You're far away, so far away
Have to believe that you can still feel me
And I can only wait and miss you
Now we're locked in time, out on the wire
I wish that I could fight the world for you
I'm always on your side
If I could trade places, you know I would
Hold on
Don't let go
Just stay on that road in that heartbeat
You're not alone in the dark, can you see me
Cos I'll be lighting fires, fires, for you
I'll be lighting fires, fires, for you
I'm there in the light when you need me, to find your way home
Fires - Ronan Keating
Joker stopped at the bottom of the gangway and took a good long look at his ship. She really was a sexy, sleek vessel and he chuckled as he remembered what he'd done to become her pilot, well the SR-1 anyway. He was lucky General Invictus had seen the amusing side of Joker's hijacking, the same couldn't be said for Crooks who was posted at the Normandy's pilot. Putting the Normandy through her paces on her maiden flight had been child's play, avoiding the patrol sent out to bring him back was a breeze, he hadn't even broken a sweat, even breaking through the security protocols had been easy. He'd expected to end up behind bars but he'd taken the chance, he'd been tired of his skills being ignored because all anyone saw were his crutches and it had paid off. He had been surprised that Invictus had defended him and insisted on his posting considering he'd treated him like dirt under his boots prior to his running off with the Normandy. Seems Turians can recognise skill just as well as anyone else.
His eyes followed the lines of her hull and he was pleased to see Alliance blue back where it belonged. He dropped his gaze to the cargo ramp where crates were being loaded aboard, there were a lot of crates and he frowned a little. Someone must have made a mistake, they weren't scheduled to go anywhere so why the hell did they need so much on board. He raised his hand instinctively as Steve waved at him. Steve Cortez, they'd met at the academy and developed a friendship that was based around friendly rivalry. When he'd come on board two weeks earlier to oversee the final installation of the Kodiaks and manage the flight deck Joker had been glad to see a friendly face.
He got on all right with Traynor, the comms specialist but he had a lot in common with Steve. Joker considered him the only other pilot that came anywhere near him for skill. They'd both started out training for cruisers and frigates but Steve had been selected for fighter and shuttle training. Joker had been a little jealous, he could see himself flying around in a Trident, but the reality of his disease meant the forces would have torn him apart. They'd run into each other a couple of times but once Steve had married they'd lost touch. Joker had been genuinely upset to hear his husband had died because of a Collector attack.
Once his condolences would have been less than heartfelt but now he knew what the pain and heartache of losing someone you love was like. His heart had gone out to Steve and they'd managed to share lunch or coffee and Joker was happy to be an ear for his grief. He trusted Steve to handle the flight deck, he welcomed him as part of the Normandy team and hoped he'd stay on board.
'Joker?' Westmoreland moved beside him and looked at him curiously.
'Yeah, just thinking about how I ended up here,' Joker chuckled and she nodded.
As much as she was his guard he'd come to like her, she was always patient with him, especially on his bad days when his legs gave him problems. She treated him like any other person and he appreciated that. Campbell cleared her throat as she waited for him at the airlock. He pulled himself out of his reverie and walked up the gangway onto his ship. Both of them had been waiting for him this morning, a little strange as usually there was only one of them. He brushed the thought aside as he passed through the entry and immediately felt at home.
He slipped into his chair and brought up the controls, automatically carrying out system checks. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere. He hadn't seen Shepard this morning. Vega had let him know they had been told to stay where they were because the Defence Council might be calling for them. They'd been grounded for just on six months now and this was the first time Joker felt apprehensive about her appearance before the Council. He had a gut feeling that something was wrong. His omnitool pinged and he glanced at it in surprise.
'Mum!' He'd put a call through two days ago but it had taken this long for her to get back to him.
'Jeff,' her green eyes were moist as she looked at him from the other side of the screen. 'Are you okay, I haven't heard from you for so long.'
'Yeah, mum, I'm fine,' he rolled his eyes at her and she chuckled. 'I spoke to dad and Hillary a few days ago and they told me you were on Arcturus working. I thought you quit and were living back on Tiptree.'
'I did, but some problems came up and they needed my help, I'm going home tomorrow.' She glanced at something off screen and seemed puzzled when she looked back at him. 'How is it on Earth, is everything okay, is the Alliance still letting you fly?'
