A/N: This is a quick two-shot that I was inspired to write after playing through the Legendary Edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy for the very first time, inspired by the song "You Right" by Doja Cat and "First Contact" comic by ReginaPrimata here on AO3. This is a very new type of setting I'm working with so I apologize ahead of time. I tend to write in a more medieval/fantasy setting so this is definitely out of my comfort zone! Hope you guys enjoy it regardless!

As Kaidan removed himself from me, he shifted to lay behind me, our bodies pressed together. Lacing our fingers together, I bring his hand up to kiss the back of his hand before leaning back against him with a content sigh. I feel him nuzzle my neck and I smile.

After stopping Saren and Sovereign following their attack on the Citadel, The Council had decided that after a very short shore leave to lick our wounds and celebrate our victory, my crew and I were charged with the responsibility of combing the galaxy for any remaining geth and getting rid of them. Despite staying busy, Kaidan and I often found time for some alone time tucked away in my private cabin at night while the rest of the crew slept. These times were the only moments I had to myself and I prized more than anything.

"I could get used to this," Kaidan mutters near my neck.

I turn my head. "Hmm?"

"I mean this." He says, pulling me close. "Us."

I smile to myself. "Me too. Although I'm pretty sure Joker has been listening in the last few times."

"Probably." He chuckles. There's a short silence before he speaks again. "I've been thinking about us, Shepard... a lot."

"Oh?"

I feel him grab my hand, his thumb moving over the back thoughtfully. "Yeah... I love you." Pulling away from him slightly, I shift so I can face him. I look him over, taking in his kind eyes and the faint scar near his lip from an old sparring lesson back during basic training. His lips curl up into a smile.

"Really?" I smile.

"I do." He whispers. He reaches up to touch my hair, pushing a rogue section away from my face as his eyes meet mine. "So much."

I reach up to touch his cheek. "I love you too, Kaidan."

He smiles, leaning forward to capture my lips in a slow, yet tender kiss as his hand moves down my back and rests on my waist as he pulls me closer to him.

"Commander?"

Joker's voice cuts through my thoughts as the shuttle abruptly jostles, pulling me from my thoughts. I feel my cheeks burn beneath my helmet as Garrus shoots me a curious glance.

"What's going on, Joker?" I ask, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

Ever since his name came up in the mission debriefing, I had thought of little else. How would Kaidan react? Last he knew, I had died two years ago. He probably even went to my memorial service and dealt with the various people constantly telling him how I died a hero and what a great soldier and commander I was. Maybe after two years, he had moved on. While I would understand if he did, the very thought of it felt like a knife lodged in my chest.

I knew things would be awkward with the whole dying thing but what I mostly feared was how he would react to me being a part of Cerberus. Sure, I'm not a full fledged member of the damned organization but it certainly didn't look good to be allied with them.

"Commander, we're nearing Horizon but you're not going to like what you see."

I frown. "What's happening?"

With just one word, fear gripped my heart and I felt my blood run cold. "Collectors."

"Get us in as close as you can."

"You got it, Commander."

"Why am I not surprised?" Garrus mutters nearby. He meets my gaze, a slight grin forming. "Into the thick of it; Just like old times, eh Shepard?"

As the shuttle hovers just above the grass of the small hill overlooking the cargo container-like buildings of the colony, the door opens. We jump out, one by one with our guns raised, expecting heavy gunfire only to be greeted by an eerie silence.

I glance around, my gun pointing ahead of me only to lower it after a moment.

"Not to sound like a cliche but it's quiet... too quiet." Garrus comments.

He walks a little ways ahead, cautiously checking behind buildings and crates littered everything but finds nothing of note.

"Shepard."

I turn to Jacob as he points his gun at the sky in the distance. Following his gaze, my eyes widened.

Near the far edge of the colony, my eyes move up what looks to be pieces of metal jutting out from a giant rock; the collector ship. Darkened grey and brown clouds swirl around the top, the brown on seeming to be getting closer. Keeping my eye on the approaching cloud, I motion for the group to spread out and start moving toward the front of the center. I touch the button on my helmet as my eyes land on the seeker swarms gathering and heading our way.

