Notes:

A Grá - My Love (Gaelic)

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian)

Rocks Beneath the Waves

Beijing, Earth, Sol

Hackett led the group onto the stage; he and Shepard moved quickly to the front edge of center stage while the remaining eight fanned out in a loose semicircle behind them. From the audience viewpoint, the display was one of unity and interracial cooperation; Humans, Krogan, Asari, Salarians... and a synthetic... all stood side by side on the stage as sisters and brothers in arms. A few shouts of protest erupted almost immediately, but were soon drowned out by the same tolling of bells that had begun all the earlier ceremonies.

The admiral stood for a moment in quiet silence as the last ring faded into history. His eyes passed across the large audience assembled before him as he started to speak. "It's been a long four years since our very first indication the Reapers actually existed and we initially learned that things in our galaxy were not as we believed. Many of us, if not all, have lost family and friends over that time... leaving holes in our lives and in our hearts that may never be filled."

The crowd had fallen silent as he spoke, each person likely thinking of particular names and faces of the folks Hackett was speaking of in only vague generalities. "None of us wanted war and our initial state of denial almost got the lot of us killed... but we persevered and managed, somehow, to defeat the Reapers... together. We owe more than I could ever put into words to all those who lost their lives to give us this victory... We owe it to them to live on, to create a better world than what we had before – so their losses are not only sad memories, but can also serve as a promise for a better future... for all of us."

He shifted his feet so he could bring his hands up to indicate the row of people behind him. "That's why it's also important to remember that Humanity could not have done it alone. These people here... all of these races, along with a lot of help from the Rachni, Volus, Elcor, Quarians and the Turians... are some of the main reasons we're standing here today."

He scanned the audience again and clasped his hands behind his back as the crowd noise began to pick up again, the reverence they held for the dead no longer enough to keep the protesters quiet. Hackett scowled and spoke louder. "How quickly some of us forget that it took the entire galaxy to win the war! Every species we... Commander Shepard... managed to rally to the cause is the only reason we were able to win the war against the Reapers... and it's going to take that same unity to rebuild our galaxy with any speed. As we continue to work toward restoring what we lost, we must remember what it took to win. I've said this all before... but it's important enough to be worth saying again... If this war taught us nothing else, it showed that we are at our strongest when we work together."

Hackett walked back to where they had originally stopped when they first mounted the stage and turned to Shepard. "Commander, the stage is yours."

"Thank you, Sir." Shepard moved to take her place at the front edge of the stage and said nothing, waiting patiently as she looked out over the noisy crowd. She remained silent until curiosity won them over and the crowd quieted, simply wondering what in the Hell she was doing. Shepard smiled softly and began, starting with the words Liara had spoken mere moments before they had climbed up onto the stage. She purposely spoke at a relatively low volume, so the crowd had to stay quiet in order to hear her. "Change is inevitable." Shepard paused to let the statement sink in. "And it cannot be eliminated from any path to the future. Otherwise, as a society, we stagnate and die, unable to adapt."

Shepard began to slowly pace, hands clasped behind her back as she focused on the stage under her feet almost as if she was letting the audience listen in on nothing more than her private musings. It felt odd to not be making direct eye contact, but she knew that many of the eyes that were on her today were hostile, and she didn't want to encourage any sense of challenge that direct contact could bring.

"As a race, Humans are young... and lucky to be part of a galactic organization that had existed for more than two thousand years before we even discovered space flight. If the founders of the Citadel Council had refused to accept change and not let us in, we'd likely be dead..." Shepard smiled softly as she continued, "So, after our rather unfriendly initial hellos with the Turians, instead of wiping us from existence with their superior technologies, they accepted us... made room for us... within their organization."

Shepard stopped her pacing and spun sharply, finally looking into the audience and scanning across the entire sea of people before her. "Now, it's our turn to be just as magnanimous and work with the other members of the Council to integrate the newest group to the fold. We should rejoice with the addition of an extremely capable and cooperative race that can speed our recovery by leaps and bounds – the Geth Consensus!"

As the clearing exploded in a cacophony of noise, both for and against such an addition, Shepard turned and beckoned Legion to join her at center stage; the large Prime unit moved forward unhesitatingly to stand at Shepard's side. In an echo of a historic moment recorded in the Citadel Archives from the first time they met, Shepard turned to the Geth and stuck her hand out, which Legion promptly accepted and shook in friendship and loyalty.

