Shepards hand still had a slight sting to it when she gripped her gun. She had hoped that by now it would have gone away but it didn't it was the only feeling she still had left from Earth. Leaving Anderson there was one of the hardest things that she could have done and leaving Earth to fend for itself without here didn't feel right. Earth needed her but what good would she be if she was dead. Shepard had to fix this and she had to find a way to stop the Reapers fast. She needed to do what Anderson asked and she needed the Councils help.

They had made their way to Mars much to Shepard surprise Kaiden was by her side. Even after her slapping him across the face. They were on Mars looking for whatever it would be that Hackett thought would help them against the Reapers. They didn't know Cerberus would be there. Shepard didn't know that she would be fighting them all the way inside the base but finally they made it in and for the first time since she slapped him Kaiden spoke to her.

"Tell me straight Shepard," Kaiden said taking off his helmet as they waited for the elevator to go down he was angry. "Did you know? Have you known this whole time that they would be here waiting for us? Taking over?"

"Kaiden..." Shepard sounded exhausted like she knew he would ask her these things but quote honestly she didn't know how to tell him.

"No. Don't 'Kaiden' me Shepard tell me honestly! Cut the shit about Ashley I meant to tell you I did! This is not a personal matter be honest."

"Kaiden no I had no idea why would I even know?" Shepard said defensively

"Because you work for them!"

"Not anymore Kaiden I don't I am not with the Illusive Man anymore! I needed them Kaiden to stop the Reapers to fight the Collectors! I needed them to get the job done when no one else was there." She had said it. 'When no one else was there' as in When you didn't believe in me.' But it was not just that because he needed to know.

"Shepard you worked for them they made you! They brought you back from the dead and they made you new!" Kaiden gripped his hands on the bar of the elevator not sure of how to put it. How to say his words without being so angry.

"I have no contact with them after to Collector base Kaiden," Shepard said putting it blankly.

"Shepard has been under constant watch and would have had no way of reaching them." James had added in and bother Shepard and Kaiden looked over at him completely forgetting that he was even their Yeah I know not my business I will just go scope ahead," James said as the elevator came to a stop leaving Kaiden and Shepard alone.

"Please trust me I can explain more later but please just trust me," Shepard said softly knowing it was a lot to ask of him.

"I do but-" Kaiden began but they heard gunshots. Both took off toward the noise out of the elevator until they made it to the docking bay finding Liara T'soni finding a large amount of Cerberus.

All the way through the base they had bickered Shepard and Kaiden. It was awkward and Liara was not too sure what to say. There had been a point before the Collector Base, before Shepards death, before she lost the Normandy, or Illos that Both Kaiden and Liara stood in front of Shepard and told her there was no running around it but she had to pick. Liara was not surprised that Shepard had picked Kaiden. She knew there small flirting was nothing compare to the fire fueled when she was with him. Those feelings were gone now but looking at the way Shepard wanted Kaiden to believe in her and the way Kaiden wanted her to understand she knew it was still there. They had fought their was into the base farther to get to the archives and get the information that they needed at all the way the tension kept changing between the two. They had to beat Cerberus to the archives it was all that they needed now.

Finally the trio had found a resting point. Liara was trying to override the tram while Kaiden had taken off to find a way to contact Cerberus see if they would send a tram. Liara gave Shepard a looked when she came over to the screen.

"Don't." Shepard said blankly pointing her finger at her asari friend.

"I didn't say anything Shepard." Liara said looking back at her screen typing.

The moments that happened next on the Citadel moved to slow for Shepard. Her stomach was in knots and for once everything was out of her control. Kaiden was hurt and he was hurt bad.

They had found the Prothean data and seeing the Illusive Man was no happy trip for Shepard but watching the monster. This Dr Eva. This creature come out of the burning shuttle was nothing she was prepared for. The Doctor was not human she was biotic. No one would have survived that crash or come out on fire without burning in pain. But she didn't have time to react. She didn't have time to get to Kaiden immediately when the biotic attacked him. She barely had time to get to him at all and now he was paying for it. The injuries that the biotic had on him were gruesome. Shepard had rushed him to the Hospital on the Citadel and now he was in good hands. Shepard stood in the lobby watching them take Kaiden away. After all this after all she didn't get to say. Shepard had told him to trust her to believe in her and she got him hurt and it was stupid. Shepard threw her helmet scaring a couple of Salarian.

"Sorry..." she mumbled going and picking her helmet up again. There was nothing that she could do now but wait.

"Shepard I thought that was you," Dr Chakwas came over shaking the Commanders hand, "I heard about Alenko. I am so sorry."

