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3 July 2185—Haestrom, Dholen System, Far Rim

Tali couldn't believe her ears. She triple checked her radio connection, but she'd heard rightly. "Shepard! You don't know how glad I am to hear your voice."

She had been stuck on the planet for far too long. The radiation was so intense that it could burn through shields in twenty seconds. She had come with a crew of quarians to gather and recover data on the geth, but they had found something much worse: the planet's sun was dying at an unnatural rate.

"Mind telling me what kind of shit you've gotten yourself into now?" Shepard demanded irately as he ducked into cover. "This fucking sun is burning my skin off and the geth are trying to blow my balls off."

Tali sighed. "It's... complicated. I'll explain everything later."

"Now you sound like Ci-Ci..."

"When would she have said that to you?"

"Last month."

Tali gaped. "She's alive? Is she with you?"

"Well, physically..."

Next to him, Imreas was spread prone and picking off geth with single shots. As much as he missed Ci-Ci, Imreas was a much better fighter (or, at least, a more efficient and ruthless one). Admittedly, he missed Corinthia's amusing commentary — things such as "Die, squishy, die! I told you to die... Why aren't you dying? Oh, wait, there it goes... Ooh. Explosion,", her song "Ha ha you're dead! And I'm so happy! In loving memory of your demise! When you're ship is going down, I'll go out and—Alright, Shep, I'll shut up now," her usual finish for something strange "Down with you, evil baddie thingy!" or (his personal favorite, which had a dance to go with it) "Hah! I win! Ah am eenveenceeble! Nyah-nuh nyah-nuh boo boo! Stick your head in doo doo!"

The geth garbled as she took off their heads. Imreas's lips twitched into something of a half-smirk and she looked to Shepard, nodding.

Shepard turned back to his radio. "Ci-Ci says 'hi,'" he finished weakly.

Tali raised her eyebrows. "And that's all she has to say to me?"

"For now? Yes. We aren't exactly in a bar."

Tali jumped as the area around her shook. Rubble dripped off the walls. "Please hurry, Shepard. There isn't much time."

"I'm working on it," he growled. "Just don't move from wherever you are."

"You can count on that."

Tali breathed a sigh of relief when Shepard, Garrus, and Corinthia walked in. "You don't know how glad I am to see you," the quarian said, her envirosuit's voice processor still giving her the slightly Russian accent. If they had been able to see through her suit, the would've seen her smile.

Shepard raised an eyebrow, trying not to yell. He needed Tali's help (though she hadn't really been able to give it during the mission to recruit her), but for some damned reason the geth ALWAYS tried to kill him and he hated it with every fiber of his being.

Tali shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more, Shepard, but I had to finish my work."

Shepard sighed. "It's fine, Tali. You're alive, but now you owe me. Twice. Or have you forgotten about Freedom's Progress?"

"Of course not." Tali's eyes flicked to Garrus and Corinthia. Her heart leapt a little. "Are you still with Cerberus?"

"Unfortunately."

Tali blinked and rounded on Corinthia. "And you let him?"

Imreas didn't move.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tali demanded.

Shepard frowned. "I'm not sure how to tell you this..."

Garrus rolled his eyes. "Tali, this isn't Ci-Ci. It's Imreas. That is what we're calling her, now, isn't it, Shepard?"

The Commander nodded. "Yeah... Ci-Ci'll be back by the time we get to the Normandy."

"I don't understand," Tali murmured.

"I'll let Ci-Ci explain." Shepard held out his hand for Tali to shake."It's still good to see a friendly face, Tali."

She looked at him uncertainly for a long moment. Shepard had been nothing short of an asshole to her on Freedom's Progress, even if he had refused to follow Cerberus's orders to take one of her quarian companions into custody. Now, though, his eyes weren't blazing. He wasn't hurting from finding out about Corinthia's death. He'd clearly calmed and seemed more like himself, considering his armor was charred from electric burns and dented from bullet shots (though, unfortunately, sans the blood spatter that came from fighting organics). Then again, simply having Garrus and Corinthia — or Imreas, whatever she was called — at his side helped the perception that he was as normal as he could possibly be.

Finally, she shook his hand. "And it is good to see you, too, Shepard. I have missed the Normandy."

"It isn't the same one."

"Is Joker still the pilot?"

"Yes, though I'm still not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

"Then it's home," Tali said, smiling beneath her envirosuit.

"You have permission to yell and scream at me all you want for working with those Cerberus bastards, but I don't have a choice right now. I couldn't let the Alliance send me after the geth again. I might die."

