Disclaimer: Nothing, do I own. In Yoda's voice, this disclaimer is.

Yes, I know this looks like I'm ripping off another of Royce's stories but... I'm not the only one who's done it! Rexfan1333 followed his example as well! *points accusing finger*

Even though he somehow has an awesome cover photo... Rex, do you do your own work? Can you hook me up, dude?!

So yeah, this is basically how Ben would be in relationships with the other girls of Mass Effect. I'll start off with main characters (Jack, Tali, etc.) and then more obscure ones, and if I'm in a quirky mood, maybe a full-on harem chapter that you most definitely should NOT take seriously. At all.

First up: FemShep.

Why? Because I freaking love Jennifer Hale.

Chapter 1: Commander, Pt. 1

Garrus Vakarian was an extremely perceptive individual. Part of it was his DNA, as turians possessed very sharp eyesight, much like that of Earth's birds of prey. Another part of it was his experience as a C-Sec officer and later-on vigilante; you learn to pick up on the importance of miniscule details, which could speak volumes if one was able to interpret them correctly.

At the moment, his sharp intuition and excellent eyesight were picking up little subtleties that revealed massive amounts of information.

Arms crossed over chest, fingers of the right hand grasping the left bicep with an intense grip, teeth clenched tightly, posture stiff and unmoving.

Yes, it was fair to say that Jane Shepard was worried. Most of the other squadmates probably couldn't tell, as they hadn't been under her command as long as he had. Tali most likely recognized the Commander's stressed body language as well, but the quarian was preoccupied, wringing her hands in the way that she did when she was nervous.

It was supposed to be a time of celebration. They had passed through the Omega 4 Relay, fought tooth-and-nail through the Collector base, saved their crew, killed a human Reaper, and bombed the place all to hell. A suicide mission where no one died was a cause for getting drunk and dancing to obnoxiously loud music.

Unfortunately, someone could die before the day was over. And worst of all, the person knocking on death's door was the friendliest, most pure-hearted member of the crew.

Ben Tennyson was bleeding out on an operating table, his fate in the hands of Mordin Solus and Karin Chakwas.

It had all happened so fast. The teenager had told Shepard, Garrus, and Tali to head back to the ship while he stayed behind to deal with the human Reaper. They had done so, albeit reluctantly, and the Commander had ordered Joker to wait until the last possible second before abandoning the shapeshifting hero. Those few short minutes had felt like an eternity.

Just as it seemed time was going to run out, Ben's XLR8 form had sped into the ship and slammed into the wall. Shepard had smiled victoriously when she ordered the pilot to speed away from the ship, only for the dinosaur-like alien to transform back into Ben, who was clutching a gaping hole in his side.

The team had quickly carried the boy into the med-bay, and Shepard had quickly commanded everyone except the ground team to leave the area and get back to work.

Every single member of the squad was reacting in their own way, as Ben had somehow helped them all when he could.

Zaeed was drinking from a bottle of scotch in the kitchen area, his scarred visage giving off a grim countenance. The boy had not only assisted him in killing Vido Santiago (indirectly), but he had repaired the mercenary's beloved rifle, Jessie.

Jack was pacing back and forth in front of the elevator, glancing over through the med-bay windows whenever she had the chance, her face switching from worry to anger every time she passed by. Ben had been the one to provide her with the bomb to blow up Pragia, as well as the first person on the ship to be her friend without any ulterior motives. She had even offered him sex at one point, though he politely turned her down, which had gone a long way in earning her trust. Many believed she had true romantic feelings for the boy, though she would vehemently deny it.

Samara and Thane were seated on the floor near the med-bay's door, both of them praying for the young soul that had willingly given his assistance in finding peace with their respective children.

Grunt was seated on the stairs leading to the Main Battery, his fists clenched in fury. The young lad had become somewhat of a personal hero to the young krogan, especially after he had taken down a thresher maw. Seeing him in this wounded state made Grunt want to tear something apart with his bare hands.

Miranda leaned on the wall in front of her office, hoping no one would see the slight tremble in her arms. After Ben had helped in saving her sister from those Eclipse mercenaries, she had developed a camaraderie with the boy, which could have evolved into something more, had she not been so unsure of her feelings.

Kasumi sat cross-legged near Grunt, looking at a picture she had taken not too long ago. It was a picture of her and Ben, both of them wearing the fancy clothes that had been used to infiltrate Donovan Hock's mansion. In the picture, she was playfully kissing Ben on the cheek, while he blushed furiously. The Japanese thief let out a slight sniffle, unable to bear the thought of her otouto not making it through the night.

Legion stood calmly beside near the table, his head flaps moving every now and then. While the AI construct felt emotions differently than organics, it found the idea of Ben's death... displeasing.

