Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay. School is merciless.

On a different note, I watched Paragon Lost. It wasn't bad. It fleshed out Vega nicely and gave a great back story to Fehl Prime. However, it didn't do a very good job of making me care about the characters other than Vega. Still, I highly recommend it.

Chapter Twenty One: Rosebud

"How's Shepard?"

"He's fine, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, it's hard to tell. He doesn't talk much. He doesn't really do anything, actually," Miranda said.

"I know that tone of voice," The Illusive Man replied.

"I don't know how else to say it, he's dull. He lacks any remarkable personality traits. It's almost as if we-"

"-Didn't revive the right person?" The Illusive Man finished.

"Exactly."

"What were you expecting, Miranda? His whole world is upside down. There's a lot of pain involved with cybernetics."

"I've studied him for years now. I expected him to do whatever he wanted, when he pleased. I thought he'd be a little crazy, entirely oblivious to most of his actions and his effect on people. I thought the crew would adore him and that they would be astonished by how personable he'd be. I thought I'd get enraged by his lack of professionalism. The jokes, specifically," Miranda fumed.

"You've got to give him time, Miranda. Think about things from his perspective. Would you be one hundred percent if you found out all your friends were scattered around the galaxy? How would you feel if you missed out on two years of your life?" The Illusive Man asked calmly. He took a long drag from his cigar.

Miranda nodded. He had a point. Still, she expected more from Shepard.

"Is there anything that has gotten a response out of Shepard? A phrase, a picture. A person?" The Illusive Man said.

"Mordin Solus seemed to perk him up."

"Good. Start there."

…

"Aria is...interesting," Jacob said, breaking the silence between the three, "I find her oddly compelling. Kind of like you, Commander. You know, if you were more evil and prone to controlling rundown space stations."

"What do you think, Shepard?" Miranda asked. Colt was so fucking tired of her trying to coax him into talking. Didn't she get it? Didn't any of them get it? Cerberus, or anyone affiliated with the organization, was not his friend.

"She would be a formidable enemy for sure. I wouldn't want to piss her off," he said blandly. His words shut down further conversation.

The even, steady clink of his boots pounding into Omega's disgusting floor was the only thing Colt could focus on without needing to puke. If he let his senses roam, they quickly overwhelmed him. Conversations from twenty feet away blared in his ears so loudly, his head spun. Any lights, even just simple, everyday lights, seared his eyes. The piercing pink lights in Aria's Afterlife almost made him pass out. What the fuck did Cerberus do to him?

"Commander, what are your orders?" Miranda said from behind him. Shepard stopped and turned towards his two companions. His skin started to crawl as soon as he made eye contact with Miranda. What a fucking snake.

"We're going in for another recruit. Someone called Archangel," Shepard said.

Miranda and Jacob nodded their heads approvingly.

It wasn't really fair that he neglected to tell them about his plans. But there was no fucking way he was going to let any Cerberus agent understand his thought process. Trusting them was a death sentence.

"Now that we're on the same page, let's head out. Follow me," Colt said. He turned back around and strode towards an alleyway. Archangel was hiding out in one of the better parts of this Omega-a plague infected, poverty stricken shit stain.

Colt looked at each and every passing stranger. Hopefully one would take it as a challenge and want to fight. He needed a good, ole' fashioned fist fight.

A passing Krogan made direct eye contact with Colt and pulled his lips back into a growl. Shepard tensed up and let his biotics flitter across the top of his skin. The Krogan started to slow, his eyes flashing. A wriggling form in the Krogan's hands caught both his and Shepard's attention. The Krogan looked down, then turned away from the Commander.

"Uhhh, guys, was that a varren?" Shepard asked, stopping his rapid approach to the plague area. Instead, he turned to scan the pathway of the rapidly disappearing Krogan.

"I believe so," Miranda said, "Varren are pretty common on Omega, almost as common as misery and venereal diseases."

Did Miranda actually try to use humor? What the hell. Next, Jacob might actually find a personality.

