A/N: Sorry for the delay in the final update, guys! Deadlines make things crazy and impossible. I probably won't be able to write anything else for the next couple of months because of it. :/

I definitely want to keep writing though, as I still think I haven't nailed down the characters as much as I'd like. I've been thinking, and maybe you guys could send me short prompts of ideas you'd like to see me tackle in the future? I could pick ones that inspire me and write something for them. Of course, I can't really promise anything being written any time soon, but definitely as soon as I have the time. :)

Hopefully you'll enjoy the final chapter of this fic and won't mind too much the fact that I don't actually know how to finish a story. D:

Thank you for all the feedback and follows! I read everything you guys send me!

"What do you mean, it's my fault?" Shepard whined as she looked at her XO from beneath furrowing brows.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Miranda's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I forgot it's been me insisting on scanning every planet we come across all this time!"

"But... the resources..."

"Shepard, we have no use for more resources. We have upgraded everything we can." Miranda tried to keep the exasperation from her voice. "Why don't you tell me the real reason you're making me stay up late to file unnecessary reports?"

Shepard allowed her chin to drop to her chest as she leaned back on the seat she was currently occupying. She was sat cross-legged across from Miranda, a desk between them as the Cerberus Officer occasionally typed some more into the terminal in front of her. Periodically, Miranda would raise her hand to soothe her sore neck.

Miranda's voice lost its edge and her features softened as she took in the smaller woman in front of her. There was something truly miserable about the sight of her Commander at that moment. It reminded her of a small child who had dropped their ice cream cone, or perhaps even of a puppy who had just been kicked. Clearly there was more to this subject that she was willing to tell. Perhaps some gentle nudging would give her the answers she needed. And those restful nights she had been missing out on lately.

"These past few months we've assembled an incredible team, Shepard. We have truly outdone ourselves. You've even ensured they're not leaving any regrets behind when we go through the Omega-4 Relay." Miranda waited for Shepard to say anything. She remained silent, avoiding eye contact. "Why are you putting off retrieving the Reaper IFF?"

Shepard sighed. Her eyes finally met Miranda's."When we... when we finally dock aboard that reaper and tell EDI to install the IFF... There's no going back after that, is there?"

Mirada's features relaxed in understanding. Was that what this was? Apprehension. Nerves. Fear. She was getting cold feet? A wave of sympathy surged through her. She had wondered when Shepard might manifest some kind of rebellion or protest about the mission. No-one went through the kind of pressure Shepard was currently being put through without cracking in some way. She had been so compliant, so efficient, up until now. Miranda was surprised it had taken her this long to act out.

"Shepard, are you scared?"

"Yes." Her voice was barely a whisper.

As Miranda looked at her Commanding Officer she was reminded of how small and fragile she looked a few months ago, sitting in the mess eating biscuits in the middle of the night-cycle. The Shepard now sitting in front of her evoked similar feelings of concern from her, but this time they were far more complex. This time they were accompanied by fierce protectiveness and affection. She couldn't have known back then that she would have grown to care for this woman the way she had. Miranda slowly reached across the desk with a hand, palm upwards. When Shepard placed her own upon hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's normal to be afraid, Shepard. In fact, if you weren't, I'd very worried I did something wrong when I brought you back." Miranda offered her a small smile. "We selected you because you're the best. If anyone can succeed with these odds it's you."

"I'm worried about the people we might lose."

The older woman said nothing at that. She understood Shepard's fears, and she herself had grown fond of some of the strange characters they had recruited for the mission. But as much as the idea of the deaths of those people left a sour taste in her mouth, they knew what they had signed on for. This was a suicide mission and the chances of anyone making it out alive were slim. She swallowed down her own anxiety and held Shepard's hand tighter.

Shepard sigh deeply as she leaned forward on her seat. She folded her arms on the desk and rested her chin on them as she looked up at the other woman. "Don't worry. I'll pull it together."

Withdrawing her hand to her side of the desk, Miranda leaned forward on the desk as well, her arms folding underneath her bosom.

"I'm responsible for giving you all this workload," Shepard started. "I feel kind of bad now."

"Good." Miranda's face had the same stony expression she used to tell the crew off, but Shepard could see the humour seeping through the edges.

"Maybe I should make it up to you somehow." A mischievous grin spread across Shepard's face. Miranda narrowed her eyes.

