2168
John watched as his father's shuttle disappeared into the starry sky.
"You'll see him again in a few months, kiddo," Hannah put her hand on John's shoulder and sent him a soft smile. "This is a huge opportunity for your father. An honour."
She had to look up to meet his eyes now. His mother was so commanding, much more commanding than his dad, even though she was so small. It made John feel strange, to tower over her.
Didn't mean he didn't want to lash out at her, though.
"I know that, Mom," John ducked out from under her hand, sending her a scowl. "I just don't understand… Why can't I go with dad? Why do I have to stay here with you?"
Hannah's face fell only for a second before she managed to control herself. She sent him a neutral look. "Because. It isn't safe for you to be on a cruiser patrolling the Terminus Systems, John. We've been over this. You're too young."
John flushed, and ducked his head. The flash of hurt on her face made him feel instantly guilty. "Sorry, Mom."
"Don't worry about it, kiddo," Hannah said quietly. "Now, you've seen your father off, back to class."
John groaned, making his way to the cargo bay's elevator, pressing the call button. "Fine," he muttered. "Don't know why I have to take all these stupid extra credit intergalactic policy courses. I'm going to be a marine, like Dad."
"John, having a thorough understanding of intergalactic politics will help you when you enlist," Hannah said in a long-suffering tone. John felt another stab of guilt. This wasn't the first time he'd complained about the courses his mom was making him take. "The Alliance doesn't just operate in Alliance space. We don't just deal with humans."
John let out a long, annoyed sigh, and looked at his mom. "Learning about the stupid turian Hierarchy isn't gonna make a difference when I take 'em out with a single shot to the head," he muttered petulantly.
"John Shepard," Hannah snapped. "We are no longer at war with the turians. They are our allies."
John snorted, and rolled his eyes. "Not what Dad says."
"Your father fought against the turians on the battlefield," Hannah sighed. "Sometimes it is hard to let something like that go. But, John… humans are new to the galactic community. We have to be diplomats, we have to be understanding. We have to become a part of the community, not segregate ourselves from it."
"Whatever," John snapped.
"Not whatever," Hannah snapped back. "John, look at me. This is important."
Balefully, John looked down at his mother and met her eyes.
"John," her gaze softened, and she reached up to stroke a hand down his hair. "John, you are so smart, so strong, so brave. You're destined for so much more than doing grunt work as a marine. You… you could do so much. You could have your own ship, you could be an admiral… You have so much potential and you just don't see it!"
John stared at his mother. "You think so?" He whispered.
Hannah nodded. "I was speaking with the admission rep for Annapolis last month when I was on Earth, and he said with your grades and aptitude scores you're a shoo in."
"Really?" John exclaimed. "He really said that?"
Smiling, she brushed a hand down his hair again, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Yeah, now get to class, kiddo," she pushed him out of the elevator. "I love you."
"You, too," he called back quietly, waving once at his mom before ducking into the small classroom for the SSV Einstein's officers' children. The teacher waved him in, and John slid into the seat next to his best friend Mike.
Mike hadn't shed the fat he'd started gaining when he and his family had arrived aboard the Einstein. He'd only grown fatter, now spilling over his seat. The big teen had been the subject of bullying and teasing from the other kids in the class, but John had stubbornly refused to join in, always asking Mike to join him for lunch, to come over to do homework, watch vids, play games.
When pressed by his dad, John had admitted that Mike always ignored the bullies, and refused to rise to the bait. John didn't see the point of being friends with the bullies, instead he'd rather spend his time with someone who wouldn't attack the weak. Not to mention the fact that Mike was really smart and funny, and his dad always bought him the best video games. Frank had ruffled John's hair, and left him to his homework.
"Your dad get off ok?" Mike whispered quietly.
John nodded, pulling his school datapad out of his bag. "Yeah. Six months at least until I get to see him again, though," John sighed. "No more target practice until then."
"Mr. Shepard," the teacher said in a warning tone.
John sent the teacher a disarming grin. "Sorry, ma'am," he replied.
"Just stop talking to Mike," she said in a long suffering tone, but sent him a small grin regardless. "Now, can you explain to me the influence Kovács had on Mass Acceleration development in 2125?"
John grinned. He answered with ease, having gone over Kovács' contributions with Mike the day before. When Mrs. Griffin nodded and continued her lecture, John relaxed back into his chair. Listening to the teacher go on about mass effect fields and their interplay with traditional human rocket fueled technologies, John started writing his dad a message instead of writing notes.
Maybe he'd follow in his mom's footsteps and go to an Officer Candidates School, or maybe he'd enlist and go straight into basic. His dream had always been to follow in Frank Shepard's footsteps, but his mom had more career opportunities, more freedom of choice.
