Hello Again – Hoobastank
"Shepard so nice of you to join us," The Turian Councilor said sarcastically.
"Wouldn't want to miss that look on your face councilor," Shepard answered. "But I am just here to give a mass of files to Anderson, though I am sure Alma has presented most of the parts of what you will receive."
"Mi dispiace mia regina, (I'm sorry my queen)" Alma answered with a bow. Shepard smiled a bit weakly and nodded.
"What happened to your hair Shepard?" the Asari asked.
"A side effect of my resurrection," Shepard answered as her hands reached up to the white strands. "If you don't mind, Garrus will send Councilor Anderson the files that I came here to drop off." She glanced at the Alliance ground team before looking at Wolf. "Wolf, it's good to see you."
"Yes it is," Wolf answered as he walked to her.
Kaidan felt his chest tug as watched Shepard looked up at the man with gentle eyes. Eyes that she had used just for him once upon a time. His fists tightened when Wolf reached up and caressed her cheek, prompting her to shut her eyes and lean into the hand. The man frowned at her and moved his hand to her neck, letting his fingers spread out over her neck and jaw. Wolf tilted her head up toward him and stared into her face. Kaidan felt a shiver roll down his spine as the man presences grew silently and became lethal.
"Sei feriti, (You're hurt)" He said with a deep frown.
"Not so much now," She replied as she opened her eyes. "You looked for me?"
Wolf leaned down and kissed Shepard on her cheek. "That is for a time we are not in front of those who'd turn their backs on such a strong-willed woman." He answered loud enough for the council to hear. Wolf whispered to her. "Meet me later at Flux." He turned his head and shouted. "Alma!"
"Sì signore! (Yes sir!)" She smiled and walked quickly over to Shepard as Wolf moved past the Commander. "Mia regina (my queen), it is good to see you alive and well."
"You too Alma," Shepard smiled. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him."
"My pleasure," She purred before running off after Wolf.
Shepard shook her head before catching the eye of her teammate Kasumi. She frowned. "What?"
"Mia regina eh?" Kasumi smirked. "And the mystery of Shepard starts to unfold."
"Silence is golden Kasumi, don't your remember?"
"I get it Shep," The thief looked at the ground team. So these were the people that had Shepard injured two weeks ago. She raised an eyebrow as she stared intently at the man. And that was the Commander's former lover hm….
"Commander Shepard," The Salarian Councilor said getting their attention. "Is there any particular reason you are attacking Cerberus?"
Shepard's eyes darkened as she crossed her arms. "I am human, a living being. I am not a tool to be led around in the dark to go on suicide missions for that tyrant. I will not subject my team to his whims," She answered.
"Do you think making your crew go up against such a dangerous man is wise?" The Asari Councilor asked.
"Making?" Shepard raised an eyebrow as she turned Garrus and Kasumi. "I wasn't aware I was forcing you guys to do anything."
"Well dragging us down to Afterlife on Omega after we blew the Collector base to hell was such a bad punishment, we didn't want to mention it again." Garrus's mouth plates fluttered in amusement.
"And the fact you gave us two weeks of shore leave while you did research on Cerberus by yourself, I'm amazed you didn't add another week." Kasumi agreed. "I mean it wasn't like any of us were getting restless and bored after getting use to kicking ass all the time, I'm just saying…"
Shepard smirked and turned back to the Councilors. "As you can see, I'm not keeping my crew against their will. They are free to leave any time they'd like."
"What fun would that be?" The hood woman smirked.
"It's not as exciting without things exploding around us constantly," Garrus said. "Plus Shepard owes me a few."
"I owe you?" Shepard glared playfully over her shoulder. "Who saved your turian ass from sliding off the platform when the Collector Base was starting to collapse around us?"
"I would have thought of something." Garrus countered.
"Something my ass," Shepard murmured.
"We had this discussion about your ass already," The turian chuckled.
"Enough," Anderson said ending the banter. "What are these files you have to give me?" He asked.
"Kasumi?" Shepard smirked.
