"Attention ladies and gentlemen of the SSV Normandy SR-2," said Joker over the comm which had been opened ship wide, "We are approaching Omega, please return your seats into the upright position, our lovely stewardesses will be by shortly to clean up your inflight snacks. We know you have many options when flying and we thank you for choosing Air Normandy."
"Air Normandy?" said Steve from the co-pilot's seat, Joker had decided the flight lessons needed to start sooner rather than later.
"Are you about to tell me you've never watched old airplane movies before?" asked Joker as he began the landing sequence.
"No, I've just never thought of the Normandy as an airplane before," said Steve as he mimicked Joker's movements.
"Steve, check the angle of her wings, I believe they're a little too much to the right," said Joker as he checked the numbers, "and I don't think of her as an airplane, I just like to lighten the mood, no one's really eager to be on Omega . . . again."
"Yeah, no shit," snorted Steve, "Think Aria's going to be friendly or blow us out of the sky before we even dock?"
"She'd better be friendly," muttered Joker, remembering the last time they had helped Omega's self-proclaimed queen reclaim her kingdom, "otherwise, I'm turning the ship around now, Hackett or no Hackett."
"How considerate," said Hackett's voice through Joker's personal channel, making him nearly jump out of his chair, "Aria's already told me we have nothing to fear from her, she'll cooperate with us, for what it's worth."
Joker took a few deep breaths, his hand clutching his heart, he had not expected Hackett to speak with him before getting closer to Omega, "Way to give a heart attack, sir," He quickly put Hackett on mute, "EDI why didn't you warn me that Hackett was trying to communicate?"
"I thought it better to just patch him through instead of waiting for you to decide to answer, Jeff," said EDI, sounding like she was teasing him though he could not be sure.
Joker groaned, "Thanks for that, EDI, next time just let me know we have an incoming message okay?"
"Of course," said EDI. Joker could hear Steve trying to smother his laughter but he was not giving it any real chance to be controlled.
"I hate you both," sighed Joker as he finished descent preparations, "Next time, I'm flying the ship by myself, no help from either of you."
"Fine by me," scoffed Steve, "I prefer flying the shuttle either way."
"Jeff, I know you are not serious so I will take no offensive actions against you," said EDI and Joker eyed the blue orb, "Resuming oxygen recycling."
Joker and Steve both looked at her, a look of worry on both of their faces.
"That was a joke," said EDI flatly.
"Not funny, EDI, not funny at all," said Joker and he turned his attention back to landing the Normandy in Omega's docks.
"Hey, there's the Orizaba," said Steve, pointing towards the large Alliance dreadnought that was already waiting in the docks.
"Alright, we have clearance," said Joker, "let's take her in nice and easy now, give these people a show."
Steve nodded and was about to finish the sequence Joker had sent him when he felt the ship take a hard left and before he knew it, the Normandy was in a tight barrel roll much to the surprise of him and the rest of the crew.
"Joker!" came the unison cry of Steve and the crew from the CIC, most of whom were now clutching their seats and consoles trying to keep upright as Joker put the Normandy in a spiral dive.
Joker laughed as he steadied the Normandy just before getting right to the docks, he was still laughing as the clamps gripped the Normandy's hull, it was not until he turned around in his chair that he stopped laughing. Elissa was standing in front of him with a stern look on her face.
"Commander," said Joker, pretending that his lingering chuckles were actually coughs, "I thought you were in the mess with everyone else."
"I was, until the Normandy started doing barrel rolls," said Elissa evenly, "Lucky for you, EDI increased the pressure of the artificial gravity and no one was hurt. That was risky, Joker."
Joker tried to cover up the grin that threatened, "Well, Commander, some risks are worth taking wouldn't you agree."
He watched her expression soften, "I guess you have a point, Joker." She leaned down and kissed him softly, his heart fluttering in his chest the moment her lips touched his.
"Uh, Commander," said Steve, slightly embarrassed at seeing his friends sharing an intimate moment, "Hackett's still on mute, do you want me to open the channels back up?"
Elissa gave Joker a funny look, "Why's Hackett on mute?"
