A week had passed. Shepard was on Rannoch after a particularly taxing set of missions - she'd not only lost the Primarch's son and a very dear friend earlier that week, but another previous member of her team had fallen where the Normandy was currently set down - and she was doing her best to concentrate on her mission reports. There were only so many ways she could put the deaths of these three souls to record. They'd all given themselves willingly for a greater purpose, saving millions in their wake. But the price had been too excruciating. Shepard had held it together well until Liara had messaged her a few days later to stop by her office. She'd figured Shepard would assume the task of add the two names to the wall. But rather than do it on her own, she'd gone in search of Tali to see if she would do the honor alongside her. It would be symbolic for her to add Legion's name, representing the newly established peace between the geth and the quarians, but that wasn't her true motive. She would be lucky if she could stand to pass by the wall these days without shedding a tear, let alone keep it together in front of the Normandy crew and say her farewell.

For a moment, she'd been lost to the wave of emotion that had overcome her as her finger traced down the first letter on the plaque. "Mordin Solus" was now a name immortalized in tinted navy steel, but she couldn't deny the poignancy with which it rang in her memories. The brilliant salarian scientist had met his end at his own terms. That should have comforted her some. Stepping back to watch as her quarian comrade hung Legion's name on the opposite side of the memorial, the hairs on the back of her neck had stood on end. With each name added, each death, each life snatched from her, each friend gone... Shepard began to understand what Legion had meant about his consciousness, his world dimming with every geth lost. The same thing was happening to her world, one loved one at a time.

It was in this state of mind that her omni-tool chirped to life, signaling an urgent call coming in. Wearily, she tossed the half-written report onto the countertop and situated herself before hitting receive.

"Shepard."

"Bray?" She recognized the Batarian instantly. He'd been Aria's right-hand man during their retake operation. "I thought you didn't get the crap details."

"No time for jokes, Shepard," he responded grimly. "We've got a situation."

"Cerberus?" she questioned automatically.

"We're not sure," he admitted. "Looks like someone snuck into one of Aria's conference rooms and set up a surveillance bug. We're working on tracing the source, but they were clever. Sent us on a false trail and tried to pin the blame on someone else until our tech's located the secondary network feed."

"Where did the false trail transfer to?"

"Your private terminal."

Lovely. "I somehow got feed of Aria's meetings without even knowing about it?"

"That's what caught our guys' eye: there was no trace of any data sent or received during the times of some of the meetings. You would've had to have been logged into the terminal in order to access the footage, and the timestamps show the terminal was in sleep mode. That's when we dug deeper."

While he spoke, she quickly ran a full scan of her terminal. "It doesn't show any incoming feed from the Omega system since the call I placed to Aria after the ceremony. Here, take a look for yourself," she offered, sending him the signatures of all non-classified Alliance calls.

"Appreciate it, Shepard, but you and I know that someone could have wiped it clean between whenever the feed was last transferred and now."

"How did they get the signature off of my terminal anyway?" Shepard leaned forward; the encryption on her signature ranked with that of the Council itself. Cerberus had seen to it, and when the Normandy had fallen into the Alliance's hands, they'd kept the feature intact. The question irked her: was there a traitor on her ship?

"Does anyone else have access to that terminal?" Bray shrugged.

"No. Not directly, anyway. I'll see what I can dig up. And Aria? Is she alright?" she pressed.

"Let's just say she's safe. Don't want to say too much on a live channel."

Shepard nodded. "I'll be there this time tomorrow."

Bray signaled to end the transmission and her screen faded, but she was already up and moving. She'd hand the reports off to Traynor and tell her to fill in the blanks. There were more pressing issues at the moment.

The elevator doors revealed another figure that she nearly knocked over in her haste. Starting, she retreated a few steps as Garrus came into view.

"Bad time?" he hummed.

She couldn't resist the smile that crept up one side of her mouth, only a moment's indecision delaying her before she beckoned him inside her quarters. "I guess I could spare a minute. What's up?"

"Just thought you could use some company. Though, judging by your urgency, I'd say you've already got a hot date?"

"Sure do," she said sardonically, dumping herself onto the edge of her bed. "Destiny calls, and I come a'running."

"Who needs saving now?"

"We need to head back to Omega. Seems Aria's having some trouble with trespassers."

Garrus inclined his head, speaking to the cavernous room. "Did you get that, EDI?"

"Affirmative. I will tell Jeff to plot a course."

"No," Shepard called. "I want to say goodbye to Tali before we go."

