Two: Promised

"We are all stuck here now! Decisions you make affect each of us!" Admiral Han'Gerrel Vas Neema explained.

A Salarian, Asarai, Quarian, Turian and Geth stood in holographic form in the Triumphant comm. room. They had been assessing and reassessing Admiral Hackett's decision to let the Reaper make its repairs. At the hour mark Hackett had his fill of the infighting but Earth still needed them. Fires could be seen from orbit and there were millions if not billions in need of aid, pissing the different delegations off wasn't going to help in the long run, so he let them talk themselves out. He knew they were on his turf, at least for the moment. He would let them bluster all they wanted, as long as it got him what he needed

"The decision to trust the Old Machines could be a miscalculation, Admiral Hackett." Geth Prime agreed.

Hackett knew it was a cold day in hell when a Geth and Quarian agreed.

"When we were being lead into battle, it was important to have a clear chain of command. You were chosen as our leader for obvious reasons; this is your world after all. However, as our time in this system grows we can no longer ignore that we may need to come up with a new system. We can't all be held hostage by the whims of any single person." Councilor Tevos chimed in.

"We mustn't be short cited here. Perhaps the Reapers have been changed by the Crucible. Admiral Hackett may have acted rashly, but in time we can learn something from this encounter." Said the Salairain Admiral.

"We can debate this all we want but the decision is made. The Reaper will have repaired the relay in the next two days. When it's done I'll send an unmanned probe through to see if it checks out." Admiral Hacktt interrupted.

The different leaders all looked at each other.

"Very well, but we will continue this discussion in the future." Primarch Adrien Victus replied.

Hackett turned to Major Alanko as the visage of the alien leaders disappeared. The major stood at sharp attention waiting on some less than pleasant words from his commanding officer. After all the hour long dressing down Hackett just got was mostly his fault. Then again, having to sit there and listen to it was punishment enough.

"Blow hards." The admiral said simply.

"At ease major."

Kaiden tried as best could to seem comfortable but it didn't quite work out that way, he still felt stiff. If Hackett noticed he didn't let on. He simply gestured for the major to follow him which Kaiden promptly did as they walked through the massive Situation Room of the Triumphant. The space put the Normandy's War Room to shame. At its center was holographic system map of Sol, it stretched from the ceiling to the floor and was at least three times the size of Normandy's central information network.

"I don't know for sure what we're going to get out of this Reaper but we know we can't fix the level of damage done to the Mass Relays, so for now if a Reaper wants to fix our problems I'm willing to let it." Hackett said as he walked through the massive room.

"But that little conversation isn't the only reason I brought you here. It's unusual for a solder to be in command of a naval vessel, but you know the crew and the ship and they all trust you so for now unusual will just be norm." Hacket snickered under his breath. "Hell, having Reapers talking to us seems to be the norm now." Hackett said stopping and turned to look at Kaiden.

"I have full confidence in you Major, just as Shepard did. He spoke very highly of you and the crew. I know you all were very close, so now, while you have a little time, rally the troops. Who knows what's coming next."

Kaiden nodded his head. "Yes, sir."

"Great, now get back the ship and standby for any orders. We may need the Normandy on insertion duty. We've got a lot of reports of looting and lawlessness planet side. Until we get a hold on the situation we could be doing more nation building and policing than anything else."

Tapping the pass code to get into Shepard's cabin had become something Steve's hands could do out of muscle memory at this point. Shepard had asked that they keep the relationship as discreet as possible but on small ship like the Normandy nothing traveled faster than stories about who was doing who. The code came in handy if they wanted to meet up on the fly or even when Shepard tried to put on his moves. He cooked, which came as a surprise to Steve the first time he came into the cabin with the smell of real steak greeting him at the door.

The door separated open, revealing the room mostly untouched since the last night they had spent together. The first thing to catch his eye was a picture frame, one Steve had never seen before. He moved closer to the desk trying to make out the image.