Positively enraged, a man in the audience pulled a small concealed pistol and pointed it at the stage... but the fired projectile drove harmlessly into the dirt as the person beside him shouted a warning and shoved the weapon down as he tackled the protester to the ground... only a second before the entire field of people burst out in bedlam at the sound of the shot. Shepard reacted instinctively, immediately shouting out, "Shields!"

The personal shield generators of everyone in the squad instantly kicked on and, as the entire group drew weapons, they were swiftly surrounded by a biotic barrier. Thinking the target was most likely Shepard, Liara was furious... but relieved when she felt her barrier amplified and strengthened by the additional biotics of Riana and Jack. Shepard also slid into the mix and Liara relaxed a bit more as a few quick words slipped into her mind through the link. {Easy, Blue... We're all fine. Take a deep breath and back it off a little; I know your strength, but we might be holding this for awhile... and there's four of us, so share the load, A Grá.}

At the same time, Ashley had shouted, "Protective cordon!" and the squad closed quickly around Hackett in a tight circle, everyone facing outward. Shepard spared a quick glance to the center of their ring and shouted above the noise, "Sorry, Sir! I guess someone really didn't like my message!"

The normally stoic career military man didn't miss a beat as he cocked a single eyebrow and responded, "Commander, you seem to have developed an incredible knack for understatement."

Shepard grinned and faced out toward the crowd again as she asked, "What now, Sir?"

Having complete faith in the people surrounding him, Hackett didn't hesitate in his response. "We stay right here and wait for the Alliance security team and riot police to handle the crowd." Hackett quickly surveyed the situation. "Be prepared for the flash-bangs that may come into play... likely very soon, if the dissidents refuse to quiet down or disperse in an orderly manner."

"You heard the admiral." All business, Shepard toggled her omnitool and both her targeting visor and flash suppression system lit up and activated. "Prepare to stand fast."

Destiny Ascension, Widow System, Serpent Nebula

Garrus Vakarian was troubled – more so than at any time since the end of the Reaper war. In the five days since Desis had revealed to him that she had been orphaned at a young age, he had been thinking about her desire to travel with him to Palaven in order to assist with somehow meeting the needs of the thousands of orphaned children, both on the planet and in the colonies.

Garrus knew that conditions on the home world were far more dire than the official news channels were showing, or even admitting to. The air was choked with acrid smoke, all but requiring one to wear a filtering device of some sort just to get a clean breath of air. Destruction of the major cities was every bit as bad as anything he had seen in London – in some cases, much worse. It was going to take a long time to clear the rubble away before any attempt at rebuilding could be made.

This was his last night aboard the Destiny Ascension; after seeing to changes and additions to the plans for the new headquarters of the Galactic Council, he was finally satisfied that the station would be constructed with an emphasis on robust defense, whether against pirates or an attacking force from some rogue faction that he felt would spring up sooner or later. He walked to Dee's quarters with a heavy heart, absolutely dreading the necessity of having to leave on the morning diplomatic courier ship going back to Palaven; he didn't know how long it would be before he'd be able to see her again, but he did know it was likely going to be too damned long.

Events of the previous evening had proved beyond any doubt that Desis was extremely troubled by the conditions facing those children; her own childhood trauma had intruded on her sleep, igniting a nightmarish vision in her dreams that she was again a child, alone, terrified, and attempting to simply continue living in a shattered city. So tangible was the dream she bolted straight up to a sitting position, screaming in fear. It had taken Garrus nearly an hour to calm her down enough to talk about it, another half hour holding her in his arms as she lay beside him, afraid to fall asleep again, lest the dreams return.

He was attempting to think of some way to get her off the Destiny Ascension… to have her travel with him back to Palaven so he could keep an eye on her. When he reached the entrance to her quarters, he passed his hand through the haptic lock instead of simply letting himself in as he'd done previously; the sound of Turian wind chimes ringing within somewhat gladdened his heart. After several moments, the lock turned green, the door segments retracted into the bulkheads and he was met with a singular vision of beauty.