"You mean the same way you tried to make it up to Gardner that one time and ended up flooding the starboard side of the crew's deck?"

Shepard's face fell in outrage as she straightened up. "Hey, that was an accident!"

"Samara didn't speak to you for days," Miranda continued, enjoying other woman's fluster.

"Ugh... rub it in, will you?" Her face scrunched up as she thought back to that moment. "My plan this time is fool-proof! How do you feel about backrubs?"

There was a brief moment when neither of them said anything. Miranda's face remained blank as she stared at Shepard, unwilling to give away her hammering heart.

"What?"

Shepard's expression turned smug. "Yes, I know. I'm a fantastic baker and give incredible backrubs. What can I say? I'm a two-sport athlete."

Miranda stared at her, raising an eyebrow in question. She tried to swallow discreetly.

"I understand. It's hard to believe someone could be this perfect," Shepard drawled. "First human spectre, a great sniper, devilishly handsome..." Shepard stroked an imaginary beard as she spoke.

Miranda snorted. "This I have to see."

In response, Shepard got up dramatically. She approached the spare seat in front of the window and turned it around. She continued to gesture emphatically towards it as she waited for Miranda, who was still sitting.

"Are we actually doing this?" Miranda laughed.

Getting no response from Shepard, Miranda got up and sashayed her way towards the other woman. She noticed the way Shepard faltered, her eyes locking onto her hips for a brief moment. Miranda smirked. She sat down as Shepard mumbled something about retrieving her own chair from the other side of the room.

Sitting sideways on her seat, Miranda soon felt hands on her shoulders. She was tense at first but gradually relaxed as she felt Shepard kneading her muscles with the pads of her thumbs. She sighed and leaned against the back of the seat on her left, eyes closing. Shepard chuckled and started moving her hands and knuckles up and down her back.

"Okay, I take it back... You're good at this," Miranda mumbled softly.

She felt Shepard brushing her fingers through her hair, pushing it to the side. She moved her hand to hold it in place as Shepard started massaging her neck. After hesitating for a moment, Miranda moved the high collar of her dark uniform to allow the other woman better access. Her breathing became deeper as she felt the tension leaving her overworked muscles. She couldn't remember ever letting anyone touch her like this. It wasn't even like those other times she'd allowed Shepard to touch her; this was far more personal. More intimate. She felt naked underneath Shepard's hands but she found she didn't want to pull away. She was drawn to the touch. She felt a shiver run through her as she breathed out slowly.

"They teach you this in the Marines?" Miranda's words slurred slightly as she spoke.

"No, but it does come in handy. The ladies love a marine who is good with her hands."

Miranda burst out laughing at that, her shoulders convulsing. "Shepard, that was awful," she mumbled once the laughter had subsided.

"My lines need some work, Miss Lawson?" Shepard drawled.

"I'm not sure 'some' is the quantitative word that truly expresses just how badly you need help." She chuckled. There was a pause and then she continued, sober. "Sue, you don't need lines to flirt with women, you know that right? You're incredibly charming, almost infuriatingly so. And you're beautiful. I..."

Miranda stopped as she felt a weight on her shoulder blades. Her own cheeks were ablaze. She stole a peek over her shoulder to see that Shepard had leaned forward and was currently resting her head against her back.

"Sue...?"

She turned in her seat slowly as Shepard detached herself from her. The younger woman raised her eyes to hers. Shepard was all of a sudden standing too close. She could feel her breathing on her face. Miranda bit her bottom lip.

"Miri... may I kiss you?"

Miranda had barely registered she had nodded before Shepard's lips were on hers. The first kiss was gentle. Chaste. Shepard's lips pressed against hers for a second before pulling away slowly. The two stared at each other, both looking surprised before Miranda grabbed her by her collar into another kiss. This one involved searing lips and tongues, and hands that roamed the warm flesh of her neck and her waist. She found her hands had a mind of their own, tugging Shepard closer to her mouth and grabbing fistfuls of her hair, showing her that yes, she was here, and Shepard was with her, in her arms. As they slowed, clashing teeth turned into gentler open-mouthed kisses. Shepard's mouth moved from Miranda's lips down to her chin. She was kissing her jaw line, then her temples, her brow. Then Shepard's lips found hers once more. Miranda sighed, eyes closed.

