From Ashes
Chapter Eighteen: A Matter Of Time

A/N: After updating so frequently as of late, I feel like I'm slacking off now :) Just finished this after working a good bit on my birthday (7th). Thankfully, I don't feel older, but this story does. I'm amazed I published the beginning of it, or what I thought would be, three years ago. Anyway, enough of my babble. On with chapter eighteen.


"What?"

Garrus had said one thing Shepard had not wanted to hear at the moment. Eyes fixed on the door, she didn't quite know what to feel; angry that it had happened, confused as to how it happened, or concerned in general. All three were battling for a dominant position at once.

"Not sure how it happened, but there was no mistaking it." Garrus confirmed. "It was her."

"And the other one?" Shepard used that as a means of distraction. "Who was the one they brought in with her?"

"Not sure." The turian shrugged. "Didn't get a close enough look. It was an asari commando, but that's all I could see."

"How bad were the burns?"

"Bad enough." Ashley had entered now. Her right hand was bandaged up and she was careful not to move the shoulder on that side as well. "Saw them passing by when Garrus did." She and Shepard shared a look before the chief continued. "Looked like the left side of her face was blasted."

"Wonder how something like that happened." Garrus mused.

"Could have been anything…" Ash muttered. "Console overload, weapon backfire… She and the rest of the council were aboard the Ascension, so the first is more likely."

"Heard from the others?" Shepard continued to distract herself until it was possible to learn more. "Liara, Tali, Wrex?"

"Tali probably got the best of it. She's doing alright." Garrus answered promptly. "Liara wasn't too bad off aside from some scrapes and all."

"Wrex too." Ash quipped. "He was finishing up when I got away."

"Figured I'd drop in and check in on you before I see what I can do to assist C-Sec." Garrus changed the subject. "Those talks we had about spectres and C-Sec really paid off."

"I assume you'll rejoin the force?" Ash guessed.

"Figure I may as well." Garrus admitted. "Thinking about it, if I was to be a spectre and go about things the way I had originally thought, I'd probably be as bad as Saren." He paused on the threshold and added one thing before he left. "I'll drop back by soon."

"Not so sure Saren was all that bad." Shepard admitted as Ash sat down in a chair nearby. "From what I read, he was an ass when it came to relations with humans, but I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Not going soft on him are you, Skipper?"

"I just wonder who he would have been if he hadn't been tied up in all of this."

"Who knows." There was a pause in which a few people walked past the door. Neither really knew what to say to one another. There was still very little to talk about. Still, no one really wanted to be alone at the moment. Finally, Ash settled for the obvious question. "What's going through your mind?"

"Everything that could have gone wrong." Shepard said absently. "Not in my situation; hell, that doesn't matter, but…"

"I figured as much." There was no more time to say anything else. At that point, an asari entered and looked over the datapad that Wiks had left notes on. Turning to Shepard, she got right down to business.

"Padok said that everything else checked out, but there was one thing I wanted to check before you're clear."

"Go ahead." Shepard nodded.

"Not feeling disoriented or anything, are you?"

"No." Shepard shook her head. "Haven't since all of this ended. Should I?"

"Well," The asari preoccupied herself with her omni tool for a moment while she spoke. "There is the possibility your L3 implant is keeping your body from registering it. I'd like to make sure that's not happening."

"By all means." Shepard waited while the asari did a thorough scan of the area where the implant was, but she seemed satisfied at the end of it.

"Looks good; a little rattled, but good. I'll clear you for release, Commander."

"Thank you."

"Thank you." The asari replied back. "For everything you all did. If it hadn't been done, this station would have only been the first thing to be screwed." She headed back out and went to looking over someone else while Ash leaned back in the chair.

"You look satisfied, Williams." Shepard commented.

"It's about time people realized just how serious the situation could have been." Ash explained. "Wish it hadn't come to this, but yeah…"

With clearance from the staff, Shepard was free to leave the crowded ospital with orders to not do anything strenuous and take painkillers when needed. She and Ashley walked out in time to find Liara and Wrex coming toward them. They looked to be bearers of bad news.

"Shepard," Liara began. "I assume you heard."

"I did."

"There's worse news." Liara added. "Captain Anderson is looking for you. He said you two needed to talk about something relating to Alliance brass."

"That's never good." Ash muttered. "Wonder what they want."

