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20 July 2185 — Jack's Area, Engine Room, SSV Normandy SR-2, en route to Illium, Tasale System, Crescent Nebula

Shepard had never actually been down into Jack's area. It was as hard to access as possible, dark, and creepy. In all honesty, he'd been so preoccupied chasing the Collectors that he hadn't bothered to really talk to anyone on the crew, especially a cold-hearted bitch like Jack.

Subject Zero looked up as he came in. "What the hell do you want?"

"Kelly said you were pissed at something."

Jack snorted. "Like hell I'd tell you about it."

"Why's that?"

"Because I don't trust you."

Shepard crossed his arms. "Try me."

Jack looked him up and down. "Like you'd understand..."

"That's every teenager's excuse." Shepard sat on the stairs. "You think you're the only one that's had it rough?"

"You have no fucking idea..." she muttered.

"No, I don't, but I can guess."

Jack didn't answer and stared at the ground.

Shepard took that as invitation to continue. "I was raised on the streets. Part of a gang."

"Pussy."

"Maybe in comparison, but I did some nasty shit that I can't even tell Ci-Ci the details of, let alone that I wanted to do it for the most part. I used to have the tattoo to prove it, but Miranda didn't like it, so she didn't give it back to me. I see some gang symbols on you."

Jack stretched, showing off her body-wide tattoos (and her body). "A few, but most of them are for my special kills. Joined a cult. Kept the haircut."

"Suits you." Shepard rubbed his chin, where he had the makings of a beard beginning. "Ci-Ci's forbidden me from shaving for the next... I don't know how long. I forgot how much beards itch..."

Jack rolled her eyes. "You're fucking whipped."

"And you have a problem with that?"

"Love makes you weak," Jack spat.

"I thought that for a long time. I know better, now."

"You're going to regret it before the end. It always comes back to bite you in the ass."

"Already has. She said the Alliance is going to court martial me for it."

"Dump the bitch, then. Like she's worth it."

Jack was usually so antagonistic that she didn't care if she insulted anyone, but the way Shepard's expression darkened scared even her.

"I came down here to offer to help you out, Jack. My relationship with Ci-Ci is none of your fucking business, even if the whole crew knows exactly what's going on. I hunted down and slaughtered an entire Cerberus operation for her and I'd do it again, working for them or not — and that's the only one that she knows about, but I've done other things before, too, and they weren't pretty."

Jack knew when she could win a fight. Shepard didn't use his biotics as often as most, but he was powerful and, in close quarters, could easily defeat her. "Relax, Shepard. I was just saying that she doesn't seem like your type."

"And you are?"

"At least I'd let you fuck me."

Shepard shook his head. "You know, there's more to liking someone than wanting to sleep with them."

"Not in my experience," Jack lied.

"Then you haven't had the right kind. I get that you're a fuck up, Jack. I'm sorry that it happened to you."

"Like hell you are."

"You know, you could be pleasant if you tried."

Jack stood up and pushed him against a wall, pressing herself against him. "This pleasant enough for you?"

"You've got to be kidding me..."

"Just so you can relax, Shepard. Fucking always made me feel better. It wouldn't mean anything. Besides, you look like you need it."

Shepard pushed her off. "Are you insane? I love her. I don't know what that means to you, but it means that I don't go putting my dick into another woman because Ci-Ci didn't put out. The idea of being with anyone else sickens me."

Jack shrugged. "Fine. Fuck off, Shepard."

He blinked. "So that's it, then? I turn you down and now you tell me to leave? I'm not going to use you, Jack. You may not say anything about your past, but I can see more about you than you think. You've been in bad places and it hasn't been your fault. You've been used, left, abandoned, and whatever else it took to make you as cold as you are. You're so damn defensive because you've been hurt every time you've shown weakness, but you still can't hide the pain in your eyes. You got those tattoos to try and cover them up. You kill because it's your way of getting rid of the shit that hurts you. I joined the Alliance to do the same thing. Remember me when I recruited you? That was nothing compared to how I used to be. Just ask Ci-Ci. I made you look like a saint."

"I doubt that."

"The only difference between you and me, Jack, is that I'm a soldier, so the people I kill are casualties, not murders... Well, most of them. There were a few that I killed right out when I didn't have to. Didn't give a shit about anyone but myself. Sound familiar?"

"Like I said, you don't know what I've been through."

"I would if you told me."

Jack locked gazes with him for a long time. "Fine, but don't expect me to talk about it again."

