Chapter Eleven: The Passing of Time

Heather stared into the darkness of space from the Observation Deck, leaning against the window with a cup of coffee cradled in her hands. It had been a relatively quiet week on the Normandy, with everyone needing the much needed break in routine after the disaster on the Citadel. It was good to have Kaidan back, even better that they were both able to walk away from the incident with Udina, and they had spent more than a few hours in that very room patching up old wounds.

It had been a good use of the time it took flitting from system to system picking up odds and ends that would help in their final push against the Reapers. Playing errand-girl had never been her idea of a good time, but it beat being forced into playing the diplomat regardless of how well everyone told her she was at it. Now the crew was back on track to building the intergalactic fleet, heading to the Perseus Veil to investigate yet another problem between the Geth and the Quarians.

She didn't turn when the door hissed open. The light step that belonged to Tali was a welcome sound to her ears, and Heather found herself smiling when the newly-minted Admiral came to stand on the other side of the window.

"Garrus said I might find you here."

"Just enjoying the last few bits of quiet before we go back into the shitstorm."

"Yeah. I wish we could have left the Geth alone. At least until after the Reapers are taken care of."

Shepard was surprised at Tali's statement, and looked up at her friend over the mug of coffee as she took a sip. "Don't you want your home world back?" she asked.

"Of course I do. But what good will it be to any of us if there's nothing to go back to? We made a lot of headway towards peace through my discussions with Legion, and now the fleet is attacking the Geth. This assault is insane. We've got bigger...what's that phrase you use?"

"Bigger fish to fry. Yeah." The two women stood in silence for a few moments, returning their attention to the passing stars as they slipped through the Perseus Veil. It was new territory for Heather, and she guessed it was for Tali, as well.

"So," Tali said finally. "You and Garrus." Heather chuckled, a flush coming to her cheeks at the memory of how much time she and the turian had spent together in her quarters the past few days. "I'm guessing it's moved past the 'blowing off steam' stage."

"I think we were beyond that before we even got to it, to be honest," admitted Heather. "We both changed so much after I … died," she said, glancing into the black and shuddering. "I think finding each other helped us find ourselves again. I know I wouldn't have made it this far without him to keep me sane."

"'Sane' isn't a term I would use to describe either of you," Tali chuckled.

"True enough."


"This doesn't feel right."

Kat sighed and leaned against James as they watched Kaidan pace the short length of the shuttle. They had heard him say those exact words dozens of times over the past few days as they traipsed back and forth across the galaxy on a hunt for the mysterious Leviathan. But Heather had ordered the three of them, along with Steve and EDI, to look into the matter while she took care of the mess with the Quarians and the Geth.

"I believe that splitting the team was your idea in the first place, Major," Cortez quipped from the pilot's seat. "Besides, we heard from Shepard hours ago."

"Yeah. United two more warring species and single-handedly took down a Reaper," added James. "I can't wait to see the vids of that."

"And it's not like she's just sitting around waiting for us to come back. Hackett's sending her to Eden Prime to get ahold of some Prothean artifact that Cerberus is after."

"Ha! I bet the Doc's going to have a field day with that."

"You have no idea," Kaidan grumbled, putting an end to his pacing as he sat on Kat's other side. She didn't miss the worried look that Steve had given him, and wordlessly arched an eyebrow at her friend. A faint blush tinted his cheeks, but he turned back to his instrument panel before she had a chance to get an answer from him.

She and James had suspected that the two men had become close even before they were all sent on the Leviathan mission together. It wasn't much of a surprise, really. Emotional bonds and romances had a tendency to crop up more frequently during times of war, and Kat could easily name off a half dozen active pairings on the Normandy aside from Heather's and her own. And if the Major could manage to heal that last tiny piece of Steve's broken heart, well, kudos for him.

"Speaking of the Doc," James whispered into her ear as he skimmed a finger along her arm, "Remind me to thank her when we get back for this hot new armor she let you borrow."

"Hands off the negotiator, Vega," Kaidan warned, a teasing tone in his voice. In playful defiance, the lieutenant put his hands in his lap then leaned over to press a gentle kiss to the side of Kat's neck. A shiver of energy shot up her spine at the touch. Alenko raised an eyebrow and schooled the grin that was tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Might as well ask the Reapers to take an extended vacation in deep space," Steve quipped when he glanced back. "They've been itching to have a go at each other for nearly two months."

Kat blushed furiously as Kaidan chuckled and James pulled away to glare at their friend. While it was common knowledge on the Normandy that the two of them were an item, very few knew that between missions, injuries and Heather's meddling, they hadn't yet made that final physical connection. But there was a certain comfort that Kat found sleeping next to James at night, and it settled her mind from the fear that it was simple attraction that brought them together.

