The weight of the galaxy sat heavily on Shepard's shoulders as she returned to the Normandy. It had been good to see Anderson again and even though he had doubts he had shown some level of trust, but there was still no support there. At least the council had reinstated her Spectre status so she had some power available to her.
Her questions about her former crew, specifically Kaidan, had remained unanswered. Her questions about the Reapers: dismissed. She'd been gone two years and nothing had been done, time had been wasted, her warnings ignored. What hope did humanity have? She was one person, she couldn't do this alone. She felt that weight of the galaxy on her shoulders and they slumped as they never had before.
Joker watched her walk on board and he could see the slouch in her shoulders and the disappointment on her face. She was hurting and that meant he was too. With a sigh he pulled himself out of his chair and made his way to the mess. That was where he found her, sitting quietly in a corner, her hands resting on the table amid a collection of datapads, her eyes staring into nothing.
'Is the Commander okay,' Rupert asked softly as Joker stepped up to the serving bench.
'Yeah, she's just got a lot on her mind,' Joker glanced over at her. 'Can I have a Rupert special, I think she needs it.'
Rupert nodded, reached for the bottle of whisky under the counter and poured some into a freshly brewed black coffee from his top shelf stock. Joker smiled and carried his offering over to Shepard.
'You look like you need this,' he sat beside her and slid the coffee under her nose.
She took a deep breath and her vision focused on the cup before her, 'is this a Rupert special?' Rupert had given her a special on the very first day and she had been extremely grateful for the thought.
'Yep,' Joker grinned and watched her take a sip. She looked tired, disappointed, unhappy in every sense of the word.
She smiled softly as the whisky warmed her throat and the coffee awoke her senses. She turned to look at Joker and found his green eyes watching her, his concern obvious. His arm was warm where it rested against hers and she found comfort in that. She found comfort simply being in his presence, he was her support, her rock. She wondered if she could ever tell him that.
'I take it the Council was helpful as always and the Alliance didn't want to know you.' The feel of her arm against his was exciting and Joker was amazed that someone so strong and capable could feel so soft. Then he realised, her skin was new, basically the skin of a newborn, but it felt wonderful.
'I got my Spectre status back,' she sighed heavily, 'but the last two years and everyone who died saving the Citadel count for nothing. We did get a new team member so I guess that counts for something.' She dropped her head and Joker was afraid she was going to break down and cry. Instead she inhaled sharply, sipped her coffee and looked him in the eyes, 'I guess it's just us against the galaxy.'
'And this is new because….,' he raised his eyebrows and nudged her shoulder.
'With the best pilot in the galaxy at the helm and Commander fucking Shepard on the guns how could we lose?' She laughed softly and took his hand, 'looks like we're in this together again.'
'Wouldn't have it any other way,' he squeezed her hand gently and marvelled at her ability to pull on her Commander persona.
'Guess we'd better start gathering our team,' she stood up and helped him to his feet. 'Once the crew are back on board get us to Omega, we'll start with Archangel.'
'Yes ma'am,' he reluctantly released his hold on her hand and headed back to the bridge.
Shepard took her mug back to Rupert, 'Thanks,' she smiled as he nodded.
'Thanks for getting those supplies, Commander. I can now give the crew some decent meals, keep their strength up and all that. And Commander,' he hesitated, as if unsure he should continue, 'some of us are here because of you, because we believe in you.'
'Thanks, Rupert.' And with that she headed to CIC to go through the files on her new team members.
Joker had to give credit where it was due and right now that was Cerberus. As much as he hated them, hated working for them, they had provided the best of everything, the latest technological advances, weaponry and a ship that was more advanced than its predecessor. Then there were the suit recorders that the ground team wore, they'd had audio feeds before but now he got to witness the ground team in action.
The mercenary Cerberus had recruited didn't seem the least bit fazed that his new boss was Commander Shepard. In fact he didn't appear to have any respect for anyone, especially the prisoner he was more than happy to lay his boot into. Joker could see from Jacob's camera feed that Shepard wasn't impressed, even less so when Massani shot him. From the look on Shepard's face she wasn't happy at all.
He switched to her private frequency, 'Hey, Commander, should I lock the door so he can't come in?'
