A/N: I know, I know, I'm a liar. I promise I was legitimately busy and not just being lazy. But, you get an extra long chapter for your patience! Whoop! Anywho, time to zim zoom on through this mission because game dialogue is a pain. Honestly, this was kinda a drag. Least favorite chapter so far, buuuuuuuut next chapter is going to be much better. Suffer through this with me so we can get on to the fluffy stuff. I changed up a few minor things, dialogue order and such and a few comments by people that wouldn't have really made sense here. I'm really sorry, I kind of hate this chapter, but I tried to put a hunk of original stuff here and there for ya to make it worthwhile.

P.s I'm super busy so I didn't have time for much editing. I apologize if there are more grammatical issues than usual.

Miranda's mind had been whirring from the moment the word complication had been uttered, and now she had to deal with the information passed along by Niket that both her father and what was sure to be a generous amount of Eclipse mercenaries were going to be involved.

"Is it just me or can we not go a day with running into a pack of them?" Garrus grumbled from behind her. Shepard gave him a quick nudge with her elbow to shut him up. Judging by the expression on Miranda's face it wasn't the appropriate time for playful banter.

They stood together in front of Miranda's contact silently as the asari elaborated. "He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally. He's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

"Uh, hold on," Shepard said, taking a few steps forward. She had been letting Miranda do the talking thus far, but the situation had changed very quickly. "Who's Niket? You never mentioned him."

"He's a friend," Miranda offered evasively. They needed to get moving quickly, there was no time to play twenty questions with Shepard. "He and I go back a long way." She felt rather uneasy about the whole situation. Nothing was really adding up, they shouldn't have found themselves in this position.

It didn't make any sense whatsoever; they were overseeing the move that was all. No Cerberus involvement, and certainly they were going to great lengths to not draw attention to themselves. Somehow her father had gotten wind of the situation though, which left only two options. Either the Illusive Man had betrayed her trust and informed him, or her father had already been dangerously close on her sister's tail and Miranda's interference had caught his notice. Either way, things were quickly getting more and more complicated.

Miranda looked at Shepard for direction without another thought; it was second nature by that point. The woman took a step back however, moving to stand beside Garrus once more. "We're off the clock, Miranda. I'm taking a backseat on this one, you're in charge."

If Garrus had any complaints about the change in command he didn't voice them, and after a moment of reluctance Miranda nodded. She knew what Shepard was doing, giving her the control she needed. If something went wrong, if the worst happened, the responsibility would be hers alone.

"We'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard and I will take a car and draw their attention while he escorts the family to the shuttle," she managed at length.

Once again, Garrus was grumbling. "Oh, and I'm walking I suppose." It earned him another elbow from Shepard to the side.

Miranda continued on, directing the next point towards her contact as if she hadn't heard the interruption. "Give him full access to the family's itinerary just to be safe."

"Understood, Ms. Lawson."

Shepard let out a soft laugh. "So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?"

Miranda glanced over at her, appearing almost nervous to Shepard. The look in her eyes made it obvious what thoughts she was entertaining. Miranda was waiting for the moment Shepard would leave, the one piece of information revealed that would push her over the edge and claim that it was becoming way too dangerous of an operation for them to be risking their lives on. She could never force Miranda to abandon it of course, but it would be such a simple thing for her to take Garrus and go.

Swallowing, Miranda summoned up the most confident voice she could manage. "Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive. They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"Comforting," Garrus offered quietly. "Maybe I will walk."

Shepard shot him a halfhearted glare. "Would you knock it off?" She shook her head as he held up his hands defensively, offering her other teammate an apologetic look. "We're ready whenever you are, Miranda."

"Thank you, Shepard." Miranda had spoken quietly, almost shyly. Somehow, miraculously, the commander was still there, offering help despite how quickly things had spiraled out of control before the job had even started. "I appreciate this," she continued honestly. "I know we hadn't planned on Eclipse, but they never planned on you."