'Yeah, everything's good,' he broke into a grin, 'I got married, mum.'
His mother's gasp could be heard clearly through the link but concern showed on her face. Joker knew she couldn't help but worry about him. Most of her life had been spent worrying about him. Yes, she was his mother and mothers do that, but he had been a burden to her for all of his childhood. He knew she didn't see it that way but he did. His illness had kept his parent's apart for most of his youth because he'd had to spend time on Arcturus for medical treatments. His sister had grown up knowing only a woman who occasionally came home. He hated his illness for that.
'Jeff, are you sure that's the right thing?'
'Yes, mum,' he knew it was only concern but it hurt a little that she didn't see him as capable enough to make decisions like that.
'I'm sorry,' she sighed, 'you're a big boy now but I worry about you.'
'I know,' he shook his head. 'Wait till you meet her, mum, you'll love her as much as I do.'
'Can I at least know the name of my daughter in law,' she chuckled.
'Commander Arelia Shepard,' he laughed as her mouth dropped and she stared at him in shock.
'Jeff, she'll break you!' She realised what she'd said and quickly recovered. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. I'm just surprised, she does know about your disease?'
'Yes mum,' he sighed and she shook her head.
'Did you tell your father,' she seemed distracted by something off screen and Joker frowned as static hissed across the link.
'Yeah, Hilary is pissed at me, she wanted to be a bridesmaid.' Joker laughed and his mother smiled but the image disappeared behind white snow. 'Mum?' He adjusted the settings and the image cleared a little.
'Something's happening,' she was watching something off to her left and Joker could see everyone behind her doing the same. 'Oh my god!'
'Mum?' Joker sat up in his chair. 'What's going on?'
'The … eets….ttack…. ships…. relay,' the link was breaking up.
'EDI, can you clear this up,' Joker fiddled frantically with his omnitool as the image of his mother disintegrated.
'I'm sorry, Jeff,' EDI informed him, 'something is blocking the signal from the other end.'
'Mum!' Panic was setting in and he fought to control it. 'I love you mum.'
'Jeff….. ather ….. ilary … love … all.'
The connection died. Joker tried everything he knew to get it back but nothing worked, it was as if Arcturus wasn't there. A frightening thought entered his mind and he quickly connected to the Alliance channels Hackett had provided.
'Defend the station!' Hackett's voice was loud in his earpiece. 'Order an evacuation!'
Joker's heart was racing. Something was happening at Arcturus and he was sure it was nothing good. He flicked through the comms but all he heard was chaos.
'There's too many!'
'They're too big!'
'How the fuck do we fight these things?'
'All ships fall back!' Hackett's orders stood out among the voices.
'Admiral, we need to retreat.'
'Second fleet, rear-guard position, Third and Fifth fleet retreat to emergency rendezvous co-ordinates. God help us all.'
Joker felt his stomach churning. Behind him Westmoreland had leaned in closer and as he glanced at her he could see his own fears echoed on her face. There was only one thing that would make Hackett sacrifice the Second Fleet.
'Oh my god! They've destroyed Arcturus!'
It didn't matter whose voice it was the words were devastating. The parliament, Alliance command, Alliance training facilities and recruiting stations were all on Arcturus. Forty five thousand people lived and worked on the station but none of them mattered to Joker. Only one person was important to him. His mother had just died on Arcturus Station. There had been no time to organise an evacuation. Tears ran down his cheeks. How could he tell his dad, Hilary, that she was gone. Why hadn't he contacted her more often, told her he loved her, told her how much he appreciated everything she'd done for him. She'd never get to meet Ari, she'd never get to see how happy he was. He sat in stunned silence, his thoughts an incoherent mess as he tried to imagine a world without his mother in it.
'Joker,' Westmoreland placed her hand on his shoulder gently. 'I'm so sorry.'
Joker jumped as he was pulled back into reality then nodded silently, the chaos of what was happening at Arcturus was background noise. He felt her grip and it stirred him into movement. He looked up to see tears rolling down her cheeks and the enormity of what was happening suddenly became clear. He had to do his job, be the Lieutenant he'd been trained to be. He switched comm channels to link directly to Hackett.