"They want an explanation as to why we sacrificed our ships to save the council's flagship." Anderson had joined them now. He was back in full uniform and looked tired. "I've been hoping to avoid this conversation, but it seems like there's no option."

"I gave my reasons." Shepard said bluntly. "I think Liara said it right back in that tower. This is bigger than humanity."

"I know." Anderson lamented. "Still, they want answers from you."

"How many ships were lost?"

"Enough to have them stirred up." Anderson said. "Last report said four."

"That's what this is about." Shepard said bitterly. "I'll meet with them soon. I'm guessing Admiral Mikhailovich has something to do with it?"

"Mmm." Anderson hummed his affirmative.

"Admiral Hackett was the one that gave the final say so." Ashley brought this up. "He gave the order."

"Yet somehow, they still find fault with it." Shepard muttered more to herself than the others. With her next words, she addressed Anderson. "When do they want to go over this?"

"In a few days, once things have started to calm down." Anderson replied. "There is also the matter of Admiral Kahoku's death."

"They are not seriously trying to pin that on me." Shepard frowned as she thought of the situation. "We found his body."

"And you were the last one he spoke to." Anderson added. "I'm not saying you had anything to do with it; just that they'll question you on that as well."

"Guess I'd better prepare myself." Without a word, Shepard turned to leave, but she was stopped before she could reach the exit.

"Commander." It was a turian that addressed her. Dressed in C-Sec blues, he looked ruffled. His facial tattoos were marred by dried blue blood, and there was what looked to be a bullet hole in his uniform. Extending his hand, he shook Shepard's momentarily before getting to his point. "I was asked to pass on a message when I saw you."

"Go ahead." Shepard swallowed the bitterness she had let slip into her tone during the conversation with Anderson and attempted to be more neutral.

"Councilor Sparatus wished to meet with you." At Shepard's raised eyebrow, the turian officer continued. "He said it wasn't council business and that he would meet you in the executor's office at your convenience."

"Thank you." Shepard nodded her thanks as well as saying it before leaving. This was going to be interesting; what could he have to say? Shepard took a look back and saw that Anderson had left; Wrex, Liara, and Ashley were talking amongst themselves nearby. Doubling back, she addressed them in a more normal and slightly apologetic tone. "Next time I blow off like that, can you all promise me something?"

"Sure, Skipper." Ash had a half amused expression. "Want a lecture on how only turians and krogan blow their stack like that?"

"Just remind me to keep my head on." Shepard laughed, and it was an earnest one.

"Hey, I take offense to that." Wrex mock glared at the chief. "Don't insult us by calling that fit turians pitch real anger."

"All we can do is say we'll do our best in regard to reminding you of that." Liara managed with a half smile. "Considering the situations we've been in don't just result in a loss of temper." With the others' nod of agreement, Liara continued. "This is unreal. Not only is the council in your debt, but the Alliance is as well; they repay you by throwing the proverbial book at you."

"Yeah." Ash agreed. "I'm used to the Alliance giving people a black eye every now and again for things out of their control, but this takes the cake. Not only did you put humanity in a better position, you practically gift wrapped Sovereign for them. What do they do? They come in, provide critical support, save the Citadel, and then they turn on you." They had proceeded out of the hospital while Ash had said this, and she finished her statement out on the presidium. "As if Udina stabbing us in the back wasn't bad enough…"

"People betray their own in more ways than one." Wrex mused. "Something my lot have known for a while. Hell, they're still doing it to each other."

"So, what did C-Sec want with you, Shepard?" Garrus rejoined them momentarily while he waited for a few other officers to come back out of the hospital.

"I was told that the turian councilor wanted to see me at my convenience." Shepard stated. "Said he would be in the executor's office."

"Makes sense." Garrus muttered. "Council chambers are still in shambles. That'll be the first thing cleaned up, I'm sure."

"Heading there now?" Ash wondered.

"Figure I may as well." Shepard made her decision on the spot. "I'll assume it isn't official business, otherwise Councilor Valern would be involved."

"If he happens to say anything along the lines of "You were right", or anything like that," Ash joked. "Get it recorded."

Shepard laughed it off with the rest of them and began a slow walk around the presidium toward the embassies. There were many people out and about: C-Sec, assorted military personnel from all races, and civilians that had finally been reunited with loved ones or were out because their homes were being repaired or inspected. Michael and Rebecca, couple that had been arguing over Rebecca's unborn child's medical screenings, were talking quietly on a bench near one of the skycar terminals. Shepard passed the consort's chambers and spotted Nelyna and another asari embracing. A second glance, and Shepard identified her as Saphyria, the receptionist for the embassies.