For now, he'd work hard in school, petition Captain Hackett to allow him to go to target practice under supervision, request a hand-to-hand and language tutor. He still had time to decide, but it wouldn't hurt to keep his options open.
2186
"Commander."
John glanced at Traynor as he walked by the Galaxy Map towards the War Room. He'd spent a good two hours talking Jack down from her fury at Jane before he'd felt comfortable that the biotic wouldn't kill his little sister in her sleep, and all he wanted to do was retreat to the quiet of the Loft and relax.
"Yes, Traynor?" John asked, only just managing to keep the sigh out of his tone.
"I thought I should let you know that Diana Allers has been asking around about Lieutenant Singer, wanting more information about her past, and her… uh …" Traynor paused, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. "And her sexual orientation," she whispered.
John kept his face impassive, but felt a deep flash of irritation, and a small measure of fear. A reporter sniffing around his sister could bring about nothing good. "Let Allers know I'll need to speak with her soon about her role on my ship," John replied, his tone dark. "Anything else?"
"You have several new messages on your terminal, Commander," Traynor gave him what John's dad had always referred to as The Look whenever Hannah was really displeased.
Lifting his hands in surrender, John backed slowly towards his terminal under her hard gaze, and fired up his messages.
Priority Mission Eden Prime
From: Alliance Command
Commander,
Cerberus has attacked Eden Prime and is now occupying the colony. Alliance forces are stretched too thin right now to attempt to liberate the colony, but we're doing what we can to covertly aid the local resistance.
In the process, we've learned that Cerberus has uncovered a major Prothean artifact. We don't know what it is, but it appears to be the reason for the attack on the colony. We need you to infiltrate the colony and recover the artifact.
Temporary Reassignment
From: Admiral Hackett
Shepard,
Alliance Command has recalled most N7 Operatives to join 4-person squads to hold tactically important locations – many of which you have already cleared for us. Certain missions are designated as more dangerous than others, and as such, we need the best.
To that end, Lieutenant Singer will be periodically reassigned on a temporary basis to her former N7 squad. Please have Lieutenant Singer report to Major Quinn Hepner on the Citadel for her reassignment in one week.
-Hackett
John let out a long breath, forcing his heart rate to slow. "EDI? Tell Joker to set a course for Eden Prime. Where's Lieutenant Singer?"
"The Lieutenant is in the Main Battery with Gunnery Officer Vakarian," EDI replied. John grinned hearing that Jane was spending time with the turian. "ETA for Eden Prime is 0600 tomorrow."
"Thanks, EDI," John replied, and stepped into the elevator. He hit the button for the Crew Deck, striding purposefully towards the Main Battery once the elevator arrived at its destination.
He paused outside the door, hesitating for a moment, worried about what he would find within. Even though he was willing to bug Jane about her love life, he didn't really want to walk in on her in a passionate embrace with Garrus. Or anyone else, for that matter.
Steeling himself for the possibility of what he might see, he hit the holopad to open the door.
Thankfully, the scene before him was tame. Jane was hunched over Garrus's workbench, pulling wires out of a demolished helmet in front of her. Garrus was standing in front of the Thanix console, calibrating, as always.
Smirking, John made a mental note to tell Jane she was doing something wrong if Garrus was actually calibrating, and not checking her out. John narrowed his eyes, focusing on the helmet in Jane's hands. It looked familiar. Where had he seen it before?
"Jane," he snapped, realizing it was the Capacitor Helmet she'd found on Benning. "Where the hell did you get that? I told you I didn't know what I wanted to do with that. Someone might need an armor upgrade."
Jane glanced up at her brother, her mouth dropping into an "o" of surprise. "Sorry, John," she replied, glancing at Garrus, who was backing slowly away from the annoyed commander. "You only ever use your N7 helmets, I only use my Recon Hood, and James only uses those godawful goggle things... so I thought I'd remove the shield regen upgrades and put them in someone's armor so that at least someone on the ship would benefit from the tech," Jane explained guilessly, widening her eyes.
"Freeze, Vakarian," John pinned the turian with a glare. "You're not getting out of this, I know you're involved. And Jane? Stop trying to look cute," he continued, exasperated. "Someone's armor? You mean your armor, right?"
Jane shook her head. "Nope, I was gonna install it on Garrus's, actually."
Garrus made a small sound of surprise, and John glanced back at the turian. "You stole the damned thing from my quarters last night, didn't you?"
Jane barked out a laugh. "Come on, Johnnie, don't be mad. I'll install it in your armor instead, if it'll make you feel better."
"Shut up," he repeated. "Do whatever you want with the upgrades, just don't steal tech without my permission again, ok?"