"What can I do Dr. Chakwas? What will help?" Shepard pleaded

"Nothing now but to wait. We will do what we can but it will look like he will need surgery." Shepards heart dropped. She had always been good about keeping her crew alive but surgery?
"I can contact you when he is out but it will be a while. Get some rest Commander." Dr Chakwas took off to the emergency ward leaving Shepard with her thoughts which is a place she hated. Shepard got on the elevator and headed to the Embassy. If there was nothing she could do here she had to keep moving. Stopping would only give her time to think and she just couldn't do it.

Shepard made her way to Mirandas old office which was now in control by Liara T'soni. Liara had made herself at home with her own mini shadow broker base in the office. Shepard let herself in seeing Liara working with Glyph looking over there wall of screens of cameras all through the galaxy.

"Keeping busy?" Shepard asked looking at a screen of the Citadel Docking Bay. She wondered how many times Liara had kept tabs on her but shook the thought away.

"I do what I can there is always something going on I need to be taking care of," Liara sighed typing into her computer, "How is Alenko?"

"In Surgery," Shepard said picking up some prototypes of god knows what Liara had brought, "Dr. Chakwas will message me when he is out and I can see him,"

"I am so sorry Shepard I know this has been hard for you."

It was hard for her but she was not too sure why. These feelings for Kaiden and suddenly resurfaced out of a place she did not know. Shepard had not thought of Kaiden in such an emotional way in so long that for her to suddenly want to be at his bedside watching him get better was very confusing. She was his Commander but not only that but since she had found out about him and Ashley she had tried to just forget it all.

"Liara can I tell you something?" Shepard sat down in one of the swivel chairs in front of the tv while Glyph floated around her face. She did her best to ignore his constant talking to himself.

"Is everything alright?" Liara pushed her chair around crossing her legs she put down her work giving Shepard her full attention.

"Do you remember a couple of nights before we had destroyed the Collector base? When I called you up? It was a night or two before you gave me my dog tags?"

"Yes of course. But that night was so long ago..."

"Alenko had sent me a message about a week before about him. About us. I never responded. This is the first time we have spoken since he was on my ship after Horizon," Shepard hung her head low

"Ah now you are feeling guilty..." Liara assumed but she knew she was right. "I wouldn't Commander those were different times. Were weren't expecting what Cerberus to do what it's doing now especially trying to get Prothean data. Give it time Commander. Plus don't we need to head to Palaven's moon? Isn't there a certain turian there you want to see?"

"So...this wasn't the reunion I had planned..." Garrus said as he shot down a husk.
Liara, Shepard, and James had made it to Palaven's Moon only to get put right into the middle of war. With Reapers taking over Palaven its moon was becoming the only place to go to. With the current turian Primarch dead they had to search the battle field for the next one. Along the way finding Garrus was a bonus. To be honest Shepard had been worried that they wouldn't find Garrus and that thought scared her. She pushed it so far back into her mind and pushed Kaiden to the front because the simple of idea that Garrus would be somewhere on Palaven might have killed her. But finding him on the moon and not only that but him now where the next Primarch was had become dumb luck.

"Really? I thought all of our reunion involved us being shot at?" Shepard said sarcastically peeking out over her cover. "Two husks at your 3," She shot a husk at her left, "How close are we?"

"Almost to Victus. So Shepard. How have you been?" Garrus asked casually as they gunned down reapers.

"Oh you know. Having my home planet taken over, becoming a Spectre again, having the council doubt me. The usual." Shepard made a run for further cover on the other side of James and Liara.

"Alliance likes to keep you busy being grounded and all," James said laughing as he gunned down some reapers.

"Yes yes laugh it up Vega" Shepard rolled her eyes.

Shepard gave a signal for everyone to hold as it became quiet. Moving forward they kept there guard up but it seemed all the husks in that area were cleaned out. The sight of Palaven was horrible. The planet looked in ruins and she knew that there time to find the new Primarch and get him safely off of the moon was little. The ground moved ahead through the craters of the moon going past many dead turians. A lot of stations they had passed looked like they had been abandoned most likely from turians trying to find a way off the moon. To Shepard this felt like the sight she had seen of Earth. The reapers were not going to just stop at one planet they were going to take every planet making sure no life forms would be left.

"So Shepard," Garrus said softly falling back in step with her behind Liara and James "are we going to talk about..."

"Now is not the time Garrus I am kind of in the middle of saving your planet."

"Shepard you never answered me. After the suicide mission we all went our separate ways. I never heard from you." Garrus grabbed Shepard arm turning her around.

"Garrus...please we need to find the Primarch," She looked away not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Shepard how do you think i feel running into you on my moon? Don't I get a answer? Or should I assume that not hearing from you in almost a year was the answer."

"It wasn't I was grounded I couldn't get a message even if I wanted to."

"It isn't that hard Shepard," Garrus grip on her arm tightened. "I have thought about you. For so long..."

"I have too Garrus..."

"Shepard I asked you to marry me. So is it a yes or a no?"