Author's Notes:
Thanks go to my Beta; Blueglaceon, who despite having little knowledge of the Mass Effect universe, agreed to edit the series anyway. Thanks, Blue!

This little one-shot is set at the end of Project Overlord. Though in this case, it's set after the Suicide mission.

No Regrets

"Make it stop..." the savant begged.

Shepard headed David's pleas, looking sharply at the scientist beside her. "I've seen enough of your cruelty to know he'll never be free from it here. I'm taking him away." She turned to take a look at the rig, trying to figure out how to go abouts disconnecting the boy from it.

"No! Leave him! He's too valuable!" the first shot rang out and Shepard ducked as Archer fired at her again, missing her as she advanced on him, drawing her own pistol and pistol-whipping him across the face in retaliation. Archer recoiled as his nose began to bleed.

"If you even think about coming after your brother," she threatened the recovering scientist, her pistol still in his face, "this bullet will be waiting for you. Then we'll see who's valuable."

Archer swallowed. "Where will you take him?"

Shepard stepped back. "Grissom Academy. They can help special cases like David – minus the torture. Now, how do I get him out?"

"I'll... I'll do it. It'll take time, but I'll do it."

The scientist turned to the rig as Shepard radioed the Normandy, "Joker, contact the Academy and let them know that we've got someone who needs their help."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

She had just turned back to watch Archer as he disengaged his brother from the rig, when the door behind her began to open. Still charged from the fight, she drew her assault rifle as she spun around as Miranda and Garrus entered the room, similarly armed.

"Is that you, Commander?" Miranda questioned sharply.

"It's me," she assured her team-mates, lowering her weapon.

Garrus stowed his sniper rifle and was at her side in an instant. "What in the Spirit's name happened to you?"

"The VI... David, hacked my Omni-tool and cybernetic implants when I deactivated the main panel, uploaded his memories into my mind and took me to some kind of Virtual Reality, in order to show me what had been done to him."

"What had been done to him?" Miranda parroted, questioningly.

"Dr. Archer forgot to mention, when he told us his tale, that when the Illusive Man threatened to shut down the project, he forced David to merge with the VI in order to get results. All David was trying to do this whole time was escape."

Garrus growled low in his throat, "Is there anything that Cerberus won't do to further their goals?"

Shepard opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly her head violently spun, and she began to waver on the spot.

"Shepard?" Garrus questioned worriedly as he took a step closer to her.

"Head's spinning," she mumbled to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. "Can't see straight."

"Perhaps it might be wise for you and Officer Vakarian to head back to the Normandy, Commander, and let Dr. Chakwas have a look at you. I'll stay and keep an eye on Dr. Archer."

Shepard nodded her head. "I'll send Jacob, Tali, and Mordin back to give Dr. Archer a hand if he needs it."

"You okay to walk?" Garrus rumbled as Miranda headed over to the rig.

"Should be."

As they made their way to the door, they heard Archer's surprised voice: "Operative Lawson? What are you doing here?"

"Ex-Operative, Dr. Archer. I serve under Commander Shepard now."

"So you've abandoned Cerberus?"

"Working with Shepard has opened my eyes. Cerberus isn't the organisation that I thought it was."

"There's still a war coming, though. Cerberus is only trying to stop the bloodshed."

"I know that. And we plan to fight, and win, without losing our souls in the process," Miranda returned, unknowingly quoting her commanding officer.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"You're staring again," Shepard's voice snapped Garrus back to reality as he piloted the Hammerhead towards the rendezvous point. She was reclined in the seat next to him, eyes closed as she combated the headache that was starting to build. It wasn't the first time that she'd caught, or in this case sensed, him staring at the cobalt tattoos on her face. Ever since she'd surprised him with them a week ago, he'd started staring at them when he thought she wasn't looking.

"I know... I just... I... you know that you didn't have to do that, don't you? I would have loved you just as much without them."

"I know that, Garrus. But as I told you, I'm not afraid to let people know that we're a couple. For all we know, we could be dead within the next month, and I didn't want to have waste time with the shoulda coulda wouldas if that was the case."

"The what now?"

Shepard laughed as she opened her eyes to look at her mate, "The shoulda coulda wouldas. It means that there's no use in dwelling on what should have, could have or would have happened or been done."

"No regrets?"

"No regrets."

Garrus smiled at his life partner then, but as he opened his mouth to say something, the Hammerhead's com crackled to life, "Normandy to Hammerhead. You copy, Commander?"

"I copy, Joker."

"Garrus? That you?" the pilot returned, worry lacing his voice that he had not heard his commanding officer's voice. "Where's Shepard?"

"She's not feeling the best. The tangle with the rouge VI has taken its toll on her."

"You want me to put Dr. Chakwas on stand-bye for when you touchdown?"

"If you wouldn't mind. We okay to board?"

"Yeah, sure. EDI, can you alert Dr. Chakwas to head down to the Hanger? She's got an incoming patient," EDI's voice was heard in the background: "Certainly, Jeff," before Joker addressed Garrus again. "See you in a few, Garrus."

"Thanks, Joker. Hammerhead out."

Fin.