** 2 **

This was the Normandy. Stepping onto her deck was bittersweet. He'd always hoped he'd get the chance to stand here, to be on board what had become a legendary ship, in either incarnation. The SR-1 had been the most talked about ship in the fleet, he'd been proud to wear his 'Remember the Normandy' badge on his arnour. This version of the Normandy was living up to the legend of the first even if it was under a Cerberus banner. He very much doubted that this was still a Cerberus ship, this was Shepard's ship, just like the first one. He'd always wanted to meet the crew who were legends in their own right, hear their tales of adventure and suicidal missions.

That all changed after Fehl Prime. He'd let go of his hero worship, forgotten all about the Normandy and what she stood for, he was too busy trying to avoid his own failings. He'd been confused and completely shell shocked by his promotion for letting civilians die. He'd sworn to protect them and he had been rewarded for breaking that oath. Now he stood on the deck and there was resentment for her commander. Logically he knew it wasn't her fault but he still hadn't dealt with his own grief and guilt. He realised he would have to come to terms with it, and soon if he was going to be spending time with the woman he partially blamed for his failure.

The Normandy was something else. He glanced around at the shuttle and hammerhead sitting in the bay, now that he'd like to fly. The armoury was missing. On an Alliance ship it would be on this deck, close to where ground teams departed for missions so maybe Cerberus only built to civilian specs. The sound of elevator doors opening dragged his eyes back to the direction Anderson and Hackett were heading. They both stopped as the elevator opened and crew members stepped out.

James watched curiously as they stepped between the two admirals and the elevator. The man in the lead walked with a limp but the determination and pride in his step was unmistakable. His eyes were hidden under a cap but James could feel the resentment aimed at the admirals from where he stood against the shuttle. This had to be the pilot. James watched as he stopped, smirked at the admirals then turned so he was sideways to the elevator and stood at parade rest.

A turian moved opposite him, his armour damaged and his face scarred. His cold eyes stared at the admirals then he too turned and stood at parade rest. There was pride in his stance and an unassuming strength the way his hands rested against his back. James wasn't stupid, he knew experience when he saw it, he'd seen enough turian soldiers to know they were dependable and capable warriors. James wondered what it would be like to talk weapons with him, spar with him, if he was on the Normandy he had to be good at what he did and he was more than happy to learn from it. One by one other crew members stepped into line, one to each side creating a corridor leading to the elevator.

A dark haired woman whose outfit left little to the imagination, although he could see where a patch had been added, as if something had been removed or covered. A quarian, obviously a female from her shape, standing proudly alongside the others, her face hidden beneath the mask that James knew was keeping her alive. A grizzled old warrior whose armour had definitely seen better days and his face showed just how rough his life had been. A drell, not a species often seen, especially on a warship, there was a calmness about him but James got the feeling he was deadly. A krogan, a young one by krogan standards, he was obviously not happy about the situation as he fidgeted angrily.

'Grunt,' the turian gave him a glance and he settled down, quietly watching the two admirals and James knew he'd be uncomfortable under that glare. The very fact that the krogan had taken notice of the turian made James more aware of how high up he was in the hierarchy on the ship. Krogans didn't usually take orders from someone they didn't respect.

More crew appeared as the elevator made a second trip into the cargo bay. A dark skinned man who had the stance of a soldier; a heavily tattooed, almost dressed woman who had an air of danger about her as she stood with her arms folded across her chest, her hip cocked and anger in her eyes, aimed squarely at the two admirals. She was someone James would hate to meet in a dark alley. An asari stood beside her in the most seductive armour James had ever seen. She was regal in stature but power rolled off her in waves and the hair on the back of James' neck stood up. There was a female, her face hidden by a hood but he got the feeling she was extremely agile and deliberately wouldn't stand out in a crowd. A salarian who looked like he'd won first prize at a science fair, James didn't know they could smile so wide.

He couldn't help the gasp that escaped as a geth stepped into line. It had a gaping hole in its body and N7 armour strapped to its arm. There was no shifting of feet or nervous glances as it took its place in line. It was obviously part of the crew and James was completely at a loss as to how that could possibly happen. The elevator dinged and even more crew stepped out. People continued to form the lines, these were engineers, medical and bridge crew. A blue flash caught his eye in the observation window on the engineering deck as an orb appeared and he assumed it was some sort of VI interface, possibly recording what was happening.

