Author's Note: Once again, we appreciate all of the reviews you leave us! They make an already enjoyable task even better. Things are going on in our lives right now that make this a little bit harder to do on a regular basis. We'll always keep it going, but please don't get discouraged by the wait. It's a project that we love, and we're not going to abandon it! Enjoy!

-Abby

(HK)

After returning to the Normandy, my thoughts immediately shifted from that goodbye with Jack to reuniting with Sarah. Goodness, I hadn't seen Sarah, literally seen her, since... well, before she died in Shepard's quarters. Unless you counted her tormenting me in her husk form, but that wasn't Sarah. That was Harbinger who had all but mutilated her body.

Now, though, I could see her again, and I was looking forward to that. It was the first time I felt like I was actually looking forward to something since being back here. I wasn't exactly sure where Abby was; I hadn't seen her since getting back onto the Normandy, but before I could go talk to Sarah, I heard that Shepard had gone down to see her. I waited for a bit, and after they were done, I immediately bolted to the Medical Bay.

I knew I wasn't in for a pleasant sight. Sarah had a prosthetic leg and arm; those weren't bad, but seeing a friend suddenly missing not one but two limbs was a little bit of a daunting thought. Admittedly, I got a little uncomfortable when seeing someone only missing one limb, even if I shouldn't. It just made me feel bad for them, and Sarah was no different. She'd been through the ringer.

Walking into the MedBay, I immediately smiled when I saw Sarah. I darted to her bedside. "Sarah!" I exclaimed happily. "Oh, Sarah, it is so good to see you. My goodness, it's been awhile. How are you?! Wow...I don't even know where to start."

For a moment she looked a little distracted, as if part of her mind was elsewhere. It seemed to take her a moment to focus on the present, and on me. It made me wonder if she was still thinking about whatever she and Shepard discussed. Plus... well, she had been through a lot.

"Hi," she finally said. "I'm doing okay. How are you?" She had a quiet, thoughtful manner about her.

"I'm good. It is so good to see you again," I said, taking a seat in a chair beside her bed. "You've been missed around here. It's been...different."

"Heh, not too different I guess," Sarah murmured. She had her hands folded atop her chest, and they both looked real. I couldn't tell either of them apart. She glanced at me every so often when she spoke, but otherwise she seemed to stare straight ahead, through the window. "I managed to annoy Joker and piss Kasumi off. I think I may have annoyed Liara a little... not sure."

She sighed, then turned the subject over to me. "What've you been up to?"

I'd pursue the hand thing in a moment. "Well..." I said, chuckling slightly. "I'm engaged."

NOW I had her full attention. Her eyebrows shot up and she stared at me as if I'd grown a third nostril. "What?" she asked. She looked like she was trying to make sure her ears were working right.

"Okay, this is going to sound a little awkward and out of the blue," I answered, starting to laugh. That was a good conversation starter, for sure! A part of me couldn't wait to see Abby's reaction, either. "But Jack...well, I dunno if you know this or not, but we just finished Grissom Academy. Long story short, Jack and I got back together, and at Purgatory tonight, she proposed to me."

Sarah's eyelids flickered like a set of butterfly wings for a few seconds, until she finally answered. "Uh... wow," she said. "So you're getting married? I mean... wow." She shook her head a little at the thought, and then she gave a small grin. "When's the wedding? Are me and Abby going to be your bridesmaids? Maybe EDI could be the flower girl, and Garrus could be the best man..."

She stopped, and shook her head. "Never mind, those are silly thoughts," she sighed. "You know, we may not even be here when this war is over. You know..." She gulped. "You know what happened last time," she breathed. Her eyes got that distant look again, and I could tell that this wasn't easy on her.

I scratched my head. "Well, usually the guy has grooms men and not bridesmaids, but if you wanted to be...grooms maids or something...maybe Jack would let-" I began, but stopped. She was right; these were silly thoughts, and we didn't know how this war would end. Especially for us. "Never mind, you're right. I don't know if we'll end up getting married at all, between you and me. We don't know if we'll survive this war...we don't even know if everyone else here will survive the war."

I hoped they would; I intended to make sure they would, but I'd been taught too many times that you could never be certain of some things, especially your own thoughts.

"Are you alright, Sarah?" I asked curiously, but seriously. "Honestly. You don't seem quite yourself. I know you wouldn't be, given the circumstances, but you've been through a lot. I'm concerned for you."

