her. She was the queen… and her duty was to protect the Alliance. Nevada marveled at the way James Vega took to heart every detail she explained in one of their previous conversations, reflecting her symbolism perfectly.

   "Now I feel horrible," she whispered, staring at her custom chessboard, "All I do is tease him. I lead him on and then push him away the moment it begins impeding on protocol. It's not fair to him… especially with how nice he's been to me all this time."

  She picked up the knight resembling the Lieutenant and ran the tip of her finger over its mohawk. Tracing the outline of its facial stubble, she admired how adorable the miniature form looked.

  As she gazed at the details in the armor, a smile curled onto her face. Her eyes widened and began twinkling. She held up the knight next to the queen and declared, "I know how I can make up for lost time!"