November 23, 2173. Lauren was assigned to a four year tour of duty on the ship not long after becoming a standout in boot camp. Her tenacious attitude and the fierce training she had undergone before enlisting put her at the top of her class in every area and got her the prestige of being named the Honor Graduate and promoted to Private 1st Class. This achievement got her a high profile appointment on the SSV Emden, the newest cruiser in the fleet, which was assigned to patrol the Skyllian Verge. Lauren's responsibility on board was strategic attack planning.

She liked the action in that area of the galaxy and there was plenty of it. The crew of the Emden called themselves "batarian clean-up crew" because they were always called when a human colony or transport ship was attacked. Lauren always had to be on the ready with new plans to combat the batarians, so if she wasn't out actually fighting, she was at her terminal laying out battlefield scenarios and keeping informed of batarian movements in their sector.

But this was a down day. In fact, the batarians had been quiet for about a week, making everyone a little anxious. Even so, Major Kyle, Lauren's commanding officer, seemed unconcerned and was ordering a short shore leave on Elysium, which they happened to be near in their patrol. She finished reading that message on her terminal when another popped up. Cpl. Townsend was sending his weekly hello. Lauren smiled and she tried to keep her cheeks from flushing. She opened the message and read it eagerly.

After their initial meeting at the recruitment office, Townsend seemed very interested in her progress at boot camp and started writing her. At first, the tone of his notes was very professional and Lauren responded in kind. But about halfway through her basic training, he ended one of his notes by asking if he could vidcomm her sometime when she was free. Thus began a somewhat more personal relationship between the two. Townsend, or Daniel, as she now called him, liked to talk, and with his pleasant demeanor, Lauren was more than happy to open up to him.

His message was titled Shore Leave, and Lauren's heart beat faster at the possibility. For a few months now they had wanted to get together and actually see each other again, but Lauren's distant posting made it nearly impossible. But it was almost as if Major Kyle and Daniel's commanding officer at the office had collaborated to make the stars themselves align. Daniel wrote that he was on Elysium with some friends, and if she happened to ever be in the area to stop by and say hello, even if only for a quick drink.

Lauren quickly typed out a response of affirmation and told him where and when to meet her. As she was about to close her terminal to pack up for shore leave she saw a message that made her stop. It was from Indira, whom she hadn't heard from in nearly six months. She would send the occasional message greeting her and asking her about what it was like on the planets Lauren saw. But today the message started out differently. Lauren's mouth fell open as she read the words on the screen. It was her grandparents writing to her the only way they knew how, through Indira's account.

Lauren,

You were always a dear friend to our precious Indira, and we are so sorry we must tell you this way. No one has ever been able to tell us why, but she had never been the same since her time on that station with you. The Alliance military doctors always seemed to hustle us around when we started asking questions about the reasons for her mental condition. Anyway, she had become more and more anxious in the last few weeks. She had been prone to bouts of paranoia before, but nothing was ever really this bad. We did everything we knew to do to try to get her to snap out of it, but this time nothing worked. Indira was convinced that "they" were trying to get her. Whatever demons she was being tormented by became too much for her to handle. She started talking incessantly saying "someone had to die," but she then she would realize her words,we thought, and would swear to us that she could never hurt either of us. We will admit we still had many sleepless nights and were quite fearful. We locked up all of our knives and anything that could be used as a weapon. Still, Indira was a biotic and even the dampener the doctors had put in didn't completely remove her powers.

But then last week on Thursday, Indira had been awake all night raving about those who were after her. She looked worn. She told us that she was going to the doctor about an idea she had to help herself and she left the house. We told her that we had no such appointment and we asked her idea. She flew into a rage and said we couldn't stop her or else we'd all be destroyed. Try as we might, we couldn't prevent her from leaving the house. We ran after her, but she had disappeared. We called the police to alert them because we knew she could be dangerous, but asked them to deal with her gently. The authorities returned to our door not three hours later. We had always loved living near the river, but now the bridge that crossed it near our house is a place of sorrow. Our dearest, our heart, your friend, Indira threw herself from the bridge. The river has been swollen from the monsoons and…well, you know the rest.

Lauren stopped reading as tears flowed down her face. "Indi…," she whispered to the ghost she now felt with her. "I wish I had known."

"Hey, Shepard? You alright there?" a voice to her left sounded. Lauren looked up to see the pilot of the Emden hobbling up. Jeff Moreau, better known as Joker, walked with a cane, but could fly a ship like an eagle. At least that's what he said. His record in flight school did speak for itself. He was an amazing pilot. He looked young to be at the post that he was, but Lauren was too, so they hit it off. After one awkward kiss during their off-duty hours, they agreed they were meant to be friends and nothing more.

"Yeah, Joker, I'm fine," Lauren sniffed.

"Liar. Something has you upset. Now spill it."

"I, uh, just got a note from an old friend, well, from her family. She…she killed herself last week."

"Oh God, I'm sorry, Lauren. I won't bug you about it, but if you need to talk, you can hit me up. We just landed on Elysium and you're the only one still on board, besides me. You know how Major Kyle can be. He takes his fun just as seriously as his obligations." Joker smiled sadly and put his hand on Lauren's shoulder. "I'll be at a bar. You know me." Then he winked wickedly and walked away.