"Let's go check it out," Shepard said quickly. He followed the Krogan closely, hoping to hear what he was saying.

"Yes, she just gave birth. Just one pup and one hell of a runt," the Krogan roared over his omni-tool, "I'm going to drown the thing. No use for a small Varren - can't even eat it!"

Colt heard enough. He stepped up right behind the Krogan and tapped the brute's shoulder. As soon as the Krogan turned to face him, Shepard announced, "I'll take it."

"Shepard, what the hell are you doing?" Miranda hissed.

"How much?" Shepard asked, looking at the tiny varren.

"Fifty creds, human," the Krogan rumbled. His reptilian eyes gleamed with the chance to make money. Shepard didn't have a problem with this. Truthfully, he had gotten quite a few creds during the hunt for Saren.

"Done," Colt said. He handed over the creds, and the varren was transferred to his arms. The Krogan wasn't lying about it being a runt, but he no way was he going to stand on the sidelines and let the poor thing get drowned.

The Krogan counted the money, and nodded at Colt once he was satisfied he hadn't been shorted. He turned and faded into the crowd.

"Have you lost your mind?" Miranda asked. "What the hell are we going to do with a varren?"

Shepard laughed. "I'm not crazy."

Miranda lapsed into disturbing silence.

"We better bring the little thing back to the Normandy. Come on-"

"Do you ever think things through?" Miranda suddenly demanded. She glared at him disapprovingly.

"Not really. Calm down. It's not like I just agreed to a Fornax cover shoot. I just got a damn varren," Colt said.

Miranda's nostrils flared impressively, but she said nothing.

"Like I was saying, we'll just take the varren to Doctor Solus, and then get Archangel," Shepard said. He didn't want to argue about it. "Mordin will probably have a field day figuring out what to feed it and stuff. Very scientific."

"Shepard, Mordin has better things to do, like finding out how to stop the Collector bugs," she said. Admittedly, her point was pretty good. Dammit.

Whatever. He was in charge. Fuck Cerberus. Those pieces of shit brought him back. If anything, they owed him.

"My ship, my rules," Colt growled, "If you have a problem with my decisions, take it up with the Illusive Asshole."

Miranda's eyes blazed and her mouth twitched as she prepared to fire a comeback. The poor woman had no idea that Colt was a bigger bitch and could out douche her on every level.

"You ungrateful son of a bitch," she said.

"That's the thing about bringing back people who just want to be left alone. We tend to be ungrateful. But Cerberus doesn't care about what I want."

Miranda blinked a few times while her jaw worked to find words.

"You never thought of that, did you? You people never do. I was fine, Miranda. I died a hero. And now...," he trailed off. He set his jaw and bit his tongue. He needed to stop being so fucking whiny. "Now, we need to get back to the Normandy."

Miranda and Jacob exchanged a concerned look. No doubt their concern was for their experiment. Which body system was malfunctioning now? Which cybernetic part could piece Commander Shepard back together? Which perfectly vetted companion could bring Colt back to life?

"I want you to know that I don't blame either of you for how Cerberus treats people. It's not easy to see your faults when you're being manipulated," Colt said.

"And how does Cerberus treat people, Commander?" Miranda asked.

"When you were gluing together the slabs of meat labeled 'Commander Shepard' did you ever think to yourself that I was, am, a person deserving of respect? Or did you view me as another notch in your achievement belt? Another science experiment to play with? Tell the truth, now," he said.

Miranda's eyes looked at him closely before she cast them to the ground. Jacob stared at his clasped hands.

"I thought so. Do you wanna know why Cerberus is gonna go down the tubes? It won't be for a while, but it'll happen. It's because you view people as pawns. And as soon as those pawns realize they're just pieces in a game, things will start to decay quickly for you. Fuck with the wrong people and you've got a problem."

He waited for a sharp comeback, but got silence instead. Shepard had made his point. "Let's go," he said. Pup in hand, Shepard turned around and started towards the Normandy.

