As Miranda walked back to meet Shepard, her arms full of the groceries she no longer felt like eating, her mind busily worked in search of a solution. Her body was on auto-pilot as she merged with the crowd.
'Should I tell Shepard?' she asked herself. 'He won't think logically about this. He'll be too emotional. He would hand over the information, but he would never allow them to blackmail me into working for them. I don't want to lie to him, though. How could he ever trust me again if I kept this from him? …But will he even be alive to trust me if I do tell him?"
Miranda's chest heaved with a heavy sigh as the Consort's chambers came into view. She realized then that she had already made up her mind. When she reached the door leading into the room Shepard was in, she paused and took a moment to collect herself before entering.
Shepard was standing beside the bed with his back to the door, his eyes focused on the task of buttoning his shirt up. He turned when he heard her heels hit the floor.
"I was just about to form a search party for you," he said with a grin.
A hesitant smile filled her face as she took the food and set it on the table near the couch. Shepard walked up behind her, grabbing her waist as he kissed her neck. She tensed slightly in his embrace, but it was enough for Shepard to notice. Moving to her side he looked hard at her face.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
Miranda attempted to put her mask of collectedness on, but found her expressions faltering when she looked at Shepard. She flashed him a weak smile that she knew wasn't believable in the least.
"Yes. I'm just tired after last night," she said softly. His eyes narrowed in disbelief and she struggled to change the topic. "I brought you something to eat," she continued. "I thought you might be hungry after our little… workout."
The thought of their night together flooded her brain and Miranda found a genuine smile creep onto her face. Seeing her expression, Shepard relaxed a little and sat down on the couch, but she could see that he knew something was wrong. She knew this wouldn't be the end of his questioning. After arranging the food on the table, she sat beside him and they began to eat. As they did, an aura of tension hung in the air and a strained silence enveloped them. Keeping Shepard in the dark was going to be a lot harder than she had initially realized and for once in her life, Miranda wasn't sure she had the fortitude to see something through.
Once they had finished their breakfast and cleaned up, they decided it was time to head back to the ship. As they walked, Miranda kept her attention on their surroundings, hoping Shepard wouldn't press her for the truth. Turning his gaze on her as they approached the elevator to C-Sec, he finally broke the silence.
"I know something's wrong. Why won't you talk to me?" he asked her, a worried tone coloring his voice.
Miranda sighed as she looked at him. The pain in his eyes broke her heart and she dreaded the lie she would have to sell him.
"It's nothing I wanted to concern you with," she forced herself to reply. She spit the words out and each one that passed her lips left an awful taste in her mouth.
They stopped walking and Shepard moved his hand to her face. His brow was wrinkled with concern for the woman he loved and it killed Miranda to see it.
'I'll be able to explain everything once he's safe – once we're both safe," she reassured herself.
"Talk to me," he pleaded.
"It's nothing, Shepard, honest – I'm just thinking about a lot of things right now and I don't want to bother you with them," she flashed him a fake smile, swallowing the lump in her throat.
'Keep it together. If he sees any hesitation he'll see right through me,' she told herself.
He let out a sigh, giving a small nod as the elevator doors hissed open, "Alright then. Let's get back to the Normandy – kind of worried about that skeleton crew…"
Shepard felt her body tense slightly. He noted it – but didn't inquire as to why.
"Y-yes," she stumbled, clearing her throat, "Not exactly the kind of people I'd leave my ship with. But Joker should've kept them in line while we were gone."
They shared a small laugh as the elevator doors closed shut and began its descent. Most of the ride was in silence. Shepard leaned against the glass, staring at the back of Miranda's head as her eyes darted around the elevator, trying to figure out a solution to her predicament. But it was to no avail. When the doors hummed open, her brow furrowed in concern – and she led the way through the security checkpoint.
"One moment, please," the C-Sec guard asked as they approached. The scanner flashed over their bodies, going over every little detail, and analyzing every single fiber. When the scan stopped, the Guard had a curious expression on his face. He was about to voice his question when his eyes caught Miranda, who was mouthing to him to keep his silence.
He nodded, "You're clear – please continue," waving them through the checkpoint – and towards the waiting shuttle that would lead them back to the Normandy.