Miranda brushed by them, hastily heading for the car her contact had apparently prepared for them. They quickly fell into step a few paces behind her. "I'm sitting in the front, I hope you know," Garrus whispered to Shepard as they moved along. "That airbag is mine."

Shepard fought back a smirk. "We're not going to get shot down, relax."

"It's us, Shepard," He shot back sagely.

She was prepared to offer a snarky rebuttal, but knew there could be no truth behind it. Garrus was right, their track record hardly instilled confidence. "We're probably going to get shot down, huh?"

"Undeniably."

Not that she was keeping track or anything, but if Shepard had to guess she would be comfortable betting that that was most certainly the quickest they had ever been blasted out of the sky. Miranda seemed positively unfazed by the development, all but leaping from their disabled vehicle with determination to dash out and meet their newest adversaries head on. Garrus and Shepard stumbled out after her shakily, moving in more of a weaving motion rather than a straight line despite their best efforts.

"I can't believe you stuffed me in the backseat," Garrus murmured angrily as they moved to catch up with their squadmate. "Pulling rank to get shotgun. What an abuse of power. You deserved the dashboard to the face."

Shepard tenderly rubbed at the throbbing in her forehead, lamenting at the fact there would certainly be a sizable lump in a few minutes. They would be in the car with the faulty airbag deployment, that was just her luck. Garrus would never let her live it down. "I vote that's the last time we let Miranda drive," she shot back under a breath as they finally caught up to said woman, skidding to a halt behind her as they found themselves face to face with a group of brutish mercs.

"Since you're not firing yet, I trust you know who I am." Miranda stood before the pack of men, unflinching, not a hint of fear to be heard in her voice. Shepard found she was rather enjoying the experience. It was nice to be on the sidelines for once. Comparatively, there was little pressure.

The leader of the group took a few steps closer. "Yeah. They said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss' little girl."

Miranda seemed surprisingly affected by the comment. "Kiddnapped?" Shepard was too focused on the term little girl however to get hung up on that. She took a couple steps forward so she was by her friend's side while the woman continued. "This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go."

"Uh, wait a second, Miranda." Shepard gave her a hard look. "You said she was your twin sister."

The merc leader laughed at that. "That what she told you? No, this crazy bitch kidnapped our boss' baby daughter. He's been looking for her for more than a decade."

Miranda resisted the urge to take the man out right then and there, she didn't have time for this. All he was doing now was stalling their progress and possibly making Shepard's loyalty to her waver. "It's complicated, Shepard," she tried quickly, working hard to keep the exasperation from her voice. "We share the same DNA, just not the same birthday."

"You took a baby from the richest guy in the galaxy, lady. I don't know what your damage is, but you're not getting away with it."

Shepard hardly registered the man's words as she scrutinized Miranda with a piercing gaze. She had made it quite clear on numerous occasions how little she enjoyed being kept in the dark, and she thought they had been past that point. Evidently, she was wrong, and whatever was really going on here, Miranda thought it was something she needed to dance around the truth on.

Apparently sensing her hesitation, Miranda gave her a pleading look. Her eyes were pouring out a message, and considering what was just revealed, Shepard really knew she shouldn't be falling for it as the woman begged her to act now and ask questions later. For whatever reason, despite all of the evidence that suggested she shouldn't, Shepard found she still trusted Miranda implicitly. There would be an explanation, there had to be.

Strapping on her usual confidence, Shepard turned to face the man. "You're not getting Miranda's sister. If you push this, it will go badly for you."

Beside her, Miranda let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, even as the man in front of them crossed his arms defiantly. Clearly he was unimpressed. "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots. When I say the word, we unleash hell on your squad." He got up close to Shepard, clearly trying to intimidate her with his size. Shepard offered Miranda a sideways look and a meaningful smirk, there really was nothing less attractive than a bully. "So I suggest you walk away nicely, unless you want things to get u-"

He was unable to finish his sentence as Shepard's knee found his gut. Garrus and Miranda were already pumping shots into the men that had been standing behind him before he even hit the ground.