"Mordin... are you sure those armor upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?"

The buzzing gets louder as a couple zip past me.

"Certainty impossible." He replies, calmly. "But in limited numbers should confuse detection and should make us invisible to swarms... in theory."

"In theory?" Garrus says over comms. "That's reassuring."

The minor annoyance that comes through Mordin's tone makes me smile slightly.

"Experimental technology only test is with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive."

Before I can comment, Jacob calls me over comms.

"Commander, I think you should see this. I'm at the center, south of you."

"On my way."

Taking care to keep a lookout for remaining enemies, I make my way to Jacob's location. As I approach, he motions to the strange, grey, human-like figure lying at his feet.

"It sort of looks human." He comments. "This one of the colonists?"

Garrus flanks him from the other side and kneels a short distance from it, his gun at the ready, just in case. He shakes his head. "No. The geth impale their victims on giant spikes to turn them into husks but we haven't seen any." He shrugs. "The collectors must have already had the husks. They want the colonists alive for something else."

I look down at them, grimacing at the twisted body with tubes and wires coming out of what I presume to have once been flesh.

"These aren't the same creatures I fought on Eden Prime. They're more advanced; evolved."

"With luck, they'll still die when you shoot them," Jacob says.

From within my suit, I feel the hair stick up on the back of my neck as we slowly snaked our way around crates and barriers, the ground littered with the occasional corpse of a fleeing colonist or those human-like creatures Jacob found.

"There's a building up ahead," Garrus observes. "Maybe we'll find a clue as to where the collectors took the colonists or at least what happened here."

We move forward, our weapons at the ready as the doors slide open. I glance around us for signs of danger before motioning for them to continue on. More crates line the walls and stack up around the room, emitting a soft, pale light that illuminates a path cutting through the center of the room.

"Looks to be a warehouse or hub of sorts," I mutter, glancing around. The sound of a tool hitting the ground nearby behind a nearby stack of crates makes my attention snap in its direction. "We've got company," I say, raising my gun. My squadmates follow suit as I slowly move around the crate.

"Get out here. Now!" I call. I feel my handshake slightly but manage to hold it steady as I see somebody peek around the crate. I watch the relief pass over him as he steps out. I keep my gun raised.

"You...you're human." He mutters.

My eyes scan the room before finally lowering my gun. "We are. And you-"

His eyes widen as he glances back the way we came. "What are you doing here?" He hisses. "You're going to lead them back here to me!"

"We haven't seen anybody since we arrived," Jacob says. "We've searched around and haven't seen a soul."

I nod in agreement. "I could ask you what you're doing here as well. You could be in the hull of a collector ship right now like everybody else."

His brows draw together. "You mean... those things were collectors?" He asks, "They're real?"

The man turns away from us, muttering to himself. "I thought those things were just made up- just propaganda to keep us in Alliance Space..."

"Something tells me this one isn't all there," Garrus says quietly to me.

"No!" The man shakes his head, swiveling to face us once more, his eyes wild. He starts toward me and I feel Garrus reach out an arm protectively, stepping slightly forward. The man ignores him, his attention trained on me.

"They've got Lilith! I saw her go down; Sten too. They got damn near everybody!"

I hold up a hand. "Calm down. Who are you exactly?"

"Name's Delan." He says impatiently. "I'm a mechanic. I came down to check on the main grid after we lost our comm signals. Then... I heard screaming."

"Did you see anything?" Garrus asks.

Delan nods. "I looked outside and there were...swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched, they froze." He shrugs. "I sealed the doors."

"Not very well," Garrus mutters.

"Damn it!" Delan exclaims. "It's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Commander Alenko here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!"

The mention of his name makes me perk up before my brows draw together. "Commander?"

Delan ignores my question as he continues his rant. "He's supposed to be some supposed hero but he should have stayed back in Council Space."

"Do you know what he was doing here on Horizon?" I ask. I feel panic seizing my chest. The thought of him being taken by collectors... I didn't even want to think about it.