"Cause I was having words with EDI," said Joker, glancing at the blue orb as he spun around to face the console.
"What'd she do?" asked Elissa, puzzled.
"I patched Hackett through the channel without informing Jeff," replied EDI, "I thought that would be better than waiting for Jeff to answer him. Was the action endangering to the well being of the crew, Elissa?"
Elissa raised an eyebrow, she had never heard EDI use her first name before, usually it was just 'Commander' or 'Shepard' if she really wanted to sound friendly, "No, EDI, it wasn't just ill advised. Next time, just warn Joker before patching someone through without his express permission."
"Understood, Elissa," said EDI and Joker held his breath, the look on Elissa's face was not one of acceptance more of suspicion.
"Who's going with you to meet Hackett?" asked Steve as he checked the Normandy's diagnostics.
"Well first I need to figure out when he's coming," said Elissa, glancing at Joker, "EDI, patch Hackett through, thank you."
"You're welcome, Elissa," said EDI before Hackett's voice filled the cockpit.
"Shepard, glad to see you made it here in one piece," said Hackett and Elissa could almost hear a grin in his voice.
"No thanks to Joker," said Elissa resting her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sending my engineering and mechanical crew over to the Normandy, along with yours they might be able to repair any damage you might have sustained," said Hackett.
"Thank you, sir," said Elissa, "If they have any specific questions, EDI and Joker will be at their disposal."
"Hey!" protested Joker and Elissa gently squeezed his shoulder.
"Thank you, Shepard," said Hackett, "Now, you and I are going to meet at Afterlife in one hour, bring only one squad mate with you, we're trying not to attract too much attention."
"Sir, no offense, but you have an Alliance dreadnought sitting in the docks," said Elissa uneasily, "How is that not attracting attention?"
"This is an private dock," said Hackett, "I made sure when we first arrived that we remained undetected, and we've only had a few close calls, Aria has been more than charitable in keeping us a secret."
Elissa tensed, "Aria knows you're here?"
Hackett chuckled, "Of course, very little goes on here that she doesn't know about, you should be well aware of that fact."
"Yes, sir, you're very right," sighed Elissa, "Won't my presence on Omega bring attention? I don't have one of those faces a person can easily forget."
"Talk to your friend, Miranda, she might have something to help you out," said Hackett, "Alright, I'll see you in an hour, Hackett out."
The line buzzed with static for a few moments before EDI closed the channel, Joker and Steve spun around to look at her.
"So who are you going to bring with you?" asked Steve, his eyes darting to Joker.
"I haven't decided yet," said Elissa, and she turned to leave, "I'm going to change into something less conspicuous, see you guys in a little while."
Joker felt slightly hurt that she had not jumped on Steve's question and said she was going to bring him, but he decided that dwelling on that fact would do nothing but upset him further so he instead focused on making a list of checks for the Normandy for when the engineers and mechanics showed up.
Elissa left the cockpit with a pit in her stomach, she thought about taking Joker with her to meet Hackett but this situation was far too precarious already and she wanted him to be safe, she knew she would never forgive herself if he got hurt on her watch again. She pressed the button for the elevator and waited patiently for its arrival, her mind racing with different scenarios about what might happen if she took Joker with her instead of James or someone else. When she came to the scenario where an angry Elcor started going on a rampage through the club and crushed Joker with his foot, Elissa knew she was just being paranoid and that nothing would probably happen if she took him, but she still wanted him safe. As she rode the elevator, she thought it would be best to discuss this problem with Miranda since she always seemed to have a level and clear head when dealing with emotions.
"So why don't you take James?" asked Miranda through the bathroom door, Elissa had gone in there to change into the outfit she had picked out.
"I don't want to hurt Jeff by not taking him," said Elissa as she pulled on the black skin tight dress, "He feels babied enough by everyone else, and I don't want to do that to him."
"Reasonable argument," said Miranda thoughtfully, "Do you think he'd see it that way? Do you think he'd understand why you don't pick him to go with you?"
