I'm a soldier, it's all I ever wanted and now, it's the only life I know. I'm no good at fancy talk, the words always come out wrong and someone ends up hurt. But give me a rifle and point me to the enemy and you won't regret it. But this…this is the real thing, they all depend on me to save them and I don't know if I can.

I check my gear one last time, not that it's any different than five minutes ago but old habits die hard. As I'm about to leave, the familiar tang of eezo fills the air and I turn to see Liara leaning against the doorframe.

"Really Shepard, did you really think you could sneak off alone?"

I can't hide my smile at her disapproving tone - should have known she'd kept tabs on me. Before I can reply though, the distinctive click of a rifle's safety catch sounds from behind me and my finger is almost at the trigger before I realize it's only Garrus. He chuckles, adjusting the scope on his Mantis, not even pretending he's here by accident. Something inside me loosens a little with this unexpected turn of events. Maybe we can pull this stunt off after all.

"Well. Guess that's settled then. The old gang together again. I'm just glad it's you two and not Kaidan who showed up…" I told him to stay behind - I'll make it an order if I have to, Major -not because I don't trust his skills on the battlefield or because I don't… love him. It's because he means more to me than anything in the entire galaxy that I want to spare him from seeing me fall. As I shift I feel the cool weight of his tags against my chest and just like that, I feel ready. I can do this.

"Come on then, you ready to kick some Reaper ass?"

"Thought you'd never ask," comes Garrus's enthusiastic reply.