A/N: The sequel to Everything and Everyone Changes, it's going to be longer than the last, it's also going to be slightly different than the last one as you will soon see.
"Emotional occasions, especially violent ones, are extremely potent in precipitating mental rearrangements. The sudden and explosive ways in which love, jealousy, guilt, fear, remorse, or anger can seize upon one are known to everybody. . . . And emotions that come in this explosive way seldom leave things as they found them."
-William James
Miranda stared at the message in front of her, it was true that she screened all of Jade's messages before she received them, and she knew that Jade was very aware of this. She just hadn't said anything, probably due to the fact that no one important ever really wanted to talk to her and she personally never bothered to reply to her emails unless it was something of the utmost importance. The only person she had responded to within the year was her mother, and it's not as if she gave her classified Cerberus Intel.
In the two months since Jade had blown up the Collector base, Miranda had noticed that her girlfriend had been on edge. It was understandable of course, the last time Jade had saved the galaxy she had been ambushed and killed. Not to mention the Council had once again rejected her evidence, and she had heard that Garrus and Anderson had held her back.
Not to mention things were changing rapidly on the ship which only agitated Jade more, it was obvious she wasn't fond of change and didn't really want to let Samara, Thane and Grunt leave the ship. Zaeed she had dumped back on Omega as soon as they had cleared the Omega-4 relay, politely thanking him for his service and wishing him luck. Miranda had noticed it took all of Jade's professionalism to not physically throw him out on Omega and run. She had later admitted that she had been impressed that Zaeed had managed to keep his word; she still didn't work with him again.
Miranda looked at the mission again; it might force Jade to snap back to normal, she was just not sure if she wanted to risk losing Jade to the blue bitch. This seemed to be a real possibility if their sex life was any indication of it. It wasn't just the sex, Jade seemed more distant, it was as if their breakthroughs hadn't happened. Maybe going on another impossible quest would at least get her to calm down. Besides it was not as if Jade had personally treated this dating thing as something serious. Miranda rubbed her temple, it wasn't fair. She didn't want to lose Jade to an alien, she sighed allowing the message to go through. Killing the Shadow Broker would be a good thing, and Cerberus...she had to remind herself that she didn't work for them anymore. But the information that the Shadow Broker had might be useful. She was going to regret this she just knew it, as she allowed the message to go through. It was time to go after the Shadow Broker.
"EDI inform Joker to plot a course for Illium," Miranda said, "And inform the Commander that she has a new message. She really hoped that she wouldn't lose Jade over this.
"Remember when I told you to treat Miranda well? I'm going to put this in the most delicate way I can, you're not."
Jade looked up at Kasumi from where she had been skimming through the data EDI had compiled, a confused look crossed her features. "What are you talking about?"
Kasumi took a seat in front of her pulling the file from Jade's hands. "Miranda needs to know where she fits; she likes to have a sense of purpose."
Jade blinked, "What is she rethinking the whole leaving Cerberus thing? I mean I could get her a job in the Alliance, she's more professional than me and I'm sure Hackett would have something for her to do. I could always see if they need a new spectre, she'd probably hate that as well though..." Jade mused out loud.
"I wasn't talking about her work Shep, I was talking about you and her. Women need to know that they are needed and appreciated, otherwise they lose interest and it hurts the relationship. Romancing her wouldn't exactly hurt your cause, every woman likes a bit of romance every now and again."
Jade scoffed, "I'm a woman..."
"You're a very special case Shepard," Kasumi cut her off patting her hand, a teasing smile on her face. "But really you do need to at least communicate more with Miranda or at least make her feel like you want her around. Unless of course you don't then it would just be wise to let her get on with her life."
Jade sighed, "Fine...what exactly do you suggest. I haven't had a proper relationship for two years, course I was dead for most of that time but the result is basically the same and it ended horribly. Well not really, all I know is that I woke up found her and our relationship was over, with no real explanation..."
"Shepard, Miss Lawson has asked me to inform you that you have received an urgent message. She has also informed Joker to head to Illium. ETA 4 hours."