"Ah," Garrus sighed out as soon as the dust settled. "I always get bored during the talking parts."

Shepard rolled her eyes at his caviler attitude, though there was the hint of a smile on her lips. Miranda seemed less than amused however, her expression betraying how obviously anxious she felt. "We should go. I'm worried about this Captain Enyala getting to Niket before us."

"Right," Shepard replied, sobering up quickly. "Lead the way."

They travelled at a brisk pace, making for a doorway a couple yards away. Miranda was quiet for a bit, but eventually she cracked. Funny, the thought of her lie of omission was actually making her feel guilty. She pondered that for a moment, wondering at how something that used to come so easily made her currently feel at fault. At first she entertained the notion that perhaps she herself had changed, but eventually her mind wandered to Shepard and she accepted the truth. Miranda had no problem with lying, just so long as Shepard wasn't the victim.

"Shepard," she started quietly, trying to find the proper words to mend the rift in trust she had created between them. "I think I owe you an explanation. Like I said, Oriana is my twin, genetically." She hesitated for a moment. "But my father grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me."

Shepard's eyes narrowed in response to the admission. "Replace?"

Miranda merely nodded, reluctant to delve too far into the details just then. There would be time enough for that later, just so long as everything worked out the way she hoped. "I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me, so I rescued her." She glanced over at Shepard as they continued to move forward, waiting apprehensively for any sort of reaction.

"Miranda," Shepard stopped short, facing her, disappointment clearly written across her features. "Why didn't you tell me we were saving a kid?"

Miranda had stopped moving as soon as Shepard had, and grew almost defensive in tone. "She's not a child, she'll be nineteen this year. But," she faltered, her voice losing all bite, "well, it didn't seem relevant at the time, I suppose. There are people who would use her against me. I'm very protective when it comes to Oriana." If Shepard didn't know any better, she would say Miranda appeared almost ashamed as she defended her actions. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you sooner," she said at last. "You deserved to know."

Shepard let out a heavy sigh and pushed onwards, Miranda quickly falling into step behind her. "Come on, if Eclipse knows where Oriana is they'll be moving in on her soon. We need to hurry."

Shepard hated that it wasn't a surprise, that everyone had caught on, that they all had known but none of them had been able to say the words out loud. It had taken until the very last second, until Niket had stood before them proving the truth himself for Miranda to finally accept the reality of the situation. The one person who had held her complete trust had betrayed her, and Shepard could sense just how crippling that actuality was.

The revelation had totally destroyed Miranda, Shepard could practically feel it radiating off of the woman who stood beside her, but she also knew she would never show it. Miranda would continue plowing forward until she was positive Oriana was safe, taking out anyone who was in her way. There would be time for remorse later. That was how Shepard knew Miranda was going to strike when the time came, that was how she was able to react so quickly and wrench Miranda's arm back just before the shot was taken. That was how she saved Niket.

"Miranda, wait. You don't want to do this." Her voice was a plea, she couldn't bear to let Miranda have her way. No matter how unaffected Miranda tried to appear, Shepard was a soldier, same as her. She knew all too well what it felt like to pull the trigger. To take a life, even when it was that of a person who was maliciously targeting you was difficult and draining enough. But to kill someone like this, a friend, a pleasant memory, it would be too much. Those weren't consequences she wanted to watch Miranda live with.

Miranda pulled away from her, eyes narrowed in confused anger. It was her decision to make, Shepard had no business stopping her. "This has to end here, Shepard. My father will keep trying to find Oriana."

Shepard licked her lips as her mind raced, trying frantically to work around any more deaths. "Maybe Niket can help," she offered after a moment. "He could talk to your father, say you got here first." Shepard glanced over at Niket to gauge his reaction, praying he would take the lifeline she had thrown him.

"I'll tell him that you hid her," he said quickly. "That I don't know where she is."

Miranda took a step forward, the fury in her voice barely contained as she spoke, "I never want to see you again, Niket."