"Shepard," Garrus said gently, finally coming to join her on the beside. His claw-like hand, so warm and welcome despite its harsh appearance, curled around her shoulder. "Judging by the state of your desk and your bed lacking the same quality, I'd dare to guess that you've been too busy to sleep, let alone take a breather to hear the good news. Tali's been down in Engineering for a few hours now. She asked me to keep an eye on the lift, to see when you were coming down for a break, so she could tell you she'd gotten the Admiral's go-ahead."

"She can come?" she muttered.

"You don't seem too happy about it." Garrus eyed her closely, searching for who knows what.

"I am, just - why didn't she send me a message or something?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "We all know you're overtaxed, Shepard. She figured you were busy."

The sag in her shoulders forced air between her teeth, the low whistle sounding foreign to her ears. "EDI. Please tell Joker to set the course."

"Yes, Shepard."

"Thank you," she murmured weakly.

"I've also sent word to Dr. Chakwas. She will be expecting you after your visit to Engineering."

Shepard's head snapped up. "And why would you do that?"

"Signs of over-stimulation and fatigue warrant a trip to the Med Bay. Garrus was correct in his assertions: the crew have voiced their concern for your well-being on several occasions. It will do more good than harm to be thoroughly examined."

Exaggerating the cock of her eyebrow she aimed at turian beside her, she let a pause linger in the air before she replied. "Thank you, EDI. But I think my schedule just filled up for the day; no more surprises, ok?"

"If you say so, Commander."

She forced a guffaw, leaning into her knees as she made to stand, but the grip on her shoulder drew her back. Turning back to its owner, her forehead scrunched in concern. Seeing the same look roughly translated on a face that didn't have the facial structure nor organs necessary to properly mimic the expression, she allowed herself to be guided back against his chest, keeping her eyes trained on his.

"I think," the words slid into her ear tantalizingly slow and smooth, "that you need to take a breather before you take off again."

"You can take up as much of my time as you want." Her oath, while quiet and tender, was strained with the weight of all she was abandoning for this one, peaceful moment.

He leaned back, taking Shepard with him as their backs met the quilt of her comforter. A few minutes had passed before either of them spoke again, and she felt noticeably lighter than she had before Garrus had walked through her door. It was a talent of his, making her feel so at ease. She partially chalked it up to that velvet set of voice boxes he possessed, but knew that another answer, having nothing to do with anatomy, was the culprit.

"This is probably the last thing you want to hear," Garrus' sub-harmonics broke the silence. "But before you approached me that first time, you know, about... relieving tension, I'd honestly considered trying my luck with Tali."

Perching herself on her elbow, Shepard's raven eyelashes fluttered in surprise as she surveyed the hesitation written across her lover's features. She lightly traced the edge of his mandible, earning her a responding quiver underneath the pads of her fingertips. "Really?" Her coo was light and curious; she wasn't angry or threatened by the revelation, since he'd phrased it as more of a statement than a confession.

"She seemed so much more approachable," he continued, putting emphasis on the last word. "You on the other hand - I mean, I was interested, don't get me wrong, but how was I supposed to walk up to Commander Shepard and-"

"You'd been on my team before," she scolded whilst jabbing his rib cage with the point of her elbow. "You knew all there was to that was some dogma about being the first human spectre, the one who led the team to stop Saren and the geth, the stuff that looks great on paper but was hell at the time."

"Saved the Council and won the Battle of the Citadel. Yeah, I know the official report. But there's more to it than that. You don't realize it Shepard, but you have a certain aura about you. It says 'don't mess with me or you'll be varren meat by the time I'm through.' And the thing is, you do: you've got the service record, medals, and a crew who've seen you accomplish it all to prove it. For such high standards, the company you keep have to maintain their own set of staples. Sure, we contribute when we can, but we're still just background noise."

Sadness pooled in the lush green pupils of her tight eyes, consternation making her worry lines more prominent than usual. "You're an awfully bad liar, Vakarian. Without you guys, none of what I've accomplished would've been possible. Sure, I'm the spearhead of the team, and I accept the responsibilities that go along with that position. But you guys are the heart of this crew. The way you compliment each other's talents on and off the battlefield is something that no one person can make up for. You, Tali, Liara, all of you are the best of the best. I'm lucky to have you."

Receded talons reached up smooth away a frown line. "And that's why you're the commander. You drill it in our heads that we can do the impossible so much that we actually start to believe it." His sharp, hawk-like eyes were cool steel, so similar and yet so different from the pair that had rushed her earlier that week, blurred from her focus as he drew her mouth to his in a chaste kiss. "You're the glue, Shepard," he continued softly. "We all fell apart when you were gone; we all found our way back when you were there to make it happen. We're nothing without you."

