Disclaimer: Mass Effect isn't mine. Original characters have been created for this story. Eira is mine.

I am so, so sorry for the insanely long delay, folks! I honestly had every intention of wrapping up this story by this time, but 2018 was BONKERS. Graduated college, moved, changed jobs…it was hard to buckle down and write anything other than a term paper or essay. I hope this chapter makes up for it some. I have the next 6-7 chapters roughly planned out on paper, so I'm going to try to buckle down and get this done for you guys :)

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, dear readers! As always, each comment is deeply appreciated!

Chapter Thirty-One

The Normandy was docked at Omega nearly two weeks after Eira's confrontation with Shepard in his cabin. She'd gone to great lengths to avoid him during that time, spending many of her waking hours helping Gabby and Kenneth however she could.

It was easy enough not to think of him during the day, Gabby kept her busy, but when she collapsed onto her cot each night her mind wandered.

Despite being unwavering in her choice to leave the Normandy, she still thought of Shepard when everything was quiet.

It was infuriating.

So, she was thrilled when Gabby approached her a few hours after Shepard left the Normandy to help Samara with something, her sights set on the couplings she wanted for the ship.

"You have any idea where this contact is on the Omega market?" Eira asked as she rifled through her locker, prepping her pistols.

She passed on donning her Cerberus issued suit, opting for more casual garb in the hopes of not drawing unnecessary attention. A dull, worn brown leather jacket that was loose enough on her frame to conceal the pistol she tucked into her pants at the small of her back. Her black shirt and jeans were simple yet weathered. She hoped it was enough to pass as just a passing scavenger, a small-time hired gun or merchant. As for her skin…well, Eira just hoped people on Omega had seen weirder than a white-skinned human.

"Where? No, not exactly, but I know his name. Kenn. Word is he gets he's the guy to go to for scrap or repurposed parts."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Don't see why it wouldn't be," Gabby said with a small laugh, "no need to be so worried, Eira. We're not going into gang territory or anything."

Eira shrugged, "Just want to make sure we're prepared."

Gabby smirked as she readied her service pistol, "You pick that up from your time planet-side with Shepard?"

Eira shot the engineer a sharp glare and hastily tied back her hair.

"People keep telling me how lawless Omega is. I don't need anything from Shepard to tell me its smart to go in expecting the worst."

The second the words left her, Eira regretted them. Her tone was far harsher than she intended, her glare too icy. Gabby didn't deserve that.

Gabby raised her hands defensively but said nothing. She didn't have to; Eira saw the hurt look in her eyes.

But before she could say anything, Gabby hurried past her, her sights set on the airlock.

Eira jogged after her.

"Gabby!"

A door near them hissed open, but her focus remained ahead. She had to apologise –

"Where are you two off to?"

She spun on her heels and saw Joker looking at her strangely, clearly confused as to what he'd walked into.

"She's helping me pick something up from a contact in the market," Gabby answered, "it won't take too long."

An unusual stern look fell over Joker's features.

"Uh, I don't know the details, but Shepard mentioned something about keeping Eira onboard while he was gone."

"What?" Eira snapped.

"Like I said, I don't know the specifics, but when he was prepping for departure I heard him say something to Miranda about keeping you on the Normandy."

Eira rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath.

"Listen, I have no idea what happened between you and Shepard –

"Nothing happened!" Eira snarled.

"And I don't want to piss him off," Joker continued, "but if you promise to be safe and get whatever you need and get your ass right back here, I'll take my sweet ass time limping my way to her office…might even visit Kenneth for a drink before I head that way."

"Thanks, Joker," Gabby said gleefully, grabbing Eira by the sleeve, "we'll be right back – promise!"

Gabby pulled her to the airlock before Eira could thank him, but she managed a small, grateful smirk as she was dragged away.

Omega was loud. That was the first thing that struck her when the airlock door slid open and she laid eyes on the notorious planet. Loud and crowded. The docking area was relatively clear but the moment they stepped out they became part of the throng of people milling about the vast concourse surrounding a massive building covered with neon lights.

"That's Afterlife," Gabby explained, having seen the wide-eyed look Eira gave the impressive structure.

"What is it?"

"A club," the engineer replied with a laugh, "run by an asari named Aria…she runs the entire thing actually."

"What, this neighborhood?"

"No, all of Omega, silly."

"O-Oh."

Eira allowed Gabby to take the lead and followed her down a flight of stairs that led to a narrow doorway. It opened into a larger area full of market stalls and packed full of what Eira could only describe as crap.

