New Beginnings

Miranda Lawson laid next to Shepard, her back was to him and her shoulders were uncovered by his bed sheets. He laid there staring at, what he considered, to be the perfect woman. When he thought about her being perfect he did not think of all the things she told him that her father did, no, all he saw was a woman that he had grown to love over the past few weeks. A woman that thought herself as cold and heartless and yet was easily broke down by her feelings for Shepard. Shepard smiled when he thought of how he was able to get through he rough exterior and into her heart. Now she was spending the night in his cabin for the first time. It was a little bittersweet for him though, the last woman to have stayed over night with him in his cabin had ended up questioning just who he was his loyalties. But deep down he knew that Miranda would never do that.

Shepard moved slowly towards the edge of the bed and looked back to make sure that Miranda did not wake up. He moved a little farther and she started to move slowly and rolled over and looked at him with her big brown eyes. The two lovers looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Hello there Commander," she said, reaching out and rubbing his arm. She smiled and moved a little closer to him, keeping the sheets from uncovering herself. "Where are you going?" She finally reached him and laid her head on his lap and looked up into his emerald eyes. Her hand ran up his back, to his neck, and to his scraggly hair. It desperately needed cut but she was not going to start out this relationship by being demanding.

"It is morning Miranda," Shepard said with a grin. "For starters, I need to pee." Miranda jokingly cringed and looked back up at him and smiled. "Councilor Anderson has told me that the council wants to me meet with me and the crew and bring us back into the Alliance Navy. With the upgrades that we have been able to implement on the Normandy, it will make it a huge asset to the Alliance."

"Will the Normandy be the asset? Or will all of us be the assets?" Miranda asked sitting up. "I trust your judgment Shepard but let's face it, you are not the most popular person in the eyes of the council."

Shepard sighed, "You would think that saving their lives and bringing Saren to justice would at least be a start. They need to know that I am not like The Illusive Man. As much as I would like to see humanity prosper, I know that it may take baby steps in order for that to happen. And I also know that it is going to take more than money and power to get what we want." Miranda smiled and gently put her hand on the side of his face and rubbed it. Christian closed his eyes and got lost in her touch for a moment. He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand.

"If getting the council on your side is that important to you then I will be there by your side," Miranda said. That was very reassuring for the Commander. Despite all that he had done for humanity, the Alliance, and the council, he felt like he had very few true allies. Anderson was one that he knew would stick with him, alone with Joker, and maybe Garrus. Having his love Miranda tell him that she would stick with him made things a little easier on him.

"Hey Commander," popped in Joker's voice through the communication system in Shepard's cabin. Christian rolled his eyes because he knew that Joker and EDI were listening to their conversation, but for how long he didn't know. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. We are about an hour out from the Citadel. Just wanted to relay information to my two favorite people!" The comms clicked off and Shepard saw Miranda begin to blush a little bit. Shepard leaned over and kissed the side of her head and got out of the bed.

Miranda watched as he walked over to the bathroom and disappeared into it for a moment. She bit her lip gently when she heard the sound of the water streaming from the shower head. Naughty thoughts began to whirl around in her mind as she took a lock of hair and began to play with it in her fingers. She sat intently and waited for Shepard to pop his head back out and offer for her to come in and join him. A few moments passed and he never showed himself. Miranda cocked her head and became a little upset that he never offered for her to join him. She got out of the bed and tip-toed over to the bathroom. She walked in and felt someone grab her by the waist and pull her into his arms. Shepard's lips pressed gently against her neck as the two backed up into the shower.

"I thought you would never come and join me," Shepard said teasingly to her. She turned and looked at him.

"I should not have to come in on my own, you should have asked me you ass," she came back with. Before she could come back with anything else Shepard kissed her passionately. Most of the next hour was filled with the two of them in the shower, trying to make one bad excuse after another to stay in with each other. They finally came to the conclusion that they should exit and get ready with the rest of the crew.

Shepard looked at his clothes. They still had the Cerberus logo on the chest and that would not make the council happy to see that. Miranda watches him as she zipped up her boots and threw her brown hair into a ponytail.

"Something wrong Shepard?" she asked watching him. He looked at her, a frown on his face and laid his clothes down on the bed. She giggled quietly and looked back up at him. "Is that all? You don't have anything appropriate to wear?"

"Wearing a Cerberus logo could potentially be detrimental to winning the council over Miranda," he said to her. Miranda stood from the bed and placed her hands on his back and rubbed it gently. He smiled and knew what she was trying to do, reassure him.