"You're all incredible in your own rights," she chided. "Garrus, if it weren't for me you'd probably be in control of your own squad by now - and no, I don't mean that 'token task-force' the turian government lent you to play with. You have exceptional leadership skills, and you've proven yourself when we went through the Omega 4 Relay. You headed the second team, brought every single one of them back alive, and I couldn't have been more proud of you. I hope one day you accomplish all that I've hindered these past few years. And that goes for each and every one of you; you'd be in incredible positions of power if I didn't keep pulling you down to fight alongside me for one more mission, one more push. I can't thank any of you enough for sticking with me through all of it."

A chuckle heaved those mighty shoulders before he stood, holding a hand out for her. "Maybe your right," he ceded. "Or, maybe it's that fatigue EDI warned about. Let's go get Chakwas' professional opinion."

Allowing a small smirk, Shepard laid her hand in his and leaned into the crook of his shoulder as they made for the Med Bay.

It didn't occur to her until much later, when she was reclined back against her small stack of pillows and gazing up at the starry abyss above her bed, that a member of the same crew she'd come to know and trust may have given some unknown her private terminal signature. All that talk about her implicit need of them, which she wholeheartedly believed, gave her cause to wonder: Was it possible one of them had done this? No. The word rang crystal clear in the private safety of her thoughts. Each of them had proved themselves to her time and time again, each as loyal as any friend and compatriot could be. It doesn't have to be someone on the squad, she suddenly realized. It could be anyone on the ship, or who'd worked on the Normandy while it was still in port back on Earth. For all she knew, it could be a Reaper-indoctrinate who was both behind the signature ID theft and the spy on Omega. The idea caused her body to respond with a subtle shudder.

A bare, scarred arm reached across her shoulders, pulling her closer to the surprisingly warm hard-plated chest of the man beside her. "Cold?"

"Garrus," she murmured under her breath. "We can trust everyone on this ship, can't we?"

"Anyone in particular? Don't tell me that what I told you about Tali-"

"No, no, no," she comforted. "Tali's a good friend, and I know I can rely on her. But does anyone come to mind when I ask if there's anyone shady on board, maybe a member of the Normandy's internal crew?"

Shepard saw the shadow of his fringe shake side to side at her musings. "To be honest, I feel so much better now that this ship isn't on Cerberus' payroll. I was constantly watching my back, questioning the people we were picking up as well as the people who were already here when you nabbed me."

"I know what you mean," she agreed with a slight incline of her brow.

"Why?" Garrus pressed. "Is there a - what's the human expression. Mouse? - in our midst?"

"Rat," she clarified with a small grin. "And I don't know. Not yet anyway. But I intend to find out."

"I know you will," his voice reverberated in the small space between them; the reassuring words, so confident in their testimony to her capabilities, threatened to be shattered with her self-doubt as they hung in the air like crystal chimes as she settled into an uneasy sleep.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show."

Shepard stepped down from the ramp, the clicking of her armored feet on solid metal exchanged for a duller, hollower sound. With a flick of her helmet, she greeted the owner of the familiar voice. "Good to see you too, Bray. She still laying low?" Aria was nowhere in site, but that didn't necessarily mean anything with cloaking devices or the secret tunnel system that Shepard knew ran directly below her feet.

The batarian nodded. "We're keeping her in a different location. That's all I can say for now. I'll take you to her. No," he barked, holding up a pudgy, gloved hand as her two teammates made to follow. "Just you."

Shepard crossed her arms defiantly, her best negotiating stance. She'd chosen Liara and Tali specifically to accompany her on this one: Liara for her vast connections and intimate knowledge of those who'd have cause to infiltrate Aria's newly reclaimed thrown, while Tali's tech skills were outmatched and if anybody could pull some kind of trace off that bug, it was her. "You know, Aria's going to have to get used to my crew accompanying me when I'm here, whether it's for her or otherwise. I bring teams with me for a reason."

"Given the circumstance, I think you know why Aria's hesitant to let anyone but you see her."

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her two comrades looking to her for their next move. She trusted them both with her life, but they hadn't yet won the queen of Omega's good graces, which complicated things. "Alright," she acquiesced. "Just be ready if I need to send for you two."

"Are you sure?" Liara came up behind her and touched her arm, looking for answers Shepard couldn't give her. Not yet, anyway.

With a nod, the two girls took their leave and retreated back into the ship. Once they'd disappeared from sight, Shepard turned back to her batarian tour guide. "Lead the way."

