2: Fighting for something.
Commander Shepard stood in front of his bed, his black and red tinted armor was laid out. Part of him felt he was not ready to put the armor back on. He wanted nothing more than to be a normal person, with normal problems. Worrying about the Reapers, Rogue Spectres, Collectors, and now a mysterious Mass Relay, was incredibly stressful and it was slowly starting to show with the small hints of gray growing in the roots of his black hair.
He turned to the lounge couch, sat down, and gave out an exhausted breath. He closed his eyes hoping, just hoping, he could get a few minutes of rest. He hasn't slept much since after the Collectors mission. The image of the large human-reaper hybrid still clung to the back of his mind, all those lives wasted just to be harvested for such an insane weapon. He began to think about all of his decisions from the beginning, like his decision to leave Kaiden behind back on Virmire.
His door opened and he heard footsteps coming in.
"Shepard?" The familiar voice called for him.
"I'm in here, Miranda." He responded.
Miranda walked towards him and found Shepard on the couch just looking up at the ceiling. Her natural scent was caught in his nostrils as he breathed it in, somehow calming him. He gave a very weak smile as the stress of everything was beginning to fade. He had missed her. After the Collector's mission, they barely had time to be together. Shepard knew it was mostly his fault for being so distant, and she knew when to give him space. This time, she couldn't help herself, she had to see him.
She sat down next to him and placed a concerned hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I am now." Shepard said, gently grabbing her hand and kissing it.
"Talk to me, Shepard." She requested. "Tell me what is bothering you."
Shepard held on to her hand on his chest and just sighed.
"I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore . . ." He admitted.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes looked upon her for a minute and then he looked back at the ceiling. "I do not know if I have it in me to continue fighting. I've done everything I could, I've fought as hard as I could, even long past my limits. And the council still won't believe my warnings about the Reapers, despite the overwhelming evidence."
Now Shepard stood up and began pacing the room. "It feels like I am doing all of this for nothing. An invasion could happen tomorrow and we would be unprepared and taken over easily. And instead of being asked to do anything about it, I am sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious mass relay, that could kill us. What if this is their way of getting rid of me?"
Shepard stopped his pacing and had his back to Miranda. She stood up and walked over to him, slipped her arms under his and wrapped herself against his back.
"You know that isn't true." She told him. "And you know that no matter what, you will continue fighting. Despite what the Council, or Cerberus, say or do, they are not the galaxy, and I can tell you now that you have started something. You sparked hope within many lives, you have done so much without even expecting a simple thank you. And when the Reapers finally do invade, we are going to need a leader and that leader is you. No one else can do this."
She turned him around and cupped his face in between her hands and she stared into his green eyes and gave a small reassuring smile.
"You feel all of this now because it is finally processing in your mind of the man you will become, and you feel it is all too much for you to handle alone. But, I know you, and I know that you can handle all of this. When the time comes, you will rise above it all and be the man you feel you need to be. I believe in you and so does everyone you have ever come in contact with. I will always be by your side to help you against it all."
Shepard closed his eyes and took all of her words in. When he opened them, Miranda just stood there with her brown eyes staring at him. She is never like this with anyone else, so hopeful, so innocent, so in love. It was the vulnerable side that she shared with no one, other than him. He took in a deep breath and exhaled.
"You're right." He said, voice now determined.
She spinned them both around until she had her back to his bed, where she sat down holding onto his hand, pulling him gently towards her.
"I'm always right." She said with a smile when their lips were inches apart from each other.
Then she kissed him, absentmindly pushing his armor off the bed and tearing his shirt apart. Soon, they were both naked underneath the sheets, enjoying the last possible minutes of peace together, before the chaos begins . . .