A/N: YAAAAAYYYY I FINALLY DID THE THING!

Sorry it took so long for an update guys, and thank you thank you thank you for the patience. Life was super hectic and I had a major block halfway through this chapter... now that Nikki's headed back into familiar territory, the chapters should flow much easier.

Also, please let me know if you find any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. This chapter hasn't been fully beta'd.

**Disclaimer: I don't own some of the conversation with Joker. That came from the game. Totally all Bioware there with bits I've added in.

^Add on- 4/18/17 I fixed some of the formatting errors because I forgot things don't always come over to FFN from Google Docs.

I stepped into the mess hall of the Normandy after my chat with its captain, looking to my left into the corridor that housed the sleeper pods and suppressed a shudder. Anderson had offered them as an option to help my recovery and to pass some time, however I had respectfully declined.

"Don't worry; those things give me the creeps too." A voice from the table said. I glanced to the right and saw a man wearing an Alliance work uniform and a non-standard cap emblazoned with 'SR-1' seated at the table; a plate of something smothered in a brown-ish sauce in front of him. "If you want a quiet place to catch some shut eye, there's a mako in the cargo bay."

I cocked an eyebrow at him and took a few steps toward the table. "Oh? That sounds rather tempting. Are you just telling me or inviting me to join you there?" I replied with a smirk. The painkillers the doc had given me made me a little more loose-tongued than I normally would have been with someone I had only just met.

The man nearly choked on a sporkful of his meal before laughing at my response. "You know, you're not so bad for a cop. I thought they all sticks up their asses." He motioned to the seat across from him. "Care to join me? Uh… here, not in the Mako I mean."

My smirk widened to a grin as I sat down. "You must have only run into turians, then. They're the ones who are tightwads." I scooted myself in a bit before continuing. "How is it that you know who I am?"

"Because I know everything that happens on this ship. It's just this thing I do." He replied with a cocky grin. "The name's Joker."

"Joker? As in Batman's nemesis?" I leaned back in my chair, brushing my bangs away from my eyes. "Do tell how you got that nickname."

He studied me for a long moment before breaking into a genuine smile. "That's actually not it at all, it's just a lot shorter than saying 'Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Plus I love making little children laugh." He finished sarcastically.

I laughed. "Right. I was just thinking how much you remind me of Santa Claus."

Joker grimaced at that. "Look, I didn't pick the name. One of the instructors at flight school used to bug me about never smiling, so she started calling me 'Joker' and it stuck." He added with a shrug.

"Well you seem like a super duper, happy, go lucky sorta guy to me." I replied, shifting slightly in my seat. The pain meds were beginning to wear off, and my shoulder was starting to twinge uncomfortably. "Why didn't you ever smile?"

"I worked my ass off in flight school. I learned early on in life that the world's not gonna hand you anything if you go around grinning like an idiot. By the end of the year I was the best damn pilot in the academy - even better than than the instructors- and everybody knew it." He took a drink from his glass and smiled smugly. "They all got their asses kicked by the sickly little kid with the creaky legs. One guess who was smiling at graduation."

"Sickly little kid with creaky legs?" I asked in confusion, shifting again and grimacing as my shoulder jolted.

Joker sighed. "Right. So." He took a deep breath and continued, "I've got Vrolik's Syndrome, aka Brittle Bone Disease. The bones in my legs, and most of my lower body for that matter, never developed properly, they're pretty much hollow... too much force and they'll shatter. Even with crutches and my leg braces it's hard to get around. One wrong step and CRACK!" He slammed his fist on the table to emphasize the word and causing me to jump as the silverware and his plate rattled. "It's all very dramatic. But I've learned to manage my condition. With me at the helm of the Normandy… well I can make her dance. Just don't ask me to dance though. Unless, you know, you like the sound of snapping shin bones."

I frowned again. "How do you not break a bone while you fly the ship?"