Jane nodded, looking mildly guilty - which was about as guilty as Jane ever looked, so John counted it as a win.
"Hackett just messaged me, he wants to temporarily reassign you," John went on conversationally. "What's this Hepner guy like?"
"Thought that might happen," Jane replied, leaning back on the workbench. She was still wearing her armor from Grissom, but she'd unzipped the top half of the suit and pushed it down to her waist. "I thought they would put me back with Quinn. He's great. We went through ICT from the beginning together, but we weren't put on a squad together until N6. We were put with a demolitions expert and this russian biotic chic - Quinn's a soldier... he has his Destroyer grade now, though," she mused. "Anyways. He's great. I kind of want to introduce him and Cortez."
"Really?" John said skeptically. "His husband just died."
"Well, not tomorrow or anything," Jane snapped back, scratching at her stomach. "But they'd be cute together."
John rolled his eyes at her state of undress and gestured at her top with his chin. "Bit obvious, isn't it?"
"That I'll be rejoining Quinn's squad? Well, we did go through ICT together," Jane replied with a hard glare at her brother, purposely misunderstanding him. John grinned when he saw that she was blushing faintly. "Isn't too tough to determine. Plus, he messaged me about it, sort of."
John rolled his eyes again. "We're arriving at Eden Prime tomorrow at 0600. Jane, Garrus, I want you both suited up and ready to go then," he put his hands on his hips and looked back at Jane. "You'll report to Major Hepner when we dock at the Citadel next."
Jane nodded, then shifted, looking suddenly uncomfortable, her face paling. "Look, I'm really sorry about Liara. I should have been more careful, I don't know why I assumed she already knew – "
John shook his head, interrupting her. "Don't be sorry," he grinned. "It's kind of a relief, to tell you the truth. I probably should have told her around the same time she started accusing the two of us of sleeping together."
Garrus made a quiet noise of disgust, from where he stood, attention focused on the console in front of him again. John grinned, jerking his head at the turian, and sent Jane a leering look.
Without hesitation, Jane gave John the finger, a deadly expression on her face. He made a face, sticking his tongue out. Jane took two steps forward, fists raised, and John danced back when she pulled back to punch him.
John backed into the bulkhead behind him, putting his hands up in surrender, laughing quietly. Jane sent him an evil smile, and prepared herself to attack him.
Unaware of what was transpiring, Garrus glanced back over his shoulder, brow plates pulling together in curiosity at the tableau behind him. Jane was frozen, mid-lunge towards her brother, and John, hands still lifted in surrender, was trapped against the wall.
Simultaneously, the siblings looked at the turian, then back at each other, before dissolving into gales of laughter. Garrus only shook his head, and turned back to the console in front of him, letting out a chuckle once his back was turned to them.
Jane and John grinned at each other. "Wanna help?" Jane asked, raising her eyebrows at the helmet in front of her.
"Yeah," John nodded, stepping close. "What are you doing now?"
"Harvesting parts for pipe bombs, actually," Jane admitted. "Innocuous when they're apart, but I can make something to pack a really big punch pretty damned fast with some of these parts."
John stared at her, disturbed. "I can't decide if it is awesome that you know how to do that or really creepy."
Jane sent him a creepy grin. "I always find it surprising how people are never phased by my ability to go invisible, but always assume I'm a psycho because of the sword or explosives."
John blinked at her a few times, mulling it over and remembering Kasumi. "Promise me that you'll never use your powers of invisibility for evil."
"Invisibility is only to be used for evil under orders from my direct superiors, Johnnie," Jane bumped him with her shoulder. "Now rip out those green wires, please."
John stepped out of the elevator at 0600 exactly. Jane, Garrus and Liara were all waiting patiently by the Kodiak.
Liara approached him. "I know you don't want me on this mission, but - "
"Yes, you can come," John cut her off. "Let's move," John grinned at the trio. "Are your shields optimized, Vakarian?"
Garrus cracked a grin, and nodded. "Take cover behind me today, Commander."
"Oh, quiet," Jane snapped, sounding irritable. "It's only 10%, for pete's sake."
"For pete's sake?" John raised his eyebrows at his sister. "Where the hell did you pick that one up? Have you been hanging out with Traynor?"
"We played chess last night," Jane admitted grudgingly.
"She kicked your ass, didn't she?" John closed the shuttle door once Garrus stepped aboard, and rapped his knuckles on the hull. "We're good to go, Cortez," John called into the cockpit.
"She kicked my ass," Jane admitted. "For such a meek little thing, she's vicious on the chess battlefield."
John laughed. "I keep liking her more every day. Hey, did you know that Allers has been sniffing around you?"
