Anderson fidgeted in his position in his office. He had been on edge ever since Jane had arrived, the unmistakable look in her eye that told him that she was out to cause some trouble. With what had happened on Virmire and the meeting with the council today it was all too easy for the older man to know what she was going to do. She had Miranda and Kaiden with her, and he knew without a doubt that Sticks was out in the hallway waiting for her. Those two had been inseparable since Jane had brought him back to the citadel with her. He was glad for it though. If it wasn't for that turian Jane would be in a much darker place than she already was.

Flickering bodies registered in his peripheral view and he quickly made his way over to address the other council members before Jane opened her mouth. It was better to start the meeting off with politeness before Jane let loose on them.

"Councilors," Anderson said as he stepped forward, taking a spot next to Jane. The girls jaw clenched, but she remained silent.

"The news of Virmire is…" The Asari councilor started, her eyes glued to Anderson as she spoke, "tragic."

Jane scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Is there something you want to say Commander?" The turian councilor asked. Jane's grey eyes cut to him. Unable to stop herself she took a step forward, shrugging Kaiden's hand off when he tried to stop her.

"It was more than tragic, it was a fucking massacre that could have been avoided. Virmire was the perfect place to set up a line of defense. You knew that in sending them there, but instead of sending soldiers you sent security guards!"

"There was no sign that there would have been an attack. It wasn't logical to send out soldiers…" The Asari started but was cut short by Jane's raging voice.

"It wasn't a random attack. It was planned and coordinated by somebody and they were after the Prothean artifact. If they knew it was there, then you sure as hell did to. You weren't trying to set up a defense, you wanted the artifact! You should have been straight with me from the beginning!"

"Don't question the decision of the council girl!" The Turian yelled in frustration, his arm making a cutting motion through the air.

"I question when I see a bad decision and that's what this was. Those people died because of your stupid decision! They followed your orders and got killed because you were too stubborn to send soldiers who would be able to handle that type of situation! Following the council….when's the last time any of you have left your castles? When's the last time you fought by the soldiers that risked their lives for you or heard a comrade scream out for his mother while he dies?"

"Jane," Anderson started, but his warning tone went unnoticed.

"I'm starting to think that my brother made a mistake in saving the three of you," Jane finished, a deadly silence falling over the room after her last words.

"Your bold mouth is only going to get you in trouble Jane Shepard," the Salarian councilor said, his voice toneless as he looked out at the girl with his large black eyes. "Mistakes were made on both ends and I will forgive your outburst this one time, but if you can't hold your tongue next time you will be stripped of your status and discharged from the military. Do I make myself clear?"

Jane looked up at him, her eyes hard and narrow. She didn't utter a word, just nodded her head in understanding.

"Then we'll leave the rest to you Anderson," The Salarian finished before all three figures flickered out of sight.

Jane sent a sharp look toward Anderson, her eyes a pool of emotions that he didn't want to read. She was angry that was evident to everyone in the room, but the deep sorrow that was buried underneath all the anger was almost suffocating as she continued to look at him. Anderson had seen it before with the loss of Georgie and John and…something inside of her had broke when he died, her already fragile relationship with her brother crumbling after the incident.

"Jane," Anderson started, but she just held up a hand as her gaze fell from him.

"Kaiden and Miranda can give you the rest of the details. I'm going to go get a fucking drink," Jane said before she turned away from the three and disappeared out in the hallway. Miranda let out an exasperated sigh as she spared a glance at Kaiden who still had his eyes on the door. The Cerberus operative hadn't been expecting an outburst like that from the Commander, especially one so blatantly disrespectful and borderline threatening. The girl did have her outbursts, but this one took the cake and Miranda had to admit that the girl had some major balls.

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Kaiden walked aimlessly down one of the many streets inside the Citadel. The man had seen and heard a lot in his days in the Alliance, but he had never seen someone stand up to the Alliance council. He couldn't make up his mind if she was extremely brave or extremely stupid. What he did know was the fact that he was impressed by it, his respect for her soaring at that moment. Then she had left him and Miranda to do her work so she could get a drink and that respect came crashing down. Jane was always doing that, doing something to earn his respect only to turn around and do something that had him up in arms and cursing her very name.

"Don't think too hard, that implant in your brain might explode," A smoky voice spoke from the shadows.