"Garrus! What happened, you lose the code to my door?" came the snarky question.

Spirits! I'd do anything to continue hearing that joy in her voice! "Uumm, no, I didn't," he stammered. Entering slowly, he confessed, "Just wanted to see you open the door for me one last time before I have to leave."

Her response was one he had grown to cherish in the short time he had known her – one eye opened wider than the other, head tilted in mocking disbelief as she murmured, "Uh huh." She came up to him and pressed her body tightly against his as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm going to miss this, Garrus. It's going to be difficult… me being alone again."

Garrus nuzzled her neck as he whispered, "For me too, Dee. This assignment has been the best one ever. I fully expect to be back here in two or three months, just to make sure construction of the station is proceeding as it should. I realize that is small consolation right now; I absolutely hate the necessity of us being in two different systems."

Still holding onto her promised, she asked, "Where do you stay on the home world, Garrus?"

He drew back just a bit to look at her. "Why, it's a military barracks, darling… All soldiers. I'm fortunate; due to my standing in the Hierarchy I have private quarters. Why do you ask?"

Desis looked down for a moment, collecting her thoughts before speaking. "After we spoke the other evening, about my… childhood, and particularly after my bad dreams last night, it got me thinking. I've been in touch with several people on the home world, Garrus, including a former ambassador. The thing is, there's a potential position for me as an administrative assistant to the director of the main orphanage in New Cirilis."

Garrus flared his mandibles in astonishment as he commented, "But what about your job here with the councilor, Dee. It's one that a lot of people would like to have, just for the prestige… the authority. You'd be willing to leave all that behind, for a position…"

"… a position very similar to that which I currently enjoy, Garrus," she finished for him. "I've spoken with Quentius… he's willing to grant me a leave of absence for altruistic reasons, if I can find someone capable of filling my position here in the councilor's office."

Garrus chuckled. "Am I to assume you have already addressed that condition?"

"I believe so," came the reply. "A cousin… the daughter of the aunt that took me in as a child. She had the same schooling as I did and served in the same job as me. She's free of her obligation to the Hierarchy, so is looking for a job more meaningful than helping to clear the rubble of destroyed buildings."

"She's aware this is only temporary?"

"Garrus, are you really so naïve? I plan on helping those kids until there's no need for me to be there. I have to do this, Garrus. I cannot ignore what I've seen, especially since I can empathize with what they've been through, what they're still going through." Her eyes were absolutely clear, the silver flecks nearly invisible against the intense violet she turned on him. "I've told you already that I love you and will follow you anywhere, but make no mistake, I truly need to do all I can to help those children. Question is, will you allow it?"

Garrus jaw dropped. "Why ever would you ask me that? Of course you can help… You don't need my permission to do whatever it is you want to do! After the story you told me, I would never expect you to do otherwise... and, I'll do everything in my power to help you towards that goal." The big Turian hugged her tightly as he concluded, "Oh, Dee... Love goes both ways, so, if working at that orphanage will make you happy, I'm more than willing to help you fulfill your dreams."

"I'm glad you see things so clearly, Garrus. Must be why you're held in such high esteem by the Primarch and the Councilor. So, can you arrange for some quarters where both of us can stay… together?"

The chuckle she received in answer caused intense feelings of pure joy to fill her soul. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make this guy happy, came the thought. I'm going to make sure he never even thinks to look at another female, ever.

"It would be my pleasure, Desis Vyessan!"

Beijing, Earth, Sol

Less than five minutes and only two flash-bangs later, the largest melee groups had been broken up, with a number of the more violent protesters carted off in Alliance shuttles to interrogation centers rather than the local jail. A relative calm fell over the remaining crowd; those who wanted nothing to do with fighting had left the area quickly and the aggressive dissidents had been arrested, leaving behind a relatively pro-Shepard group, who had begun to chant her name. "Go, Commander." Hackett waved to catch the attention of his adjutant. "Talk to your adoring fans while I make arrangements for our departure from the city."

{Don't even begin to think you're going anywhere without me, Siame. Not today... Not after what just happened.} With a glance and a quick nod of approval for Liara, Shepard turned away, the Asari moving at her side.