"I understand your nervous Christian," she said. She had never used his first name before, and she liked how it sounded. "Just wear the clothes and we can pick up some more when we are on the Citadel, okay?" She kissed his broad shoulders, and teasingly backed away so he could continue getting dressed. Miranda made her way over to the fish tank and fed the fish for the Commander as he finished getting dressed.

Shepard examined Miranda with her hair up in a ponytail. He liked it. I showed that she was willing to try something new and not always keep her hair down, even though Shepard liked that as well. They walked out together to the elevator and rode it down to the CIC. Before the doors opened, Shepard wondered what everyone's reactions would be when they exited together, but in truth it did not matter too much. At least no one would say anything out of line. Shepard was in charge and Miranda was second in command, even before they began sleeping with each other.

The doors opened and Shepard was pleased to see the ensigns working instead of standing around and talking to each other. Keeping the Normandy going was an around the clock job, even more so after they continued to upgrade it constantly. All of the upgrades that had been made worked to perfection against the Collectors and when passing through the Relay.

Kelly Chambers turned around and smiled at the Commander and Operative Lawson as they walked towards the galaxy map. Miranda grabbed Shepard's arm and tugged on him a little bit, stopping him in his tracks. She pulled him close and leaned in to whisper something.

"I am going to have a chat with Joker," she said quietly. "I will see you before we dock on the Citadel." She kissed his cheek and walked off, swaying herself back and forth almost as if to tease the Commander. He shook his head and over to Kelly who, as always, had a smile on her face and was very jovial.

"Good morning Commander," she said to him. She watched the screen in front of her as she updated and studied the dossiers of the crew members. Kelly was always reviewing her notes and psyche profiles of each Normandy crew member in order to be a better asset for the team. Shepard admired her craving for more knowledge and her work ethic.

"Anything new this morning Kelly?" he asked, trying to see who it was she was doing research on.

"Not at this time Commander," she said to him, keeping her eyes on her work. After her abduction by the Collectors she had gotten much more serious despite being happy all of the time. Shepard knew it was the close encounter with death that had bothered her.

Christian left Kelly and stood up by the galaxy map and saw the different star systems and relays pop up in front of him. The galaxy was huge and the most darkened corners of it were beginning to have light shed on them through various races colonizing and researching them. It was always a dream of Shepard's to have tried to visit a majority of them but after joining the Alliance he found out that the galaxy can be a dangerous place to live in. Having military training and guns made him feel much safer though.

Shepard lifted his eyes from the map and saw Miranda walking back from the cockpit, back towards him. She winked at him and walked through the set of doors that led into the armory. He was not quite sure what it was she had done but he was almost certain that Joker got an earful.

"Commander we have a birth and the clearance to dock. Moving in," Joker said over the ship wide comms. "Councilor Anderson will be waiting for you at the docking bay, hope all goes well." Shepard nodded and took over the comms for himself and cleared his throat.

"I will be leaving the ship for a day or so," he began. "You are welcome to take this time off to relax and gather some supplies. Stay within a good radius of the ship and do not get into any trouble. If I hear that you have, there will be consequences for your actions. Try to have some fun and enjoy this time people. Everyone of us has earned it." He clicked off the comms and walked towards the air lock and waited for the Normandy to dock.

Joker guided the Normandy almost flawlessly towards one of the many docks on the Citadel. There had been a lot of construction and renovations since the battle against the rogue Spectre Saren and his army of Geth and Krogan. Many of the old shops and clubs that were so famous for being on the Citadel were lost or had to be gotten rid of due to the damage caused. Chora's Den, one of Joker's favorite places to attend, had been replaced with the new Dark Star Lounge. Joker was very unimpressed with it. But he barely got enough shore leave to even enjoy the new club so what did it matter to him.

The docking bay was starting to get bigger and more details and shapes could be noticed as Joker flew the ship towards it next destination. The amount of ships that had docked and left the Citadel in the time that it took Joker to finally dock was innumerable. It was amazing how many people and ships this station could hold. Of course the Citadel was a marvel all in its own. It was such a massive and beautiful space station and no matter how many times he visited it, he would still get lost in the grandeur of it all. The Protheans had left behind the Relays and the Citadel, amongst other amazing wonders and humanity was still trying to figure them all out.