Jacob was sitting at the outer table, taking apart his shotgun and putting it back together as a way to maintain his calm, an exercise he had taken up back in his days at the Alliance. A while back, Ben had bet that Jacob couldn't win a sparring match against Kasumi, which the muscular man had taken without hesitation. After a grueling beatdown, the former Alliance soldier had conceded that he owed the teenager a beer. Hell, he'd buy the kid a super-expensive Serrice Ice Brandy as long as he made it out of the med-bay on his feet instead of in a body bag.

Tali and Garrus were seated at the middle table, the former shaking like a leaf, tears no doubt running down her face behind the helmet. The latter was also troubled by his newfound friend's current state, though he preoccupied himself by gazing at Shepard, taking note of her reactions.

The Commander stood still in front of the med-bay windows, not moving a single inch. Hell, at times, it seemed that she didn't even breathe or blink, making her appear as an infallible statue.

Her reaction could be attributed to her and Ben's strong friendship, of course. But the turian could see much more behind those sharp green eyes. her feelings went far beyond mere friendship...

The former vigilante's inner musings were interrupted by the med-bay door opening and Mordin stepping out, splashes of blood on his labcoat and a weariness to his eyes.

"Report," Shepard ordered, her tone allowing for no bullshit. She wanted an answer, and she wanted it now.

The salarian scientist let out a sigh, before smiling brightly. "Will make it. Blood transfusion went well, all he needs now is rest, time to heal."

And just like that, the tension was gone. A few cheers went up, and Zaeed even let out a bark of laughter as he chugged down the rest of his drink.

Garrus watched as the Commander's face broke out in a happy smile, her emerald eyes shining with that sense of happiness she seemed to get whenever Ben was involved.

"EDI, spread the word to the crew. Once our boy is back on his feet, we're gonna throw one hell of a party," she said, turning to walk toward the elevator. After all that, she needed to remove her armor and take a long shower.

The turian sharpshooter quickly gave Tali a reassuring pat on the arm and followed his Commander, eager to have a talk with her.

The next day...

The silence of the med-bay was quickly destroyed by the sound of the door opening, then closing behind a single figure. She made sure to lock the door and dim the windows, as what she was about to say was for Ben's ears only.

Jane Shepard ran a hand through her blood-red hair, a sigh of nervousness escaping her full lips. How was it that she could make such rousing speeches and curse out people in power, but when she had something truly meaningful to say, words escaped her?

Damn, this was going to be tricky.

The Commander sat down in a chair next to the teen's unconscious body, taking note of his massive new scar and the tubes that were attached to him. Reaching out, she gently took hold of his left hand, her eyes resting momentarily on the Omnitrix before turning back to his face.

"Hey, Ben," she began, her sexy voice filling the space of the med-bay. "You're damn lucky you pulled through. If you had died, I'd have Miranda bring you back so I could kick your ass."

There was no response to Shepard's attempt at humor, though she felt her confidence growing.

"You're a hell of a guy, you know that?" she asked, gently running her thumb over his knuckles. "You constantly save the day, but you don't let it go to your ego. You're more than just a great hero, you're a great person."

More silence.

She sighed once more and tightened her grip on his hand. "Garrus and I had an interesting conversation yesterday, after Mordin and Chakwas finished patching you up. He said it was time for me to be honest with myself. To stop being scared and to just say what I mean."

Shepard closed her eyes and breathed deep. "When you came onboard, I didn't know whether or not I could trust you. A shape-shifting teenager who claims to be from another dimension? Heh, who wouldn't be a little paranoid? But then I learned what kind of person you were. Selfless, noble, charming in your own way. You always listened to my problems when I needed someone to talk to, and you always found a way out in a firefight."

The Commander allowed a small smile to form on her face. "You're a great comrade, and an even better friend."

She paused, gathering every ounce of her courage for what she was about to say next. "But somewhere along the road, you started to mean more than me than just a close friend. Every time you risked your life, I couldn't help but be worried. Whenever you went face-to-face with Harbinger or a Praetorian, I wanted to take them down before they could hurt you. And seeing you like this, hooked up to a machine, barely hanging on to your life...

"I care for you, Ben. More than I would've believed. It took you coming close to death and a tough love speech from Garrus to realize that, but there it is. When you wake up, we're going to have a heart-to-heart. Until then..."

Shepard stood up, leaned forward, and tenderly pressed her lips to his, savoring the moment. For a split second, she could swear she felt him responding, but the feeling passed quickly.

She pulled back, relieved to finally have that confession off her chest.

"Sweet dreams, hero," she whispered lovingly. Jane Shepard then gave him one last squeeze of her hand before turning and leaving the med-bay.

If she had looked behind her, she might have seen the smile quickly flit across the young man's face.

Whoo, chapter 1 is up! Not much romance, I know, but my arcs are going to be multi-chapter experiences. There's the admitting of the feelings, the build-up, the first kiss, the relationship establishment, all kinds of little details. Yeah, this is gonna be fun.

Dunno who I'm gonna do next chapter. Maybe Tali, Jack, or Kasumi. Might do multi-girl chapters later on, if I can make an interesting story out of it.

So, who do you want to see get romanced?