'Admiral Hackett, sir,' Joker waited nervously for a response.
'Joker,' Hackett sounded breathless and Joker could hear orders being yelled in the background. 'The Reapers have taken out Arcturus Station.' There was disbelief in his voice and Joker could only imagine the stress and grief he was feeling.
'I know, sir, I was talking to my mother. I heard the chatter.' Joker fought to control his emotions.
'I'm sorry to hear that,' Hackett seemed to be pulling himself under control and Joker admired him all the more for it. He was the sole hope for the fleet's survival. 'You need to get the Normandy airborne. I know she's not finished but we can't afford to lose her.'
'Yes, sir,' Joker started his pre-flight checks. 'What about Shepard and Anderson?'
'Anderson should be prepared, he knew they were coming. He'll take care of Shepard but you need to be ready to pick them up.'
'Yes, sir. Has Earth been warned?'
'I've sent a message but comms are disrupted. Do what you can from there but we both know the chances of survival.'
Joker heard Westmoreland gasp behind him and he gripped her hand in support. 'I'll do what I can sir. Good luck.'
'To you too, Hackett out.'
Joker sucked in a breath and turned to look at Westmoreland, 'Now's the time to go if you want to leave and be with your family.'
'No, I have no-one,' she looked at Campbell who shook her head.
Joker spun back to his console, 'EDI, we need to be ready to leave.'
'Yes, Jeff, I will release the docking locks on your order.'
'Thanks,' Joker opened the ship wide comms. 'Attention crew and workers. Those big ass robotic squids that we've been warning everyone about have taken out Artcturus Station and the Second Fleet and are on their way here. The Normandy is leaving under orders from Admiral Hackett. Anyone who doesn't want to come along for the ride leave now. You have five minutes.'
'Joker, are you serious?' Steve asked incredulously from the flight deck.
'Nah, I'm just scaring everyone for the fun of it,' Joker scoffed. 'Of course I'm fucking serious, I can play the logs if you want to hear them.'
'No, I'm ... ' He paused for a moment at if gathering his thoughts. 'What do you need me to do?'
'Make sure the flight deck and all cargo are secured and anyone that staying knows where to be.'
'What is that?' Joker looked up as Westmoreland stared out of the viewport.
'Fuck!' Joker scrapped the pre-flight checks and warmed up the engines. 'We're out of time people,' he announced. 'We have to go.'
'Flight deck secure,' Steve announced.
'Engineering ready,' Adams informed him.
'Communications on line,' Traynor's voice trembled but she was doing her job.
There was a thunderous roar outside. Joker flinched as the ground shook beneath them and the sky outside turned red. A shadow loomed over them as a Reaper touched down and Joker watched in horror as Alliance headquarters was destroyed.
Shepard! Joker fought for breath as a thousand knives stabbed into his chest and his heart raced. She was in there. She had to be alive. He wasn't leaving without her. He wasn't losing another woman he loved today. Focus, he had to focus. He continued preparing for flight, he had to concentrate on the task at hand or he'd break down. He wanted to run, to find her but he knew their only chance of survival was getting his ship in the air. He pushed his grief and fear into a corner of his mind to deal with later, fastened his safety restraints and worked at getting them off the ground. The clunking of the airlock made him spin in panic, reaching for his pistol that wasn't there any more. Fuck! Westmoreland and Chambers had both turned with their weapons raised and their collective sighs echoed around the cockpit as Alenko and Vega tumbled through the entryway.
'Shit!' Joker cursed as he tried to control his rapidly beating heart.
'Sorry,' Alenko was quickly beside him, 'get us out of here Joker.'
'Really, ya think,' Joker rolled his eyes as he turned forward and initiated departure procedures. 'EDI, unlock the clamps.'
The ship bobbed as the clamps released but Joker didn't wait and they were underway before the clamps were fully retracted. He had to get to Shepard, but where was she.
'Shepard?' Vega asked.
'Don't know,' his voice cracked but Joker's hands were flying across his console as he twisted and danced his way out of the docks, trying to ignore the fear that churned his guts.
