John Shepard was laughing and laughing hard.

It probably wasn't the wisest action, given the situation he still found himself in. His ship, the SSV Normandy SR2, was barely hanging together and given the countless lives that had been lost to the Collector's over the months of their mission, maybe a quiet moment of reflection would have been more appropriate.

But he couldn't help it. The laughter simply came in waves.

He stood alone in his cabin as the Normandy made it's way towards Omega. There it would be patched up by a team of outsourced mechanics and engineers. After all, Cerberus' own sent team would no longer be an option. He'd made that abundantly clear when telling the Illusive Man to go to hell after blowing the Collector station sky high. And the woman who had given him the charge to do so?

Miranda Lawson. Not just Shepard's right hand on the Normandy, but The Illusive Man's too.

He almost laughed when the Cerberus head honcho gave the order for Miranda to put Shepard down and claim the station for him during the call after they'd severely damaged the human Reaper that was being constructed. Because at that point, it was clear to everyone except The Illusive Man that Miranda's heart now belonged to Shepard.

It hadn't come easy. It was an uncertain journey, each feeling out the other to see where they stood. Surprisingly, they were similar in many ways. They were both leaders in their own fields, even if Shepard's techniques were slightly more popular than Miranda's with the rest of the crew. They were both dedicated to their work, making sure they were the best they could be, at all times. And helpfully they were both extremely attracted to each other.

For Miranda, it wasn't a surprise. She was used to having the eyes of all sexes upon her, often undressing her with their minds. Her genetic tailoring saw to that. But when Shepard dug deeper, that's what surprised the now former Cerberus operative. Shepard noticed, he liked what he saw, but he delved into who she was as a person, what made her tick. He saved her sister, for no rewards or favours, simply because she asked him to do so. It opened up a whole other side to him. She knew what he was like on the outside, after all, she rebuilt him from scratch. He was a physical marvel, built like a statue. But it was his mind, his heart, his spirit and soul that pulled Miranda towards him. She was stunned how quickly she fell, but ever so glad that he felt the same way.

When she woke after their first night together and felt the empty space in the bed beside her, her heart dropped. She thought he was different, that he wouldn't simply use her. Her insecurities, fortunately, only lasted for seconds. Shepard returned to her, carrying a tray of food he had cooked personally, along with a glass of orange juice. Miranda stared at him when he did so. She was lost for words.

From there, it only got better.

The team grew stronger. Bonds and friendship became more apparent and more common within the crew and the ground team. And despite their odds, they stood firm and ready to head through the Omega-4 relay.

They returned without loosing a single soul. That's why Shepard was laughing. They said it couldn't be done. Even he doubted it. But it was accomplished through teamwork, hard-work and a whole lot of luck.

The Reapers were still out there. This wasn't over, not by a long shot. And with Cerberus gone from the picture, they were in a brand new situation. Without the funding that Cerberus had provided, things would be difficult. While his standing with the Council was stable after they once again granted him the Spectre status, neither side were confident in that relationship going forward. A lot of work would have to be done to restore the trust and unfortunately, time was not something they had much of.

But, right now, the short term plan was clear...

"To the Normandy!"

Multiple hands rose to the sky, glasses raised in triumph.

"And to the best damn crew the galaxy has ever seen!"

Shouts filled the air of Afterlife, proud men and women letting their feelings be known at the top of their lungs.

Aria T'Loak, queen of Omega, had granted the entire main floor to Shepard and his crew for a celebration. Everyone attended from the ground team to those on the technical side of things. Even with Jack present, it wasn't a surprise to see the crew drinking the hardest. After all, they had been kidnapped by the collectors and stuffed into tubes, waiting to be liquidised. There'd be many dark days ahead for them in trying to deal with what happened, but tonight, they let it all go in honour of the men and women who had busted their asses in getting through the Omega-4 relay to save them.

