Author`s Note: So I came up with this idea after finishing an in-depth play through of Mass Effect and then starting another one on Mass Effect 2, and I thought about how much I actually liked Jacob. And so this idea came upon me and I got to writing and decided to just go with it. This fic will take place before the events of ME2, but after Shepard's death. It will have a combination of original characters and various cameos from ME characters, mostly Kaidan and Jacob from what I've got planned now. Don't worry, I'm a total Shenko fan, so there isn't going to be any Kaidan/OC going on, but he is going to be a very important character through out the story. Anywho, the first chapter is always weak isn't it? At least for me, I just needed to get down the background basis for my character before going head-on into the storyline without having to write a mass collection of flashbacks throughout. Enjoy, reviews would be awesome, but I'll live without them too.

.00 PROLOGUE

"It has been three long months since the SSV Normandy was attacked and the ship's commander went missing…" Dr. Renee Logan's face was glowing from the reflection of the live vid playing from her monitor. Councilor Anderson, the first human to be accepted into the council, was surrounded by his fellow council mates in the Citadel Tower as he was addressing the Citadel and Arcturus Station from a live feed. She immediately recalled the troubling news of the distress beacons found along with half of the Normandy's crew a few months prior, and how the search for Commander Shepard had sent nearly all of the Alliance across the galaxy.

There was an evident hesitation from the former Captain as he glanced sideways nervously. "Today the Alliance has decided to call off all further searches for the Commander's body and to declare the Commander officially killed in action." There was still silence as there had been throughout the entire press conference, with a few intrusions of Alliance shoulders expression their obvious disproval.

"Unbelievable," came a voice from behind the intrigued Doctor. It was her regular biotic patient, a soldier in the Alliance who was staring bewildered at the same vid on his omni-tool. Jacob Taylor wasn't normally one to get upset, but he was suddenly adjusting his uniform to its pristine condition after being disarrayed from his exam. Renee turned around in her chair to watch him shake his head as he was buttoning the last of his buttons on his suit.

Renee stood up as Jacob was making sure nothing else was out of place, "Leaving so soon?" She reached back to look over Jacob's files and all the notes she kept on him and his biotic implants since he stepped into her clinic over a year ago. The Doctor ran one of the many clinics across the Arcturus Station, specializing in biotics since she first stepped into medical school. Although she had yet to serve on a ship, Renee was regarded as one of the best Doctors specialized in biotics on the station. And Jacob Taylor just happened to be one of her weekly patients.

"There's gonna be a lot of angry soldiers Doc, I better go check with my Commander," he brushed past her as he talked, stopping a few steps behind her to finish his excuse. There was a settled pause, a pause they usually shared when Jacob left the clinic, when the tension in the air was electric. He glanced over his shoulder at her, to notice the nervous hesitation of trying to give him parting words.

She breathed in and turned to face him, "Don't stress out your implants too much Jake, you know how terrible your headaches can get." He turned around to acknowledge her concern, something he really liked about her. Alliance doctors aren't usual so compassionate or caring. He slightly grinned and approached as she went on. "You may have L3 implants, but using as much biotic powers as you do is going to cause some strain."

Jacob was in front of her now and she had to look up to meet his dark eyes, gazing upon her with another interest. She felt that building tension between them rattle even more and it only appeared to get worst after they both survived the Geth attack on Eden Prime

Jacob smirked, "Can't help being a strong biotic Doctor." There was no formality in his comment, but both knew better than to go beyond their surnames as tempting as it was. He looked down at her grin, temptation at its best and he was succumbing. "I do believe I owe you a dinner Doctor?" he inquired, catching her off guard.

"Do you?" Renee replied, unable to recall a point where he may have ever suggested the thought. The biotic answered her by stepping closer to where she was footed, cornered into her desk. "I wasn't aware there were any nice restaurants on the Arcturus Station?" Of course she knew there wasn't anything but mess halls scattered across the station, but she was growing curious by Jacob's suggestion.