…

Miranda thought Shepard was the purest Paragon the galaxy had to offer. Sure, he was a little cross with Cerberus, but that was to be expected. The Illusive Man warned her that he would probably be unhappy with the organization at first. He also told her not to say anything back. 'Fuel for the fire' were his exact words.

No other Spectre came close to his stellar record. No innocents killed. No Spectre scandals. Even the council had to grudgingly admit that they had stumbled upon a person, a human no less, that upheld everything a Spectre was supposed to stand for. Despite Miranda's disappointment with his personality, she never questioned his honor or morality. Perhaps it was time to rethink.

Minutes earlier, Jacob, Shepard, and she were speaking to a high ranking Batarian from the Blue Sons while he fixed a gunship. When they were done talking, Shepard calmly walked behind the alien, and shoved some sort of electrical conduit into his back. The Batarian writhed in pain for a few seconds as electricity flowed through him before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Zero emotion crossed Shepard's face. Without a word, he surveyed the scene for a few seconds before turning and heading for Archangel's position.

No doubt the Illusive Man was watching through the cameras attached to all three ground members. Hopefully he would understand Shepard's motivation.

…

Archangel was Garrus Vakarian? Even Cerberus's vast range of information and resources hadn't pointed to this outcome. It made a lot of sense, but Miranda still found herself surprised. That didn't happen a lot.

None of that seemed to matter to Shepard, however. He was grinning madly and she saw the connection that only close friends possessed. Garrus seemed equally pleased with Shepard's sudden appearance.

"Weren't you dead, Shepard?" Garrus asked. He was peering at the Commander quizzically.

"Sure was. Cerberus brought me back, Miranda mostly," Shepard said while gesturing towards her. He smiled warmly at her for a second before turning back. Miranda's hopes lifted.

"I heard some rumors surrounding you. Seems like Liara had something to do with them," Garrus said.

The Commander's body tensed up and his jaw set harshly. An awkward silence blanketed the group. A few moments passed before Shepard said, "Ya, well-"

The telltale noise of a gun ship's engines echoed around their position. A hand grabbed Miranda's shoulder and shoved her down behind a shredded couch.

"Garrus! Take cover!" Shepard bellowed. A moment later, bullets screeched past her position as the gun ship's weapon roared.

When the onslaught of bullets paused, she stuck her head up to fire back. Shepard was walking backwards towards her, dragging something in front of him.

"Save him," The Commander ordered. He deposited an unconscious and bloody Garrus next to her.

"I'll try, Commander."

The look that Shepard gave her made it clear that there would be no trying, only doing.

Shepard gave her one more measured look before running back towards the chaos. Miranda detached the medical kit from her back. She opened the turians mouth only to find ungodly amounts of blood and broken teeth.

…

"How's the varren?"

"Well. Weaned in a week. Have formula ready," Mordin said. He held the tiny creature in his arms.

"What's the sex?" Miranda asked.

"Female."

"Any name ideas?"

"Must talk to Shepard," he said quickly. "Maybe Rosebud," he added.

"That's a good name," Miranda trailed off. It was a strange day when the most normal happening was Mordin Solus cuddling a varren.

"How's Shepard?" Mordin asked suddenly.

"He's set up camp just outside the Med-Bay. He seems pretty torn-up about Garrus. I tried to talk to him, but he just waved me away."

"Least he cares. Garrus?"

"I don't know, honestly. But I do know that if anyone can save him, it's Doctor Chakwas."

…

"Jesus Christ, Garrus. Just slap on the blue finger paints and no one will even realize that you went head-to-head with a fucking rocket," Colt laughed. Was it bad that he really was having a hell of a time telling which side of Garrus's face had been hamburger meat only a few hours ago? Thank God his armour was somewhat damaged on the hit side or Colt would never know.

"All the asari were overlooking you for me. I had to level the playing field somehow."

"Only a true a friend would blow their goddamn face off just so I could have a chance," Colt said. He pretended to wipe away tears.