As she basked in the sensations of being so close to Shepard, as the seconds turned into minutes, did the nagging little voice that inhabited her head become audible once more. Reluctantly, she pulled away, resting her forehead to Shepard's as she got her breathing under control. Anxiety returned once she realised just what had happened.

She got up, slowly backing away. Her fingertips resting on her lips.

"Shepard, I..."

Shepard looked dazed, still sitting in her chair. Hurt and confusion started to creep into her expression. She got up as well.

Miranda didn't know what to do or what to say. "I just... I just need some time, okay?" Her voice was small.

She approached Shepard again and gently cupped her cheeks as she planted a kiss upon the shorter woman's lips. She squeezed her eyes shut as she put all she wanted to say into that kiss. When she pulled away, Shepard nodded sadly, unanswered questions in her eyes as she left.

She should have never done that. She'd been chastising herself for the kiss ever since it happened. What was she thinking? This wasn't the time to enter a relationship; the mission was crucial and they couldn't afford any distractions. Why had she allowed Shepard to get so close? Why had she allowed all those touches. All that gentleness and kindness? How could I be so stupid?

She didn't do relationships. It never ended well. It interfered with work. The other person would always get too attached and ended up fussing over her. Except that this time, both of them had gotten attached. And Miranda wanted this. The mission was so close to the end. The Cerberus Officer buried herself further into her seat in defeat.

She couldn't just... give in. Could she?

Shepard had set course to Illium, determined to give her crew shore leave before heading for the derelict reaper the Illusive Man told them about. Once the Normandy had docked she was nearly immediately vacated. Miranda had no doubts most of the crew would be celebrating in the neon-lit streets of Nos Astra that evening, burying themselves in the warm arms of another before the final dash to the finish line. Some had already left, choosing to eat lunch in the fancy restaurants that lined the business blocks.

Miranda had stayed behind, choosing solace instead of the busy crowds outside. She needed time alone to think. Time to pull herself together. At least she had been able to stop filing reports late into the night.

EDI's voice interrupted Miranda's racing mind. Shepard was apparently busy and there was a situation that required her attention down in Engineering. Miranda's stomach sunk. She was glad for the distraction, but she didn't quite know what to expect. The odds were in favour of Jack being involved and Miranda wasn't looking forward to breaking their silent agreement of staying clear of one another. As the lift descended to the fourth deck, Miranda could hear the voices becoming louder. She sighed in defeat.

As she exited the lift, Miranda identified the culprits as Jack and Grunt. And Tali. The three were arguing heatedly, Tali holding her own easily against the much larger krogan. She jabbed Grunt in the chest with a finger as she yelled.

"Tell me, genius: do you understand what will happen if you damage the systems of this ship? I'll throw you out of the airlock myself."

Miranda chose to observe the scene from a distance at first, getting a feel for what was happening. Her eyebrow raised when she noticed Ken and Gabby peeking into the hallway through the Engineering doors, hungry expressions plastered on their faces. Noticing they were seen, the two retracted their heads, no doubt going back to their stations. Soon enough, Tali noticed her too. She seemed relieved as she sighted Miranda. On the other hand, Jack scoffed behind her, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe the situation.

"Miranda!" Tali stepped toward her. "Good, you're here. Please explain to these two why they can't spar in the middle of engineering?"

Miranda turned to them, frowning. "What? That's a safety hazard. The core of the ship is on this deck!"

"Oh, calm down, cheerleader. No-one's punching a whole through our fucking engine!"

Miranda took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down as she was faced with clear stupidity. "Jack, there is no room here for sparring."

Grunt didn't help. "The mark of a true warrior is adapting to every environment they find themselves in," he recited. "Adapting. surviving."

He hit his fists together as if making a point. Miranda narrowed her eyes at him

"Grunt, no-one is surviving being spaced," she deadpanned.

He laughed, then, a slow, deep laugh as if he were accepting it as a new challenge. Tali moved her hand to her mask, as if to shield her eyes from the sigh in front of her. She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like "stupid bosh'tet".

Miranda had had enough. "No-one is sparring in Engineering, damn it!" She walked over to the windows overlooking the lower deck and gestured towards it. "If you want to fight, do it in the damned hangar. Only sparring allowed. And if I find out you've damaged anything in the ship, or the shuttle god forbid, I will put a bullet between your eyes myself."