Upon arriving at the latter asari's place of employment, Shepard took the stairs on the left and headed for Pallin's office. There were people in he lounge ahead, but she paid it no mind. Entering the office, she saw no one at first, but a quick glance off to the upper left revealed the turian councilor leaning against the low wall; looking down on the reservoirs and people below.

"You wanted to see me, Councilor?" Shepard spoke quietly, but she couldn't keep the slight curiosity out of her tone.

"I did." Sparatus did not turn; instead, he allowed his fingers tointerlace and continued to look outside. "There was something I felt we should discuss."

"Alright." She joined him in his gazing, but she kept a sideways eye on him as well; watching his expression.

"She knew about the visions from the beacons." He stated bluntly, and Shepard could see that something about this bothered him; she wasn't sure what.

"She does, yes." Shepard used the present tense, and that got his attention.

"Then she is still alive."

"As far as I know, yes." There it was, the worry creeping into her own tone that made him look up. "I saw them bringing her in, but haven't heard anything."

"How did that come about?" Sparatus blinked once and continued to observe the people below; it seemed he was determined not to meet her eye. "I know that there is only one way that she could be aware of their exact contents."

"It wasn't intended." Shepard started. Not defensively, mind; it was merely the pretense for an explanation. I was in the lounge next door sometime after the council meeting, and there was a group of extremely pro-human activists that came in. They seemed to enjoy insulting the council left right and center, but they didn't recognize her when she walked in." At this, the turian nodded as if hoping she would continue. "I intended to keep it that way. We left for the side balcony to escape them.

"Being protective of the council is not a spectre's responsibility." Sparatus commented.

"I wouldn't subject my worst enemy to those people's remarks." Shepard went on. "As it was, they were insulting everyone's intelligence just by carrying on a general conversation." Getting back to the point, she explained further. "In general conversation between us, the meeting and its contents came up. She said she needed to be sure that she wasn't going to make a mistake by simply doing nothing." Shepard studied him for a moment after that last, and decided to call him on something. "Something tells me you know there's more to it than that."

"Put bluntly, she would not risk her reputation and her position on something like this with someone she didn't know." Sparatus said quietly. "Which leads me to my next question: How many people know?"

"Aside from those involved, only three." Shepard answered. "You and two of my people."

"Then it goes without saying that this should be kept private." Sparatus turned; his dark eyes on her finally. "You will both be under fire soon enough, and something like this will only add to it."

The two stood in silence for a few minutes; both considering the next few days. Shepard had her people to answer to, and that was bad enough, but he had his and the rest of council space to face. That was something that she nadn't really thought about as of late. She had found it hard to fight the council; them not knowing what was really going on. Yes, she had been right, and it seemed they were coming around; or at least two had. He had it worse, though. He had to work with the others to assure the rest of council space that steps were going to be taken. Convincing three people was definitely easier than doing the same with millions. The silence between them edged on, and finally Shepard spoke again; being sure to look him in the eye when she did.

"The path ahead is not going to be an easy one." She began, and it seemed Sparatus was paying more attention as he fully faced her again. "Don't be too hard on yourself based on your decisions." At his slightly confused look, she elaborated. "That goes for the council as a while. You did your job in the best way possible with the information you had; so did I. In the end, what needed to be done was done."

"So it seems." Pausing in thought for a moment, the turian finally asked a question that had been gnawing at him. "What became of him; of Saren?"

"He did the right thing." Shepard answered after a moment. "He was too far gone; Sovereign implanted him to ensure that Saren wouldn't turn on it. He took his own life to keep Sovereign from gaining control of the Citadel."

"Thank you." What sounded like a simple acknowledgement was more than it let on. It seemed a slight weight had been lifted from his shoulders at this news. "I will need to make note of this in my report." Turning to leave the office, Sparatus paused momentarily. "Perhaps I judged your species too quickly, Shepard. It seems we all still have a great deal to learn."

"It would seem so." Shepard nodded.

"If you are to hear anything in regard to her condition,-"

"You'll be the first to know." Shepard assured, and with that, Sparatus left Pallin's office. It wasn't long after he had departed that Shepard decided to do the same.

