Thanks to those who have followed and favorited! Also, a special thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story.

I have to give a small apology for this chapter. I'm being swamped by a few things right now, so I had to make this chapter a little short. The next one should be more exciting...

The day had come.

Laid out on the bed were several outfits picked out by a stylist who was hired by the Alliance. The stylist and an Alliance spokesperson were arguing about what look would be more appropriate. Would the audience like to see Shepard as the tough solider dressed in her everyday uniform? Or would they like a softer, more vulnerable hero swathed in a silky dress? Shepard personally didn't care. Either option felt strange to her. She didn't want to see herself back in her uniform, but she certainly did not want to be in a dress.

"Can I wear some nice black pants and a top or something?," Shepard mumbled. Neither of them turned to look at her.

Admiral Hackett strolled in, and they instantly quieted. Shepard saluted him.

"Hello, admiral."

"Shepard. Ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. That is, if they figure out what outfit will make me look like a relatable superhero."

"Hmm. You're going to wear the uniform, of course."

"The uniform! You're so right, admiral," the stylist chirped in.

Well, Shepard guessed she'd be putting the old fatigues on. That settled that.

"Can I speak to Shepard alone?" the admiral asked.

"Yes, yes," the stylist and spokesperson muttered as they picked the dress and accessories off the bed and walked out.

Admiral Hackett looked at Shepard intently.

"Shepard, though you've practically become the queen of the universe in most everyone's eyes, you've got some enemies out there. Batarians still angry that you blew up the Bahak system. Cereberus operatives upset that you ruined their plans. Aliens that are hopeless because they believe you destroyed the relays and many might never go home. Synthetic sympathizers furious that you might have possibly destroyed everything synthetic and some of our technology. That's a lot of people who might potentially harm you."

"Yeah, yeah. What's new," Shepard sighed. She didn't know what was worse: the sycophantic fans and bloodthirsty paparazzi trying to capture her every move, or the terrorists that wanted her dead for actions that she truthfully did make.

"So, we are assigning some bodyguards to you. They'll be lead by Lieutenant Colby. Lieutenant?" Hackett called outside.

Bodyguards? Shepard had never needed bodyguards before. She could take care of herself. Admittedly, she was more vulnerable than ever before, so a bodyguard wasn't that bad of an idea.

"Commander Shepard."

Shepard's thoughts were interrupted. Standing before her was a man dressed in an Alliance uniform. He was remarkably tall. His eyes were a piercing blue, and his blonde hair was shaved as close to his skull as possible. Shepard prided herself on her good judge of character. This looked like quite the intense and dedicated soldier. His face was stoic. A sniper rifle was strapped across his back. A sniper rifle man? Shepard couldn't help but think of Garrus. God, she missed him. She suddenly smirked remembering their illegal shooting game at the Citadel.

"Commander?"

The lieutenant's face had softened, and she saw his beautiful smile. He appeared somewhat confounded by her smirking and silence.

"Sorry, lost in a thought. Lieutenant Colby?"

"Yes. It's such a pleasure to meet you."

"Ha. That's what they all say before they get to actually know me."

"Lieutenant Colby was the leader of an elite sniper unit until recently. Lately he has been acting as a bodyguard to some VIPs, like the council members. I hope you'll find him to your liking," Admiral Hackett butted in.

"Is that so? Sounds like some big accomplishments."

"Oh, it's nothing- I mean, what you did…"

Shepard rolled her eyes. Admiral Hackett gave her a knowing look.

"Place nice with the lieutenant, Shepard. Got your speech ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. I'll see you onstage then."

Admiral Hackett exchanged salutes with Shepard and Colby before exiting the room. Shepard was all alone now with the lieutenant. His rigidity and warm smile reminded her of her own former lieutenant, Kaidan. The man who appeared in her dreams every single night. She felt a pang of sadness while looking at Colby.

"Will you leave me for a sec, Colby? Gotta put these damn dress blues on."

"Yes, ma'am."

As soon as Shepard heard the click of the door, she rolled into the bathroom. She had become quite adept at taking care of herself by now. Shepard worked on changing into her uniform. She was nervous and anxious. Her palms started to sweat profusely. As she began to button her uniform, her fingers slipped and fumbled. Overcome by frustration, Shepard slammed her fist on the counter. Looking up at the mirror, she saw her new visage. Wounds that had traced her entire face had healed, leaving behind jagged scars. The makeup artists would have a hard time with those. Her hair was finally growing out into something resembling a pixie cut. Shepard's head had been shaved for a brain surgery she underwent during her coma. Staring into the mirror, Shepard felt like she was a different person. And now she would have to go out into the public eye and demonstrate who she used to be.

