A/N – I can only assume if you've clicked on this to read, one question may be 'What the…?' Well, I look at it like this. Chakwas should have been romance option! Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson…

I've read stories for pretty much every combination available (there are one or two combinations I don't read simply due to lack of interest.) I'm surprised no-one has written a detailed story for this pairing – not to say there are not stories from her point of view, as there are a few out there. Her age is never revealed in-game, so I'm not going to make an issue of it. This isn't being written to fulfil any sort of suggestion made. The idea simply came to me while I was writing another story.

Chakwas POV only. Shepard will only be a peripheral figure for some chapters, involved completely in others – you'll see what I mean.

The medical bay was quiet as Doctor Karin Chakwas typed away at her console. The Normandy, the newest frigate of the Alliance Navy, had an entirely new crew, all hand-picked by Captain Anderson himself, though that left the doctor with a mountain of work. There were medical and physical examinations to complete, with a stream of crewmen and women filtering in and out of her office all day. She couldn't help but be impressed as she took blood pressure and heart-rates and spoke to the crew about their personal and medical histories. The Captain, it appeared, had chosen his crew well. They were excellent specimens, most were in perfect mental and physical health. All were proud to be serving on the Normandy.

Of course, there was one crew member in particular that all the crew almost held in a quiet awe. But not many knew much about the man beyond what was reported in the news. He came from a family who had a tradition of serving in the armed forces, whether army, air-force or navy. His family name could be traced back to the service of his home nation back on Earth. Then there was his own service record itself. He was a member of an elite band of servicemen. N7 Special Forces. The best of the best. But nearly everyone knew him as the man who saved a colony. The Liberator of Elysium.

He had only been on board the Normandy for a few days so, apart from the regular examination given to any new crew member, she had little interaction with the Commander. She had spoken to him briefly during the examination and she was slightly surprised as he was certainly not the gruff soldier she expected. He seemed quiet and thoughtful. His answers to her questions were precise but considered. Physically he was in perfect health. And when he smiled at one of her questions, his face lighting up for just a brief moment, his deep blue eyes almost sparkling in the light, her heart fluttered for just a second. That was a most unusual reaction. She had to resist a grin of her own forming in return. She was left thinking just what all that was about when he walked out of the medical bay.

She shook the memory from her mind, a slight smile on her lips for a second, before she focused on the job at hand again. But it was only a few minutes of peace before the door opened. She looked up to see Anderson in the doorway, a concerned look on his face. She was out of her chair immediately.

"How can I help, Captain?"

"There have been two incidents during the mission, Doctor. I'm sorry to report that we've lost Corporal Jenkins."

Chakwas couldn't help but grimace. Jenkins had been a good kid. She hadn't known him long, but there was no doubting his enthusiasm for the cause. The crew are going to miss him. There are not many like him anymore. He had idolised the Commander for his actions on Elysium, like many of the youngsters who were signing up. The Commander could only be considered a 'poster boy' for the Alliance. Little wonder that youngsters are signing up in drove, considering the family name alone.

"In addition to that, the Commander is also injured. He'll be brought in here once his team is back on board. We're descending to collect them as we speak."

"Do you know of the Commander's injuries?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Lieutenant Alenko will fill us in with the details once he's back on board. All I know is the Commander is currently unconscious and unresponsive to outside stimuli."

Chakwas nodded. "Very well. I'll prep a bed for his arrival."

"Very good, Doctor," the Captain responded before he turned on his heel and strode out, likely down to the hangar bay to receive the team in person.

Chakwas busied herself preparing a bed for the arrival of the Commander. While a lot of her work could be carried out on her omni-tool, the medical bay was still full of monitors and equipment that may be required, depending on the extent on the injuries sustained. This was when she felt in her element. The whole reason she had chosen to become a doctor, but also the reason to join the Alliance. It wasn't just the thrill of journeying through space; it was the thought of helping the injured service men and women who constantly put their lives on the line. The only disappointing aspect she found was that so many of those she had helped were now gone from her life, whether through being unable to save them, or those she had saved had simply moved on with their careers.

The door opened again a few minutes later, Chakwas noticing Lieutenant Alenko at one end of the stretcher, while a woman she had never met before was at the other end. Alenko appeared to be his usual unflappable self, simply concentrating on the job at hand, but there was no doubting the concern on the woman's face, in addition to the fact she was also injured. Chakwas simply got straight down to business.

"Please place the Commander on the bed here," she instructed the pair, who carefully deposited the still unconscious form of the Commander on the bed, laying him on his back. Chakwas had her omni-tool out and working immediately, taking note of his stats, though there appeared to be nothing amiss that she could see.

"Where is he wounded?" she asked the pair.

"That's the thing, Doc. He's not actually wounded anywhere. Well, not from what has caused his current state," the Lieutenant replied.

Chakwas looked up at the Lieutenant, slightly perplexed. "Can you explain, Lieutenant?"

"It was the beacon!" blurted the unknown woman, "It activated somehow and… well…" she trailed off, simply looking back at the form of the Commander, lying unmoving on the bed.

Chakwas could see the woman was clearly upset. I wonder what happened down there. She smiled slightly at the other woman while closing her omni-tool, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. While the Commander is unconscious, he doesn't appear to be in any danger. I'll keep an eye on him but I think we probably just need to wait until he wakes up. Now, what's your name?"

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, ma'am."

