Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, save the OCs you will encounter in this particular story. It will not merely be a re-telling of the ME story as we know it, so expect changes and (hopefully) surprising and enjoyable twists! This story is rated M for a reason and will contain future scenes of violence, gore, sex, and various other mature situations. There will also be copious amounts of wonderful, wonderful angst. Please consider yourself warned.

A/N: Sorry for the delay folks! This chapter gave me trouble for some reason and life has been putting a few hurdles in my way as of late. I hope you find this chapter worth the wait – it's long to show how sorry I am for slacking with the updates! Let me know what you think!

Any and all reviews are appreciated! A big thank you goes out to everyone who has added this story to their alerts and/or faves :) It all means so much to me! – Fallon.

Chapter Eleven

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." – Anonymous.

"You're going to be fine, dear," Chakwas said with a reassuring pat on Eira's shoulder, "You were lucky really, your injuries could have been far worse. No concussion, but you have a few fractured ribs from the blast. Rest up and refrain from using your biotics until your migraine subsides."

Eira nodded.

"I will need to see you again within twenty-four hours to ensure you're showing improvement. You'll be dizzy and disoriented until then, so don't push yourself. If it gets worse though be sure to inform me straight away." She offered a smile as she looked up from her datapad, "Rest is the best medicine for you now, dear."

"Of course…" She swallowed hard and fidgeted nervously, what happened on the shuttle still replaying in her head.

It did nothing to tame the throbbing in her temples, but she couldn't will it away. The look of utter and complete disappointment on the Commander's face…

There was no way he was going to let her stay on the Normandy. But where could she go? There were no options for her, no one in her life who could take her in. And the thought of being left alone, one small person in a universe more massive than she'd ever realized, was terrifying.

She bit her lip to stop it from quivering.

"My dear, are you alright?"

Eira looked up and saw the doctor's concerned and sympathetic gaze had fallen upon her.

She nodded quickly and stood up from the exam table, faltering ever so slightly as her balance wavered. She quickly righted herself, grabbing onto the table before Chakwas could reach out to her.

Eira waved her away as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I just need to lie down I think," she tucked her hair behind her ears and forced a smile, "I'm fine, really. The light is just hurting my head."

Chakwas wasn't at all convinced.

"Garrus told me what happened and I think you're being far too hard on yourself. From what he said, you didn't cower. The Commander was concerned for your welfare. Give him time to cool down and I'm sure all will be forgiven."

Eira shrugged, "Maybe…"

"Eira –

"Thank you for your help, doctor," Eira said quickly as she made for the door, "I'll take it easy, I promise."

Chakwas sighed heavily as the door hissed closed.

Eira made her way down the corridor, moving slowly so as to not fall. She kept one hand on the wall as she went to help steady herself but the intensity of the fluorescent lights made seeing where she was going difficult.

She paused and took a deep breath, suddenly feeling very sick. Her head spun and her knees felt weak.

Compounding the physical pain of the migraine was the looming knowledge that she was likely going to be taken off the mission. She had yet to speak with Shepard and she was not at all looking forward to doing so. She didn't know how she was going to convince him to give her another chance or if she even should. Her actions had jeopardized their mission on Korlus, how could that be forgiven? How could she be trusted with anything of greater importance?

Korlus was just one part of a larger, much more dangerous and vital mission. If she couldn't be trusted with one small piece then what right did she have to be on the Normandy?

Eira ran her fingers through her hair and leaned her full weight against the wall.

Over the pulsing pressure in her head, she heard a muffled sound approaching her and the muted sound of a voice getting closer.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on the approaching voice but finding it difficult.

A hand grasped her shoulder and she could faintly hear her name being spoken.

She looked up and saw a familiar figure through the blurred vision of her pained eyes.

"C-Commander…"

The Commander said nothing as her eyes struggled to focus on him. The speech he had prepared all but forgotten, he brushed her hair out of her eyes to get a better look at her. As pale as she was naturally, he could tell some of her colour had left her. Her eyes were not bright or alert and she seemed physically pained every time she tried to open her eyes wider than a squint.

She muttered under her breath, trying to reassure him she was all right, but when he allowed her to shift some of her weight off of him she nearly tumbled forward.

If he did nothing to help her and she hurt herself fumbling blindly to her room he'd never hear the end of it.

With a frustrated sigh, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her room just further down the corridor.

She was small in his arms, just as weak and silent as she had been during their escape from Nafna. Only this time he wore no hardsuit to act as a buffer between her warmth and his skin. This time he could feel her breath against his shoulder, the torturous sensation of her chest pressing closer against his every time she took a breath and the gentle curve of her thighs as he slipped his arm under her knees.

An involuntary shudder rippled down his spine as a warmth he had not felt since being reborn enveloped him.

He looked down at her and scowled.

It was foolish, he told himself, to be so shaken by something so trivial. He tried to reassure himself it was merely a result of the two years he went without a physical connection, without the comfort of another touching him in even the most innocent of ways. It was a shock to his system.

The door to her room hissed open and he eased her down onto her cot.

He paused momentarily as he looked down at her. He knew he should just leave but he couldn't bring himself to, not just yet.

He sat on the edge of the bed and set about untying the laces of her boots.

"EDI, read me Chakwas's report on Eira's condition."

If Chakwas allowed her to leave the med bay he knew the findings couldn't be serious. But the young biotic couldn't even summon the strength to open her eyes and would likely have passed out in the corridor if he hadn't been by.

