In my struggle to write, this was created. Some of my worst work, but I'll share it anyways. Enjoy!

"You think you have it all figured out, don't you Cheerleader?"

Miranda looked up from her report on escaping the Collector Vessel to see Jack lounging against the door to her room. She looked at Jack blankly. "What exactly are you referring to?"

Jack smirked at her. "Shepard. You think you have him all figured out."

"I would hope so. I…" She stopped. Jack couldn't know the details of Shepard's return. "I studied him a lot in preparation for this mission."

"Whoosh," Jack commented as she threw her hand over her head. "Not what I was referring to Cerberus."

Miranda kept the frown off her face. What game was Jack playing at here? "Well stop wasting my time then," she responded calmly and coldly, hoping to piss Jack off and let her fly off the handle. People tend to give away information when angry.

Jack just kept grinning at her. "He's going to pick me."

"For?" What the devil was going on?

"You… Me…Shepard… Come on Cheerleader, I see the way you look at him." At last Miranda clued in from the way Jack's intonation dropped.

"Oh. I see." She had been unaware of Jack's interest in Shepard; or if Shepard was interested in Jack. Then again, she was mostly unaware of Jack at all. "Well then, I suppose I do have it all figured out. In fact, I'd say good luck to you."

Jack seemed to look surprised. "Denying your feelings?" she asked hotly. "Oh I get it, if you just back off and pretend you weren't fighting for him, there's no shame when you lose?"

Miranda gave a half smile. "Think what you like. But I'm just curious – what has he done to make you think he was after you."

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'll tell you why you're wrong," Miranda answered bluntly.

Jack snarled at her. "I know he talks to you Cheerleader. But it's as an officer talks to his lesser, to his subordinates. He orders you around. He never orders me around, he just talks to me. He's interested in me. Not as his follower, but as his."

Miranda felt sad for Jack as she realized what was going on. Jack didn't understand. She had never had someone care for her. She had been used and abused her whole life. She acknowledged Cerberus' own role in this, but it wasn't her or the Illusive Man's fault. Still, she felt sorry.

And Shepard did love Jack. Shepard loved all his crew, from the Janitor to Joker to even EDI. But Jack was mistaking the love of a good leader for the love of a man. Jack had never seen Shepard and Miranda in private, where he insisted their relationship remained.

"Jack…" Miranda started but trailed off. When she had goaded Jack with her last statement, she had intended to lay into Jack. But now… she couldn't. "I… I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you."

Jack looked taken aback at Miranda's comment, surprise showing before it changed to anger. "You think I want your pity? You think I need it? You think that because of the things that Cerberus… that everyone… has done to me I'm un-loveable."

"No I don't Jack," Miranda replied softly. "I just think that you can mistake the love of a comrade, of a leader, for the love of something more." She had never felt so awkward in her life. Trying to tell her sworn enemy that she had already lost the battle as gently as she could was weird. Jack quite potentially did genuinely love Shepard. Everyone did. She was quite aware of Kelly and Tali's attraction, and of a few other crewmembers. He had this way…

Jack snarled at her and stepped forward. "You don't know anything Cheerleader. You're so ice cold you have no idea what love or even attraction is." Using biotics, she pulled one of the chairs up and threw it at her. Miranda easily used her own biotics to cast it aside. Jack was the more powerful one, Miranda knew it. But she didn't have control of her emotions, and relied on brute force to win out. Miranda could handle that in the ship.

Jack launched at her over the holopad, throwing a fist out, which Miranda easily parried aside and jabbed out with her left, merely tapping Jack in the stomach to show her what she could have done and flipping Jack over her hip, falling back as Jack attempted to bring her down with her legs.

"Don't play soft Lawson, I play for keeps," she growled out as she pushed out forcefully with her biotics.

Miranda had been expecting something as much, and split Jack's push down the center, letting it flow around her and pushing back. Unexpectedly, Jack seemed to rebound it in some way she had never seen and suddenly she was being pulled forward towards Jack, whose fist slammed into her chest flattening her to the ground. She barely had time to roll out of the way in the close confines of her room as Jack stomped down at her. She feinted a kick at Jack, who dropped low to block it but instead found that Miranda had backed off and risen to her feet.

Before anything could continue, Vincent Shepard marched in angrily. "What the hell is going on here? I thought we've been over this."

Neither woman acknowledged him or the fact that he'd had to break up a fight between the two of them just a few days ago. They just stared at each other, Miranda with the cold face she put on for battle, Jack a nasty snarl of barely controlled rage.

"I asked you both a question!"

Jack snarled in response without taking her eyes off of Miranda. "This is between me and the cheerleader. I've had it with her."