"And are you injured, Chief Williams?"

"Nothing that medi-gel couldn't fix, ma'am. I should be okay."

Chakwas nodded before turning to the other male in the room. "And what about you, Lieutenant Alenko?"

"I'm fine, Doctor. Bit tired, but otherwise okay."

"Best you go get something to eat to restore your energy, particularly if you've been using your biotics extensively. Let me know if you have a migraine later. I'll see if I can give you something for the pain."

"You'll let us know when the Commander wakes up?" asked Ashley.

Chakwas nodded. "Of course."

She waited until the pair had walked out the room, observing them head to the small kitchenette, talking between themselves, before she turned her attention back to the Commander. He was breathing easily though, to her trained eye, she could see the rapid eye movements taking place behind his eyelids. He must be having a vivid dream. She ran a scan of his head with her omni-tool to see if he'd suffered any head injuries. She grew slightly concerned as his brain activity was particularly abnormal. Whatever that beacon was, it's certainly done something. I'd best keep an eye on that, just in case. To make him more comfortable, she started to detach parts of his armour and couldn't help but notice the scars on places such as his arms and hands. She tried detaching the parts around his upper body, though found him particularly difficult to move, so called in Alenko to help her out. Once that was done, she simply covered him in a light blanket and resumed her normal duties, keeping an ear out for when the Commander would eventually wake up.

It was the next morning when the Commander finally woke up. Chakwas was up out of her chair and at his side immediately as she heard him groan to himself, before he lifted himself onto his elbows. He seemed slightly surprised to be back on board the Normandy, looking around the medical bay for a moment before he focused on Chakwas standing next to him.

"How are you feeling, Commander? You've had us all worried."

"Hell of a headache. What happened? How long have I been out?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon you encountered. Do you want to sit up?"

Shepard nodded, Chakwas taking a step back, allowing the Commander to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He groaned lightly to himself again as he rubbed his eyes.

"Fifteen hours? What happened?"

"I'll go get the others. They can explain. Your clothes are piled to the bed on your other side if you would like to get dressed."

Shepard nodded again before he looked down at himself, before he looked back up and at the doctor, who was sure he turned slightly red in the face, mumbling to himself as she turned and walked out of the med bay. Alenko and Ash both look up at her in expectation. "He's awake," she stated simply. The pair stood up, both looking relieved, and although she wasn't entirely sure, Ashley had the look of someone feeling very guilty about something. She had been wondering what exactly happened on Eden Prime.

"Lieutenant. Chief. How are you?" asked the Commander, who was now dressed in his standard uniform once again.

"We're fine. We're more concerned about how you are," replied Alenko.

"I'm sorry, Commander. It's my fault. I must have triggered some sort of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way," Ashley explained.

"Don't worry about it, Chief. No-one would have known how it would have reacted to our presence. What about the beacon?"

"It exploded," Alenko continued, "Possibly a system overload. Whatever the case, it knocked you out cold. Williams and I had to carry you back to the ship."

Shepard nodded an unspoken thanks to Alenko before turning to Chakwas. "So, Doc, what's the damage? Apart from the crippling headache, that is."

"Physically, you're fine, Commander. But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

Shepard nodded in agreement before he appeared to lower his head in thought, shaking it slightly before looking back up. "I saw…. Hmmm, I'm not sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothing's really clear."

"I can add this to my report, Commander."

"Thanks, Doc. It may be nothing. Could be just a dream. Or it's something else entirely…"

All their attention was taken by the arrival of Captain Anderson, the giant of a man approaching the group, still with that concerned look on his face. Chakwas had immense respect for the Captain, having worked under him as Senior Medical Officer on a number of previous postings, including his last command of the SSV Tokyo. She was also aware of the genuine respect held between Anderson and Shepard, CO and XO, as the Captain clearly saw the Commander as his protégé.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?"

"I'd say the Commander is going to be fine, Captain. I see no reason why he can't immediately return to active duty."

The concerned look disappeared, replaced by a brief smile and nod of thanks, before he frowned. "Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you – in private."

Alenko and Williams both saluted the Captain before exiting the room. "I'll join the others in the mess, Captain," Chakwas stated, starting to follow the other two out.

Anderson held up a hand to stop her. "That won't be necessary, Doctor. Shepard and I can talk in my quarters. I'll see you in a minute, Shepard," Anderson replied, before he turned on heel and walked out.

Shepard hopped down from the bed and stretched, rolling his head in a circle a couple of times, before he stopped, noticing Chakwas watching him. He grinned slightly. "Sore head and neck due to being asleep for so long. Works a treat every time. Thanks for everything, Doc."

"No thanks necessary, Commander. I was just doing my job."

"I was raised properly. When someone helps me like you have, I always say thanks," Shepard stated, "So… Thank you, Doctor," this time throwing in a mock bow.

Chakwas grinned slightly. "You're welcome, Commander. If the headache doesn't go away, come by and see me later and I'll give you something for it."

Shepard grinned in return. "Will do," he replied before he turned and walked out of the medical bay. Chakwas sat back down in her chair and sighed, the silence descending once again as she started to type out her report of just what was happening with the Commander.

A/N – If you've read my other stories, then you'll see this was a short chapter compared to what I upload in my other stories. Chapters will only be around 2000-2500 words each as this is simply a side-story / experiment to my usual stories. Don't know how long I'll keep this going for. Will depend on views / reviews.