Corinthia snorted. "Yeah, like hell I'd let you do that again."

Shepard blinked. "What the... Don't tell me you were faking..."

"I wasn't," Corinthia answered. "Apparently the danger's passed."

"And you aren't confused as to where you are?"

"She explained. Apparently I killed a geth Colossus with Xerxes."

"Yeah... You did. I was disappointed that you didn't giggle maniacally."

"Want me to do it now?"

"No."

Tali looked between them. "I'm confused... What is happening?"

"Since everyone else knows," Corinthia began, "quick recap: I was on a Reaper too long and almost got indoctrinated. I developed a second personality a la Shepard's badassery to counteract that. Imreas surfaces whenever I'm in severe danger."

"That is not comforting," Tali muttered.

Corinthia hugged the quarian. "That better? It's still me, the squishy funky funny Ci-Ci!"

Tali groaned. "It is definitely you... Though your jokes haven't gotten any better."

"How was that a joke? Oh, wait, the rhyming... Got it."

Garrus touched his earpiece. "Hey, Joker, get the shuttle over here now. If this planet's radiation wasn't enough, Ci-Ci is making my brain fry."

"Make that an order," Shepard added.

"It's gonna be a minute," Joker answered. "The Illusive Man's been calling nonstop for you for the last three hours."

"Seriously?"

"Apparently he found out about Ci-Ci's 'problem'. I told you he had my baby bugged."

"I'll have Ci-Ci track them down. Just get rid of him for now and I might even explain what's happening."

Corinthia perked up. "Hm? Talking about me?"

"That's what he usually did," Tali mused. "Or stare at you."

Corinthia raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? When?"

"...Always?" Tali answered, more as a question because the answer was so obvious.

"Really? I had no idea... I mean, I know that he does when I'm in my dresses, but then again that's because he's still not used to it at all."

"You? In a dress?" Tali laughed. "I still do not understand human fashion, but having seen others in dresses, that does not sound like you at all."

"Well, I thought the same thing until six months ago. Then I had to change."

"You died."

"Yeah, that does rather force changes. My hair's long, too."

Tali cocked her head to one side. "Isn't that just the natural progression of human aging?"

"Yes, though that isn't how I'd put it... Let's just say that I'm not so much of a warrior-woman Amazon soldier chick anymore."

"I thought chickens were a human euphemism for cowards," Tali murmured.

"And for the popular cheerleaders," Corinthia added, grinning.

Garrus chuckled. "Don't let Jack hear you say that, Ci-Ci, or else you'll have her as an enemy, too."

Corinthia snickered. "Jack and I get along just fine. Wait... Have I ever actually interacted with her?"

"Who's Jack?" Tali asked.

"You know how you thought I was insane for the longest time?" Corinthia asked.

"Yes..."

"I'm not — okay, well, I actually am, but it's obvious now because I'm schitzophrenic and split personality, but Jack is just sadistic. She makes SHEPARD look like a big-eyed adorable puppy." Corinthia gestured to Shepard.

"And she's talking about me when we last met, Tali," Shepard added darkly.

Tali shivered. "I am not looking forward to meeting her..."

"You're going to if you stay in the engine rooms," Corinthia mused, "so you're going to run into her before long. You also get Gabbi and Ken."

"They banter like Ci-Ci and Shepard did before they knew they liked each other," Garrus muttered. "It's funny, when you're playing that damned human card game —"

"Poker," Shepard and Corinthia said in unison.

"Yeah, that one," Garrus continued. "It's funny when they're playing that, but otherwise it's just a headache."

"I always thought it was adorable," Tali answered.

"The difference was that Shep and I figured it out," Corinthia added, "and that we actually knew we harbored affections for the other, even if we didn't know if it was reciprocated identically. Okay, that was way too technical, but Gabbi and Ken haven't even got the slightest idea that they should like each other."

"Like us before Akuze," Shepard muttered.

"I liked you from the get-go, Johnny."

He rolled his eyes. She hadn't used that nickname for him in years and years, since they'd been forbidden by regs to be on a first-name basis and she preferred "Shep", anyway. The one time she had used it happened to be in front of a particularly angry drill sergeant who, not knowing she was lieutenant (which meant outranked him, being a commissioned officer, despite the fact he had a good ten years more experience than she), yelled at her for five minutes. In response, she respectfully explained that she and Shepard were the same rank and, as marines, they were allowed to refer to one another by their fist names when off duty, as they had been. Though she was right, she never used his first name unless she was feeling serious about something. It made him wonder what would happen when he married her (assuming she took his last name), because they'd both technically be Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy.