"She wants to know if I'm into the ladies," Jane snickered. "She followed Traynor into the washrooms while I was in the shower. Either she wanted me to hear what she was saying as a warning – "
"Or an invitation," Cortez called back. "I've heard things about Allers. She's … promiscuous. But discrete."
"Well," Jane laughed. "Needing to guard my every word isn't my idea of ideal post-coital relaxation," she joked to Liara. The asari was looking over Cortez's shoulder at a viewscreen, completely focused on the scene in front of her.
"I'm sorry?" Liara jumped, looking back over her shoulder, startled.
"You ok, Liara?" Garrus asked, concerned
"I am just distracted… Eden Prime," she sighed. "Where it all began."
"You're a romantic, T'soni?" Jane asked, grinning. "I had no idea."
"She's an archeologist, Jane," Garrus replied. "Of course she's a romantic."
"This is the planet where the prothean beacon gave the Commander a vision warning us about the Reapers," Liara explained. "It seems … right that we're coming back here, don't you think?"
"It's also where Saren launched his first major attack using the geth," Garrus said dryly.
"Came here once for shore leave," Jane mused. "Feels like forever ago now. It was about a year before Saren and the geth."
John let out a short laugh. "Can you believe that was only three years ago? Feels like more, somehow."
"I remember the reports," Garrus said quietly. "I was busting my ass, trying to find proof to bring Saren down. When I found out he'd led an attack while I was mired down by bureaucracy… That was a bad day."
"More of a straight up fight kind of a guy?" Jane asked.
John glanced over in time to see Jane nudging Garrus's foot with her own. She'd sat down and pulled her sword onto her lap, examining the blade closely for nicks. John knew she wouldn't find any – she took care of that sword like it was her baby – but examining her blade was a pre-mission ritual for her.
"Why do you think I joined the crew of the Normandy? Shepard always finds me the best straight up fights out there," Garrus explained, sitting down next to Jane, pulling out the Indra sniper rifle John had recently acquired for him and checking his own weapon.
John sent an amused look at Liara, who was watching the pair with interest. She sent him a small smile of her own. "According to my sources, Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard. There's obviously something major there to call for such an offensive."
"Are there any survivors?" Jane asked.
"On other parts of the colony," Liara replied sadly. "They killed everyone at the dig site."
"Fuck," Jane breathed.
"They deserved better," John agreed quietly.
"I know," Liara replied, her voice soft. "The Alliance did what they could to evacuate the colonists, but Cerberus came in so quickly…"
"If we find survivors, we'll do what we can," John promised the asari.
"What about the artifact?" Jane asked, leaning forward, bracing herself on her knees.
John nodded. "Any idea if it is part of the Crucible?"
"The Alliance didn't get any specifics," Liara answered.
"I suppose prothean is good enough," Jane joked. "Even if it has nothing to do with the Crucible. It's still prothean."
"Yeah, yeah," John replied. "We can hope, right?"
"Commander, I'm bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can," Cortez called from the controls.
"Have we avoided detection?" John asked, putting a hand on the back of Cortez's chair.
"No way, Commander," Cortez laughed bitterly. "But you should have a few minutes before anyone finds you."
"Understood," John replied. "You sorry lot ready to move?"
"Trying a new motivational technique, Johnnie?" Jane asked, hoisting her sword. "Because I've never felt more motivated than I do right now."
John snorted. "Move out."
"John, I really don't think this is a good idea," Jane warned.
He glanced back at his sister, hidden behind her Recon Hood. "Noted," he nodded, and keyed the final sequence into the cryo pod's control panel.
He stepped back as the pod's cryoseals released. The pod opened with a hiss, revealing the face of the prothean within.
"Jesus," Jane whispered, stepping forward and looking in. "Holy shit. Did you think when you woke up this morning that you'd be laying eyes on a real live prothean today?"
Liara moved closer as well. "It may take him some time to fully regain consciousness."
As Liara spoke, the frost covering the prothean melted away, his colouring a vibrant blue-green. His lips parted, revealing his predatory teeth. Slowly, the prothean's eyes opened, fluttered briefly, and became aware. His body stiffened and he sent a wave of biotic energy directly into Jane's chest. She went flying backwards with a cry, vanishing from sight.
Despite the instant panic that rushed through him, John stayed focused on the prothean struggling to his feet before them. "Garrus?" John spoke quietly, never taking his eyes from the prothean. Still he wasn't prepared for the second wave of biotic energy the prothean forced out with a guttural yell. John, Liara and Garrus fell heavily to the ground, momentarily dazed by the force of whatever dark energy the prothen hit them with.
"Garrus," John wheezed, pushing himself to his feet and stumbling towards the cryopod.