Leaving word in the ambassador's office as to where she was going, Shepard headed back around the presidium and left through the wards access for C-Sec academy. There was hardly anything that could be done at the moment, and she had no intention of hanging about and being pestered with questions. Also, she didn't want to admit it, but she was rather worn down. A lot was still on her mind, a battle had been won with many casualties, and she was left in the middle of it. Finally reaching the point where she would have to use rapid transit, she summoned a skycar from one of the terminals and directed the driver to where she needed to go. The wards were still heavily monitored, and there was considerable damage; Shepard kept a curious eye out as she went past some of Zakera ward's high spots. When she did finally reach C-Sec academy however, she saw that most of it was still intact. Officers and recruits had set up a mobile command center near its entrance to coordinate repairs and send people to receive medical treatment, should they need it.

Reaching her ship finally, she boarded, acknowledged Pressly and Joker, and headed for her cabin with the single thought of taking one of those painkillers and heading to bed. It wasn't until she actually got there, changed out of her combat fatigues, and dropped back down onto the familiarly hard mattress that she felt the weight of the day's events press down on her. From her neck to her feet, there was simply a dense weight that pressed against her; so much so that it was uncomfortable to just lie there on her back. She shifted positions carefully, so as not to further upset her ribs, and she then pulled the blanket up to her chest and let her head hit the pillow. There, in the cool and very silent cabin, the noise that had been constantly streaming in her head finally started to dull down to a very quiet whisper. It was a nagging sound; like something you couldn't quite hear, but it was enough to drive you mad. Still, it was enough to ket her body sink as far into the mattress as possible, her eyes close, and for Shepard to let sleep take her.


She woke with a nagging headache, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Doctor?" It was a man. "Doctor Chakwas," Kaidan? "I think she's waking up."

"You had us worried there, Shepard." It was Karin Chakwas' voice next. Shepard opened her eyes and slowly started to sit up; she was in the Normandy's medbay. "How are you feeling?"

"What's-" She sat up fully and looked around. It was Kaidan. He was standing there looking at her with concern. Chakwas was there as well. "What's going on? How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" Kaidan's concern doubled as he looked her over. "Eden Prime, the beacon, and Saren?"

"I remember all of that and what came after it." Shepard said as she rubbed her forehead to attempt to relieve the still nagging headache. "The reapers tried to return, and they almost succeded…"

"That was the vision from the beacon, yes." Shepard turned quickly to her left. Though it made her head hurt twice as bad, she had to be sure. It was; Benezia stood nearby with a satisfied expression as she looked the human over.

"What the hell is this…" Shepard looked around the room again. Kaidan, who she knew had perished on Virmire, just looked as serene as ever. Benezia, who had taken her own life as a preventative measure on Noveria, didn't seem surprised. Finally, Anderson came through the door and crossed his arms.

"I think it's time we told the commander what's really going on." He motioned for her to follow, and she left the medbay. They went up and to the right until they reached the cross section where the stairs to the command deck met the lift that led down to engineering. Instead of heading for the stairs, Anderson chose the lift.

"Sir, where-"

"You'll see." He motioned for her to follow again. When they entered the lift and the door closed behind them, it began moving upward instead of down. The square flagged walls of the shaft changed to a smooth steel, and it kept going up. Blinking a few times, Shepard turned to Anderson to be sure that he was seeing it too, but he wasn't there anymore. She also noticed that the door to the lift wasn't the cargo door it used to be. It was a pane of smooth glass.

When it opened, it was dark, and she could just see something in the distance. It looked to be a tall window divided into square panes. Walking forward, she heard the sound of her boots on metal. It was quiet, so they echoed, but she wasn't alone. Someone else was moving about up here. Turning and looking around, she still saw nothing, but the sound of someone else's footfalls got closer. Finally, she saw a pair of eyes that had an eerily familiar glow to them. Activating her omni tool, she used its orange glow to make out the form of someone she least expected.

"I didn't think you were going to make it in time, Shepard."

"You…" It was Saren; his eyes glazed over and pulsing slightly with the implanted reaper technology that slowly lit up his entire face and part of his body. Blue blood stained what armor of his Shepard could see, and she found the source. His right mandible hung loosely from his face; a hole blown into the side of it.

"You've lost, you know that, don't you?" He mocked her as he turned away toward the window again. The path forward slowly became more defined. It was the council chambers as she remembered them last; fires burning in odd plaes, trees dark and scorched, and the geth standing as guards around the upper level. As Saren approached, he beckoned Shepard forward. "They couldn't be stopped; not by the protheans, not by you."