Jade muscles tensed, was Liara in trouble. It was actually highly likely that this was indeed the case, she doubted the Shadow broker would sit idly by while she searched for him. She shot an apologetic look to Kasumi, "We'll discuss this later," with that she practically bolted to the elevator. She needed to get to her private message terminal. She opened the message reading it carefully her heart finally slowing down as she read the short message, the panic was slowly replaced by a cold smirk. It was time to go after the Shadow Broker, it was time to remove another name off her hit list.
Plus there were many people on her ship who wanted to get their hands on him, it would keep them on board for a little while longer. She knew she couldn't keep them onboard indefinitely, but she would miss them. One last impossible mission, one last bang before they went their separate ways would be the perfect way to say goodbye. They were her family, and she was going to miss them all of them. She knew there was a very good chance she would never see Thane again and the thought upset her. He had lived through the Collector base, and a disease was going to kill him? The thought irritated her, but he was one of the few people she couldn't save no matter how much she wanted to. "EDI gather the squad for a meeting in the Comm. room we're going to see who goes to beat down the Shadow Broker," she said with a wicked grin on her face. For the first time she could feel the adrenaline pumping, missions like these would keep her sharp. She wouldn't get complacent. Not this time. She had to much to do before the Reapers came, they wouldn't be caught with their pants down.
Jade began to bring out pieces of her armour choosing the Kestrel set, her thoughts went back to what Kasumi had said, she was probably right. A little romance never hurt anyone and she had been avoiding Miranda as of late. The last time she had gotten close to someone she had woken up two years later with a very fractured relationship. It had been mostly her fault that Liara had become what she was, and she wasn't going to take that chance with Miranda.
Jade kept her pistol trained on Vasir, 9 times out of ten she could make the shot, but those weren't acceptable odds. But she didn't want to be the one to make a child an orphan. She was going soft and she wished she had brought Legion or Thane with her they would have made the shot cleanly and she wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe if she had brought along the M-5 Phalanx she would have made the shot easy. She never did understand the point of hostages. She got the principle of the matter, but it all seemed rather cowardly and borderline stupid to her. If Vasir killed the hostage, Jade would put an end to her miserable existence. It wasn't as if the hostage was an infant or a child. "You do realize even if you get out of here, you'll lose your Spectre status. You attacked the trade centre." Jade pointed out as she made a quick and mental note of their surroundings.
"You think so? I think maybe Cerberus terrorists did that. Which story do you the Council will believe?" Vasir replied. "All you had to do was walk away. Now, it gets ugly. " Vasir placed the gun against Mariana's temple obstructing Jade's shot..
"Please I have a son."
Jade gritted her teeth, she was probably right she really wasn't on speaking terms with the council even though she had physically handed them the evidence that Reapers existed. They of course had denied it, and had it not been for Anderson stopping her she would have definitely shot the smug Turian in the face. Jade felt her muscles tensing, getting ready to strike.
"A son? I hope he gets to see you again. I've heard losing a parent is just horrific for children. Scars them for life," Vasir whispered loud enough for Jade to hear.
Miranda shifted a bit, anxious. She wasn't fond of hostage situations, she glanced over at who stood her eyes trained on Vasir, there was anger creeping into her face. She had seen that look before, when the Collectors had kidnapped the crew, that fiery gaze was a direct contrast to the cool look Jade had in her eyes. The look terrified her, this was Shepard. This was the woman who had saved the Citadel, this was the woman who had slaughtered hundreds of Batarians, this was the person who hated when people forced her hand. She smiled to herself, "Vasir was a dead woman so long as they followed Jade's lead.
"I'm going to end you Vasir," Liara snarled at the other Asari.
Jade smirked, "It's okay Liara. We'll handle it. The usual way."
"You want Mariana's little boy to grow up without a mommy, Shepard? Thermal clips on the ground, now. Power Cells, too." Vasir commanded.
Jade let out a small laugh, "Hiding behind a hostage, Vasir? No stomach for a real fight. Just like an Asari."
"Drop the thermal clips, Shepard," Vasir ordered again.
"You girls should really just stick to dancing-you know playing to your strengths." Jade smirked her eyes glowing orange, she hoped that one of her two companions would be smart enough to strike while Vasir was distracted.
"Drop the clips!"