"I got her, Commander," Garrus managed, gaining his feet and moving to the edge of the platform. "Deal with the prothean."
John turned back to face the alien. He was obviously afraid, his body not quite recovered from his cryogrenic freeze. Still, he managed to stagger to his feet, climbing awkwardly over the side of the pod before falling heavily to the ground on his hands and knees. His armor looked as shiny and new as though it were minted yesterday, not fifty thousand years ago.
The prothean pushed himself up, confusion and panic written in every move, every part of his body. Slowly, he started backing away.
"Be careful," Liara warned, gaining her feet. "He's confused."
"You think?" John snapped, irritated, following the prothean closely, but staying out of range of his biotic blast.
The prothean started to jog. John was momentarily impressed that he was managing such coordination, when the alien fell to his knees once again. When the prothean again managed to push himself to his feet, he finally looked out over Eden Prime. He stilled in an instant.
John approached slowly, not wanting to startle the alien. Liara was warning him about something, but John blocked her out. He always did best in these situations when he rolled with the punches.
He cast himself back to when he woke up from the dead, a stranger's voice in his ear, unfamiliar surroundings. Nothing much made sense, so he'd focused on the one thing he could understand.
Miranda's words. Her words had made sense in the maelstrom of confusion in his mind, but he came up short with helpful words for this soldier in front of him who was last awake fifty thousand years ago.
"Hey," John said quietly instead, stepping forward, and put a hand on the prothean's shoulder. As soon as his hand touched the prothean, John was jerked back into a prothean vision. The third he'd had so far.
This trip, he reminded himself.
This vision was the most devastating. John's heart broke when the prothean learned of the fate of his people. God, John hoped he wouldn't have to witness the extinction of the current galactic civilization.
"… pods will be triaged appropriately…" John felt his heart – the prothean's heart – twist in pain at the VI's words. The last, best hope to rebuild a galactic empire to be turned off to save power. "You will be the voice of our people."
No pressure, John snorted.
"I will be more than that," the voice echoed strangely in his memory, as the prothean before him spoke through gritted teeth.
The alien jerked from John's grasp. John opened his eyes to find the armor-clad being once again on his knees before him.
"John!"
He glanced back at the source of the cry. Garrus was helping Jane limp along, all but carrying her. She had a stubborn look on her face, John was pretty sure she was staunchly refusing to be carried. And likely regretting her decision, if the look of pain on her face – and the pace at which they were walking – was any indication.
"How many others are left?" The prothean asked, four eyes focused on John's face.
John looked back at the prothean. "Just you."
The alien slumped, all the fight going out of him. "I see."
"You can understand us?" Jane asked the prothen as she and Garrus neared, her face pinched, gloved hands clutching at Garrus's arm tightly.
"Yes," the prothean replied, glancing at Jane, then back to John. "Now that I have read your physiology, your nervous system… it is enough to understand your language."
"So you were reading me?" John said incredulously. "While I was seeing – "
"Our last moments," the prothean regained his feet, and turned to face John. "Our failure."
"Your people did everything they could," John said, his voice intense. "They never gave up." He paused, then grinned at the alien. "I could use some of that commitment now."
John's comm beeped, and he pressed two fingers to his ear.
"Commander, whatever you did has Cerberus really interested," Cortez reported.
The prothean looked towards Garrus, Liara and Jane. "Asari," he spat. "Human. Turian. I am surrounded by primitives."
"Excuse me?" Jane asked, her voice incredulous.
John turned around, and sent Jane a warning look. "It isn't safe here. Will you join us?"
The prothean turned back to John. "You fight the Reapers?"
"Yes," John replied.
The prothean paused, the nodded. "Then we will see. I am Javik."
John extended his hand towards the prothean. "Commander John Shepard."
"Yes. I know." Javik looked down at John's hand for a long moment, before turning away without comment. The prothean walked towards the shuttle waiting for them a few feet away, stepping inside.
John pressed two fingers to his comm. "Cortez, the new guy in the back is a friend. Be… polite."
Liara, a startled look on her face, rushed after Javik. "There are so many things I have to ask him!" She muttered as she rushed away. John could hear the first question falling from her lips before she fully boarded the shuttle.
"What an ass," Jane said, looking at her brother incredulously. "Seriously? You want him on the crew?"
John looked at his sister, a warning look on his face. "Not interested in your opinion, Jane. He's fought the Reapers before; he has invaluable information. So shut it about him. Are you ok?"
"Yeah," she sighed. "It's fine."
Garrus made a quiet rumbling sound. "She can't put any weight on her right leg."
"It'll be fine, then," she snapped, glaring up at Garrus.
"Need help?" John asked Garrus.
"I got her," Garrus replied.
