A/N: This is a project to see how well I can integrate Charlie into the Normandy and it's family. I have intentions of making this into a series that follows Charlie's life through the Mass Effect Trilogy, making it as different from the original story as possible, and eventually a sequel to the war against the Reapers. In this particular work of fiction, I am using Felicia Day as Charlie and Jensen Ackles as Shepard.

Charlie took one last look around the room she'd shared with three other girls since she was thirteen, the two bunk beds where always in disarray, and their cloths often spread across the floor for all to see until finally Kahlee or one of the other supervisors got angry enough to make the girls clean themup, but not today. She made sure her bed was made and all her old clothes where distributed to the other girls, considering she was only allowed to bring a footlocker of things.

Being an orphan wasn't so bad, it's being an orphan adopted into a military life style that really got under her skin. Her "Guardians" where two good friends with important military careers. Kahlee Sanders was her mother figure, assigned to Grissom Academy, where she took care of biotic kids in need. Captain David Anderson, Her father figure, was currently Commanding The Normandy.

The Normandy. The red headed girl glared up at the picture she'd pinned above the head of her bed, it had been there since Anderson discovered the ship, and he'd promised Charlie that with all her good work and hard effort, she'd be able to serve on her first ship under his leadership.

She was turning twenty in a few months, her guardians couldn't keep telling her she was a baby for long before she would begin to correct them, she was more than well prepared to be out on her own, and she was excited to finally be getting off this station.

"Can't wait, can you?" One of the younger girls asked when she walked into the room and saw Charlie lying on her bed upside down, staring at the picture of the ship. Charlie looked over and identified the girl as Sandra, the fifteen year old biotic, one of the 3 girls she shared her room with. Sandra had brown eyes and light brunette hair that was pulled back in a small pony tail, the girl had a pretty face, too, but physical relationships where frowned upon at Grissom, so looks were... overlooked.

"Wouldn't you be excited if you've lived here as long as I have and you're just now getting a ride off?" She asked, rolling over onto her stomach and coddling into her pillow. The other girl nodded, before placing a wrapped box beside Charlie's head on the pillow. The girl peaked up from her fluffy heaven and frowned at the box ."What's that?"

"A going away present. From all of us. We know you don't like it here, but we'll miss you." Sandra offered, Charlie sat up on the bed and pulled the wrapping from the jewelry box and opened it, a well sized ruby jewel glimmered up at her from it's gold chain. "Red looks best on you. And green." The girl complimented shyly. This was a beautiful gift, considering the trouble she knew all the students went through to get it. Charlie had gotten herself into some pretty deep stuff a few years ago on the Citadel that forced Kahlee to take away Charlie's leaves, and chain her to the Ascension.

Charlie picked the necklace up by the chain and gasped, quick to pull the girl into a hug, Ever since little Sandra's arrival at Grissom all those years ago, her only real friend was Charlie, who managed to bring all the kids of the academy together as friends and as a squad. The kids all threw in to get Charlie a beautiful goodbye present, and they'd sent Sandra, the runt of the group, to receive the thank you. "It's beautiful, Sandra."

"We figured it could be your good luck charm, and it'll always remind you of us." The teen took the necklace from Charlie and helped to latch it around her neck.

"Thank you, and all the other kids for me later, okay?" She held her hair out of Sandra's way to quicken the process, before turning back around and reaching for her friends hands. "And don't forget to write me, Sandra, 'cause your still like a little sister to me. You remember the name of the ship, right?"

"The SSV Normandy." Sandra repeated for the dozenth time with a smirk. "Don't forget to write me back."

Charlie shook her head. "I've got too many important people here to just forget about this place. Even though I will be away, I will never let anything happen to this place or you, okay?"

"Okay..." Sandra breathed.

"Charlie, The Normandy is about to dock." Kahlee's voice crackled through her Omni-Tool. She gave her friend one more hug and retrieved her bag from under her bed. "Meet me in my office, please."

