Liara knew they had all made a grave mistake the instant she reached into Eevy…they had wasted all this time trying to stop the woman from protecting them, possibly costing them their lives. She saw the telltale clues everywhere, the tactics exactly the same as when they had been ambushed before…the dry, vile smell of the husks, the reek of ozone everywhere, the indoctrinated agents. The shapes Eevy had been trailing in the hallway, solidifying into the four-legged shapes of the Keepers, sabotaging the ship in preparation for the return of their masters—

…No…no, she wrenched away, violently pushed out the sensations, the thoughts, constructing the nothingness to protect them as she had once before, leaving nothing but Eevy. Into the pure void, a sphere of the blackest black and brightest light with nothing but the two of them, all things outside its barrier, unable to return, thoughts and sensations furiously assaulting it to get in, but unable. Sound dying, the feel of the air, pushed out, sealed off, the throb of the sphere slowing, slowing until it became perfectly still.

No…focus on me, love. I am here, focus on me…push everything else away. Nothing can remain within. I am here.


"Ouch!"

"Sorry," Aethyta said, not sounding the least bit sorry. "Your ass'll be a fucking gorgeous shade of purple for a few days, but doesn't seem to be anything serious," she estimated with a cocked eyebrow.

"Thanks," Miranda said uncertainly as the asari stood back up. "Gorgeous purple, huh?" she said, gingerly rubbing her thigh below the contusion and pretending to look the matriarch up and down. Two could play this game.

Garrus cleared his throat, offering his arm to pull Miranda up from the sofa that he'd demanded she sit on to avoid stressing her ever more sore hip until checked by a doctor. Evidently Liara's father had been close enough to one.

"Seriously?" Miranda asked with a disdainful look at the turian but, as the tight pain caused her to wince when she shifted her leg just a bit, grabbed the hand and pulled herself up all the same. "Anything?" she asked of nobody in particular.

They'd been staked out at the main entrance for a few tense minutes since Liara's last message—all fifteen of them, at this point. In addition to herself, Aethyta, Garrus, Wrex, and Sienni, there were several psychs and doctors as well as quite a few MPs and guards. Even one of Wrex's entourage was here, the others sent with guards to the two emergency exits from the gym. Each passing second increased the tension, still nothing visible in the cameras or the motion sensors in the complex, and Liara's comm channel ominously quiet. Just as she and Garrus shared a look, both thinking that they'd need to move in soon, one of the guards yelped as a dark shape moved through the gym lobby in one of the camera feeds. Garrus waved the others a little further back as he stepped up to the doors, pausing for just a moment before tapping the lock open and cautiously walking back to Miranda's side.

A few excruciating seconds later, the faintest suggestion of movement at the back of the short, dark hallway leading into the gym transformed into Shepard purposefully striding out, armored but unhelmeted, grimly carrying Liara in her arms by supporting her under the knees and the upper back. The asari's arms were draped around Shepard's neck, her head resting against the woman's chest plate.

"Shepard…?" Miranda asked with a tingle of dread creeping up her spine when Shepard stopped in the middle of the half-circle the assembled made, just a few meters away from Miranda. "Is Liara okay?"

"I am fih…fi…ne, Miranda," Liara muttered before being reduced to a retching cough, Shepard leaning her head down to hush the asari, kissing her on the forehead even as Miranda and Garrus both breathed out in barely concealed relief.

"She's feeling a little faint," Shepard said, taking a self-conscious, almost shy look at the gathering around her and hugging the asari tighter to herself.

"Meld sickness?" Aethyta asked, walking up to the pair and taking a look at Liara while the others still kept their distance.

"Yes," Shepard said.

"Yeah," Aethyta harrumphed in response. "That's from my side of the family. Sorry about that, kid," she said, patting Liara on the head before grabbing Shepard gently by the side of the neck with her other hand. "Good to see you topside up, doll," she said with a grin, eliciting a hesitant little smile from the woman in return.