He rolled his eyes. "Uhhh, because I don't fly the ship with my feet, so I'm fine as long as I'm in my chair. I gotta be real careful when I get up to take a piss though." He joked, his expression changing from humor to concern in a second. "Hey, are you okay?"

I grimaced. "No. The pain meds your doctor gave me have worn off and my shoulder is killing me."

As if on cue, Dr. Chakwas came out of the medbay. Upon seeing me she briskly walked over to my side of the table. "Miss Harris, Captain Anderson messaged me to tell me you weren't going to use the sleeper pods, and it occurred to me that you may be in some discomfort by now." She reached into a pocket in her labcoat and produced two small white pills. "Here, take these. It's a mild painkiller to help with your shoulder. I would prefer you either rest in a sleeper pod or return to the medbay."

"Ew… Not you too. Please, doctor, just call me Nikki." I replied as I took the pills from her. " And I'll think about it, thank you." I made to stand but the doctor shook her head.

"No, stay still, I'll get you something to drink." She scowled, and then turned toward the kitchen area. She returned a moment later with a bottle of water. "For some reason I seem to think eventually my patients will take my recommendations. You'd think working on starships my entire career would have taught me otherwise." She opened the bottle and handed to me.

I put the pills into my mouth and grabbed the bottle, taking a big gulp to wash them down. "I've been asleep the past few hours, and now I've got some interesting people to talk to." I nodded towards Joker. "You don't really think I'd go back to bed, do you?" I smiled up at her.

"You're just as stubborn as the crew on this ship." She chuckled, shaking her head once more. "If you start feeling dizzy or lightheaded, please return to the medbay immediately. I'll keep a bed open for you."

"You should probably take her up on that offer, I'm about to head back up to the cockpit so that we can get the heck outta dodge." Joker quipped in. "The trip to the Citadel should only take us a few hours, and nothing exciting is gonna happen in between."

"How about I come up and bother you then?" I chuckled, waggling my eyebrows. "Could make the time go by faster with some company."

Joker shrugged before pushing away from the table and slowly standing up with difficulty. "Suit yourself. You're certainly better company than Lieutenant Alenko… he's painfully dull. All rules and regs and 'the captain only sounds pissed after talking to you, Joker.' Pointing out the obvious and stuff."

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips as I stood and followed Joker to the stairs, past the CIC and into the cockpit. It seemed a long way to have to walk for someone in his condition, but he managed alright. Maybe that was his only exercise? Would it be rude to ask how he'd gotten into the Alliance with his condition? Why did I care?

I hovered near him as he slowly lowered himself into the pilot's seat; not that I'd be much help with my bad arm, but I couldn't help myself. Really, it seemed out of place to let someone so fragile… someone who could barely move without being in pain… pilot a starship. What happened in the event of an emergency evacuation? How could he get to a escape pod quickly if he couldn't move fast enough by himself? The cockpit was situated too far forward of the ship and was relatively isolated...

"Uhhh…. Earth to Nikki, come in Nikki…" My thoughts were interrupted by the man I'd been wondering about, his hand waving absently in my face. "You okay there? Ya' kinda spaced out on me."

I shook my head to clear it, heat flushing into my cheeks. "Yeah, I uh.. Sorry. My mind was wandering… the pain meds seem to be kicking in again." I glanced around the small space before taking a seat on Joker's right in the copilot's chair. The view through the small window was spectacular- we were on the night side of Eden Prime, right above the colony. I could see all the twinkling lights from the buildings, although the more I thought about it, some of those lights could still be fires burning.

With a suppressed shudder, I turned back to Joker. "So… you gonna show me how you make this boat dance, or what?"

A few nerdy, nostalgic hours later we were soaring through the Serpent Nebula, and the cockpit was suddenly crowded with the ground team, including Commander Shepard. Everyone was fawning over the Citadel, then the Destiny Ascension, and I tried my best not to roll my eyes. I lived on the station- been off of it and returned to it so many times in the past thirteen years that the novelty of it had worn off. I thought back to my first visit and realized I could relate to their reactions.

