A/N: Okay, finally a bit of serious stuff. Let me just tell you guys, last night I figured out how I wanted the story to end so I decided to write a quick note down before bed so I wouldn't forget anything. I ended up still typing at four in the morning and getting all excited and now I don't care about the middle as much anymoooooore and this sucks. *sigh* I always do this to myself.

Sure, Shepard may have claimed she had a fantastic idea, but in Miranda's book those usually didn't take hours to complete.

"Shepard," Miranda groaned from where she lay face down on the bed, "please just go down there. I'm dying."

With a laugh, Shepard plopped down beside her, "Uh oh, somebody is getting dramatic." She scooted closer.

"Touch me and I'll knock your head in."

"Woah now," Shepard put her hands up defensively, "alright then."

Miranda softened, "Sorry. I can get a bit testy when I'm hungry."

Shepard grinned wildly, "Wow that explains it. You must be absolutely starving all the time."

"I hate you."

"Ah-ha!" Shepard said from her position by the window not fifteen minutes later, "right on schedule."

The only response she received was the gurgle of Miranda's stomach. The low constant chatter from the streets below seemed to rise into an excited babble. Suddenly, Miranda heard a faint and familiar voice, "Outta my way! Get lost!"

Her head shot up, "Grunt? You called in Grunt?"

"Come here, look at this," Shepard's elbows were leaning on the windowsill as she placed her head in her hands with a dreamy sigh, "my baby, all grown up and threatening strangers on the street."

Miranda had to admit, it was more than a little amusing, watching their tormenters flee the scene. Grunt was standing in their doorway just minutes later, hunched over in the small space and bearing a small bag.

"Battlemaster," he said with a slight nod in way of greeting.

Shepard grinned, "I knew I could count on you, Grunt. Come in."

The young Krogan entered slowly, and Miranda noted with amusement that he appeared to be trying to be gentle in the small space. The bag held enough provisions to last them through the night, though Miranda found it hard to believe that the battle tank standing before her had gone shopping. It soon became apparent however that Eve, a Krogan she had never met but Shepard had spoken very highly of, had done all the arrangements and sent the young clan member along.

He stayed with them for a short while, clearly eager to leave but also wanting to show Shepard no disrespect. Only when the women had left to use the restroom did Miranda realize she had never been in a room alone with him before.

They sat as far away as they could from each other on the couch, awkwardly glancing at one another across the space.

"So, Grunt," Miranda began slowly, trying to make him feel more comfortable, "Are you, um," she hesitated as she tried to figure out what word to use, "settling in well with your clan?" She had helped him take down the thresher maw with Shepard, yes, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure how all of their politics worked.

"Yes," He responded simply.

"Yes, well," She cleared her throat, embarrassed, "that's, um, good then, I suppose."

He shot her a look then, and when Shepard returned a few moments later Miranda was still trying to work out if it had been a smile or a sneer.

In the weeks that followed, they were granted a bit more freedom. The mob had not given up entirely of course, but they were at least able to leave the building once more. At times, they would be followed about when they ventured outside, but a glare from Shepard warned them from getting to close.

The only real annoyance Shepard faced was that for whatever reason, most likely due to self-consciousness, Miranda was less inclined to show any sort of affection. She had never been one for PDA, sure, but they stood further apart on the sidewalk these days, and there were no more playful punches or teasing slaps. Shepard was tempted to mention the change, but she knew it would only embarrass the woman.

Their pictures showing up all over the television and every other online site soon became the least of their troubles however, as Miranda discovered she had been sent a rather unnerving message.

Miranda,

I feel like I can't go anywhere without seeing you or Shepard these days, you two are really causing a stir down there on Earth. I hope you are both doing well.

I didn't want to bother you, but I wanted to give you a bit of a heads up. Yesterday, I was arrested and put on trial for my affiliation with Cerberus. I guess now that they have the Illusive Man's records, the Alliance is trying to put every war criminal they can get their hands on behind bars.