Aria stood in her usual spot above the dance floor, looking down on the celebration. Shepard was stood next to her silently observing the scene of engineer Daniels and Kelly Chambers trying to get Grunt to dance with them. The krogan, bashfully, was trying his best not to.

"Quite a celebration. Still, I think you earned the downtime considering what you accomplished." Aria stared forward at the scene, not turning to look at Shepard.

"I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me so far." Shepard chuckled to himself. "Thanks again for giving us the main floor."

"The creds that you dropped for an open-bar? Maybe I should give you a residency."

"We'll thank Cerberus for that. They didn't shut our accounts down fast enough. We've still got a tidy sum, have to spend it wisely of course."

A small smile formed on Aria's face. "I wish I could have seen his face. He's not used to such blatant disregard from those under his charge."

"Formally under his charge." Shepard corrected. "I'm sure he's plotting up a million and one ways to try and reclaim his dominance."

"Yes, well. That won't be happening tonight. He knows better than to try and start a war on Omega."

Shepard nodded. "I hope so." He glanced towards the dance floor, before back at Aria. "You going to join us?"

Aria turned her head slightly in his direction. The look given was the only answer Shepard needed to know. The man smiled and shrugged. "If you don't ask!" Shaking his head, he trotted down the stairs to rejoin his crew and their celebrations.

The celebrations were in full swing as Shepard rejoined his team on the main floor of Afterlife. Grunt had relented, choosing to dance with Daniels and Chambers. It was quite a sight. So much so that many of the crew had stopped what they were doing to record the krogan on their omni-tools.

Grunt noticed this and bellowed out loudly. "What are you standing around for? Get moving!"

The crew stopped filming and began to dance too. There was no way they were going to piss off the krogan in such a tight quarter by not busting a move.

Jack was leaning against the bar with Zaaed doing shots. Tali was sat *on* the bar, with what looked like a straw allowing her to drink from whatever it was that got quarian's drunk. Garrus was sat with some of the technical crew, talking about their final battle with the human Reaper.

Shepard shook his head. Even in a moment of downtime and merry, Garrus still found the time to tell war stories.

Jacob and Kasmui were making out in one of the booths. Shepard blinked. His eyes were not deceiving him. His staring caught Kasumi's attention, the thief jumping and activating her cloak. It allowed the beautiful image of Jacob making out with thin air, before opening his eyes and realizing that Kasumi was nowhere in sight. The man locked eyes with Shepard, shrinking into the booth slightly. Shepard smiled and waved, before turning away.

Mordin and Thane were talking quietly with Dr. Chakwas on the other side of the club. With the music pulsing so loudly, he was surprised any conversation could be heard. On the subject of pulsating music, he wasn't sure exactly how anyone could sleep through it either. But there Joker was, head down on the table, snoring away. Clearly the pilot had too much, too fast and was now having a little break before the next round.

As he searched for Miranda, he was approached by Samara who lightly grasped the back of his shoulder to signal her arrival. "Commander. May I speak with you in private?"

"Of course." Shepard motioned Samara into the room where he'd first signed up to be a mercenary to try and hunt down Archangel. As the door closed behind them, the music dropped out and allowed their conversation to be heard without struggles.

Samara didn't beat around the bush. "It is time for me to take my leave. I have a transport waiting at the docks."

Shepard's eyes widened slightly at the initial surprise, but the man quickly moved past it. He figured that Samara would be the first to leave, but still, he wished that it wouldn't be so quickly. "I understand. You have work to be done."

The Asari bowed her head respectfully. "I do. I wish to thank you, Commander. It has been a long time since I worked closely with others. I was uncertain at first. But it has been a memorable experience. When the time comes that you need my services once more, I will return to you. But for now, other matters are at hand."

"Thank you, Samara. For everything." Shepard offered his hand, which Samara took respectfully. "Don't be a stranger."