He never responded, because that was when the shot was fired. Enyala had gunned him down, blasted him from behind right in front of their faces without a second thought. All hell broke loose and it was then, as Shepard dodged a barrage of bullets from every direction while she dove behind cover, that she accepted today really wasn't going their way.

Miranda looked down at the body at her feet, staring blankly at the lifeless corpse as though it were her first experience with death. The mercenaries had been all but obliterated and now silence had fallen over the three survivors. Shepard watched the scene carefully before deciding she had better intervene; she had never seen the woman in such a state. "Go poke around," she called out to Garrus. "Make sure there are no stragglers."

He gave her a knowing look before heading off into what just moments ago had been a battlefield, giving them some much needed space. Shepard took the opportunity to approach Miranda carefully, all too aware of just what was going through the woman's mind. Miranda didn't acknowledge her presence when she arrived, too absorbed at the sight below her.

"Hey." Shepard rested a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Hey, come on." Miranda glanced over at her finally, sorrow etched into her features, the cumbersome reality of betrayal so obviously weighing her down. "I know," Shepard soothed at the sight, tentatively silding her arm around her friend. "I know, but you have to focus. We have to make sure she's safe."

Miranda swallowed, nodding frantically as she pulled out of Shepard's light grasp. "We need to oversee the transfer. There could be more Eclipse mercs near the shuttle." The usual determination in her voice had returned.

Shepard offered a gentle smile at her resilience. "Right, so let's get going."

Miranda hesitated for a moment, wanting to express so much at once that she didn't know where to start. "Shepard, I-" her voice wavered, effectively silencing itself.

"It's fine," Shepard responded instantly. "It's okay. Come on."

Garrus and Miranda met up with Shepard in an out of the way corner of the terminal after everyone had gone their separate ways to scan the area for any more possible trouble. "No sign of Eclipse," Garrus reported. "It looks like we're all clear."

Shepard nodded in acknowledgement, but her focus was on Miranda. She was gazing across the crowded room at where her sister stood, chattering animatedly with who Shepard could only assume were her adoptive parents. The girl looked happy, carefree, and Shepard caught a glimpse of what almost could have been. A Miranda who laughed freely and smiled often, quick to offer a helping hand or a kind word. So much had been buried in unfortunate circumstance, and yet Shepard herself had witnessed the remains of that potential. It was hidden, yes, but had not yet been completely shattered.

"There she is," Miranda said quietly as she sensed Shepard moving up beside her. "She's safe, with her family." She shifted her weight from side to side, suddenly feeling restless. "Come on. We should go."

"Don't you even want to say hello?" Shepard questioned, genuinely confused at Miranda's apparent reluctance.

"It's not about what I want. It's about what's right for her. The less she knows about me, the better. She's got a family. A life. I'll just complicate that for her." The words felt almost wrong as they passed through her lips and Miranda had to come to terms with the truth. What she was saying was accurate, sure. Just for once though, more than anything, she found she wanted nothing more than to indulge in an act of selfishness.

"You almost sound like you believe that." Shepard chuckled as her comment earned her a withering look. "She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?"

It wasn't a feeling worth fighting, Miranda realized quickly. There was no way she could resist the pull, the urge to meet Oriana and witness firsthand the person the baby she once held in her arms had become. "I guess not."

Shepard sent her along with a nod. "Go ahead. Take all of the time you need."

Shepard could feel Garrus shuffling about beside her as time wore on, clearly uncomfortable. It didn't take long before he finally voiced his unease. "Should we take off? She probably wants some time alone."

"Go ahead," Shepard replied evenly, her eyes never leaving the sisters. "I don't want her here alone, just in case any more trouble shows up."

Garrus chuckled. "Miranda could handle any stragglers, I'm sure. Besides, their boss was taken out. They have no motivation to pursue her."

"I know." When it was obvious Shepard wasn't about to move anytime soon, Garrus departed with a heavy sigh.

Miranda returned almost timidly for someone with her usual boldness, discretely attempting to brush away the tears forming in her eyes before they could betray any weakness. Shepard did her the courtesy of pretending the act went on unnoticed. "Everything all settled?"