After grabbing a quick overnight bag, Lauren went back to her terminal to see if Daniel had answered, hoping for something to take her mind off Indi. She was pleased to see he did and realized she had only about 10 minutes to make it to their meeting place. It was a few blocks away from the spaceport, but pedestrian traffic was very heavy on this beautiful day. She tried to sprint through the crowd and failed. Jogging as quickly as possible, she finally saw Daniel standing by the little street vendor she told him about. He was looking off in another direction, but when she broke through the crowd their eyes met.

Lauren suddenly felt shy. It was easy to open up to someone when all it was was text or even a holo to talk to. Now, he was actually here. His smile was warm and kind. He looked exactly the same as the day she met him in the recruitment office, only today he was wearing civilian clothes and looking drop dead handsome. The gen mods that all the soldiers received gave them all fit builds, but the way Daniel's shirt clung to his chest, showing the fine muscle movement as he turned toward her, Lauren couldn't help but feel a flutter in her chest.

"Lauren! I mean, Private 1st class Shepard," Daniel laughed, and gave a half-hearted salute.

"Don't salute me! I don't outrank you, Corporal Townsend!" Lauren gave him a playful punch.

Daniel looked sincerely at Lauren. "I know, but let's just say, one day, I think you will. It took me over a year to promote, and you did it in less than 12 weeks!"

"Well, maybe I was trying to impress someone back home…"

"You aren't talking about me, right?" Daniel's words were betrayed by the hopeful look in his eyes.

Lauren gave a noncommittal shoulder shrug. "So, ever been to Elysium before?" she asked.

"Nope, I was hoping you'd show me around now that you're here. What should we do first?"

"I'm starving and this is my first chow outside the mess. Let's stuff ourselves and then see where the day takes us," she said, looking eagerly at the vendor.

"You got a suit? I wanted to hit the beach, but I mean if you don't…we could try to find a private spot on the beach and I'll just forget my suit as well…" Lauren's mouth suddenly went dry at his words.

"I-I don't have a place to stay…yet." She tacked on the last word just in case.

"I think I can help with that," Daniel's voice was low and Lauren could have sworn it made her shiver. "You can stay with me. It's just across the street. Let's go over there and drop off your bag in the room."

He held out his arm and Lauren took it as they strolled across the street to the hotel. A silence had fallen between them as they entered the elevator. Lauren still held Daniel's arm and her other hand reached down to touch his hand gently. He abruptly turned, his light blue eyes suddenly dark. "Lauren, I…," he started, but then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her heart beat pounded in her ears as she welcomed his kiss and encouraged him with a slight touch of her tongue. His hands held her face and his kiss deepened.

The elevator door opened and the pair split breathlessly. "My room is just down this way," said Daniel, taking Lauren by the hand. She wasn't sure if it was her hand or his that was damp, maybe both, but she knew she was nervous. He opened the door and looked at her expectantly. "We don't…I mean, I don't want to pressure you," he stammered. His face broke into a smile. "Oh God, I sound like a fool. Lauren…" He cleared his throat. "I've just never met anyone like you. I knew there was something special about you when you walked into the recruitment office. I know this sounds dumb and awkward, but I really care about you." He touched her cheek affectionately. "I guess I just want to show you how much."

A small smile lay on Lauren's face, and she raised her hand to touch his. "I'm not any less awkward, Daniel. And I care about you too. I want to stay."

Relief flooded the young man's features. As they walked into the room, Lauren saw it was dark, with the curtains drawn. She dropped her bag beside the doorway, and the pair renewed a feverish kiss. His hands glided down her back and rested on her hips, pulling her closer. "Lauren…" he whispered between kisses as he trailed down her neck. "I don't know why or how, but I've fallen in love with you."

She stopped and looked into his earnest eyes. He really does love me. But how? We've hardly known each other a year… And Lauren's thoughts drifted back to Indi. She hadn't been at BAaT that long and Indi became a dear friend, fiercely loved by Lauren. The hole in her heart that was now there ached and her eyes welled up.

Daniel stepped back and looked concerned. "Did I…say something wrong? I'm sorry…I never should have said that I loved you. It's too much, too soon, right?"

"No," said Lauren, her voice thick with emotion. "You are nothing but wonderful and sweet. I was thinking about someone else…a good friend."

"A man?" Daniel looked worried.

"A girl I knew…from school. One of my best friends. I just got word a few hours ago that she died. It just hit me again. I'm sorry, Daniel. I ruined the moment. I told you I was awkward." Lauren tried to smile.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "If I had had any idea…I'm so sorry."

Lauren leaned into his chest and, taking one of his hands, pressed it to her lips. "Maybe it's a good thing. I was just thinking that we've only known each other a short time and I was wondering how you could love me, but then I thought of her and I was with her for less time than we've been talking, and I love her like a sister. So…" She looked up into his eyes. "I could probably love you too."

Daniel smiled and whispered, "I'm glad it's you." As hands removed clothing, Lauren felt her own barriers fall. She finally didn't feel alone anymore. Though it was the first time for both of them, making love was as easy as breathing. The last thing she remembered, as she drifted off to a contented sleep wrapped in his arms, was Daniel whispering into her hair, "I can finally die happy, now that I have you."

A/N: Thank you for the follows and reviews! Since I couldn't answer them personally, to the people who wrote about Robert Jenkins...it wouldn't be a spoiler to say this is the older brother of the poor Richard Jenkins, who will be met later on the Normandy. Oh, and to those missing Kaidan...the next chapter will be solely his.