"To think we could've had years instead of four and a half months..."

Corinthia brightened. "You mean you actually remembered the date?"

"Of course."

She blushed. "I'd kinda forgotten... I mean, I remember where it happened and all..."

"It's alright. Just remember May twentieth."

"Two weeks after my half-birthday... Well, thirteen days. Hm... May Day for Shep-pay is on the twen-tay. Excellent! Monomer is now in my head..."

"Don't you mean 'mnemonic device'?" Shepard answered.

"Oh, yes, right. I always want to say pneumonic, but that's talking about pneumonia... But this discussing is turning into Greek too quickly. Where's Joker? Shouldn't he be here with the Bear by now?"

"Bear?" Tali asked. "She really has lost her mind..."

"We have a Kodiak shuttle," Garrus explained. "So, as with everything, Ci-Ci has re-christened it."

"She never did that with me..."

"Your name already ends with 'ee'. Don't ask for the list. It'll make me sick..."

Corinthia shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry. I had no idea it was so annoying..."

Shepard put a hand on her shoulder. "It isn't. It's hilarious to see Miranda get pissed when you call her 'Randy'."

"Don't expect me to start calling Jack 'Jackie', though," Corinthia answered darkly.

"I think you'd only do that if you had a death wish."

"If I'd known her a year and a half ago..."

"I was kidding."

"Me too. Kinda. Sorta. Not really... Whatever."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Uh... Sorry. Long story. I think you understand."

"No, I don't. You aren't the type to—"

"We'll talk about this later," she hissed.

Despite the somber tone, Tali was snickering. "I told you, Garrus. They are perfect for each other."

"That was never a question," the turian answered, crossing his arms. "It's if they'll destroy the galaxy with their interactions before or after they save it."

4 July 2185—Unknown Location, Milky Way

The Illusive Man stubbed out his fourth cigarette and lit a fifth. Shepard was changing from a mere annoyance to a thorn in his side. The Cerberus leader had never, ever had someone so obstinate and stubborn to deal with. Though Shepard was, technically, doing everything that he was asked, ever since the arrival of Corinthia aboard, the Commander had been (literally) giving the Illusive Man the finger and walking out of the transmission. Worse, Miranda seemed to be warming to Shepard's cause. Her loyalty still seemed to be rooted with the humanitarian group, but Shepard's ironic charisma (after all, a man like him was not supposed to be liked) was quickly winning over the former Ice Queen.

Despite all the setbacks (mostly from Shepard's rebellious personality), the worst part of everything was that it seemed like Shepard was going to win — not just the battles, but the loyalty and respect of the crew, his squad, and the galaxy — and note one drop or credit was going to go to the people that brought him back to life. The word "ungrateful" came to mind, especially since the Illusive man had led Shepard back to Corinthia and given him the whereabouts of his former crew members. Shepard just didn't understand what it took to find them, how much money had to pass hands to get them to even consider working with their former enemies. The only ones there gratis were Thane Krios, Garrus Vakarian, and Corinthia — and she was her own set of problems.

The Illusive Man was not to stupid as to leave his investment unwatched. Miranda, though near perfect, was still only human (as she was quickly proving) and any computer, no matter how intelligent, could fail, especially when it started thinking for itself as EDI was capable of. The Normandy was bugged so intensely that the Illusive Man could see and hear everything that transpired aboard. That was how he liked it. Considering how little Shepard told anyone, it was the only way the Illusive Man could know what was happening aboard his ship.

Corinthia was nothing short of a genius when it came to an omni-tool. She had programmed it to send out a near-constant jamming signal that disrupted any bugs within a certain radius of her. She had probably done it to protect her identity as Ariadne, and it had worked until Shepard announced to his squad what was happening with her. One Shepard was bad enough, but this... Imreas seemed to be a clone of the Commander's bad side. Perhaps the only benefit was that Shepard spent nearly no time yelling at the Illusive Man and all his time with Corinthia in his quarters, leaving the Cerberus leader to do as he pleased.

However, something had to be said. There were options to... help her. Cerberus was about to extend yet another olive branch to the Commander and only God knew if he'd accept.

Shepard's hologram opened. As usual, he looked impatient and annoyed with being there.

"What the hell do you want?" he growled.

The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette. "I've heard about Ci-Ci's condition. I'd like to help."

"Miranda and Mordin are already working on it."

"They have limited resources. I don't."

Shepard gritted his teeth. The Illusive Man had an angle. He always did. Still, if it meant having a whole Corinthia, Shepard was willing to do almost anything. "I'm listening."