Kaiden turned in the direction of the voice, his eyes falling on the petite thief from their motley crew. The girl had been like a shadow since he had stepped foot on the Normandy. Kaiden didn't mind and actually enjoyed her company, often talking to her even when she didn't reveal herself. It had gotten him some strange looks from other crew member, but the looks only prompted soft giggles from the girl hiding in the shadows. Not that he would tell anyone, but it was those giggles that he liked the most. Kaiden could always feel her presence and though she hadn't been told to follow them to the meeting she had anyway, just as Sticks had done.

"I didn't realize…how long have you been there?" Kaiden inquired.

"Only a few moments. I left the meeting after Jane left. We went to the bar, had a few drinks," Kasumi said, waving a small hand nonchalantly. She watched him for a moment when he failed to respond. "She's not as horrible as you think."

Kaiden's gaze cut to her, his dark eyes narrowing at the girls words.

"How do you know what I feel?"

"You're like an open book Kaiden. Anyone could read you if they bothered to try. Alliance soldier to the core, you are. She's different, harder than John ever was, and that's what is needed. Trust her," Kasumi said, one of her hands falling gently on his broad shoulder.

"How can I trust her when she does and says things that constantly compromise the mission? Shepard always had the crew and the objective at the forefront of his mind."

"What and she doesn't because she drinks?" Kasumi asked. "People cope in different ways Kaiden. There's nothing wrong in that. And how can you say that she doesn't care about the crew? She came back for us and saved us on the damned planet when it would have been better just to leave us there."

"She needed the beacon, that's the only reason," Kaiden grumbled.

"Bullshit Kaiden. She came for us. Not once did she ask for the beacon after she cleared us from that cave, saving all of us. If she didn't care why would she buy new armor for Garrus when he had been nothing, but rude to her? Why would she include Joker in everything her brother didn't? Why would she worry about Thane and his illness and refuse to let anyone fight in the tournament on Omega when she could have easily died? And why would she patch up Legion, a geth, with her bare hands if she didn't care about us?"

"How do you know all this?" Kaiden asked, one of his dark brows arching as his eyes grew wide.

"You're not the only one I watch. There's something there, something she possesses that not even her brother had, but you're being too stubborn to see it. Open your eyes and look at the bigger picture Kaiden. The universe isn't this black and white picture you have in your head!"

"You don't know anything about me!" Kaiden snapped. The girl reared back a step, her eyes narrowing in anger, an emotion she barely showed.

"I guess I don't. I came to find you to see if you wanted to join everyone at the Dark Star for drinks. Jane wanted everyone to loosen up before we headed out tomorrow so she was buying, but I guess you don't," She replied, her voice low and disappointed. "See you later Alenko."

At that she walked off, Kaiden's guilt-ridden eyes watching her until she disappeared into the shadows. Since he had met her Kasumi had never called him by his last name and he didn't like it.

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Jane sat alone at the bar, her grey eyes looking down at the full drink in front of her. She could hear the loud laughs of Grunt and the filthy words from Jack as she told him a joke. Her gaze shifted over to the table, a small smile playing at her dry lips as she took them in. Grunt was smacking the table harshly as Jack continued, a bored looking Miranda sitting by them. Garrus and Sticks were sending unfriendly glances at each other from across the table, Legion questioning their behavior as his face plates flared in wonder. Grunt gave Garrus a hard slap on the back and the turian tipped forward, knocking his drink over and spilling it across the table. She looked away then, her mind wondering back to things she rather not think about.

If they were ever going to have a chance to beat the Reapers she was going to have to start building up the army. The mercenary idea hadn't panned out as well as she had hoped, only swaying Eclipse, Omega and some freelancers to her side. The support of Aria was a huge help, but she knew the Blood Pack would cause a problem, especially when she tried to get the Krogan's to help.

Tuchanka…now there was a place she never wanted to visit again.

Flashes of reddish-brown hair passed her vision and she quickly shook her head, her eyes squeezing shut. Regret built up fast, a tight ball forming in her chest as she quickly pounded her drink and slammed the empty glass back down on the bar top. Old memories, they were like lies to her now, unforgettable ones.

"Um, excuse me Ma'am?" A deep voice asked.

Jane looked to her right, her gaze falling on the speaker. He was tall, not uncommon for a male Quarian. He was better built, as if he had been trained for combat instead of working on the ships in their fleet. His envirosuit was red and grey with beige fabric, the blue tint of his helmet obscuring his face.

"Are you Jane Shepard?"

"Yeah, why?" She inquired.

"My names Kal'Reegar and I have a proposition for you."

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Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update! I didn't even realize. I don't plan on that ever happening again and I hope you still read it. I lost inspiration there for a bit, but its back now. I hope you guys are still enjoying it and thanks!