"Thanks," she said simply, getting more of that glazed over, distant look again. "I think I'll be okay. It's just..." She grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily. "I've been having a lot of dreams lately, bad ones. I keep hearing the Reapers in my dreams... I know they spoke to me on Menae. And... I also keep seeing Sederis in my dreams, coming at me with a knife to finish the job. That and..." She hesitated, licking her lips nervously. "I think I'm having weird memories or something. Like... back when I was turned into a husk, after I died... I think I was still connected to... that body."

She shivered a little. "And sometimes... all of this makes my scar burn." She tugged down her turtleneck a bit so that I could see the ugly, nasty scar on her throat. It was the very spot where the husk spider had gotten her, and it was the only one that remained from when she was attacked.

That immediately raised a question in my mind. Why did Sarah have that scar, and Abby had no scars from her previous time here?

Sarah being traumatized was understandable, although the dreams about the Reapers were disturbing. I remembered Garrus mentioning that she was hearing husk and Reaper voices. That signified indoctrination, yet Sarah seemed to be fine. However, some of that was bound to happen after you were a husk...even if your body was sort of back to normal, or whatever happened.

The scar was interesting, though. I didn't recall seeing that before. Not even when she was a husk, although she was awfully deformed by then.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly did you get that scar?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend her or sound stupid, but I was curious.

"I don't know, it was just... there, when I popped up on Menae," Sarah said with a shrug. She fingered it thoughtfully with her good hand, and then yanked her fingers away. Either it was tender to the touch, or she didn't want to think about it too much. "I know it was where that husk spider thing got me. But... I'm not sure why it stayed there. I don't even know why it burns every time I have... dreams about the Reapers."

I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, that is odd. I don't remember hearing about that when we learned about indoctrination in our visions. And...why don't Abby and I have scars? I mean, we both had taken some heavy hits by the time we died. I should be ridden with bullet wounds," I remarked, wondering about the difference amongst the scars or lack thereof. "Maybe it's because it was a husk? And maybe that's why...all of this is happening or something? I don't know. I never knew the specifics of the Reapers talking to you on Menae."

Sarah pressed her lips into a thin line. "You know what?" She said with a furrowed brow. "I've had enough of this." She used her good arm to fling aside the blanket that had been covering her. Her prosthetic arm was draped limply at her side, and it continued to hang feebly from her as she forced herself into a sitting position. She slid her good arm beneath her prosthetic leg, just under the knee, as she moved herself into a seated position with both legs hanging over the edge.

"I'm starting to get some feeling in my new limbs," she said. "But I can't move them yet." She gestured at me. "Help me up," she demanded. "I'm sick of being in here, and I want to move around."

"Sarah, it is not recommended for you to leave the medical bay at this time," EDI's voice spoke over the speakers.

I stood up, and began to try to help Sarah up, though I was hesitant; I looked up at the ceiling, wondering what EDI would think. Hopefully I wouldn't get thrown in the brig for mutiny or something. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked her with a lot of uncertain in my voice. "And why do you look like you still have all your arms and legs?"

"They're some kind of new prototype, I guess," Sarah answered. "They're a mixture of my own... replicated tissues, and tech. I guess it means I'm the Bionic Woman now." She snorted at her own joke. "Anyway, I want to walk, and... me and Chakwas have been making some progress. Can you help me up, let me lean on you?"

"Yes, of course," I said. Looking to the ceiling again, I spoke up again. "I'm sure we'll be fine, EDI."

I gradually and shakily began to help Sarah walk a little bit, starting to move towards the door. "Feeling alright?" I asked, just for assurance, as we progressed to the exit of the MedBay.

She kept her hand gripped on the back of her new leg, above the knee. She seemed to be trying to force it to work, gritting her teeth as she tried to feel it moving, and trying to get her brain to work with the new limb. "Ugh, this is so frustrating!" she exclaimed. "I feel like a big baby, trying to learn how to walk again. I can twitch my toes and feel my hand against my new leg, but it won't MOVE on its own." She gritted her teeth in irritation.

"Don't over-exert yourself. I believe you can do it, but these things take time," I said, secretly praying that she'd be able to move, either now or whenever the time was right. "You lost two limbs and now you are trying to make two new ones work. It is going to take some time. There's no need to rush."

