It took nearly three hours to find all the parts Garrus needed to fix the Mako. They had to travel around all five of the wards. Shepard hadn't been a fan of shopping before this experience. She was even less of one now.

Garrus had taken some of the men from engineering and together they were hauling everything back to the Normandy. Shepard had parted company with him there and headed up to see Anderson.

She headed first to the embassy, but he wasn't there.

Not sure where else to look, she headed for the tower.

"Shepard."

She turned and saw Liara and Tali walking around the Presidium.

"Ladies," she greeted them with a smile. "How are we doing?"

"Good," Tali responded brightly.

"We are doing very well," Liara agreed. "It is good to be amongst the living again."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh Goddess," she whispered. "I've done it again. I meant to say that it is pleasant to be around people instead of bones."

"Still creepy, but better," Shepard said with a laugh.

Liara flushed a deep shade of purple which both Tali and Shepard pretended not to see.

"So did you and Garrus find everything?" Tali asked, steering the conversation away from Liara.

"Yeah," she sighed. The three started moving toward an upper level railing that overlooked the fountains below. They stood for a while and the Commander regaled them with the tale of shopping with Garrus.

"I can't imagine a man being so excited about shopping," Tali laughed.

"He delighted in it," she assured them.

For a while after that the women wandered, stopping in various shops, much to Shepard's dismay.

After about half an hour Tali broke off from the group, wanting to go see a used ship dealer on one of the lower wards. Which left the Commander and Liara to wander.

"It's been so long since I have been here," Liara remarked offhandedly.

"You've been to the Citadel before?" Shepard asked.

"Only once. When I was very small."

"How old were you?"

"Forty, I think."

Shepard shook her head. Only forty.

"Why did you come?" She asked.

"My mother."

"Liara, I'm sorry."

"It is fine," she said, cutting the commander off. "It is one of the happier memories I have of her. We came to see Councilor Tevos. She wanted my mother's council on an important matter."

"What matter?"

Liara shrugged. "I'm not sure. My mother left me to play amongst the trees while she spoke to her."

She had slowed to a stop as the memories played in her mind. Asari didn't have the recollection of a drell, but their memories were very sharp.

"Liara," Shepard ventured when the woman remained silent. "About your mother . . ."

She turned and stared the commander down, her purple eyes trying to see into the other woman's very soul. "We're going after her, aren't we?"

Shepard nodded. "As soon as the Mako is up and running and Normandy is ready, we're heading to Noveria."

"Is that where she is?"

She nodded again. "We think so. She was last seen at a research facility there. We're not sure why she's there, but we're gonna find out. I just . . . I wanted you to know."

"Thank you Commander," Liara replied with a sad smile. "I appreciate you being so forward." She sighed and looked around. "I am afraid all the shopping has worn me out. I think I will return to the ship and get some rest."

She started to leave.

Shepard reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Liara . . . she struggled to find words to comfort her. "I know I don't understand, about you and your mom. But if you ever need to talk . . ."

Liara smiled, and her face was completely transformed.

She was beautiful.

"Thank you, Commander. I am not able to talk about her now, but when I am, I will be happy to share my memories with you."

Shepard nodded and watched as she walked away.

Kaidan wondered aimlessly.

He had nothing to do.

Technically he was off today.

Not on shore leave, that would allot him more free time and more freedom with that time.

Today he was just off, unless something terrible came up and then he would need to report in.

So he wandered.

For a while he thought of nothing.

Then he thought of Shepard.

He thought about that small moment of time that morning where he had laid next to her. It had lasted less than a minute, but it was burned into his memory.

It accrued to him that if anyone other than Joker had seen him coming out of her room this morning, he would have been court marshaled. At the very least, kicked off the Normandy.

So he wandered.

He got a few things he needed and picked up the extra parts he needed to fix the broken requisition terminal. He was afraid that people would start to question why it had broken. It just so happened that Dale Hammond, an officer from engineering, had a knack for getting what was needed and was happy to fill in until it was fixed.

"Lieutenant."

Captain Anderson was standing in a doorway he'd just walked past.

It was an unmarked building on the presidium.

Not that it was unusual for a building to not advertise what went on inside.

It was, however, unusual for a captain in the Alliance Navy to be exiting one.

"Captain?" He asked, still examining the building.

Catching his gaze, Anderson quickly shut the door behind him and stepped out onto the walkway.

