"I'm sorry but the Asari won't be attending, Commander." A blue asari with white markings across her face was speaking to Jane on the vidcom in a room next to the Normandy's War Room.

"But Madam Councilor, we need this summit to get help for Earth and defeat the Reapers!" Jane tried arguing with her.

"The Salarian Dalatrass is beyond upset that you're bringing the krogan." The councilor told her.

"Can't she get over it for the sake of this war? The issue with the krogan is centuries years old!" Jane shouted.

"I'm sorry, Commander. This is where the asari stand. We're going to focus our efforts on Thessia's defense." The asari told her before ending the vidcom call.

"Goddammit. Fucking useless asari and salarians." Jane said to herself when her vidcom beeped indicating an incoming call. "Please tell me you've changed your mind-" Jane started then realized it was Admiral Hackett. "Oh, hello, sir."

"Expecting someone else?" Hackett questioned her.

"More like hoping, sorry, sir. The asari decided to remain on the sidelines and focus on Thessia." Jane informed him.

"They're going to regret that when they have Reapers on their doorstep." Hackett replied.

"Yeah. We got the Primarch from Palaven and he wants us to get the krogan to help Palaven before he'll send his fleets to Earth." Jane told him.

"Well, that's something. Sounds like you're going to have your hands full. Do whatever necessary to get them, then. We need all the help we can get." He told her.

"Yes, sir." Jane saluted him before hanging up then headed to the War Room where she saw Primarch Victus waiting for her.

"Commander, I wanted to thank you for allowing me to be on your ship during this and for agreeing to get the krogan." Victus told her.

"Yeah, well, we don't have them yet." She told him. I really hope Wrex trusts me as much as I trust him because the krogan really don't like most turians.

"I know. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Garrus already left. He said something about calibrations." He told her.

"Heh sounds like Garrus. I'm sorry to say the asari won't be joining us. Too much bad blood apparently." She informed him.

"I'm not surprised but there'll be real blood if we don't get their help." He told her.

"Yeah, I'm going to do my best but it's not like they're angry with the other races for no reason, but I won't dwell on that. It was way before my time." She told him.

"Mine too. Maybe it is time for amends." He replied.

"Yeah, so how is it being Primarch?" Jane asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Not what I thought it would be like. I'm here reading casualty reports while my men are back home fighting for the survival of our species. If I'm going to die, I want to be with them, so I know we gave our all." He told her.

"I know how you feel. Leaving Earth to save it is the hardest thing I've ever done." Jane confessed to him, feeling sullen.

"I'm not surprised. Garrus really speaks highly of you." He told her. So that's how he knew who I was before, Jane thought. "You didn't ask to be a leader, either, but here we both are."

"Yeah. Hell of a learning curve. Screw up and your world burns." Jane remarked. She said goodbye to Victus and headed towards the Main Battery to talk to Garrus.

Jane had just entered the Crew Deck when the lights on the ship started flickering.

"What the hell is going on?" She said aloud. "I'm sure Liara is probably still working on whatever issue Joker was having with the ship."

She walked in on Garrus and Joker speaking to each other on the intercom and heard Joker ask Garrus to have Jane head over to the AI Core if he sees her. Garrus agreed then turned to where Jane entered and told her she better do what Joker asked, then told her to come back when she was done. She told him she would with a smile on her face and went through Med Bay to get to the Med Bay. She saw Engineer Adams and another crew member standing outside the AI Core door wearing masks and holding fire extinguishers.

"What going on, Adams?" She asked him.

"Not sure. Could be an electrical fire." He told her.

"Well, lets go." She told him and opened the door. The room was flooded with smoke so she couldn't see what was happening. The men then used the extinguishers in an attempt to clear the smoke.

"EDI? Is everything okay?" Jane asked into the room. The AI processors started lighting up and Jane heard footsteps. She peered into the smoke to see the robot body of Dr. Eva walking towards her. She held up her pistol in defense.

"Is there something in particular you need my help with, Shepard?" The voice of EDI came from Dr. Eva's body.

"EDI? You're in Dr. Eva's body?!" Jane asked in surprise.

"Yes, although the transition wasn't smooth." EDI told her.

"Smooth? EDI, you blacked out on us. The ship was going haywire. What exactly happened?" Jane asked, as she holstered her gun.

"I attempted to access the data in this body, and it activated a trap. It attempted a physical altercation, fortunately, I was able to overpower it and use it as I saw fit." EDI said.

"So, are you still in the ship?" Jane asked her.

"Yes. My main processors still remain in the ship for optimal control, but I can use this body for mobility and access it's combat capabilities, although I can't be too far out of the Normandy's range." EDI said.