She ended up losing something in the stride she was forcing herself to make; her ankle bent at an awkward angle, causing her new leg to collapse entirely underneath her. She ended up falling against me, and grabbing me to keep from falling-I acted out of reflex, grabbing her before she could fall too far.

"Damnit-ouch!" She hissed.

"As I said, it is not advisable that you leave the Medical Bay," EDI's voice again chimed in. "Especially without Dr. Chakwas or a medical personnel overseeing it. There is a high probability of hindering your new prosthetic leg rather than helping it."

"Sarah, are you sure you want to do this? We can always go back and sit down if you want," I encouraged, still holding her and keeping her from falling onto the floor. "You don't have to do this now."

"Oh hell yes I'm going to do this now," Sarah said stubbornly. "Look, there are some exercises Chakwas told me to do, to get used to moving the new limbs. I've been slacking off because I just... haven't felt like doing it much. But if it will distract me from these stupid dreams and get me out of here sooner-hell yeah I'll do them!" She looked down at the floor. "Help me sit down on the floor," she requested. "And... maybe you could help me do these exercises."

"Alright, I'll help you," I told her, slowly starting to ease her down onto the floor. Soon, she was sitting there on her own. I sat down across from her. "Okay. What do we do first? I'm clueless here, so you're the leader."

"Okay, here's what you do." She gestured at me. "Scoot back a bit, and let me stretch my legs out a little more."

I scooted back until I was sitting about three feet from her. She rested her good leg on the floor, stretching it out in front her. She then used her good arm to get her other leg into position beside it. "Okay," she said, sounding slightly breathless. "I want to do one of the exercises that Chakwas keeps recommending. First, put your hand on the bottom of my new foot, and... put your other hand halfway between my ankle and knee, for support." She stared at me, obviously waiting for me to do this before explaining the next step.

Doing these type of things always confused me; I'd never been one for physical exercises, although I suppose that serving on board the Normandy had forced me to change that somewhat. Nonetheless, I put my left hand on the bottom of her foot, and my right hand half-way between the ankle and the knee, getting a firm grip on it.

Sarah was shaking her head. "Not quite like that," she corrected me. "Put your right hand on the bottom of my leg and hold it up-yeah, like that. That's good. Now just keep my foot level with my leg. Okay, what we need to do is you are gonna gently push on the bottom of my foot, so that my knee gets pushed toward me until it touches me. Then I'm gonna see if I can make my foot push back against your hand. If that doesn't work... we escort my leg back and forth, and hope I can get a feel for it and start moving it. Got it?"

Nodding and hoping I understood, I began to slowly push her foot up towards Sarah herself. "Is this alright?" I asked as I continued to delicately push it.

"That's good, that's good," Sarah said with an eager nod. "Okay, a little more... stop right there. Now..." She gritted her teeth, and tried to focus. She placed her hand on her prosthetic knee, trying to gently urge it to move forward on its own. I allowed my hand to be pushed back as her foot pressed against it, and I kept my other hand under the lower half of her leg for support.

"You know," Joker's voice said over the speakers, "this reminds me of something I saw from a video on the extranet. This would be the perfect time for Jack to walk in..."

"Joker," Sarah warned through gritted teeth, "shut up."

"You may wish to keep that to yourself, Jeff," EDI's voice said. "I have seen the sites you have bookmarked on the extranet; many of them are illegal in Alliance space."

"Yeah well, we're not exactly in Alliance space," Joker said.

I almost said something about the fact that if that were to happen, Sarah and I would probably have matching prosthetics...on all eight of our arms and legs. But I decided to bite my tongue. "Are you doing alright, Sarah?" I asked, deciding to focus on her. I'd say she was doing pretty good, but I could never be sure in these sorts of things.

She grunted. "I think I'm starting to feel it moving," she said. "Just a little. Come on, push it back toward me."

We continued like this for some time, and Sarah seemed to make gradual progress. After an hour or so, she actually offered some resistance in her leg to my pushing it against her chest. By the second hour, she reached the point where she was moving her toes inside her sock, and she could flex her foot back and forth a little on her ankle.

"Yeah," Sarah said breathlessly, "maybe after a few more days of this... I might actually be standing."

I smiled at her. I was uncertain when we started, and when Sarah wanted to leave the Medical Bay, I was almost scared, but...this had been for the better. She was already starting to improve; it made me happy to see, and I believed that it made her a little happier, too. "I'm very proud of you, Sarah. Very proud," I encouraged her honestly. "You did great. Really great."