"Afternoon," he greeted Kaidan brightly. "I heard the Normandy had made port here. I was just on my way to see the Commander. How is she doing?" He had started walking, leading the other man away from the building.

"Uh the ship or the commander?" Kaidan asked, shooting one last glance behind him.

Anderson laughed, a loud and genuine sound. "Both I suppose. Tell me everything."

Anderson spent the next twenty minutes walking and conversing with Alenko. The man had a good grasp of how well the ship and the mission were going, but he did seem to get slightly flustered when every Shepard was brought up.

At first he assumed it was an admiration thing. But the longer they spoke, the more concerned he became about it.

They came to a stop just outside the human embassy.

"So tell me," Anderson asked. "Shepard, how is she doing, really? I worry about that girl like she was my own."

Kaidan baulked.

Anderson sighed.

"She's doing as well as she can," he struggled to explain. "She doesn't sleep very well."

Anderson nodded, his concern about Alenko being quickly replaced by his worry for Shepard's wellbeing.

"When I first found her on that dirty street in Chicago, she didn't sleep for weeks. And when she did sleep, the slightest sound would wake her. You couldn't even breathe in the same room without her eyes snapping open, full alert."

Kaidan nodded, not sure what else to say.

"It took a long time for her to trust in the Alliance enough to sleep soundly. Then, after the blitz, it was like square one all over again. I think it wasn't until after she passed the test for N7 that she finally got a good night's sleep."

"She thinks it was the beacon," Kaidan offered. "That it triggered the nightmares she used to have about the blitz."

Anderson nodded.

"Alenko I don't think I need to tell you how important the Commander is, not just to the Alliance, but to me personally."

"No, sir."

"Then I know that when I tell you, to take care of her, you will do that in a professional manner. Professional and in accordance with all Alliance rules and regulations. Correct?"

Kaidan looked away. "Yes, sir."

"Good," he replied, patting the young man on the shoulder. "Now how about we find Shepard and have some dinner? I have a few things I'd like to discuss with the both of you."

Not sure he could think of worse table to be at, Kaidan nodded and let the Captain lead him away.

Shepard jogged down the stairs, admiring the cherry blossom trees as she went.

She had searched the entire council chamber, and she still couldn't find Anderson.

At the bottom of the steps she stopped and looked around. Knowing she couldn't search the entire Citadel, she decided to leave him a message. She could ask him to meet her at the Normandy whenever he got a free moment.

The sound of arguing caught her attention.

"No. I'm waiting to speak with one of the Councilor's assistants." A man in an Alliance uniform was at a communications terminal yelling very heatedly at another man on the screen.

When he saw her, he ended the call and turned to face her.

She noted the stripes on his uniform, he was an admiral. She could also see grey hair and deep set worry lines around his eyes and mouth.

"Congratulations on becoming the first human Spectre, Commander," he said greeting her. "I'm certain you'll be up to the challenge."

"I appreciate that," she said, shaking his hand.

"My name is Admiral Kahoku. It's about time the Alliance got one of our own in with the specters. We need people like you to deal with our . . . problems." The way he said the last word, he clearly had a specific problem in mind.

"Is something wrong, Admiral?" She asked.

"I'm getting stonewalled by bureaucratic assholes," he said with a shrug. "Nothing new." He looked hard at her for a moment. "Maybe you can help me Shepard. One of my recon teams was investigating some strange activity out in the Traverse.

"We lost contact yesterday. Now I can't get clearance to check it out . . . suddenly it's a restricted area. But that doesn't apply to you, Shepard. Spectres can go anywhere they want. You could find out why my team dropped out of contact."

She nodded, not liking the way a lost team of marines sounded. "I'll find them, Admiral."

"I appreciate that, Commander," he said with a deep sigh. He looked like some weight had been lifted off him. "I was running out of options. I'm going to stay here, see if I can find anything out through official channels. Won't hold my breath though."

She saluted him and he returned the gesture.

"Oh and Commander," he called, after she had turned to leave.

"Yes, sir."

"If or when you find something," his voice was little more than a whisper now. "Send it to me privately. I don't want it get tied up in Alliance channels."

She thought about asking why. But he was an Admiral. "Yes, sir," she repeated.

Shepard sighed as the incredibly slow elevator finally came to a stop at the Normandy's hanger. She shifted uncomfortably in her armor. She needed to change out of it and have the shoulders readjusted. Somehow her weight had changed and now the pads pinched.

