Jack couldn't breathe. With fire in her lungs, she bolted upright, but a giant suffocating hand held her flat on her back. She coughed again and suddenly, cool, dry air filled her chest and the pressure was gone. She opened her eyes but could only see a bright halo of light above her.

"Relax, Jack," said a female voice. She recognized the accent immediately. It was the Normandy's doctor, somewhere close by. "You're in a stasis field. Try not to move."

Ordinarily Jack wasn't in the mood to take orders from anyone, ever, but the pain in her chest was worse than anything she'd ever experienced. She took a deep, less painful breath, closed her eyes and lay still.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yeah," Jack croaked. "Back on the Normandy."

"Do you remember what happened?" said a second voice. Shepard was in the room.

Remember... Jack remembered the muzzle flash of Grunt's shotgun in her face, his scaly hand around her neck as he pounded her into the hull of the shuttle. The musty smell of the earth filled her nose once again and a loud beeping from some nearby instruments recorded her quickening pulse and rising blood pressure. She heard movement from somewhere on her right, the hiss of a hypo being readied, a sound she was intimate with from her time as Subject Zero. She inhaled deeply and tensed every muscle in her body, then relaxed and all at once the beeping ceased. "I don't need it, doc. Put it away."

Jack still couldn't see, but there was a pause and then the sound of plastic rattling on a hard surface. She tried to open her eyes but could still only see white light.

"How do you feel?" Shepard asked.

Let the inquisition begin, Jack thought. "Like I've had the shit kicked out of me by a krogan."

"To hear him tell, he was trying to beat some sense into you."

"Guess you don't need to hear my side of the story then, huh?"

Shepard sounded irritated. She didn't need to see his face to tell. "What is your side of the story?"

Jack looked back up at the ceiling, or at least where she imagined where it would be. Even though Grunt got to say his peace first, she knew the big brute hadn't embellished the events on the planet. He didn't have to. She dared him to fight and he called her on it. Any defense she had would be a lame excuse at best. She just didn't have the fight in her anymore. "I'd go with whatever he said."

"He actually said a lot of things." Shepard sounded like he was taking a seat next to her, his voice closer to her ear. "Like you think that I'm using you for cannon fodder."

Jack didn't respond. Knowing that Grunt told Shepard only made her feel worse, especially since she knew it wasn't true the moment she said it.

"And you were going to abandon your post and take off. Jack?"

"Sounds like you and I have the same problem," Jack said. "A krogan who can't shut up."

"Is that what you really think?" Shepard asked. "That I'm using you?"

Jack closed her eyes.. Just like she recognized the sound of a sedative being prepared, she always knew when someone was conning her, getting ready to fuck her over. But in spite of every opportunity Shepard had so far, he'd kept his word. He gave her access to all of the Cerberus files like he promised, defended her against that Cerberus bitch and the other members of the crew who saw nothing more in her than a psycho. He was the only person who ever treated her with respect... and meant it. That she wanted to trust him scared her more than anything else. "I'm tired. Can we do this later, Doc?"

"That might be best," Chakwas said. "She needs her rest, Commander."

Jack heard Shepard get up, but he didn't walk away. She waited for the inevitable question.

"You gonna try to even the score when you get out of here?"

As much as Jack wanted to skin the krogan alive for the hurt he put on her, she couldn't deny she'd asked for it. "No."

"That's not your style, Jack."

Jack stared into the white nothingness above her. "He's the only one on this ship who isn't full of shit."

Jack awoke to a pounding headache, but this time without the crushing weight on her body. Whatever the doctor had done to her was working. The pain was still there, but she could at least move. She looked around the infirmary and found she was alone. The only activity was on the biofeedback display next to her bed. She recalled the conversation she had with Shepard. Did it really happen? Her whole mind was in a fog. She propped her head up with her hands behind her neck and tried to think back. The entire episode, the fight outside the shuttle, her awakening in the med lab, all seemed to have happened in another life with her watching from a distance.

She looked out the window. It always struck Jack as odd how the med bay had a view of the crew's mess. She watched a handful of the crew eat their meals, their heads bobbing in time to each others' conversation, punctuated occasionally with a smile or laugh at some unheard joke. She wondered if they could see her as well? If so, they paid her no attention. It was just as well. They never had anything to say to her, nor she to them so what did it matter?

