A/N: Yikes, I'm pushing it this week. I have to say, chapter updates might not be as regular right now. The company I work for does the majority of their business this time of year, so I'm putting in a lot of overtime. I'm going to really, really try to keep the updates on the same-ish timeframe, but I just can't promise.

This is a slightly shorter chapter, bridging from the light-heartedness of the last few chapters back into the reality of war. All the awesome feedback I get absolutely motivates me, so please keep it coming. I am alway so incredibly grateful for it.

As always, BioWare owns it all. I just can't leave it alone.

"So, I presume your date went well."

Shepard looked up at Liara in surprise. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The asari smirked at her, sitting across from her in the mess.

"Shepard, come on now. You know that nothing happens on this ship without Joker knowing about it. And if Joker knows…."

"Everyone knows." Shepard sighed. "You're right, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Now that you're not denying the fact that you and the lieutenant have finally come to your senses, let's get back to my original question. It's noon, and this is the first I've seen of either of you all day, so I'm assuming that means things went well."

"That still wasn't a question."

The asari stared at her pointedly. "Fine. How did your date go?"

Shepard shook her head, about to reply when she was interrupted by another voice. "Oh, yes!" Tali sat down in the empty seat next to Liara. "I want details!"

She just looked at her two friends and sighed.

"Okay, fine. It was...absolutely wonderful. He bought me a new shotgun."

Liara laughed. "He certainly knows the way to your heart."

Shepard looked over to where James stood, talking with Garrus outside the Med Bay. He saw her looking and winked at her before turning his attention back to the turian. She smiled.

"That he does." Turning back to Liara, she continued, "I have to say, though, it feels wrong to be happy right now."

"I understand why you would feel that way, Shepard, but you really shouldn't." Liara reached over and laid her hand on her friend's. "You deserve to be happy, and no one thinks that you would forget about everything else going on out there just because you are. You just have one more thing to fight for now."

"Thank you. I am happy, you know. It was actually quite romantic. He cooked my favorite meal for me, and found an obscure movie that he knew I would like." She turned towards Tali and smiled. "I understand I have you to thank for helping to set it up."

The quarian shrugged. "I'm glad I could do something for you, Shepard. I owe you way more than that."

"You don't owe me anything, Tali. But I do appreciate it. It was an amazing night, and I'm glad I have such wonderful friends."

"Yes, well. If I followed you to Ilos and through the Omega 4 Relay, you should probably know by now there isn't much I wouldn't do for you. And while all of that does sound wonderful, Shepard, I think you're leaving out some details." Tali spoke in a teasing tone as she continued, "Because I don't see how that kept you busy until noon today."

Shepard thought back to the previous night-and this morning. She was certainly leaving out plenty of details. Despite the late hour, they hadn't gotten much actual sleep. And they would have been out here a few hours earlier, but her morning shower had taken a lot longer with company-and had needed to be repeated. James had been very convincing when he'd argued that she was still under doctor's orders to relax, and taking a few extra hours to do so was not only okay, but necessary.

Shepard laughed before she turned towards Tali and said, "You don't see how a nice evening could lead to a late morning? Someone really needs to have a talk with Garrus."

She couldn't see it, but Shepard knew that the quarian was blushing behind her mask as she started stuttering.

"I-I..that's not..I don't know what you are talking about. I mean I do, but...keelah!"

Laughing again before taking pity on her friend, Shepard said. "I know what you were getting at, but I'm afraid those are all of the details you're going to get." She stood up and gathered her things. "I've got some reports to go over, and plans to make. As soon as Chakwas clears me, we're going after Leviathan."

She said her goodbyes and then started to walk away, but stopped when a thought occurred to her. Turning back towards the table, she said, "There was something that I wanted to talk to you both about later, though. I want to take advantage of your expertise, Tali. Can you guys meet me in the AI core in about three hours?"

They both nodded, and Shepard took off towards the bridge.

After spending two hours poking around in Dr. Bryson's lab with EDI, Shepard had a pretty good idea of where to locate Dr. Garneau. With a starting point in their search for Leviathan, she was anxious to get underway. She still had about twenty minutes before her meeting with Tali and Liara, so she headed to the Med Bay to pay Dr. Chakwas a visit. She'd actually felt fine since waking up yesterday, and she was hoping she could get cleared a little early.

When she walked in, she found Liara already there chatting with the doctor. Not wanting to interrupt, she turned and started to go back out the door. She was stopped by Dr. Chakwas' voice.

"Commander. Coming to to see when you are free from restrictions?"

Shepard laughed and turned around. "You know me well, doc. But I didn't want to interrupt."

"Don't let me stop you, Shepard." Liara smiled at her. "I was just catching up with Karin while I waited for you and Tali. We haven't had much downtime since the war began."

Dr. Chakwas indicated towards an exam table. "Have a seat, Commander, and I'll run a few quick scans." She positioned her equipment and started her scans before continuing. "I have to admit that I'm surprised. I expected you to be in here earlier petitioning for release, but I understand you were otherwise occupied."

"Oh, for crying out loud! If he wasn't such damn good pilot, I would space him."

"Did I say it was Joker?"

Shepard didn't answer. Instead she directed a pointed look at the doctor, who just laughed in response.