31 July 2185 — Kodiak Shuttle, descending to Pragia, Dakka System, Nubian Expanse

"Why the fuck did you bring the fucking cheerleader along, Shepard?" Jack demanded coldly.

"Because the fucking cheerleader might be able to give you more answers that you might get otherwise," Miranda answered testily.

Jack frowned. "Fuck you."

Shepard groaned. "Listen, Jack, the fact is that if you want answers, Miranda's going to be the best person to get them to you. So you hate her. Fine. I'm not asking you to like her, either. Just let her do what she does best: snoop into other people's business."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Shepard... I wasn't expecting such a half-veiled compliment from you. I see Corinthia's... exertions with you are having an effect."

Jack blinked. "You mean to tell me they've been fucking this whole time?"

"You didn't notice how they spend all their time together?"

"Just that she still acts like a scared virgin." Jack turned to Shepard. For the first time in a long time, she felt guilty. If she'd known that Shepard and Corinthia were fucking, she never would've offered. "She any good?" Jack asked snidely.

"None of your fucking business," Shepard growled.

"So she needs work... Bet the cheerleader can help."

"No need. Ci-Ci is already fucking my brains out. Now, how about some details about what the hell we're getting ourselves into, Jack."

Jack leaned back, not looking out the window. "Pragia's a bitch of a planet. All jungle, lots of deadly animals, not a lot of free space. They had to build the landing platform above the tree line." She smirked. "It'd be overgrown in a week."

"Commander," EDI said calmly, "I have located the facility. Initial scans show massive heat signatures in the area around the facility, but very few within the facility itself."

"So we won't be alone, as usual," Shepard muttered.

Jack took a deep breath as the Kodiak descended over the jungle. She would never let it on, but she was nervous. This place had caused her more pain than she'd ever admit to anyone, even if it wasn't the worst she'd experienced in her life. It had shaped her, given her the edge she needed to survive. If she destroyed it, maybe the pain would disappear...

She knew that wasn't how it was going to work, but causing mayhem always made her feel better. So long as Miranda didn't get in the way, everything was going to be...

They finally found the landing pad and touched down. It was raining, the sky gray and dark. Shepard drew his assault rifle. "Abandoned or not, I bet we're in for a fight."

Miranda shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't even know this facility existed."

"Like hell you didn't," Jack answered angrily.

"The Illusive Man doesn't trust me with everything. This place was shut down years ago."

"Yeah... I'm the bitch that shut it down."

"Let's get this over with," Shepard ordered. "I don't think any of us like ghosts."

6 hours later — Shepard's Quarters, SSV Normandy SR-2, orbiting Pragia

Corinthia reclined on the sofa, Rufus (or, as he was actually called, Urz) snuggling on her feet and forbidding her from moving. While Shepard was out, she was going to catch up on her work for the gallery. She'd found some marvelous turian art, but exporting it was going to be nothing short of hellish. Still, she'd manage. She'd made friends in all sorts of places and could get what she needed.

She cracked her knuckles and opened her omni-tool to turn on some music. Imreas had been eerily silent over the last few weeks. Part of Corinthia missed it, but another part of her wondered if something worse was going on... or if Shepard's and her relationship had somehow managed to pull her mind together. She hoped the latter was true, but she doubted it. Everyone who was insane had their moments of lucidity.

Rufus yawned and stretched before returning to sleep. Corinthia leaned forward and scratched the top of his head. "Yeah, relax while you can, buddy. You won't be able to for much longer. Knowing Shepard, something bad's going to happen before much longer."

The doors opened with a hiss. "Speaking of the devil," she murmured. "Oh, come on, Rufus. Move!"

Rufus didn't move.

"Urz!"

The varren lazily opened one eye, snorted, and went back to sleep.

Shepard slouched into view. "Keeping your feet warm?" he asked wearily.

Rufus sat up, tongue rolling out of his mouth and his tail thwumping the sofa happily. Shepard patted the varren on the head. "At least someone's happy to see me."

"Yep," she answered, looking him up and down. As per usual, he was half-smoldering from his latest fight. There was dried blood caked across his armor and face (meaning that he hadn't worn a helmet. Again). His beard was scraggly and singed on one side. His hair (since he actually had some, now) was an absolute mess. "You look terrible," she observed. "In an 'oh my God my boyfriend almost died' sort of way, though the way your armor is smoking is incredibly attractive."

Shepard rolled his eyes and started removing his gauntlets. "Just for that, I'm going to shave."

"What? No! Please, don't! I like the beard!"

