Commander Michi Shepard was pacing back and forth at the helm of the Normandy; her feet making a taping noise with each step as she anxiously endured the long trip from the Omega Nebula to the Citadel. She was still shaken from the sight of the human reaper larva and all the transpired before then but at the same time relieved everyone survived the Collector Base. She even told The Illusive Man she was done with his "means to an end" bullshit, something he didn't take too well.
"Joker can't you make this tin can go any faster? I don't know how much time we have till the Reapers descend on our asses." She said unable to keep her voice calm not really worried about the Reapers as much as she portrayed but needed comfort from what has happened.
"Ah Commander, don't call my baby a 'tin can.' Look I can't make the Normandy fly any faster than this. If you want I can go out and push with my brittle bones that might help. Plus I really don't think the Reapers are going to attack right after they, you know, lost the Collectors and a huge human Reaper type thing, just my opinion. You just pissed them off but hell that's not a big deal right?" Joker said in his normal sarcastic tone smirking up at her unable to resist looking her body up and down letting out a softly quiet moan of approval. However, the gawking didn't last long as Michi started pacing again the noise resonating in Joker's ears.
"Oh and another thing, seriously, get quitter shoes; the tap tap taping is making me want to go postal.. Though going postal on you is like asking for a hole in the head to whistle out of but you'd never shoot me right Commander? I mean I am your favorite." Joke said looking at her giving her his innocent look, which if you knew Joker, you'd never buy it.
"Nice try Joker but I'm sorry Garrus is my favorite. Mmmm a man with metal plating and scars just drives me wild." Michi said jokingly in a calm flirty tone leading on the panel next to Joker's chair staring off into space making it look like she was day dreaming about him.
"Oh great you like a Turian with a pole up his ass more than me, the best god damn;" Joker started but blinked as Michi took over.
"God damn helmsmen in space right? I know you think you are but I'd wager EDI can fly better then you." She smirked knowing that would get a reaction out of him her eyes flashing a small hint of flirtation.
"That is incorrect Shepard. Jeff has shown remarkable skill as a helmsman. The Normandy, however, is performing considerably better since Jeff plugged me into the ship." EDI piped up as a blood vain seem to pop on Joker's fore head.
"Oh great even the ship is bad mouthing me. Thanks EDI. Gees like flying with my mom." Joker grumbled perching his lips some not looking at either Michi or EDI.
Michi shook her head enjoying EDI and Joker's "symbiotic relationship" as EDI had put it before. She, however, most enjoyed spending time in the helm with Joker; after all they had both seen everything from Eden Prime, the distraction of the first Normandy, and her, to the Collector Base. She found herself growing close to him, closer than she ever was with anyone else, even Kaidan. Kaidan wasn't there for her when she faced off against the Collectors, Joker was and to her that meant everything. Kaidan more or less left her in the dust after Horizon and that crushed her but she never showed it; thankfully Kelly never picked up on her distress.
"We're even by the way Commander." Joker said out of the blue looking at her with a small grin.
"Even for what?" Michi asked a confused look on her face as she stared at his smirking expression, his head cocked to the side.
"For you know, saving your ass form the Collectors. I was shooting a SMG for god sake and I hauled your ass in; with the help of Tail and Jack but that doesn't count. They couldn't get you in without my after all. Oh no I'm wrong, I did pull you out of an erupting Prothean dig site way back when remember. Ah good times when we were fighting that crazy Asari Matriarch and an indoctrinated Specter. Anyway, I'm still expecting my cake and card, as long as there's not coconut anywhere near the damn thing." Joker said cringing as he said coconut which only made Michi laughed softly and roll her eyes.
"Ok I'll make sure to get a coconut cake then with an blank card.'" Michi smirked but then her face changed to a cold depressed expression thinking back to her death and giving her life for Joker, unable to get the image of his face out of her head right before she hit the button for his escape pod. Also the haunting feeling she failed her team, no, the galaxy by dying. That maybe, if she had been alive the residents of Freedom's Progress and the many other human colonies taken by the Collectors would still be safe and not burned alive to be processed for their organic matter to feed a malformed abomination called a human Reaper.