Miranda exchanged another look with Garrus, both of them probably thinking about the same thing. Miranda was feverishly trying to think how to broach the subject when Wrex stepped up and craned his neck to look straight back at her and the turian.

Huffing at them disdainfully, he turned back toward the commander. "You still crazy, Shepard?"

"…No, Wrex," the woman answered. "I think I'm fine. For now at least," she added quietly.

"Good," the krogan grumbled, the matter evidently settled.

That's one way to do it… Miranda thought, observing the distinct feeling of ease descend upon the hallway, the guards—who to their credit had at no point appeared particularly menacing—breaking from the semi-circle into their own small groups, the doctors hushedly conferring on the other side. She had to admit that everything about the woman, her posture, speech, eyes, everything seemed normal. "Well, I'm glad you're back to yourself. Do you…do you remember what happened?" she asked carefully, seeking out the woman's eyes.

"Yeah, Miranda…" Shepard replied in a wondering voice, taking a few steps closer. "I remember. I remember exactly…I'm not sure why I thought what I did, but I remember it made perfect sense at the time.

"I didn't hurt anybody, did I?" she asked, clearly frightened of the answer, eyes flicking down to her blood-stained hand.

"Not really, no," Miranda replied quickly. "That's from when you grabbed the glass shard."

"Thank the Goddess," the woman said with visible relief, the asari faintly smiling in concert. "I remember I knocked you down…Sienni, thank you," she continued, using the name the asari supplied when Shepard turned to look at her. "You're alright?"

"Yes, Commander, no harm done."

"Thank the Goddess, then…I'm sorry about that," Shepard repeated.

"No apology for me?" Wrex growled.

"And Wrex, you too, even though I know getting knocked on your ass won't hurt much beyond your pride," she added, finally seeming to lose some of her lingering tension.

"I let you because of your delicate condition," Wrex said impassively, crossing his massive arms and flicking his chin dismissively. "Like blood rage, except even stupider."

"Is that a challenge, big boy?" Shepard asked with a hint of a grin now.

"You're not much of a challenge," Wrex replied matter-of-factly.

"It is on, you oversized turtle!" Shepard spat out with a sneer.

"Name the time, puny human!" Wrex barked back, tensing the ship's crew back up like a jolt of electricity.

To their evident surprise, Shepard burst into laughter along with the weakly giggling Liara. Even Miranda had to struggle against a grin when the woman lightly headbutted the massive krogan on his crossed arms. "Puny human…oh, god. Will you marry me, Wrex?" Shepard asked, grinning up at the old warlord. "Sorry, Lilo," she added, looking down at the asari in her arms.

"It…it is alright, Shepard, I understand," Liara mumbled with a tired grimace of a smile. "You can put me down now, too. I… I can walk."

"I know you can, baby, but I love carrying you around," Shepard said with a faraway smile. "Hm, maybe I'll keep you after all," she added as she lifted the asari higher despite her light, admonishing slap on the woman's chest plate, and leaned down to kiss her.

Will the krogan ever stop surprising me? Miranda thought in vague amazement as she turned to the MPs, doctors, and other crew, curtly thanking them and sending all but Sienni to report back to their duties, instructing them to inform the XO that the situation was over.

"I still love you too, Wrex," Shepard was saying to the krogan with a smile, probably at least subconsciously very happy to have been relieved of the tension of what must have been a very awkward and embarrassing situation for her.

"Yeah," the krogan rumbled pleasedly. "C'mon, we've got places to be, you've wasted enough time already."

"Yes," Liara chimed in, actually managing to keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time again. "We must get you to the cabin to get you bandaged and into some fresh clothes," she said, Shepard raising an eyebrow but already turning toward the elevators.

"Not so fast," Miranda cut in, confident enough that Shepard indeed was herself, but not feeling comfortable enough to make a prognosis for the future. "We need to do a psych evaluation before—"

"There is no time, Miranda…she is alright, now," Liara said as she peered at her from behind Shepard's arm, voice brooking no disagreement. "Trust me."