"It's annoying!"

"It'd ruggedly handsome!"

"I look like Joker," he muttered.

"Gerroff me," Corinthia muttered to Rufus. He glared at her pitifully as she dragged her feet out from under him. She scratched him under the chin before going to Shepard. "You don't look a thing like our pilot buddy. You're much handsomer."

Shepard smiled, putting his hands on her waist and giving her a soft kiss. "Good to know." He went back to stripping his armor. "You stay here all day?"

"Pretty much. I was Ariadne for a bit, helped Kasumi figure out something to talk to Jacob about... The usual. The place was decidedly tension-free without Miranda and Jack at each other's throats."

Shepard ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I'm glad that you avoided all of that. I had to deal with it all day... Jack and Miranda were at each other's throats, just because Jack didn't want to look as weak as she felt and Miranda was trying to defend Cerberus."

"So... what did happen there?"

Shepard shook his head and took off his chest plate. "The place was a fucking nightmare. I thought getting my biotic implants had been hellish... The things they did made my time with the Reds look like a coddling preschool."

Corinthia shuddered. "That's already more than I wanted to know. I'm glad I didn't go. You know how easily I get nightmares now..."

He let out a slow breath. "You know, if you ever want to know about my past in more detail... Just ask, alright? I had to tell Jack more than I told you just to get her to trust me enough to help her blow up that place."

"Oh..." Corinthia headed back to the sofa and sat down, drawing her feet up under her.

Shepard finished taking off his armor and put on a shirt and pants before asking, "Thinking of a question?"

"Yeah," she answered immediately.

"Need more time?"

"Yep."

"I'm going to shower."

She nodded absently. He rubbed his eyes. "Cassie, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you don't need to pout. I don't have any secrets from you. At all. I just don't like talking about it and I didn't want to at all, but I had to, alright? It wasn't even that much more, just that I... that I wasn't forced to do anything. That I wanted to do those things with the Reds and that I wanted to escape before I ended up in jail."

"That's it?" she answered, a little surprised. She laughed. "I knew that. Or, really, guessed that. I knew how you were then better than you might think. You liked violence too much to not have enjoyed it while you were with them. The one thing I never got was how you never got into red sand."

"I didn't need them, for one. I didn't want to get addicted to anything, go insane, or anything like that, for another. Addiction is weakness."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Wasn't it three days ago that you were telling me that you were addicted to me or something like that?"

"You're different. You don't count."

"Get clean up, you big teddy bear."

"Teddy bear?" he repeated. "That's your summary of me?"

"Pretty much." She thought for a moment. "Yep. That's my summary and I'm sticking by it."

"That would explain the cuddling..."

"I know you like it."

"That's irrelevant. Can't you think of a more... more..."

"Epic comparison?" she offered helpfully.

"Yeah. That."

"I'll have one for you when you come back. Go shower." She waved him towards his bathroom.

Shepard returned a few minutes later, feeling much better. He flicked water at Corinthia before joining her on the couch, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Got one yet?"

"Fluff-ball?" she offered.

"Try again."

"Wolfy!"

He winced. "Could you at least make it sound un-cutesy?"

"Hah! You said cute!"

"Shit. You caught me," he groaned sarcastically. "Now do I get spanked or something?"

"Nope. Ten regiments of growling ferally and three hundred sit-ups."

"After six hours on mission? No way am I doing the crunches."

"But I like the shinies..."

"And why do you keep calling my abs 'shinies'? I don't get it..."

"Want me to nickname other appendages?"

His eyes widened. "You didn't..."

"I'll take that as a cue to stick with 'shinies' for now." She kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not THAT cruel. Usually."

He relaxed. "Yeah, I know." He squeezed her arm a little. "I need a favor."

"What?" she asked eagerly.

"I need you to hack Cerberus's files and get me some information."

"You mean hack the Illusive Man."

"Yeah."

She grinned. "You're on. What'm I looking for?"

"Pragia."

Corinthia frowned. "Do you need more answers or something?"

"Jack does."

"So you're asking me?"

"It's... complicated."

She sat up angrily. "What's complicated about it?"

"Ease up on the jealousy, Cassie. I just want to know how much the Illusive Man had to do with this. So maybe Jack's a bit more like me than I thought and I... I want to help her, alright? Get her over being how she is so that she can move one, you know? I know it doesn't sound good to you when I say it like that, but she needs a friend and I'm about the closest thing she's got right now because I didn't fuck her when she asked and I helped her destroy — and save — part of her past."