Leaving Rannoch had been bittersweet. Kaidan and the crew were excited to be back on their way to Earth, but no one had been thrilled to see Garrus and Tali go. They had been a part of the original Normandy crew. They were also two of the best tech people on the ship. Without them, it'd be Kaidan and the engineers solving everything. As Joker pulled the Normandy up from the ground and toward the heights of the atmosphere, Kaidan could see Tali and Garrus waving goodbye as the red dust picked up and swirled in the wind. They became smaller and smaller until they were only a bluish-black speck against the landscape. Kaidan felt a pang of uneasiness. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Maybe it was optimistic and naïve, but he had pictured the whole Normandy being together after the war.

James had the idea of having a poker night as a way of bringing the crew together after saying goodbye to Garrus and Tali. Kaidan had lost his shirt many times while playing with James, so he wasn't too enthralled by the idea. However, he'd do whatever was good for morale- within reason, of course.

Kaidan, James, Steve Cortez, Joker, and some other members of the crew had gathered around the poker table in the starboard observatory. Kaidan let James be the ringleader for the night's event.

"Ladies and gents, ante up!" James bellowed.

Kaidan was about to throw in his chips when Diana Allers sauntered into the room in her skintight dress. Since the Normandy had crashed, she had been filming their ordeal and interviewing everyone. Kaidan had continually pushed her aside. Others might have the time and energy to answer her questions, but he didn't. Who knew how Shepard had tolerated it. Kaidan was a more private person in some ways. He could certainly swallow his feelings and spout out carefully chosen words, but he did not like having to do it. Publicity was not his thing. It wasn't Shepard's either, but she had been great at giving speeches and brining people to her cause. Her words might not have been as eloquent or thoughtful, but they grabbed an audience. She could reel you in.

"We playing poker, boys?" Diana observed.

"Yeah," James said dismissively. Vega wasn't a huge fan of Miss Allers.

"Oh. I didn't get the memo."

Kaidan gave her a sympathetic smile. He didn't have anything against her. It must be hard for her to be stranded with them. She was away from her home, just like everybody else on the ship. Allers was a little bit of an outcast because the rest of the crew was Alliance or they had known each other for a while. Poor Diana was probably itching to get back and broadcast all of the footage she had captured in London.

"Well, then." Diana leaned across the table. She picked up the chips that rested in Kaidan's fingers and blew at them before giving them back to him. "Good luck."

"Allers, you don't do that with poker chips. You do that with dice," James sighed. He looked annoyed.

"Hmm. Thanks for the lesson, Vega," Diana muttered jokingly as she took a position on the side of the room. She pulled herself up on the ledge and sat there, smiling.

Vega had won two games and Cortez had won another when Kaidan felt a hand on his shoulder. He snapped around. Diana was standing there next to him.

"Don't want to interrupt your fun and games, major, but I wanted to speak to you about something."

"Can it wait?"

"It could, but I'd say that I'd be doing you a favor by pulling you out of this game." Diana gestured toward the low stacks of chips that remained in front of Kaidan.

Kaidan wanted to still be in the game. It was rare these days for him to get a chance to just relax for a moment. Yet Diana was being fairly insistent, and he hated to draw others' attention away from the current proceedings.

Kaidan stood up. "I'll be back, James."

James gave him a queer look, but he continued dealing out cards to the table.

As Kaidan's typical haunt was occupied by the poker game, Diana led him to her space in the starboard cargo bay. She took a spot on her bed, so Kaidan decided to just stand in front of her.

"What's up, Allers?"

"I had a proposition for you."

Kaidan did not like the sound of that. He wearily raised his eyebrow. "Uh huh?"

"I've been taking footage of everything that has happened since the crash. Thought I could make a nice documentary out of it, or at least make some videos for loved ones back home to see. Some people have been really into it, but you haven't spoken to me yet. And some of the crew hasn't either. It'd be great if everyone could get onboard. Think of it as my personal contribution to the group's morale."

Kaidan gave this some thought. It couldn't possibly do any harm. With the ship slowing gliding through space, there wasn't much to keep everyone busy or entertained. However, Allers could continue to badger the crew and him with questions, or spin this story in a bad direction. Suddenly, his thoughts began to pull in a different direction. He felt bad for her. There must not be much for her to do.

"Okay."

"Excellent." Diana smirked as she jumped up and extended her hand to Kaidan. They shook hands, and Kaidan noticed she stayed in his grasp for an uncomfortably long time. "So can I film you tomorrow night?"

"Okay," Kaidan sighed.

Damn it. He just knew he was going to regret this.