Kaidan was in the family orchard in summer. The sun was beating down on him and he could smell the fresh sent of grass and flowers off the trees. It was July and it would be the last time he was home before going to Horizon. He also knew deep down that this was a dream.

The sun was warmer than it usually got this far north and the cool breeze had died away making the air still and dry in a way that was not natural to the place where he had grown up. Deep down he knew that this scene was gone, the Reapers had torched much of North America and it would be years before the trees might bloom again. Better to enjoy the memories than dwell on the truth.

That was when the ground began to shake; it was subtle at first like an engine starting up far away but soon became tremors before the tell-tale sound of a Reaper horn. The sky darkened as a shadow passed overhead. A shelled creature with a sound that made his teeth rattle. A Praetorian he instinctively knew, a creature he had missed while trying to save the colony on Horizon.

The realization hit him suddenly. The stillness and heat that he knew was so unlike Vancouver in his dream had transformed into Horizon. He followed the thing because he had to, the nightmare was leading him somewhere after all. He came upon the empty prefabs that he knew. All empty and silent, devoid of the families or children he had come to know during his deployment. All now gone because he had not been able to save them.

He heard a scream from one of the buildings. Femine and in terror.

Shepard. But somehow he knew it was not her. The voice too high and the scream not right. Charging weaponless into a house he almost trips over a pod, where the noise had been coming from.

Lilith. Her face was burnt but she was fighting, screaming in pain and terror the glass bloodied from her attempts to get out. Using his biotics he pulls and slams at the organic coffin but is unable to open it. Again he hears the death choir but this time he hears gunfire in response close by.

He is off again running; he had left the colonist to her fate. Part of his mind knew she was already dead, this was after all a dream but it did not make him feel any less guilty after seeing the terror in her eyes.

He saw and felt the particle beam touch down and scorch the earth. Many of the trees were smoldering in a clearing but a voice drew his eyes upward. A cold, emotionless voice that confirmed what he had already known he was about to see.

"You have no one left Shepard, your interference has ended." More gunfire and another blast of heat as the beam touches down. Kaidan breaks through the trees and sees Shepard, her armor blacked and charred beyond recognition, shooting with that damned pistol, alone against the flying foe.

Even in his nightmare her senses are good because she must have heard him running to her. She turns, leaning heavily to one side. Her right thigh a bloody mess but she sees him and even in her bloody state she just smiles. A loving smile because she knew he was safe.

The beam fires again, this time because she was distracted it hits her full on. With no shields or armor left to protect her she disintegrates in front of him before he can reach her. Silently she burns from the inside. The haunting smile the last thing disintegrate like leaves in a fire, she extends her already deteriorating hand out to him but he receives only ashes.

A sharp pain in his ribs jolts Alenko awake. His nightmare was for the time being over but Shepard was still in the throes of her own by the looks. Wrapping his arms around her and pinning her arms it takes a long time before she stills again, her heart pounding in her chest like a snared rabbit but eventually she does.

The dream still on his mind he slowly releases Shepard. Yes definitely going to have a bruise on his ribs in the morning but the image of Shepard's death and Garrus's comment about her getting wounded still troubled him. The whole bloody massacre seemed too authentic to be merely a drunk inspired night terror.

Shepard had stilled enough for Kaidan to know she was back asleep, at least for the time being. Sitting up slowly he activates his biotics just in the palm of his hand. The cool blue illuminating the bed softly but not enough to rouse Shepard. Pulling the cover aside and turning her leg slowly he pushes away the image of the bloody mess from his dream; the wound had been her inner thigh.

Surely if it had been there he would have noticed it in their times together since he rejoined? He touches her leg and she grunts softly but in the pale light he sees a discoloration in the flesh of her inner thigh, likely the result of a sever burn such as a proton beam cutting through armor.

But he had not actually seen her wounded on Horizon. Garrus had not even said where she had taken the damage or that her armor had been weakened how did he know where to look? His nightmare had told him. Just as he had never seen Lilith in a pod or damaged but had seen it in his nightmare.

"You really are unbelievable you know." Her eyes open looking down at him, his hand still placed on her inner thigh. "Last I remember you told me no and now you are waking me up like this?" She chuckles and runs her fingers through his hair.

"Sorry, really it's not what it looks like." Something in his voice must have given him away because Shepard leans up and intertwines her fingers in his still glowing hand.

"You too huh? I didn't hurt you too bad did I?" She frowns.

"Not too bad, actually I was already up anyway. On Horizon Garrus said you got hit. It was there wasn't it?" He runs his free hand along the faint discoloration. She nods and turns into his touch.

"There was more to it than that." She was reading the worry in his face.

"How did I know that? I mean you never told me. But somehow I just knew, dreamt about you on Horizon fighting that Praetorian and getting hit."

"Just now? That's really weird, was I talking in my sleep or something?"

"What do you mean?" Kaidan was absentmindedly running his fingers down her leg, sometimes he really just needed to remind himself she was still here.

"I guess I must have. I don't know, Horizon and the Collectors have been on my mind recently a lot, making their way into my nightmares. "

"No Shep you didn't. I mean I was tearing through the houses and trying to release survivors before I got to you." Apparently what he had said struck a nerve because Shep's face had become strained, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"And I was out of ammo and only had my pistol left. My armor was damaged …" her head tilts looking at him suspiciously.

"Your femoral was hit when you tumbled out of the way and I was trying to get to you. You heard me and turned to me."

"And I died but you were safe." She finishes, her brow furrowed.

"Not gonna lie that is kinda creepy Kaidan. " She sits up and pulls away from him. Her face a wash of concern and suspicion. "Are you sure you never read the reports from Chakwas or the repair logs from my armor?"

