Shepard couldn't help but laugh when he returned in a fresh t-shirt, exactly the same as the ruined one. He just shrugged with an innocent look on his handsome, scarred face, and she sighed to herself. This man was going to be trouble.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She gave him a look. Yeah, right, like she had a choice, and James gave her a sympathetic look in return.

"The ass-holes are here for you, Commander," informed Joker.

No-one needed to ask who he meant. James checked the time. They were ten minutes early. He had wanted to give her a chance to say goodbye to the few still on board, to her home.

"Thank you, Joker," she answered wryly, but she also looked very uncomfortable as she took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. With a quick nod at James, she grabbed a small hold-all and led the way to the lift.

He was desperate to say something on the way down, but nothing really seemed appropriate, so he stayed silent.

It appeared that nearly all of her crew had already left the ship. Probably not wishing to hedge their bets on the Alliance going easy on them, given their Cerberus ties. Only the pilot and the doctor from the medbay - Chakwas, he remembered - waited for her at the air-lock, beside two stern Alliance arresting officers.

Stopping in front of the doctor, Shepard was pulled into a hug, which she returned once James relieved her of her bag.

"They'd better come to their senses soon, Commander. We need you," the woman sighed as she released Shepard. "I'm going to miss you, and the Normandy."

"*cough*"

"Yes, and you Joker," Chakwas added dryly, with an eye-roll.

Shepard huffed a laugh.

"Thank you, Doc. Take care."

Joker limped forward, giving the officers a glare as he passed them.

"Hey, Shep, you know it isn't too late. You can take these two easily," he gestured behind him to the officers who were tensing, their hands rising to their weapons, as if the proverbial was about to hit the fan. "And the Doc's probably got something to knock out the muscle head with, right Doc?"

"Absolutely not," Chakwas said in affront, as she glanced at James.

"She'd do it," ignored Joker, and James decided he liked the pilot. "And we'd be away."

Shepard gave him a small smile. They'd been over the reason she was handing herself in, but no amount of explanation would convince him this was for the best.

"Well, damn, Joker, you just gave away the plan," she said sarcastically. "I'm going to miss you, too," she added solemnly.

"Just don't take any crap okay?" Joker said morosely.

This time Shepard initiated the hug, and the pilot held her tightly. James couldn't help but be taken aback by the close-knit crew. They were more like family than comrades.

Joker moved back to the cockpit then, unwilling to watch her being taken away, and an officer approached her.

"Commander Shepard, I'm Lieutenant Peters, this is Corporal Long. You are hereby under arrest and are to be taken into Alliance custody for the destruction of a mass relay, resulting in large loss of life. You will be taken to Alliance Headquarters on Earth, to be detained until the conclusion of your trial. Do you have any questions?"

The man had an air of arrogance, that immediately got James' hackles up.

"What will happen to Flight Lieutenant Moreau, and Doctor Chakwas?" Shepard asked.

"It appears that the ship's VI only responds to the pilot's commands," Peters continued, making it clear in his tone that he found that unlikely. "Therefore he'll be required to remain aboard until the ship is flight-worthy, and returned to Earth. After that, his arrest is to be deferred, and will depend on the result of your trial. The same goes for the doctor, who'll also stay aboard to attend to the pilot's medical needs, until we reach Earth. Beyond that, I don't know."

Shepard just nodded slowly, sending an apologetic look to Chakwas, who just smiled back at her, unconcerned for herself.

"Please raise your hands."

Shepard complied and the second officer, Long, produced a set of cuffs.

James was horrified.

"Whoa!" He stepped forward to block the man. "You're not serious, right?!"

"We're just following procedure, Lieutenant-" informed Peters.

"I don't give a shit about procedure! What about respect?!" demanded James.

"It's alright, Lieutenant," intervened Shepard, a strange look on her face as she considered him. "They're just doing their job," she finished.

James looked at her, then deflated, moving aside. He winced at the sound of the cuffs clicking into place. It was so very wrong. Her hands were fists now, despite her calm veneer, and he remembered the pilot's words - she hides a lot of the damage inside - but he was a practiced poker player, and he could spot all the little tells that gave her away.

Long removed her Omni-tool from her wrist and reached towards the bag in James' hand, which James pulled away from his outstretched hand. The officer just gave an irritated sigh.

"Lieutenant, I have to check the prisoner's bag for anything that could prove a hazard."

James clenched his jaw.

"Firstly, this is Commander Shepard, not a 'prisoner'. Secondly, there's no way you're going through her personal stuff."

He felt two hands press gently against his arm. They were Shepard's, and it calmed the roar in his head immediately as he turned to look at her. She looked grateful, before she directed her gaze back at the officers.

"Would it be sufficient for Lieutenant Vega to do the search?" she inquired.

Long glanced at Peters, who reluctantly agreed.

James just blinked at her, rather humbled by her trust in him, and she nodded at him to continue. He unzipped her bag, hating the need to intrude. He carefully removed each item, while Long logged the contents.

Two undershirts, two pairs of trousers, two tops, two pairs of socks - all Alliance issue. His hand nearly shook as he came across her underwear. Man, this was extremely wrong. Be professional, be professional. Two bras, two panties - black, and very feminine. He tried not to let his mind picture her wearing them. A brush, toothbrush, paste - the last item being confiscated in case it contained something else, (she'd be issued with a replacement) - the photo frame he'd seen on her desk (currently switched off), which was scanned for hidden data, etc., a box frame, displaying her medals, and lastly, a second box frame which housed her dog tags. He paused at those.