I don't want you to be nervous though, it was more a show than anything else. Because of the work I've done with Shepard, and the fact I was never a part of any of the more…extreme projects that were taking place, I was released in a matter of hours. We're in the same boat with that, so I know you'll be fine as well. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared for when they contacted you if they haven't already.

Take care and keep in touch,

Jacob

Miranda hadn't wanted to show Shepard the message at first, but as always the woman got her way.

"So I guess this explains Hackett being all cryptic," She said after skimming through it quickly.

"Mmm," Miranda hummed in agreement. Jacob was right, she had never done much worse than he, nothing that was on record anyhow. There were a million and one things she wasn't proud of, things she would never tell Shepard she had done, but officially she had a relatively clean slate. The Illusive Man kept things looking as unsoiled as possible for the most part, and Miranda's image was made to model his own. She didn't have Jacob's service background, but she had her resignation along with Shepard's support. She would be fine.

But why did she feel so uneasy?

"What're you thinking?" Shepard questioned cautiously.

"It's nothing, this won't be a problem," Miranda said, trying to reassure herself as well as Shepard.

"Right," Shepard responded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "just another minor annoyance."

Though the threat of the Alliance loomed ever present in the backs of their minds, Shepard and Miranda attempted to carry on as normal. The Normandy was carting surplus provisions from other planets to the places on Earth that had been hit the hardest, and happened to be docked not too far away. Joker took the opportunity to slip away and visit his old friends with EDI, who had made the jump back into her 'body' a few weeks earlier.

"Huh, it's small," was the first thing Joker said upon entering.

As he and Shepard reminisced and laughed the day away, Miranda found herself quite interested in EDI's new platform. They had not really been exposed to one another much. She was amused by how dedicated the AI seemed to it, how her lips would quirk into a smile, how her hands would gesture as she spoke. It was all very endearing.

Miranda would be the first one to admit she had had reservations when she initially heard of EDI being unleashed by Joker. The notion was gone now as she watched the AI, something she was glad for. Sitting there with her, listening to her speak, watching her move, she was so very alive. In fact, it almost seemed EDI was getting to be embarrassingly better at playing human than Miranda was.

When they left in the late afternoon, Shepard turned to Miranda, a thoughtful expression plastered on her face, "Say, EDI can't really travel too far like this, can she?"

"Hmm?" Miranda tilted her head back on the couch where she sat, staring up at where Shepard stood behind her.

"Since her, uh, parts and stuff are in the Normandy, she can't get too far away from it. And if the ship ever got destroyed again or something like that, she'd be gone too."

Miranda let her eyes drift closed, she had an inkling where this was going, "I suppose."

"Well," Shepard pressed carefully, "do you think there's a way to get all of her into her new body? Right now I kinda feel like she's chained to the ship."

"Shepard," Miranda sighed, and her eyes fluttered open as she lifted her head, "EDI is a massive system. That would be a lot of power on a tiny platform. I couldn't be sure until I checked it out for myself, but honestly it would probably just fry the whole thing."

"Oh," Shepard responded after a moment, sounding quite glum.

"I also think that if it were possible, EDI would have explored the option already, don't you?"

"Yeah," Shepard moved around to the front of the couch so she could take a seat beside her, "you're right, as usual."

A smile quirked at the edges of Miranda's lips, "Well you don't have to say it like it's a bad thing."

Shepard laughed, "I know, I know. Go be a super genius somewhere else."

After a moment, Miranda found she couldn't help herself, "What brought that on?"

Shrugging, Shepard looked away shyly, "Nothing, I was just thinking a bit about the Normandy. Future stuff."

"Future stuff?" She raised an eyebrow, her voice teasingly patronizing.

"Yeah," Shepard sighed, "you know, what comes next. Obviously I'd be set for life with the Alliance, but lately I just feel so…" She trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed.

"So?" Miranda prompted, her interest now thoroughly peaked. It was true she wasn't overcome with love for the Alliance, but she had long ago resigned herself to the fact it would be a part of her life so long as Shepard was.