"To you too, my friend." Samara's smile was warm as she turned and excited the room. It was never going to be a tearful goodbye, that wasn't either of Samara or Shepard's style. It was a relationship built on respect, and thanks to their conversations and meditation, genuine friendship.

Shepard took a seat in the now empty room, the party continuing on the other side of the doors. He needed a moment of silent to reflect. The doors opened, interrupting that opportunity. But considering who stepped through the door, he didn't mind in the slightest.

Shepard smiled broadly. "Hey you."

Miranda matched his smile. She was carrying two drinks. Shepard assumed one was for him. "Hey. You okay?"

Shepard nodded as she sat down beside him, accepting the offered drink. It was warm on his throat, but kind of fruity too. "Yeah. Samara's gone."

"I saw her leave, I thought as much." Miranda sipped her drink. "I expect she won't be the last."

"Probably not. At some point we should come up with a list of-" Shepard paused, a wry smile forming on his features. "You've already done that, haven't you."

Miranda simply sipped her drink, but couldn't hide the accomplished smile on her face.

Shepard shook his head lightly, grinning as he did so. "I should have expected that."

"It's good that you asked though, Commander. Means you're on your game."

"It's easy to be on my game when I have an XO like you."

Miranda clinked her glass to Shepard's. "I'll drink to that."

The two sat silently, comfortably, by one another.

Shepard broke the silence. "We'll sort it all out tomorrow."

"Mmhm." Miranda agreed. "Tonight we all deserve this." She turned to Shepard and poked him lightly on the chest. "Especially you." Miranda finished her drink and lowered the glass to one of the small tables. "So. This is what I suggest."

"Lock the door and we'll go right here, right now?" Shepard teased.

Miranda paused, actually considering the idea. She quickly shook her head. "Later. Save that for later. Now? You're taking me dancing."

Shepard grimaced. "I don't think that's a good idea, Miranda. How much have you had to drink?"

"Enough to accept whatever moves you throw in my direction."

"Well, thanks for that display of confidence. Lets go then."

Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Don't be absurd. Not out there. They don't get to see this." She motioned to their surroundings. "Right here."

Shepard laughed warmly. "I don't know whether you're ashamed of my dancing, or trying to stop the crew from seeing yours."

Miranda considered the statement. She shrugged. "Both." A happy grin formed as she pulled Shepard off the chair. "Come on. Show me what you've got."

Shepard begrudgingly got to his feet. "So you're a dancing drunk, eh?"

"I'm not drunk. Just happy."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

Even tipsy, Miranda quickly seemed to realize how bad Shepard's dance moves actually were. She tapped him lightly on the chest and gave the man a quick kiss. "Okay. That's enough of that. Lets get back before someone breaks something we don't have enough to pay for."

"Probably a good idea." Shepard took Miranda's hand as they stepped out back onto the main floor of Afterlife. Tali and Jack were now dancing on the bar. Grunt was still on the dance floor.

The krogan was breakdancing.

Miranda shot a glance to Shepard. All the Spectre could do was shrug.

He glanced around Afterlife and once again spotted Jacob and Kasumi making out in one of the corners. He nodded to Miranda in their direction. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but didn't make a comment on the situation as they climbed the stairs and made their way towards Garrus' table.

Shepard leaned in closely to Miranda. "I'll be back in a minute. Just going to hit the head."

Miranda quickly kissed the man on the lips. "Hurry back."

"Yes ma'am." Shepard mock saluted as he set off towards the restroom. Miranda joined Garrus, taking a seat that interrupted his story of Shepard using the cain.

"Ah, Miranda. Having a good time?"

Miranda nodded. "Yes I am. You?"

"Indeed." Garrus raised his glass. "Though the last time we saved the universe, somebody got us cake. I'm not sure if it was the Alliance, or the Council, but somebody did. Both kinds too, so none of us were left out."

"Shit, I haven't had a good food fight for ages." Jack muttered out loud as she joined them at the table, with Tali not far behind her.