Nodding, Miranda averted her gaze. "You didn't have to stick around for so long. I'm sorry for making you wait."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Shepard replied honestly. She moved towards the railing a few paces in front of them that separated the public from a nasty drop into the bowels of Illium miles below. Miranda followed, and they leaned over it together, watching silently as Oriana and her parents were loaded onto the shuttle and it took off, joining the dozens of skycars and shuttles already dancing through the crowded air around them. They remained there together, even after the vehicle had long since faded from view.

It was Miranda who broke the peace. "I suppose you have a few questions."

"Only around a thousand," Shepard responded easily, smiling softly when it earned a laugh.

"I'll see what I can do," Miranda offered. She wanted to try and be as open as possible with Shepard, she owed her that much after the ordeal she had just dragged her through. Still, she knew herself well. There would be some things she could never say. Some memories were far too private, some hurts ran far too deep.

Shepard appeared thoughtful for a moment, as though sorting through her mind which topic was best to press first. She had been joking before, yes, but there was truth to be found in the jest. About a dozen questions were swimming through her mind, and now that Oriana was safe and the immediate threat of gunfire had vanished, everything was bubbling up within her, demanding to be answered all at once. It took a few seconds of deliberation, but finally she settled on an inquiry.

"Before, after we ran into that first group of mercs, you used the word replacement."

Miranda gave her a sideways glance. "I did, yes."

Shepard cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Care to elaborate?"

"Not really," Miranda replied truthfully, "but I will." She leaned further over the railing, staring down into the haze below. "Oriana was grown to replace me when it became clear that I would not be manipulated as easily as my father had at first anticipated, just as I was most likely grown to do the same for whoever came before me. Obviously I was never given any significant amount of information on the subject, but it was made incredibly clear that I was not the first child he had created, I was merely the first he had kept."

"I'm sorry," Shepard said suddenly, and Miranda turned her head slightly to look at her. "Before, the things that Niket said…there were a few moments where I agreed with him. I thought maybe you had just been young and feeling rebellious and you thought that taking her would be the best way to get back at your father." She faltered, feeling ashamed. "I should have trusted you. I should have known you had done the right thing."

"It's my fault, Shepard. If I had been honest with you from the beginning you wouldn't have had to suffer through any doubts." Miranda offered an apologetic smile. "I regret not trusting you sooner, I just," she wavered for a moment, "like I said before, I can get a bit protective when it comes to Oriana. I suppose she's my greatest weakness in a way." Suddenly her face fell, a sour look descending over her. "Well, I suppose now she's my only weakness since Niket-" Miranda paused, cutting herself off, her voice turning cold. "I can't believe he sold me out. I didn't even see it coming."

Shepard licked her lips, unsure of what to say. Miranda wasn't the kind of woman to accept classic comforting. She didn't want or need pity, and had little use for sympathy. Still, Shepard knew something had to be said. "Even with all of your upgrades, you're human, just like the rest of us."

Miranda shook her head, pulling back from the railing to straighten up. "I let it get personal and I screwed up." She laughed bitterly. "I was mad at you, you know." Shepard straightened up as well turning to watch Miranda carefully as she continued. "Taking out Niket because he betrayed me I could have dealt with, but seeing him get gunned down like that by some random mercenary…"

"You still cared for him," Shepard offered in defense of her actions, turning away from the railing completely to lean her back against it. Miranda mimicked her position, crossing her arms in front of her chest, watching with a careful gaze as all sorts of people and species moved around them, busying themselves with the mundane and trivial and believing their actions were important. Going to work, eating out for dinner, acing an exam, watering the plants, never having to experience the chaos and destruction she and Shepard were faced with on a daily basis.

"You're right," Miranda admitted at last. "I did. I do." She glanced down at the tile floor. "I never had many friends as a child, at least, few that I had legitimately earned by my own merit. I would like to blame my father for that, say he didn't allow it, but we never really got to that point very often. I was never surrounded by admirers. Probably had to do with the fact I was rather infamous for having a bit of an attitude."