"Supposed to be helping us get the defense towers up and running." Delan shrugs with a sneer. "Between you and me, I think he was here for something else like to spy on us or something."

I wave his paranoid ramblings away. The collectors still may be nearby since we saw their ship. We could use those defense towers. Are they at least somewhat operational?"

"Good luck." Delan snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'd have to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right."

"Luckily, I have somebody who is an expert when it comes to such things," I say, motioning to Garrus. He nods.

"Just let us know its location and I'm sure I can figure it out. I'm a master calibrator." Garrus says, before frowning. "Wait..."

Delan rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."

"Great," I say, motioning for my team to head back toward the door. "Let's hurry and head that way before the collectors realize we're here and attack or flee."

They nod and start toward the door and I look over at Delan who eyes me suspiciously.

"It's probably best if you stay here and out of the way," I say.

"My thoughts exactly." He nods. "Although I'm sealing this place back up after you leave. Like hell am I taking my chances!"

As I rejoin my team just outside, the doors slide shut and we hear them lock behind us.

I take stock of the area around us but see no enemies in sight. Looking up, I shield my eyes from the sun and scan the horizon before pointing to the blinking pole rising up from near the center of the colony. "There," I say, making the other two turn to look. "That must be the main transmitter Delan was talking about."

"Then let's go," Jacob says, taking off at a jog between the buildings with Garrus and me in tow.

Venturing further in, the most we could hear was the occasional breeze that whipped between the buildings. My heart pounded, I couldn't shake the urge to at least check the building in case Kaidan was holed out in one of them if he hadn't already been taken.

"I'm going to check the buildings," I say, half-distracted. Separate from the group and walk up the ramp to one of the buildings, close to the center. I raise my gun, my eyes darting around the area in search of Kaidan.

"Looks like they were caught unawares." Jacob comments, coming up behind me and making me jump. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks despite them being unable to see. I step over the scattered papers and upturned chairs in the living area. The kitchen seemed almost untouched with the exception of a couple of half filled cups on the counter.

"Shepard, look."

I glance up as Garrus points out the window toward the ship in the distance. I'm about to ask him what he sees when I notice the figures moving. "Let's go. Keep your guard up."

Exiting the building, we make it to the main transmitter. As Garrus takes a look at it, Jacob and I stand guard. Once Garrus identifies the problem, he motions to me. "We'll need some help getting them back online."

I touch the button on my helmet. "Normandy? Do you copy?"

There's a brief moment of static before I barely make out Joker's voice. "Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you."

"EDI, can you get the colony's defense towers online?" I ask. As I say this, I see something move at the corner of my eye and turn, raising my gun in preparation.

"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power," EDI replies as I signal to Jacob and Garrus to take cover. "I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."

"That'll definitely get the collector's attention," Garrus says. "It'll definitely draw them to us like flies."

"Then we'll deal with them as they come." Just as I say this, there's a large crash in the distance before a small wave of husks come bounding toward us."

We take them out only for a second wave mixed with collectors to rush out from god knows where. Shooting off the last of my clip, I quickly duck behind a crate to reload, a bullet nearly grazing the tip of my ear as I crouch.

"Shepard, watch out!"

I barely get my gun reloaded when I hear Garrus' warning. I look up, just as he swivels to face me, taking out the husk that started crawling over the crate toward my head. My heart pounds loudly in my chest. "Nice shot," I called out.

"Shepard, I'm bypassing failsafes and attempting emergency power-up." EDI pipes up in my ear. "I need more time."

"Keep on it," I say, springing up and landing a headshot on a husk and sinking a couple more into the chest of a collector before it moves behind cover. "The sooner we get the towers up, the better."

Wave after wave of husks and collectors continue to swarm us. We manage to mow down a section at a time only for them to be soon replaced by a new wave.

"Fuck!" I mutter, running across the small aisle of space between crates to drop down beside Jacob as he leans out of cover to take a few more shots. I struggle to reload as I press the button on my helmet. "EDI, status? We really need that system online soon. We're being swarmed down here!"