'No, I've got plenty of time to piss of TIM, Massani might be useful.' She chuckled before adding, 'might be nice if decon malfunctions and electrocutes him though, just a little.' She looked directly at Jacob's camera and smiled, but he noted that it hadn't reached her eyes. He also noticed the dark circles around her eyes. Why hadn't he seen those before?
He thought about it for a moment and realised that she'd been spending most of her nights curled up in the co-pilot's seat when he was on duty. Sometimes she slept and he'd let her, simply enjoying having her near. He'd assumed that when he wasn't there she slept in her own bed. But looking at her now he wondered if she was sleeping at all. The overwhelming urge to care for her kicked in and he promised he would take more notice.
He'd never been to Omega, at this point he was glad of that. It didn't look like the kind of place where safety and personal space were important. It was a rough, dirty and no rules apply kind of place from what he could see. But there were some things that never changed. It seemed that bars were the same wherever they were, which meant right now that involved watching half-naked Asari dancers as Shepard paid the required visit to the self-proclaimed queen of Omega, Aria T'Loak in Afterlife.
'Enjoying the view?' Shepard deliberately turned so he could see the dancers on the bar and he could picture the grin on her face.
'Most definitely,' he chuckled, she didn't have to know he was looking at the feed from Jacob's suit, who only seemed to have eyes for Shepard's rear.
'Hey, Jacob,' he opened his private channel, 'the Commander's back is a bit higher.'
'What? I wasn't…' Jacob spluttered and Joker laughed. 'Nice view though,' he muttered.
Shepard's view was still facing the bar and while he appreciated the beauty and fluid grace of the Asari, not to mention the amount of visible flesh, he no longer wanted the private dance or their skin under his hands. Once that would have been a turn on for him but now he was more interested in listening to the conversation between Shepard and Aria. Shepard had asked him to watch her back and he wasn't about to break that trust.
It wasn't long before Shepard was on the move, joining up with mercenary forces to take down Archangel. Joker watched as she made her way through the station, questioned leaders, asked about plans and sabotaged mechs. There was a quiet confidence that radiated from her and even through the camera Joker could feel the aura that was Commander Shepard. He kept his eyes on Jacob's feed most of the time as he was actually watching Shepard's back, watching for anything or anyone that might be a danger to the woman he followed.
When the shooting started Joker was torn between wanting to look away and keeping his eyes glued to the screen. He had never seen the ground team in action before and he was amazed at how they worked, mostly together. Miranda and Jacob had yet to come to terms with Shepard's methods but they were slowly getting the message.
On previous missions, before Cerberus, he had listened to the sounds of battle, listened to the battlefield banter, occasionally throwing in a comment. He had a horrible feeling that he should have kept his mouth shut, as hard as that was sometimes. The wrong word at the wrong time could be a major distraction. He hated the thought that he might have been responsible for someone getting hurt so he stayed quiet.
Shepard was awesome to watch. Every shot was a clean hit, usually a head shot. She walked the battleground confidently and quietly, ducking into cover, rolling away from danger and studying the area like a lion stalking its prey. She was beautiful, intoxicating and deadly.
Joker couldn't stop the feelings that washed over him. He wanted to feel her lips on his, to feel the strength in her arms as they wrapped around him, to lay with her in his arms, their naked skin touching, bodies intertwining. He wanted to taste every part of her, feel every part of her, have her hands on his….
'Mr Moreau, do you require the assistance of Dr Chakwas?' EDI brought him down to earth with a thump.
'What? No, why would I?' He felt the blood rush to his face where moments ago it had been further south and he pulled his cap lower.
'My readings show elevated temperature, heart rate and a state of nervous tension.'
'No, I'm fine,' he almost snapped at the blue orb.
'I am certain that Commander Shepard will be fine too.' Was the damn AI smirking at him?
'What are you talking about?'
'I can only assume that if you are fine then you are concerned about Commander Shepard since your readings have become elevated while watching the feed from the ground team.'
'Of course I'm concerned, she's my Commanding Officer and she's under fire. It's the first time I've been able to watch what goes on.' Why he was explaining to an AI he had no idea.
'I will remember that for future reference,' and now it sounded like the AI was laughing at him.
He much preferred the Normandy when she was quiet. With a mumbled curse he went back to watching the camera feed.