Grunt's huge frame lumbered into view. He ambled across the galley, favoring one leg slightly. The other had been neatly cleaned and dressed with bright white bandages over medigel. He looked over each of the Normandy's crew as he limped by their tables. The humans in the room all studiously avoided eye contact until he passed, then gave each other silent looks of varying levels of disapproval and disgust. A pair of them got up and quickly left the room.

Something else we have in common, Jack thought. They don't even pretend to see us. The difference was that Grunt didn't bring it on himself like she did. Watching the others react the way they did behind his back should have made her angry, but instead now it made her feel sorry for the krogan who seemed oblivious to their scorn.

She continued to watch as the Grunt approached the kitchen. Surprisingly, the mess hall guy, Gardner or whatever his name was, didn't shy away from the big lizard. Instead, he nodded as Grunt motioned towards the counter and grinned as Grunt picked up an entire serving pan of food and carried it back to an empty table away from the others. Gardner followed with another tray of food and set it down in front of the krogan, who proceeded to wolf down what appeared to be some kind of brisket by the kilo. Gardner and Grunt exchanged a few words and the human laughed and gave Grunt pat on the shoulder before returning to the galley. The remaining crew all watched from the corners of their eyes and continued their whispered conversations.

At that point, all the pity Jack felt towards Grunt landed squarely on herself. The entire crew thought he was dangerous and unstable, but in spite of that he had made a friend. Grunt had been telling the truth when they had talked before their fight. He was more than just a weapon, even if only one person recognized it.

Two people, Jack thought. There was always one other who gave them both the chance to prove they were more than dangerous savages.

She took a deep breath, pulled herself upright, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The medical monitor beeped in protest. Undoubtedly, the ship's computer would rat her out and the doctor would come back with that hypo spray or worse, so she had to act quickly. Using all of her strength, she slid from the bed and staggered toward the door.

Grunt drained the last drop of gravy from the serving tray by upending it into his open maw. The human cook always seemed to have plenty of leftovers to fill even his massive appetite. How the rest of the crew subsisted on so little food was a mystery. Maybe Shepard had them all on some restrictive diet to keep them from getting fat and complacent? Whatever the reason, he found most of what Gardner offered delicious even if he didn't have the joy of killing it on his own. Such were the rigors of life aboard a human starship.

"Hey," said a voice he was not expecting to hear.

Grunt lowered the serving tray to see Jack before him, wrapped in a loose white gown, hunched over the table and breathing heavily. She was obviously using all of her strength just to stand. The look in her eye, though, showed she still had plenty of fight in her. Grunt set the serving tray down and placed his hands on the edge of the table with his legs curled beneath the bench. He could easily push himself to his feet or launch the table right into Jack from this position. He waited for her next move.

"I just wanted to say thanks for bringing me back," Jack said.

Grunt sniffed the air and looked her over from head to toe. He let go of the table and leaned back, slightly unsure. "You're welcome."

Jack had lied. She wanted to tell him so much more... that he had been right about how similar they were, about how she too had nowhere to focus her anger, and that she admired that somehow he managed to do so. But most of all that she was sorry for starting the fight. She was an expert in pushing people away, but didn't know how to handle it when someone pushed back.

But none of it came out. It was too much of a stretch. She gave Grunt a nod before turning to walk away. "See you around."

Grunt watched her go. There were no blue sparks this time, no sharp words and it surprised him. It surprised him even more that for once, he was happy not having to kill someone. He felt like he should say... something. Something strong, but wise. What would Shepard say? "Good fight, Jack," he called after her.

Jack stopped and looked over her shoulder, a tired, half smile on her face. "You too. Later." Amidst the frozen stares of the remaining crew in the mess, she staggered slowly out of the room.

Grunt went noisily back to work on the next pile of leftover brisket. He'd had a good fight, a good talk with his battlemaster, and a good meal all in one day. He could only wonder how how tomorrow could be better.

The End - followed loosely by "Dancer in the Dark"