"That was goo.. gooood cake, mm, yum." Tali nodded as she dropped into a seat. "Gooooood cake."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "It's my fault, shoot me."

"Can I?" Jack said, excitedly. "Relax. I'm just kidding." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Sort of."

Miranda chose to ignore her comment as Tali continued to wax lyrically about the cake. "Gooooooood.. juicy, gooood cake."

Garrus looked towards the empty seat next to Miranda. "You lost him?"

"He's in the bathroom."

Jack sneered. "Yeah right. He's probably got lost on the way and is now saving an old lady who had her bag stolen."

"Or!" Tali exclaimed excitedly. "He's rescuing a varren from a tree!"

"Probably both." Garrus pondered out loud. "This is Shepard after all."

Miranda couldn't disagree. The man did love to make a save.

Minutes passed as Tali continued to talk about the cake they once had, going into great detail about it's texture and colour. Garrus simply nodded along, remembering. Miranda checked her omni-tool. Shepard had been gone for almost ten minutes now. Likelihood is he'd been distracted by someone talking his ear off. Miranda glanced around the club, looking for the SPECTRE. She couldn't spot him. Glancing up to the balcony area, again, he was missing in action. Finally she looked towards Aria. The asari was alone.

Miranda frowned, opening her omni-tool.

"Don't threat it, he's fine." Garrus reassured her.

"Yeah, I know." Miranda let out a sigh. Despite the alcohol flowing through all of them, she didn't forget how high tensions were, what a delicate situation they were truly in.

"Tell you what. You take it easy here, have another drink. I'll go find him and bring him back, okay?" Garrus stood from the table.

Miranda smiled up at the turian genuinely. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem. I'll be back before you know it."

"Lost your boy-toy?" Jack sneered from across the table.

"Quiet, child." Miranda narrowed her eyes at the biotic.

The convict laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Don't forget our little arrangement. When tonight's said and done, we've got something to settle."

"I haven't forgotten."

Tali tutted. "Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies. Stooop. There's no need for that now, is there? I mean, we are all on the same team, team of the same. You know we like to.. save the day! So save the day! Okay?"

Jack and Miranda glanced at Tali. "What?" They both answered together, annoying themselves in the process.

"Exactly! Teamwork!" Tali shouted. Somewhere behind them on the dance floor, Grunt yelled in agreement.

Miranda's omni-tool pinged, allowing her to move away from the drunk as a skunk quarian engineer. It was a message from Garrus. It simply read;

Normandy's dock.

Miranda set off, getting a shrug from Jack in the process as she made her way through Afterlife's doors. She skipped down the stairs passed the security who were still turning people away from trying to get into the club.

It wasn't a long trip from Afterlife to the docking bay, but Miranda wished she hadn't drunk so much. Her mind was clearing rapidly, becoming focused, but her legs didn't move to their optimal capacity.

She rounded the corner and found Garrus standing, staring at her. "Miranda."

"Where is he?" Miranda asked.

"I haven't found him." He motioned to his left. "I think I know why"

Miranda stared at his hand before turning and focussing on what Garrus was pointing at. Or rather, the lack of it.

The SSV Normandy SR2 was gone.

Miranda blinked. It felt like an illusion. But it was reality. The warship was gone. The outsourced team that were working on it were nowhere to be found.

She quickly opened her omni-tool and immediately sent a call request towards Shepard. Moments passed before they heard light bleeping. Following the sound led them away from the docking bay to a small ally-way. There were no lights so Garrus quickly shone light from his own omni-tool as they chased the sound they were looking for.

The bodies of the engineers and service team lay scattered on the floor. Each body had a sole gunshot wound square between the eyes.

In the middle of the bodies lay a bleeping omni-tool that belonged to John Shepard.

Miranda cut the call as she picked up the tool, turning straight towards Garrus. The turians detective mind was at work instantly.

"We need to inform Aria."

Miranda grasped Shepard's omni-tool tightly.

Where are you, John?