Barrels and crates were stacked as high as she could see. If there was a ceiling, she couldn't discern it from the rows of goods slung from rope and chain above.

"Our guy is here?" she asked, gaze fixed upward as she took in the odd assortment of contraband the market had to offer.

"Yup, Kenn's supposedly at the 'back'. Whatever that means…"

Eira shifted her focus back to her friend, "I'm sorry, you know? For being short with you earlier. You didn't deserve it."

Gabby shrugged, "Nah, I know things are touchy with you and him. I should have known better than to have brought him up. Still hurts you won't just tell me, you know? We're friends…right?"

"Yes, of course, Gabby," Eira said gently, moving up to walk beside her, "I'm just…done. With him, with his bullshit…with being the only one trying…it's just nice to focus on this, helping you and forgetting about him for a while."

"I can understand that. I respect the hell out of him…but for the record? He's an idiot for shooting you down. I think you'd be perfect for him."

Eira swallowed hard, her gaze falling to the filthy floor.

"Sorry!" Gabby said quickly, "I'll drop it! Let's hunker down and find Kenn, I don't want to put Joker in a difficult situation with the higher ups."

Eira and Gabby made good time, all things considered. They found Kenn after an hour of searching the market and talking to vendors, tucked underneath a staircase at the far end of the hall. He wasn't what she was expecting – a quarian on pilgrimage from his people – but he had what they were looking for.

After arranging their delivery to the Normandy, they headed back the way they came only a few thousand credits lighter.

"You think he'll make it back home?" Gabby asked as the ship came into view.

Eira sighed, "I don't know. I hope he does though. Must be awfully lonely being so far from home."

"Hmm, well I think he will. He seemed like a good guy, I wouldn't want a place like this to wear him down."

"I hope you're right."

The airlock door slid open and right away Eira knew something was off. She tensed, remaining entirely still in the small vestibule.

"Eira?" Gabby pressed, "What is it?"

It was quiet, and she swore she could feel a tension in the air, but she said nothing. Shrugging it off, she proceeded into the ship, heading down the corridor to the med-bay and the lift. She wanted to reach her bed as soon as possible. As 'easy' as the outing had been, she was on-edge the entire time and felt physically exhausted from the effort of keeping up her façade.

But she didn't make it to the lift.

The door to Miranda's office opened and Shepard stormed out straight towards her, with Miranda following close behind.

He immediately cut off her retreat, putting himself between her and the lift door. He was wearing his Cerberus uniform but was covered in sweat and dust, as if he'd been fighting in that and not his hardsuit. As they started each other down, Eira appreciated just how sharp and cold his gaze was. She saw his jaw clench, noticed the slight tremor that ran through his body as he stood his ground.

He looked like he was about to explode.

And for some reason, that made Eira want to laugh.

He didn't give her the chance to though.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Shepard questioned, his voice a deep, low growl.

"I asked her to help, Shepard," Gabby interjected, "I –

"I was speaking to her," Shepard snapped, his gaze fixed on Eira, "What…the…fuck…were you thinking?"

They were starting to gather a crowd. Chakwas had stepped out from the med-bay, and Jack and Tali had looked up from their table. Eira didn't care. She wasn't going to be around much longer anyway. Shepard seemed blind to their audience though, something that struck Eira as odd.

"I was thinking it'd be foolish to send Gabby out there alone for the couplings," she said as evenly as she could muster, "and I thought I could help."

"We got the parts!" Gabby added.

"Without any issues," Eira continued, "I'd like to go to my room now, if you'd be so kind as to step aside."

"Was there something you didn't understand?" he spat, "something confusing about the fact there are mercs being sent after you? Mercs that have been seen in this fucking system!"

"What?" Gabby said with a gasp, "Eira, what –

"Obviously, my orders weren't clear enough," he said with a sharp glare at Miranda, "but you were supposed to remain on this ship."

"Perhaps if you wanted your orders followed you should have told me, commander. How was I supposed to know I was required to ask permission for every little thing I do when you don't have the courtesy to tell me?"

Frustrated and not wanting to waste more time on him, she made to walk around him only for him to reach out and grab her arm to stop her.

"Eira, would you just fucking stop –

"I have nothing to say to you," she said quietly, leaning in so only he could hear her, "I was helping a member of this crew, something I shouldn't have to explain myself for."

"Not every member of this crew has mercs trailing them across the galaxy!"

"Everyone does! Their called Collectors!" she seethed, shaking her arm free of his grasp, "and don't fucking pretend you give a damn, commander! The second I get a ticket outta here, I'm gone! Until then, back off!"

