Old Wounds - 3

Old Wounds - 3

features - Kaidan Alenko, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy

all characters were created and are owned by Bioware


A wave of text spread across the terminal as Kaidan had begun to read the unsent message.  Why she hadn't sent it still was a mystery, though he knew that her writing it at all meant she must care, or at least cared at some point.

Re: About Horizon...

Kaidan--

You don't have to apologize.  If anything, I should be sorry for making you suffer like that for two years.  Waking up and finding out that I had been gone for two years has been difficult.  I know a lot has changed.  It was selfish of me to ask you to come with me.  I know now that asking you to work with Cerberus was wrong.

Working with them makes me nervous, but they gave me a ship, a good crew, and they're fighting the Collectors.  As much as I don't trust them, I need to stop these attacks on our colonies.  It's just...seeing you on Horizon reminded me so much of how much time I've lost, how much I hurt you.  You deserve to be happy, and it isn't about me...it's..... <END AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION>



The message ended there.  For a moment, Kaidan just sat, staring emptily at the incomplete thought on the bottom of the screen.  Some part of him hoped the message would magically finish itself, though he knew statement would always remain unfinished. Unless...unless he went to see her.  Kaidan rubbed his hand across his forehead, feeling a headache already taking root in his head.  Of all things, his headaches always make him thing of Shepard...

"Kaidan?  Headache?"

He remember clearly what she used to say, her glimmering sapphire eyes fixed with concern.  She would sit with him, the scent of her ebony locks filling his nostrils.  She would lean her head against his chest, his hands softly running through her hair.  It was those moments that he had treasured, those quiet little times when they were alone, when Shepard was at peace.  He swore he could still smell her hair whenever-

"Kaidan?  Is that you?"

Kaidan nearly jumped out of his chair.  Standing at the door was, of all people, Tali.  Kaidan quickly closed the files he had opened on Shepard's terminal.

"What are you up to?"

There was no getting around Tali.  Though her face was hidden behind her mask, he could hear the slight amusement in her voice, though for the sake of not knowing had caused her to take a more accusatory stance.

"Just touring the ship.  It's a pretty good copy, huh?"

With that Tali seemed to relax, since their exchange had turned into a friendly conversation.

"Oh, you should see the engine room!  It's the latest in modern engineering!"

The bubbly quarian chatted for a while about the Normandy SR-2, and how everything worked, then remembered where they were.

"So, why are you up here, then?  I see you took a tour of Shepard's terminal."

Kaidan felt embarrassment sweeping through him.

"Um, well..."

From what he could tell, Tali smiled.

"It's fine.  I haven't forgotten about, well, you and Shepard."

Kaidan smiled sadly.  Was there a 'you and Shepard'?  Had she moved on.  Seemingly reading Kaidan's mind, Tali shook her head.

"She misses you, Kaidan.  She won't say anything for the sake of the crew, but she really does miss you.  She hasn't been quite the same since she came back."

Tali's words offered some comfort to him, though he longed to see her and see for himself.

"So, anyway, why are you here, Tali?  I thought the Alliance kicked you off?"

"They did, but Shepard asked me to get a few things out of her cabin.  Probably trying to lighten up the brig."

Tali's voice flickered with amusement, though a look of concern with flashes of outrage was painted across his face.

"The brig?  They're keeping her in the brig?  What do they think she's going to do?"

Tali shrugged as she walked toward Shepard's bedside table, grabbing the frame encompassing Shepard's old tags.

"Well after the whole thing on the Citadel two years ago, I guess that they're trying to be a little more careful.  Remember the lockdown?  Shepard had us blasting out of there in no time, and the Alliance doesn't tend to forget things like that."

Kaidan did remember the lockdown all too well.  Joker had been outraged, the crew just silent in disbelief.  Shepard had been...he remembered their talk as she had sat against her locker.

"Can't just pull out an old-fashioned 'it'll be all right' can you?"

"It's that easy huh? Ok then.  Everything will be fine, Shepard.  You'll figure it out."

He could still clearly picture the smirk on Shepard's face.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"I could get used to it."

Had it really been two years?  It felt like yesterday when they had been fighting Saren, when he had helped her up, sparks bursting from her eyes...

"Anyway, I should go.  It was good to see you.  Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get this stuff to the brig."

Tali scurried over to the desk, grabbing a datapad, Shepard's medal of honor, and to Kaidan's surprise the now darkened picture frame.  

"It was good seeing you, Kaidan."

"Oh, you too."

Tali walked out of the room, sealing the doors behind her.  

She took the picture...

Kaidan gathered himself, and then too left the room.  

He knew what he had to do.  He had to see Shepard.