"Uh, hello," Jane snarled. "I'm right here."
"She's a pretty shitty patient," John said to Garrus. "Let me know if you need a hand."
"Must run in the family," Garrus joked. "I'll let you know if I need help."
Jane struggled with Garrus briefly as John watched, amused. The turian waited patiently for Jane to stop her half-hearted struggles before adjusting his grip on her and resuming their slow pace.
"I could carry you, if you want," Garrus said quietly, almost too low for John to catch. "Your biometrics are reflecting the amount of pain you're in. You're allowed to accept help."
Jane let out a tight breath. "I'll let you know," she replied to him, her voice resigned.
The pair pulled ahead, still speaking to each other in low tones, when suddenly John was struck by how much he missed Tali. He hadn't really thought about the quarian too much since he'd left Earth – he knew she was alive and with the quarian migrant fleet and for now that was enough.
But he missed her. Everything about her. Seeing the tenderness between Garrus and Jane only reminded him how much he missed having someone to be quiet with after a battle. He watched as Garrus helped Jane into the shuttle with a pang.
Resigned, John walked back to the shuttle, and pushed all thoughts of Tali away.
After debriefing with Hackett, John stopped by the medbay to see how Jane's leg was doing.
He paused in the door, surprise etched on his face when he saw the pressure cast that covered her lower leg up to her knee. Jane's armor was folded neatly on a chair next to her bed, and she was sprawled on the bed clad only in her tiny shorts and a sports bra.
"Shit, how long do you have to have that on for?" John demanded, walked to her bedside. As he walked by Mordin, he clapped a hand down on the salarian's shoulder, and nodded at Eve before sitting down next to Jane's bed. "Will you be able to report for duty in a week?"
"Commander," Dr. Michel handed Jane a glass of water and two white tablets. Jane tossed the pills in her mouth and chased them with a swallow of water. "If the Lieutenant does exactly what I tell her to do she'll be ready to report for duty on the Citadel in a week."
"Jane? Follow Dr. Michel's orders. That's an order," John sighed. "What the hell happened, anyways?"
"Javik's biotic blast knocked me off the platform," Jane muttered. She looked paler than normal. "Landed about ten feet below, came down wrong on my leg. Crack."
"How'd you get up?"
"Garrus carried me," Jane spat out in disgust. "God, I managed to get to my feet, put weight on my leg, cried out like some damsel in distress and he was there just in time to catch me."
John snickered. "It's kind of romantic."
"Shut up," she snapped.
"Don't you think? Your knight in shining blue armor? Swooping in to save you in the nick of time?"
"John," Jane glared at him, eyes dangerous. John knew her well enough to read the pain in the slight squint to her eyes. "I'm serious. Would you please shut up?"
"Touchy," John smirked at her, then gestured at her leg. "Hurt?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah," she said shortly. "A bit. I can handle it."
John sent her a sympathetic look and sat back in his chair. He looked at Jane for a long moment, watching as Dr. Michel wandered a short distance away. He looked at his sister, his eyes narrow for a long moment. There was something there between his sister and Garrus. He was sure of it.
And the end of the world was possibly around the corner. Wouldn't he want his sister and his best friend to be happy in what could be the end of days?
Maybe it was time for some heavy-handed match making.
"Look, Jane," John let out a small breath, then continued, his voice pitched low. "Um. I know I've been teasing you about it a lot," he paused, and met her eye. "But the Garrus thing? Doesn't bother me at all. I… I want you – both of you – to be happy. And since this isn't exactly an Alliance ship," he shrugged with a grin.
Jane instantly flushed red, and John chuckled at the sight. "Look, John, I… let's not get ahead of ourselves here."
John snorted out a laugh. "Do you like him?"
Jane blushed a deeper red. "Shut up."
"Do you?"
Jane shrugged, then gave a tiny nod, slumping back on the bed. "Chloe? Can I go back to my quarters now?"
The doctor, who was standing a few feet away, turned around at Jane's words.
"Don't put any weight on the leg for the next few days, and I'll give you exercises when the bone has healed enough to take it," Dr. Michel said as she handed Jane a pair of crutches.
"Thanks," Jane sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She took a deep breath, pushed herself off the bed and balanced herself on the crutches. The doctor nodded, and handed John a small bottle of pills.
"Will you help the Lieutenant to her room, Commander?" Dr. Michel requested. "These are her pain pills, she should take two of them every four hours."
"Thanks, Dr. Michel," John smiled at the Swiss doctor, and followed his sister out of the medbay, grabbing her weapons and gear on his way out.
"Commander?"
The pair paused halfway across the mess. Diana Allers walked towards the siblings with a determined look on her face. "Yeah, Allers?"