Shepard chuckled at that, delighting in the image of a preteen Miranda spoiled by riches and bossing the servants around with cold authority while coining her now perfected scowl. "I can imagine."

Miranda smiled softly, lost in the memories she usually worked so hard to repress. "And then there was Niket."

"You two were together?" Shepard asked cautiously. She was reluctant to press too far. Miranda had never been keen to delve too deeply into her past on the best of days, and she had just been through a lot. It would be easy for Shepard to accidently take it a step too far and inadvertently cause Miranda to clam up.

Luckily, Miranda seemed to be uncharacteristically up for sharing. "I suppose that could be said, though in title at most. It wasn't like that, not really. We were so young, it was…innocent. Good. It meant so much more." Miranda smiled bitterly. "He was mine. I found him all on my own. When my father demanded I stop associating with him I went behind his back and kept it up anyway. There was nothing he could do about it. Niket belonged to me. When I ran away I left everything from that life behind, except Niket. Sentimental weakness on my part."

Shepard shot her an exasperated look. "You can't toss aside everything you care about just to be safe."

"It's okay, Shepard. My father hurt me but he didn't break me. As much as he tried to turn me into exactly what he wanted, I'm my own person." Shepard wanted to believe in the conviction with which Miranda had said the words, but she had caught a glimpse of the uncertainty in the woman's eyes.

"You still have Oriana."

Miranda offered a small smile. "You're right. I do."

A silence fell over them once again, until it was Shepard who broke it this time around. "Thank you for talking with me about all of this. I know it's not your favorite pastime, so I appreciate you being honest with me."

"Oh, is that all?" Miranda teased, knowing Shepard felt a bit self conscious at having pushed her even slightly. She found she didn't mind it as much as she would have originally expected. It hardly felt soothing to discuss the past, but she found that somewhere along the way her usual aversion had morphed into a rapidly deteriorating reluctance.

"Uh, one more." Shepard looked solemn, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed. "Where did you learn to drive? Because I have to say that was a horrible landing."

Miranda broke into laughter. "In my defense, I was fairly distracted and a lot of guns were being pointed in my direction."

"Sure, okay." Shepard rolled her eyes playfully. "Blame the bullets."

"You're one to talk," Miranda replied airily. "I've heard stories, you know. Horror stories."

"Garrus talks too much," Shepard griped.

Miranda hummed in amusement, shifting so she faced Shepard completely as she made a snap decision to let a few things off of her chest. "I wanted to apologize to you, Shepard, and thank you as well. You've been putting a great deal of trust in me on a daily basis, and I don't take that lightly. You've cooperated with me since the very beginning despite your issues with Cerberus and the fact I hardly showed you any sort of kindness upon our first meeting. I understand it must have been difficult for you, what with the first words we shared being so cold."

There was a shy smile on Shepard's lips at the admission. She seemed nervous for a moment, hesitant perhaps, and then the light of resolve set ablaze in her emerald eyes. "They weren't," she finally managed with conviction.

Miranda tilted her head, confused, though there was a smirk on her face. "I implicitly remember you telling me that my attitude was going to be a problem."

"No, that wasn't the first time we met."

"Shepard, don't try to move. Just lie still, try to stay calm."

"You told me to be calm," Shepard admitted at length. She had a hard time saying the words aloud. They had become her words. A steady mantra she smoothed over in her mind like a soldier's lucky coin whenever events threatened to overwhelm her. They brought her solace, comfort. She owned them, and now found herself reluctant to share even with the person who had offered them in the first place. "You said to lie still, relax. I needed to be calm because something was going wrong and you had to fix it." She grimaced. "So I listened, and you did."

Miranda's eyes were wide, it was impossible. Shepard had been far from the point where she should have been able to process and retain memories. It should have been a lost event, something that she should never have truly registered like the hazy remains of a fading dream come dawn. "You remember waking up?"

"Yeah," Shepard said with an embarrassed shrug. "I sorta do."