Eira gave a soft whimper.

He glanced up and saw that her fingers were clutching the sheets of her bed fiercely and her brow was furrowed. He'd never seen biotics react in such a way after unleashing a powerful blast but he knew Eira was a unique case. She had mentioned getting headaches when he had debriefed her upon her arrival on the Normandy but this was not what he thought she meant.

This was downright debilitating.

"Doctor Chakwas's report indicates no sign of brain injury," EDI answered, "Eira has four fractured ribs and is suffering from a migraine. The doctor suspects this is due to the intensity of the biotics Eira used on Korlus. She has been instructed to refrain from using her biotics until told otherwise."

Shepard tugged off Eira's boots and tossed them aside. He grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and pulled it over her, his hand lingering at her shoulder as he tucked the blanket around her.

He brushed her hair out of her face and with only a second of hesitation, allowed his finger tips to graze her cheek.

"Keep an eye on her, EDI."

"Of course, Commander."

"And alert myself and Chakwas if her condition changes."

He knew he was being foolish and paranoid, if Chakwas suspected her condition would worsen she would not have allowed her to step foot out of the med bay, but the words left his mouth before he could check himself.

He pulled himself away from her and made for the door.

"And EDI?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"When she wakes tell her I'd like to speak with her. Let her wake on her on though," he looked back at her sleeping form over his shoulder, "she needs the rest."

When Eira awoke she had no idea what time it was, or what day it was for that matter. She felt like she had overslept though and slowly eased herself upright.

Her room was dark, which was a small mercy considering the throbbing pain that lingered in her temples. It flared as she sat up, and Eira winced and squeezed her eyes shut as the pain slowly abated.

"Good morning, Eira," EDI's voice greeted her warmly, "Did you sleep well?"

Eira gave a long, pained groan.

She felt like she'd been body checked by a krogan.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked in a whisper as she tentatively ran a hand over her bruised ribs.

"Sixteen hours, fourteen minutes and thirty seconds."

She sprung upward so fast her head screamed out in pain and she nearly toppled forward.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Eira asked as she caught herself and began frantically searching the floor around her bed for her boots. The Commander was already furious with her; she hated to think of how irate he would be after this.

"Commander Shepard brought you to your room after you nearly passed out in the hallway. He requested I keep an eye on you and allow you to wake on your own. I was also instructed to inform you that he wishes to speak with you."

Having found her boots near the foot of her bed, she glanced at EDI's hologram.

"He…he brought me here?" Eira asked in confusion as she strained to remember what happened after she left the med bay.

"Correct. He inquired as to your condition and requested you see him as soon as you woke."

Eira brushed the knots from her hair with her fingers and pulled it back in a messy ponytail before pulled her boots on.

"Where is he now, EDI?"

"The comm room," EDI responded, turning the lights in the room on dimly, "His meeting with Operatives Lawson and Taylor should be concluding shortly, should you wish to seek him out there."

Sher knew there was no putting off the inevitable. He'd know soon enough that she was awake and attempting to avoid him on his own ship seemed downright foolish.

She resigned herself to her fate with a heavy sigh.

"Thank you, EDI, I will."

"She's a danger to herself," Jacob said evenly, "It might be best to ask the Illusive Man to find another way she can help our efforts, one that's not on the front lines."

Miranda huffed and crossed her arms, "Damn right she is! We can't afford to have a weak link on this ship, Shepard. And that's what she is. If she does that again on a mission she could get you killed!"

"Ease up, Miranda," Jacob cautioned, "She fought with the weapons she's used to – her biotics. We can't fault her for going for what she's most skilled with. I'm just saying it might not be wise to throw her out in the field again without giving her more training."

"Our mission is too important to –

"We know that, Miranda," Shepard said from the head of the comm room desk where he sat, "And I saw it happen, saw her mistake firsthand. Don't think I don't know what another mistake on her part might cost us." He sighed, "I just don't know how wise it is to discard a biotic as powerful as her."

He spoke the truth, but only a part of it. The other part, the one he wasn't willing to acknowledge fully let alone give voice to, was that removing her from the mission and thusly never seeing her again, didn't sit well with him.

In fact the idea of not having her around, of sending her back to the Illusive Man, felt so wrong the very thought made him uncomfortable.

"We have other options," Jacob said, pushing forward the dossier on 'Jack'.

"Eira's here right now," Shepard rationalized, "This 'Jack' might not agree to help us. And at the end of the day, how much can we trust a convict?"

"True enough," Jacob conceded, "Eira just needs more field experience –

"Which we don't have the time to give her, Jacob," Miranda interrupted with a hiss. "We can't coddle the girl. Not with the Reapers nearly on our doorstep."

Shepard raised his hand to stop them, unwilling to allow the circular argument to continue any longer. He knew how they felt, now a decision needed to be made.

"Let me take care of it."

Miranda sighed, "Shepard –

"I'll speak with her and find a way to get her properly trained," he shook his head as Miranda made to protest; "We can't toss aside a potential resource, Miranda. I'm not ready to write her off just yet."

"As you say, Commander," Jacob said while sorting through the datapads scattered on the desk to find the report on Okeer's experiment, "With that decided, can we move on to discuss our newest crew member?"

One look at Miranda told Shepard that the argument about Eira's future on the mission was not over and he did not entirely fault her for that. Cutting loose the weak link made sense. It was weakness on his part that made him hold on to her.

He merely hoped he would not come to regret it.