Jack sauntered towards her, a sneer on her lips. "Pfft! Princess is growing some balls."

"Just don't tear a hole in the hull," Miranda said, exasperated.

"You worry too much, cheerleader," Jack said as she entered the lift. "Grunt let's go!"

As the lift doors closed behind them, Miranda and Tali looked at each other, both deflating in exhaustion. Tali gestured towards the lift in disbelief with one hand.

The way back to the crew deck was uneventful. She decided to pay Samara a visit. The asari had been especially quiet and demure the past couple of weeks, something Miranda knew had to do with the mission Shepard had accompanied her on. Something told her that was a private subject, and any questioning surrounding the topic would not be welcomed by the other woman.

As had become their routine, Miranda entered the room silently, joining Samara on the floor for a few minutes. Miranda wished they were still deep in space so she could find peace in the sight of the vastness of the universe. In the vastness of the stars. She settled for closing her eyes, blocking out the ships docking in the bays around them. It wasn't long before their biotics started syncing, moving between them in waves that travelled through unseen tracks.

As Miranda adjusted her foot, she felt it brush along something in the floor. She opened her eyes to see a plate next to her foot, a couple of empty cupcake cases lying on it.

The thoughts that had been plaguing her mind before returned. Shepard...

Why had she gotten so close? Everything was going well. Miranda could have dealt with a simple friendship. But then Shepard had gotten closer. More intimate. With her soft touches and gentle looks.

Shepard was like a snare. No matter how much Miranda tried to pull away, she ended up being pulled right back in, suffocating.

No.

Not a snare. Miranda buried her face in her hands. That wasn't fair of her. Shepard wasn't a snare. Not with her warm arms and gentle smiles. Not with the way she made her feel like there was no-one else in the world. Not with the way she made her feel safe. Light-headed. Not with the way she made her laugh. Loud and free bouts of laughter that made her eyes water and her sides hurt, that made her forget she was a Cerberus Officer aboard a suicide mission.

Miranda felt the biotics no longer flowing between her and samara but crashing against her like waves against a cliff. Samara felt it too. She scrunched her face up in discomfort. Unable to concentrate, Miranda abandoned her meditation and rushed out of the room, leaving a perplexed Samara looking over her shoulder.

As she neared the lift, the doors opened and an invisible giggling mass bumped into her.

"Kasumi?" Miranda couldn't hide her irritation.

"Shhh! Shh!" came the reply. She felt her arm being tugged along towards the port side of the ship and annoyance started to eat away at her. She didn't have time for the other woman's antics right now. Miranda's eyes narrowed at the high-pitched raucous giggling.

"Look," Miranda started.

The lift doors opened again and this time Shepard came out, sleeves dripping and a furious expression etched on her face.

"Okay, who the hell was fucking around with my model ships?"

Noting the genuine anger in Shepard's voice, Miranda allowed herself to be pulled along into Kasumi's quarters. Kasumi uncloaked after they entered, bursting out laughing. Miranda stood there, regarding her with an unamused expression as she waited for the giggles to subside. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and crossed her arms.

"All right, what did you do?"

"Well, I was just messing with Shep... and well...I may or may not have accidentally drowned one of her model ships..." Kasumi seemed sheepish before starting to giggle once more.

"You what?" Miranda looked confused. "How exactly do you accidentally drown a... you know what? It's probably best I don't know." She stopped herself short upon sighting the evil grin creeping across Kasumi's face.

"Well, since you're here, may I offer you a drink?" Kasumi walked over to the bar.

"I don't drink while on the job."

"We're not on duty, remember? Shep gave us the day off."She produced two glasses from behind the counter. They clinked together as she set them down with one hand.

Miranda hesitated for a moment before approaching her. She accepted a glass from the other woman.

"Damn it... What the hell... The world's going to shit anyway," she muttered.

"Woah! Woah! A little pessimistic there, no?" Kasumi looked a bit shocked.

Miranda remained silent, opting for sipping her drink instead of answering.

"Come on." Kasumi grabbed Miranda by the arm, pulling her along gently back to the sofas. They both sat down. "You wanna talk about it?

Miranda simply looks at her, expressionless.