Hackett watched them go, still thinking it a bit odd to watch the pair obviously communicating at a level no one else was, or would ever be, privy to. There has to be a way to use that to our advantage. Hating the thought as soon as it crossed his mind, he wasn't able to push it away entirely. They're most likely already using it that way, you old fool. And if you've started trying to figure out how to use your friends instead of simply trusting them to do what's right and to be there for you, you've become paranoid.

The adjutant, clearing his throat at the admiral's side, brought Hackett back to the task at hand. He let out a sigh and turned to his assistant. "Come on, John. Let's make arrangements for everyone to go home."

As Shepard and Liara moved to the front of the stage, Ashley dispersed the rest of the group, sending Jack and Edi off to the left side and Grunt and Sarah off to the right, while she, Kirrahe and Riana stayed close behind the couple to keep anyone from approaching unseen from the back of the stage. Shepard held her hands up to the crowd in a bid for quiet, "Please, that truly isn't necessary." Feeling reassured that the remaining security would refrain from arresting anyone else, the crowd quieted and moved in closer as Shepard slowly dropped her hands. "First, I want to thank the man who shouted out that warning and took action, no doubt at great personal risk to himself." Her eyes scanned the crowd but got no indication that the man was still present. "Are you still here?"

Finally, a man buried in the center of the crowd bashfully raised his hand and laughed nervously. "Yeah. That was me. Pretty stupid thing to do, in retrospect."

Shepard smirked and was unable to contain her laughter as she glanced over at Liara before responding, "Believe me, I'm pretty sure Dr T'Soni here would agree a lot of the things I do that most people consider heroic are in actuality some pretty stupid shit that I somehow manage to get away with... without getting myself killed in the process."

Many in the crowd laughed and the nervous tension that had enveloped the group unexpectedly evaporated. Shepard let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Whatever made you do it, thank you. I have no idea who he was targeting up here, but it doesn't really matter. Could have been one of the horrible and scary aliens I brought up here with me..." Her tone dropped the sarcasm of the first part of the sentence as she finished, "Could have been the Admiral... Or, it could have been me. Thanks to you, we didn't need to find out the hard way and I appreciate that, as does every other person on this stage with me."

Liara stepped closer to the commander at the thought of losing Shepard now, after all they'd managed to survive, and, in an extremely rare public show of affection, took her hand without any warning. Surprised, Shepard looked to her Promised but, before she could do or say anything, Hackett suddenly appeared at her shoulder, talking to the man in the audience. "And, actually, I'd like you to come up here and join us."

The man looked surprised... and a little bit afraid... so Shepard smiled and said, "It's kind of like being called to the Headmaster's office in school, huh?" Shepard chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll personally vouch that he doesn't bite."

The man walked hesitantly to the front, suddenly blushing when he realized there were no stairs and he'd have to either go around or climb up. Shepard stepped forward and knelt down, sticking her hand out. "The name's Sam and it would be my privilege to help you up."

The man stopped cold and stared at her. "How'd you know that?"

Shepard's face crinkled in confusion. "Know what?"

"My name? How'd you know my name?" He looked ready to bolt until Shepard laughed.

"Well, then, isn't that a great coincidence! Commander Samantha Hannah Shepard at your service. Happy to meet you, Sam!" The man broke into a wide grin and they grabbed forearms, Shepard hauling the man easily up onto the stage.

"Quite a grip you have there, Commander." He looked at her in awe, suddenly having a much better idea of how this seemingly normal woman had led the galaxy to defeat the Reapers; she was anything but ordinary.

She offered him a small smile and turned to the admiral. "Admiral Hackett, Sir. I'd like to introduce you to Mr Sam..." She turned and looked at their guest.

"Oh!" He stepped up and offered a hand. "Crosby, Sir. Mr Samuel Crosby. Pleasure to meet you, Admiral Hackett."

Hackett shook the man's hand with a firm grip. "You did good today, Mr Crosby. Saved us a whole bunch of trouble and maybe even saved at least one of our lives, if not more. While you and Shepard were chatting, I was on the horn with Ambassador Osoba and acting President Alfred Lindberg... They both feel it appropriate to acknowledge your selfless act with some form of reward, yet to be determined. So, I'd like you to speak with my adjutant and give him your contact information, so we know how to find you when the time comes... assuming that's alright with you."