"Traynor mentioned you wanted to have a word with me?" Diana smiled, looking dangerous and friendly. "I was wondering if maybe I could interview you as well?"
John nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, resigned. "I'll call you up to my quarters later today."
"Great, Commander, thank you," Diana replied. She paused, and gave Jane a slow look, starting at her feet and working her way up to finally meet her eyes. "Lieutenant."
Jane grunted, and swung herself towards Life Support as quickly as she was able. John followed inside, putting her gear on an empty shelf, and putting her pain pills on the small table next to her cot.
Jane sat down on the cot, and laid back, an irritated look on her face.
"I know you hate sitting still," John said. "Can I bring you weapons that need servicing? Tech we're planning on throwing away? An assortment of vids?"
Jane huffed out a laugh. "I'll think about it," she replied, closing her eyes. "These pills are strong," she observed, her voice slurring slightly.
"Get some rest, Janey," John ordered in a fond voice, and walked out of Life Support. He took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator, steeling himself for a conversation with Javik.
John had almost backed out of Grunt's old quarters at the sight of the prothean's new … lair on Deck 4. Liara had gone all out, taking everything she'd learned about prothean culture and fitting it into the small space that used to overlook the shuttle bay.
He'd wound up cutting their conversation short, knowing he didn't have the patience for being diplomatic. John had cut Javik off mid-rant about krogan and their redundant testicles, snapping at him that he didn't have to like the crew aboard the ship but he did have to show them respect.
Javik had drawn himself up to protest, when John had cut him off sharply.
"They've proven themselves. You haven't. We're heading to Kite's Nest to extract a batarian artifact. You'll be part of the extraction squad. No major missions until I know you can handle yourself. Got it?"
Javik had staunchly refused to respond after that, and John had escape with a helpless shrug at Liara before returning to the crew deck.
When John rounded the corner from the elevator into the mess, he found Garrus digging through the fridge with a helpless look on his face.
"Hey," John greeted, reaching around the turian and pulling out a beer. "Jane was right. Javik is an ass."
Garrus laughed, never taking his eyes away from the fridge. He picked up a bottle of ketchup, squinted his eyes at it, and shook his head, settling the bottle aside.
"What are you doing?' John asked curiously, taking a long pull from the bottle.
"I thought I'd bring Jane dinner," Garrus said, frustration evident in his voice. "But I have no idea what you humans eat."
"She's awake?"
"Yeah I checked on her a few minutes ago. She's in a bad mood," Garrus shrugged. "Doesn't like the forced bed rest."
"Yeah, she's like that," John laughed. "I'll help you with dinner," he offered. "I know all her favorites."
Garrus sent John a grateful look, before turning back to the fridge.
"Excuse me, Garrus?"
Both John and Garrus looked back at the doctor standing quietly behind them.
"Hi, Dr. Michel," Garrus greeted, turning away from the fridge.
Sending Garrus an amused smile, John started digging through a cupboard, pulling out a bright blue box of pasta. After filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove, heat turned up high, John settled in to eavesdrop shamelessly.
"If you're hungry," the doctor said, her voice quiet, warm and a bit nervous. "I bought you some dextro chocolate the last time we were at the Citadel."
John, smothering a snort of laughter, pulled a small package containing dried cheese mix out of the pasta box, and set it aside. He pushed the immobile Garrus out of his way, and dug through the fridge, pulling out milk and butter. Setting those ingredients aside, John turned and leaned against the counter, watching the doctor and turian in amusement.
Garrus was staring at the woman, his mandibles flared in surprise, backing away into the counter slowly. "Thanks, Dr. Michel, but I think – "
"Call me Chloe," the redhead invited, stepping close. She pressed the box of chocolates into Garrus's hands, holding hers around his for a long moment. "I have to get back to medbay." She sent him a lingering gaze before heading slowly back to the medbay, a deliberate sway to her walk.
Garrus turned to John, his mandibles slack in surprise. "What just happened?"
Laughing, John reached out and took the chocolates. "I'll take these, thank you very much," he said. "As for what happened? Dr. Michel just made a move on you."
Garrus froze, his eyes wide on John's face. "No."
"Sorry big guy, the truth hurts..." John was still snickering. "Still interested in learning how to make Jane's favorite food? Or are you shifting your sights to someone else?"
Garrus approached the stove slowly, and watched as John poured pasta into boiling water. "I've been meaning to ask you about Dr. Chakwas, actually. The ship feels wrong without her."
"I know," John sighed, stirring the pot a few times. "After Aratoht, she was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. She was on earth, being treated, when the Reapers came. She's been MIA ever since."
"I miss her," Garrus glanced at the chocolates John had tossed carelessly onto the counter.
