(Authors notes) Hello once again, I know this chapter took awhile to come out, but I've been rather ill so I didn't get much of a chance to write a lot, anyway Its much longer then my last ones. Please enjoy!

Belief

Shepard had returned to the conference room awaiting a reply from Councillor Anderson, the message she received from him the night before was worrying, the Council wanted to see her, and they didn't want a simple catch up. She continued to stare blankly out into space as the thought of meeting the council again crept into her head, ''this isn't going to be good…'' She mumbled to herself.

Her arms stretched out in front of her as she picked up her holopad, the results were the same, no change, She sighed before summoning EDI, ''EDI?''. The AI responded almost immediately, ''Yes commander?'', Shepard looked back down at her holopad for a brief moment before answering EDI, ''Let's take a break for now, call me if anymore messages from Hackett or Anderson come through.'', ''As you wish commander, Logging you out'', EDI disappeared again and Shepard stared down at the holopad's that had piled up around her.

Garrus gave a nervous cough as he rode the elevator up with Miranda, he was always uncomfortable being with her, but he was never sure why. They continued their journey without saying a word to each other, Garrus shifted in his spot. Why couldn't I get stuck in here with Tail! We always have good conversations in these things! Miranda kept glancing over to the increasingly nervous Garrus's, he felt like saying something, he cleared his throat before speaking the most forced words he'd ever said. ''So… Uh you're human right? How's that turning out for you..?''. Miranda stopped and stared at the strange Turian, ''your perceptive skills amaze me Garrus'', Garrus could never tell if Miranda was joking or not, he just decided to give out a forced laugh instead. ''Hah… Ha…'' He coughed again.

She turned away from him the elevator was nearing its destination, Miranda spoke again surprising Garrus, maybe he wasn't so bad at this talking stuff after all, a small grin landed on his face. ''Garrus? What floor are you heading too?'', There was a moment of silence as Garrus was distracted by his own thoughts, Miranda repeated herself. ''Garrus! What floor?'', ''What?'' He was snapped out of his trance, what an idiot he'd been, he was so nervous riding the elevator with Miranda he'd forgotten to choose his floor. He mumbled embarrassed by his mistake, ''Just the CIC… please…'' He scratched the back of his head as he spoke avoiding eye contact with her.

Shepard had left the conference room she was walking towards Mordin's office, her head began to ache, she reached up a hand to it as she took a pause in her walking, This day just keeps getting better and better… She hadn't been sleeping properly, and it had started to take its toll on her. Her eyes stung as she closed them. This is just great… She continued talking to herself, wondering if she should see Mordin about it, she found it easier to get medical help from him, she knew Chakwas too well for her to be professional with Shepard.

She decided to finally get some help; she would just be stupid if she continued to ignore it any longer. She opened the door to Moridn's lab, smiling as she saw him, ''Hey Mordin? Got a sec?''.

Mordin looked up from his monitor; his dark eyes watched the tired Shepard enter the room. ''Ah! Shepard! Good to see you, haven't talked since you disappeared, had crew worried, wondered where you went''. Hecontinued rambling, his talking getting faster and faster, until Shepard's head felt like it was going to explode. ''Heard about the Batarian's, wonder what will happen, and the Reapers, Think you did the right thing, we're not ready for them, don't know if we ever will be, must hope though, like an old friend said ''we must hold the line'',''. Shepard felt like screaming, she thought seeing Mordin would be a peaceful experience. He coughed as he finally ceased his rambles, ''Anyway, what can I help you with Shepard?'', Shepard sighed with relief as the screaming in her ears seemed to fade. Now she was left staring at the Salarian's cold black eyes, finding it hard not to be distracted by all the strange and alien medical equipment on his desk. ''Shepard?'' He asked again waiting for a reply, ''What..? Oh yeah..'', She finally managed to pull her eyes away from the clutter on Mordins desk. Mordins eyes widened, as he paced around Shepard as if he was examining her, ''Hmm… Interesting…''. Shepard raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms, ''Got something to say Mordin?''. He quickly recalled to his desk an intrigued look on his face, ''Nothing to worry about, Tell me Shepard? How much sleep have you been getting?'', Shepard was slightly surprised by his question, did she really look that tired?

''What do you mean by that?'' She sounded more defensive then she really meant to. He replied swiftly, ''Sorry did not mean to offend, your just showing common symptoms of sleep deprivation'', His eyes scanned Shepard's body. ''Bad posture, easily distracted, dark bags under eyes… slow to respond to stimuli'', he paused for a moment to take a breath, ''Any headaches Shepard?''. She tried readjusting her posture, she was really taken aback by Mordin's comments, she opened her mouth but no words seemed to move from her lips, ''Uh.. Well…''. Mordin tapped a couple keys on his computer as Shepard tried to respond to Mordin.

''Really, I'm fine Mordin, nothing serious, I was just wondering if you could give me something..''. She rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding eye contact with the Salarian, ''You know, to help me sleep…''. Mordin opened his arms in a rejoicing manner. He couldn't help but be pleased with his correct diagnosis of Shepard, ''Of course Shepard! But…'', He paused for far to long for Shepard's liking, she didn't like where this was going. ''Sleep deprivation is quite a serious issue, it's not always as simple as it seems, How to put this…''. Shepard remained standing and listening to the doctors fast paced words, even though her concentration was slipping. Mordin dropped his arms before pondering for a moment, he always found it difficult simplifying things to others ''Stress is a big factor in sleep deprivation Shepard, I can help you, but not only with pills, most patients suffering with the same symptoms find that emotional help can be just as effective if not better in most cases''.