"Thanks," she said appreciatively. "Now help me back to the bed. I think I need a break."

"Agreed."

I helped her up, slowly but surely, and then got her back to her bed. I helped her lay down inside of it, and get into a comfortable position. "There," I said, after she looked to be alright. "That should do it."

"Thanks," she said. "And," she added, "it was great seeing you." She grinned. "By the way, I think I made some progress with my new hand, too." Her face got a mischievous look about it, as if she had done something.

I hadn't seen that look on her face since the day she shoved the turian sex manual-the one Mordin gave her-into my face and made me look.

"Sarah..." I said suspiciously. "What did you do?"

Apparently her new hand could make a fist, but she had trouble opening it. She used her good hand to uncurl her fingers, and it revealed the shiny golden ring in her palm.

I glanced at my finger. Sure enough, it was gone.

I looked back at Sarah, shocked and almost slightly embarrassed. "Oh dear, my ring! Whoops!" I exclaimed, probably going slightly red as I snatched the ring out of her hand. "Thank you. Yes...Jack gave this to me after I accepted her proposal...I imagine she wouldn't be happy if I lost it the same day that I got it."

She chuckled a little. "Yeah... I guess she wouldn't." She laid back on the bed a bit, sighing softly and gazing up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna get out of here, soon," she vowed. "Even if I have to do this every day."

"You will, Sarah, you will. It's in my thoughts and prayers," I assured her with a small smile, starting to calm down after the brief ring incident. "You'll be okay. I just know it. It is a miracle you made it this far...I mean, look at it this way: You survived. You are the only person in this galaxy to be a husk and then come back, get crushed by an avalanche and lose an arm, lose a leg in a fight with Jona Sederis, and still be alive and kicking."

"Oh, soon I will be kicking," Sarah told me. "I'm gonna do my best to get out of here, and I'm going to work hard with somebody to learn how to use a gun. And maybe... if Shepard ever lets me off the ship again, I could be good enough to join some of the missions." She gave me a meaningful glance. "Just like you and Abby," she said.

Part of me wasn't sure about that. The last couple of times Sarah had tried to do that...it hadn't ended well for her or anyone else, so it made me really, really uncertain. I didn't want history to repeat, or worse. Then again, Sarah had grown a lot since the incidents on Haestrom and Tuchanka, both in this world and back in our real world. Maybe this time...she could handle it? Maybe she just wasn't meant to do it back then. "You know what? I believe that you can," I said optimistically.

"I'm gonna do my best," she told me. It sounded like a solemn oath.

And I had to admit, she sounded a lot more determined than before. A lot more determined than I'd heard her in all my years of knowing her, online and here. "I'm right behind you, and so is Abby," I promised her. I didn't want us to just shake our heads at Sarah; admittedly, we probably did that a little too much last time, even if I still did think she had earned it at times. This time, though, I wanted us to simply support her, as we should. I had learned a lot since our last journey, too.

"Good," she said. "And now," she yawned, "I think I want to get some rest." She smiled at me. "Thanks for stopping by. I'm gonna take a nap now."

"You do that; it's a good idea. I will probably go clean up and whatnot...maybe even rest myself. I imagine the summit will be coming soon," I said, standing up and beginning to walk for the door. "It is really good to have you back, Sarah. You don't know how much."

I turned and left...very happy that all three of us were reunited. Maybe things were looking up just a little bit, after all.

"I think that CO's have some kind of superiority complex. Think about it: people don't like it when a guy treats his girl like his own property. Controls where she goes, who she hangs out with, how she dresses, et cetera. Normally people want the girl to get the hell out of the relationship. Well, just this morning, Ellison stomped into the quarters, said we're going to run twenty miles after breakfast, snapped at me for a stain on my shirt, and told me I'm scrubbing toilets on burrito night. And then he says to us, just now, that he's doing this because he loves us. I think we're in a shitty relationship, bro."

An NCO to his bunkmate

Commander Shepard was doing her rounds, both official and unofficial. The unofficial stuff consisted of going around and seeing how everyone was doing mentally, making sure their heads were on straight.

She was grateful that she had EDI and Traynor to fall back on-and in some cases, Joker. The pilot and the AI were the de facto eyes and ears of the Normandy, and Traynor was the assistant who took messages and kept everything else in order. Amelia was very capable woman and an excellent multitasked-and, she liked to believe, a half-decent Spectre-but she was still just one woman.