Suddenly, Shepard looked over his shoulder at me and grinned. "Something amusing, Miss Harr… Nikki?"

I chuckled in response. "Yeah, you all are like a bunch of kids, pressing your noses into the window of a candy shop." I waved in their general direction and Alenko, WIlliams, and Jenkins all turned to face me as well. "I've seen the damn thing so many times, I've forgotten what it's like to have never experienced it at all. Glad to see you're up and about, Commander. I can't believe I came to before you."

Shepard's expression softened a bit, a man of many emotions it seemed. "I'm glad to see you're up and about as well. You feeling alright? Joker's not being too much a pain in the ass, is he?"

"Uh, Joker's right here, Commander, and no disrespect, but I kinda need to concentrate and talk to people outside the ship so that we don't get blown to bits on our approach. So if you'd all kindly either can it or go away, I'd appreciate it." Joker said, his voice dripping with agitation and sarcasm as his eyes and hands flew across the holo screens.

I for one couldn't believe Joker would talk to his superior officer that way, but Shepard merely chuckled and shook his head as he turned to the group that had gathered. "You heard the man, clear out!" He ordered, taking a step toward me and extending his hand. "You too, Nikki. Doctor Chakwas wants to see you again before you leave so she can forward her evaluation to your regular physician."

I groaned before taking his hand and allowing him to help me up. "Bye, Joker. I'm off to go be an adult." I muttered and allowed the Commander to guide me away as Joker gave me a slight grunt and continued to steer the ship toward the Citadel.

We walked in silence until we came upon the stairs, where Shepard cleared his throat before speaking. "I wanted to thank you for your help on Eden Prime. And offer my condolences. Captain Anderson told me about your father."

My throat tightened a bit at the mention of my dad, making my slight smile a bit awkward. "Thanks. And.. Uh… I'm just happy you didn't shoot me as soon as you found me. I'm glad I was able to help."

We walked the rest of the way in a slightly awkward silence; Commander Shepard seemed to be a different man out of his armor. Still cool and collected, but nowhere near as…. Well, scary. I guess having heavy armor and several lethal weapons attached to you in a combat situation will make anyone look scarier than they really are.

The doors to the medbay swooshed open and immediately Dr Chakwas was on me, a hand on my right arm steering me toward a bed, her omnitool alight and scanning me. "How are you feeling? Any lingering dizziness from the pain medication? Have you been comfortable?"

"Woah, doc, take a breath." I commented as I allowed her to push me into a seated position. This is why I didn't like going to the doctor in the first place. "I'm fine. A little sore, but fine."

"My apologies." Chakwas sighed, wiping her hand across her forehead. "I've been preparing Spectre Kryik for our arrival at the citadel. He's improved greatly in the past few hours. If there's no neurological damage, he should make a full recovery, however it's been a nightmare trying to situate him properly for the amount of movement he is about to endure." she finished the scan and closed her omnitool. "Alright. I'm pleased to report you will make a full recovery. I've sent you everything I've found so that you can report to your primary physician as well as written you a prescription for more pain medication if you want it. You can take the sling off in another few hours, but the best thing at the moment is a good night's rest. It was a pleasure meeting you, Nikki."

"Thanks, doc." I replied as I stood, eager to get away from her before she started more tests. I cast a glance back at the unconscious turian and scampered out, Commander Shepard close on my heels.

"Chakwas can be overbearing, but she means well." He stated as he caught up to me.

"She's a doctor, it's her job to mean well." I scoffed, running my right hand through my hair to move some stray strands from my face, then dropped in the middle of the hallway as I realized I didn't know where to go.

Shepard merely chuckled. "You can wait here in the mess if you want, or head back up to the cockpit- Joker didn't really seem to mind you. The airlock is up there anyway, and it's where we'll all disembark."