"So, you could come with us and fight?" Jane asked her surprised.

"That's correct. I should first evaluate its capabilities before going into the field, though." EDI told her.

"Do it. I'll take all the help I can get at this point." Jane said as she eyed the robot that had formerly been an enemy. The body shape was the same as before, but her body was covered in silver with black paint in the form of a bodysuit. The hairstyle was a darker silver instead of black and she had an orange colored visor covering the eyes.

"Yes, Shepard. I shall go to the cockpit, I'm sure Joker will want to see this body." EDI said as she walked out of the AI Core.

"A super-hot robot? Yeah, he'll want to see that." Jane chuckled to herself before she headed back to talk to Garrus.

"We need the krogan to agree to help if Palaven stands a chance." Jane heard Victus say to Garrus on the intercom as she walked into the Main Battery.

"Sir, if anyone can get them to agree, it'll be the Commander. She's old friends with Urdnot Wrex." Garrus told him.

"Well, let's hope that still counts for something in this war." Victus replied, sounding doubtful. I really hope it still counts, too. Jane thought to herself.

"I'm sure it will, sir." Garrus replied.

Jane then remarked about Garrus getting straight to work as she leaned against a nearby crate. He told her it kept his mind off of Palaven to which she apologized for having him leave and she understood how hard it was to leave home to save it. She also told him she needed him for more than just his aim and he told her he'd be ready for whatever she needed but they'd still need the big guns, to which she agreed. He then walked over towards her and asked if they should shake hands or what would be the appropriate protocol for their reunion and where they were with each other. He remarked that she had been attracted to his scars which were fading but he'd go get new ones if it would help which made her giggle. Jane then held his hands in hers and told him she still felt the same way about him, and it wasn't the scars that turned her to him. Garrus said he was glad to hear that and started telling her he had been researching human courtship before Jane found herself interrupting him by putting her arms around the back of his neck and kissing him. She felt his hands around her lower back as he returned her kiss. I know this isn't the time or place for this, but I couldn't help myself, Jane thought to herself as she reluctantly pulled away from Garrus's embrace. Garrus spoke up first by saying vids had mentioned something like that could happen and she questioned him what vids he was talking about to which he explained Joker had borrowed him some before their first night together. He then started explaining what was in the vids when Jane interrupted him saying she didn't want to know. Knowing Joker, I can imagine what kind of vids they were. I should probably have a talk to him about that, she thought to herself. She grabbed Garrus's hands again and told him she didn't know what would happen with the war going on but that she missed him and thought about him a lot. She then apologized for how she left things with him before turning herself in, remembering how she had left him outside her cabin door begging her to let him in. Garrus told her he was glad she found his skills memorable and said they had been through a lot, and it'd take more than Reapers to get between them. God, I want to throw myself in his arms and tell him I love him, but I don't know if I'll survive this war and Cerberus won't be bringing me back a second time, I couldn't put him through that. Jane thought to herself before asking him how far down the succession line he was, and she saw turian generals saluting him. He chuckled and told her he didn't want to talk about that, then teased her about leading the war summit and that they were both respectable now. She told him they earned it after the people they had lost trying to make sure the war wouldn't happen to which he said the first Reaper they took down would be in their honor. Jane told Garrus they had some business to deal with on the Citadel and asked him if he could go visit her in her cabin later. She told him she wanted him to do it as a friend, that she had been having a hard time sleeping and he had a way of easing her mind. He agreed and told her he'd bring good wine this time. She smiled at him as she walked out and headed to the CIC and started looking through her emails. She saw she had an unopened one from Kaidan. When she opened it, it said he was awake in the hospital and asked her to come see him. Well, shit. She thought wondering why Kaidan was asking her to come see him.

Jane made her way to the hospital once the Normandy docked at the Citadel, and she decided to stop at the gift shop kiosk while she was there.

"A little peace offering couldn't hurt." She said to herself as she purchased a bottle of Canadian Whiskey. When she walked into Kaidan's room, she saw Councilor Udina talking to Kaidan and telling him to think about something before he left.

"He's really pushing you to take the Spectre position, huh?" Jane said to Kaidan as she sat down in a chair next to the bed. She had heard that they were thinking about offering him to become one.

"Yeah. It's a big responsibility so I want to make sure I'm ready." He told her. Jane noticed he was still really bruised up from the attack and a pang of guilt washed over her for a moment.

"Yeah, it is. And the council won't listen to you if they don't like what you're saying. But I think you've earned the promotion. You're a good soldier, Kaidan." Jane told him.