"I just mean... The whole world can't be going to shit, right? You have your sister." Kasumi gave her an encouraging smile. Miranda's expression cracked a little. "Have you been in touch with her?

Miranda glanced down at her drink, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah."

"See?" Kasumi said excitedly, pulling her feet up in front of her.

Neither said much for a while. Miranda could see Kasumi darting glances towards her, trying to find the words to say something.

"So... Say Miranda... " Kasumi cleared her throat. "You and Jacob...?"

Miranda turned to her, confused at first. As the dots started to connect in her head, she decided to tease her.

"Jacob and I...?" She drawled.

"Oh, come on! You're not going to make me say it?"

Miranda gave her the politest look she could manage, feigning ignorance and listening intently. She could see the blush creeping in on Kasumi's cheeks.

"I know you two have... history..." she began. "You'd be okay with someone else...?"

Miranda broke into a smile, humour twinkling in her eyes. "Jacob doesn't belong to me, Kasumi. He's my friend, and I'd like to see him happy."

"Well... good." Kasumi sipped her own drink, avoiding looking at Miranda as her cheeks cooled. "So... anyone you're interested in, Miranda?"

The Cerberus Officer looked at her from the corner of her eye, not answering. Kasumi wasn't having it.

"You need to be kinder to yourself. You do so much for us, so much that we all take for granted. Indulging in something just for you is well overdue." Miranda could swear the thief was wiggling her eyebrows at her. "Maybe indulging in a little someone?"

"Classy..." Miranda scoffed as Kasumi smirked.

The latter sobered. "Miranda, we're going through the Omega-4 Relay soon. What is the thing you're going to regret not doing most while you had the chance?"

Miranda was determined not to co-operate. How dare she? What did she know?

"Go to her."

"It's not that simple!" Miranda's face contorted in frustration as she faced the other woman.

"From where I'm looking at it? Yeah. It is." Kasumi sat up then, looking serious. "She really likes you, you know. And I know you like her."

Miranda swallowed, never looking away.

The ride up to Shepard's quarters was a slow one. Miranda was jittery as she waited, the contents of the tray in her hands occasionally trembling along with her. She had decided to face Shepard and she was nervous. Shepard had seemed understanding when she'd asked her for time, but the hurt in her eyes wasn't lost on Miranda. She didn't want to leave the younger woman alone in that uncertainty. She couldn't. She glanced down once more at the food she had prepared for them both.

The ship had been almost empty for hours; everyone had left by the evening. She'd asked EDI to keep an eye on Shepard, not wanting to be interrupted by a surprise visit down in the kitchen. Knowing how much it would mean to Shepard, Miranda had attempted to cook her own snacks this time. The results were... disastrous for the most part. Four batches of cupcakes had been thrown out before Miranda had even managed to salvage anything soft enough to eat, and it took another batch entirely before Miranda baked anything that didn't dry her mouth as she bit into it. The final batch had turned out well, all things considered, but Miranda couldn't tune out the perfectionist voice in the back of her mind, telling her that Shepard would probably eat them only out of kindness. The Pancakes had proven another challenge entirely. She eyed the singed corners of the pastry with furrowed brows.

Miranda was mostly glad she hadn't caught anything on fire.

As she reached the top deck of the ship, she asked EDI to let the Commander know she was at the door. Almost immediately, the doors opened. Shepard turned to her from near her desk, space-hamster in hand.

"Miranda...?" There was a hopeful tone to her voice.

"Hey..." Miranda found herself uncharacteristically shy. "Thought you might like some company?" She raised the tray slightly in emphasis.

Shepard grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! I'd love some company. Oh, hang on!" Shepard retreated back into her little office cubicle as Miranda walked further into the room. She saw Shepard gently returning the space-hamster back into his glass cage. As she turned back to her, she wiggled her hands in the hair. "Let me just wash up!"

Miranda looked around as she waited for her to exit the bathroom. She glanced briefly at the model ships. She noticed one was missing and remembered Kasumi's words.

I may or may not have accidentally drowned one of her model ships.

The fish tank! Curiosity getting the best of her, Miranda approached the large tank that lined the wall of the ship. Sure enough, the SSV Normandy vessel had been dropped into its depths. Miranda put down the tray of food on the table in front of the sofas and approached the tank once more. A faint stream of bubbles left the model as the fish swam around it. Shepard had accumulated quite the collection of fish over the past few weeks. Miranda was more surprised she hadn't managed to kill them already more than anything. She felt like she should be angry at Shepard for spending their credits on the models and the fish, but found she couldn't bring herself to do so. There was something beautiful and calming about the way they swam around in the aquarium.