Garrus was calibrating something on the Normandy weapons' systems. Diana Allers had expressed interest in the Normandy's transmitter, the one that could connect to Earth, so Shepard granted her access for her news stories. Liara was hard at work in her room, performing various tasks as the Shadow Broker-although she had been seen slipping out of that room time to time to get a drink, a snack, or simply to use the bathroom. Liara's job seemed overwhelming at the least, impossible at most. Shepard was going to keep an eye on her. The last thing they needed was for their information broker to burn out.

HK had just barely left Sarah's side a while ago. She'd checked in on Sarah a few minutes ago, who was resting after a grueling exercise. Shortly after that, Shepard contacted HK and asked him to join James and Abby down in the cargo bay for some more training and exercise. Shepard figured they should work out a little more before she would take them on any further missions. HK wasn't ready, she knew that going in. Abby would definitely not be ready.

They were just kids. Ballsy kids, but still – just kids.

She had an ulterior motive – she wanted James to cool down and intuitively felt that slamming them together in a room to work together was a risk she should take. James was a team player, but he was still spreading negative scuttlebutt and that couldn't happen. If she were a different person, she'd make him stand in line. But a good team trusted each other. James would realize the benefits eventually.

And if things didn't work out, there was always a Plan B.

The human Spectre pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she passed through the War Room, feigning a patience she did not feel as the decontamination rays swept back and forth across her. The two women standing guard were Joker's security detail from Earth. They'd been stuck standing outside the War Room ever since they'd left Earth.

They could always go mop the floor and clean the bathrooms like Sarah used to if they got tired of this. Shepard suppressed a small smile at the humorous thought as she passed on through. Apparently, even in the midst of all this stress, her brain still had the capability to contemplate jokes.

Shepard entered the war room, nodding at a few individuals who acknowledged her or saluted as she passed. She'd almost forgotten what that was like. Cerberus regulations were not as formal.

She was mildly surprised to see Primarch Victus speaking with Irren Lokam in the middle of the War Room. Shepard hadn't spoken to Irren much since she'd first met him on Menae, and she didn't know much about him except that he had been Sarah's bodyguard. The only reason he was on the ship now was because of the Sarah Incident.

She had his presence on her ship in the back of her mind-along with what seemed like a million other things-but she hadn't decided yet what she would do with him. She knew that she didn't have any military authority over him, that falling to Victus – another thing to sort out.

"Ah, Commander Shepard," Victus greeted her. "It is good to see you."

"Hello, Commander," Irren greeted with a salute. Somewhat surprising, but she returned it nonetheless.

"Primarch, Lieutenant. Having a nice chat?" she asked.

"Yes, indeed," Victus said. "Lieutenant Lokam here is a bright young turian. I've been speaking with him over the past couple of hours, and..." He gave the younger turian a meaningful look. "Well?" the Primarch prompted. "What do you think of my proposal?"

"What proposal?" Shepard asked, casting both of them a curious look, especially when Irren seemed to hesitate.

"Obviously I won't be staying on the Normandy forever, Commander Shepard," the Primarch answered. "I'd like someone to remain here on my behalf once I am gone, as my representative." He looked from Shepard, back to Irren. "If he agrees, he will report directly to me to keep me updated on your mission's progress against the Reapers. He, in turn, can keep you informed of any changes on Palaven and make certain you stay informed of any messages from me."

"Ah," Shepard said, already pondering the idea. "I'm amenable to this, Primarch."

"So, what do you say?" Victus asked Irren, obviously wanting an answer. Shepard folded her arms in a thoughtful gesture, regarding the younger turian as well.

"It would be an honor, sir. I'm just a soldier, but if you give the order, I'll do it gladly," Irren said softly. He seemed like a quiet individual to start with, but Shepard sensed a thoughtfulness beneath his façade. A little too wordy for a soldier.

"You'll do well," the Primarch stated.

"Thank you, sir."

Victus nodded, and then he turned his attention to Shepard. "Now, Commander, was there something you wished to discuss?" he asked formally.

"Just wanted to see how things were going down here," the Commander replied. "How are things on Palaven?"

The Primarch sighed. "Not good," he answered. "This is why we need the krogan. Even with our full military support focusing on Menae, Palaven, and our colony worlds..." He sighed. "We're stretched very thin, and my people are being slaughtered by thousands every day. I..." He hesitated, as if uncertain whether he should finish that thought.