"I know she's fine now, Liara," Miranda countered even as she and Garrus hurried after the pair and Wrex and Aethyta. "But there's no telling if she'll—"

"I am the best medicine there is, Miranda, and you know it. She needs to be where I am."


{You're cleared for landing on the receiving deck, 1-184-SN62,} the Danube's flight control officer confirmed as Steve lined the shuttle up with the topmost of the massive hospital ship's two shuttle bays. The top one was usually reserved for incoming patients, but with low traffic and a short stop, they had been cleared on it rather than the shuttle bay proper. {Entrance B, second one on the right from entry direction. Deck call 62.}

{62. Confirm receiving deck, confirm B. Initiating final approach,} Steve acknowledged, carefully managing their deceleration with the fore thrusters to bring their speed down to something that could be handled in the small atmosphere of the bay. Thankfully the FCO had permitted him to use the receiving deck…this way he could just get wheels down and pick up the cargo without having to go through the hassle of the normal docking procedures that would cause a delay of several precious minutes. {Twenty seconds, James,} he said, switching to the intercom.

{Got it,} the big man grunted from the back.

Steve nodded to himself as he brought the forward velocity to a mere few hundred klicks just in time for entry through the environmental barrier. He felt a little bad about his distrust of James' ability to handle the situation…he'd been convinced his friend would just completely lose it, but the man was a consummate professional. Upset, sure, but definitely on the ball. Well, there'd be time enough to make amends later… {Danube, in atmo. Setting down next to B.}

{We've got you, 62. Your cargo is ready to go, count is four,} the FCO confirmed. {You've got the window for one hundred and fifty, depart at will.}

{Confirm one-fifty,} Steve answered, verifying that the timer had started on his console, too. He'd have to remember to send a case of beer to the FCO—the step of keeping all other traffic on hold for two and a half minutes was just extraordinary. It took him seven of his seconds to set the craft down about five meters from the assigned entryway, beyond which he saw the four shapes in light atmo gear. He was a little surprised at that…he'd only expected two.

Dr. T'Soni had quickly patched in the asari shuttle at Dr. Lawson's behest, and the asari medic—Rila something—had reiterated their plan to take Jack to the nearest human-equipped trauma ward—which had turned out to be the asari hospital ship Gray Dawn—so that they could start treatment immediately. They had also already alerted the humans for assistance, but Lawson had taken over at that point. Switching away from the channel but for a few seconds, she'd gotten directly through to ChiefMed and secured the same pair of surgeons who had also treated the Commander. Dr. Dajeer Laksh was apparently reputed to be the best abdominal surgeon in the fleets, and Dr. Cintzia Kalimoff one of the best, if not the best neurosurgeon, and the pair had worked together for a long time.

Watching James slap the entrance door open and all five shapes running toward the shuttle from the corner of his eye, Steve went through a few minor adjustments to account for the extra weight and life support requirements of the two unexpected visitors.

The doctors had still been stationed on the Danube, and fortunately both in non-critical duties at the time…but the Danube, like the rest of the human hospital ships, was almost ten minutes further off than the Gray Dawn for the rescue shuttle. Lawson had approved the asari plan of taking Jack to the Gray Dawn straightaway, and sent Steve and James to collect the doctors and transport them over instead. It meant almost an additional twenty minutes before the humans could get to work…but the asari medic had said that she didn't think they could afford delaying the initial treatment by the ten minutes it would take to go straight to the humans—something that did absolutely nothing to ease Steve's mind.

