[Book Two] Chapter 24: You can’t do this all day

[Book Two] Chapter 24: You can’t do this all dayChapter 24: You can’t do this all day

He was woken up by a cough. Remembering what had happened the night before he quickly opened his eyes and saw Tali lying on him on her back, having a coughing fit.

“Tali! Are you alright?! Do I need to bring you to the med-bay?!”

“No... I’ll be... fine.” she said between coughs.

She was barely on her feet when he charged at her, she jumped to the side and did a roll to escape it by a hair’s breadth. Quickly getting up she blocked the oncoming leg aiming at her head to the side and threw a punch of her own.

“You’re a biotic fire crotch! Fight like one!” he yelled as he punched straight to her stomach. It connected but Shepard had time to use a barrier.

From there on it was a full on brawl. Hits after hits, biotics skill one after the other. Jack was having the time of her life just watching the two of them going at it. She knew that Rick was playing it nice, though not that much, as no one took the advantage. Pride was surging inside of her as Shepard delivered a heavy blow to the man’s gut. She couldn’t help but feel proud at the result of her student training, and seriously considered accepting her proposition to teach at that academy she got talked about.

After two hours of it, Jack has been impressed by Rick’s control of his biotics. Shepard was breathing hard, exhausted but he seemed fine. He was sweating plenty, sure (and she liked what she saw) but he wasn’t making any mistakes contrary to Shepard who began to be a bit sloppy. Finally Rick charged the redhead, grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall. She looked at him with murder in her eyes.

“Feel better?” he said.

Confusion replaced her anger instantly and she felt his grip on her lessen.

“You should train more because obviously you can’t do this all day.” was his parting words as he released her, resulting in her falling on her ass, and walked towards the elevator.

Jack approached the down woman silently.

“He toyed with me.”

“Not by much. He just has insane control. Don’t sell yourself short, you did really well, I’m impressed.”

“That’s not what I meant but thanks though somehow, I’m even more frustrated now but not the same way.” she said, her head downcast.

“Why don’t you just fuck him? I mean, anyone can see the tension between you two.”

A mirthless laugh was the answer Shepard gave her.

“Come on, Shepard, look at you, you’re sexy as hell, there is no way he’s not interested.”

“He’s not interested. Here am I, in lo...” she stopped herself from saying too much before trying to salvage it “every time I think we’re good he just...”

“Acts like an asshole?”

“Yeah.”

Jack didn’t really know what to do. Emotional shit was not her thing at all. However, if teaching taught her one thing was to be supportive, so she tried her best.

“Look, you want him? Then go after him and don’t give up. Doesn’t matter if it’s for sex, or if it’s for other shit, doesn’t matter what he says or does. You go at it until you get him.” she advised as she extended her hand.

Shepard looked at her for a moment then smiled. She took her hand and was pulled on her feet.

“Thanks, Jack. You’re surprisingly good at comforting people.”

“Bah, I just spent too much time with you. And don’t tell shit to others!”

“I won’t. It’s a loss though, you’re the kind of person that people should get to know the true you.”

“I should have left you on the ground.” the ex-convict said as she walked towards the elevator alone.

____________________________________________________________

After taking a shower and eating for six she went down the engineering deck and paid a visit to Tali. When she was sprayed in the face she remembered the work done on the room.

“Jane!”

“It will take time to get used to that.” the redhead said as she entered the room for good.

“You don’t need to. You can come see me at my station.”

“Yes, but not when you’re sick. Which is why I am here. Are you going to be alright? Mordin said that you will but...”

“It’s just a fever. It’s not the first, and probably not the last. I’m good.”

“How did it happen anyway? Rick said you had a problem with your suit?”

“A problem with my... He really said that?” the quarian said half laughing half coughing.

“Yes, why? What’s so funny?”

“Well if not having it on during sex is a problem then yes, I had one with it.”

“Not having.... Oh for God’s sake! Am I the only one he’s not sleeping with on this ship?!!”

“I don’t know... There is EDI?” joked the quarian.

“BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A BODY!” she yelled as she stood from the chair she had been sitting on.

“I... don’t know what to say, Jane.” the quarian said in a subdue tone.

“Then don’t say anything.” the redhead said, glaring at the sick quarian before sighing. “I’m sorry, it’s not fair to you, you’re sick and here I am, yelling at you because...”

“You’re jealous. And you’re jealous because you love him.” stated Tali, prompting Jane to sit back down on the chair at the desk, her head in her hands. “That’s funny you know...”

“Glad to know my misery amuses you.”

“No! Not that! What I meant was... Ashley, Liara, her Mom, Miranda, Samara, you. I always felt I couldn’t compete with you all, that I had no chance. I still do, even after the night we had together and his reassurance in the morning that I’m as pretty as any of you and that it’s not a competition.”

“Why would you feel that way?”

“I’m stuck in my suit, Jane and the rare times I removed it and could take a look at me, I didn’t find myself particularly attractive. I have my ass going for me but that’s it. So I surprised him, well... naked or rather naked with some pretty lingerie.”

“Pretty lingerie?” Jane echoed and Tali pointed towards a basket in the corner of the room.

The redhead went to it and picked up the discarded green olive set of underwear. Taking a good look she whistled in amazement.

“Miranda helped me choose it.”

“Really?”

“She did. She was really sympathetic to my situation and I think she wanted a break from their bedroom activities. Maybe she could help you too. She certainly knows her stuff.”

“Interesting idea but I don’t think it will be enough.”

“Why not.”

“He... doesn’t see me that way. I mean every time we’re getting closer, emotionally or physically he blows up.”

“Did you try to... Of course you tried to find out why.”

“Yes, I really don’t understand... One moment, we’re like, the best of friends and the next I’m like... the greatest leper in the galaxy. And then the next he’s hugging me like mad.”

“Hugging you? Hugging? That’s not like him. He rarely hugs Samara or me.We’re doing the hugging most of the time.”

“Well, I wouldn't call it a hug but...”

“But?”

“It stays between you and me. Please?”

“You have my word, Jane.”

“Remember the morning where he confessed he had slept with me in my bed?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“Well, it was the first time of many. I don’t think he knows that I’ve been awake but before he got hurt he came into my cabin during the night and just got in bed and hugged me until he fell asleep, then the next morning he was gone before I woke up. Every time.”

“...”

That shocked Rick a bit as after that peculiar morning, he had been spooning her every subsequent one.

“Why would he go to ... Did he have any nightmares?”

“None.”

Tali thought long and hard at the implication of what Shepard just told her. Remembering their talk from the previous night she began to wonder.

“Tali?”

“Yes?”

“You spaced out for a moment.”

“Sorry, I was thinking about why he would go to you specifically and I think I may know why.”

“You do ?!”

“I’m not sure, who knows what’s going on inside his head after all but... He said that each woman he’s sleeping with, currently or not, gives him something he needs to face his problems.”

“Which is?”

“It depends on the woman but you... He went to you when at his lowest, his most vulnerable so I think you give him... Security? A sense of safety or something like that?”

Jane thought of that and it made sense, the question was why? Trying to remember as much as she could of their interaction together he always seemed to calm down when she was holding his hand tightly. The time on the Mako on their way to Peak 15 on Noveria, they were all ganging up on him. Then during his first business deal with the Alliance. He had flared his biotics when the military personnel came in and turned his aura off when she grabbed his hand. He played it cool but perhaps he had felt threatened? She found more and more instances in her memories of such moments but with that new knowledge, she saw the events under a different scope. Tali seemed to have been spot on.

“That... may be true but how does knowing that help?”

“Perhaps if you give him enough without hurting his ego...”

“That’s... worth a try.”

“Tries. Jane, being there for him once won’t get him to strip naked for you on the spot.”

Shepard nodded in both agreement and understanding, before leaving Tali to rest. The quarian had some parting words.

“Just so you know, he’s still in love with his late wife. He won’t commit, not like we will let him anyway.”