"I'm not sure," said Elissa quietly, "I mean, how would you see it? Someone you loved not taking you out somewhere because of something physically wrong with you, hypothetically speaking of course."
"Some would see my genes as something wrong with me," admitted Miranda.
"How do you figure that?" asked Elissa as she applied eye liner.
"I intimidate people, make them feel less than they really are," said Miranda as she gazed out of her window, "and it really upsets a date when people are constantly trying to upstage you or make you screw up in some form."
Elissa was stunned, Miranda had not ever shared something so personal before, except when talking about her sister or her father.
"I can see why that'd be a turn-off," said Elissa as she now slipped a wig of dark hair over her reddish brown bun. She emerged from the bathroom and turned to Miranda who's mouth dropped, obviously surprised with what she was seeing.
"Wow, Lisa," said Miranda, brushing a few of the wig's hairs out of Elissa's face, "You look amazing with black hair, especially with it short."
"I feel stupid," sighed Elissa as she looked down at the dress she was wearing, it was an old one of Miranda's she was borrowing for the evening, it was black and looked slightly like the one the Alliance had given her but there was something more elegant about this one.
"You look great," said Miranda chuckling at her friend's obvious displeasure with being trapped in a dress, she handed her a silver chain necklace, "oh, and the answer to your problem, just go by yourself."
"Are you sure?" asked Elissa as she clasped the necklace around her neck, "Hackett said to bring someone with me."
"I'm sure, besides, we all know you can handle yourself," said Miranda encouragingly.
"Alright, am I dressed to kill?" asked Elissa, turning around in a circle for Miranda to see.
"As usual, Lisa," said Miranda smiling at her friend.
"So you and Hackett planned this meeting from the start?" asked Elissa as she examined herself in Miranda's full length mirror.
"We both knew that wherever you met at for this meeting, it'd be dangerous so we had a few different scenarios planned for different locations," replied Miranda, running her fingers through her hair.
"Where did you get this wig, Miranda?" asked Elissa, as she smoothed it for the tenth time, enjoying the look it gave her.
"I don't remember," said Miranda, shrugging her shoulders, "I found it in the bottom of my closet and thought it would be something for you to wear, you said you wanted to look inconspicuous, right?"
"Yeah, you're right," mused Elissa, taking her pistol and strapping it to her back, "I don't expect trouble, but just in case."
"Now get down there and do what you do best," said Miranda, patting Elissa on her shoulder.
"Roger that, Miss Lawson," said Elissa giving her former XO a mock salute and she left her room, wondering what Joker was going to say.
"She better not have picked James, that's all I'm saying," grumbled Joker as he waited for Elissa to tell him her choice.
Steve was about to respond when they heard Elissa enter the cockpit, both men found it necessary to pick their jaws up off the floor, both were surprised to see her standing there in her outfit with the wig to take it over the top.
"What?" asked Elissa, suddenly very self-conscious, "Do I have toilet paper stuck to my heel or something?"
"Damn, Shepard, I had no idea you could look like that," teased Steve.
Elissa rolled her eyes, she knew Steve was just messing with her, and she looked at Joker who's eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging open.
"Holy shit," whistled Joker, he stood up and pulled Elissa close, spinning her around like he had done many weeks ago, "I really am the luckiest man alive."
Elissa let out a nervous giggle, "I'm glad you approve."
His gaze dropped, "Who're you taking with you?"
"No one, I'm going by myself," said Elissa lightly and she saw panic flicker across his face, "I'm not anticipating any trouble, Jeff, I just feel this has to be done alone."
"Let me get this straight here," said Joker, pushing her out of his arms, ignoring the hurt look on her face, "You're carrying your pistol and you have to disguise who you are just to get off of this ship, and none of that makes you think that something's going to go wrong?"
Elissa stepped closer to him, taking his hand, "Jeff, please understand why I made this choice, please trust me on this one okay?"
Joker relented and looked in her eyes, he could see she was silently pleading with him to trust her, "Ellie, I'm not happy with you at all right now, but I do trust you so I stand behind your decision."