Kasumi took a breath and said word as though it was a big secret like she did to Avina. "Reapers!" She then proceeded to look back and forth for the panic that she hoped it would ensue. When all she got was stares she glared. "Damn…I owe you Shep."
"Glad to know," Shepard answered not looking back at the thief. "This is our information when we raided a derelict Reaper in order to get the IFF to go through the Omega-4 relay as well as my whereabouts during the last two years, which Wolf has gone through the trouble of traumatizing you with."
Garrus tapped a few keys on his omnitool uploading the files from the IFF to Anderson. He looked at Shepard and nodded. She turned to the Council and bowed her head.
"Now I must go, no one wants to keep Wolf waiting." She said.
"We are not done Commander Shepard!" The Turian councilor called out.
"I'm sure we're not, but you saw how interested Wolf is in my well being." She paused raising an eyebrow to the councilors. "Are you willing to piss off your mythological non-existent group without reason?"
"He would not go up against the Galactic Council." The turian councilor said, seeming so confident.
Kaidan watched as Shepard eyes grew wistful. A light smile grew on her face as she stepped further away from her team members. "You are mistaking who you are dealing with." She said softly before turning her head to Anderson. "Wolves of Earth are protective. They grow vicious if them and theirs are threatened. They are not to be trifled with." She explained.
"What does this…"
"Wolf is the embodiment of his namesake," Shepard answered sharply. "He is a protector, nothing more."
The Salarian Councilor crossed his arms. "How do we know this? The fact that he barged into this chamber is proof of his malicious acts. He had no authority to come to the tower."
At this part, Shepard was looking straight at Anderson. The older man didn't say anything. To her that alone was more of a betrayal than anything. Wolf was…she couldn't finish her thought. The agreement between the White Lotus and the Alliance was something that she was not about to out in front of the council. She narrowed her eyes at him as silence rang in the room.
Shepard stared defiantly at the Council before shaking her head. "Believe what you will. You have doubted me not once, but twice and look where it got you. One dead specter, one going rogue and dead, and one almost dying indefinitely," She sighed and turned back to her two teammates. Kasumi was shaking her head, not understanding the council's doubt and Garrus just looked at her with a defeated look that mirrored her own. Without a word, she headed down the stairs as Anderson began to look through the files to give to his fellow councilors.
Seeing no reason to stay Kaidan nodded for his team to head out as well. As they neared the elevator, they saw Shepard and her two crew members. They seemed to be conversing about the recent talk with the council. It seemed that the atmosphere was more enjoyable now that they were away from the four Galactic leaders.
"Talking to the council gives me a migraine." Shepard said as she rubbed her temple.
"They just don't want you blowing things up." Garrus answered with a light chuckle.
"Like they need to worry," She smiled wistfully again. Stepping into the elevator, she failed to notice the ground team from the Piedmont. "Wolf'll let me blow up anything in Terminus space."
Kaidan glanced at her as the elevator started to move down.
"You knew him before," Kasumi said.
"Wolf and I go way back," Shepard said looking at the thief.
"Looks like it's more than that," the hooded woman answered.
Shepard raised an eyebrow and turned to Garrus. "She's right Commander, you two were getting kind of cozy in front of the council."
She put her fingers to her cheek. It was where Wolf kissed her. "Wolf likes to put on displays to make people understand who has claim of what is his."
"Claiming rights over you?" Sarah said in shock.
Shepard turned realizing for the first time that Kaidan and his ground team were with them in the elevator. She blinked before smiling at Sarah.
"Wolves are very territorial." She said to the younger woman. "He is playing up his namesake."
"If you say so ma'am," Sarah said. Silence enclosed the elevator and was going to continue until Jessica Chavis spoke.
"They should have thrown you three in jail." She said.
Garrus straightened as he moved closer to Shepard. The Commander of the Normandy slowly turned around to face Kaidan's lieutenant. Kasumi moved over to Sarah and brought the girl to the far area of the elevator. This was not going to be pretty.
"You have anything more to say Lieutenant Chavis?" Shepard asked. Jessica's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know my name?"