"I don't have a problem with that at all, but I'm living in a shelter right now. Home's been destroyed, got no job... no place to go..." Crosby shrugged. "Honestly? Best thing you could do for me right now would be to bring some of those Geth to Earth to help me rebuild my house, then my block, then my whole damned town. As you all have said any number of times, we've got some living to do."

Hackett actually laughed. "Well I'll be damned. That's an excellent idea, Mr Crosby. If you're willing to be a liaison with the Geth, I'm pretty sure we could have you a job by tomorrow. Ever been a crew foreman?"

"You're shittin' me?" Crosby's eyes lit up. "I ran the Veil Star TS-X production line here in Beijing... until the Reapers vaporized it, anyway." He was nodding emphatically as he continued, "I'd be more than happy to take the job, Admiral! I promise... I won't let you down!"

Hackett glanced over at the Prime looming beside him. "Legion? Would the Geth Consensus be willing to spare a small work force for Earth and provide site security for Mr Crosby?"

The lights on the Geth dimmed for only a fraction of a second before he turned toward Shepard. "We assume this is an acceptable task, Shepard Commander?"

"Absolutely, Legion." Shepard looked at the admiral and Crosby, who was eagerly awaiting an answer as she continued. "It's not a big job compared to a lot of the shit going on in the galaxy right now, but people will see for themselves that what's happening here in Beijing is a good thing... and news will spread; it's as good a place to start as any."

Hackett smiled as he turned back to the thankful man. "Then it sounds like we have a deal, Mr Crosby." He turned to his adjutant and continued, "John, get this man set up in the pay system with entry-level management privileges and full food rations."

He then turned to Legion and held out his hand. "Thank you, Legion. Your actions are a testament to our future possibilities."

"It is our pleasure to serve, Hackett Admiral. The Consensus has activated a pod of 200 Geth. Is that an acceptable number?"

Hackett's eyes grew wide before he could school his expression. Holy shit! "At the pace you work, two hundred units will have all of Beijing rebuilt in a couple of months! More than sufficient, Legion. We'll have to be thinking on where to send the... pod... next, because you'll work yourselves right out of a job in no time!"

Hackett nodded to Shepard. "Commander. I'm heading back to my shuttle with the security team. Don't stay too much longer... so these people can get on with business instead of feeling the need to entertain the hero of the galaxy."

"Understood, Sir. If you're leaving, so are we." Shepard looked at Cosby and gave the man a wave. "Good luck, Sam. You're in good hands with John and you'll have the Geth here before you know it; if you trust me, you can trust them." She then rounded up her squad. "Come on; let's get back to the Normandy."

Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol

The Normandy crew and the cargo handlers on the ground at both Farnborough and Eden Prime had become so efficient at unloading and loading at either end that, when the ship was on the supply circuit between speeches, they could make two round trips and return fully loaded to Eden Prime a third time, to be offloaded the following morning. The members of the ship's crew were treated like visiting royalty every time they stayed overnight; this went a long way towards making everyone feel better about not making it back to Earth every other night… everyone, that is, except a certain Spectre.

The pace of transport operations had been such that Ashley had not seen Andreas Falk for the entire week… He hadn't met the ship as it docked at Farnborough each time and Ashley was beginning to feel as if her one night of intimacy with the man was going to be her first and last.

When Joker finally docked the ship in its berth at Farnborough again, Ashley left though the airlock as had become her habit; she scanned the distance for some sign of Andreas, to no avail. Damn! Have I ruined my one chance at a meaningful relationship? Touching the Comms unit in her ear, she said, "Joker? I'm going to the base headquarters to check on our next scheduled shipments." Hell, that even sounded lame to me!

"Roger that, Ma'am. We'll be sure to give you a thirty-minute to departure call." There was nothing in Joker's tone to indicate he didn't believe that was the only reason she was going to base headquarters. As was her standard practice when she departed the ship, she looked across the docking area to identify the ships closest to the Normandy... and was pleasantly surprised to discover the Auxilium docked only ninety meters away.