"This is impossible…" She was at a loss for words. Here, she had awakened to this bizarre reality, but it couldn't be… Stepping closer, she saw three figures standing on the council platform. All three had their backs turned to her and Saren as they reached the end of the walkway. "How is this happening?"

"It isn't." It was the combined voices of the council that caught Shepard's attention. All three had not turned from their positions, but they had looked up. "We lived because they allowed it, and we will die because they demand it." Shepard turned to look at Saren, but he too had disappeared. When she returned her focus to the council, shd found that only the asai remained.

"Do you not see it, Commander?" Her tone was cold as she spoke; slowly turning to face her only remaining audience. "It is over; they have won." When she did finally turn completely, Shepard saw a face that had been marred by something. Skin that had been evenly marked by white tattoos was now burned and scarred. Eyes normally varying shades of green and brown were glowing with that same blue as Saren's had. That wasn't all that was different. The view of the icy pink and purple Serpent nebula had become dark, and an angry red light began to fill the room. Shepard stared as the harsh pointed form of Sovereign loomed out of the nebula's natural hues; its firing chamber priming at a very fast rate. When the particle beam was released, it sent a red-white hot beam through the window and tore the structures in its path apart; hittin Shepard and sending her into searing darkness.


Waking with a start, Shepard immediately placed a hand to her ribcage. Clearly that had jostled the bones as they were attempting to set. Looking around, she found herself back in her cabin; door closed, blanket resting in her lap, and her console displaying the time in a gentle blue hue. It was 09:87; half of the day was gone, and she remembered going to bed around 17:50 the previous night. Slowly rising, she stretched a bit and found a fresh set of combat fatigues to change into and headed for the whowers. Shepard was feeling rather stiff and still very much worn ut from the last days. There hadn't been a lot of time to take for relaxation, and she wasn't sure there would be now. Still, there was enough time to take a hot and soothing shower before her day started.

Going through the motions of said shower, Shepard let the hot water simply run down her body. There was something about the feeling that just made her think that possibly, it was washing away aoo that shehad accumulated over her travels. That included burdens, scars, personal grief, and the like. It was a good feeling until it ended, and she was always reminded that they were still with her. Shepard did have to admit that she felt a bit better after stepping out in pressed combat fatigues. It was never a good feeling to come back, get out of armor, and have them either hanging off in varying states of tatter or clinging to one's body due to exertion and sweat. Passing the medbay on her way back to her quarters, Shepard took a second look through the open door; she still couldn't quite shake the dream or nightmare, whatever it eas.

She got everything squared away in her cabin and sat down at the terminal for a moment. There were messages from Anderson, her team (letting her know of their whereabouts), and even the salarian, Wiks, from the hospital. One that caught her eye first however, was from the Kilimanjaro; from her mother. Opening the message, she saw that it had been sent a few hours ago.

I just heard from Admiral Steven Hackett about what has been going on out there. I realize that comms are still going in and out around the station while repairs are underway, but I hope I hear from you soon. There are hard times ahead, but keep your eyes open and head clear. Don't have time to say much else. Duty calls.

Stay safe.

"Funny…" Shepard said quietly as she re-read the message. "She used to worry about Dad and his away missions. Now, she worries about me." Shepard sent out a quick reply stating that she would put a call in later in the evening, when her mother was off duty. She finally closed and archived that message with some of the other correspondence she had received from her mother and even a few messages she still had from her father before she moved on to the other messages. Anderson's was brief; It explained that some of the Alliance brass would want to meet within the next week or so to move forward with whatever they wanted to discuss. It also said that he would be spending some of his time playing liaison between the military and politicians in Udina's office. Most of her team had returned to the ship sometime last night and slept, but their messages had them scattered throughout parts of the Citadel; assisting where they could with relief and repair efforts. Finally, Shepard opened the message from Wiks. The beginning was a simple reminder to make sure to utilize painkillers when needed and not do anything too serious at the moment. The second part was a bit more interesting.

I wonder if I could speak with you at your earliest convenience. There's a patient of mine that, in a brief moment of consciousness, only said your name. I'm nut sure as to why.