The Normandy swooped in and slowed down the closer it got to the designated dock. Magnetic panels crept out towards the Normandy and attached itself to the sides of the ship, keeping it in place. From the catwalk in front of Councilor Anderson a platform moved towards the Normandy and connected underneath the airlock. Anderson straightened himself up and waited patiently for the airlock to open up. The last time the Commander had talked with the council, the conversation did not go the way Anderson had hoped it would. Of course working with Cerberus was something that the council did not approve of. Despite Anderson's protests, the council still was a little weary of the Commander and did not fully approve of his actions.

Anderson stood next to his friend even when it was hard for him considering his position on the council. He did owe Shepard a lot. He was the one that Shepard picked as the human representative on the council. Udina may have been the better choice for the job but Anderson brought a new, military view to the council and their politics. Things had gone relatively smooth between Anderson and the council, although they did have their moments of conflict.

The airlock on the Normandy opened up and Anderson saw the savior of the Citadel, Commander Christian Shepard. His hair had grown out a little bit since the last time they had last spoke and he needed a good shave. The Cerberus logo on Shepard's shirt concerned him a little bit but that could be taken care of easily. Two other humans walked behind him, both of them Anderson recognized. They had escorted Shepard when he visited him a couple of weeks ago.

"Commander Shepard," Anderson said. He extended his hand and Shepard shook it firmly. "I am glad to see that what I have heard is true, you are still alive and in one piece." Shepard cracked a small smile.

"Dying one time is enough for me councilor," he said pulling his hand back. "I would really like for it to wait until I am older to happen again. It is good to see you Councilor."

"It is good to see you too Shepard. From what I have read and been told you found out the reasons behind the disappearing colonies. Congratulations on once again proving everyone else wrong and saving every sentient being in the galaxy. You make me damn proud," Anderson said.

"So how is it that you were able to find out all of this information?" Shepard asked folding his arms.

"Well Shepard, I always have my ways of finding out information," Anderson said. He leaned forward and whispered. "Joker has been sending me messages and mission updates periodically. We couldn't just let Cerberus go about doing what they wanted could we?" Shepard chuckled. He wasn't quite sure how Joker was able to give out information to the Alliance without EDI knowing but at this point Shepard didn't care. This saved him from having to explain a lot of things to Anderson, but he did want to go through the details of their battle with the Collectors. The quartet walked from the docking bay and took the rapid transit towards Anderson's office. The artificial sky was a bright blue and was lined with a few 'clouds'.

Miranda looked out over the side of the sky car and watched the various politicians and workers walking and going about their daily lives. They all had no idea what it was like to have to look down into the pits of hell and spit at Satan himself. All they could worry about were damn deadlines and if they could make it back home on time for dinner. She wondered how many people outside of Cerberus and those associated with the councilor knew about them going to the Collector home world.

How would the Council look upon Shepard now? Miranda knew they had been very upset when they found out he was working for Cerberus, but since he resigned so forcefully maybe accepting him back would be a little easier. Christian had told her about the arguments he would get in with the Council and the many disagreements during the Eden Prime War. He had proved them wrong when he revealed Saren as a rogue Spectre. That was the extent of it though. They refused to believe that the Reapers were out there and were even a threat to the galaxy. Maybe this time it was going to be a little different.

The sky care lowered to the ground and stopped in the Presidium and the side door opened up, allowing the passengers to exit the car. It lifted off of the ground once more and took off to its next set of passengers. Anderson and Shepard continued to discuss the events against the Collectors. He led them up to his office and took a seat behind his desk.

"Miranda and Jacob were able to pull me into the ship and we took off like a bat out of hell," Shepard said. "It was nice to look back and watch the damn thing blow. A lot of lives were lost because of the Collectors, and it was nice to get a little bit of revenge on the ugly bastards."

"I bet it was Shepard," Anderson said. "But the Collectors and the vanishing colonies are not why I asked you to come here today. I want you to come back and rejoin the Alliance. We need you Shepard. Hell we could use your entire crew and the Normandy once more. There hasn't been another soldier like you in the years since your death."

"I would love to Councilor, but how would the Council and Udina feel about it?" Shepard asked.

"The Turian representative is the only one who would have a real problem with it," Anderson replied. "And Udina is my problem, so you don't need to worry about him. In fact the Council is ready to meet with you and I at anytime to discuss this issue. You could be back in the navy before the end of the day." Shepard was a little shocked at the expediency of everything. It was rare the Council worked so fast, but he was not going to complain on bit about it. They were willing to bring him back in, that was good enough.