Light flashes.No gravity.
It's dark. So dark.
A small hiss.
No air.
Lungs burn.
Falling fast.
No light. No air.

The flash of metal.
First silver, now red.
Blood drips.
Thane falls.
A prayer is said.
He's gone.

The building shakes.
Walls crumble.
It's going to blow.
Mordin walks to the elevator.
"Someone else might've gotten it wrong"
An explosion.
He's gone.

Blood everywhere.
Explosions. Fire. Gunshots. Screaming.
We run.
The beam is just ahead.
No sound.
Harbinger lands.
He's ahead of me.
Red light. It's charging.
I try to warn Him.
There's no sound.
A flash.
It fires.
The beam rips through Him.
He's gone...

A scream pierces the air.
It's loud. So loud.
It won't stop.
Where is it coming from?
So loud.
It just gets louder.
My ears ache.
My throat burns.
Why won't the screaming stop?

"SHEPARD! WAKE UP!" My eyes snapped open. I was covered in sweat, limbs tangled in the bed sheets. James stood above me, his hands on my shoulders trying to restrain me. I must've been trying to run because I was sitting up in the the bed, my legs over the edge, and my hands balled into fists. My nails dug into my palms so hard that they drew blood.

"Look at me Lola. Focus on me and take a deep breath." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I concentrated on his words and tried to slow my breathing. It was a dream. It was all a dream. He's here. He's safe. He's ok. My body flooded with relief and I reached up to return the hug. After an all too brief moment, Dr. Chakwas rushed into the room.

"Shepard, what happened? Are you ok?" She asked me. I pulled back from the hug and turned to look at her.

"I'm ok. Just a bad dream. I'll be fine." My voice came out hoarse and rough. It was at that moment I realized that the scream I heard in my dream must have come from me. Karin met my eyes, entirely unconvinced that I was really ok.

"Well, since I'm here I might as well get your morning examination done." I silently thanked her for not pressing the issue. I swung my feet back up on the bed and laid back against the pillows. I grabbed James' hand and held onto it the entire time Dr. Chakwas worked. His silent presence was very comforting to me. The firm pressure of his hand in mine kept me grounded. I think he knew just how much of a comfort he was because he never moved and never made a sound. He just stood there, slowly caressing the back of my hand with his thumb, silently keeping watch while Dr. Chakwas checked my vital signs and took blood samples for testing.

"Everything looks good so far Commander. If you're up to it, I'd like to see you stretch your legs a bit. I know being cooped up in this room must be driving you a bit stir-crazy." Karin said with a slight smile.

"You know me so well." I replied, grateful for the change in mood. "Is there a park or something around here? I really need to some fresh air."

"There's a small courtyard a floor above us." James said. "My physical therapist took me up there yesterday. It's quiet and secluded. It'll give you some privacy, if you need it."

"That sounds nice. Can you take me?"

"Yeah." He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and let go. "That may have to wait a bit though. I'm pretty sure you don't wanna get caught walking around the hallways in nothing but a hospital gown. Although, I might enjoy the view if you did." He said with one of his trademark grins. Happy to have a lighter mood, I offered him a smile of my own.

"Not even in your dreams honey." I replied with a slight laugh.

"Now there's the Lola I know and love." I felt myself begin to blush and silently hoped that my dark brown complexion would hide it from James. One look into his eyes told me that wasn't the case. Even if he couldn't see it, the smirk he gave me proved that he knew he had gotten under my skin.

"While I would hate to break up the wonderful thing you two have going, I would like to add that in addition to proper clothing, Shepard needs to eat before I'll let her go anywhere." At the sound of Karin's voice, James began to blush with me. It seems we had both forgotten she was even in the room.

James cleared his throat and said, "I'm gonna head back to my room now. You're not the only one who's not ready to be seen in public."

"Oh, I don't know. I kinda like the baggy pajama look on you." I just couldn't resist getting in one last jab. To be fair, what I said wasn't far from the truth. He wore a pair of baggy grey sweatpants that rode low on his hips and a tight white tank top. His trademark tattoos were on full display as were a few new scars that I made a mental note to ask about later.

"See something you like?" My eyes snapped back to his and I realized I had probably been staring at him a little longer than I intended. He smiled, shook his head, and said "I'll see you later Lola."

"Uh, yeah. I'll see you in a bit." I tried not to, I really did, but I couldn't help but watch him as he walked out the door. A small cough off to my right let me know that, once again, I had forgotten that Dr. Chakwas was in the room. "Shut up Karin," I said as I turned my head to look at her.

"What? I was just going to inform you that I was leaving to get started on your blood tests. If you let me know what you want I can also have breakfast brought up to you." The smug smile she had plastered on her face told me that she hadn't intended on saying any of that. I simply smiled and ordered my food.

After she had gone, I was left alone with my thoughts. Aside from the horrific dream, the day was shaping up to be a good one. I had managed to not make a complete ass out of myself in front of James. That in itself was a major accomplishment. I was also glad that we had settled back into our flirtatious banter, but it wasn't like it was before. There was something deeper to this, something I couldn't quite put into words. Whatever it was, I knew that I wanted it. I only hoped that James did too.