"Tired," Shepard finally admitted, albeit reluctantly. "I've just been, I don't know, thinking."

Miranda laughed, "I hope you haven't hurt yourself."

"Cute," Shepard shot her a glare. "But seriously, I just," She faltered for a moment, "imagine having the Normandy. We could go the places we want to go, fight the fights we make for ourselves, choose our own paths. We could help people, but only the ones we want to help, not the ones we were told to."

Shifting in her seat to turn towards the woman, Miranda found herself overwhelmed with affection, "Commander, are you proposing I become a mercenary with you?"

Shepard laughed, "Not just any mercenary, mercenaries with feelings." A wide grin spread across her face, "Mercenaries Who Care, that's the tagline."

"While it all sounds very romantic," Miranda teased gently, "the Normandy is an Alliance vessel. I don't believe even you could charm it away from their possession."

Waggling her eyebrows foolishly, Shepard gave her a warm smile, "The lady thinks I'm charming."

"Oh, get over yourself," Miranda gave her arm a shove.

Shepard sobered quickly, "Well, this may surprise you, but at times I can play by the rules. I was actually thinking of making a purchase."

"Shepard," Miranda hesitated, she was reluctant to squash Shepard's ambitions, "I'm afraid that that would be quite a purchase. The Normandy is one of the most dependable ships in the fleet; they won't part with her easily."

"Um," Shepard looked at Miranda with a patronizing expression, "let me show you something." She activated her omnitool, only taking a few moments before proudly showing the image to Mranda with a smug grin.

"Wow," Miranda genuinely lost her composure for a moment, "that's a lot of zeros."

"It is indeed."

"How did you manage that?"

"I've worked since I was eighteen. Didn't have any family to take time off with, so I was always working for the most part. Thing is, they supply you with room, food, and clothes while on duty. Nearly nonexistent expenditures with a near constant service record really adds up. Also, it would seem saving all sentient life doesn't hurt, I got a bit of a raise."

"I can see that. Well Shepard, if it's something you seriously want, I think you may just be able to pull it off."

It was days later, when Tali was in the process of dragging Garrus all the way back to Earth, eager to visit her friends, that Miranda had received another piece of news. She stood in the hallway between the bedroom and the living room, unsure of what she should be feeling. That twisting unease, the little flutter of anxiety that had been growing steadily from her first conversation with Hackett, was more prevalent now.

Something was very wrong.

Shepard stood before her, absorbing the information Miranda had just read aloud, "Wow, that's um, unexpected."

Some part of Miranda wanted to laugh, that was putting it quite mildly. There had been no will, the lawyers had said, and so the Lawson fortune and all associated facilities were to be transferred into Miranda's control. It was ridiculous, unbelievable. It must be some sort of ambush, the final efforts of a dead man.

"Shepard it doesn't make sense," Miranda spoke slowly as she tried to work out the situation, "My father was many things, but forgiving was not one of them. When I ran away he didn't send men out to catch me and drag me back home. I was to be erased. If I wasn't going to exist under his control than I was going to exist at all. This is wrong, it's some sort of trap."

Shepard's brow furrowed, "He's dead, what traps could he be possibly be making?"

"I don't know, Shepard," Miranda admitted finally, her voice breaking a bit, "all I know is my father would never have left me in his records. There's no way he would ever leave the possibility that I could take control. Oriana maybe, but even that is hard for me to believe. No, that wouldn't make sense at all."

"Well," Shepard sighed and approached the other woman slowly, "let's just be careful. It's not such an awful thing, is it?"

Miranda took a step back, "I don't want any part of it. I don't want any of that near me or my sister. I'll break up the facilities, destroy their research, and sell the buildings." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, she was clearly growing more agitated, "Get rid of the money, I don't care how much it is. I don't want it."