She knew that the open flirtation on the shuttle was his way of suppressing his worry about the upcoming confrontation with Leviathan. Kat was no Commander Shepard, but the creature seemed to recognize the similarities between the two sisters. They may have needed Kaidan's Alliance rank and Spectre status to get them through security protocols, but it was the Shepard name that caused people to take notice. With EDI and James added to the mix, the four of them were a formidable team. Heather had certainly chosen well for this mission.

"We're close enough to launch a probe," said Steve, pulling Kat from her thoughts. She gave a quick nod to Kaidan and EDI, then reached for James' hands. He threaded their fingers together and silently they sat, waiting for whatever the Reaper-killing beast had in store for them.


Heather Shepard sat at the head of the conference desk, elbows on the table and head buried in her hands. It had been a wild 36 hours, first with finding a living Prothean, then dealing with all of the issues that having him on board the Normandy had brought. Javik was nothing like what any of them had been expecting, and soothing Liara's ruffled feathers had been its own challenge. But Heather actually liked the grouchy bastard, and could sympathize a bit with him after having undergone her own unique reawakening a year past.

She had caught a scant two hours of rest after reading Kaidan's report on the Leviathan and it was absolutely nothing like she had been expecting. The sentient race of aquatic giants had actually created the Reapers, and she had unknowingly sent the team right to them. That it hadn't turned out worse spoke volumes to their competency, but the risk that Kat had taken to get the information and shaky alliance they needed almost wasn't worth it. The four of them had briefed her again as soon as they arrived, and she had dismissed all but her sister from the room.

Once the others were out of sight, Heather practically jumped from her seat to pull Kat into a bone-crushing hug. The younger Shepard returned it just as fiercely, and the barrier that had split the women since Kat's arrival crumbled. There were no tears, just overwhelming relief and understanding.

"James sent me a message separate from Kaidan's," she finally said. "He was scared. More than when you got hurt on the Citadel."

"The Leviathan, it...got in my head. Tried to break me." Her voice was low, a sure sign of how utterly exhausted she was. Heather pulled away and held Kat by the shoulders at arm's length, taking stock of her sister's appearance. There were dark circles under her eyes, and bits of hair had come loose from the braid to hang limply around her face. She hadn't even bothered to take off her armor, but then again, neither had James or Kaidan. The scents of eezo and seawater clung to her, an oddly refreshing combination if it hadn't been associated with the danger she had been in.

Heather blinked, and for the briefest moment she could see Kat as she had been years ago back on Earth. A bone-weary street urchin, curled up on a cot in the temple they had found as temporary shelter. Katherine hadn't known it at the time, but her older sister would be leaving for basic training the next morning, and hadn't the heart to say goodbye. So she watched, and prayed, and hoped that the monks would treat her well.

"I'm proud of you," she finally whispered, shaking the memory from her head.

"You would have done the same thing," Kat replied.

"I don't mean with the mission."

"But you...I...oh, hell. I don't know how you do it."

"I'm only as good as my team," Heather confessed, a grin playing at the side of her lips. "And I have a damn good team."

"I'm glad I'm here. It's crazy. Overwhelming, really. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."

"Oh, I bet that has less to do with me, and more with a certain tattooed marine."

Kat grinned sheepishly, her eyes narrowed to happy but tired slits as she did so. The two had stopped hiding their relationship from Heather while the younger sister recovered from the injuries she'd received at the Citadel, but if the Commander had to be honest, they seemed to be a good fit. They complimented each other both on and off the battlefield, much in the way that she and Garrus did. It was a bitter pill to swallow when that realization finally dawned on her, but Heather had managed to keep her thoughts to herself.

"He's a good man," Kat admitted.

"I know," agreed Heather, pulling her sister into another hug. "You two are off-duty while I take care of something for a friend. I'll be back from Omega in a couple of days."

The Commander hated long good-byes, and watched wistfully as Katherine left the conference room. The war had created so much chaos, had thrown her across the galaxy to take care of everyone else's problems in order to unite them against the Reapers. She had lost so many friends, and feared losing all the others. But it had given her Garrus, her one solid constant through all the years of fighting the sentient machines. And now it seemed that James and Kat had forged that same bond.

She smiled as the weight of worry finally lifted from her shoulders.


**Disclaimer** I can claim Kat. Bioware still has everything else.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who are still reading/commenting/following. This chapter is more of an "intermission" to cover some time that needed to pass without picking over the details of the missions from the ME3 game-play. (Thus, the generic and unoriginal chapter title.) More to come in a few weeks. Until then, please feel free to browse through my other stories. I've been a busy author with a half-dozen little muses whispering in my ear.