"Standby shore party. Decontamination in progress," the VI chimed. The scanner swept back and forth, decontaminating her and the air around her. "Logged: The commander officer is aboard. XO Pressley stands relieved."

The doors hissed and slid open.

"Commander?" Joker called from the bridge.

She turned and headed onto the bridge. "Yeah?"

"Kaidan was looking for you."

She felt the blood drain from her face. "Was he?"

Joker almost laughed when he saw the look on her face. "Yeah, he and Captain Anderson called looking for you."

"Anderson called too?" She was suddenly very worried.

"Something about dinner I think."

"Dinner? With both of them?"

Now Joker did laugh. "That's what they said."

"I think I might be sick," she muttered sinking into the seat next to him.

"You might wanna do something about that green on your face," he laughed.

"Did they say where?"

"Nope. Only that they were headed here to wait for you."

"Fantastic."

Ten minutes later Shepard was checking her hair in the mirror of her quarters. She had pulled it down from the bun she was rocking earlier and braided it. She had even applied some make up. She wasn't very skilled with it, but she could apply foundation and eyeshadow and even eyeliner.

She stepped back and admired herself.

Hell, she didn't look half bad.

Shepard didn't posses any kind of nice clothes. She had a couple of pairs of jeans, a number of tee-shirts, her fatigues, dress whites, and armor. That was it.

So she had decided to dress in fatigues.

"Commander?" Joker asked over the comm.

"Yea?"

"Lieutenant Alenko and Captain Anderson have just come aboard and are headed your way."

"Fantastic. Thanks Joker."

"Anytime."

Shepard flicked her long braid over her shoulder and hit the button for the door.

"Commander," Anderson greeted her brightly. He and Kaidan were right on the other side of her door. She tried to smile but it came off as more of a grimace.

"Dinner?"

Kaidan stared at Shepard.

Not looked or glanced or gazed.

He full on stared at her.

Her hair was in a braid down her back and she had make up on.

The Commander was beautiful, plain face with no enhancements.

With the make up on . . .

He was speechless.

"Dinner?" He asked stupidly.

It took some convincing, but after a few minutes, Anderson had convinced Shepard to share dinner with him and the Lt. He had wanted to have dinner in the mess hall, something the Captain had missed since leaving the Normandy.

The Commander had shot the idea down immediately.

The last thing she wanted was to have dinner with the former commanding officer on the ship she had recently taken from him. Not to mention the people who would flock to the table to speak with both of them.

They would never get a moment to talk.

And judging by the look on Anderson's face, he had a lot to speak about.

Kaidan had saved the day by suggesting they set a table up at the end of the metal walkway in the docking bay. They would be close enough that the Mess Sargent could still prepare Andersons favorite meal, country fried steak with brown gravy and sausage, but they would be up by the kinetic barrier and away from prying eyes.

A table was brought out and somewhere they had dug up a black tablecloth and real, actual silverware and flatware. They had even produced glass goblets for wine. Where the wine had come from, she had no idea.

Once they were seated and the pleasantries were dispensed with, Shepard got down to business.

"I'm glad to see the Normandy is doing well," the Captain said with a sigh.

"She's an amazing ship," Kaidan agreed.

"So what's going on, sir?" Shepard asked. "I know this isn't a casual visit."

Anderson sighed. "I'm here because of Udina."

"The ambassador?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes. He's been raising quite a stink since you destroyed those ruins to save Dr. T'Soni. And that fact that you have adopted her as part of your crew, he's taken that as a personal insult."

"The doctor is our best chance at getting answers out of Benezia. I wouldn't have taken her onto the ship if I thought she was dangerous," Shepard explained.

"I know you trust her," Anderson said, "And I know better than to question you judgment. But stirring things up with Udina will only make things harder."

"I'm trying to stir things up with anyone," she sighed. Not liking the thought of having to dance around the politicians.

"I know," Anderson sighed. "Regardless, he can make things difficult for all of us if we piss him off."

"I'm sorry, sir," she said seeing his point. Clearly Udina had already become a problem for the Captain.

"Nothing to be sorry for," he said measurably happier. The food arrived shortly after that and the three ate and spoke pleasantly.

"And then she turns to him," Anderson continued, laughing so hard it was hard to understand him. "And he goes flying backwards, over the railing of the ship and straight into the . . . the . . . what was it called?"

Shepard rolled her eyes. "A tranquility pond. And I didn't blast him over the railing. He fell."