Garrus started to laugh. "Dammit, Shepard. Don't make me laugh. My face is being held together with some determined crafting putty and merch tears."

"I know the feeling," Shepard said while gesturing to the scars crisscrossing his face.

"Speaking of which...Cerberus?"

Colt looked around suspiciously. He wanted to talk to Garrus openly and honestly about the situation but they were always listening. "EDI, go into privacy mode please," Shepard said.

"Yes, Commander."

Garrus waited a moment before asking, "Do you really think that does anything?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm," Garrus hummed.

"Oh well. They already know what I'm about to tell you. They know I don't have a choice. I'm shackled here. And believe me when I say that I hate it more than anyone. The Alliance cut ties with me. My Spectre status has been revoked. I have nowhere to go," he admitted.

"The Alliance cut ties?" Garrus sounded surprised, "Aren't you their wonder child? I didn't think you could do anything wrong."

"They haven't formally cut ties. But Anderson told me that I'd be receiving zero help from them."

"I don't even know what to say," the turian said. He shook his head. "How could they do this to you?"

"I wish I knew. I thought they were going to take me back. I mean, why wouldn't they? But they aren't and now I'm fucked."

"It doesn't help that the council is being a bunch of assholes about your Spectre status."

"At least that isn't surprising," Colt rolled his eyes, "But I actually will be getting my status back. Tevos told me that it would take a few weeks to get reinstated but that she'll get it done."

"Do you believe her?"

"Ya," Colt said, "Even the council recognizes that I'm a damn good Spectre. Plus, Tevos and I go way back." He smiled at how true his statement was.

"I'm sure you do," Garrus laughed. He nudged Shepard's shoulder and flared his mandibles.

Shepard laughed before saying, "Anyways, that's where I'm at. How have you been for...two years?"

"Oh, you know. Fine. Traveled a lot. Became a vigilante. Killed lots of baddies of Omega. Got new armor. Which, by the way, is scratched now."

"Just scratched, huh?" Colt asked, eyeing the gaping hole in the neck guard.

"It'll buff right out."

Shepard started cracking up. It was good to have Garrus back. "Man, I missed you," he admitted.

"I missed you too, buddy. I missed you, too," Garrus said while giving Colt a hearty pat on the shoulder. The two lapsed into comfortable silence. Shepard forgot what it was like to just shut the fuck up and enjoy another's presence. The Cerberus henchmen seemed to think that constant conversation was the key to friendship.

"I hope you have room for one more," Garrus said suddenly.

"Of course. You thinking about joining me again?"

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss running around the galaxy with my arrogant commander for anything. It'll be just like old times. That is, if you're still a cocky asshole."

"Ummm, duh. Cerberus didn't change anything vital."

"Oh good, I was a bit worried. I'm happy to hear that some things never change," the turian said, "Have you heard anything from anyone else?"

"Nothing. All I know is that Liara's on Illium. That's it."

"How long have you been," the turian clicked his mandibles against his face, "alive? Revived, maybe? What do you call it?"

"Revived, I guess. And it's only been about a week and a half since."

"I just think you need to give everyone time. It's quite a shock, even for me, to see you alive and well."

"Ya, I guess. I just thought everyone would come back with their arms open. Just like you and Joker," Shepard said.

"Joker?" Garrus asked confusedly.

"Why's that surprising?"

"He was all torn up about you, Shepard. Hell, we all were. But he seemed to be crippled by guilt. No pun intended. I just didn't think he'd come back to flying."

"Hmmm," Colt rumbled. He didn't know this. So much for Cerberus telling him everything. "Make yourself at home, Garrus. I'll send someone to give you a tour of the SR-2. We'll be stopping off at Illium tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Commander."

Colt nodded to the turian before striding to the conference room door. "Oh, one more thing, Garrus," Shepard said. He walked back over and started to undo one of his pockets. He gently pulled out the tiny baby varren before presenting it to Garrus, "Meet Rosebud."