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Thane was in the middle of a treatment when Shepard knocked on his door, and asked her to come back later. On the way down the hall, she ran into Kolyat.
"Commander Shepard," he said, nodding in that courteous way that was so much like his father's.
"Kolyat. How are you?"
"I am well. And you? How are you faring? We hear of your exploits, of course. Father worries about you a great deal."
"That's funny, because mostly I worry about him."
Kolyat shook his head. "You needn't worry. His course is set. He will end it when it is time."
"I know. I'm used to—" But the helplessness she could admit to Kaidan she could not say to Thane's reserved young son. "Anyway, I know your presence in his life gives him great pleasure."
"As does yours."
Neither of them could think of anything more to say, so he went his way and she went hers.
She found Joker on the Presidium, watching EDI as she shopped. "Is she running into any trouble?" Shepard asked.
"An unshackled AI in the middle of the Presidium?" Joker huffed a laugh. "Surprisingly, none at all. Most people are just ignoring her."
"I suppose they figure she's someone else's problem."
"I guess. Officially, she's my 'mobile assistance mech'. Thanks to Vrolik's syndrome, I'm legally entitled to bring her everywhere."
"Well, that must be handy."
He grinned. "And entertaining."
Thane hadn't called on her comm to indicate his treatment was finished, so she headed for Purgatory to see Aria T'Loak. The asari was still cranky about Omega being stolen out from under her, and she wanted Shepard to drop everything and help her take it back. Shepard couldn't imagine when she would have time, but it didn't do to make Aria angry, and having Omega back as a resource could be valuable, so she said she'd think about it.
While she was there, she ran into Vega, who was at the bar drinking with a bunch of rowdy Marines. By now, Shepard was used to the way loud and raucous turned into quiet and respectful when she appeared, but it made her sad that by the time she reached James's side, all the Marines had drifted away elsewhere out of respect for her.
"Hey, Commander," he said. "Nice to see you down here in the dirt with us grunts."
"You don't think I was a grunt once, too? I know a thing or two about getting dirty."
"Whoa, now, Lola. I didn't mean anything by it."
"What did you mean, then?" she asked, more sharply than she had meant to.
He looked at her, and one of his rare serious moments came over him. "See those Marines over there? None of them officers, just soldiers fighting the war."
They both watched the knot of soldiers for a moment.
"Yeah?" Shepard asked, waiting for his point.
"They've been buying me drinks all night. You know why?"
She wasn't surprised. She suspected James was the life of the party wherever he went.
He didn't wait for a response from her. "Same reason they got all quiet and serious when you walked in."
Shepard frowned. "I don't buy it. After all, you don't seem intimidated by me in the least. Matter of fact, you could use a little more deference."
He grinned. "Probably. But I've fought with you. Seen you in action. Don't get me wrong—you're good. Probably one of the best."
"Probably?"
James nodded, his grin widening. "And you fill out a uniform like nobody's business." He cleared his throat. "Just saying."
"Is there a point in my future?"
"It's that I know you're human. Just like me."
"They don't?"
"Nope. Hell, I still remember the day they made you the first human Spectre. I watched it on the vids, just like all of them. I've gotten to know you since, to see the human under the Spectre and the Commander. But to them, you're still larger than life."
Shepard sighed. "I suppose I should expect it. There aren't a hell of a lot of people who have done what I have."
"And now they get to meet you in the flesh." Vega nodded. "You should buy them a round, really impress them."
Why not? Shepard mused. What else were credits for, anyway. She rarely spent hers except on things for the Normandy and her crew. "I like the way you think, Lieutenant."
It was clear from the way his face lit up that he hadn't expected that answer. He lifted his arm and signaled to his erstwhile drinking buddies. "Compadres! Hey! The Commander would like you to have a drink. On her."
The Marines cheered.
James waited until the drinks had been poured and handed around, then held up his glass. "Here's to us!"
One of the Marines saluted with his free hand. "Who's like us?"
"Damn few!" Shepard returned the salute, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Vega did, too. She added the traditional capper, hoping no one noticed how true it was in these times. "And they're all dead!"
The Marines laughed, downing their drinks. One by one they came up and shook her hand and told her how glad they were to have met her, and she reminded them that they were all in this together, and the part they played was critical to the war effort, as was hers. It was one of the nicest moments Shepard had experienced in a long time.
When they had all returned to the dance floor, James leaned on the bar and smiled at her. "Not bad, Lola. Thanks for the drink."
"Thank you, James."
She left him there, feeling the buzz in her collar as Thane called to tell her his treatment was done, and she returned to the hospital.
Thane smiled at her weakly from his bed when she came in, but made no move to rise. "Siha." He coughed a little. "Have you made all your preparations for departure?"
"I have." She kicked off her shoes. "Can I lie down next to you, or is that too much?"
"No, I would quite like that." He lifted an arm to let her tuck herself against his side as she climbed in. "You seem tired, siha."
"I'm fine. Really. It's been a long day, but I've had those before. I'm just glad to be here."
He smiled, his arm closing around her. "As am I."