James suddenly realised that those at his end of the line were Shepard's ground team, the people she relied on to have her back in a fire fight, except for the pilot of course, but even he'd done his fair share of having her back. James had read about Jeff 'Joker' Moreau and his skill as a pilot, he'd always wanted to meet the man and now here he was on the Normandy. The magnitude of that wasn't lost on him.

These people were making it abundantly clear that they were not impressed with the unfolding events. A knife could cut the tension in the room. He shivered and he was seriously impressed with the two admirals who stood directly before these people and didn't flinch. For a fleeting moment he was afraid they might take matters into their own hands, stop Shepard from surrendering. He doubted Hackett and Anderson would stand a chance if that happened, N7s or not, hell, he wouldn't stand a chance either and his hand to hand skills were better than most.

The elevator dinged again and James straightened instinctively. There was no more room for crew so only one person could be about to step onto the deck. As much as there was resentment in his head, there was still admiration for a great warrior in his heart. She was someone who had beaten the odds, become a famous marine, a decorated N7 and a Spectre, and now she had taken down an enemy dedicated to killing off the human race. Why wouldn't he be in awe of her?

The door slid aside as the pilot called everyone to attention. It was instinctive, muscle memory, and James found himself following the command. Everyone on the deck followed it, even the non-military personnel raised their hand in salute. The respect these people were showing was mind blowing because this wasn't a military ship in the strictest sense of the word. He doubted Cerberus required their crews to salute.

His eyes were riveted to the woman standing in the open doorway. For a moment she faltered, her eyes taking in her crew and he was sure he saw her breath hitch before she pulled herself erect and stepped onto the deck. It was so fast he thought he might have imagined it but as she worked her way down the line, stopping to speak to everyone individually and personally thanking them, he realised he hadn't. Her crew mattered to her that was obvious.

James was unable to look away. This woman was the reason he felt so guilty, she was the reason he felt like a failure, like a murderer. She was nothing like he expected. He'd seen the news reports about Elysium, hell, she was partly responsible for him joining the Alliance. He'd seen her once, years ago, a fleeting glimpse before she became the Commander Shepard. After that, he'd only seen vids or images where she was presented as the greatest human warrior in the known universe and he'd expected someone completely different, someone befitting the legend.

He was amazed at how small she was, petite and most definitely feminine. She wasn't solid or butch like many female marines he'd known she was athletic and shapely. There was fluid grace in the way she moved, every movement precise and he wondered if she'd be the same on the battlefield. Her blonde hair rested on her collar and framed her face and though he could only see the side of her face it looked delicate. She was not what he expected at all. She was beautiful the first time he'd seen her, she was even more so now.

'Tell them all to fuck off, Shepard,' the tattooed woman held on to Shepard's arms. 'We can still go pirate.'

Shepard laughed but there was a tremor in her voice. As she moved down the line James could see her hands were shaking. The closer she got to the end the harder it seemed to be to let go of the hugs and move away. The turian held her tight, James thought he was never going to let her go but as they parted he was sure there were tears in both their eyes. He didn't know turians could cry. The pilot looked at the floor as she turned to him, maybe he figured if he didn't say goodbye she wouldn't leave. There was tenderness in her touch as she reached for his hands.

James felt like he was sharing something intimate as she wrapped her arms around the pilot and he returned the gesture. He buried his face in her neck, knocking his cap sideways. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest and James saw her shudder. It was almost as if she was trying not to cry. Was there something going on between these two? They weren't on an Alliance ship so regs probably weren't an issue. As she stepped back and cupped the pilot's face she gave him a weak smile and kissed him ever so softly on the cheek. That wasn't a lover's kiss that was friendship and appreciation, it was more like a sisterly kiss. Shepard visibly straightened, took a deep breath and turned to face the two admirals, snapping to attention and saluting.

'Admirals,' she waited for acknowledgement before dropping her arm and moving to parade rest.

'Shepard,' Anderson's voice shook and James glanced at him in surprise as he stepped forward and pulled the woman into hug, completely ignoring protocol and not hiding the emotion on his face.

'Anderson,' Shepard whispered but it echoed around the bay as she hugged him back. The relief on her face was obvious and James guessed there was more than a professional relationship between them. 'I'm glad it's you.'

'I wouldn't have it any other way,' he stepped back and Hackett stepped forward.

'Shepard,' he shook her hand but again James couldn't help but wonder if there was more there as well. The way his hand rested on her arm was more than CO and subordinate. He was really wishing now he'd read some of those files.

