A/N - Yes, yes, I know I've been terrible at updating this story. Main reason is that most of my focus is on my main series. Plus, I only have around half a dozen chapters written for this story and like to have a backlog. I haven't written anything for this in a long time. But someone asked if I could update this so I will today!

Her office was quiet. Too quiet. When she was being rushed off her feet, she didn't have time to think. The quiet gave her time to think. She didn't like thinking. Not anymore. Because it was always about what might have been. It wasn't regret. There was nothing between them to regret, despite him telling her how he felt. She still didn't believe anything between the two would ever have been possible. Even without what happened. And now that he was gone, there was no point worrying about it. But still, she hated the quiet…

It was difficult to believe that he had been gone for so long already. The Alliance still had little idea of who was responsible for the attack on the Normandy. None of the surviving crew believed it was geth. Everyone believed it had something to do with the Reapers. But the Alliance barely investigated into who may have been responsible, while she was aware that the Council had covered up anything that Shepard had discovered during their chase for Saren. Shepard had elected Anderson to be his voice on the Council, but it appeared he simply couldn't sway the other three into believing that the Reaper threat was real.

The Alliance had spent little time breaking up the team Shepard had formed, once the survivors had been rescued and returned to the Citadel. A small memorial service was held for the Commander, but once that was done, anyone with the Alliance was given a new assignment and sent away. The non-human crew members were informed that their services were simply no longer required. She had been happy with her promotion, but she now had no idea where anyone else was. She knew why. It was to ensure hers and their own silence on what she also believed. And what she believed is that he was right. And if nothing was done, then life as they knew it would eventually end.

But there was simply no point worrying about it anymore. So she simply continued in her new role at the Mars Naval Medical Centre. She hated being ground-side and missed the excitement of travelling on a ship. Her time with Shepard and his crew was one of the most exciting times of her life. She had come to like all the crew and grew close to some of them. Closer than she usually would in normal circumstances. The events surrounding her time on the Normandy were hardly normal though.

The days rolled into weeks and months until she could count almost two years had passed. While she enjoyed her new role and the responsibility that came with it on Mars, she knew that she would give absolutely anything to be back on board a ship. Any ship. But it appeared unlikely. She felt almost forgotten being stuck where she was. Until she received a message from Joker, of all people. It was cryptic but she couldn't miss the meaning. He's been grounded and had had enough of waiting around. Therefore, he'd quit the Alliance for something better. But he didn't say for who or what. She was saddened to hear that he had packed it in and was left wondering for what reason he would leave, as he'd spent years trying to become the number one pilot in the Alliance.

The message she received herself only days later was certainly a bolt out of the blue.

Doctor Chakwas,

I represent an organisation who have information regarding the current status of Commander Shepard. For numerous reasons, I cannot state too much over this message, but if you would like to know more, please travel to the Citadel next Wednesday. Be seated at Apollo's Café on the Presidium Commons at noon. We can reveal more then.

Regards,

M

She sat by herself at a small table, overlooking the large body of water glistening in the fake sunlight of the Citadel. She sipped on a steaming mug of tea, occasionally looking to her side to see if she could recognise who had contacted her. She had next to no idea who had contacted her though her bosses were quite happy for her to travel to the Citadel for what she termed a 'private matter'. She was only there because one name was mentioned. She simply wondered what this organisation could possibly know about Commander Shepard. As far as anyone knew, and as sad as she found it, he was dead.

"Doctor Chakwas?" asked a feminine voice with a distinct accent. She turned to see a female standing to her side. Brunette, blue eyes and obviously fake breasts that, twenty years ago, she would have killed for. The woman could obviously see that Chakwas was sizing her up as she simply smirked back at her. Chakwas didn't respond at first, simply gesturing to the empty seat at her side.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked once the other woman had sat down, who declined the offer of a drink. "Okay, you know my name. May I know yours?"

"My name is Miranda Lawson."

"And why have you asked me to the Citadel, Ms. Lawson? Your message was very brief but I'll take one thing from it. Commander Shepard is dead. He was killed in action two years ago."

"The organisation I represent have news regarding the fate of Commander Shepard. I'll put this simply, Doctor. The leader of my organisation has spent billions on this project."

"Before we go any further, Ms. Lawson, I must ask; what organisation you represent?"

The other women didn't flinch. "Cerberus."

She almost spat her mouthful of tea over the table, managing to swallow it down before coughing slightly. "Cerberus? I'm a ranking, and medical, officer of the Systems Alliance. You are a member of a terrorist organisation. Now while I certainly won't try and arrest you here and now, I certainly want nothing to do with your organisation." She stood up. "We're done here. Goodbye, Ms. Lawson."

She'd barely taken three steps before the voice called back. "We've rebuilt him, Doctor. He's alive."

She stopped in her tracks. Impossible! She turned around and stared at the woman. "What have you done to him?"

The other woman gestured to the empty chair. "If you take a seat, Doctor, I can explain everything to you. Then we can discuss the offer I came here to make."

She looked around for a moment, trying to decide what to do. What if he is alive but stuck in Cerberus hands? I'm not sure what I could do, but maybe I could help…? She eventually could do little but sigh, turn around and resume her seat next to the brunette woman. "Very well, Ms. Lawson. Please explain how it's possible that Commander Shepard is alive. And, in addition to that, how he's ended up in Cerberus hands?"

"It's a long and somewhat complicated story, Doctor. However, I will tell you that friends of the Commander were responsible for retrieving his body and handing it over to Cerberus. The Illusive Man…"

"Who is the Illusive Man?"