Elissa breathed a heavy sigh, she could see he was angry with her but she was not about to change her mind nor try to convince him to feel differently, "Thank you, Jeff. I won't be long, an hour at most, keep the family safe in the mean time." She slowly backed out of the cockpit, and stood at the entrance of the airlock, she wanted to look at him but knew if she did she would break her resolve and take him with her which was something she could not allow.
"Airlock prepped, Elissa," said EDI and the doors slid open, she stepped through waiting for the equalizing of pressure process to begin.
"Note to self, ask EDI why she's calling me by my first name," muttered Elissa to herself as the outside door opened and she stepped outside into the familiar thick polluted air of Omega.
Joker sat back down in his chair, stroking his chin, again he had the feeling something was off about this situation, he spun around and pressed the comm button, "Kasumi to the bridge, I repeat, Kasumi to the bridge."
"What are you calling her over for?" asked Steve, reclining in his chair.
"Wait and see, Stevie," said Joker and a few minutes later he heard Kasumi approaching from behind, he spun around to greet her, "I need you to follow Shepard."
Kasumi was taken aback by the request, "Why?"
"I want to make sure she's safe," said Joker, "She's not going to take anyone with her, and for my peace of mind, I need to know she's safe."
Kasumi smiled, "I'd be more than happy to be Shep's guardian angel, God knows she's done it for us enough times."
Joker gave her a sad smile, "She's in a black dress and wearing a short dark-haired wig, she'll be with Hackett. Just keep your distance, all I want is her in sight of the camera in your suit, and if any gunfights happen participate."
"You'd make a great captain, Joker," said Kasumi squeezing his shoulder gently before cloaking herself. Joker heard her footsteps becoming more and more faint, he knew she had her own means of getting on and off of the Normandy without using the front door, while he was impressed at her resourcefulness he was also a little nervous that there were secret ways onto his ship.
"She's right you know," said Steve as he stood up and stretched.
"Who's right about what?" asked Joker, his mind already back on how stunning Elissa had looked in her undercover outfit, much like when Kasumi had asked her to do something similar and she had worn a dress like the one she wore tonight.
"Kasumi, she's right that you'd make a great ship's captain," said Steve smiling at Joker, "Anyway, I'm going to the mess for some food, need me to bring you anything?"
Joker shook his head, a smile ghosting his lips, he had never thought of himself as anything except a pilot and he did not want to be anything more than a pilot but he was glad his friends had faith that he would make just as good an officer.
"Nah, I'll eat when Shepard gets back," replied Joker, bringing Kasumi's suit feed up on the console, she was just now getting to Afterlife's entrance. Joker was so concentrated on finding Elissa in the crowd of people he did not hear Steve walk over nor did he feel him rest his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't be mad at her, okay?" said Steve kindly, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
Joker looked up at his friend, and he let his anger rise to the surface, "I know she has her reasons, but it fucking sucks, I thought she was different. I had hoped she wouldn't be a woman who'd coddle me, I fucking hate that! Why'd she have to do that?! Why couldn't she just come out and say 'I'm sorry, but I'm taking James because he's an N7 that won't break a rib if he sneezes too hard?' This leaving alone bullshit is just slightly more insulting, cause to me, it says she'd rather do something dangerous by herself instead of bringing me into it so I'd be safe."
"Joker, Joker, calm down," said Steve spinning Joker's chair around so they could face each other properly, he pressed his hands on the armrests and looked him straight in the eye, "Does she love you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" snorted Joker angrily.
"Does. She. Love. You?" repeated Steve.
Joker lowered his head, his voice quiet, "Yeah, she does."
"Then that's why she left you behind," said Steve, standing back up, "not because you're quote on quote "fragile," but it's because she loves you and doesn't want you hurt. I'm sure if you were James, she'd have left you behind for the same reason."
"You might be right," relented Joker, "I'm still pissed, but I see your point."
"Be pissed all you want, just be pissed for the right reasons," said Steve, smirking, "You sure you don't want to grab a bite to eat? Shepard's fine, and besides, you have Kasumi watching her so if something goes wrong you'll hear about it. And a word from the wise, sitting here worrying about her isn't going to do you any favors in the long run, you'll just lose your hair."
