"Jack, join Cerberus with me..." Jane extended her hand, her metallic blue eyes glinting in the low light. "We'll use them to fix the galaxy!"

Jack gripped her shotgun tighter.

A pause. "I see. Why don't you just come with me to see the reaper husk again. See what Cerberus has done?"

The eyes of husk looked at Jack, their eerie blue dribbled down black lines down Jane -Shepard's face. Jack's hands trembled a little more at the calm hand that was extended.

"Jack, they made you more powerful. Imagine what you could do if you could level an entire city with just a thought. Imagine!"

It didn't even sound like Jane anymore, its voice rattled around and had the slight robotic tone of that Geth Shepard brought aboard. Jack couldn't stop looking at the smile, like it knew that Jack was too upset to stop Shepard from taking Jack with her into Cerberus.

"What's the matter, Jack? I thought you were tougher than that."

Blam!

Jack bolted upright once she pulled the trigger, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't woken Jane, at least. Jack leaned over a little to check her lover's face, and confirmed that Jane wasn't husk-like. Jack quickly wiped the tears away and tried to lay back down to sleep.

It didn't come. All Jack could think of was pulling the trigger and having to let go of someone else. To watch another person she cared for die at her own damn hands. So Jack stared up at the ceiling, hoping that the calm lights from Shepard's fish tank would lull her back to sleep.

They didn't.

Jack moved slowly out of bed, moving to the datapad on the table nearby. If anything else, she'd stay up on the extranet until it was time to go eat or something.

"Come back to bed..." Jane grumbled from where she was half asleep.

Jack didn't respond, it was probably Shepard mumbling in her sleep again.

"Jaaccckkkk..."

"What?"

"The bed is cold..."

"I thought you were an N7, not a child."

"Something's wrong," Jane said, starting to dig herself out of her blanket mound, as Jack liked to call it.

"Nothing's wrong, go back to sleep we've got to deal with the collectors tomorrow."

"Is that what's wrong?"

"Those guys ain't shit."

"Is it Cerberus?"

"Fuck no."

"Jack, I need you to tell me what's wrong. I can't fix it-"

"There is no fixing!" Jack yelled, slamming down the datapad. "It's me knowing exactly what would happen if I let you in and getting a reminder about it tonight!"

Shepard reached out a hand, retracted it and sat down opposite Jack. "I promise I won't leave you."

"What if you get shot or this suicide mission becomes just that?" Jack asked, looking away.

"It won't happen."

"Your shields could fail."

"I have a backup set thanks to Mordin."

"A husk gets you."

"I have a shotgun."

"You get indoctrinated."

"I have you."

"There's no undoing indoctrination, Shepard. You saw the Reaper Husk with me. What if..."

"Then I'll ask someone else. I have a crew for a reason, Jack. But, to prove that I'm not indoctrinated," Jane cleared her throat dramatically. "I, Jane Shepard, love Jack. I hate Cerberus and wish I could mail the Illusive Man a virus that would force him to only be able to open images of... I'm having trouble thinking of something he'd be offended over."

Jack was unconvinced, but her fear were somewhat alleviated. "Asari on hanar action. No humans, it's weird and gross, and it takes a long time to figure out it's porn if you find the right ones." Jack smiled when she finished, trying to picture his face.

"I do love you, you know." Jane said, once she'd stopped laughing.

"I know that," Jack said.

"Now come back to bed so I can try and get warm again."

"Aye aye, Commander."