In secret, between the Shadow and the Soul | By : Stella-Siha Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 1680 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Author's note: Hi! Here is my first fanfiction. I willfully chose not to give details about Shepard (first name, physical appearance) so everyone can picture their own Shepard.
I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I did writing it. For the moment, it'll be a one-shot yet, if more ideas come to my mind, I might write some more. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Now I stop talking and let you enjoy the story!
James was gazing at Shepard, tenderly. They had been laying on the bed, face to face, for a long while now and he still could not get over how peaceful she looked at this moment. She was half asleep, needing a nap after the rough mission on Thessia. When had granted him the opportunity to become her guard on earth, he had discovered the woman behind the legendary Commander. Since she had gotten onboard the Normandy, Shepard had been bearing the fate of humanity in her hands. War was, slowly but surely, taking its toll on her. The dark circles under her eyes, the tension of her jaw, and the emptiness that could be seen in her eyes were all apparent signs of deep exhaustion. Shepard was aware she had to be the strong commander before allowing herself to be a woman, especially for her crew. Although, it was in these particular moments of peace, that in his presence James knew she could finally allow herself some rest. Shepard had once told him that she felt like she could only be her real self around him, for she knew he would never judge her and would only take her as she came. She despised showing weakness, more than anything and he knew that. Yet, it had always occurred to him that he had easily gotten under her skin, even if she would never admit it.
The Normandy was heading to the Cerberus base and the crew knew it was only a matter of time until they finally got to earth, in the heart of the fight. They also knew that this could be their last moment together. James tried to fight off this unbearable feeling, but in fact accomplished quite the opposite. He reminisced about their “prisoner to guard” relationship and how it had evolved into something between friendship and love, then to this inevitable state of an everlasting feeling of love. They could no longer ignore the attraction between them and after months of flirting, and gave into the temptation of being a couple. The circumstances made it everything, but easy to start this relationship normally. The Reapers threat was always on their mind, as well as keeping their privacy separated from the battlefield. James knew she was a strong soldier but seeing her fight against loads of Cerberus troopers, Brutes, Atlas, Banshees, it always took him quite some self-control not to remind her that sure, Cerberus had rebuilt her and she was certainly the only being that had been back from the dead, yet she wasn’t invincible even if she liked to think so. She was strong, reckless but most of all, wise. She was branded by the years spent in the Marine Corps, avoiding the bittersweet world outside like the plague. There was no place for doubt and feelings there; she had found her place, belonging in this world of order, action and effectiveness. Every drop of sweat, blood, and silent tears shed at night had led her to the top of the ladder, the highest branch of the Special Forces and she was proud to be among the best N7 soldiers in the alliance. James did not know much about Shepard’s past. She kept it at arm’s length, in the shadow. He never felt as if she was trying to hide something, more like avoiding some unpleasant memories. He always thought of asking her about it but never found the courage to do so for he knew there were enough to worry about now. In this moment though, he was almost tempted to ask her, to tell her that she could get rid of all that was haunting her, he could take it all away for her. Instead, when she opened her eyes, he saw how relaxed she looked and decided to keep it for later. AN: As said somewhere in the chapter, the poem used in the story is Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda. (I totally recommend reading the whole poem, it's wonderful) Here are the lines said by James (in Spanish) in English:
"I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,"
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