Disclaimer: Why do I bother? Really? LOL

Everything felt as if put on hold… the Normandy had taken off about half an hour after the call was sent. Two confused dockworkers saw as the huge warship removed itself from the dock and took off in a graceful display of power. They were blinded by the thruster ignition, causing them to raise their arms to protect their eyes. When it was gone from view, they gave each other puzzled shrugs and then went to clean up the now abandoned area. They had left various valuable materials, including large armor plates that had not yet been mounted.

On the Normandy's bridge, Joker was operating his keyboard one-handed without much trouble. EDI had picked up the pace for what he lacked, but for complicated maneuvers, Joker would need full control. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into trouble until they got to Omega…

"Stupid, stupid… mother-!" He mumbled to himself. "You work with your hands you fuckin' moron!" A curse of strings followed.

His view unwillingly shifted to his hand and he gave it a thoughtful stare. This was what he got for letting his feelings get the best of him. Now, if they were attacked by any kind of enemy and he couldn't maneuver fast enough, it would be a repeat of the old Normandy and it would all be his fault… he would lose her again. Sighing to keep himself under control, he concentrated instead on the task at hand, plotting the relay jump. His arms and eyes felt heavy… he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Unfortunately, the trip from Ilium to Omega was short, having to jump only one relay, it offered only a few hours of rest before he had to go back to work. It didn't matter, he would take what he could get, if only to relax and rest his eyes. He pulled up a holographic display of the mass relay, entering coordinates into the targeting computer, and then waited for a response. The relay was already in range shortly after they left Ilium…

Wonders of modern science, he thought.

"Five minutes out from the Ilium relay, Commander." Joker said over the intercom.

"Alright Joker, thanks."

Her tone sounded distant. That usually meant something was on her mind… most likely the reason they were leaving. He had grown used to the Commander being by his side at times like these, it felt strange now that she wasn't… strange, because he wanted her to be there.

"Initiating transmission sequence. Please verify destination." EDI stated.

He tapped on a flashing panel awaiting response. "Destination verified… acquiring approach vector."

Using the results the targeting computer had given him, he switched to manual control, a holographic wheel appeared before him.

"All stations secure for transit. We'll be hitting the relay in 30 seconds." He spoke through the intercom once again.

As he has done many times before, he shifted the Normandy's angle to align with the relay with a soft turn of his wrist.

"Hitting the relay in 3, 2, 1…"

The familiar, light push of acceleration made her body slightly jerk sideways on her seat. Both her elbows were on top of her desk as her hands held up her head. Anxiety was the main feeling coursing through her body…

Liara, a powerful biotic asari, was in the hands of the most powerful human extremist organization in the galaxy. Shepard had seen firsthand what they were capable of… she had lived it. With Admiral Kahoku, with Toombs, the Collectors… her fingers ran through her hair, and she held her head by the sides, looking intently at the surface of the desk, suddenly hating the fact that it reflected her face. Scowling, she lifted her head only to find an unfinished textual mission briefing on her terminal. She reread what she had written so far and not satisfied with it, added a few words before deciding the final version had been written and sending it to her crew. Picking up a datapad next to her, she decided to study the schematics Miranda had forwarded of the main Cerberus office on Omega… home to one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy. It wasn't going to be easy to get there…

The facility was on the lowest level of the asteroid, which meant having to dock the Normandy and taking a small vehicle down to their destination. Usually, she wasn't worried about having to look out for herself on Omega, but this time, she knew they would be ready for her. The Illusive Man had to know it was only a matter of time before she figured it out… and who knew how many forces he could have amassed if he expected this precise moment, who knew what sort of battle awaited.

As if she could read her thoughts, Miranda waited for the elevator to rise up to the Commander's cabin with an uneasy frown. She had received Shepard's briefing a few minutes ago and the news were troubling, at least. At her arrival, she found the Commander studying the datapad thoroughly with furrowed brows.

"Shepard…"

She didn't lift her head from the pad, but responded with an acknowledging grunt.

"Commander, I'm concerned about this mission. With all due respect, you don't know what you're about to face." She blurted.

At this, Shepard chuckled, still not looking away from the datapad. "When do I ever, Miranda? When have we ever had a mission where we actually knew what we were doing?" Finally looking up at her, she put the datapad down. "When do I ever stop thinking about what's waiting in the next corner…?" Miranda looked away in thought as Shepard stood up and paced around the room. "Truth is, I can't. But that's never stopped me before…"

Miranda could see her anxiety, but also her raging determination. She wasn't going to let this go… if Cerberus wanted a fight, a fight they would get. This is what worried her.

"That's true, but even so… you do know they're goading us into a trap, right?" she warned.

"I know. But what do you suggest we do? Give up?" Shepard asked as she stopped pacing and leaned on her desk.

The raven snorted smugly and shook her head. "Never. I simply wanted to voice my concern for you, Commander. The Normandy and its crew is behind you one hundred percent, always."

"Well… thanks." Shepard said in a dismissive manner, but Miranda remained, looking at her. After a few seconds of awkward silence for Shepard, the commander decided to speak. "Was there anything else…?"

Miranda crossed her arms and lowered her head. "Can I ask you something personal, Shepard?"

She blinked, unsure of her response, and the unusual question. "Uh, sure…"

"Why did you go see Commander Alenko?" She lifted her head with a raised eyebrow and accusing eyes. Shepard's eyebrows furrowed in a questioning look and before she spoke, Miranda interrupted her. "I saw you leaving the ship."

"Oh." Was all she mustered as she looked away from Miranda's piercing eyes.