She double-timed it over to the ship, hoping that her captain was still aboard. As she drew closer, Ashley spotted the unmistakable form of Captain Storm Weatherly standing outside the cargo doors as he cajoled the ground teams to move faster. She called to him as she drew close, causing him to turn, grin, and laugh as he recognized her. "Ash! Damn good ta see ya all in one piece! I heard about that screwed up mess in Beijing! What brings ya out this-away to see me?"

He stuck out his hand, which she took as she answered, "Spotted the Auxilium on my dock check and thought I'd stop by to say hi!" She grinned at the grizzled old man, screwed up her courage and said, "I also wanted to find out if you had seen Commander Falk lately. He usually oversees the unloading of the Normandy, but I haven't seen him for better part of a week now. I… have some documents I need to give him." That sounded just as lame as the excuse I gave Joker!

"Well now, I don't recall when I saw him last. He's been pretty busy, managing the food shipments outa here, getting 'em distributed where they need ter go." He cast a knowing eye at the suddenly downcast Spectre. "But judgin' by the look on yer face, I think I know what's really goin' on here, Ash. You be wondering if mayhaps yer out-and-about career has gone and plum ruined yer chance to find love. Am I right?"

"I never said… that is, it's not…" Before she could string together a coherent sentence to protest his… accusation… he held up a hand to interrupt.

"Ash, yer still a young'un. Ya may not think it ta look at me, but I was young… and in love myself, years ago. Ya know what I did?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued on. "I left 'er behind... That's what I did… I left her standing on the docks and broke that poor girl's heart, because I couldn't see a way past my damned career." Storm's voice grew contemplative as he looked off in the distance. "Truth be known, broke a little piece of me as well." Looking back at Ashley with a gimlet eye, he continued in a sharper tone. "I never married, Ash… Never found another to love me like that li'l missy I lef' behind. So, don'tcha go off and make the same damned mistake I did as a young'un. Ya see somethin' you like, you take it! Understand?"

The face of the grizzled old captain held a scowl that told Ashley more than his words ever could; the man had never forgiven himself for walking away that day. She had managed to keep her expression neutral as Storm literally spilled his guts to a near stranger, but nodded in thanks once he finished telling his tale. "Sounds like good advice, Storm." Sticking her hand out, she added, "Thanks. Appreciate it."

Omega Station, Sahrabarik, Omega Nebula

Nyreen flexed her mandibles in angry satisfaction; she was staring at a power control device on the Sector 2 shield generator that was not part of its standard equipment. Turning quickly to her electronics specialist, Villick Epos, she hissed, "Trace where this control signal originates! Let me know what you find, because I want whoever is responsible for this alive."

Vill nodded. "Consider it done, Nyreen. Slide over and let me work."

Nyreen had no idea how long she sat in impatient silence before she heard Epos whisper, "Gotcha!" He turned to her with a smug expression on his face. "It's based in the Fumi residential district; apartment D-1437." He punched a few more commands on his omnitool and growled, "The registered occupant is one Ephim Kurictus... he's a damned Turian!"

"One of our own? Spirits, but I'm going to enjoy taking him down!" Nyreen stood and stretched, like a fighter getting ready for battle. "Let's find Suran and stake out that apartment. No more ships are going to disappear on our watch!"

Suran Kurus wasn't hard to find. Being Nyreen's operations commander, he was back at the main Talon headquarters monitoring all the day's activities. Nyreen entered the command center, spied him at the central console and walked directly to him. "Suran! We've got a priority one mission to add in." As he turned toward her, she continued, "We've found the breach point and need to capture one of our own – find out who he's working for."

"Yes, Boss," he replied as he snapped a quick salute. "Where we headed?"

It was just after midnight when the call came in from Vill. "Bypass is active! Jumping the cut-off control and restoring power to the barrier!"

With that call, many things happened simultaneously. First, Bray sat on the Bridge of the Omega Fleet flagship, monitoring motion throughout Sector 2; a small frigate had been drifting slowly toward the barrier, having ignited thrusters for a short burn before cutting engines to drift forward with barely any perceptible heat signature as it moved away from the station. As the barrier dropped, it lit thrusters for a rapid departure, only to be forced to engage full reverse thrust as the barrier flickered and came back on, much too soon. Bray grinned malevolently as he made a call to the Sector Defense Zone. "Bring up the defensive cannons and target that ship. If they don't surrender, cut them in half and we'll interrogate the survivors." He then turned to his communications officer. "Bring the attack fleet online, full power and weapons hot. Let's go collect the would-be-defectors."