"Did you forget who I am Vasir? Or what I've done? Vasir, I sacrificed hundreds of human lives to save the Destiny Ascension. I unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy. I slaughtered hundreds of Batarians who had surrendered to me on Torfan." Jade noticed the table behind Vasir glowing a biotic blue and her smirk grew wider. "So for your sake, I hope your escape plan doesn't hing on me hesitating to shoot a damn hostage!"
"You're bluffing," Vasir said pointing her gun at Shepard.
"Now." Jade commanded coolly as Vasir's gun suddenly glowed a biotic blue and was wrenched from her hands as the table slammed into her, separating Vasir from her hostage. Jade walked to pool of water that Vasir had flown into stepping between her and Mariana, who had gotten up to run away. She motioned for her Liara and Miranda to seek cover as Vasir exploded out of the water. "She's mine," she said calmly as she cracked her knuckles. Spectre versus Spectre, she was going to enjoy this. "Stay out of this," she ordered as she holstered her gun. She was going to beat Vasir at her own game, and it was good time to practice her biotics.
Jade inhaled deeply attempting to catch her breath that had taken her longer than anticipated and she was feeling the effects of overexerting herself. Vasir had been tough, nowhere as good as difficult as Saren had been, but then again she hadn't actually fought the real Saren. She had convinced him to shoot himself and then dealt with Sovereign's bastardized copy of Saren. She watched Liara take the data from Vasir's body, and she wondered why Vasir hadn't simply destroyed the data. She obviously didn't win any points for being the smartest spectre. Jade straightened up as soon as she got her breathing back under control and she felt Miranda's hand on her shoulder. She pulled out her pistol and trained it on Vasir's head as she turned to Liara.
"Sekat's personal datapad. This has what we need to find the Shadow Broker," Liara said wandering off, talking to herself.
Jade motioned for Miranda to follow her ignoring the dirty look that Miranda sent her, she watched them leave for a second and turned her attention back to Vasir.
"You're dead. The Shadow Broker has been in power for decades. He's stronger than anything you've ever faced."
Jade rolled her eyes, "Is that why you sold out the Council to work for him?"
"You think I betrayed the Council? Like Saren? Go to hell. The Broker's given me damn good intel over the years. Intel that saved lives and kept the Citadel safe! So if the Broker needs a few people to disappear.. I'll pay that price without hesitation."
"Spectres don't blow up buildings filled with innocent people," Jade retorted.
"Sure we do. We get our hands dirty so the Council doesn't have to. The councillors might complain about our methods to soothe their consciences, but they never look to closely. Beside's you're with Cerberus. You have any idea what your terrorist friends have done?"
Jade smirked, "The council knows exactly what I'm doing and what I did while I was with Cerberus, they know that I passed through the Omega-4 Relay and I destroyed the Collectors. I wasn't doing anything that crossed the line; I would never touch an innocent. I wouldn't make people disappear. Jade pointed out. "I've seen what Cerberus has done, and every time I came across something that rubbed me the wrong way I told stopped it and told the Illusive Man to kiss my ass. Who Cerberus is doesn't matter, as long as I don't become like them."
Vasir laughed, "I think it does. You want to judge me? Look in the mirror Shepard. Kidnapping kids for biotic death camps! Killing Alliance Admirals for asking to many questions. Only some of Cerberus's crimes But you Shepard, you're the real monster. Torfan, unleashing the Rachni. I've seen your complete file, the good bits. The five years between Torfan and the Normandy. Don't you dare judge me! Don't you..."
Jade pulled the trigger emptying the clip into Vasir's body. She turned around to see Miranda watching her and gave her a cold smile and shrugged. "She's dead." It was simple reply and Jade willed her body to relax, yet another mess to fix. She had to wonder when her life got so damn difficult. She turned to Vasir's body.
"What was that about?" Miranda asked appearing beside her, and gently placing her hand on Jade's shoulder. It was a comforting gesture
Jade brushed her off, she hadn't exactly informed Liara that she was seeing someone else and she currently had too much to deal with. After they killed the Shadow Broker there would be plenty of time for her and Liara to talk about whatever their current relationship status was. "I didn't tell Liara about this thing between us," Jade informed her coldly. The chill in her voice had been accidental, but Jade was simply too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that she had broken the cardinal rule of their relationship.