"No there's not, but I know a mean steakhouse back on Earth," Jacob answered with a toothier grin, which brought back an earlier conversation from the week before. The bashing Doctor suddenly remembered him mentioning his shore leave coming up soon and slyly asking if she ever took a vacation herself. Truth was she hadn't in a long time since graduating from med school, but at that moment she was definitely considering it seriously.

Jacob reached to push away strands of dark hair away from her face, still grinning. "Tell you what; you know where to find me later. Let me know." His hand dropped from her cheek leaving behind his warmth across her blushing cheek and turned to leave her clinic, smiling back at her over his shoulder as the door sealed behind him.

Renee fell back into her chair speechless wondering if this was a step forward from everything that had happened in the last few years of her life. It would be a welcomed change, something to get her back on her feet again. In that moment, as she was biting her nail in deep thought, the doctor reflected on her schedule for the remainder of the month. Surely the station could do with one-less doctor for a week or two? With that, she turned to her computer to focus on explaining why she needed a vacation to her superiors.

It was a few hours later, though you could hardly tell on a station floating in space, that Renee had gotten clearance for shore leave and was now heading to Jacob's quarters to share the good news. The young doctor felt nervous outside her familiar medical garb, now dressing in regular civilian clothes anticipating leaving the station. Jacob's room was growing closer and she wondered if he'd be happy to hear her reply. She didn't feel the giant smile on her face as she found herself standing at his door, which happened to be hollow enough for her to hear noisy movement from the other side.

Renee stepped forward and the door sprung open to reveal an emptying room with an actively packing Jacob at his bunk side. He was just putting away his formal uniform in an old box when he looked up, with an expression that clearly meant disappointment. Jacob apparently was hoping she was going to reject his invitation, or worst, that he was going to be off the station before she came to see him. She knew she was right when he couldn't make eye contact with her and instead sighed heavily looking down into his box. That's when she noticed more boxes and crates probably full of his belongings as well.

"I didn't want it to be like this," he finally muttered, securing the courage to look up at her with a faint expression. Renee was hoping Jacob was just taking things home to swap them out, or maybe getting a different room on the station, but she knew they were foolish thoughts.

"I'm sure you didn't," she snapped back, turning away from him and leaning back against the nearest wall by the doorway. She didn't know what was going on, but she was preparing herself for the worst.

Jacob sealed the last box, still unable to fully look at her. "I'm leaving the Alliance Renee," even though it had been one of the few times he had ever said her first name, it was meaningless. The tension that had always been between them had suddenly turned cold and Renee found herself not blushing but shaking with anger. "They're trying to discredit Commander Shepard's warning about the Reapers and I'm not going to stand by and just accept that. If she was right about Saren, then she's gotta be pretty damn right about the Reapers."

Knowing that the Alliance was dismissing Shepard's claims with a wave of their hand was upsetting, even more a simple doctor who had never met the Commander, but she was in no rush to just up and quit. Perhaps he wasn't the only one leaving, but why did he have to be one of them? Renee breathed in sharply, "So you're just going to leave?"

"Renee I-" Jacob stepped towards her, but she stepped back and shook her head, now the one who couldn't look at him. She hadn't been this angry in so long.

"Just go Jacob, there is obviously nothing holding you back," she remarked smugly, her voice just trembling enough to hide. Jacob was hurt, but like any man he was able to hide it behind a front and that's just what he was doing when he picked up the box from the bunk and headed towards the doorway. He brushed shoulders with her, almost purposely, but she didn't look at him. And just as he was about to hope for a second chance, she spoke, "I'm use to people leaving without as much as a goodbye."

It was over then. Jacob left without another word and the door 'swooshed' closed behind him, leaving Renee alone in what was formerly his room. This was almost better not seeing him at all before his departure, but only almost. The familiar faint sickness and wrath she had felt in her youth was overcoming her in emotional waves as she tried to compose herself before leaving the area of the station. It was bad enough she wouldn't have work to keep herself busy, but now it would look like she was vacationing alone.