'Last communication I had said her and Anderson were heading for the docks,' Alenko placed his hand on Joker's shoulder and the pilot sighed thankfully.
One less thing to worry about, she was alive. Beside them a freighter managed to shear away the docking clamps but the inertia forced it sideways, straight at them. Joker cursed as he pushed the Normandy up and over the freighter, the movement forcing everyone to grab hold so they didn't fall. A shuttle appeared in front of them and he had to roll to avoid it and everyone behind him stumbled to the floor.
'What the fuck! Did everyone get their pilot's licences out of cereal boxes this morning?!' He lifted them above the chaos and immediately put them into stealth mode. He had no idea if it would help them avoid the Reapers but he had to at least try. 'EDI, where is Shepard?'
'I have located her tracker, she is currently exiting on the roof of a building two blocks south.'
'Shepard has a tracker?' Alenko stared at him in surprise before looking at EDI's blue orb that had popped up alongside Joker. 'Is that an AI?'
'Yeah, sorry, Anderson told us to keep it quiet. EDI's been playing dumb and Shepard had a sub dermal tracker inserted before she was detained, just in case.' He shrugged as he glanced at the Major.
Outside the Reapers rained down destruction on the city of Vancouver. Watching from the cockpit of the Normandy it felt surreal, like watching a movie play out through the viewports. Joker was the only one moving, his hands a blur as the ship that was a part of him rolled, dived, spun and avoided everything that came their way.
'Normandy, this is Anderson,' his voice broke the spell of the horror outside. 'I've patched in Shepard, we're almost at the docks.'
'Joker,' Shepard's voice was sure and strong and Joker couldn't stop the shake of his hands as relief washed over him. 'Are you airborne?'
'Yes, heading for your location.' He brought up her signal on his screen.
'Oh, God!' Alenko shouted and Joker looked up. 'They've taken out the dreadnaught!'
Joker watched debris fly out in all directions as the ship exploded. A large chunk headed straight towards them but Joker banked quickly to avoid collision. He watched in terror as another chunk demolished the building Shepard and Anderson had been scaling.
'Shepard!' He waited for her voice on the comm but nothing came through. The blip on his screen moved and he let out the breath he'd been holding.
'Normandy,' Anderson's voice came through a few minutes later but the transmission was cut off.
'EDI?' Joker asked hopefully.
'Co-ordinates uploaded.'
Joker shot them forward, once again making everyone around him stumble. He ignored their groans and curses. Shepard needed him, he had to get her off the ground. This was his job, this was what he was good at. They rounded the bay to find Shepard and Anderson pinned down by Reaper forces. Joker saw red.
'Stay away from my wife you bastards,' he muttered as he fired the main guns and spoke into the comm. 'The cavalry has arrived!'
Below them the destruction was complete and he was relieved to see Shepard bound out of cover as he spun towards a pile of debris that formed a natural ramp. Behind him Alenko and Vega dashed through the CIC and he was thankful that Shepard would have support. He brought up the feed from the cargo bay to see Shepard jump aboard. He could breathe again, she was safe, back where she belonged. His joy was quickly overshadowed by Anderson's determination to stay, he owed the man more than he cared to admit and he was afraid this might be the last time they saw him. He could see the same fear in Shepard's stance as she argued with him but as he threw her dogtags at her and turned away Joker knew Anderson was relying on them to bring help. With a heavy heart he set a course to take them away from Earth.
They were through the enemy fleet and heading for the Charon relay when familiar footsteps sounded behind him. He released his restraints and spun his chair, getting to his feet just in time to catch Shepard as she rushed into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her in against him, he trembled as she clung to him and he could feel her shaking as she fought back sobs. His lips found hers and he kissed her passionately, feeling her want and need in response. Eventually they had to come up for air and they grinned as their eyes met.
'Hey you.'
'Hey yourself,' he smiled as she ran her fingers along his jaw. 'Welcome home.'
'Commander, I have an incoming transmission from Admiral Hackett.' EDI broke into their reunion.
'Time to go to work,' Joker chuckled as she released her hold on him and nodded. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he slipped back into his chair. The galaxy was being wiped out around them but he was grinning and he didn't care in the least who saw it. They were both home, safe and together, right now that was all that mattered.
