Author's note- Okay so let's just get this out of the way, I'm sorry. It's been like what half a year since I updated this? Yeah I messed up, writers block is a hell of thing. I really did try to write this chapter and to be honest I never managed to do anything I really liked, this just felt like something I was obligated to do and I think the quality might of suffered (not that it was ever that good am I right?) I think for as far as this story goes I'm going to take a semi-break and work on revising the older chapters while I try to find that spark for this story again. So anyway let's just try to fumble through the rest of this story together and hope it comes out decent yeah?

Worrying is a strange thing, the more you actively try to avoid it the more you inadvertently end up doing it. Something that Tali was learning firsthand.

He's practically a super-soldier, he'll be fine...I should be down there with him...No I'm sure Garrus is watching his back...
I SHOULD DEFINITELY BE DOWN THERE WITH HIM!

After feeling a little loss after the departure of the combat team she had eventually settled on making her way back to Shepard's...no their cabin to rest as Shepard had commanded. Of course try as she may (and she swears she did) she found herself doing anything but resting. Pacing back and forth anxiously seemed to be her favorite past time at the moment as she played out various bad scenarios, most of them completely outrageous.

What if the Mako breaks down? "Keelaaaah I should be down there" she groaned out as she deflated on to the mattress behind her, seemingly exhausting herself with her rapid pacing. She felt herself sink into the mattress, her body exhausted but her mind anything but. In a effort to calm herself she decided to focus on other things, for example the memories that flashed through her head as she buried herself in the mattress that just yesterday was used to...

Tali squealed to herself as she rolled around the mattress, her mind now successfully distracted from her worries. After all Shepard would be just fine...right?

"Alright Wrex let's lower our weapons, we're friends right?" Shepard tensely asked as he stared down the Krogan in front of him, his voice a mix of commanding and bargaining.

"A friend wouldn't doom their friend's race to extinction." Wrex growled.

Garrus who was standing next to Shepard, also tense with his weapon drawn on the Krogan, hissed to him "Shepard he's getting angry...well more angry."

"I noticed!" Shepard hissed back before turning his attention back to Wrex "Look Wrex I understand why you don't want to blow this facility to hell but listen to me, this is not the future the Krogan want!" Taking a chance he lowered his weapon before passionately pointing to the facility "This Facility...this cure, is nothing but a future of being tools of war!" He then moved his hand to lower Garrus's weapon, further defusing the situation "You know it has to be destroyed." He finished his voice even and stern.

Wrex continued to stare down his weapon and Shepard briefly reconsidered his previously sound decision to lower his weapon before Wrex finally lowered his as well. "You're right Shepard, the Krogan are done fighting battles that aren't there's to fight" He glanced towards the Facility "I'll help you level this place, but I will have Saren's head"

Shepard sighed in relief before nodding in understatement and approval, something that Wrex took as a sign that the conversation was over and reaon to walk off, before he turned to face Garrus. "Thanks for...whatever it is you think you were accomplishing by pointing another gun at the clearly upset Krogan."

Garrus shrugged "Well I thought you're diplomacy skills would fail...again, so I figured I'd be there to save you...also again."

Shepard squinted his eyes in annoyance and vexation. "Your faith in my ability to command and eagerness to assist me has been noted, I'll keep it in mind the next time I need someone to do maintenance on the Mako." He motioned to the Mako to accentuate his point, which was sparking and covered in scorch marks. "Oh look at that I need someone to do maintenance on the Mako."

Garrus's jaws dropped a bit before he regained himself with a cough "Now Shepard don't take it personally I'm just speaking from experience, like how what was supposed to be a quick questioning of Fist turned into a shoot out that had over 20 casualties...including Fist"

"Okay so first things first none of those things were my fault, Secondly get to work on the Mako." Shepard commanded with a grin on his face before walking off.

30 minutes into this mission and the Mako's in tatters and Wrex almost shot me, this mission is just off to a fantastic start.