Her voice wavered as her tirade ended, when she finally took a breath and took stock of the tangle of emotion settled in her chest. She trembled, taking a slow, shaky breath as she stared him down; adamant she'd not show him a shred of weakness.

"Eira…" Gabby muttered, stunned by the intensity in her words and unsure what to do or say.

Eira's focus remained on Shepard.

His cold gaze had softened, but she could see the tension remained in his body. He didn't try to grab her arm again and looked browbeaten.

"Now," she said with a sigh, "I'm going to my room."

Turning, she hurried into the lift, trying her best to go slowly to not look like she's running away, and forced herself not to look at him as she pressed the down button. She was only able to take a deep breath when the lift doors closed.

Eira remained in her room for an hour until EDI finally gave her the all-clear that Shepard had left the Normandy to help Samara. Huddled up in comfortable sweats and a long-sleeved shirt, she emerged from her room with the goal of finding Gabby. She knew she'd made her friend uncomfortable with her outburst and given how short she was with her earlier, she knew she owed her a more heartfelt apology.

Descending the stairs to Engineering, she spotted Gabby right away at her terminal. Thankfully Kenneth was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Gabby, you have a moment?"

"Oh, yeah," she logged out of the program she was in and spun around in her chair to face Eira.

"I…wanted to apologise."

"It's fine, Eira, really –

"It's not," she interjected, "you've been nothing but kind to me and I should have told you why he and I are...not on the best terms, and why he might not have wanted me to leave the ship…"

"Well…it might have been nice to have a heads up mercs are after you," Gabby said with a chuckle, "I really just feel bad for dragging you along planet-side when you could have been in danger."

"I'm happy to have joined you, honestly, Gabby, it was nice to just get away from him…"

"Yeah but I don't want to risk your life just for that."

Eira shrugged, "Truth is we don't know were these mercs are. They may have moved on from this system, and I'm not just going to hide here until Liara finds something…and…I didn't feel like I stuck out when we were in the market. It was nice."

"Oh, Eira you're not the freak you think you are! You should be able to go out and have fun…which is why we should go out!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Gabby stood up quickly from her terminal and clapped her hands excitedly, "we'll get drinks, check out Afterlife. Kenneth can come, and maybe we can drag along some of the crew?"

Eira smiled, her friends' excitement too infectious to resist. It would be nice to go out, be normal and relax. Even if the mercs were in the system, there was no guarantee they'd be on Omega. It wasn't like she was defenceless or alone either, there was strength in numbers. And with the mission, it made sense to take the opportunity now; have no regrets.

"Excellent! I'll tell Kenneth, you think you'll be able to find something cute to wear?"

"I'll manage," Eira laughed.

As Gabby hurried off to rally the team, Eira realized what she'd gotten herself into.

What the hell was she going to wear?

A few hours later, Eira stood amongst the pile of discarded clothes that took over her room. She didn't have much to choose from, considering Cerberus had given her everything she owned, and this was the first time she was going to a club.

In the end, she settled on a pair of tight black pants and comfortable boots that weren't too bulky. She was going to wear a simple Cerberus-issued t-shirt, until Gabby saw her and put a stop to that. Instead, she'd borrowed a plum coloured tank top from her that looked great against her milky white skin. It was a little too tight across her breasts, but her concerns were quickly dismissed by Gabby, who assured her she looked great.

The finishing touches were some mascara and lipstick, both of which she needed Gabby's help with, but in the end, she couldn't stop looking at herself in the small mirror Gabby had brought.

She had a hard time recognising herself but after a moment, she smiled, pleasantly surprised by her reflection. She had been nervous about the possibility of her scars being on display, but with her hair down the bandages and small exposed sores on her neck were mostly obscured.

"I thought you said you could manage on your own?" Gabby asked with a laugh.

"Oh, I said I'd manage. Never said it'd be without you though."

"Sure, sure! I'm going to get Kenneth and the others, you okay to meet us upstairs?"

"That I can manage," she grabbed Gabby's hand as she turned to leave, "and…thank you, Gabby, for everything."

Gabby smiled, "You're welcome."

As Gabby headed off to round up the gang, Eira quickly tidied up her room before hurrying to the lift. She was nervous, the lingering threat of the merc still in the forefront of her mind, but also more excited than she had been in ages. Going out, dancing and laughing with friends…it was always just a dream, something she overheard the techs at Nafna talk about – and now she was having her chance.

She practically leapt from the lift the moment the doors opened, but her excitement fizzled out instantly when she saw who was in the mess hall.

Shepard stopped mid-sentence, looking at her over the shoulder of the crew member he'd been speaking to.