Shepard approached her once more, a sad smile on her face, "Why don't you relax for a minute? I think that's a little extreme. The facilities I get but-"

"Well stuff the credits in your own pockets then if you're so enthralled," Miranda snapped suddenly, causing the woman to flinch. She regretted it right away, hating herself for taking it out on Shepard. It was just so, unsettling. Her poise was slipping away and panic quickly swept over her. Something was wrong, her father was trying to hurt her in some way once more, and the thought shook her to the very core as she desperately speculated if she would ever be truly free from his clawing grasp. Even in death his shadow remained, always lingering in the furthest reaches of her consciousness.

"Miranda," Shepard spoke softly, trailing a cautious hand along the woman's waist in what she prayed was a calming touch.

"I'm sorry," Miranda spoke quickly, clearly pained, holding back the bitter tears that were threatening to fall. She felt like a teenager again, irrational and petulant.

"Stop," Shepard soothed, "don't apologize. I just meant," She pulled the woman closer, bumping their foreheads gently; "there's a lot of people struggling out there. We don't need the money, no, but somebody else might. Take his bad and do some good, build a school, supply a shelter, set up a stray varren rescue."

Though she was calmed at the words, Miranda's eyes still glistened brightly. She didn't pull away from the embrace, but there was still a sort of restlessness about her, "Maybe. I just," her head shook, "I need some time to think. I think," she hesitated, "I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Oh," Shepard pulled back a little, combing Miranda's face with her eyes, trying to get a better understanding of just what was going on in her head, "okay, just don't forget, we're supposed t be meeting Tali soon, remember? They're touching down in a little over an hour."

"Right," Miranda paused, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, "Maybe you could pick them up without me…if that's okay…"

"Oh, sure. Yeah."

Tali and Garrus had been with Shepard for nearly three hours and still Miranda had not returned. Shepard tried to fight off the anxiousness that was building within herself. Miranda was intelligent and capable; she could handle whatever came her way. The words calmed Shepard less and less as time ticked steadily onward however.

Though she felt uneasy, Tali was a welcome distraction and Garrus was a reassuring presence. They spoke of the progress being made on Rannoch. Of the Geth systems that were being brought online slowly, of how the people were understanding one another, making peace with their bloody past.

Miranda had still not returned when Shepard's omnitool began blinking, attempting to receive a message from an unregistered caller. Shepard's stomach dropped, not many people were able to reach her, very few of whom would be using a secure line away from normal channels.

"Hey Tali," Shepard motioned her over to where she sat, "take a look at this."

The young Quarian took a seat beside her, looking on with curiosity, "Interesting."

Garrus tilted his head, "Any idea who it could be?"

"No," Shepard responded, mystified, "but I guess we're about to find out." She didn't hesitate and accepted the call instantly.

"Shepard?" a familiar voice filled the room.

"Hackett?"

"Are you alone?" The admiral questioned quickly, clearly attempting to rush the conversation.

"Garrus and Tali are with me, sir."

"Fine," He sighed, clearly troubled, "Things are a mess over here, Shepard, I can't have word of this call getting out. You must never mention it."

"Of course," Shepard responded instantly, flashing her companions a meaningful look.

"Listen, I'm not sure if Jacob Taylor informed you of his little brush with the law."

"He did."

"Good, then I don't have to explain to you the Alliances' intentions. They're coming down hard on this, Shepard, and I don't want you to be caught off guard. Miss Lawson is going to be taking a lot of heat."

Shepard's stomach dropped, "What?"

"I can't give you the details, but it's bad Shepard. From day one there has not been one piece of Intel that has crossed our desks that she hasn't been a part of. Everything we've collected from the base, Shepard, everything about Cerberus, she's all over it. I can't say much, but it's not good."

"I don't understand," Shepard stood up and began to pace about the room, "I can't say what she did before, but Miranda was with me. The whole time. She spent two years bringing me back. And then She was part of my team the entire time, right alongside Jacob."

Hackett seemed reluctant to correct her, "I know, Shepard. You've given me your statement before. It's just that none of the facts add up with your story."

"How could they not?" Shepard demanded, she had moved behind the couch, leaning her full weight on the headrest, "where does it deviate?"

"The question that would be easier to answer, is where it doesn't. Shepard, I want you to be prepared for the worst."

