Hey guys! I thought of writing this fan fiction about a love story between Shepard and Miranda. I know a lot of Mass Effect fans wanted to see more about the romance between Shepard and Miranda in ME3 and I'll try my best to show that and meet up to your expectations. I'm not like the writers in ME so bear with me if something looks off. I'll love to see and comments you have about this FF. cheers!

Love comes softly

(A Shepard and Miranda story)

Name: Samuel Shepard

Pre-service history: Earthborn

Psychological profile: War hero

Military specialization: Soldier

Part 1

He walked into his inner sanctum and sat on his chair, pouring a glass of bourbon and lighting up a cigarette. He looked beyond his viewing window and saw the big red giant-class M star illuminating the entire room. Its semispherical edge filled the lower half of his viewing window, dominating but not completely obscuring the field of stars behind. The life span of the star is ending, same thing which is happening to humanity. He wouldn't let humanity reach to an end like this. His holographic screen immediately lighted up as he heard high heels clicking against the floor. He saw the picture and the status of the man he considers a hero. He looked to his right and saw a woman standing a few feet far from him. Long ebony colored hair that reached her back, a white tight uniform that embraced her slender feminine figure, her ashy blue colored eyes focused on the dying star.

Illusive man: Did you get the dossier?

Miranda: yes.

Illusive man: what do you think?

Miranda: Shepard did everything right, more than we could've hoped for, saving the Citadel even saving the Council. Humanity has the trust of the entire galaxy…..and it's still not enough.

Illusive man: Humanity has earned the Councils gratitude, but Shepard remains our best hope.

Miranda: heh they were sending him to fight geth, geth! We both know that's not the real threat, the Reapers are still out there.

Illusive man: And it's upto us to stop them.

Miranda: The Council will never ask for our help, they never did trust Cerberus. But Shepard, they'll listen to him. He's hero, a bloody icon. We need him.

Illusive man: Then find him, whatever the cost.

Miranda slightly nodded her head in agreement and walked away leaving the Illusive man alone, staring at the dead star, drinking his bourbon.

On the other hand

The Council was grateful of Shepard's sacrifice. They've finally realized what humanity was capable of. Captain Anderson now became Councilor Anderson as he was offered a seat in the Council. Shepard and his squad mates took a leave of absence, as Anderson felt they needed it. After they felt they couldn't stay at the Citadel any longer, they thought to take out the Normandy. Shepard boarded the airlock when the Normandy VI spoke up.

Normandy VI: Stand by, shore party. Decontamination in progress.

As soon as the decontamination finished Shepard entered the ship.

Normandy VI: Logged. The Commanding officer is aboard. XO Pressly stands relieved.

Shepard walked through the deck as his crewmates saluted him and passed the CIC when Joker spoke thorough the intercom.

Joker: Message coming in. Patching it through.

It was a message from Admiral Hacket. Shepard stood on the platform overlooking the galaxy map.

Admiral Hacket: Shepard. We have a situation.

Shepard: What is it Admiral?

Admiral Hacket: We've had reports of geth activity on three systems. I'll forward you the location. I want you to investigate it and report back to me as soon as you found something. My hands are full here, see it done.

Shepard: I'll look into it.

Admiral Hacket: Hacket out.

Immediately the galaxy map pointed out the three systems.

Joker: Should I set a course?

Shepard: Do it.

Joker: aye aye.

And then the Normandy departure from the Citadel and moved towards the mass relay to get to their destination.

Four days have passed and now the Normandy arrived at the Terminus systems as it cleared the mass relay.

Joker: Disengaging FTL drives. Stealth systems are engaged. Board is green we're running silent.

Pressly: We're wasting our time. Four days and we haven't found any sign of geth activity.

Joker: Three ships went missing in the last few months, something happened to 'em.

Pressly: I say it's the slavers, the Terminus systems are crawling with them.

Ensign: Systems have picked an unidentified vessel within the perimeter.

Pressly: Run an analysis.

Ensign: Cruiser is changing course….now on intercept trajectory.

Joker immediately felt a tingle through the back of his spine; he had a bad feeling about this.

Pressly: Can't be, stealth systems are engaged. There's no way a ge…..

Joker: It's not the geth! BRACE FOR EVASIVE MANEUVERS!

Just in a matter of seconds they were being targeted and Joker started to make the Normandy move like water. He could see yellow beams whooshing beside the Normandy, missing its target but one hit on the right side of the cockpit and Pressly died instantly.

Ensign: PRESSLY!

Ensign was about to go towards Pressly when another beam hit the left side of the cockpit and killed Ensign immediately, and to make matters worse, it created a fire within the cockpit.

Joker: Multiple hull breaches! Weapons offline, SOMEBODY GET THAT FIRE OUT!