"I'm N7 infiltrator Ms. Chavis, hacking into Alliance Command to get the manifest of the Piedmont was child's play." The Commander asked with an icy tone. "Now, do you have anything more to say to me?"
"Lieutenant, don't answer her." Kaidan said pulling rank. He didn't like the way Shepard was acting and knew that Chavis would only cause further damage.
"Oh no, please do. I'll even use my Spectre status to let you." Shepard said with a glare to the man. "I would like to know how my former Alliance colleagues think of me."
Kaidan stared at Shepard as Garrus hovered over her shoulder. The turian looked nervous, like he knew what was coming. It was like they've been through this before. He frowned as Chavis took a deep breath.
"I don't believe the information they gave us. White Lotus is a supposed gang from the Terminus system. They could have fabricated that evidence just to clear your name. Hell I haven't even heard of the White Lotus until now. They could be a cell for Cerberus-" Chavis couldn't finish her sentence as Shepard had punched her.
"Jessica!" Kaidan knelt beside the woman to make sure she was alright. Shepard's punch had made her hit the back of the elevator.
"Commander, that was a little harsh," Garrus said as he wrapped his hand around her arm to keep her from lunging at Chavis.
"Don't you dare assume that Cerberus has any of their black fingers touching anything as pure as the White Lotus!" Shepard growled in the enclosed space. She struggled against her turian crew member's arms. Garrus frowned and tightened his hold. He didn't think she'd react this violently to the woman.
"Shepard!"
The white haired woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She murmured something to Garrus, who nodded and let her go. Kasumi was looking at her curiously. "I'm fine," She replied tersely before looking back at Kaidan and Chavis. Her hand twitched as it flashed blue. The biotics receded quickly as Shepard spoke. "Wolf would never sell out to Cerberus. He acts accordingly and with just means to the situation before him, he views it with an open mind, not a narrow one. So don't you ever mention him and Cerberus in the same sentence again."
The elevator slowed and the doors opened. Kasumi smiled briefly at Sarah before taking over. "I think time for us to leave Garrus." She ordered softly.
"She has no right to make comments on things she doesn't understand!" Shepard looked at the thief incredulously. "Cerberus, White Lotus, myself included! She doesn't have any insight!"
"But she's right. As your second, I think it's time to go." Garrus said as he began to back out of the elevator, making sure Shepard was coming with him. "Alenko, Chavis…I apologize."
"Don't apologize!" She growled at the turian. Garrus tilted his head to the side.
"Do I have to throw you over my shoulder? Perhaps if I do, Mordin will give you more information on alien physiology." He asked as he began to walk away. This caused Shepard to balk and chase after him.
"Garrus, you wouldn't! That wasn't funny when he did that because I just wanted to talk with Thane! Everyone took it as something it wasn't!"
Kasumi raised an eyebrow as Kaidan helped Chavis to her feet. "From abandoning to heartbreaking…" She said as she watched Chavis smile at Kaidan. She shook her head and nodded to Sarah before following Garrus and Shepard.
The Staff Commander helped Chavis out of the elevator, Williams following. He stared out, his eyes searching for the motley crew and found them on one of the bridges on the lakes as his own team walked. It seemed Garrus had gotten her to calm down. Good, the last thing the Citadel needed as a crazed Shepard running around.
"Shepard, what the hell was that?" Garrus asked when he finally got her calm enough to talk about the incident in the elevator. They were standing on the bridge near the miniature mass relay.
"I'm sorry okay!" Shepard said running a hand through her hair. "Seeing all that information in front of the council got to me…"
The turian didn't think that was the truth, but didn't want to push her while she was like this. She knew being near Kaidan was also one of the reasons she let loose. Garrus knew that Shepard had changed. She grew harder. It was difficult to get her to trust people that abandoned her. Hell, it took him a few hours to convince her to come with him to the meeting. She had not wanted to see the council or be within fifty yards of them.
"So, what now?" Kasumi asked. Garrus didn't know how, but Kasumi always knew when Shepard needed a distraction.
"Well Wolf is not expecting me until later night…" Shepard said with a smile. "How about we go get some grub and see about getting the repairs we need for the Normandy?"