Cherish

So now Nathan and Dakota have turned into a couple. In the AU of the AU, they get along really well, and their love is just...IT TRANSCENDS ALL SPACE AND TIME. SO THERE, SHUT UP. _{It is such a beautiful monster...} NOTA. The new name of SSV ShepShep.

The lovely wrote this drabble to go with this. Cuz I was talking to her today while working on it. And she's awesome. Takes place at beginning of ME2. So here we are:

<sub>"It was a stupid thing to keep, a downright ignorant mistake on Dakota’s part. She wished she’d gotten rid of it now honestly, it was just more leverage to throw at her, to force her to make a deal with the devil. Dakota ran her thumb against the polished film of the old photograph she’d kept stored away in her officer desk on the original Normandy, it had somehow survived and she hadn’t. The memories would always remain, even if they were faded fragments, tiny pieces of what they once were. Dakota clutched that tiny little picture right on the edge, refusing to potentially distort the image anymore. She didn’t want it to be lost to her forever; it was the only thing that brought her comfort and peace of mind in this chaotic world without him. She hated Cerberus for using this damn picture against her, for highlighting the fact that they could find him and hurt or kill him if she didn’t cooperate. They were all a bunch of sick twisted terrorists and Dakota was caught playing a game where the stakes were highest. She took a slow calming breath as the light in her cabin reflected off the distorted image, she didn’t even remember taking the picture, but then how could she…She was passed out.

Nestled safely in his arms, she remembered buying him that sweatshirt, how he didn’t complain once when she insisted he wear it as they took their first and sadly only shore leave together for the week after Saren and Soverign’s defeat. She took him to Saint Louis, showed him all the sights tourists went for and all the sights tourists didn’t get to see. She’d spoken so much, walking the entire time with his hand in hers pointing out all of the places of importance to her in her own life. He’d been relatively quiet that night, and when they finally made it to her apartment she’d been weary and exhausted, snuggling into him to watch a movie she didn’t remember anything until the next morning. She stared at that picture like it was a clue to a case, the way his hand was dug against her back. He must have been rubbing her back, his fingers clutching her close to him as she slumbered. She remembered the scent of him, the way his callused fingers felt as they brushed through her soft hair and he whispered sweet nothings to her. Sweet was not a word she’d used to describe him, he was powerful, dangerous and conniving even despicable and a despot at most times, but in that moment he was sweet. The way his lip was upturned in a contented smile sent butterflies fluttering through Dakota’s chest tickling her senses and twisting her emotions. She didn’t know where he was or if he was even willing to see her now, she’d been so far gone and all she had left to cling to were memories. “Nathan…” Her teeth clicked together, the picture swayed through the air dropping to the floor as Dakota grit her teeth, forcing her tears down she shook her head frantically. She had a galaxy to save damn it and she was thinking about petty feelings and emotions. She couldn’t do this, not when the Illusive Man knew who he was, what would make her tick. She couldn’t let him have this, her one moment of joy…her last remnant of happiness, she wouldn’t let him win. Leaving the faded paper on the floor Dakota marched out of the cabin refusing to look back."</sub>
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I tried the colors a million different ways. Tried a zillion different things and worked on this for hours arrgh. But the drabble makes everything better.

Nathan Shepard belongs to
Dakota Shepard is mine.

TIM and Cerberus and all the other stuff belongs to BioWare.