A/N: So I finally did it! I finally found the courage to write and put my own fics out there. I haven't really written any kind of fictional prose in years, so please crit away.
I have a few more chapters planned out so we'll see how this goes. :)
"Operative Lawson, wake up." EDI's disembodied voice rang through her quarters.
Immediately alert, Miranda sighed in frustration. It couldn't have been long since she'd fallen asleep.
"EDI, what is it?" She brought her hands to her face and forced herself to wipe the sleep from her eyes as she sat up.
"You have asked me to keep track of Shepard's sleeping patterns and to let you know if anything seemed amiss. This is the third occurrence in a row where she has woken up in the middle of the night-cycle for an extended period of time. I judged that to be of importance."
Miranda thought the AI sounded almost apologetic as she divulged the information. She reached for the robe laid over the back of the chair near her bed and thanked EDI. Her arms felt heavy as she put on the garment over her sleeping clothes.
"Where is she now?" she asked as a yawn brought a tear to her eye.
"She is currently in the mess-hall."
Stopping long enough to peer in the mirror at her reflection to fix any stray hairs, she made her way briskly across her quarters and out into the third deck of the Normandy. She had already made her way into Shepard's line of sight before realising her feet were cold. She glanced down to see her bare feet against the metal floors of the deck.
"Hey." Shepard said from the counter, not looking up. Miranda looked up at her. She had dragged one of the heavy chairs from the mess there and was sitting at the counter as she read from a datapad. In front of her she had a hot beverage in a mug. A small pile of biscuits sat next to it.
"Trouble sleeping?" Miranda asked as she reached for a mug from the cupboard.
"Something like that." Shepard narrowed her dark eyes at her playfully as she looked up. They looked bloodshot and there were heavy bags underneath them. "How about you? You're not spying on me, are you, Miss Lawson?"
Miranda gave her a small smile. "My job is to keep an eye on you, Shepard. Especially now - you have barely been awake for a week. No-one has ever found themselves in your... position, so we can't be sure of what to expect or what problems may arise." She dropped a teabag into the boiling water now in her mug.
"I don't think this has much to do with the Lazarus Project. Not directly." She picked up a biscuit to dunk it in the dark liquid in her mug. "I'm just... having nightmares." Shepard's voice was small at the admission. Miranda noticed the way her Commanding Officer avoided eye contact as she rested against the counter facing her.
It was strange to see her like this. After two years of viewing Shepard as a science project, a slab of meat connected to machines, it was odd to just watch her be. During those two years she hadn't really thought about how it might feel to see that same body moving of its own accord, her brown skin shimmering under the harsh, artificial light of the ship. She hadn't thought of how her voice would sound, husky and deep but still full of laughter and mischief as she cracked a joke to the crew. Miranda found herself surprised at how short the Commander was. It was hard to reconcile the short stature of the woman in front of her now with the greater-than-life persona she exuded. She had always been at the same height underneath her hands as she worked on her during those two years, but she had always had this idea that Commander Shepard would tower over her when she finally rose. She seemed so tiny, sitting cross-legged on the chair, eyes not meeting her own.
"If you need to talk to someone, Shepard, there's a reason Miss Chambers is aboard the ship." She studied Shepard's reactions as she talked. "She was hand-picked for this job and anything you discuss with her would stay between the two of you." Well, not exactly; The Illusive Man was bound to catch wind of everything happening within the ship. But she needed Shepard at her best, and if telling a small white lie was what it took to get Shepard on her way to being well-rested, then so be it.
"No, it's all right. It's just been a lot to take in, you know?" She looked up then with a lop-sided grin, eyes twinkling with humour. "It's not every day you wake up and realise you've been dead for two years."
Miranda wasn't convinced, but she wasn't about to push the issue. She understood the desire for privacy perfectly. If Shepard didn't want to share her intimate thoughts with a complete stranger, Miranda wasn't going to fault her for it.
"In that case, perhaps you should go see Dr. Chakwas in the morning. Maybe she can give you something to help you sleep dreamlessly. You look absolutely exhausted, Shepard, and we need you to be in top shape."
The Commander sobered at that, eyes focusing. "You don't have to worry about that. I know that there's a lot resting on my shoulders right now. I won't disappoint you."
Shepard lifted the last biscuit to her mouth and put it in whole, her cheeks puffing up like a rodent. The gesture elicited the raise of an eyebrow from Miranda.
"Now, now, Miss Lawson. Don't look down on the small pleasures of life." she said as she chewed the food. She got up from her seat and picked up her now-empty mug, bringing it to the sink. "Don't tell me you don't have your indulgences."
"As a matter of fact, I don't find sugary treats that hard to resist."
Miranda smirked into her tea as Shepard dropped her jaw in mock disbelief.
The two stayed together in silence for a few minutes. As Shepard washed her mug and cleaned the counter, Miranda scrutinised her from the corner of her eye. The scars on the marine's face still seemed quite inflamed. The cybernetics no longer shone through the fragile skin, but the ragged edges of flesh were still there. She felt a sudden rush of sympathy for her Commander and mentally cursed Wilson again for forcing her to wake Shepard too early.
"Beyond the nightmares, Shepard... are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
Shepard took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she took note of herself. "No. I'm just...really, really tired." She gave the Cerberus Officer a small smile. "My facial scars sting a little, but I guess that's to be expected?" She dropped the dishcloth into the sink and slowly moved past Miranda. "I'm going to try and get a few hours of sleep."
"Goodnight, Commander." Miranda's voice was soft as Shepard passed her, her head barely reaching Miranda's chin.
She's so tiny. Miranda mused as Shepard made her way to the Normandy lift. Downing the rest of her tea, she turned and made her way into her own quarters.