I nodded in assent. "Thanks Commander. I uh… assume you'll be in touch if I'm needed for the council hearing?"

"Yes. The council may want to speak with you personally… We don't really know yet. Regardless we'll be in touch to let you know how it all turns out." he replied with a nod. "Thank you again for your assistance. If it weren't for you being there, I'm not sure I'd still be alive to be reporting to the council at all."

My throat tightened again at his thanks, and all I could do was nod in response. He was right, in a way. If I hadn't been there, the colony would probably have been leveled and reported as a geth attack. Maybe. I had yet to hack into communications on Eden Prime before they went down. That would be priority number one when I got back to my apartment. If there was even a glimpse of Saren it would be the nail in the proverbial coffin, especially if Kryik didn't make it. As it was, there seemed to be enough evidence to make the council suspend him to the Citadel until an investigation could be completed.

"I should go." Shepard said, giving me one last awkward smile then headed toward Anderson's quarters, leaving me on my own. With a sigh I trudged back up to the cockpit, taking in the Normandy for the first time. It was a spectacular ship; elegant in design from the inside. I wondered what the drive core was like and silently lamented that I wouldn't be in the boat much longer. Oh well. Highly classified schematics would have to do. It was a good thing I knew how to get into things I wasn't supposed to see.

By the time I made it back to the cockpit, docking procedures were almost complete. I sighed again, this time with annoyance as my omnitool began pinging with incoming messages. I shoved the sling to the side and opened the omnitool, glancing through the first few from colleagues- some asking if I was okay, a few others offering words of hope that my father was okay. It sucked- but I knew I had to get used to that.

One in particular caught my eye so I opened it up and read it carefully.

Sender:Vakarian, G.

Subject:Need your help with Investigation

Harris, I got the prelim reports passed down from Executor Pallin and I've been put in charge of investigating the incident on Eden Prime. Heard you're on your way back here. Message me where we can meet up, I need your help.

I frowned slightly- Officer Vakarian was on this? That hot headed turian? Someone high up had to have done this. Not that Vakarian was a bad cop- far from it. He had his father's instincts when it came to facts but unlike his father, who I'd known from my early days in C-Sec, he was quick to act and didn't always follow protocol. Which had resulted in a bunch of arrests, but in the end some of the bad guys got to walk because of how the justice system on this space station was set up. Pallin had to be trying to cover for Saren if they put an officer with Vakarian's track record on this.

Re:Need your help with Investigation

Of course I'll help. Got shot on EP… it was fun. Doc said to rest. Heading home. Meet ya there.

I sent off my reply as another message came in, this one from an unknown sender… which usually meant it was from the Shadow Broker.

Sender:unknown

Subject:none

Fifty thousand credits have been transferred to your account. Agent Fist has betrayed the collective and now works for Spectre Saren Arturius. Assume all pertinent intel gathered has been compromised. Fist is to be eliminated.

Suddenly I wished I had a chair to sit in. Fist was a dbag, but I never thought he'd be stupid enough to betray the Shadow Broker. Saren… It all led back to that damn turian… he must have offered one hell of a deal to get Fist to switch sides.

I sent off another message to a krogan merc I'd used several times for contracts then shut my omnitool and stared out the viewport of the cockpit, watching idly as the docking arms extended into place. With a slight bump they locked magnetically onto the hull.

"Well, cool cop Nikki, looks like this is goodbye. You're not gonna get mushy on me are ya?" Joker commented as he turned his chair around.

I laughed, shrugging my good shoulder. "Nah. I've never been big on goodbyes. Next time you're here for a while, look me up. It'll be good to geek out with a fellow nerd again."

Joker grinned in return. "Oh you're on."

"Well… til next time." I said, jumping when the airlock swooshed open. He laughed at my reaction and I grinned then walked down the ramp and into the docking station where I promptly called a cab and headed home. I had a shower to get out of the way and some intel to dig up on the Council's pet.

It was gonna be a fun night.