"Yes, Mrs. Sanders." Charlie replied coolly, before hearing her Omni-Tool beep, a sign that meant that they where alone again. "You take care, Sandra... You're the #1 now." She offered with a smug grin.

The girl shook her head. "I think Carlos already has his eye on the CS position."

Don't let him take that spot away from you." Charlie pushed. "You're a good biotic. If you want to follow in my footsteps and get off this trap like I did, you'll take the position."

But Sandra was not convinced. "I'm only fifteen, no one will take me serious."

Charlie was tired of hearing this kind of talk. She didn't get where she was by complaining about being too young, because if she weren't, there was a good posibility she would have never gotten the chance for revenge against Saren. "How old was I when I started training with Kahlee for the CS position?"

"Thirteen." Sandra answered, her eyes sinking to the floorboards.

"And you're like two years older than that! Come one, Sandra, you're never going to get off this station if you cant take the training seriously."Charlie attempted to rise the girls spirits, but when the girl didn't respond, she had no choice but to grab her bag and make for Kahlee's office, turning to face her friend once more when she reached the doorway, and leaned against the frame. "I really hope you reconsider about the position, Kahlee isn't going to sit by and wait while you make up your mind."

Sandra nodded as she watched her best friend leave their room for the last time; Charlie would not be coming back to Grissom if she could help it, she had every intention of breaking free.

Charlie reached Kahlee's office, which was a good 10-15 minute walk from her quarters, and wasn't surprised when she practically walked in on Kahlee and Anderson catching up. Mostly about Charlie's routine, her skill level, and whether or not Anderson should submit her name for Shepard's squad. Kahlee disagreed with Anderson's doubts about the girl; she was talented and had done some incredible feats in her days at Grissom, she was more than ready. Charlie stood still a few feet from the door, out of their sites and listened.

"We will see if Shepard even needs an extra body after his mission on Eden Prime. She is, after all, only a child." Anderson argued, Charlie felt her heartbeat quicken, but it was her biotics that gave her away- Kahlee knew when Charlie was aggravated, the energy seeped from her like an endless power source.

"You have been out of her life for far too long if you still see Charlie as a child, she's almost 20!" Kaylee replied, getting out of her seat and walking over to the girl, who took a few hesitant steps into Kahlee's office. "She should have been able to make the decision to leave this station when she turned 18, but I agreed with you that she needed to have supervision because of this crap with Saren. Now, either you're going to take Charlie aboard the Normandy and put her training to use or I swear to god, Anderson, I will set her free right now, and not even care about the damage she might do to the Turians!"

Their disagreements where always short-lived. Anderson bickered, Kahlee set him straight, and they lived happily until the next argument, that's always how it'd been. Charlie was glad to know that Kahlee didn't like seeing Charlie stuck here and unhappy with her life, she might as well have stayed with her colony and died. Anderson finally gave a curt nod before picking up the file of Charlie's alliance records off Kahlee's desk and sighing. Now that they where done arguing, Kahlee turned to the redhead and continued with her goodbyes.

"We'll miss you, Charlie. You're the best damn CS I've ever had the pleasure of raising." Kahlee stated with a slick smile. "Shepard would be lucky to have you on his team, but don't go all biotic bitch on him if he decides otherwise, okay? You're talents are always better used somewhere else." Charlie nodded, nervously tucking her red hair behind an ear as she listened to the adults, and realized that now more than ever, she felt like a child between two bickering parents.

Kahlee wasn't finished. She walked over to where Anderson was standing and dug her index finger into his chest. "You need to let her show you what she can do." She poked at his chest. "You can't keep denying her this, Anderson! She want's to help you!" Another poke, Anderson glanced down at her arm and frowned, annoyed, before she pulled away and shot him a look. Anderson didn't want to see Charlie getting involved in politics and N7, he wanted a normal life for her after he saved her from Saren's destruction, so his hesitance to throw her to Shepard was foreseen.

"Very well." The commander agreed after a moment of long silence. "Charlie, we need to get you settled onto the Normandy. Kahlee, it was nice seeing you again." Charlie gave a sly grin, Kahlee won again.