"Yeah. Well, thanks for coming. I wasn't sure you would after…" He trailed off.

"Of course. I even brought you something." Jane told him as she handed him the bottle of whiskey. "Thought you could use a little pick me up."

"Thanks, that's great. Hey, maybe we can crack it open together when I get out of here." He offered her.

"I'm always up for a drink or two. So, are you feeling okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I am. Doc said my implants got a bit rattled so no biotics for awhile but I'm feeling okay." He told her.

"I'm glad to hear that. And I'm glad you asked me to come visit, it's good to see you. But you almost died on my watch." Jane confessed.

"I really am okay. That's the risk any soldier takes when out on a mission. It wasn't your fault." Kaidan tried to reassure her. "But, are we okay?"

"What do you mean?" Jane asked him, unsure what he meant.

"Well, after Horizon and Mars. I- well, I'm sorry." He told her.

"Can we move past what happened on Horizon? We've been through a lot together and I'd like to think we can move past it." Jane told him. "I'd like to hope that bond would be hard to break."

"I'd like to. I mean you were my commander, but you also listened, and we did go through Ash's death together." He told her.

"Yeah, we did…" Jane trailed off. She remembered the night they spent together before Ilos. They had both been grief stricken and it was what she needed at the time, but her thoughts went to Garrus and how he had always been there for her since she met him.

"I admit I handled Horizon badly. I spent that time thinking you were dead and then you were in front of me, but you were with Cerberus, and it sent my head spinning. Even so, you didn't deserve the things I said to you. Garrus, too. I'd like to be able to move past it and be friends, at least." Kaidan said. "I'm sorry."

"Okay, then we'll work on it so we can move past it. Sound good?" Jane told him.

"Yeah…" Kaidan trailed off, and Jane could see he looked conflicted.

"Is there something else?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I heard some things. Was there something between you and Garrus? Be honest with me." He confronted her.

"Kaidan…" Jane put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you. We were so far apart and then our fight on Horizon. Garrus was there for me and-"

"Yeah. Like I said, I handled it badly." Kaidan interrupted Jane, as he grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, and I'm not sure where your heart is, but for me, there isn't anyone else."

"Kaidan." Jane sighed.

"No, don't tell me anything right now. Let me live in the illusion." He told her.

"Alright." Jane agreed. I knew I'd have to tell him about Garrus eventually. I wasn't expecting it to be here and now, though. Jane thought as she stood up to leave. "You need your rest and I have a krogan to convince to help the turians."

"Krogan?" Kaidan raised his brow.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. Take care, Kaidan." Jane said as she started walking out of the room.

"Yeah, you too." She heard him reply.

Jane was looking through her emails at her desk in her cabin, while Garrus was going through his padd on her couch. He had kept his word and came to keep her company, which made Jane happy. He really is always there for me, no matter what is going on. I should make sure I do something for him sometime soon. Maybe a present? What would he like? A new sniper maybe? A new scope? An updated visor? Jane thought to herself as she caught herself staring at him. She was interrupted when she heard the beep of a new email. She saw it was from Alliance Command, so she opened it and started reading the message. They told her there was a colony on Eden Prime that had been taken over by Cerberus and there was rumor that they had found an important Prothean artifact there, so Command wanted her to take a team to infiltrate and retrieve the artifact. She let out a sound of surprise which seemed to catch Garrus's attention. He jokingly asked if Hackett had finished the weapon and defeated the Reapers so they could relax. She joked back that that'd be nice and poured herself a glass of wine then joined Garrus on the couch before telling him what the email said. Garrus then asked about Eden Prime being where she came across the artifact that gave her the warning and visions about the Reapers. She told him it was, she still remembered pushing Kaidan out of the way of the artifact and waking up in the Med Bay afterwards with the strange visions she couldn't make sense of at the time. She then remarked that it felt like a lifetime ago, and Garrus joked that it technically was for her which made her chuckle. I'm glad Garrus jokes about the fact that I died instead of avoiding the subject like everyone else, especially Joker. I understand that it had to have been traumatic for him but dancing around the subject doesn't erase the fact that it happened. Jane thought to herself before telling Garrus that they'd be heading to Eden Prime after everyone rested for the night. Garrus asked if that included her as well. Damn, I did tell him that I'd been having trouble sleeping. That is why he's here after all, Jane thought to herself as she took a sip of her wine.

"I'm okay. I'll sleep when this damn war is over." Jane tried convincing Garrus, as she forced a smile.