"Just about... there! GARDIAN anti-ship batteries at 100%. I have control."

"Great! Mind pointing the big guns at the bad guys to help us out a bit?" I hear Garrus call over comms.

Moments after he says this, the giant guns on either side of us come to life and turn toward us before it starts firing. I peek over my cover to watch as the guns take out whole strips of enemies before seeing some of the collectors near the back of the horde starting to turn back in retreat.

"Thanks EDI." I say, joining back in to help the other two take out the ones who remained to fight. "We should be able to take it from here. Turn those guns on the ship."

The guns turn toward the large column in the distance as we finish off the last handfuls of husks.

The loud pops in the distance can be heard as the bullets from the towers ricochet off the forcefield, causing small ripples before finally breaking through to the hull.

The last couple of husks fall before the loud roar of the ship starting up sweeps over us.

"They're pulling out!" Garrus says triumphantly before the force coming from the thrust boosters sweep through the area and knock us over with what feels like an earthquake as it takes off. I look up to watch as the guns continue to shoot it as it launches into the air.

"Shit," I mutter.

Garrus and Jacob rise and join me, watching as the ship gets smaller as it ascends.

"There's no reason to stay." Garrus grimly comments. "Most of the colonists are on board. They got what they came for."

"No!"

We all turn as Delan runs out into the small field before us. "Don't let them get away!"

"There's nothing we can do; They're gone." I frown.

He turns to me, eyeing me as though I've gone mad.

"Half the colony is in there!" He motions off in the sky. "They took Egan, Sam and... and Lilith! Turning his attention to me, he strides up to me. "Do something!"

My initial shock of the confrontation fades as I feel my anger bubbling up inside. "What the fuck do you want me to do?" I ask, vaguely motioning off toward where the ship once stood. "I didn't want it to end this way! My team and I did what we could."

Delan scoffs, swiveling around and shaking his head in disbelief. As he starts walking away, I feel Garrus place a hand on my shoulder.

"You did what you could, Shepard."

Hearing my name, Delan stops in his tracks, his head cocking to the side. "Shepard?"

My brows crease as I narrow my eyes. "Yeah?"

The man turns to face me once more. "I know that name." His eyes narrow as he looks me over. "Sure... I remember you. You're some type of big Alliance hero." He sneers.

I open my mouth to speak but feel as though the wind is knocked out of me as none other than Kaidan walks out from behind a nearby building. He's limping slightly but he strides toward us, his gaze trained on me.

"Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel."

My mouth suddenly runs dry as our gaze meets before he turns to look at the mechanic.

"You're in the presence of a legend, Delan." He turns to look at me, his expression is unreadable. "And a ghost."

Delan sneers as he looks between us. He crosses his arms over his chest. "All the good people we lost and you of all people get left behind. Figures." He gripes. "Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types. So fuck you, " He points to Kaidan and then to me, "and fuck you." He walks away but I barely notice.

"Kaidan." I say, my voice surprisingly steady. My heart pounds loudly in my ears and I resist the urge to embrace him. While it feels like only a few months have passed since our last night together, it was clear that there was an unspoken barrier between us.

"I thought you were dead, Shepard; We all did."

"I know," I mutter. I clear my throat, increasingly aware of my two squadmates standing only to inches away. "It's been too long, Kaidan. How've you been?"

He shifts, crossing his arms over his chest with a scoff. "Is that all you have to say?"

My brows draw together. "What?"

He shakes his head. "You show up after two years and act like nothing happened?" He takes an aggressive step toward me. His eyes, which once filled with love at the sight of me now bore into me with hurt and anger. "I thought we had something, Shepard. Something real." His voice breaks at the end and he looks away for a moment before his gaze meets mine once more as his jaw clenches. "I loved you."

Garrus uncomfortably clears his throat behind me as tears begin to form, stinging my eyes. I feel the heat rising up from my collar.

"Commander, Jacob and I will, uh... take another look around for any survivors. Maybe see if we can find any hints as to where the collectors went."