The Illusive Man hid his shock. He'd expected at least three minutes of yelling before Shepard consented to listen to the plan. "Cerberus has been aware of the indoctrination process for quite some time. I only recently became aware of her condition, however, and I think we have enough information to help her."

"You've said that. Get to the point."

The Illusive Man almost smirked. After one moment of shining consideration, Shepard was back to normal. "We've been studying the effects of the Reapers on the human mind."

"You mean experimenting on people," Shepard snapped.

"Not intentionally," the Illusive Man half-lied. The initial studies into indoctrination were reactionary to a investigation gone wrong aboard a Reaper. Shepard was going to be following up that research soon, but it wasn't the right time just yet. The Illusive Man had expected the team to be corrupted by the Reaper's presence, though, so it was a calculated risk. "Few minds are able to withstand extensive time in a Reaper."

"I know this already," Shepard hissed. "I killed Saren, didn't I? My best friend is proof, too, so what the fuck can you do about it?"

"Investigate deeper. Give me access to her omni-tool and I can recall the events that made her how she is now. From there, I —"

"Fuck you!" Shepard shouted. "Like hell I'm going to do that! If you want to help, find a shrink that can get Imreas to talk or merge back with her or something. You aren't getting any information from her, not if I can help it. You know everything, anyway. Don't talk to me unless you actually have a solution. Or, better yet, don't talk to me at all and just tell Miranda whatever the hell you want to tell me."

"You owe me, Commander."

"I owe you shit."

"I found Ci-Ci—"

"And Kasumi already knew where she was. You may have gotten me breathing again, but you aren't pulling my strings, not anymore. The only reason I haven't come to kill you yet is because we happen to be fighting on the same side. Mess with my personal affairs and I will find you. So, don't bother contacting me unless you've got another convoluted set-up of a goddamn mission for me."

Shepard ended the transmission.

The Illusive Man finished the rest of his cigarette in one drag. Though angry, he was still calm. He had hoped to gain access to the valuable hoard of information Corinthia held, but it wasn't to be. Shepard had seen through that in a second. For a thug, he was much more intelligent than the stories let on. The Illusive Man had always assumed that Corinthia was the brains, and though she was in a technical sense, Shepard had the instincts of someone ten-times as seasoned and wise as she.

Something drastic was going to have to happen to keep the Commander's loyalty. The Illusive Man just needed time to think of what.

Shepard's Quarters, SSV Normandy SR-2, en route to the Citadel

Shepard fell back onto his bed, closing his eyes with a groan. He'd finally finished recruiting everyone the Illusive Man had suggested, but now they all had their own errands to run. Since he'd agreed to help some of them already, he felt obligated to help the others.

"Damn it, Ci-Ci, you're making me go soft," he muttered.

"That's what he said?" she asked from the doorway, trying desperately not to snicker.

He glanced up. "Don't you knock?"

"You rather implied that your room is mine, too, last time," she answered, winking. She hopped onto the bed, landing with her feet on his pillows and her knees by his shoulders. She leaned over and kissed him cheerfully. "Want me to leave?"

Seeing her upside-down was making him go cross-eyed, but he didn't care. "You already know that answer."

"Ooh, the hard-ass is a total sap."

"This coming from the pretty-pretty princess."

She shrugged comically. "At least I don't have a pink dress. Seriously, every one of them wears pink at some point..."

"I think it's part of being a girl. I'd die if I had to wear pink."

"Damn it. I'll have to return your Christmas sweater, then..."

All her cheerfulness couldn't distract him. "Imreas is going to go away, right?"

Corinthia stopped smiling. She brushed her hair over her shoulders and shook her head, sending the locks back to where they started. "She said that she won't stay. That she shouldn't have to, with you around. It's gotten better. I was actually conscious for most of the last mission on Haestrom, you know? I can tell when she's coming and she doesn't leave me in the lurch when she leaves..."

"She can talk?"

"To me, yeah. She talks to drown out the Reapers. It's working. Everything's becoming muffled and turning into white noise."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I think so... I don't have things whispering to me to choke you or shoot you in the stomach anymore."

"Wait... Seriously?"

"I wish I was lying..."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're more fucked up than I am..."

"I think the phrase 'Class A Fuck-Ups' applies to most soldiers, you know." She stroked his facial scars, the sensation making him close his eyes in pleasure. "Your scars are healing."

"I noticed. A few more weeks and they'll be gone completely."

"Dr. Chakwas said they'd been getting worse before."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

"I'll miss them. I like the whole orange glow thing. It was a nightlight."