'Shepard, I'm glad you're doing this willingly,' Anderson placed his hand on her shoulder and glanced at the crew behind her when the pilot snorted. 'Joker,' Anderson walked over to the man who after a thoughtful pause reached for Anderson's offered hand. 'Thank you for taking care of her, I'm glad she had you watching her back.'

'Someone had to,' he scoffed and Anderson nodded.

'Garrus,' Anderson turned to face the turian who also took his offered hand after a pause. 'Glad to see you too.'

'What's going to happen to Shepard now?' The turian kept his grip on Anderson's hand, almost as if he was waiting for him to say the wrong thing.

'I can't tell you that, Garrus,' Anderson sounded remorseful. 'The fewer people who know what's going on the better.' The turian nodded and released his hand.

James was finding the whole thing surreal. He'd expected to come on board, take Shepard into custody and watch over her so she didn't escape or her crew didn't try and break her out. But this … this was like a family reunion and it was completely messing with his head. He knew of Garrus Vakarian, how he'd been there from the start with Shepard. Shepard, Moreau and Vakarian were three names he knew well, names among others he'd admired and he guessed that because they'd been together for so long they would be like family. He desperately wanted to be a part of that family. But he was here to take away their commander, the crew would probably hate him.

'I'm assuming that you've accepted my surrender and my conditions,' Shepard drew attention back to herself.

'Of course,' Hackett nodded. 'Only a select few know what's going on, people we can trust implicitly.'

'So Joker can have basic repairs done on Omega then drop any remaining crew off on Illium before bringing the Normandy to Earth where she will be loaned to the Alliance for the duration.' Shepard was frowning and James almost gaped.

'Yes, as per your acceptance we will have an Alliance Officer meet the Normandy at Illium to facilitate her return to Earth.' Hackett smiled as she nodded.

'Guess we'd better get this show on the road then,' Shepard sighed. With a last touch of the pilot's hand and a gentle rub on the arm of the turian she moved between the admirals.

'James,' Anderson called him over and James hurried to where the admiral waited. 'Shepard, this is Lieutenant James Vega, he will be your shadow during this fiasco. He is responsible for you and your safety during your stay at HQ.'

James suddenly felt like a fish in a bowl as all eyes turned towards him. He forced himself erect and met the questioning stares of the crew before facing Shepard. These people were some of the best warriors out there and he had a lot to live up to.

'Ma'am.' He saluted and Shepard chuckled.

'No need to salute me LT, I'm not in the Alliance.'

'Yes, ma'am,' James dropped his arm and met her gaze. She might not be in the Alliance, he might not be her biggest fan right now, but she was definitely someone worthy of respect.

Her amber eyes looked him over, narrowing slightly as she took in the newly acquired bruises and cuts on his face. When he met her eyes he was blown away at the power and strength looking back at him. It hit him then. This was no ordinary woman, she could probably wipe the floor with him, how the hell was he supposed to prevent her from escaping. As if sensing his thoughts the corner of her mouth tilted up and it was the sexiest thing James had ever seen. He heard his heart pounding and hurriedly forced his thoughts under control.

'He'll do,' Shepard chuckled.

'Thank god,' Anderson stooped in relief, 'I was afraid I'd have a fight on my hands.'

'No,' Shepard sighed and James could hear defeat in her voice. 'I understand the necessity.'

'Are you ready, Shepard?' Hackett took her elbow gently in his hand and she nodded. 'All right, let's do this.'

'Ten Hut!' The pilot's command echoed around the bay and once again James found himself straightening.

Shepard turned and accepted her crew's salute before hurriedly walking to the shuttle. She kept her back straight and her face held no emotion as she stepped aboard and took a seat, never once glancing back. James followed the admirals who sat opposite leaving only a seat alongside Shepard for him. Rather than sit he hung on to the support beam above him and remained standing.

Shepard sat rigidly in the seat as the shuttle left the bay and James was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, she was the cold hearted bitch everyone said she was. He would be happy about that, it would make it easier to handle being around her. His head told him that it would be easier to blame her that way, his heart was telling him that this was all wrong, that she didn't deserve this or his bitterness. He almost groaned aloud as the two sides of his conscience warred in his head. She had to be the cold hearted monster otherwise he was already lost, he'd give himself heart and soul to protect her. It was who he was, he couldn't do this any other way.