"Yeah, me too," John shrugged. "Dr. Michel seems to be doing alright, though."
Garrus muttered something under his breath, and pointed at the pot. "What is this, anyways?"
"My mom used to make it," John explained, tossing the small package of dried cheese mix to Garrus. "Mac'n'cheese. Except, she'd make it from scratch, and only for special occasions. I can't eat this stuff, nothing compares to mom's mac'n'cheese, but the boxed crap is Jane's comfort food."
"They look like pikka worms," Garrus observed, watching the small pieces of pasta moving in the boiling water.
"I'd keep that to yourself when you give her a bowl," John explained, patting Garrus on the back and handing him a wooden spoon. "Follow the instructions on the cheese sauce – they're written in galactic standard – and take a bowl to Jane. You'll be her hero."
Garrus stared at John, gaze shuttered. "Shepard…"
"Chill out, make the cheese sauce and go take her some food," John grinned at Garrus. "Trust me, Garrus. You can't screw this up."
Garrus looked down at the decking, before looking back at John. "Shepard, if it were my sister, I don't know that I'd – "
"Look, Vakarian," John pointed at the water, and Garrus obediently stirred the boiling water. "Jane grew up without me. She survived, found her way, and … fuck, who am I to say who she can and can't be with?" John grinned at Garrus. "She's a grown ass woman, Vakarian. She can make her own choices. And If I had to pick for her, you'd be pretty high on my list of optimal candidates, so…"
"Why?" Garrus asked, his head cocked to the side, gaze inscrutable.
John laughed. "Because you follow my orders, Vakarian," John snorted. Garrus let out a loud laugh. "Seriously? Because you're honorable and loyal," John shrugged. "Because… I trust you." John paused and gave Garrus a considering look. "It's about time we made you my official XO, isn't it?"
The look of surprise on Garrus's face was comical to the extreme.
"EDI?" John called out. "Can I give Garrus a field promotion, make him my XO?"
"The Normandy is your vessel, Commander," EDI replied. "You can do what you want aboard your vessel."
"Make it so, then," John grinned.
"Logged, Gunnery Chief Vakarian has been promoted to Executive Officer of the SSV Normandy," EDI's voice flooded the speakers around the ship.
"Congratulations, Garrus," John grinned. "The pasta needs three more minutes, and don't forget the cheese sauce. Go heavy on the butter, she likes extra."
John laughed to himself as he walked away, leaving the flummoxed Garrus behind.
"Cheese sauce, Vakarian," he called back over his shoulder. "Don't forget."
As John rode the elevator up to the loft, his levity and amusement fell away from him. John sighed, pressing his forehead into the elevator wall.
"Are you well, Commander?"
"EDI… when it's just you and me, could you call me John?"
There was a pause. "Are you well, John?"
He laughed. "No."
"Do you miss Tali'Zorah?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "I wish she were here. It's … easier when she's here."
"I find that things are easier when I spend time with Jeff, also," EDI said quietly as the elevator arrived and John walked into his quarters. "Is that normal?"
"It is," John smiled, leaning up against his fish tank. "It is normal. And human."
"I think that I like being normal and human, John," EDI replied. He could hear the smile in her voice.
"I like it, too, EDI," John replied quietly. "Congratulations."
EDI was quiet for a moment. "Thank you, John," she said, her voice pitched low through the speakers.
John smiled. "You're welcome, EDI."
"Would you like me to play recordings of Tali'Zorah for you?" EDI asked, her voice sympathetic.
John sighed, and nodded. "Yes, please."
"… Bosh'tet…" Tali's voice, soft and amused, flooded the speakers, and John let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. "Oh, John, you stupid idiot, give me that modification, you're butchering the upgrade." Suddenly she shrieked, laughing, and John closed his eyes, sliding down the fish tank until he was sitting on the floor, his head resting on his knees.
"You fool," she said softly. "I love you."
John remembered the night of the recording. Weeks after their suicide run on the Collector Base, days before Aratoht, John and Tali had been sitting in the loft, drinking.
As always, with Tali, she'd been using her downtime to be productive, installing upgrades to her omnitool. John had decided he'd help her, wanting to get her out of her suit as fast as possible. It hadn't taken him long to muck everything up, but he'd made it up to her in spades.
Another recording of Tali's voice cued up, this time the two were talking quietly about power couplings in engineering. It was everyday, mundane ship life conversation, and it was exactly what John wanted to hear.
John made his way to the bed. He curled up on his side, and let the memories take him away from the ship, from the war, and instead thought only of his hilarious quarian, her gentle touches and nervous chatter.
Thoughts of her sent him to sleep, a smile on his face that only EDI could see.