"Is that why you're balding?" teased Joker as he stood up.
"Nah, that's just from you scaring the crap out of me while flying," joked Steve, draping his arm around Joker's shoulders, "Now, let's see if we can get some decent food from Rupert, and not that fireball chili James keeps insisting on."
"How'd that turn out for him by the way?" asked Joker as they walked out of the cockpit.
"He managed to eat the entire bowl and then proceeded to, uh, destroy the bathroom," said Steve and Joker laughed loudly.
"Sounds like James got payback," laughed Joker and Steve joined in, then he spoke quietly "Remind me to tell that to Shepard if she gets back."
"She will get back," said Steve reassuringly, "just calm down."
Joker smiled at him, of everyone on the ship, Steve was definitely the right one to ask about or vent to about relationships and he was glad that he was willing to sit and listen. Joker made a mental note to ask him about his love life, after all, Steve might need someone to listen to his concerns instead of it being the other way around.
Elissa entered Afterlife's main floor with very little difficulty, the bass was loud and reverberating through her body, bright lights colored the massive room and if this had been any other night she might have joined in the fun. Instead her eyes were scanning the crowd, walking as she did so to divert attention from herself, so far there was no sign of Hackett anywhere. She leaned against the nearest wall and continued scanning the people as they entered, this was unlike Hackett to be late but maybe it was necessary. She was about to leave when she caught a glimpse of someone incredibly familiar, her heart beat hard in her chest and she felt a very cold chill travel down her spine. She wanted to be sure that was indeed who she saw but when she went back to the spot she had seen him standing, it was vacant, and she shook her head trying to convince herself that it was impossible Kaidan Alenko was here on Omega.
"Shepard!" came a voice and Elissa turned to see who was calling her, she saw another familiar face running towards her this one more welcoming than the other.
"Shepard!" shouted Jack as she ran up to Elissa, "Jesus, Shepard, are you deaf?"
"No, just distracted," replied Elissa, following Jack when she motioned that they needed to start walking, "How'd you know it was me?"
"I just looked for the only person not having fun," snorted Jack, "you stick out like a sore thumb even in that get up."
"Oh, and thanks for shouting my name so everyone could hear," growled Elissa, "we're not supposed to let anyone know I'm here."
"That's Hackett's rule, not Aria's," replied Jack, "actually, Aria doesn't care that you're here, so maybe you could lose the wig."
"I think I'll keep it," said Elissa, the hairs on the back of her neck telling her that she was being watched, "Why's Aria okay with me being on Omega?"
"She says your presence makes people knock off their cheap shit," said Jack, glancing around for Hackett's table, "and since you're on the run from the Council, you bring the balance back to where she likes it, the bitch is crazy that's all I know for sure."
"This from the Psychotic Biotic," teased Elissa.
"Damn straight," said Jack giving her a cocky smile, "okay, Hackett's over there, I'm going to be standing guard by the bar."
"Is that wise?" asked Elissa.
"What? You know I can out drink anyone, even you," said Jack, slapping her on the shoulder.
"Not what I meant," said Elissa, "What if someone says something to piss you off?"
"Then you'll know it's time to get the fuck out of here," snorted Jack, and then her face softened enough for Elissa to take notice, "We'll have time to catch up later, after you talk with Hackett, just watch yourself."
"Understood," said Elissa and they went their separate ways. Elissa neared Hackett's table and saw the admiral dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a leather jacket, she was surprised to see him in such casual attire.
"Shepard," said Hackett as she sat down across from him, "Good to see you."
"Likewise, sir," said Elissa resting her arms on the table, attempting to relax in this environment, "Care to explain why we're meeting here instead of on the Orizaba or the Normandy?"
"Simple," said Hackett, leaning forward, "we have a mole."
Elissa's eyes went wide, "How do you know for sure, sir?"
"My location was leaked," said Hackett, sipping his drink, "I had disabled the tracking devices the Alliance has on their ships before I left for Omega, not wanting to be easily followed, and then that assassin showed up and I got a message from the brass telling me to return from Omega. Someone on my ship has been feeding information, and I didn't want this meeting held where they could easily hear what we're saying."