Ashley, Liara, Garrus, Tali and Wrex immediately came out of their quarters and saw the chaos, panic struck within their hearts. Ashley without a second thought went to find Shepard. She immediately suited up, went up the elevator and straight to the mess hall and saw Shepard locking his helmet.

Ashely: Shepard!

Shepard: The evac shuttles are ready, get everyone on board now!

Ashley: Will the Alliance be here in time?

Shepard: They will, now go.

Ashley: Joker's still in the cockpit, he's won't budge, I'm not leaving you either Shepard!

Shepard: I need everyone out of this mess safely; now go….that's an order. I'll take care of Joker.

Ashley: aye aye.

Ashley went straight to the evac shuttles and prepared for everyone to get on board, Garrus came along and saw panic in Ashley eyes.

Garrus: where's Shepard?

Ashley: don't worry about him, get in the shuttle now!

As soon as everyone boarded the shuttle, Ashley boarded and locked her helmet on. As the Normandy deployed the shuttles she could see the Normandy on fire and losing its altitude.

Ashley: oh god!

Wrex: don't worry, he'll be fine…he'll be fine.

Tali: Keelah….

Liara: (sigh)

Garrus: we shouldn't have left him.

Ashley: and what, ignore a direct order?

Garrus: it doesn't matter in this case, it won't matter if he di….

Ashley: Garrus!

Garrus: (sigh)

On the other hand Shepard went to Deck 1 to save the brittle bone kid. The Normandy was almost sheared into half.

Joker: Mayday! Mayday! Mayday this SSV Normandy! We've suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy.

As soon as Shepard reached deck 1, he saw his beloved ship getting torn into pieces as he slowly went to the cockpit. He went through the kinetic barrier and stopped Joker.

Shepard: Joker! We have to go!

Joker: NO! I'm not leaving the Normandy! I can still save her!

Shepard: Joker the Normandy's lost! Going down with the ship won't change that.

Joker: …..yeah….ok.

Shepard grabbed his arm tightly.

Joker: AH! Watch the arm!

Shepard then quickly loaded him in to an evac shuttle and as soon as he was about to get on board as well, he realizes that he's feet lifted off from the ground and he's floating, any minute this ship will burst into flames.

Joker: Commander!

Shepard quickly launched the shuttle and right then he heard Joker screaming out his name. The evac shuttle got deployed and the Normandy burst into flames which propelled Shepard into floating in space. As he saw his ship burning, his oxygen pipe busted open and he started to suffocate, and within minutes he started to lose altitude as a nearby planet pulled him by its gravity, he turned into a ball of fire as he made his descent and just like that, the Commander of the ship went down with the Normandy. Joker saw everything and a lone tear escaped his eye to fear the inevitable, they lost their Commander.

After five months

Miranda was devastated when she got the news that Cmdr. Shepard is dead. Never in her entire career has she failed to do a job The Illusive Man assigned to her. Her job was simple, bring Shepard to The Illusive Man. She was devastated to know that the only man who can get the job done is no longer alive. She sat in her office pondering what to do next when Jacob came in panting.

Miranda: God Jacob calm down! Is something wrong?

Jacob: you need to see this.

Jacob handed her a holographic notebook and what Miranda saw surged an emotion within her which was both happy and confused.

Can we really?

Miranda took this notebook and went straight to The Illusive Man. Miranda walked up the long stairs and reached the door. As she opened the door, she saw The Illusive Man waving his hands on the holographic screen to change the page. Images of Shepard showed on the screen.

Miranda: Do you know?

Illusive Man: Miranda, I'm always the first one to know.

Miranda: Is it possible that we can…..revive him?

Illusive Man: With the right resources, anything's possible.

Miranda: It also seems that we weren't the only one interested on Shepard.

Illusive Man: yes, the Shadow Broker wanted him too, for what purpose…we don't know. A drell named Feron, and Shepard's former teammate Dr. Liara T'Soni found the body. Retrieve it, and I'll make sure that we have everything we need to revive our hero.

Miranda: on my way.

A few weeks passed as Miranda and Jacob successfully brought the dead and burnt Cmdr. Shepard in a Cerberus base. The rest of the scientists were wondering how the hell are they going to revive him. As soon as Miranda entered the lab, every other scientist stood up on guard. The lead scientist walked over to Miranda with a confused and jaded expression.

Scientist: You really think you can revive him?

Miranda: You have any doubt?

Scientist: "Do I have any doubts?" Look at the man, he's burnt and clinically brain dead. His body is pummeled and that long with no oxygen ah…..you can't overcome nature.

Miranda: Illusive Man disagrees. It's all about resources. And we have them. Now listen up everybody. Under the Illusive Man's orders I'm in charge to bring Shepard back. We will do whatever it takes to resurrect him. Project Lazarus is now officially a go.