On the station, Nyreen and two full squads blasted through the door of the target apartment. Kurictus jumped up from his desk chair, spinning in surprise as the door crashed open. Faster than anyone could react, he grabbed up a pistol laying on the desk and jammed the muzzle against the bottom of his chin, growling, "For the cause!" as he squeezed the trigger.

Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol

It was late afternoon – nearly evening – when the Normandy returned once again from Eden Prime, literally jammed to the overhead with containers full of all kinds of vegetables and fruits; there were even a number of refrigerated pods containing freshly processed butter, cheese and milk, which the ground handlers offloaded first, before swarming the hanger deck, followed by the two cargo compartments on deck four.

Ashley had left from the airlock aft of the bridge, both to avoid being run over by one of the many heavy-loaders on the lower level and to look around the area for any sign of Andreas. She sighed with resignation and was about to leave the vicinity of the ship in order to walk to the mess hall for dinner when a familiar voice brought her up short.

"Commander Williams… a moment, please?" Andreas was jogging towards her from the far side of the docks. Slowing to a fast walk as he drew closer, Ash could see the huge grin on his face; coming up to stand in front of her, he took her hands in both of his and said, "Storm told me you were looking for me before your last run out and back. What's up?"

"Once the ship is loaded, the crew will stand down for the evening. We're not leaving until early morning." Cocking her head slightly, she asked, "You have time for dinner?"

Falk grinned and nodded, saying, "Absolutely!" Dropping only one of her hands, they turned and walked to the mess hall together. Once they arrived, they each loaded a tray with silverware, a plate full of food, and a beverage before settling in at their favorite table, back in the corner away from most of the noise. Looking at Ashley as she began eating her salad, he asked, "Right, then. So what's going on with you?"

Ashley swallowed, took a drink from her glass and shifted herself on the bench in order to face this man. "Andreas, I'm going to be honest here… I wanted you to know, before our next assignment separates us, I think…" she paused for a moment before continuing. "I think I'm falling in love with you." There! I said it. Now to see what happens…

Falk's grin disappeared as Ashley's words registered. He looked away, took a bite of bread, chewed and swallowed before looking back at the woman seated beside him.

"I told you there was nothing trivial about our feelings for each other," he said in a gentle voice. "You and me? We're still trying to figure out how to have a personal life in a world where our careers will separate us more times than not." His smile had slowly returned as he talked. "Does your stomach hurt when we're apart for any length of time, like this past week?" Her look of surprise told him he had guessed correctly. "Mine too. So, I suspect that what my insides are trying to tell me is not that I have indigestion… I believe it's telling me that I miss you dearly, every single time you fly away from me. I think I'm falling in love with you, as well, Ashley Williams. But…" he reached for and captured her hand, "… you need to know I'm not just saying that on a whim. I felt the attraction the instant we met, with old Storm prattling on about needing to get his ship unloaded. Best day of my life."

Ashley grinned. Bringing his hand up, she kissed his knuckles and whispered, "Best day of mine as well. And I don't want to mess this up, Andreas, either by moving too fast, or letting our careers get so much in the way, we never happen. So, how do we strike a balance?"

"Bah. No worries. We're two intelligent people; we'll figure it out, Ash." Falk's grin was contagious. "Besides, I have some leave time saved up… I'll need to use it or lose it, and I can't think of any place I'd want to go that doesn't include you being there with me."

Ashley was thrilled. "Well, it may sound like it's a long time off, but I'm sure we'll take a break at Christmas. We can certainly get together then."

"That seems like a long five months away, Williams," he snarked. "Any chance I can see you sooner?"

"Wait: my faith is large in Time, And that which shapes it to some perfect end." Ashley's forehead creased in thought for just a moment before she spit out, "It's short notice, but the Commander has to give a speech in Rio, day after tomorrow. If you can get the day off, I'm sure we could find a berth aboard for a visiting dignitary from the British Army."

"Always Tennyson," Falk chuckled. "I'll put in the request tomorrow."

Ashley couldn't stop smiling as they spent the next hour talking and planning while they enjoyed their leisurely dinner together.