"Alright," said Elissa, "So anything I need to be aware of?"
"There's a search going on for you in Council space," said Hackett, "out here in the Terminus, no one cares, like when you were with Cerberus."
Elissa was crestfallen, "Damn and I had hoped to be able to go to Tuchanka and other home worlds for personal matters."
At this, Hackett smiled, "I might have said there was a search for you, but I think I failed to mention it's at the discretion of the home world."
Elissa resisted beaming instead mustering a huge grin, "So, it's up to whomever is in charge whether they participate in the search or not?"
"In a manner of speaking," replied Hackett, "Some worlds such as Palaven and Thessia would hand you over, but other places like Tuchanka or Sur'Kesh would welcome you but keep your presence on the planet a secret. Then there are those such as Rannoch, who would happily fight the Council if they so much as tried to remove you from the planet. You made many friends during your adventures, Shepard, many have a debt to you they feel they can never repay."
Elissa sat back in her chair and smiled, she had not expected this and was glad for it, "Glad to hear I have a few places to go without worrying about my safety or that of my crew. Speaking of safety and my crew, what happened to the families they left behind?"
"An order was issued by the Council to capture them," said Hackett, his eyes cast down at the thought, "but I intervened just in the nick of time and they're all someplace safe."
"When were you able to intervene?" asked Elissa, confused.
"The day you and Joker first went to trial," replied Hackett, "that's why I wasn't there on the day you were sentenced, I was busy saving your friends' families, otherwise I would've been standing beside you that day."
"What was the point of capturing innocent civilians?" asked Elissa, her brow furrowed in frustration.
"Bargaining chips," said Hackett, "from what my source told me, the Council did not believe there would be any resistance from your crew when you were taken away, and was going to use their families to make them stay on as crew and accept the command of Alenko."
Elissa closed her eyes, the deviance of the Council was unbelievable, "Are they safe?"
"Incredibly safe," replied Hackett, reaching out and putting his hand comfortingly on her own, a gesture she had not known to come from him, "They're all on Rannoch, under the protection of Han'Gerrel and Kal'Reegar."
Elissa sighed heavily, she knew their next move since the second her crew found out about their families, she would not be able to persuade them to go after Leviathan or any other mission for that matter.
"Then Rannoch's our objective," said Elissa, readying herself to stand, "Anything else, sir?"
"Nothing pressing as of this moment," said Hackett, standing the same moment she did, "except, I'm glad you're alright, Shepard. Without you and your crew, this galaxy would be a very different place."
Elissa smiled warmly, "Thank you sir, but none of that would have been possible without you encouraging me my entire life."
"It was an honor," said Hackett, "Tell the crew what you've learned, and I'll be by later to answer any questions, oh and Jack's going to ask if she can rejoin the crew."
"Why? She knows there's always a place on the Normandy for her," said Elissa, glancing over at Jack who was now chatting with a Salarian.
"Shepard, please, don't ask me for reasoning behind her actions," said Hackett shaking his head as they walked away from the table, "The less I understand of that woman, the longer I go without locking her in the brig."
"She'd blow it up," said Elissa, signaling to Jack they were leaving the club.
"Good to know," chuckled Hackett, "Don't get me wrong, she's a helluva woman and a great addition to the Alliance, but there's something about her that scares me."
"You two talking about me?" asked Jack as they started walking out of the club.
"Damn you have good hearing," joked Elissa.
"Not really, I just know Hackett," said Jack, giving the admiral a smirk, "Whenever the subject of me comes up he stands there like someone just shoved a pole up his ass."
Elissa laughed, unable to prevent it from happening, Hackett's face was far too priceless not to laugh.
"Come on you two," said Hackett, shaking his head, "let's get back to the ship."
"Joker!" shouted Kasumi as she entered the mess where most of the crew was sitting.
Joker nearly fell out of his chair, concerned that something had happened that he did not know about, "What happened?"
"She's fine, she's on her way back," panted Kasumi, "I ran back ahead of them, so forgive the panting."