Sure enough, Bray led her down a corridor that housed an entrance to the tunnels, but they walked straight passed it. Shepard took care not to turn her head and let on her thoughts as they turned away from its concealed enclosure, heading instead down a nearly deserted alley.

"Is it far from here?" she called to her escort.

"Wouldn't have you walking if it was," he grunted back to her.

"Then where are we headed?"

"Gozu district," he replied. "A converted warehouse. You know the kind."

Don't I. "Shacked up in an old bodega? Doesn't seem like her style."

"Exactly." The batarian shot her what had remnants of a grin as they rounded another block. "We're trying to keep people off her trail, Shepard. Not stick her in the first place they'll look."

After ten minutes of walking in silence, they stopped in front of what was just that - an inconspicuous, shabby thing that even for Omega's standards looked filthy. Stepping inside the main partition lightly, Bray turned to face her as the door slammed closed behind her. Her brow furrowed as the dull clang rang in her ears. It wasn't until she distinctly heard not only a latch, but a secondary locking mechanism click into place behind her that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. What the hell was Bray up to?

"I'm gonna need you to leave the guns out here."

Not missing a beat, Shepard replied, "I don't think so."

"Look, I know it's not ideal, but the sensors we have beyond this door get triggered the second anyone who's armed walks in. Guarding someone like Aria T'Loak isn't all brute force. We have to have precautions."

Noveria immediately came to mind. The same was being asked of her, and her response would, change of scenery notwithstanding, remain the same. "This is a pretty poor way to treat your guest. I don't relinquish my guns for anybody, and if Aria filled you in about me you'd know it."

Her bluntness didn't help the batarian's mood, though he did a remarkably good job of trying to hide it. "She did mention you'd be opposed to it. She also said not to apologize to you since it would only piss you off more. Point is, you've got to drop your weapons off here or else you're not getting in to see her."

Shepard merely shrugged and turned away, heading back to the door. "Then I'll be going."

"Now hang on a second-"

"You asked me to come here," she spun and shouted. "So either you give or I get. Got it?"

Muttering under his breath, he turned to face the opposite door, putting a hand to his ear and groaning. "What do I do?"

Aria's response was too low for her to hear, though the way Bray had phrased his question told her that Aria'd been listening in on their entire discussion. Figures.

Bray faced her and nodded sharply behind him. "Go on in, then."

Shepard eased slightly, striding past him. "Glad to see you came around."

She didn't know what she expected to see; Aria with a datapad in her hand, surrounded by her lackies as they picked apart the bug bit by nanobit, Aria seated regally on another black leather sofa awaiting Shepard's arrival, Aria... that was it, really. If nothing at all, she expected the violet haze that was Aria.

Not an empty room.

Shepard's hand flew to draw her gun as she spun on her heel, simultaneously greeted by the end of two barrels. Attached were Bray and, of course, Aria herself flitting into view as an invisibility mock up fizzled, powering down.

"And me without my heat-detecting scope," Shepard muttered.

The ringleader of the two merely held her gaze as they jostled deeper into the cavernous space. "Sorry, Shepard. A necessary safety measure after what we've dug up."

"I take it you've made progress with whoever installed this so-called surveillance bug?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I have reason to believe there was only one trace we needed all along, and we'd already found it."

Oh, this was rich. "Do tell."

Reaching behind her with her free hand, the other firmly zoned in on the commander, Aria retrieved a small chip stashed on her person. "This little number has two feeds, the second of which created seemingly as an afterthought. It goes nowhere that my men can trace. That leaves the other destination: your signature aboard the Normandy. Why is that?"

"Do you really think I'd spy on you?"

"You tell me. And here I thought we were getting along so well."

Shepard, thinking on her feet, slowly and deliberately let her weapon lower to her side. "Give it to me."

Aria glanced at Bray to make sure he was still keeping a bead on her before mirroring Shepard. "What?"

"Give me the bug. Let me see what I can do with it."

"Right," the asari scoffed. "Like you have access to tech that my own hackers don't."

"I've got some of the best techs in the galaxy on my team, who have some of the best mods available for omni-tools. You sat down and ate with them not too long ago, or did you forget?" Extending an open palm, gun still withdrawn, she waited for Aria to make her move.

It was obvious whatever amity the two had previously shared had either dissipated or was being pushed under the rug. But, after an accusatory squint, Aria's eyes shifted back to Bray. Laying her hand on his arm, she guided it down away from Shepard as she leaned into ear. While she couldn't hear the words being said, she gesture spoke volumes; it was reassuring that the woman she'd tried to help wasn't out to kill her.

Yet.