Silence surrounded the world around her, around the ship, drowning the crew. Virmire was a success and a failure, a victory and a defeat. She knew this war against the Reapers, against Sovereign and Saren would bring about casualties, but knowing she had to willingly abandon one of her crew, one of her best friends, so Saren's horrible work could be destroyed. Kaidan had disappeared immediately into his quarters, and the rest of the main crew scattered to mourn in silence.
She had done the same, but instead of moving to her cabin, she had crawled into the back of the Mako, and slammed her fists against the metal, crying out in pain and misery, her tears shed in violent shouting as her biotics crushed holes into the sides. She ended up crying out as loud as she could inside the Mako. Wrex had been here with her, but it seems just as she started using her biotics in her despair. Anger became unbound in a dangerous capacity, her pain coming out in fierce power masked as anger. The poor, beaten hunk of metal named the Mako suffered while its normally collected Commander shattered into sharp pieces of glass inside.
The elevator dinged once again, and she sobbed, curling into one of the back seats as she let her pain come free. It flowed freely much like the waterfalls of her tears, unable to stop the doors from opening up for her silent visitor. His first sight inside his beaten up vehicle is the sobbing commander, curled within herself, the glowing blue broken weapon. Losing one of her own, one she so carefully took care of, had cracked her too deep, too quickly.
"Shepard..."
His voice chips immediately at her shields, knocking them down as sobs louder, unable to hold back child-like disaster inside her chest any longer. From Mindoir, to Akuze, to Virmire, the pain in her tight chest simply was leaking through cracks, and the venomous floods had finally found enough to break through to poison her. The gentle clang of his plates hitting metal, he climbed within the dented machine, cautious in each movement, in each sound. He learned quickly of her affinity for noise. Tighter, the girl curled, longer the girl cried. A trembling hand reached out, a gentle three-fingered hand took it, pulling her to him. Wordlessly she went, the caring subordinate embracing his collapsing commander.
"As much as I know you probably feel a little better after unleashing your biotics," he murmured, "we need the Mako working too. Try aiming it at the giant krogan just next door."
His words brought a small, fleeting smile, one that brightened the air before dimming it as she let it fall.
"He left... before I could."
Gentle hands kept her steady, still, aiding in her relaxation though her spine was rigid. The beautiful glow of blue magic dimmed as she relaxed into his arm.
"I miss her."
"I do too, Shepard. I miss her too..."
"Help me."
"I'll be here for you as long as you need my help, Shepard. Just let it out. Now's your shore leave, Commander."