While walking off the commander was snapped out his thoughts when he heard a grumble coming from behind him "Wouldn't need maintenance so badly if you knew how to drive it in the first place."

...That's actually a fair point. I mean it's not my fault those things handle like a fish out of water...that also just happens to be drunk but still...

He turned around and started to head towards the Mako with Garrus "Or maybe if the person in charge of firing the main cannon was as good as he claimed the Mako wouldn't have taken so many hits."

Garrus chuckled "Maybe...so it's both of our faults?"

"When isn't it?" Shepard Scoffed back

"Fair point" and with that the two began to work on the Mako getting it ready for what was still to come...

"YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT AND WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT" The booming and monotone voice of the projection proclaimed. The projection of course was off what was recently believed to be Saren's Geth flagship, Sovereign. Obviously, and horrifyingly, that wasn't the case and Sovereign in all reality was actually a reaper itself.

"You can try to wipe us out. You'll just fly into a whole galaxy united and ready to destroy you, all of you, and be defeated. I'll make sure of that" Shepard boldly claimed with a voice full of determination and spirit. He continued to stare down Sovereign, showing that he would not be intimidated.

"DELUDE YOURSELF IF YOU WISH, THIS EXCHANGE IS OVER" And with that the projection faded away, shortly afterwards the glass in the room erupted. Shepard turned to face his team, consisting of Garrus and Wrex, to address them.

"We're leaving, now!" A brief nod came from both of them as they ran from the room, making there way back to where the bomb site was to be. Shepard hissed in pain as he felt his head pulse, no doubt from the Prothean artifact doing all kind of things to his delicate and sophisticated mind before he reached to his earpiece.

"Joker tell me that bomb is ready to go and you're on your way to drop it off!"

"Yeah we- hey knock it off!" Joker tried to answer but the commander heard a bit a scuffle and Joker was cut off.

"SHEPARD!" Tali's voice suddenly exploded into the commander's earpiece, doing nothing to help his aching head. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need me to come down?"

"Well now that you mention it..." Shepard considered bringing up his headache and how little she had done to improve it but decided against it "Yes I'm alright, nothing out of the ordinary, and no I don't need you to come down."

"B-but..." Tali tried to protest

"Tali, we'll be fine. I know it's alot to ask but I'll need you to head back to engineering, we're going to need the core at peak efficiency." Shepard commanded in a stern voice before he softened a bit "Please Tali, I need you down there."

"R-right I won't let you down Jo-Shepard!" Tali excitedly beamed back, ecstatic that the commander said he 'needed her'.

"I know you won't, now please I need to talk to Joker, I'll be back before you know it"

"Of course I..." Tali glanced towards Joker who was glaring at her from his seat, rudely shoved aside. "I'll be on my way then...commander" She hesitated a bit before she had to continue "I'll do my best to please you commander" before she dashed off.

Joker blinked a few times before responding "Uhhhh yeah so anyway commander the bomb is prepped and we are..."

Shepard cleared his throat "Yeah here, Believe it or not I can see the ship in front of me, Good work Joker."

She just had to get that last comment out there huh? "Lets get that bomb off and ready to go, move it people!" He commanded, all to eager to get of this planet before things further complicated.

Things had complicated further.

"I'm arming the bomb" Kaidan called over the comm channel, determination in his voice offset by a small touch of reluctance. He knew that he'd be dooming himself in the process.

"You're what?!" Shepard nearly shouted back "Just hold on we're on our way back, no need to blow yourself up!"

"It's already done commander. I had to make sure this bomb went off, no matter what! Now go pick up Williams and get the hell out of here!"

Ashley's voice suddenly cut in "What?! Screw that we can handle ourselves!"

Shepard paused. This was not a choice he wanted to make, but one he knew he had to. He took a deep breath before Speaking "Kaidan...radio Joker, tell him to meet us at the bomb site."

"Understood commander, I..." Kaidan replied, no excitement or relief in his voice despite the fact that his life was just saved.

"It's alright LT, I know what I signed on for. No regrets" Ashley reassured Kaidan.