"Bullshit. You're not fooling me, Jane. What's been going on with you?" Garrus asked her while calling her buff. I should've known he'd see through me. He can always tell when something is bothering me, even when I don't tell him anything. Jane thought as she realized she should tell him.

"Well, there was this little boy back on Earth. I had seen him playing the day the Reapers invaded. I saw him again after while me and Anderson were trying to get to the Normandy. He was in some vents, and he looked so scared, I tried to get him to come with me, but I got distracted and then he was gone. As the Normandy was taking off, I saw him climb into an evac shuttle and felt relieved that he was getting to safety. But then a Reaper took out the shuttle and the one next to it. I shouldn't have gotten distracted. I'm a soldier, I should know better. And I've been having this nightmare about being in a dark, dead forest and he's there. I keep trying to run to him, but it feels like I'm going in slow motion, and when I finally reach him, he bursts into flames in front of me." She told him. She then buried her face into her hands before continuing. "Also, Kaidan almost died back when we were getting the plans for the Prothean weapon on Mars. I was ready to shoot that damn mech that was disguised as someone called Dr. Eva, but she was holding him by his face and using him as a shield, then she just started repeatedly slamming his body into the wrecked shuttle. It just seems like everyone that crosses my path ends up hurt or dead. My parents, Toombs, Ashley, all those Batarians, that boy, Kaidan. And you. Honestly, it's starting to feel like I can't save anyone." She sniffled, as she was trying her best not to cry. Garrus had stayed quiet the whole time, just listening to her vent. All of a sudden, she felt a pair of arms embrace her, and she looked up to see Garrus was hugging her.

"Jane, I know you probably don't want to hear this. You can't save everyone, but you have saved a lot more than most people. None of those things are your fault." Garrus said as he held her face close to his chest. "You did everything you could. You got Kaidan to the hospital in time to save him. If you wouldn't have shown up on Omega when you did, I'd be dead for sure." Garrus tried consoling her. Jane could vividly still remember when Garrus got shot, how he was bleeding badly, and his breathing was labored. She remembered she had never been so scared to lose anyone before.

"I'm not sure if you knew but I saw you leaning over me, and your eyes were wet. I couldn't hear anything you were saying, and my vision was blurry, but I remember being so happy I got to see you again. But, listen, nothing the Reapers have done so far is your fault. You tried to warn everyone, they dismissed you as delusional, but you never gave up on trying to warn them." Garrus spoke as Jane shifted herself, so she was sitting with her back to Garrus and wrapped her arms around his which were still embracing her, and she thanked him. He really does make me feel better whenever I feel myself slipping into a deep, dark hole of despair. She thought to herself before she spoke up and told him that Kaidan had asked her to visit him in the hospital. He asked her how it went, and she felt his body stiffen up. Oh my god, Tali had mentioned something about Garrus looking down when he saw Kaidan in my room after the battle on the Citadel and he had avoided me afterwards. He didn't have feelings for me back then, did he? I don't want to talk about Kaidan if it'll upset him, but I don't want to keep secrets from him either. Jane worried to herself before deciding to continue. She told him it went as well as it could've, that Kaidan had still been hostile on Mars. She then told Garrus that Kaidan had apologized for both, that he said he didn't know how to react to seeing her alive and with Cerberus. She said he wanted her to tell Garrus he was sorry for how he acted towards him too. She then started saying he had asked her about something before trailing off, she wondered if she should bring up the rest of the conversation to Garrus. When Garrus questioned what Kaidan had asked her about, she decided to tell him Kaidan had asked about her and Garrus. Garrus asked her what she told him, she said she told him the truth, that Garrus had been there for her, as he always was. He said that was good enough for him, and Jane let out a sigh, she was relieved she hadn't upset him. Then she felt Garrus release her from his hug and stand up, she was a little sad as she was enjoying being so close to him again and thought he was going to leave to go to bed. He stood up and held out his hand and told her they better get some sleep. She realized he wasn't heading towards the door as she grabbed his hand and let him help her up. She joked asking if he was planning on sharing her bed again and he told her not to get excited and they were just going to sleep. He then told her that he wanted to stay if she let him. He told her that if she had any nightmares, then she wouldn't be alone that way. She couldn't help but smile as she went to go lay down in her bed. I probably shouldn't but I can't send him away, she thought to herself as she agreed and patted the empty spot on her bed as an invitation for him to join her. She thanked him as he laid down next to her and he told her he would always be there for her. She cuddled herself up next to him and let him wrap his arm around her. She told him she knew he was always there for her, and it meant the world to her before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek while gently caressing the scar on the other side of his face and said good night. She found it easier to fall asleep with him next to her.