"What did Hackett tell her?" asked Miranda, who was sitting in James' lap.
Kasumi smiled, "I think I should let her tell you, otherwise she might get suspicious that you know everything she does."
"Good idea," said Tali as she played with her straw.
"But no gunfights or assassination attempts?" asked Joker, when Kasumi shook her head he let out a sigh of relief, although he was still upset about her snubbing him as her date he was glad she was safe nonetheless.
"I guess we wait then," said Garrus, adding poker chips to the pile between himself, James, and Steve.
"We're very good at that," commented Liara, who was sitting at the table knitting a pink outfit, "I hope she has good news for all of us, it's agony being in the dark."
"Liara, with all of your . . . sources," said Joker carefully, "how have you remained in the dark?"
"The channels on the Normandy are not secure enough for the information I handle," said Liara, counting her stitches before resuming the clicking of her needles.
"Maybe EDI could change that," suggested Miranda, playing with James' dog tags.
"That is only possible if I am aware of the source of the disturbances in the line, Miranda," said EDI.
"Of course it is," sighed Miranda.
They remained silent for a few minutes, all eyes on the poker game unfolding in front of them when they head the elevator doors open and the clicking heels of Elissa's shoes as she emerged from the elevator.
"Hey, Shepard," said Garrus, glancing up from his cards.
"Hey everyone," said Elissa sitting down next to Joker, who got up from the table and walked to the elevator, she threw him a puzzled look as he entered the elevator which he chose to ignore. She looked away as the doors closed on his hurt and angry face, she could feel tears threatening to spill free, but she knew she had to keep herself together in order to deliver the news to her crew.
"What'd you learn from your meeting with Hackett?" asked James, rubbing his forehead in concentration.
"Some good, some bad," sighed Elissa, knowing this was not the only important conversation she would be having that night, "Bad news is we're being hunted down in Council space, good news is we're still welcome on most planets."
"Thank God," muttered Jacob, who appeared to be logging in his latest workout.
"At least we have places to go," said Tali, bending her straw.
"Which ones aren't we allowed on?" asked Kasumi though she already knew the answer.
"Thessia and Palaven are the top ones to avoid," replied Elissa, watching Garrus and Liara frown at the news, "Ser'Kesh, Tuchanka, and several others will shelter us, though they won't throw us a parade or anything."
"Things are really that bad, huh?" sighed James putting his cards down, no longer in the mood to continue the game.
"Yeah, they really are," said Elissa quietly, looking down at her feet.
"I get the feeling this isn't the most important news," said Garrus, putting down his cards and looking Elissa straight in the eyes, "What aren't you telling us, Shepard?"
Elissa took a deep breath before speaking, "Hackett spent the better part of my trial gathering up your family members, and taking them someplace safe, they were going to be taken in by the Council and used as bargaining chips in order to get you all to serve under Kaidan."
"You're fucking joking, right?" said Jacob darkly, standing up from the table.
"I wish I was, Jacob," said Elissa sadly.
"Is that why we haven't been able to contact them lately?" asked Jacob, now pacing a short path, Elissa could tell he was beyond angry, he was absolutely furious, "Where are they?"
"Rannoch," replied Elissa quickly, "And as soon as the repairs to the ship are finished, we're headed straight there."
"Good," snapped Garrus, his mandibles flexing in anger, "Remind me to buy Hackett a round of drinks when all of this is over."
"Your reminder has been noted, Garrus," said EDI.
"I'm sure you all have questions about the situation," said Elissa, standing, "and I would love to tell you the answers but I don't have any for you, but Hackett should be here soon with answers for most of those inquiries. Please be patient, and we'll be off to Rannoch soon."
She did not give them any chance to reply, instead she ran as fast as she could in heels to the elevator, hoping and pleading that Joker was in her cabin and not in some hiding spot somewhere in engineering.
When she got to her cabin she held her breath, entering quietly, and to her relief she saw Joker sitting on the couch with his head buried in his hands. Elissa felt her heart ache at the sight, she wanted to rush and embrace him, but knew now was probably not the right time to do so after they talked would be more appropriate. Quietly she walked over to the couch and sat down on the side furthest from him, glad when he removed his hands from his face and looked at her.
