Beta: pixelatrix
Thanks for the review and new follows :)
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Kate was unnaturally quiet as she sat with Zaeed on the couch in her apartment.

"What's wrong, kitten?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. "Why would you think anything was wrong?"

He smiled. "You're not your usual sarcastically chatty self."

She shifted in his arms so she could fully look at him. "Alright. I wasn't going to tell you this 'til later. 'After the Reapers are gone' later."

"OK," he said warily. "What's going on? Is this another 'I blacked out on ryncol and flirted with the mountain man' thing or what?"

Kate giggled. "No, nothing like that. I swear, I haven't touched a drop of ryncol in, well, since that night I think."

"So what is it then?"

"I talked to Miranda today. She... told me that during Project Lazarus, they fixed the internal damage from when I got shot when I was on Omega."

Zaeed looked confused momentarily, trying to work out what exactly she meant. Then understanding suddenly dawned on his face and he smiled. "So..."

She nodded.

He raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't your crazy-ass way of telling me that you are right now, right?"

She laughed. "No. God, that's all I need. You're over-protective enough as it is. That will be our... reward... for surviving the Reapers."

Zaeed wound his fingers through her hair, pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss. "Good. You're right, I worry about you enough with this damn war without that. Yet," he added with a wink.

"So you want kids someday?"

"I doubt the universe is ready for a little me or you running around, but yes, I do."

Kate smirked. "Well, the universe is just going to have to learn to get the fuck over it."

"You're 100% sure the tracker will lead you to the Illusive Man's base?" Hackett asked.

"Miranda has never steered me wrong," Kate said.

He chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes," he said then looked at her soberly. "So you're ready to do this?"

"Hell yes," she said. "Cerberus and the Reapers started this war. Now I'm going to fucking finish it."

"I'll get the fleets ready. Good luck, Katie."

She smiled. "You too, Dad."

The journey through the base was brutal. At every turn, EDI found consoles with information regarding Kate's reconstruction. "Hard to watch" was an understatement, and more than once, Garrus worried that Kate might crack again. He was convinced that the only reason she handled coming back from the dead at all was because Zaeed had been there from the start.

EDI also found a couple of vids detailing her own creation from the rogue AI that Kate, Garrus and Kaidan had destroyed on Luna more than three years ago, as well as the point when the Illusive Man decided to create "Eva Core" to replace her. Kate and Garrus were both glad Kaidan wasn't there to see that one. He was wary enough having EDI in that body.

As they moved through the base, the effects of the battle outside reached them. After they'd left the shuttle bay, Kate had convinced her father that firing on the base's outer defenses wouldn't impede their progress. She was mostly right. They'd only had to dodge falling debris a couple of times. Mostly, they were keeping their eyes peeled for phantoms. They were quick, quiet and, like Kai Leng, were deadly with a sword.

Finally, they ended up in what Kate could only assume was the Illusive Man's office. She recognized the chair he'd always sat in when they talked. She sat in it and suddenly he was in the room with them, in the same way he'd been on Mars and Thessia.

She scoffed at his warning and he disappeared. EDI began searching through his files to find what it was Kai Leng had taken from them on Thessia.

"He warned you not to over-stay your welcome, Shepard." Kate spun around and came face-to-face with Leng.

He swung at her and she ducked just in time. After a moment, the room was filled with Cerberus troops. Kate kept up with Leng as EDI and Garrus fought the rest. Within minutes, the room was filled with Cerberus bodies, Leng's among them.

Kate turned back and sat at a console, looking for more information, while Garrus and EDI did the same on the other side of the room.

Suddenly, Kai Leng's sword came crashing into the console Kate was sitting in front of. She swiftly turned and plunged her Omni-blade deep into the assassin's side.

"That was for Thane, you son of a bitch," she snarled. Leng looked momentarily surprised before he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Kate? Are you OK?" Garrus asked as he and EDI ran to her.

"I'm fine... fine," Kate said as she looked at the place where Leng's sword had sliced through the armor on her right arm. "Just another scar to add to my collection."