Shepard stood impassively. "I don't care what you think you're going to do. It's not happening. Lawson, report?"

"Shepard, it's just a disagreement. She seems to think you love her," Miranda commented softly, only a trace of harshness in her voice. "I told her that you didn't. She didn't take to it too kindly," she finished, glancing at Shepard and allowing the slightest start of a smile to form before squashing it.

The moment Miranda's eyes left Jack however, Jack struck, her biotics flaring resulting in Miranda slamming into the roof and then immediately flying back to the wall, crying out in pain as she collapsed heavily.

"MIRANDA!" Shepard yelled, as he roughly grabbed Jack, throwing her to the ground as he pulled his pistol and pointed it at her head. "EDI, backup now. Move a muscle and I'll blow you away Jack. Miranda? Are you ok?"

Jack had never seen Shepard so angry and so worried, but he relaxed when he heard Miranda groan an 'I'm ok'. Jack shrugged from the ground. "Oh relax. She's not dead. But she had to pay for lying."

He looked down on her coldly. "You never were a good liar Jack."

Jack reluctantly had to agree with that assessment of her. Well, so he knew that she knew he loved her. Oh well. "No, I wasn't." She flashed a wicked smile. "Come on; let's just get this lecture over with."

Garrus strode in, his own pistol out, with Jacob and Chakwas right behind him. "Sir?" asked Jacob as Chakwas rushed over to Miranda.

Without looking away, he simply said. "Brig. Ideas?" Jack was shocked. He wasn't serious, was he? Before she could ask, he continued. "I need to talk to her in private. And it needs to be controlled."

"Cargo hold sir," replied Jacob evenly.

"Ok, take her there; I need to see to Lawson. Are you going to cause trouble Jack?"

She reluctantly shook her head. She could see the disappointment in his eyes, and as she started using her brain, she frankly shouldn't be surprised. She knew that Shepard wouldn't take well to one of his crew being hurt, even Cerberus. Or… maybe especially? That might explain some things.

She was led away to the hold, where Garrus and Jacob stayed with her until Shepard came down 30 minutes later. None of them said a word the whole time.

"I'll take it from here. She won't be a problem," Shepard said confidently as they exited without a word. She noticed his weapon was holstered but he had his hand hovering over it. Not that he needed to. He had to know she would never hurt him, didn't he? He was the only one who was safe around her. The only one she was safe around.

He didn't say anything, just stared at her. It wasn't cold, it wasn't angry, it was just… a stare.

Finally she broke the silence. "Alright, I get it. I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have attacked her, no matter how much she deserved it." She paused but he didn't say anything. "She's alright, right? No harm no foul."

He shifted slightly. "She's alright. Or she will be. Even though you don't care, I'm glad you asked. But we do have a problem."

Jack didn't know what to say now. What was he looking for?

"I talked to Miranda," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Oh," Jack said simply, understanding a bit. Cheerleader had been right.

"I don't love you like that Jack. I never will. It's not that I don't love you, and it's not that you don't deserve to be loved. I just… can't."

And now she got it. "So you and her…" Shepard didn't answer, which was all the confirmation she needed. "Shit." And suddenly she felt awful. It was… the only word she had for it was guilt. She felt bad about causing pain to Miranda, because it hurt Shepard. "I'm sorry," she offered. "I really am."

"I know," he replied as he warmed up to her a bit with her apology. "You always have been easy to read. For what it's worth, I forgive you. Miranda… well I know you're not sorry to her that you hurt her. But she understands."

That didn't make her feel better. It made her feel worse; that maybe Cheerleader wasn't the cold bitch Jack thought she was. That maybe one Miranda Lawson wasn't as evil and bad as she thought. "I hope I don't have to get along with her."

Jack was handling this surprisingly well she thought. She was being rejected by the only man she'd genuinely loved and thought had loved her. And she was ok.

Shepard smiled. "No, I don't expect that will happen." His smile faded. "You don't have to stay in this room; you can go back to your spot whenever you want." He looked away. "This doesn't change anything unless you need it to. I can still talk to you. I can still be your friend, your family."

She was so sure she should be angry at him. That she should want nothing to do with him. But she wasn't… she didn't. "I'd like that," she replied as warmly as she could.

"Ok. I have one favour to ask of you."

Jack rolled her eyes, knowing what it was. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret."

"Good," he said as he started for the door. "I can too. No one needs to know what happened today."

"Even Cheerleader?"

The door whooshed open and he continued down the hall without stopping. "Especially Miranda." She could hear the smile in his voice.

Jack sighed as the door shut behind him. She looked around the room, the garbage compactor at the end of the room. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to move up here. She could get a fresh start here. She barked a laugh. Fuck that.

Thanks for reading.