As she waited for Gabby and the others, she tried to focus on anything – anyone – other than him. But every time she glanced up from her omni-tool, his focus was on her, and after five minutes, she realized he was slowly getting closer.

She tensed, closing her omni-tool and crossing her arms, hoping silently that if she didn't look at him, he'd just go away.

She wasn't that lucky.

"Eira?"

Her gaze flicked up, finding his icy blues on her as he stood a respectful distance from her. He looked uneasy and was shifting awkwardly where he stood, his discomfort palpable.

"I said everything I wanted to earlier, commander," Eira said as evenly as she could muster, her voice wavering more than she liked.

"I know," he held up his hands, "I just…have something I wanted to say. I'm not here to argue."

Eira saw Gabby and the others step off the lift and tried to step around Shepard.

"I really don't have time –

"Please," Shepard reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Tensing, she glared at him and he quickly let go of her.

"Please," he implored again, his voice low and an alarming, almost scared look in his eyes.

Eira bit her lip and looked back at Gabby before reluctantly nodding and turning back to Shepard.

Shepard glanced around, and seeing the mess hall was full, gestured for Eira to follow him into the empty med-bay.

When the door closed behind them, Eira turned to face him and waited for him to speak.

Sighing heavily as he paced the room, rubbing the back of his neck, Shepard said nothing for what felt like forever.

Frustrated and her discomfort growing, she made to leave the room, only for him to finally find his voice.

"Please, please, don't leave the ship tonight," he said quietly, a slight shake consuming his entire body as he tried to remain composed.

"I'm going out with Gabby and the others, commander. Was there anything else?"

His shaking intensified, and he glanced around the room, eyes strangely panicked.

"I get that your angry and I'm not here to convince you to forgive me or," he swallowed hard, suddenly unable to look at her, "give me another chance to make things right. But please, please, don't go out there tonight…and…don't take whatever lead Garrus gets you either. Stay, I'll give you all the space you want, it'll be like I'm not here I swear, but please…don't."

Eira took a shaky breath.

"No…" she muttered, voice tight.

Jaw clenched, Shepard tried to reach out for her again, only for her to step backwards.

"I told you my next hit wouldn't be gentle," she snapped, "don't touch me…"

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I'm sorry…but please…"

She shook her head, unable to look at him with the tight, fluttering nerves in her stomach and the quivering of her chin.

"Gabby is waiting for me," she pushed past him, gaze down, and hurried from the med-bay before she changed her mind.

Eira was giddy with excitement by the time she passed through Afterlife's front door with Gabby. The deep roll of the bass reverberated through the club, pulsing through her in time with her own heartbeat.

Kenneth and the others made straight for the bar but Eira took her time following them, looking all around her in awe.

"That's Aria," Gabby shouted to her over the music, pointing to the balcony over the dance floor.

She saw the asari lounging as she looked down at the dancers, flanked by two heavily armed body guards. Gabby led her by the hand through the crowd and Eira's focus was soon captured by other things.

She didn't notice Aria's focus remained on her.

Hours later, Eira was laughing with the crew members Gabby and Kenneth had brought along and introduced her to. A few had been kind enough to buy her drinks, and she had a pleasant, warm tingle enveloping her that made her unable to stop smiling and laughing.

She had just finished her drink when Gabby grabbed her by the hand and tried to pull her out onto the dance floor. It might have been her first time at a club, but she was already positive it was her favourite place to be. There was nothing better than dancing, the heavy beat of the music and the energy of the throng of people around her; it was amazing.

But her bladder was screaming for release and she quickly shouted to Gabby that she'd join her after she found the washroom. Her friend pointed her in the right direction and Eira hurried off, eager to rejoin her on the dance floor.

As she washed her hands at the sink, she heard the door open behind her but thought nothing of it. It was the washroom at a club after all, she couldn't be the only one with a small bladder.

Strong arms wrapped around her and she jumped in surprise, only for a damp cloth to be pressed over her mouth. One deep breath of the fumes had her head spinning and she bucked wildly against her assailant, screaming and clawing at his hands, desperate to be free. She made a series of frantic attempts to use her powers to defend herself, but each time the energy on her fingertips fizzled out. Running out of options, she tried to push off the sink to get some momentum but the large body behind her was unmoving.

Her legs felt heavy and her arms tingled, but she poured her energy into fighting, unaware the fumes had almost sapped the last of her energy from her panicked, adrenaline-fueled body.

In her drug-fogged mind, she heard two voices, but as she poured everything into screaming as loudly as she could, her mind finally went blank as unconsciousness finally claimed her.