Shepard gave a silent sigh to herself, she didn't want to spend what was left of her time talking about her issues with Mordin, he had enough trouble making normal conversation. She continued to rub the back of her neck, she found it surprisingly comforting, it really had become a bad habit of hers. She finally answered Mordin, ''Mordin, thanks for the help… But I really don't want to talk to anyone, can I just have the pills..?''. Mordin's eyes dropped as did his tone, ''Ah… Of course Shepard, I'll send them up right now...''. He tapped his Omni tool, Shepard hated hearing the disappointment in his voice, and she knew he would like nothing better than to get into her head. She began to feel like she had out stayed her welcome, she thanked Mordin again before sliding away.

Garrus had been riding the elevator for a while now, his trip with Miranda had been and gone, and so had his floor, he just couldn't bring himself to go up there. He grunted to himself as his mandibles twitched. He felt like such a coward, he just wanted to hide away in the main battery where no one could see him. He continued to grunt to himself as the elevator endured its journeys up and down the Normandy. Why was he so scared of what Shepard would say? He didn't like disturbing her when she worked, he chuckled to himself as he thought about all the times Shepard had interrupted his calibrations, it was obvious she had no problem with interrupting him.

Shepard watched the Galaxy map in the centre of the CIC, her heading still spinning from the thought of the Reapers reaching Earth so soon. Ever since she'd escaped the ''Project'' and destroyed the Mass relay, she hadn't been able to concentrate. She felt like her mind had been slipping ever since; her eyes watched the light of the Galaxy map for a while before she felt them begin to close. She shook herself awake; the last thing she would want the crew to see would be here sleeping at her desk. She turned towards the elevator wanting to put Mordin's pills to the test.

She left the navigation deck without saying a word; she waited for the elevator to arrive on her floor, unaware that Garrus had decided to take a trip to every floor. He had clicked all the buttons out of curiosity, he had gotten so bored riding the elevator continuously, that he had begun counting how long it would take for it to get to Shepard's Cabin to the Engineer bay. For some reason, even though he decided not to see Shepard, he still couldn't let himself off this thing, as if he wouldn't leave without her. He sighed in frustration as he lost count of the bolts on the wall.

Shepard tapped the button to call the elevator again, getting increasingly impatient. Come on! Come on! Where was this thing? Please don't tell me it's stuck, that's the last thing she needed. She leaned against the wall waiting for her ride away from the responsibility that hanged over her head.

Garrus was quite intrigued by all the people he'd seen on his adventures in this elevator, luckily none of them wanted to make small talk with him. He'd began counting the bolts in the walls idly again. The lift reached the CIC stopping and sliding open its heavy doors. Shepard stood straight as soon as she heard it arrive, making sure she looked sharp. Garrus was still counting the bolts on the walls as the doors opened. Shepard raised an eyebrow in curiosity, why on Earth was Garrus riding the elevator? She watched him for a while, he still hadn't noticed her standing in front of him. She watched his lips as he muttered to himself the amount of bolts he was counting. She cleared her throat to get Garrus's attention, ''we have to stop meeting here…'' She smiled as she spoke.

His mandibles froze still as he heard her voice, he immediately snapped to attention as he saw her standing in the doorway, the light of the holograms flickering behind her. His eyes were fixated on hers, he spoke in his common snarky tone, ''Well maybe I just like elevator rides, there are seventy-five bolts in this thing you know''. Shepard blinked before replying to Garrus, ''Good to know, if we ever need an elevator expert I know who to call''. Shepard walked inside the elevator that was now filled with a pacing Turian. Shepard smiled at him still wondering why he was really here.

Garrus's breathing had gotten heavier, he was nervous, he didn't want to make Shepard cry again, but he had no idea what to do if he did. Shepard relaxed by leaning against the wall of the lift, pressing in the command for her floor, she glanced a look over at Garrus. ''You coming up?'' She asked curiously, her head lent towards Garrus, his talons twitched at his sides for a moment, ''Ah… Sure, I mean… If you want me to?''. She smiled stepping closer to him, stopping his pacing he paused over her, he could smell her again, it was so unique, he felt like telling her how much he loved it, but he'd heard Humans could be very… Particular about their smell. ''Of course I do…'', her soft fingers moved up towards his collar, they rested there as she moved closer for a kiss, he complied with her actions.

The lift reached Shepard's room, suddenly all the noise and work in the CIC seemed so far away. ''Shepard?'', Garrus broke the silence as she was about to reach up and kiss him, ''What is it Garrus..?''. He coughed nervously before blurting out his words, ''your standing on my feet…''.

She reacted suddenly pulling away from him, embarrassed she blushed slightly, ''Sorry, I didn't see them there'' He smiled the best a Turian could smile and took her hand. ''Don't worry about it, you do it all the time, I just never mention it'', he chuckled in an attempt to tease her. She gave him a gentle punch on the arm before storming away into her room. Garrus continued to chuckle to himself as he followed her inside.

(Authors notes) Thanks for reading, I know this chapter is a lot longer then the last couple ones, I'm doing a little experimenting, tell me what you think of it.

So if all goes as planed next chapter will be the last of this story, I do plan on continuing it, so don't worry! ;P

Thanks for all the reviews! They really do mean a lot! If you think there's anything I can improve on please say! And if you have any ideas please share them!

That's all from me! Till next time!

bye"