"But she's not Cerberus."

"Shepard-"

"She quit! We have proof!"

"Shepard! I believe you. I'm not the one you have to convince, and I tried to do what I could, but there is just nothing out there. I just, I wanted to be honest with you. I can't see this ending in your favor. Whoever did this to her had one hell of a grudge."

"Wait, I don't see the problem here," She said suddenly, growing more confident, "I'll just take the stand; my word will pull more than a little weight, surely."

Hackett sighed, "Shepard," he wavered, "I don't think it would be a good idea for you to even be present, let alone acting as witness."

"What?" Shepard gave a humorless laugh, "what are you talking about? I'm the best chance she's got."

"Listen," Hackett seemed almost embarrassed, "whatever your relationship with Miranda is it won't count for anything in this trial. Your support may actually hurt her."

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

The man hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, "We have an audio recording of Miranda openly admitting without provocation that she only began an intimate relationship with you as a means of manipulation."

"Oh god," Shepard pulled away from where she had been leaning on the back of the couch, "Jesus Christ, Miranda."

Tali took a step closer to her friend, "Shepard, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."

"What?" She looked confused for a moment, and then broke out into a laugh, "Oh no, that's not true, she would never do that."

Garrus nodded, "So you think it was another fabrication? I wouldn't put it past Cerberus to pull a stunt like that, and they certainly had the technology to make it feasible."

"No, no, that was her," She waved the Turian off dismissively, "She's a crazy robot woman devoid of human emotion, I'd be surprised if she hadn't said something like that. The problem is, every single member of that jury doesn't know her, they won't get that is just how she works."

Tali cocked her head to the side; sometimes she really didn't understand Shepard and Miranda at all.

"Exactly," Hackett chimed in, "and they won't take kindly to their hero being used and tricked. You show up, and I'm afraid that they might see that as further exploitation. It will look like she's using you to get herself out of trouble."

Shepard rubbed her forehead tiredly, "What a headache."

"Shepard," Hackett said sadly, "I'm doing everything I can to delay this. Use this time to find something, anything, that can help. Everything is against her right now, find her some sort of informational support. They wanted to blindside Miranda with this, make sure you use this edge properly, I don't know when but they will be coming to collect her soon. Stay calm, and make sure she doesn't resist."

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this."

"Remember, Shepard," Hackett added quickly before disconnecting, "you didn't hear it from me."

"Wow," Garrus placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, "you okay?"

Shepard shook her head, bewildered, prompting Tali to give some encouraging words, "Hey, Miranda is smart. She can find a way out of this. As soon as she gets up there they'll realize the truth."

With a bitter laugh, Shepard pulled away from them, "Tali, I've done this before. You have to sit up on a pedestal while strangers who have no idea of the circumstances you found yourself in point accusatory fingers in your direction. This is Miranda we're talking about, and we're going to ask her to sit there and smile and be warm, likeable even." She shook her head, "Oh god, she's going to say one thing and they'll end up doubling her sentence."

"I'm sorry, Miranda," Liara scrolled through the data pad with a sigh, "There's nothing to find, and it doesn't help that the only two survivors are friends. There simply was no Project Lazarus, you were never there."

Miranda and Shepard sat on the edge of their bed, watching as the holographic image paced about the room in front of them. It had been the hardest thing in the world, approaching Miranda as soon as she returned home, having to be the one that struck yet another blow. It just really wasn't their day. Although she hadn't asked, Garrus and Tali had opted to get a hotel room for the night and give the two women time to sort out what was happening, and Liara had agreed to help as soon as Shepard sent word.

Shepard leaned forward with a loud scoff, "And I just popped up out of the ground, I suppose. Where was she then?"

"Well," Liara began, clearly uncomfortable, "heading illegal research on various planets in the Terminus systems. Conducting unfathomably cruel experiments on children. Recruiting, which seems like a nice way of saying abducting, young men and women from outer lying colonies. Most anything shady that was happening in the bowels of Cerberus, her name is attached to it."