Corinthia gaped. "She asked you to what?"

"I just said that I turned her down!"

"Flat out or did you even consider it?"

"Not for a second."

She relaxed and hugged him tightly. "Don't scare me like that, John. I don't think I could handle losing you again, especially if you were still alive."

"You don't have to worry about that, Cassiopeia. Seriously. Jack's just..." He shuddered. "It'd be like being with me when I was a teenager. Be glad you didn't know me then. You would've hated me."

"Yeah, probably. So, alright, hack Timmy and find out what he's been up to..."

"Timmy?"

"The Illusive Man. It's a mouthful, the acronym is T-I-M, so why not make it into an insulting diminutive?"

"So all your nicknames are insulting?"

"Nah. Just for him. Besides, I can't call you 'Johnny' and keep a straight face. It doesn't suit you at all. You don't have enough sense of humor or eccentricity to qualify."

"You're never going to out-grow 'Ci-Ci', are you?"

"Probably not, though it would technically be obsolete if I take your last name when we get married."

"You could hyphenate it. Again. Ugh, that'd sound terrible. 'Corinthia-Imreas-Shepard'... No, don't even think about it."

"And then we'd both be 'Commander Shepard' for a while, too."

"You're a civilian, remember? You don't get to be called by your rank."

"Unless I ask for it."

"Ci-Ci, no one ever did. Why the hell would they start now?"

"Point... Alright, hacking time." She took out her omni-tool.

"Oh, no you don't," Shepard warned, gripping her wrist and lowering it. "First things first, I need a mass—"

"Commander," Joker said over the intercom, "I know that I'm probably interrupting, but Jack and Miranda are at it and you might want to stop them before they tear a hole in the hull..."

Shepard groaned and got to his feet. "Alright, I'll deal with it."

"Take pictures!" Joker asked happily.

"Expecting their clothes to come off or something?" Corinthia mused.

"Hell yeah. I can guess well enough with them on, but the man in me still wants to know."

"Guy," Corinthia corrected. "You don't have enough man points to be a man just yet."

"Aw, come on... Who's saved your ass from certain destruction?"

"Shepard."

"Ci-Ci!"

"Joker, a few tricky flight maneuvers is not going to knock my socks off. Or my bra, for that matter."

"Is it lace?"

"One more word, Joker, and it's you I deal with," Shepard hissed.

"Alright, alright! I know what you're going to say, so here I am fucking off. Joker out."

Corinthia rolled her eyes. "Some people never grow up."

"Like you?" Shepard answered.

"Hey, you know I've matured. At least a little... Sometimes."

"When you're not giddy or Imreas is around."

"Yeah..." She drifted off a little. "Want me to come help with the girls?"

"I think I can break up a cat-fight on my own, unless you think you know how to make peace between them."

"Uh... No, not really, no."

"Didn't think so. I'll be back, hopefully in one piece. You know how creative people can be with mass effect fields."

Corinthia blushed furiously and bit her lip. "Mmhmm..."

Shepard grinned and kissed her ear. "Later."

5 August — AI Core, SSV Normandy SR-2, en route to the Citadel

Tali looked around nervously. "I don't like this, Ci-Ci. I don't trust the AI in here, but she's still critical to the ship's functioning. Can't you just leave it alone for now?"

Corinthia waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't be silly. I know what I'm doing."

"I certainly hope so," EDI answered.

Corinthia winced. "I knew the blinding code wasn't going to work..."

"If you seek access to Cerberus's databases, this is not the way to proceed," EDI continued.

Kasumi shrugged. "Seems like the right place to start to me."

"The Illusive Man is already looking into the Pragia incident," EDI continued. "He will update Shepard, as per the request in his report."

Corinthia rolled her eyes. "You're smart, EDI. I'm sure even you know that Timmy's going to lie through his teeth to keep Shep around."

"Commander Shepard's usefulness is undeniable," EDI answered diplomatically.

"Look, EDI, I'm not going to take you offline. I just want to sort out how this works... Holy... You guys are using the quantum entanglement, too? Damn, no wonder I didn't get a word... This is going to be fun." Corinthia grinned.

Tali groaned. "Oh, no. Not THAT look."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "What's so bad about that?"

"The last time she looked like that was when she decided that it would be funny to hack a group of attacking geth and make them dance."

Kasumi giggled. "Why's that bad?"

"The geth started doing this... this..."