"I'm sorry Ash, I had to make a choice."

"Come on now, How many times do I have to say it?" Ash quipped "No regrets" and with that she cut off her link.

Shepard motioned his team to follow as he made his way towards the elevator that would take them back to bomb site, his mind focused on one tiny detail that no one else seemed to pick up.

The concealed but faintly recognizable quiver in Ashley's voice before she turned off her communicator.

Shepard limped towards his cabin, putting off the business of reporting to the council about his mission in favor of some well deserved rest. So much had happened, The incident with Wrex, the Prothean beacon, the Talk with Sovereign, the battle against Saren himself, and...losing Ashley. He knew he didn't have the most stable relationship with the gunnery sergeant, her slightly xenophobic views and general bluntness playing a huge part in that, but he knew she was a good solider, a good person and he was never eager to lose those.

As his door opened he was welcomed to a sight that he wasn't quite sure how to feel about. "Welcome back John, I've missed you" Tali happily cooed from his bed, thankfully fully dressed.

Shepard sighed as the door closed behind him "Shouldn't you be down in engineering?"

He saw her tense up and she slightly yelped "W-well all the work was done so I...I figured it was alright to come back and spend time with you" She hurriedly shuffled of the bed and meekly made her way towards the door "I'll...I'll head back down to engineering c-commander."

Shepard reached out and gently grasped her wrist, something that made Tali scream internally, before he pulled her away from the door "No...it's alright" He looked up to her glowing orbs "You can stay...no actually...I want you to stay"

Words failed Tali so she just nodded furiously as Shepard gently pulled her back towards the bed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound like you were bothering me, I was just surprised is all" He said as he sat down patting the bed next to him motioning her to sit down, something Tali happily did.

"N-no It's alright" Tali blurted out "I...I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions"

Shepard chuckled to himself as he turned to face her "Always finding some way to take blame aren't you?" He grabbed her hand and gently rubbed the top of it with his thumb "So selfless" he said before he looked down mumbling to himself "selfless..."

"John..." Tali noticed his mood had been off, not as bright as he usually was "are you...are you alright?"

He took a deep breath "Ashley didn't make it"

So? Was the first thought to course through Tali's mind, quickly replaced by relief and happiness. After all who would really care if some harlot intent on making advances on John died? She promised that she wouldn't kill any of them herself but there was nothing stopping her from enjoying the moment when someone else did.

"T-that's awful."She told him as she thought to herself Wonderful "I'm so sorry" She continued to lied, happy being what she truly wanted to say. She took this opportunity to snake her arms around John pulling him into a embrace, playing the roll of grieving teammate as a opening to bring herself closer to John. He did not resist and wrapped his arms around Tali. Tali's heartbeat multiplied tenfold and she felt herself begin to warm up, this time for sure not from her lingering sickness. It seemed hugging was all they would be doing however as he simply patted her back a few times before breaking off the embrace, causing Tali to whimper.

"I'm sorry Tali I'm just...really tired" He laid back on the bed "So" he once again patted the space next to him "let's just lay down alright?"

Alright he says, as if it's even up for debate. Tali thought to herself before she practically torpedoed towards the spot, quickly wrapping any available limbs around Shepard as she sighed contently. "Whatever you need John. I'll be here for you"

Always.

Ending note- Yeah a short chapter I know but in my defense I feel like I wrote everything that need to be written here...right? I just wanted to get the important Virmire choices (Wrex and Kaidan/Ashley) out of the way and without Tali there on Virmire there isn't much of a reason to not skim over them (I just had to include a brief section of the conversation with Sovereign because I absolutely love that line). Next chapter (If/when that comes out) will be back to the bread and butter of this story, Tali and Shepard interaction...possibly of the lemon variety. For further clarification the only events from mass effect 1 I intend on going over is Iilos, battle on the citadel, and MAYBE noveria (I never liked that mission but I have ideas for potential Liara/Tali drama) so until then peace...for like 6 months.