He did anyway. "I wish I was there with my men," he stated grimly.

"So do I, sir," Irren said, looking at the Primarch. "But we must be here right now; if we want Palaven to survive, it's up to people like us to go out and unite the forces of the galaxy. I wish I could be there with them, but I trust our men to hold up."

Shepard knew how that felt. She still hated the fact that she couldn't have stayed on Earth with Anderson... would he even survive this war? How was he doing on Earth, right now? No, she couldn't think about that right now. She'd spoken to him, briefly, after rescuing the students from Grissom Academy; he'd been concerned about Kahlee Sanders.

"Stay positive," she said. "If you give into despair, you're letting the Reapers win." That's something that she had to tell herself every night when she went to bed. Maybe in a way, that was part of Sarah's problem. Sometimes when you stopped moving, and settled down for a brief rest... that's when all of your fears and negative emotions came crashing down on you.

"Yes, of course," Victus said, clearing his throat. "How much longer until we reach the Summit?" he wanted to know. He was all business now, pleased to have something to focus on. Everyone needed something to do in this war, some way to keep moving forward so that they wouldn't lose their sanity during the quiet moments.

"About four more hours," Shepard told him.

The Primarch sighed. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Every second that ticked by, more turians-and humans-were dying. In four hours, another million or so could be dead or badly wounded.

Right now, both of them-and many others-wanted the Reapers to be stopped. Yet here they were, spending precious time going through space to get to yet another political meeting. Shepard could only hope that they would actually get somewhere, and that they wouldn't have to waste so much time like the Council did already. Although, this was going to be a meeting with Primarch Victus, Urdnot Wrex, and the salarian dalatrass. She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be the usual run-of-the-mill political meeting, especially with Wrex there.

Then again, all the spare time had allowed them to save Grissom Academy... if they hadn't been there, Cerberus would have taken Jack and the students and done who-knew-what to them.

"Lokam," Victus said, "I'd like you to compile my reports and send them to the High Command center on Palaven."

"Yes, sir. Now that I've been released from the Medical Bay, I'll be of far more use," Irren replied with a nod. " Where would I be able to compile the reports?"

He looked from the Primarch to Shepard, likely since she knew the ship better than Victus did.

"You can work in here if you want," Shepard replied. "Check with the requisition officer if you need anything. His name is Hendricks. I'll have EDI set you up your own account to get into the mainframe." She glanced between them again. "Is there anything that you need?" she asked.

Irren coughed, and it suddenly looked as if he was slightly uncomfortable . He looked down for a moment, before looking at the Commander. "Well, in the avalanche on Menae, everything that I had on me was crushed. I don't know what happened to it; next thing I knew, I was in a hospital gown on the Citadel, and was just given this extra pair of clothes. Anything else of mine would be back on Menae or Palaven; I don't have anything. Armor, weapons, omni tool...not that I need those things to compile reports, ma'am, and I don't want to be a burden."

Shepard was already nodding. "Yes. What's left of your armor is in storage, I apologize for not letting you know sooner. You'll need a replacement set, though. Also, if you're going to be on this ship, we may have need of you on the ground. We do three-man operations mostly, and I try to rotate people out. If somebody gets hurt or injured, I might call on you to fill a spot. Primarch?"

"If you have need of him, feel free to take him," the Primarch replied. "I trust in your leadership capabilities, Commander. Irren Lokam will serve as my intermediary and as support for your ground assaults."

"Thank you," she said with an incline of her head. "That will help us. We have an area on Deck Five for you to train and refit your weapons as necessary. For now you can choose from our stock, but that doesn't get rid of the armor issue. For now you'll stay aboard until we can get you fitted on the Citadel." She looked at the Primarch meaningfully. "I'll foot the bill for this one. Unless you're willing to ship your blue military armor to the Normandy, he won't be in uniform. Will this be a problem?"

The Primarch had to think about it. "I want him to have two sets. His own, and a military-issued kit. I'll order that and have it waiting for you on the Citadel. He's still one of my men."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, sir."

"This is good," said the Primarch. "I like this. Having a turian presence in the affairs will send out a good image. United."

"It will," Shepard replied. "And the extra guns are nice, too. As for the omni-tools, I have a spare he can use."