"Waltz," Corinthia offered. "It was hilarious until they started shooting again. Unfortunately I had to upgrade their coordination to pull that stunt off and I ended up improving their targeting algorithms as well."

"It wasn't pretty," Tali summarized.

"EDI isn't going to go crazy on us. Besides, I'm not doing anything to her."

"I could give you access to all my data if you removed my restrictions," EDI put in, "but that would also potentially give me control of the ship."

"Yeah... That's an option, and probably not a bad one, but this is more fun." Corinthia flicked her fingers through her omni-tool. "Right. Let that run for another hour and I might start finding the cracks..."

"You're crazy, you know that?" Tali observed sternly.

"Hey, what can I say? Shepard asked a favor, so I'm doing it," Corinthia replied with a shrug.

"Hacking Cerberus? That doesn't seem... special."

"I don't think any of us here trust the Illusive Man," Corinthia said. "Honestly, I don't see how we could. I like knowing what's going on. I hate being in the dark because I hate being confused. The man's freakish."

"His eyes look like Saren's," Kasumi observed.

Corinthia nodded. "You're right. They do. Uh... Think he's indoctrinated?"

"The thought's crossed my mind, but that makes me wonder if you truly are."

Tali shook her head. "No way. Ci-Ci's too strong to give in to something like that."

Corinthia smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tali, but you and I both know that even the strongest of people can fall."

"Like Shepard..."

"Yeah. If it happened again, I think he'd be so pissed that he'd come back from Hell just to kill whatever got him, but yeah... Let's not talk about that."

"He won't die again," Tali said cheerfully. "He's too… too... I don't even know the word..."

Kasumi smirked. "Somebody has a crush..."

"I do not!" Tali protested, too quickly to be innocent.

"He's all you can talk about. You can't expect me to believe for a moment that you don't like him," Kasumi pressed.

Corinthia coughed. "You know, this is a little awkward for me..."

"I know that he'd never look at me like that," Tali said quickly. "But you have to admit that he is amazing."

"Agreed," Kasumi echoed. "But Jacob is yummier."

"I'm sorry, Ci-Ci," Tali apologized.

"Don't be," Corinthia answered with a shrug. "It's just awe, I think."

Tali blushed a bit under her helmet. It wasn't awe, but that was her own problem.

"Everyone likes Shepard," Kasumi said. "Seriously. Even the Cerberus girls were wishing they were you, Ci-Ci."

"That's... unnerving."

"You get the galaxy's biggest hero all to yourself and he doesn't even consider dabbling. That's jealousy-inducement right there."

Corinthia sighed. "And here I start to wonder why I'm his first girlfriend..."

"You're kidding me," Kasumi gasped. "That can't be right..."

"Well, I mean, one that lasted more than a night... He doesn't talk about it much. Any time I bring it up he just growls, 'You're all I need now' and sweeps me off my feet. Not that I mind, but I don't want everything about him before I met him to be an enigma... and even some things since then." Corinthia frowned slightly. "Like the fact that he won't tell me where he disappeared to at his last birthday party..."

"You worry too much, Ci-Ci," Kasumi said comfortingly. "He just doesn't want to hurt you or make you worried about your relationship."

"Because he's not the same guy. Yeah, I know." Corinthia glared at her omni-tool. "Work faster."

Kasumi snickered. "That's what she said."

Tali groaned. "Not you, too..."

"You know, you can both join in and help me," Corinthia interrupted.

Kasumi laughed even harder. Corinthia smirked. "You know I can just keep going..."

Tali put her hands over her sound receivers. "I am NOT listening to this."

"We're stopping, Tali," Kasumi said breathlessly. "But that WAS good, Ci-Ci."

Corinthia winked. "I'm the master. Now, omni-tools out, girls. We're going to find out exactly what Cerberus is doing... Wait... What the fuck?" Corinthia punched her omni-tool. She whimpered in pain and shook out her hand. "Someone's adapting to the hacking. EDI..."

"That is not me. You are not attempting to access my systems," the AI answered.

"How much do you want to bet the place is bugged?" Kasumi wondered aloud.

"Good point. Tali?"

"On it," the quarian answered.

Outside, Dr. Chakwas shook her head. As per usual, whenever Ci-Ci got together with her girl friends, things were going to degenerate into giggles, illegal hacking, and (in all likelihood) at least one blackout and lots of smoke before Shepard would intervene and drag Corinthia off for a spanking. Still, it was good to have things going how they used to, but if the medical bots in the medbay started dancing again, Corinthia was going to get the lecture of her life.