Behind him, he heard James practically tossing the doctors into the ship and starting to strap them in. {All aboard,} the man barked into the intercom. {Few secs and we're ready.}

{Roger,} Steve confirmed, almost ready himself. {This is Lt. Cortez, I'm the pilot. Just a few moments, we were only expecting two people.}

{Yeah, we picked a couple extras,} a female voice said. {I'm Cintzia…Dajeer's also here, and we had time enough to take a look at the data the asari sent that we picked up a gyn and a plasto. Ah, sorry, Aki Matsuo is a gynecologist, and An Ji is a plastic surgeon,} she added, correctly guessing that the jargon wasn't entirely clear to the two soldiers.

{Got it, glad to have you,} Steve said, hoping to sound more happy than aghast at the thought that two doctors wasn't sufficient. {James?}

{Good to go,} the man said even as he clapped Steve on the shoulder and dropped heavily into the co-pilot's seat. {Make it quick.}

{Roger. ETA nine minutes, forty-five seconds.}, Steve replied, and noted his timer had 37 seconds remaining as switched onto the Danube's channel. Enough to get out in the window. {Control, 62, taking off now.}

{Acknowledged, 62, you're clear. Good luck.}


"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Shepard demanded, wincing when Miranda poured the glue mixture over the wound in her palm, Liara buttoning up Shepard's blue and gold uniform on the other side to help speed up the process with the woman left one-handed for the time being.

Garrus was crouched down in the corner, trying to make himself useful for the few minutes getting Shepard ready took by gathering up the pieces of glass and other debris with Aethyta despite Shepard's protestations that she'd do it herself. Truthfully, he welcomed having at least something to do after the women had let him back into the room when they were mostly decent…his intense relief at having Shepard back to herself had been very short-lived as Liara and Miranda's heated conversation had reminded him that they were just moving from one crisis to another. He'd tried to talk to Victus, but the Primarch was preoccupied by the same conference that Wrex had been called into by Grunt or one of his other lieutenants. The more Garrus heard about the situation on the Wards, the more worried he was becoming…something was afoot there. He'd have to get in touch with some of his old contacts, if any were still around. And even that wasn't enough to distract him from the worry over Jack, made all the worse for the stupid feeling that everything should have been alright, that it made no sense that she'd get hurt now, after everything was said and done. Pitching the pile of shards in his hand into the recycler, Garrus stood back up and turned toward where Shepard was seated on the bed.

"I have her," Liara said with a meaningful look at Miranda, straightening up and lightly touching Shepard's cheek as she spoke. "There was an actual alarm that was broadcast, the one that triggered your…episode, do you remember that?"

"Not really…I only remember the one I imagined, I guess," Shepard said, rubbing her neck with a frown.

"Well, the real alarm was about some trouble on the Citadel," Liara said, sounding amazingly calm and collected, moreso than Garrus would have credited himself for at least. "It turned out to not be as serious as it was initially thought to be," she continued, wisely leaving out the specifics to keep the scares to a minimum…although from her words Garrus suspected that the asari was also upholding some kind of a light mental connection to Shepard to help her stay calm.

"But?" Shepard prompted, an echo of so many briefings that Garrus almost smiled despite the gravity of the situation.

"…But there is some disturbance down on the Citadel," Liara continued hesitantly. "And Kasumi and Jack were down on the Tayseri Ward…And Jack has been wounded—"

"Fuuuuck!" Shepard growled as she dropped off the bed, teeth grit and hands raised in front of her, palms upwards in a taloned rage that shook her entire body and gave Garrus a moment's pause before he classified it as just regular Shepard-anger.

"It is very bad, Shepard," Liara said, her voice breaking.

"Steve should be here shortly. He just messaged that he's taking off from the Gray Dawn," Miranda said, catching Shepard's eye as the woman pulled Liara into a tight embrace and muttered soothingly into the asari's ear. "We could've looked for other transportation but it would've saved us a few minutes at most, and you needed patching up…besides, nothing we can do over there except wait. We should head down as soon as you're ready, though."

"You're coming, too?" Shepard asked, eyebrow raised.

Miranda nodded with a shrug.


A/N: Thanks for all the comments and contacts on the last one. It's incredibly nice to hear from you guys.