He could see the tags were slightly twisted and dented, the metal discoloured where they were exposed to high heat. He'd heard the reports more than two years back, stating she'd been spaced, her body thought to have been pulled into the nearby planet's atmosphere. It seemed unbelievable she had survived that.

The Alliance should never have given up their search for her, then she wouldn't have been left to Cerberus.

The officers ran their Omni-tools over everything, including the empty bag, and over Shepard herself, stepping back once they were satisfied she harboured nothing that could constitute as a weapon or a communication device. James repacked her bag with care, his discomfort fading as he closed the zip.

Peters went to take her arm to lead her out, but again James blocked it.

"There's no need for that. The Commander will follow you."

This time the officer chose not to argue, and turned to lead the way, Long taking the rear, with James staying at her side, her bag in his hand again. Shepard gave an awkward wave to Chakwas, and an acknowledging nod to Joker as he peered over the back of his chair, then the airlock released.

They didn't get far. At the outer airlock, which would take them onto Omega ground, they were confronted by Anderson. He wasn't happy.

"I thought I made it clear that nothing was to be done without my presence," his voice hard.

Long shifted uncomfortably, but Peters maintained his lofty composure.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Alliance brass informed us we weren't to delay any longer," Peters offered. James decided that was bullshit, as he watched the man's eyes dart away from Anderson's gaze as he said it.

Anderson almost growled as he stared back at them. James liked him too. Then Anderson spotted the cuffs.

"What the-?! Get those off, NOW!" he yelled.

"But, sir-"

"Don't 'sir' me, do it, or I'll make your lives a living hell!"

James really liked him.

"In fact, if anyone tries to do that again, I officially give you permission to deck them, Lieutenant Vega."

The officers paled, as James cracked his knuckles with a huge grin on his face.

"Yes, sir!" he replied happily. Then he yanked the key from Long's grip and undid Shepard's restraints, flinging them back at the flustered man.

"That's better," Anderson stated.

"I'm sorry about that, Shepard. I was caught up with more political bullshit. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she answered, and they made the transition from the Normandy to the Alliance ship with no trouble.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shepard sat in the small room, thankful that Anderson had refused to let her be placed in the ship's brig. Looking around, it felt extremely sparse and dull after being on the Normandy. Everything was grey, even the sheets on the single bed. Standard military issue. Her eyes had to adjust to the low lighting. She had definitely been spoilt before. Aside from the bed, she had a desk and chair, and a locker. Sadly, she didn't have her own bathroom, which would mean she'd have to be escorted to the communal facilities. She sighed. Yep, definitely spoiled.

Her fingers drummed the table in front of her. It was the first time she had sat at a desk and had absolutely nothing to do there. Shit, she was going to go crazy after a day.

The temptation to walk out of the room in search of something to do was overwhelming but the two guards posted outside her room would make sure she didn't leave.

A knock echoed around the room.

"Enter," she responded, and the doors slid open, revealing James. He had a plate in each hand.

"Hey Commander, thought you could use a good meal," and he placed a plate in front of her, fishing utensils out of his thigh pocket.

"Huevos Rancheros," he announced proudly.

Shepard leaned over the food, savouring the mouth-watering smell that rose up. It looked delicious, smelled wonderful, and… She placed a fork full in her mouth…. It tasted fantastic. She raised her eyebrows up at James as he stood there waiting for her to confirm what he clearly already knew, judging by the smug grin on his face. She obliged.

"This is incredible, Lieutenant." She gave him a suspicious look. "You're not telling me this came from the ship's kitchen?"

James turned and rested his backside against the desk, raising his own plate up to start eating.

"We're in flight, Commander. No where else it could have come from," he said innocently, as he began shovelling food.

Shepard squinted at his response, but couldn't hold back from taking another bite. She couldn't remember the last time she had a meal this good. She watched him devouring the food, looking mighty pleased with himself.

"You made this, didn't you?" she asked him, surprise in her voice.

He nodded with pride, his mouth full.

"Well… wow, Lieutenant. You have a gift." She continued her meal.

"Nah. It's not a patch on my abuela's. She can make anything taste like heaven. Yeah…her cooking always keeps us coming back for more," he reminisced happily.

"Us?" she questioned, enjoying his soft deep voice.

"My tio - my uncle, that is," he clarified.

"No parents? Other family?"

"My madre died when I was young, and my father….well, he's not a part of my life any more. Other than that, I've got a few cousins floating around out there, but that's about it. You?"

Shepard noted his aversion to talking about his father, before answering his question.

"No," she said simply.

James didn't push for more. He sensed a tragedy there that wasn't appropriate to bring up in this time or place.

"You sound close to your uncle and grandmother," Shepard continued thoughtfully.

"Yeah," he said fondly, a smile lighting his face, and she couldn't help returning it, though perhaps a little wistfully.

They both went back to their plates, belatedly realising that there was nothing left on either.

"Damn," they said in unison, then they laughed at each other.

The ensuing silence suddenly weighed in on the relaxed atmosphere, and James cleared his throat, standing up to gather the empty plates and utensils.

"You need anything, let me know. I'm just next door, so you know, you can just bang on the wall, or something," he shrugged casually.

Shepard huffed in amusement.

"I'll be sure to do that, Lieutenant."

He walked to the door.

"Vega!" she called out, and he turned to her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

He just grinned back at her.

"Anytime," and he was gone.

Suddenly she felt very lonely.