He raised an eyebrow. "You already practically choke me when you decide to hug me in your sleep. I don't think you need a nightlight."

She shivered. "That whole experience on the Reaper made me afraid of the dark again, just because whenever I closed my eyes, I'd..." She shook her head quickly and put on a smile. "But I'm complaining. I have you and I know that I'm safe."

"But after losing me, you're afraid you'll wake up and discover it was just another dream," he murmured, feeling his own stomach drop in fear. He knew she was real (after all, the hell he endured had to be a reality and only in Hell would he not have her beside him... or her there with someone else), but the likelihood of either of them making it much past thirty was dwindling by the day. He was even considering going back on his promise to himself not to have her until they were engaged, but Imreas had ruined everything. He wasn't one to particularly care about risks, but that was in business, not his heart.

Corinthia kissed him again, caressing his cheeks and chin like she'd read his thoughts. She bit her lips before whispering, "Do you think we'll make it alive?"

He sighed and sat up, putting his head in his hands. "I don't know."

She crawled to him and rubbed his back, kissing the nape of his neck. "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head, resting his hand on her arms as she embraced him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Nothing comes to mind other than to get rid of Imreas, get better, and keep kicking ass."

"I can handle that last part... The others, though..." She closed her eyes. "She says that she'll go when I don't need her anymore. That she doesn't want control and that she exists as a contingency measure. For how much she comes out, I must either be really pathetic at fighting now or the danger we're facing's increased exponentially."

"I'm betting the latter. You're better than you ever were, Cassie."

She blushed. "No I'm not. Imreas is."

He smirked. "Well, you kiss better than you used to."

"Practice makes perfect."

His insides seethed with jealousy. "Who?"

"Huh?"

"Who did you practice with?"

"You!" she answered quickly, retreating. She turned crimson and toyed with her hair. "...And my pillow..."

He relaxed and laughed.

"I mean, I missed you so much, and I couldn't even start to think of anyone else. I kept wondering what would've happened if I'd been there of if we got another chance..."

He reached back, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled him onto his lap. "We have it, now. I'm not going to fuck it up."

She snickered. "That's my fault. I'm a total prude."

He raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't even make sense. About the transition, I mean. I know that your clothes stay on. Well, most of them..."

"I... I actually don't even remember what I was thinking. The moment's gone. I made a bad joke. I is sorry."

He shuddered and pointed a finger to her face. "Don't EVER do that again."

"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again." She saluted, whacking him in the cheekbone. "Oh my God! John, I'm so sorry! Here, let me kiss it and make it better."

He tried to wave her off, only to hit her as well. "Cassie! Shit... I'm sorry..."

She giggled, rubbing her smarting ear. "It's only fair. I'm a klutz."

He leaned in, lips brushing her earlobe. "You mentioned something about making it better?"

She flushed and bit her lip. "Something like that..."

He kissed her ear lightly. She shivered with pleasure. He took a deep breath and drew away before he lost control of himself. She frowned, pouting like a child whose candy had been stolen. He chuckled and kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair. "Feel better?"

"Deprived," she answered sulkily.

"Like you said, you're the abstinent one. Not that I've hooked up with anyone since we've been together, but you already know that I'm not that kind of guy. I'm not going to push it, either. God knows I want to, but I'm not. Chastity is a virtue... A fucking annoying one, but definitely the prudent thing right now." He let out a slow breath. "Damned wisdom... Why the hell did you have to make me get some? I liked being brazenly headstrong and getting what I wanted when I wanted."

"You'd rather we lived by carpe diem?" Corinthia answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Only sometimes and it's always your fault. We can't afford to be that reckless."

"I know..."

He sighed. "I bet we're the only couple that thinks our lives are too dangerous to sleep together."

She thought for a moment. "You know, you're probably right. Now I feel like a jerk..."

"You aren't. It's just hard — Stop laughing. Now. Oh, damn it, Ci-Ci, you're not making this any easier — Argh! Don't say it! I know already!"

She fell back onto the bed in a fit of laughter, holding her stomach and rolling around. She even kicked a few times for good measure. "I love you, John."

He caught one of her wrists and kissed her palm, smiling softly. He felt stupid saying, 'I love you' back, and even though it was true, he still couldn't bring himself to sound so idiotic. There had to be a more creative way to answer, and she'd be the one to think of one.

Even so, she clearly understood what he wasn't saying, because she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss that assuaged any and all his fears about her and surviving the ordeal, but gave him another about being able to hold himself back until they'd won.