The Heartbeat of the Normandy

Amiee Shepard and her crew were on their way back to Earth. Months of blood, sweat and tears had lead to this final battle. She had made her rounds. She had said her goodbyes to the crew. She had one more important thing to do before they reached Earth. She swaggered into engineering and was looking up at the drive core. This is where is found the deepest connection with the ship. The bridge may belong to Joker but the heart of the ship is hers.

"I know it's not fair to ask you do this again. You have brought me and the crew to hell and back so many times." She said as she ran her hand around the edge of the console."The difference is this time I won't be on board when you go through thick of it. I need you to do me a favor and look out for my people. I know you were built for me but I need you to be here for them while I'm gone. I will do my best to get back to you before it all over."

"Commander." EDI said over the comm system.

"What do you need, EDI?" Shepard said slightly irritated at the interruption.

"Were you talking to me?" EDI asked.

Amiee felt her lips curl with a small smile and said, "No EDI.I was talking to the ship."

"But Shepard, I am the Normandy." EDI said plainly.

"After everything we have been through do you feel like you are only the ship?" Shepard asked hoping she would figure out the answer herself.

"No." Her answer was absolute.
"EDI, you surpassed just being this ship a long time ago." Shepard said amazed at how far EDI had come.

"Can I ask you one more thing before I leave you to your contemplation, Shepard?"

"Go ahead, EDI." Shepard said slightly amused.

"I remember you doing this before we went through the Omega 4 Relay. That was a suicide mission. Do you believe this is also a suicide mission?" EDI asked with a slight inflection.

"No. I just won't be on the ship when it is going to be with sword." Shepard said with a small ache in her heart.

"Shepard, just know that we will all do our best for you. Good Night Commander." EDI said with a reassuring tone to her silky voice.

"Good night my friend."She said with a smile and she bowed her head.

Shepard closed her eyes and took a moment to calm herself when she heard a familiar pattern of footstep on the deck plating coming towards her. She didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"What are you doing all the way down here?" Kaiden asked with a smile on his face.

"Feeling the heartbeat of the Normandy calms me down." Amiee said.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he closed the distant between them.

"Do you want me to show you?" she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"What here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like that. Come here." She said taking his hand and pulling him closer to the drive core.

"Amiee, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to show you my connection with the ship. Now put were hands on my hips." She said and he complied. She put her left hand on his heart and rested right arm on his shoulder."Let's is if I can do this with you here,"

"What do you mean?" He asked with a smile that reached his eyes.

"I need to calm myself for it to happen. With you being this close it's not that easy. Just to warn you, my biotics might flare when it happens so don't be alarmed. Now, close your eyes." She said with a smile as he closed his eyes.

Amiee closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. After a long moment of silence she started to feel a pulse make it way first through her feet and ankles. The next pulse went through to her knees and thighs. She felt the next pulse hit her hips and stomach. The next pulse quaked through her heart and spine. Before the next pulse even happened her biotics flared and she felt it through her entire body. Amiee's heart started to beat in time with the ship. After a few minutes she opened her eyes to see Kaiden's reaction. He was bathed in the blue of her biotics which seemed to envelop him. He had a tear running down his cheek.

"Love, are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked wiping away the tear with her right hand.

"What was that?" He asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"I think it was the harmonics of the ship reverberating through my cybernetics and it resonates off of my biotics." She said calmly with a sense of peace.

"This is the closest I have ever felt to you. This is most peace and love I have felt in a long time. How did you know this would happen?" He asked pulling her closer to his body.

Amiee let her biotics dissipate and she explained,"I didn't know what would happen with you here but it's happened to me before."

"When did this last happen to you?" He asked softly with a satisfied smile on his face.

"This felt a little different because you're here but the last time I felt was before we went through the Omega 4 relay." She said as she let her arms drop to her sides and she looked away.

"Amiee, look at me." He waited for her eyes to meet his and asked, "What happened?"

A tear ran down her cheek when she remembered what brought her down here back then. "We were a few hours out from the relay. I was in the Loft looking at a picture of you. I was reminiscing about the night before Ilos. I started to feel the loneliness. I had to get out of there. I was like I couldn't even breathe so I started to wander the ship. That's when I ended up down here." She said as she took a steadying breath.

Kaiden gathered his thoughts and asked, "Did Horizon really affected that much?"

"It wasn't just Horizon, Kaiden. It was the idea that I might not make it back so I could see you after I got away from Cerberus. It was the idea that I had to lead a team to what might possibly be their deaths. It was all too much. When I ended up down here I knew I couldn't run any further so I leaned against this console to steady myself. I was here for while when I started to feel the vibration envelop me. My heart started to beat in time with the drive core. It was as if the Normandy had arms and was embracing me. I didn't feel so lonely after that." I concluded the retelling of the memory.

"Thank you for telling me. You have never opened up to me this much before. You are an amazing woman." Kaiden said as he gently kissed her on the lips. Their fingers intertwined and they walked away from the drive core.