Down time had become the familiar enemy. Each moment he wasn't working on the shuttle thrusters or cleaning the weapons locker with Vega he found himself outside the cabin door. Wishing, hoping for it open without any effort, revealing a smiling Commander Shepard.

It never did.

He had promised.

The picture got clearer the more Steve walked until finally he realized Shepard had framed a picture of the two of them on Citadel a week before the mission to take down the Illusive Man's headquarters. He picked it up gently. The events of those few days had been oddly the best they'd had. Sure being shot at by someone who looked just like their lover wasn't something anyone would look forward to, Steve included, but Shepard had an extra bounce in his step since recovering the Normandy and throwing a party with all the crew. 'Finally' Steve had thought to himself at the time, 'the man gets to rest for a minute.'

Of course the rest wasn't forever and within a week they were drudging through hell and husks to defeat the Reaper. Just as Steve had predicted then, back on the Citadel before returning to the Normandy; Shepard had found a way out of the mess for the rest of them – just not for himself.

The tears snuck up on Steve, they swelled like a tide. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose hoping to hold them back, knowing if he let them go he might never stop. There was a mission to be done, he wouldn't disgrace Shepard's memory by falling apart now. Steve had promised himself.

"Lieutenant Cortez, there is a message for you on Shepard's private terminal." EDI interrupted. A flashing green light came alive on the console.

Slowly Steve replaced the picture on the desk. He dreaded what the blinking green light meant. Of course Shepard would leave a message, he thought to himself. He took in another deep breath and tapped the button. Slowly he found the courage to sit at the desk chair and leaned in to watch the screen.

Shepard's image appeared, a mirror of everything behind Steve filled the background. Shepard had recorded the message right in the spot Steve now sat. He ignored the shiver down his spine. The time stamp had been dated for only a few hours before the counter attack on Earth. Steve had been taking a shower. He could hear the faint droplets of water hitting the floor in the background.

The sneaky bastard, he thought to himself.

"Not sure I have enough time now to say what I need too. So I'll say this; I love Steve Cortez. You make me stronger by just being around. You give me someone to fight for, but best of all you give me someone to live for. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what I might face. But I do know I'll have you to guide me, to strengthen me. I made you a promise. I'll find a way back to you – even if I'm lost… I'll always find my way back." Shepard smiled, then tapped the console.

The image went blank.

Steve gulped for air as the image disappeared, he was barely able to breathe. He felt his heart smash against his lungs as if his insides were being pushed together. He tried to breathe again but it wasn't any easier the second try. Finally the torrent came and his eyes gushed with tears as they slipped down his face. With each tear his lungs felt less and less like a rubber band pulled too tight. He gasped again this time getting what he needed – his eyes filled again and again. The tears rolled out and onto the desk. Steve pulled his hands to his face letting out an inhuman yell.

"You promised." He said under his breath

"Liara, I have a question." EDI's disembodied voice sprang from somewhere over Liara working at her station.

"Oh? What is it?" Liara asked as she continued to work.

"Is there ever an appropriate time to discuss the private matters of a crew mate?"

Liara was confused, this sounded like one of the questions EDI would have asked Shepard. She had overheard her once ask about the importance of physical intimacy for humans in romantic relationships. Liara and Shepard had a good laugh about that on a mission once – she couldn't quite place which one.

A fond memory for later, Liara thought.

Either way Liara wasn't an observer of humanity or a participant in the same way Shepard had been. Why EDI would ask one of three non-humans on board about something like that seemed odd.

"Well it depends. I think sharing the intimate knowledge of people with the same information can be a great bonding experience. But this is an Asari trait; I'm assuming you would be referring to something related to human interaction."

"I am concerned about stepping over what Jeff calls 'the line' when it comes to an issue of a personal and sensitive nature. This 'line' seems to change from person to person and species to species, even time seems to play a factor." EDI explained. "So my question is, if you believe someone is in pain but refuses to say anything to those around them; is it appropriate to talk about it with others who might be able to help – even if this is clearly against the persons wishes?"