I stiffly nod. I glance after them as they set off in opposite directions before I'm brought back as Kaidan continues.

He shakes his head. "Thinking you were dead tore me apart." He hisses. "How could you put me through that?"

"Kaidan, I-"

He waves my words away angrily as his voice begins to rise. "Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

Red hot anger surges through me. "How the hell could I?" I shoot back. I clench my fists at my side. "I was basically in some kind of fucking coma for two years while Cerberus rebuilt me. Don't you think I would have made some kind of effort to contact you had I been conscious?" I voice cracks and I feel my lip beginning to tremble as tears prick my eyes. "You should know me better than that."

He flinches slightly as if I had struck him. Then the look he gave me in that moment as he stepped back felt like a knife in my chest. Looking me over, his eyes reflected the hatred and disbelief I felt once I woke up in the med-bay all those months ago when told where I was.

"You're with Cerberus now." He says. His eyes shift toward the direction Garrus walks off in just moments ago. "Garrus too..." He shakes his head, a look of disgust contorting his features. "I can't believe the reports were true."

My brows furrow. "What reports? You already knew?"

He nods. "Alliance Intel thought Cerberus might be behind the missing human colonies. I got a tip that this colony might be the next one to get hit." He waves my question away before shaking his head. "Anderson stonewalled me but there were rumors that you weren't dead but working for the enemy."

"I don't work for Cerberus." I mutter. "It's a temporary alliance; Both Cerberus and I want the same thing. We want to save our colonies. It doesn't mean I answer to them."

He steps toward me, nearly coming toe to toe with me as he sneers. "Do you really believe that or is that just what Cerberus wants you to think?"

Before I know what I'm doing, I shove him away from me. "Fuck you!" I hiss.

He stumbles slightly. Catching himself, he rolls his shoulders back. "I wanted to believe the rumors that you were still alive... but I never expected anything like this." He points a finger at me. "You turned your back on everything we believed in; You betrayed the Alliance and you betrayed me."

"I betrayed you?" I hiss. "Kaidan, how long have we known each other?"

"That's doesn't-"

"How long?"

He sighs. "I don't know... a decade maybe. What does-"

"In all the time you and I have spent together, you'd think you would know me better than that." I frown. "You should know by now that I would only do this for the right reason. You saw it for yourself!" I motion toward the empty colony. "The collectors are targeting human colonies and they're working with the reapers. Why else would I be here?"

He looks at me and I see he's torn.

"You have to believe me, Kaidan..." I reach out to touch his arm but he pulls away.

"I want to believe you Shepard... but I don't trust Cerberus." He frowns. "They could be using the threat of a reaper to manipulate you! What if they're behind it? What if they are working with the collectors?"
I run a hand over my hair. This was all too painful. "You're letting how you feel about their history get in the way of the facts."

"Maybe," He shrugs, "Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe you're the one who's not thinking straight." He shakes his head, stepping back once more. "You've changed but I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier, always will be. I've got to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not."

He turns away from me and starts walking away, every step he takes sending pain my way. I can't let him go...not like this.

"I could use someone like you on my crew, Kaidan," I say, making him stop. "It doesn't need to end like this. It'd be just like old times... we could pick up where we left off."

He turns to look at me, shaking his head. "It'll never be as it was. I'll never work for Cerberus." His eyes cast downward and he frowns. "Goodbye Shepard... and be careful."

As he turns his back to me and walks off, the tears I had kept at bay finally begin to spill down my cheeks as I try, and fail, to choke back the sobs that erupted in my throat. My knees buckle but I remain standing as I watch him disappear from view. "Goodbye, Kaidan," I whisper.

Moments later, I hear footsteps behind me and quickly try to wipe away my tears under my helmet.

"Commander?" Jacob says.

I take a deep breath and straighten but don't dare face them just yet. "Report."

"With the exception of those who died fighting, it looks like everybody except Delan and Alenko were taken," Jacob reports.

I nod, pressing the button on the side of my helmet. "Joker, send a shuttle to pick us up," I say, my eyes moving to the direction where Kaidan had walked off. "I've had enough of this colony."