She heard Shepard approaching her.

"Yeah... I was going to remove the model, but Grunt Jr. really liked it."

Miranda looked at her "Grunt Jr.?

Shepard pointed at a rather large fish. It was brown with a few speckles of light blue. As if to prove Shepard's earliest point, it was swimming through the stream of bubbles emanating from the model ship.

Miranda chuckled. "Did you name them all?"

Shepard nodded.

"And am I one of their namesakes?"

Shepard laughed. She pointed at one particularly pretty fish, mostly white with a few stripes of black. There was something elegant about the way it swam."She has a bit of a way with crowds; Everyone seems to part for her. Never stays still for long. She also goes by "Princess" or "Supreme Overlord Lawson"".

Miranda lightly smacked her arm, but was unable to keep the smile from her lips. Shepard was looking at her, genuine affection exuding from her. Miranda found herself growing hotter, self-consciousness making her avoid direct eye contact. Shepard had a way of making her feel like she didn't fit in her own skin, like she was too big for it.

Noticing she was becoming flustered, the other woman gestured towards the tray she had brought in. "I see I've been rubbing my terrible influences off on you?"

Miranda scoffed. "I thought I'd try to cook for you for once. It was... more involved than I anticipated..."

Shepard touched her arm, a warm smile still on her face. "Thank you, I'm sure everything is amazing!"

"I just can't get the hang of baking," Miranda lamented, crossing her arms in front of her like a shield.

Shepard chuckled, walking toward the seats. She sat down herself and patted the seat next to her. Miranda hesitated for a moment before complying.

As she saw Shepard reaching for the pancakes she couldn't help but say something. "Sorry they're a little burnt..."

Miranda looked uncertain... and then Shepard raised the pancake over her head and put the entire thing in her mouth. She smiled at the older woman as she chewed, then closed her eyes and moaned.

"wow.. how articulate," Miranda says, smiling.

Shepard bumped her shoulder into hers, grinning. "These taste great, Miri. Thank you. "

Not knowing how to respond, Miranda bit into one of her own. She noted they weren't as good as Shepard's but if the other woman was bothered she didn't say anything - she simply reached for another.

Miranda noticed the way they sat so close, thighs touching as they ate. It felt so comfortable. Her unease had completely left her as she sat there. It was almost like the kiss never happened. Was Shepard pretending for her sake? Did she think Miranda thought back on that moment as a mistake? She couldn't let her think that.

She grabbed a cupcake and fumbled for the words she wanted to say. "I'm sorry... I asked you to leave the other day."

Shepard looked surprised. She turned towards her. "Oh... No, you don't need to sorry for that... " She fiddled with a cupcake case of her own, peeling it. "I'm sorry if I was too pushy..."

Miranda smiled. "Sue, you asked to kiss me. That's not being pushy."

Shepard grinned sheepishly. "I guess..." She faltered "I was just worried I might have made you uncomfortable." She bit into a cupcake.

Miranda paused, looking at her. There were crumbs stuck to the corners of her mouth. She chuckled, raising a hand to brush the crumbs away gently.

"You didn't." She left her hand there, cupping her face. Shepard met her eyes. "May I kiss you?"

Shepard smiled in response, leaning forward.

Their lips met. If Miranda had any doubts about what she was doing they disappearing somewhere after she tasted the frosting on Shepard's lips and before she felt the other woman stroking her cheek. Miranda tried to put down her cupcake on the table, but refused to open her eyes to do so. She felt herself miss the table as she dropped the pastry. Shepard laughed into her mouth while grabbing her hands and interlacing her fingers with hers. She felt herself smile into the kiss as well. Their foreheads rested against each other as they pulled away from the kiss.

"I'd like to give... this... a chance" Miranda whispered. "I was afraid before, afraid of losing you... but I've had time to think. I... Shepard, I'm not going anywhere. Whatever happens, I'm here."

Shepard pulled back slightly, smiling all the way.

"Good."

She brushed stray hair behind Miranda's ear before leaning forward once more to kiss her forehead.

Fin.