"I think the answer is; it depends. Maybe, if the right person is told they could help. But sometimes people have to seek out that help by themselves otherwise they won't accept it."

Then it hit her. Liara stopped working.

She looked up at the ceiling as if somehow this made it easier for EDI to hear her.

"Why?" she asked.

Liara stood outside the commander's cabin for a while. It was early morning and she'd been thinking about coming up all night, after EDI had told her everything she had been monitoring the night before.

Liara had been completely unaware of the relationship between Cortez and Shepard, at least until Shepard and her had shared their consciousness hours before the final push on Earth. It was in that moment she realized how Shepard had managed to survive to that point, to stay motivated and push forward despite the odds. He had found something to live for. Liara was positive the rest of the crew was less oblivious but humans were adolescent when it came to intimacy, at least from her perspective, so she gave the odd glances she caught Cortez and Shepard sharing as nothing more than human flirtation. She knew now how wrong she had been.

Liara wasn't sure she could help Steve the way EDI had hoped she could, except for a small detail; she was perhaps the only other person who knew how much Shepard had loved Steve, how important that love was to him.

She tapped the console at the door.

"May I come in."

She waited for a moment, there wasn't a reply.

"Uh… yeah, sorry… Come in." Steve stumbled.

The doors opened and Steve greeted her a few feet from the door, it was early morning and the man's face was twisted and his eyes glazed over from the sleep.

Sleep wasn't exactly what Cortez would have called it, after all being unconsciousness for 30 minutes at a time didn't really count.

"Dr. T'soni, I didn't realize…"

"It's okay Lieutenant. I'm here as a friend." Liara interrupted.

Steve looked at her, knowing what dreadful conversation was coming next.

Liara saw the picture of the two lovers sitting on Shepard's desk, Steve followed her glance.

"That's a great memory." Liara spoke softly.

"Yeah… the best…" replied Steve.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Liara smirked a little, knowing the pilot would immediately react.

"Zero-Five-Thirty"

"Oh my god! I have to be on duty in thirty minutes…" he looked around frantically for his socks and shoes.

Liara followed him into the main part of the cabin as Steve began to move blankets and items all around looking for the shoes. Liara saw a boot in the periphery of her vision near a shelf. She knelt down and found the other and picked them both up.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Liara asked.

Steve nodded, both frustrated and relieved. "Thank you" he said taking the boots out of Liara's hands.

Liara stopped him for a second, placing a hand on his right shoulder.

"Hold on for a moment. Sit with me."

"I really don't have the time; I have to report to duty." Steve replied impatiently.

Liara didn't say anything she simply looked at him.

Steve didn't need her say anything to know what she wanted. He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Now that I have you sitting down I'm not exactly sure what to say. At least I'm not sure what to say that others probably haven't already tried." Liara started slowly.

There it was, Steve thought to himself.

"Except for this; I know how much he loved you. How important you were to him. I know it better than most." Liara continued.

Steve gave her an odd look, he knew that most everyone knew about Shepard and him, even if they tried to be discreet but Liara wasn't the first person he thought of when thinking about people who knew how it felt to lose someone. Of course she probably deserved more credit than that, having lost her mother, her planet. Maybe they had more in common than he let himself believe.

"I know a lot of people have probably said something very similar. But it's different for me; just before the final attack Shepard and I connected, exchanged our memories, as only Asari are capable. I showed him the best parts of myself, of the friendship we had together, how he touched my life; and he showed me his own best moments. Amidst all the accomplishments he always insisted on shrugged off, or chalked up as something less than great, among the countless friends he'd made along the way, the singular shining beacon of his memory was you." Said softly.

Steve could feel the tears coming back. "I…" he sniffled, hoping to stem the tide.

"If you will permit me, I'd like to give you those memories. It'll only take a moment, and it may give you strength. I know it helps me, even now."

"What do I do?" Steve replied.

"Just stay still." Liara said kneeling down to Steve.

Steve nodded, giving permission. Liara gently touched his forearm, gently setting her forehead against Steve's.

"Close your eyes."