Shepard archived the message, locked her terminal, and left her cabin. Stopping by the mess, she filled a mug full of black coffee and prepared a few pieces of toast before sitting down and having a brief breakfast, or whatever she was to call it; seeing as it was nearly midday. Once that was done, she rinsed out the mug, placed it back in her quarters, and headed up to the command deck. Pressly was seated at one of the nearby terminals having a conversation with Adams. Nodding to him, Shepard moved on toward the port-side hatch that led back out onto dock 422. Joker waved and went back to his work on something at the helm while she left the ship and proceeded back down the lift to C-Sec academy. From there, she found the nearest terminal and took a skycar up to the presidium; the hospital being the one thing still really on her mind. Upon arrival, she found it slightly more busy than the day before. While there were some new people coming in sporting injuries, there were more recovering than had been in previous. Seeing the salarian she was looking for, she approached him as he finished up a report on a datapad.

"Ah, Commander." He spoke first. "Good, I hoped I would see you soon." Motioning for her to follow, he spoke in a more businesslike tone. "First, any trouble with those injuries?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Shepard answered. "No real trouble, that is. I did manage to sleep well enough with them in mind."

"Good." Wiks nodded. "Now, about that message I sent."

"That did have me wondering." Shepard admitted.

"Well, I'm sure you heard, either by reporters, wandering eyes, or other sources that the patient that I took on after you was-"

"The councilor, yes." Shepard nodded. "A C-Sec officer that had joined my team noticed as he came by. How is she?"

"That's what I was going to discuss with you." Wiks stopped for a moment to examine a chart that another doctor had asked for a consult on before nodding his approval toward the human who had handed it to him. "Physically, she will recover." He walked on, passing the examination room where Shepard had been the day previous. "Plasma burns are touchy, especially where she got hit, but that's not what I'm most worried about." He turned to face her and continued. "We've decided to use a dermal synthetic overlay to replace the burned skin. That's not an issue. It should heal over very rapidly; seeing as the plasma that actually hit her was a finer mist. What has me most concerned for her physical being is the prospect of optical implants." It was only now that Shepard realized why he was facing her directly now. "Consider:" He took one finger and placed it just below her right shoulder. "The plasma moved from here," He traced a pattern in the air up from her shoulder over the right side of her face, and stopped just above the center of the left eye. "to here in a slight arc. As I said, the skin tissue will heal by means of the overlay. No nerve damage was detected."

"You're concerned with the eyes." Shepard said quietly, and Wiks shook his head.

"Not so much concerned with them. There is no question that they will never naturally work again. There is no question that implants will be necessary."

"Worried about how she'll take it?"

"I'm worried about how she took it." Wiks clarified.

"Wait," Shepard thought for a second. "You're saying she is awake now."

"Oh yes." Wiks nodded. "Awake, on very high doses of a painkiller, and very alert. The reason I say I am worried about how she took it is because when she got the news a few hours ago, it seemed as if she didn't care. She dismissed it; no one does that."

"It probably wasn't dismissal." Shepard mused. "She's probably just numb; everything that's happened… One minute, the Citadel is untouchable and the next, the end of the galaxy as we know it…"

"I considered that possibility as well." Padok conceded. "That brings me to my primary concern; her emotional state."

"Not that I'm not interested, because I am," Shepard stopped him for a moment. "But, why are you telling me this? I'm not a doctor or professional on this sort of thing."

"Well, would you like the blunt reason or the one easier to hear?" Wiks asked in an amused tone.

"Hit me." Shepard opted for the former.

"Well, you're easier to deal with than the politicians, and I have to tell them next." He said with a genuine grin on his normally stern face. "So, consider this a rehearsal."

"Fair enough." Shepard allowed herself a quiet laugh before letting him continue. "So, what about her emotional state are you concerned with?'

"The fact that since she regained full consciousness, she asn't said a word about what happened aboard the Ascension or what happened during the battle as a whole."

"At all?"

"No." Wiks shook his head. "The little she has said has not been about any of it." For a moment he pondered, but he waved his hand. "I could be overthinking this; perhaps it's just initial shock."

"Good to keep an open eye, I suppose." Shepard offered. "But if it is more than just shock; post-traumatic, perhaps?"

"Then I'm afraid it's just a matter of time…"


A/N 2: So here I have to do a bit of teasing. In the next chapter, I'll be advertising another story I'm working on (obviously on hold while I work on this one). You might notice how I pay attention and add very minor characters into this :) Starting work on chapter 19: A Tale of Two Matriarchs.

Cheers!