"But that's ridiculous. There has to be a hole somewhere, something that doesn't add up."

Liara shook her head sadly, "The dates are airtight. Nothing overlaps, nothing contradicts, and whoever did this was an expert. There are shuttle ticket purchases, room rentals, payments collected, correspondences started, she was there, at every location."

Miranda remained silent, but Shepard refused to give up, "But what about after? She quit, she was with me on the Normandy, saving lives."

"Until she wasn't," Liara sighed. "The resignation was a ruse to keep your trust. When you discovered it, you kicked both her and Jacob off the ship. She returned to Sanctuary to aid with the research."

"That's bullshit, nobody would ever believe she would help her father."

"Shepard, officially, Miranda was a very loyal daughter. Henry Lawson grew her, primed her, and when she was old enough she went to work for his associate the Illusive Man with his blessing. A child prodigy, and the perfect daughter."

Shepard clenched her fists, well that explained the sudden inheritance, "Why? Why did he do this? Why couldn't he just leave us alone?"

"I'll keep looking, but-" Liara swallowed, "even with all my resources, I'm not sure I'll be able to help you."

"I understand," Miranda startled them both when she finally spoke, "thank you, Liara. For everything."

The Asari gave an apologetic look as she nodded, before her image dissolved.

"We're going to figure this out," Shepard soothed gently, covering Miranda's hand with her own. "I'm going to fix it."

Miranda offered a wry smile, but it disappeared as soon as she managed to muster it, "It's okay, Shepard."

She pulled away from the touch, using her arms to drag herself along the bed until she could comfortably lie down. A hurt look on her face, Shepard reluctantly followed suit. She lay down beside the woman on her side, scrutinizing her emotionless features with a careful eye.

"You're not giving up on me, right lady?" She questioned finally, not eager to hear the reply.

Miranda shrugged as she lay on her back, staring into the white of the ceiling. She felt defeated and betrayed, which hurt. That was stupid, it didn't make sense. She had done the betraying first, she had been the one who left. There was no reason for this to hurt, she had shown where her loyalties lie. The Illusive Man had been deranged in the end, a veritable monster; there was no reason to care about his opinion.

And yet, it was there in the back of her mind. The man who - although never warm - had protected her, given her food, shelter, money, praise, purpose, in the end had bore her no real affection. The feeling was stupid, but it was there. Miranda was aching.

"Miranda," Shepard moved closer, unsure in her actions as she was having trouble reading the woman's mood. There was a heaviness in the air about them, a weight that seemed to be pushing down on Miranda as she turned to face Shepard. The woman finally continued slowly, "I know it feels like everything is against you. We're going to work it out though. Don't just resign yourself, you have to keep fighting."

Miranda watched Shepard carefully as she spoke, trying to absorb what she was saying, begging it to work. She felt so drained, so utterly exhausted. She wanted to be able to share Shepard's drive, to muster that same strength, but the ability eluded her, just as it always had. It didn't matter that Shepard was pulling her closer no, wrapping her arms around her waist, winding their legs together seamlessly. It didn't matter because in the end, this moment would last forever only in her mind. Shepard would pass, as all things did, and they would be separated once more.

"Hey," Shepard exclaimed as Miranda suddenly buried her face into her neck, breathing deeply, "this is nothing."

Miranda nodded from her position, glad Shepard couldn't see her face as the gesture was more a reassurance for the other woman than real agreement. She felt Shepard press a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm going to be by your side every step of the way," she whispered softly, and she paused for a minute, not quite sure if she should continue saying what she had intended. Miranda was relaxing in her embrace, her breathing slow and steady, and Shepard admitted to herself with a grin that carrying on was sure to get her in trouble. Miranda would be uncomfortable, tense, and more than a little irritated, so of course, Shepard couldn't help herself.

"I love you."

Miranda's breathing paused, and for a moment an almost tangible silence fell between them. It was there, and then gone in a flash as Shepard's face was met with a pillow. And for the rest of the night they were able to be themselves again, all teasing and shoving and flushed cheeks.

"Don't be so gross."