"Pretty sure yeah. I mean it could be nothing."

"Maybe." She was not sounding convinced at all. He pulls her close and notices how warm she really was. An after effect of too much drink no doubt.

"Come on lets go shower. We are still a few hours out from landing I am sure we can find a way to spend the early morning."

For the rest of the morning Shepard was emotionally distant. After a quick meal she had retreated back to her reports and asked Kaidan to let her know when they were preparing to descend. The Normandy would actually be landing on the surface to avoid detection from space and give EDI and Joker some time to work on systems in the downtime. Shepard would be taking the shuttle to meet "an old friend" as soon as they were settled and she got in touch with Hackett.

On the way down Alenko grabbed the co-pilot seat and EDI clearly amused took up the navigator's. Having never flown the second Normandy he felt it was a good experience, having logged so many hours with Joker they naturally fell back into a rhythm that helped him handle the girl (the Normandy, not EDI ….Though where the distinction was he no doubt did not want to ask Monroe).

Shepard appeared behind him and gave him an inquisitive look and a smirk but said nothing. EDI and Joker had plotted out a steep descent into the mountains north of the former monastery. The weather for the next few hours would co-operate but after that would pick back up hopefully obscuring any searches from space. Shepard had agreed with their call after all Joker had managed to drop them in less at Illos and that was without EDI and Alenko assisting.

"Wow!" Shepard's eyes scanning the snowcapped mountains as they descend.

"What's the matter Shepard you act like you have never seen mountains before." Joker does not even look up from his panel.

"Well yeah Rio had the Mantiqueira that we had to camp out in but that was my first time on Earth. There was nothing like this." She gestures out the window.

"Yeah I know it's hard to believe but I am not much of a skier myself." Kaidan glances over at the two. Shepard's eyes still wide taking in the view but he catches Joker's sly wink in his direction.

"Cuz that is something that would count as exercise?"

"More like I don't like things that mess with my special awareness. What do you think a snowsuit would do?"

"Aside from make you look like a marshmallow? "

Final Descent Commander. EDI chimes in

A few moments later they touch down in a snow covered valley. The maps Tevos had given them indicated there were tunnels deep within the mountains that predated the monastery and were likely still useable. Provided of course they could find them with the snow messing with their instruments.

"So what do you think Commander? I think she will do."

Kaidan stands up and grins when he notices Shepard still has the vaguely childlike look of wonder as she stares at the distant mountains and drifting snow that had been such a common-place part of his Canadian Rockies upbringing.

"Oh Kaidan their perfect."

The next few hours were a blur of scan read outs, recon teams and supply run downs. The good news was that there was no Reaper activity since their initial attack which had wiped out the colony. The bad news was after the bomb there was not much else either.

Shepard was quick to point out that was why they had picked this location. Hearing Shepard say it was doable and breakdown the steps they needed to take and then remembering that Kaidan himself was going to be the one actually doing it was two very different things. The crew had been informed that this would be Kaidan's mission hours ago and no one had said anything but Shepard had not informed them that she would not be around either.

Samara had left soon after they had landed to meet up with Falare and see what progress her daughter had made. She had been given a copy of the tunnel maps and was confident she would be able to meet back up with them before nightfall. Shepard had assigned Vega a few crew members and Tali to explore some of the tunnels and report back.

Shepard herself was in the armory preparing a second shore group that she would be leading. She was taking the two Asari with her and was assigning them equipment (well after Vega had left Kaidan noted) as well as Gabby from engineering who was buzzing about getting to go out with Shepard. It certainly didn't help the fact that the engineer had no equipment of her own and had to borrow some of Shep's.

"You ladies all have fun now." Kaidan said over the intercom as he saw the 4 figures exit the hanger and head into the snow. So far Vega's team had discovered only a few places where comm's were an issue and Tali was updating their maps and sending them to Gabby.

"Have fun and send pictures!" Joker leaned into the comm and is rewarded with the sound of three chuckles and Gabby's annoyed muttering.

"Ack man why you have to put that thought into my head now!" Ken's voice came in over the channel.

"Welcome!" Joker grinned and got to his feet next to Kaidan. Half the crew had already been assigned rotations and both Kaidan and Garrus would be up to their eyeballs in reports until things got going. Joker and EDI for once had the lightest load.

"I'm gonna catch some shuteye until they all get back. EDI and Liara are on communications downstairs. Wake me if you know you need something flown."

The purpose of having the two Asari with Shepard was as usual two-fold. Yes they needed as much of the tunnels explored as fast as possible but also it let Shepard see them in action. Many of the tunnels needs to be cleared and the two Commando's proved to be more than willing to get their hands dirty with Shepard while Gabby played cartographer.

Having the young engineer go with her had been genius on Shepard's part. The girl was bright and innovative but she had never been a field agent so didn't notice Shepard evaluating the two guests. In addition, by letting the woman borrow her armor all the information from her omni that was shared with Tali was uploaded into Shepard's armor giving both Shep and EDI instantaneous access as their map which was being filled out bit by bit. The orange map had replaced the Normandy on the galaxy map and Kaidan was making notes of old rooms and tunnels as the teams worked their way toward the monastery.

"You know if this had been a live fire exercise the little "oh you can borrow my armor" would never have worked." Garrus had met Kaidan at the map with a smirk on his face.

"If it had been live fire you don't think Shepard and two Commando's could keep an unarmored human alive?"

"Oh sure but Gabby's too trusting and fresh. Tali would have been better."

"Exactly why she's with Vega." Kaidan smiled pointing to the network that they had already covered. They were easily double pacing Shepard.

"You really do sound like her." A subharmonic chuckle and a strong hand on his shoulder as they both watch the map connect to the monastery.