"Hey I said no... Oh crap, Commander what's wrong?" Joker asked seeing her face change as he began to worry about her then sighed looking down, it instantly coming to him what it was.
"I think I know what's wrong. It's about the day you died isn't it? Commander you did all you could but no matter what you did, there is no way you could have saved all of us. You barely saved my ass and it killed you" Joker said an angry look in his eyes over saying the last part of his sentence.
"It's not just that Jeff. I could have stopped the Collectors from taking all those people if I hadn't died. Hell I could have stopped the Reapers by now and the team might still be together. Also my mother wouldn't have had to grieve over my death. She gave up an Admiral Star to honor me for fuck sake." Michi said trying to hold back her tears as she just looked out the window her lower jaw shaking some.
Joker blinked surprised she used his real name but knew it meant how serious she was and how horrible she felt. He didn't like seeing her up set in anyway and hated even more that she died for him but he had two years to heal from that and to recover. She, she was still bearing the bleeding wounds; wounds that might never heal, unlike the scars from the attack on Akuze.
Joker just sighed deeply and turned to face her. "Shepard, get your head out of your butt and listen to me. You are an amazing Commander, a pain in the ass when you staid over me for minutes at a time just to hear me listen to porn or talk to EDI but not my point. The team we had then couldn't have taken on a Collector base alone, not without major help; we might not have this Normandy or the best part of the Lazarus Project, my leather seats. God I love where I put my crippled ass. Oh yea the whole bringing you back to life part is good to but the leather. Look on the bright side, you're a robo-zombie Jesus Shepard now well without the whole 'brains' thing I'm hoping." Joker said trying to get her to smile some doing a small zombie dance in his chair and moaned "Brains."
Michi smiled some but still looked up set. "I could have still done more if I had lived." Michi said looking down a tear running down her cheek.
Joker got up slowly and walked to her wiping away her tear and pulled her chin up. "Stop leaking Commander or I swear to god I'll swatter more than just EDI's circuits. Stop with this should a could a would a bullshit and look at what has happened. You're alive, you stopped the Collectors, you stopped Saren, and you became the first human Specter. Because of you great things have happened; besides the leather seats and none military starch pants. Commander you saved my life, yes it cost you yours but the two years you lost were made up when you blew the Collectors to hell and pissed off the Reapers... again." Joker said trying even harder to make her happy.
"One more thing, thank you for pulling me out of that chair and throwing me into the pod by the way, yea I broke my leg but it's better than losing you forever. Want to know the real reason the last two years where hell? It's not because the Alliance grounded me but because you weren't there." Joker said looking in her eyes then wrapped his arms around her tightly hugging her.
Michi blinked surprised but then just smiled softly. "Joker, thank you for being there for me, and yes for even pulling my ass out of the Collector base; I must say you look bad ass with that SMG." Michi smirked cuddling some then looked back in his eyes, her blue eyes meeting his green, and smiled his lips softly pressing to hers and a hand entwined in her black hair as she kissed him back.
"Shepard I must insist you desist in your intimate actions with Jeff." EDI said.
Michi and Joker growled and both yelled, "Shut up EDI" and laughed some.
"Buzz kill my god MOM." Joker said then looked back at Michi.
"Mmmm a Marine and her pilot, I like the sound of that." Michi said in a sultry voice then kissed Joker again.
"Yea does have a catchy ring to it." Joker said in her lips but pulled away. "I am your favorite right?" Joker asked with a Cheshire cat grin across his face. "No pole ass Garrus?" he added.
"Yes Joker you are my favorite and no it's not pole ass Garrus. Now shut up and get back here." Michi said pushing his lips back on hers. The Normandy may still be speeding off into space to stop the Reapers and to an unknown end but for one moment they both were happy; a moment that made both their lives mean something more. Something that made the fight to the Reapers ever so much more important, that something was affection.