"He is the founder of our organisation. He is the one who has spent billions of credits rebuilding Commander Shepard. He believes the Reaper threat is real. As I believe you do as well."

"Everyone who served aboard the Normandy believed in the Commander and the threat of the Reapers, Ms. Lawson. Don't play me for a fool."

The other woman smirked. "Very well. As I was saying, the Illusive Man believes in the threat of the Reapers as much as the Commander. And he wants to ensure that humanity is ready for the coming onslaught. He believes that the Commander is the best man to lead humanity, and quite possibly the galaxy, when the Reapers do eventually arrive."

"I think we can both agree on that, Ms. Lawson. But I still find this slightly unbelievable."

"I have evidence here on my omni-tool. Pictures and video of his reconstruction. I will have to warn you that you may find some of it… upsetting, considering you were once part of his crew."

"I'm sure I've probably seen worse in my years of service, Ms. Lawson."

The other woman nodded. "Very well," she stated as she started keying her omni-tool. She spent a few seconds searching before she found what she was looking for. "This is how he was handed over to us," she stated as she moved her chair to sit next to Chakwas.

She couldn't help but gasp at the picture. He barely looked… human. She'd never seen such injuries in all her years. How could have possibly have come back from that? "The only things intact were his brain and his heart. His entire body has otherwise been completely reconstructed," Miranda explained.

"Where did you get the technology?"

"It's cutting edge technology, cybernetics mostly. Add to that, it's all very new. Shepard is a guinea pig as much as we're trying to bring him back to life. The Illusive Man believes the cost benefit is worth it if Shepard is resurrected."

"It just doesn't seem possible," she said quietly.

Miranda just grinned slightly. "Watch this. Then you may believe." She opened another file, Chakwas watching a video taken via time lapse of Shepard slowly being rebuilt. He was nothing but a carcass to begin with, but over time she could see his internal organs being rebuilt before his bones, muscles, tissue, nerves and finally skin was repaired. The video ended with Shepard appearing to be, well, human.

She sat back and took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't just seen it."

"There is another reason why I've asked you here, Doctor. I'm hoping you will listen to my offer before you walk away. It is for the benefit of the Commander."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Okay, Ms. Lawson, if it is to do with the Commander, I'm prepared to listen to whatever you have to say."

Miranda nodded her thanks. "Human colonies are disappearing out in the Terminus Systems. Cerberus are investigating who is behind these abductions but, as yet, we haven't found anything that links the Reapers to the disappearances."

"You believe the Reapers are attacking humanity?"

"It's quite possible after Shepard's actions in defeating Sovereign. But that is one of the many reasons why we are bringing Shepard back. The Illusive Man believes that Shepard is the best man to find out who is responsible for these attacks, who is behind them and eventually hunt them down and wipe them out."

"What about his Spectre status and the fact he is Alliance?"

Miranda shrugged. "I'm not sure regarding his Spectre status but the Alliance consider the man dead."

"And what makes you think he'd ever work for Cerberus?"

"He may not like our organisation but I believe he will realise that humanity is under threat and see the bigger picture."

"So why am I here?"

"We want to surround Shepard with people he knows and trusts."

She couldn't help but scoff. "You think I'd ever leave the Alliance for Cerberus?"

Miranda shook her head. "No. But we believe that you would work for the Commander. We're not expecting you to join our organisation. We understand you would never turn your back on the Alliance. Even the Illusive Man understands that. But we are offering you the chance of joining the Commander's team. We know the trust he had in his team from the Normandy."

Understatement and a half regarding the ending of our relationship. I wonder if she's even aware. "If I were to say yes to your offer, what would you require me to do?"

"I understand that you have a lot of holiday time stored up where you could take a significant leave of absence."

She couldn't help but be surprised. "How on earth would you know about that?"

Miranda just gave a slight smile. "We have our sources. To protect yourself, we suggest you take an extended leave of absence from the Alliance before joining Shepard and his crew."

"You will obviously understand that I need to think about this."

Miranda nodded. "Of course. But we will need a decision shortly. 48 hours, Doctor." She then keyed her omni-tool, the omni-tool of Chakwas beeping not long after. "I have forwarded instructions for when you have made your decision. If you decline our offer, simply delete the message. If you do accept it, follow the instructions on the message." With that, Miranda stood, gave a slight nod of her head before she turned and walked away. Chakwas stared after her. That ass has been enhanced as well. She couldn't help but chuckle, wondering if Cerberus actually helped build her as well.

And, in the end, she didn't really need to think at all. This is Commander Shepard we're talking about. How could I not want to join him, Cerberus or not? Once back on Mars, she approached her boss and stated she wanted to take an extended leave of absence. He raised one or two questions, which she managed to slightly deflect away, merely stating she was taking some personal time. Considering the amount of holiday time she had stored away, she could take a couple of years off without any real issue. Her boss simply shrugged his shoulders and signed her off, stating she could come back whenever she wanted.

Within 48 hours of her first meeting with Miranda, she found herself on the Citadel again. She sat by herself in a lounge by one of the docks down on the wards, cradling a mug of tea bought from one of the drinks dispensers nearby. It tasted horrible, but she figured that she'd have to get used to the feeling. The idea of having anything to do with Cerberus still didn't sit easily, but if what Miranda stated was true, then she had to take the risk. She sat and watched ships slowly and quietly sail past the viewing windows, the only sounds being the quiet murmur of conversation taking place around her. She didn't notice anyone approach her until someone sat next to her.

"Doctor," stated the same accented voice, "Are you ready?"

She drained the rest of her cup, placing it in the small trash can next to the lounge on which she sat, before she turned and nodded.

"I'm ready."