"Point taken. He does gossip worse than anyone I've ever met. Anyways, I'm just glad that you took my advice and that someone was able to get you to relax, if even for a moment. Heaven knows I've been trying for years."

"Yes, well, the sooner you let me get back to gathering resources for this war, the sooner it's over. And then I can relax forever. Preferably on a beach somewhere." She closed her eyes and leaned back as Dr. Chakwas finished her scans. "Because that's what I plan on doing when this is all over."

She opened her eyes again as she heard the two other women burst into laughter. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard." Liara held her side as she continued, "It's just the idea of you relaxing for more than a day is actually quite hilarious."

"You guys have only known me during the most stressful three years of my life. I mean, I've had some really bad moments in my life. Mindoir, Akuze...but there's been a lot of pretty crazy times shoved into the last few years. And I'll have you remember that I was dead for two of them. It doesn't get much more relaxed than that."

Liara abruptly stopped laughing. "Shepard, that's horrible!"

"Oh, come on. If you can't laugh at your own death, what's the point?"

The asari just shook her head while Dr. Chakwas chuckled. "Well, besides a twisted sense of humor, another benefit would be these implants of yours. You've healed remarkably fast, Shepard."

"So does that mean I'm cleared for duty?"

"Reluctantly, yes. But will you at least do me a favor and wait until tomorrow? Get one more good night of sleep."

Shepard grinned. "Okay."

"I don't like that look. I said sleep."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Funny. What I was actually thinking was that it gives Joker just enough time to get us to the Aysur System so we can do a little recon before going after Garneau."

The doctor still looked skeptical, but Shepard was saved from her reply when Tali walked in the door.

Jumping off the table, she said, "See ya, doc," and headed towards the AI core at the back of the room. At the last second, a thought occurred to her. Turning back, she said, "What about you?"

Dr. Chakwas looked surprised. "What about me?"

"Well, you gave good advice, which I followed. But I seem to remember that you should have been following it yourself."

"Ah. No. As I said before, it's not as simple. He's…very busy and far away. When this is all over, then...maybe."

"That would make sense. If the risks in this war weren't so great, and if there wasn't a good possibility that you might not have another chance. From what you've said, I assume he's in the Alliance?" Dr. Chakwas nodded. "And you at least know that he's still alive, not one of the many missing?"

"Yes."

"Then it seems to me that at the very least, you could talk to him and just let him know that you want him to keep safe. And you'll need to talk more at the end of this war." Shepard looked over to where Liara stood talking with Tali in the AI core, remembering the asari's words from earlier. Turning back, she continued, "Give you both one more thing to fight for."

The doctor didn't immediately respond, instead looking at Shepard with an expression that she couldn't interpret. Finally, she smiled and said, "You make a compelling point. I will give it some thought."

Shepard grinned. "Good." As she headed through the door, she added over her shoulder, "Just don't think too long before you do."

Liara waited as Shepard finished up her conversation with the doctor, and then joined her and Tali i the AI core. She had a hunch that whatever the commander wanted to talk to them about involved the Crucible project, so she'd gathered as much data as she could and put in on an OSD for Tali.

Holding it out now, she said, "Shepard, I assumed whatever you wanted to talk about has to do with the Crucible?" When the commander nodded, Liara passed the OSD to Tali. "This contains all the data I have on it, Tali. Please share it with anyone who you think can help make sense of it."

"I'm concerned about what exactly will happen when this weapon is fired," Shepard broke in. "If it is something that can wipe out the Reapers, what else will be caught in it's path? Obviously, my number one concern would be anything involving Reaper tech. Like EDI, for example. And the relays, the citadel...even the Geth have Reaper upgrades now. Tali, I'd like you to work with EDI and the Geth to see what you can figure out. And like Liara said, anyone else who you think could be of help. Brainstorm ideas to minimize any possible damage. I worked hard to get us to a place where we can all get along with each other. I'll be damned if I'm going to let the Reapers take that with them when we blow them to hell."

Liara smiled as Tali said, "Right away, Shepard. I know a couple of people who've done a good deal of research on the relays. I'll make sure to pull them in."

"Good. Well, that was easy. Keep me informed of anything you find. I understand this thing is probably our only real chance, but I don't like how little we really know about it."

Liara nodded. "I agree one hundred percent. I certainly feel better knowing you are looking into it, Tali. I've never known anyone quite so resourceful as yourself."

Tali laughed. "That's just part of being a quarian, but thank you."

The three of them walked out of the AI core, back into the Med Bay. Liara hung back as the other two continued on out of the room. As the door closed behind them, she turned back towards Dr. Chakwas.

"Karin, how much do you know about the, um, upgrades that Cerberus gave Shepard?"

"Not as much as I'd like, to be honest. They weren't exactly keen on sharing their secrets with me."

"That's what I was afraid of. I've uncovered some of the information, and I believe I can get more from Ms. Lawson. Would you do me a favor and look it all over?"

"Absolutely. What am I looking for?"

"Well, Shepard has some concerns about the Crucible that I have to admit I share. What I want to know is how dependent she is on those implants."

Dr. Chakwas looked concerned. "What do you mean exactly?"

Liara sighed. "In case those implants are affected by the weapon we plan on firing...if they stop working…" She reluctantly looked up and met the doctor's eyes. "I want to make sure we don't kill Shepard when we destroy the Reapers."