"Why?" asked Joker simply, "And don't give me that bullshit line of 'I didn't think anything would go wrong, I just want to do this alone' otherwise you would've asked me to go with you." He was angry with her for coddling him, but the hurt look on her face when he snapped at her almost made him forget about being upset and hold her close instead.
"Jeff, why does it matter why I left you behind?" asked Elissa and she knew she was treading on dangerous territory.
"Because it fucking hurt!" shouted Joker, "I thought you were different from the other women, that you wouldn't baby me, but now I see the truth!"
He stood up suddenly and walked to her desk, his entire body shaking with rage.
"Jeff, please, try to understand, this wasn't—" started Elissa but Joker cut her off.
"I tried to believe that you wanted me out of harm's way because you love me," said Joker, his voice thick with emotion as he spoke, "but then I remembered that you would take Kaidan with you on missions, dangerous or not."
Elissa wanted this conversation to be over with, wanted to know the outcome since from where she stood, everything was pointing to the end of their relationship.
"So why'd you let him go with you and not me?" asked Joker, crossing his arms as he glowered at her.
"Jeff, I—" started Elissa, but her voice faltered, not wanting to reveal her real reason.
"Why, Elissa?!" exclaimed Joker, tears glistening in his eyes, taking her silence as her way of suggesting she was ending their relationship.
"I . . . I was afraid," whispered Elissa, fighting back tears.
Joker blinked at the statement, "You were what?"
"Afraid," said Elissa louder, "I was afraid of losing you, okay? Are you happy now? I know you thought I was coddling you, and in a way I was, but not because I thought you couldn't handle yourself and I'm sorry for doing it."
"Elissa, you're not going to—" started Joker.
"But I almost have!" shouted Elissa, tears now rushing down her face, "I almost have, Jeff, more times than I care to think about."
Joker sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her, she buried her face against his chest her tears soaking through his shirt, "Ellie, I'm still here, nothing's happened."
"Yet," said Elissa wiping some tears away, "There've been too many close calls, Jeff, and all of them on my watch. I couldn't bring myself to put you in that situation again."
"What do you mean again?" asked Joker, rubbing her shoulder.
"The sushi place on the Citadel," said Elissa as she sat back upright, "when I almost got you killed while we were eating, then there was the time when the guards tried to kill us in prison, Kaidan trying to make you a smear on the ground, when the Collectors attacked the ship and when the Normandy went down."
"Oh baby," said Joker, pulling her close again, "you really know how to make a guy feel like an ass."
Elissa smiled, "I'm sorry, that wasn't the intention."
"I know," sighed Joker, kissing her forehead, "I knew you had your reasons for not bringing me, but I just jumped to the conclusion that you thought I'd get in the way or something like that."
"No, never," said Elissa, sitting up and cupping his face, gently stroking his cheek, "Jeff, I've seen you in action, you're a soldier like the rest of us. I'm sorry and I'm just selfish and want to keep you safe, that's all."
"I'm sorry too, especially for bringing up Kaidan," said Joker quietly, "It was bad form on my part, especially since there's no way to fairly compare us, I am after all more amazing than he is."
Elissa smirked, "No bias right?"
"Absolutely none, and I'm insulted that you imply as much," said Joker, feigning insult.
"I'm sure," said Elissa, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pecking his lips softly, "So are we okay? You still mad at me?"
"Yeah, Ellie, we're okay," said Joker resting his head against her forehead, "next time, just tell me why you don't want me along, don't try to say it's because you feel you should go alone."
"I promise," said Elissa, "as long as you don't put yourself in any danger from now until let's start with forever and see how that goes."
"No promises," said Joker and he laughed when he saw her pout, "I'm in love with Commander Shepard, and that's a danger in and of itself."
"You got me there, flyboy," said Elissa, wickedly smiling, "now kiss me already, so we can get to the make up sex."
"Aye, aye, Commander," said Joker huskily as he claimed her lips in a hungry kiss.
