The moment the pain from keeping the barrier up against the detonation disappeared, I opened my eyes. In my surprise, the barrier dissipated. There was nothing around us for miles.

"Kaidan?" I asked weakly, giving him a shake with my last bit of strength.

He stirred, glancing around in disbelief. "Wha- Shepard?" Alarmed, now, as he took in the sight of me.

"I need you... to lie." I said, with as much urgency as I could muster. "Tell them... it was our biotics, combined. Can you do that?"

He searched my face, then nodded decisively. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Good. Can you... call the Normandy? I need... a nap." I barely got the words out, before passing out.

...

"Everyone, please." Dr. Chakwas chided, voice raised slightly.

"She will be alright... right?" Liara's voice filtered in.

Coming fully into myself, I tried to sit up. "I'm fine, if it's me you're talking about."

"Shepard!" A chorus rang out, triggering the beginnings of a headache.

I moved to the edge of the bed, rubbing my forehead. "Well, fancy meeting y'all here. Come here often?"

Liara flew at me, hitting my chest, shifting to my arms when I raised them defensively. "What. Do. You. Mean? How. DARE. YOU. JOKE. AT. A. TIME. LIKE. THIS?!"

"Ow! Liara- Ow! That hurts!"

Her eyes widened, and she pulled back, only to wrap her arms around me in a hug. "I'm sorry. Did that really hurt? Are you sure you're okay? You're usually tougher than that."

"Yeah, well, getting blown up takes its toll." I looked around. My eyes landed on Kaidan, and I let out a breath of relief. He seemed to be alright. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good, Shepard." A sharp nod of his head, followed by a shake. "What were you thinking, staying back for me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, relax. Everything worked out for the better, yeah?"

That only riled the two of them up, the onlookers starting to show signs of agitation. I needed to wrap this up quickly.

"Why can't you take anything seriously?"

"You couldn't have known-" He stumbled over his next words, but pulled it together in the end. "we'd be able to pull that off."

I shrugged her off, hopping down to the floor. "Do you need anything from me, doc?"

She shook her head, looking at a data pad. "I've already taken your vitals and ran tests to make sure it was only exhaustion you were suffering from. I would recommend," Looking up now, eyes meeting mine. "resting for twenty-four hours, at least. The both of you." The look included Kaidan, too, now. "That kind of strain could have far-reaching consequences. Better they show up in a controlled environment, then out in the field."

"Good idea." I nodded along. "At some point during then, or should we wait until after, we'll have the briefing." A glance at everyone. "Okay, bye." And then cloaked, going through the door. There was no sense in hanging around, waiting for someone to walk through it. If they'd wanted, they could trap me in here, that way. By not leaving. They wouldn't know where I'd gone, anyway, only that I'd left.

First thing's first- I had to check on Kirrahe.

"You'll have to tell me how you always manage to pull through." He said when I revealed myself, having made my way down to the cargo bay.

"It's a talent." I grinned tiredly. "I wanted to check and see how you and your men were doing."

"We are recovering." A glance over his shoulder at his men in various positions of repose. "Those of us left have you to thank for saving us."

"Ah." I waved a hand to shoo away his words. "It was a team effort. We all worked together, and that maximized lives saved. Still... I'm sorry about the men you lost. Both before and after we arrived. That never gets easier to handle."

"Thank you, Shepard. If you'll excuse me, I should check on my men again."

"Of course, of course." I started to walk away. "Oh, hey. Did you want to be dropped off at the Citadel or someplace else?"

"The Citadel is fine."

"Okay."

I made my way toward my room, Kaidan falling into step with me. I paused at the door.

"You need something, Alenko?"

"I- I wanted to talk about what happened on Virmire."

"Would it be alright to have this conversation in here?" A gesture toward my room. That we were standing just outside of. "It's private in there, and I'd rather the discussion be kept between the two of us."

He swallowed hard, eyeing the door like it was a lion about to jump on him.

"You good, Kaidan?"

A bit jumpy, this one. He literally jumped when I spoke.