A long silence emerged. She had gone to see Kaidan with a clear purpose… she wanted to say goodbye. She wanted him to have closure, to be able to move on. Shepard rotated the chair next to her and sat, still saying nothing. She wasn't intimidated by Miranda, she was intimidated by the question…

"I wanted to say goodbye, tell him I moved on… tell him to move on. I guess I just wanted to let him know that I didn't miss him anymore." She shrugged. "Hell I think I wanted to let myself know that." Suddenly, she looked up at Miranda. "You know, all this time, I was blaming you and Cerberus for what happened between me and Kaidan. I never, for once actually stopped to think… that maybe it was bound to happen… even if I hadn't died, even if the Alliance hadn't abandoned us…" her head shook lamentably. "I didn't think that he would leave me… I misjudged him, and you. I'm sorry."

The usually cold, calculating woman's face softened. The revelation had caught her off guard. At a loss for words, Miranda searched her head for what she could possibly say.

Settling, she finally conceded. "Apology accepted." She hesitated before speaking again. "But, you were right. If you hadn't been with Cerberus, it wouldn't have happened."

Shepard shrugged. "Whether or not I was, it shouldn't have made a difference. It was me, he knows me, better than anybody. I mean, Garrus, Tali, they saw through it… even Joker jumped at the chance… figuratively."

For all I know, he was probably climbing the walls, she thought with a smirk at the image.

Miranda caught it immediately and hid a knowing smirk. Everything seemed to fit now. Their comfort around each other, their trust, and their invisible bond that was as visible to Miranda as light of day. Vera Shepard had so obviously fallen for her helmsman… but she didn't see it. Maybe all she needed was a nudge in the right direction, but how could she approach the subject…? She wasn't used to talking people up, but she decided that this moment required it, for both their sakes.

"Speaking of Joker, word around the ship says you two have some sort of… thing." She lied, grimacing inwardly at her lame attempt.

The commander's eyes opened widely in surprise and suspicion. "Who told you that!"

Miranda's eyebrows arched. Unbelievable! Not only had it worked, but she actually admitted it! "You just did…" she smiled as Shepard scowled. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Commander. It's just so obvious that you feel for one another…"

Shepard rolled her eyes and laid her head back on the chair. "Don't get me started on that, please." her voice was muffled as she brought her hands up to her face.

"Alright. I'll take my leave then." She said, turning to leave. Shepard obviously wasn't in the mood.

Am I wearing a sign? Does it say 'glutton for punishment'? First Kaidan, now Miranda.

She sighed and let her hands fall to her sides, then straightened up to look at Miranda as she opened the door. "You know even Kaidan seems to think that I'm love with him? He said Joker was lucky to have me, can you believe that?"

Miranda paused and chuckled. She'd never said the word 'love'.

"What's so funny?" Shepard asked.

"The irony of you denying it when you clearly said it yourself Shepard, Alenko knows you better than anybody. Who's to say he doesn't know you better than yourself…?"

The sly, blue eyed woman took Shepard's silence as a cue for her leave. My work here is done.

"Wait!" Shepard exclaimed. Miranda paused and jerked her body back, making her head pop back in the door frame. "So… his hand injury?"

"I told you, he was upset."

"Why?"

"Because it was his business." She winked and the door closed.

Vera sat in silence as she heard Miranda leave. Her words echoed in her mind. What if it was true? What if she was in love? She was a practical woman. She believed there was always a cause and effect to everything. What if the cause of all her doubt, all her speculation, all her anger… was that she was in love with her best friend? It would explain why she suddenly wanted him to want her, why she couldn't forget the night before and why she was so angry when he easily did. Wait, all of this in one day! It couldn't have possibly been true…

But what if it wasn't in a day…?

All those times she went to him, looking for his approval, looking for his opinion, talking about the past, sometimes in vain… No, it wasn't all in a day. Every time she went to that bridge… every single time, she was just wanting for his attention. That's why it had been so easy to let go of Kaidan… why the memories stopped haunting her after that night with him in the cargo bay. The night before had been nothing but a trigger…

And now she'd thrown it all away this morning…

"I'm so stupid!" She whispered to herself, standing up and exiting the room.

They had already passed the relay, but there were still a few transit hours in between from the relay to Omega. The asteroid was just so damn small. But there was still time, she would go see Joker and apologize. Apologize for not telling him the truth, for assuming how he felt, for acting on assumptions… for breaking his heart. It was no wonder he'd been so sour. When she saw the bridge had been empty, she went down to the crew deck. She saw Gardner at his station and a few others in the mess hall, but went directly to the med bay, where Dr. Chakwas looked up from her datapad at her arrival.

"Commander?"

"Hi doctor. Do you know where Joker is, by any chance?" Her tone sounded calm, but urgent.

"He went to get some sleep not long ago… came down here for coffee after the mission briefing and I told him to go rest instead. He looked awful." Chakwas replied.

Maybe there was still time…

"Alright, thanks doctor." She stormed out of the room, headed for the crew quarters.

The door opened as she arrived, letting a little light into the room. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust, but she could hear a light snoring sound from her right. He laid on his back, with two pillows holding up his head and his hat angled over his face. The snoring indicated he was already in deep sleep. As she looked over him, she felt her anxiety fade and a wave of relief wash over her. He looked blissfully asleep as the sight provoked a smile. Must have been really tired… Her eyes explored from the comfortable expression on his face to the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, landing finally on his stomach, where he laid his maimed hand. She frowned… his pain was her fault. After a few seconds of meditation, she turned and left the room with fierce determination in her eyes and fisted fingers.

I promise that when all this is over… I'll make it right.