Kaidan was laughing so hard he looked like he might die of asphyxiation.

Anderson let out a huge laugh that echoed off the walls of the docking bay and bounced around the Normandy. "You let off a biotic display so tall it nearly toppled the statue of you!"

"It wasn't even that bad," she tried to protest.

"Then he splashes into the water and nearly drowns!"

"Drowns?" Kaidan managed between gasps of laughter. "How . . . how did he almost drown in a pond?"

Anderson roared with laughter again. "That's the best part, he couldn't swim! He started flailing around gasping for air."

"Why are we telling this story?" Shepard demanded, not enjoying being this embarrassed in front of a new crew member.

"Shepard had to jump over the railing and haul his ass out!" Anderson continued, ignoring Shepard's protests. "She hauled him out of the water like he was a screaming baby! I've never seen the Admiral so red in all my life!"

Both the Captain and the Lieutenant completely dissolved into fits of laughter. As annoying as they were, laughing at one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, the longer they laughed, the more infectious it became. Soon she was fighting back laughter herself.

"You two are both insufferable," she grumbled, her face cracking.

"Ahh, it was a great day," Anderson sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. His omnitool began ring and at once his face fell. "That'll be Udina," he sighed. "And look at the time; we've been here almost four hours."

He stood up and dusted himself off. Shepard stood as well and yawned as she stretched. When she looked back Anderson was staring at her, clearly concerned.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine," she said.

"I hear you're not sleeping," Anderson countered.

Shepard colored up to the roots of her hair and turned to Kaidan.

He turned very pale and looked away.

"I am sleeping," she insisted. "I'm just . . . adjusting."

"Jennifer," he said warningly.

"I'm not lying," she insisted. "I promise if there was something to tell, I would tell you."

Anderson nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. He worried about her so much. But he knew he couldn't baby her.

"Just be careful," he said at last.

She nodded, "I will."

"Commander?" Joker's voice came through her omnitool.

"Go ahead."

"Hey we're having a bit of an issue in the Cargo bay."

"What kind of issue?" Anderson raised an eyebrow and started talking quietly to Kaidan.

"Apparently Garrus has taken over the area to repair the Mako. And by the way why aren't we just putting in for a new one? You pretty much totaled that one."

Anderson made a face at her.

She raised her hand signaling that she needed a minute. "Joker," she said, trying to stop his talking.

"Seriously, Commander," he continued, oblivious to her attempts to stop him. "I heard the left side fell off when you guys got it back in . . ."

Shepard switched the comm off.

"Jennifer," Anderson said again, less fatherly and more like a commander.

"I should go check on this," she said quickly. "If you'll excuse me." She turned on a heel and disappeared toward the ship faster than Kaidan though possible without running.

Once she was out of ear shot, Anderson rounded on the LT.

"The left side fell off?"

Kaidan sighed and explained to the Captain as much as he could what had happened during the rescue of Liara. He knew all of the information was in his official report, and if the Captain really wanted to, he could have looked it up and seen what had happened. The fact he was asking Kaidan directly made him very nervous.

"When we got the Mako back onboard we did lose the door trying to get out," he finished.

Anderson stopped pacing and sank down into his chair again. He looked exhausted, the lines on his face seemed more deeply etched than they had at the beginning of the dinner. In the space of the few minutes it took to relay the story, Anderson seemed to have aged years.

"Sir . . ." Kaidan started.

"Thank you for your report, Alenko." His omnitool rang again. He switched it off and stood. "Watch out for her," he said as he walked past LT. "She doesn't know her own limits."

"I'll take care of her," he replied earnestly.

Anderson regarded the man again, this time seeing the emotions he had been concerned about before. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder and nodded, not sure what else to say. Then he headed back to the elevator and departed.

By the time Shepard had sorted through the mess with Garrus and all of his supplies in the cargo bay, and gotten everything cleaned up from dinner, she was exhausted. She went around and made sure everything was set for the night, and then collapsed into bed, not bothering to change or take the makeup off her face.

Shepard was up and going early. No dreams or nightmares had plagued her sleep. Being fully rested she was able to get the crew up and going before a lot of the traffic.

"How's it looking Joker?" She asked, stepping onto the bridge.

"Looks good," he replied, working all the controls. "Do we have a destination?"

She nodded. "Horsehead Nebula, Pax system, Noveria."

"Noveria?"

Shepard nodded again. "We're going after Benezia."