"Ah, yeah. That would be okay. Shepard."

Okaaaay. Did this have to do with his informal issue the other day? Was he really that uncomfortable?

"Is there another place we can talk, without being overheard, that you'd like to go instead?" I wanted to give options.

"N-No. It's okay." He looked like he was steeling himself.

I resisted the urge to make a face, instead going into my room and sitting in one of the chairs. "Have a seat, Kaidan." A gesture to the seat angled half-facing mine.

And then, I waited.

He sat on the edge of the cushion, elbows on knees. "What was that? There's no way that was biotics."

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Trust is something I don't often give to people, Alenko. Don't make me regret it, okay?"

He nodded so fast, I thought I heard Sonic's theme song.

"How... open-minded are you?"

"About what?"

Admitting he had limits, that was good.

"About things you don't understand. Or don't believe in."

"I'm a pretty tolerant person. As long as it doesn't bother anyone or cause harm, I don't see the point in judging or holding prejudice against someone or something."

"Okay, okay." I nodded slowly. "That's something I can work with." A small smile as I leaned back. "Did you read or watch Harry Potter, growing up? Or at least hear about it?"

"Yeah, I read those books when I was a kid. Really good." His eyes narrowed in confusion.

I waited.

The light went on in his head. "You... You're saying that was... magic?"

"Not Harry Potter type, but yeah. Do you want a small demonstration, to help you believe?"

Hesitation, his eyes searching my face. "I- Yeah."

Immediately, flurries started falling from nonexistent clouds, the air in the room cooling to a crisp thirty degrees Fahrenheit. He shivered and rubbed his arms for warmth. After a few moments, he held out a hand to catch a few snowflakes.

"This is... Wow. I can't... Just. Wow. Shepard."

"You can understand why I hide it, though, right?" I shuddered, thinking of my grandma and the experiments that had been done on her. "I don't fancy being strapped to a table with a bunch of scientists looming over me."

"Yeah, no. That's completely understandable. I'd hide it, too."

We sat in silence for a while, me giving him time to really absorb it. On his part, he was deep in thought.

After what felt like too long had passed, I leaned forward, touching his arm. Breaking through his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"This is... a lot, Shepard."

"I should've just lied." I pulled a face.

His other hand shot up to cover mine. "No! I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me this. I just... It might take some time, and a lot of questions."

"I'm always open to talking. Unless I'm asleep. Then, I'll kill you." A cheery smile.

He chuckled, relaxing finally.

"There you are. That's better." The smile shifted into a grin. "Anything else?"

"Not right- Yeah. Actually. When you used biotics to throw us out of the way, the other day, that wasn't... That was actually magic?"

"Yeah. I've been playing biotic for years. Nihlus advised me to keep it a secret, when I first met him."

"You never thought to before?"

"I met him right after leaving my homeland. I'd never had a reason to, before then."

"Magic is common, where you're from?"

"Yeah. Not everyone has it, but there's a college for those with magic."

"Where are you from?"

"Ah, the million dollar question. What everyone always seems to want to know." I looked off to the side, before getting up and going to a photo album. It was filled with sketches I'd done, growing up. Returning to my seat, I held it open for him to look at. "This is my country, Skyrim." I flipped to the first page, then the next. "And this is my little town, Riften, where the Thieves Guild is. I love it there. There's always something going on, something to stick my nose into." A few more flips. "The house I grew up in. The Jarl's longhouse. A jarl is basically the equivalent to a mayor, and a longhouse is both where they do their business and their home. This is Falkreath, where the assassin's guild, the Dark Brotherhood, is. And this is the College of Winterhold, the school for mages."

His fingers traced the image gently, and it sounded like he was holding his breath.

"This is Solitude, our capital. The Jarl there lives in the Blue Palace. Here." Another turn of the page, watching his eyes widen at the beauty of the place. "They're also the High Queen."

"A queen? You have a monarchy?"

"Yep. And each city and town are like their own mini country. Those in Skyrim pride ourselves on our freedoms. So the High Queen doesn't interfere too much, really. Only really steps in when it's necessary to keep the peace."

"Who's your queen?"

I grinned. "My aunt, Visala. The Jarl's who elected her were originally unsure if she'd be a good fit, but with my mom's vote for her, they caved. The people love her, despite her being an elf. A snow elf, at that." At his confusion, I clarified. "Oh, right. Sorry. Snow elves were thought to have gone extinct hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago."

"They... like the snow?" He guessed.

I chuckled. "They have white hair and pale skin. Resembles snow."

"So... What are you, if your aunt is a snow elf?" To his credit, he barely stumbled over the words.

"Are you sure you want to know that right now? Or do you want to give it a while, give yourself time to really absorb what I've already told you?"

"I- Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

I set aside the album, walking him to the door. "Oh, and Kaidan?"

He turned to look at me, tilting his head.

"I know Chakwas told us to get some rest because of the strain, and I know that was all me, but we did experience some of the blow back of the bomb. I know I couldn't protect us from all of it. So, keep an eye on yourself. Make sure you're okay. Okay?"

"Yes, Shepard." A nod, then he was through the door.

Well. That went... well. I think.

I changed into my shorts and tank top, before flopping down onto the bed. Mom? Auntie? I miss you guys.

The silence was short-lived.

Oh, I miss you, too, my little dove.

I miss you, too, Viri. Anything in particular bring this about?

Well... I told someone a bit about home. Showed them my sketches. And a bit of my magic. Because I saved his life, and he was curious about how I'd managed it.

What happened?

Well... There was a nuke, and my ship couldn't pick us up, because they were busy picking up another team, at my order. And then, I was there, literally right next to the bomb, with the guy, and I prayed and held my talisman. I paused for breath, rolling my eyes that I, yet again, held my breath while I was having a mental conversation. My barrier actually managed to hold during the entire blast. Definitely because someone, or multiple people, was looking out for me today.

A boy?

Do you like this boy?

Hey! Focus! I scowled, even though they couldn't see it.

I am focused. Is he someone you like?

You never talk about people you're interested in.

Because I've never been interested in anyone, you both know that. I pulled one of the pillows over my face. Besides, even if I was interested in him, the first time I heard his name, I died inside.

Oh, no.

What is it?

Kaidan. I groaned, before pushing the pillow down to smother a quiet scream.

Immediate laughter from both women.

Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Another scream.

When you mentioned him before, I didn't expect you to liiike him. My aunt sing-songed.

He's nice. I said defensively. He also thinks for himself and has no qualms calling me on shit.

No one else catch your fancy? My mom asked. I couldn't tell if she was concerned or just curious.

There was someone, actually. I sat up, hugging the pillow to my chest. An asari, which, I know, weird, right? But she was... There was something about her that I just... I felt an instant connection, like with her. But I don't know if I'll ever see her again.

What's her name?

Shiala. It came out on a sigh.

A knock at my door made me jump and let out an undignified squeak.

"Y-Yeah?"

Garrus' voice drifted through the door. "You okay in there, Shepard?"

"Yeah! Just talking to my mom and aunt."

"Thought I heard screaming when I was passing by."

"Ah. Yeah. Into a pillow." I held up the pillow, like a dork. Like he could see me. "They're bothering me about girl stuff."

A pause. "Okay. As long as everything's okay..."

"Everything's great, Garrus. I'm talking to family. What better way to spend the time?"

He gave a grunt of acknowledgment, before leaving.

Well, that's embarrassing. I muttered.

So, that was sweet of him, checking on you.

Mooooom. I fell back, squeezing my eyes shut. I wasn't sure if I wanted this conversation over with or if I was still happy to be talking to them.

As it was, it went on for the rest of the night, them switching between ragging on me and being attentive listeners. I told them all about the beacon, and what it had done to me. The Cipher, and what it had done to me. About the Thorian, and everything it had done.

It was nice. Just laying back and chatting with them, like we used to, when any of us would go on adventures when I was back home. We hadn't had the chance to do this for a long time. A couple of years, actually. Whoops.