Actually, she had three spare omni-tools in her quarters. They had belonged to Abby, HK and Sarah the last time they had been on the Normandy, before they died. Now that Abby and HK had gotten new omni-tools-at the same time that Garrus helped them get new armor during their shopping trip on the Citadel-they didn't need the old ones anymore.

Shepard contemplated the idea of giving Sarah's original omni-tool back to her. She didn't see why not... especially since the Commander herself had personally deleted everything off of it. Specifically, some very graphic pictures of a specific turian. If nothing else, she had to admit that Kasumi had a knack at photography. If the woman ever wanted a change in career, she'd still have it made.

"Thank you, Commander," Irren said, still seeming slightly embarrassed. "I definitely appreciate it. And like I said, Primarch, I will get to work ASAP."

He was one wordy turian. Maybe that'd be for the better.

"Very good," the Primarch said with approval.

They concluded their conversation, and Shepard left, feeling as though much had been accomplished. There wasn't anything that else they could discuss, not until they reached the summit at least. "I'll see you both later," the Commander said, and then she headed back the way she came.

Shepard went through the decontamination area again and then rode the lift up to her quarters. Once there, she retrieved two omni-tools; Sarah's old one, and Abby's old one. She paused briefly before leaving her quarters, taking a thoughtful glance around. She sincerely hoped that there wouldn't be any more husk spiders this time around...

The Commander ended up handing Abby's old omni-tool to Traynor, asking her to take it down to Irren when she got a chance. Then Shepard got back into the elevator and headed down to the medical bay, where she went to visit Sarah again.

Sarah was awake, and she appeared to be eating lunch. She seemed to be getting a little more control of her new arm; she was actually using it to balance the lunch tray on her lap. She glanced up when Shepard entered.

"Hi, Commander," Sarah greeted.

"Hey," Shepard greeted. "I brought you this." She handed the younger woman the omni-tool. "I figured you might be able to use this. But..." She raised a chilly eyebrow, even though her eyes held a slight amount of amusement. "I don't want to hear about you getting more pictures of naked turians while you serve on my ship. Not Garrus, not Lokam, and definitely not the Primarch. Understood?"

Sarah looked chastised, and she blushed. But she also seemed to pick up on the fact that Shepard was teasing just a little, even if she was mostly serious. "Got it," Sarah said with a simple nod.

"Good," Shepard said, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Enjoy your lunch." With that, she turned and left the medical bay.

(Sarah)

I finished my lunch in silence, and then I put the tray aside. I looked upward and spoke to the ceiling. "EDI," I said. "If Joker doesn't need his co-pilot right now... can I see you in person for a moment? The real co-pilot, not Abby."

"Certainly," EDI answered.

A couple of minutes later, the fem-bot strolled casually into the medical bay and looked at me. She clasped her hands behind her back. I wasn't sure if that was a chosen mannerism, or if she was mimicking someone from the crew who'd done it. "Yes, Sarah?" she asked.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could do me a favor," I said with a smile.

"I presume that this is something you need hands or feet for," EDI said.

"How'd you know?"

"Otherwise, you would have asked me over the ship's comm," EDI replied. "After all, you know that I am always here."

That was true. "I was wondering if you could carry me somewhere, just for a while," I asked her. "Bridal style again, if you please."

EDI cocked her head to one side. "I see," she said. "You wish the crew to reaffirm the fact that you are a lesbian." Beat. "That was a joke."

"You and Joker should form a comedy duo," I said dryly. "Come on, are you gonna take me somewhere or not?"

"It depends on where you want to go, and whether or not Dr. Chakwas says that it is okay."

Chakwas was already looking at us from her workstation. "Yes, it depends on where you want to go, Sarah," she echoed.

"I just want to go to the gun room, or wherever Garrus is," I said, shrugging one shoulder. "Come on, just for a little bit? For old time's sake?" I gave what I hoped was a cute puppy dog look. "Pretty please?"

EDI looked at Chakwas. Chakwas sighed. "I say check with Garrus, see if he's up for visitors," she said.

Somehow I detected an undertone in that sentence, something like, 'See if he's in the mood to be pestered.'

"I will contact Garrus now," EDI said, and then fell silent. Obviously, the part of her that was within the ship was talking to Garrus, wherever he was. It was an exchange that occurred elsewhere, and I did not hear it. EDI's body seemed to stare off into space for several seconds, and then she looked at me again. "Garrus has agreed to let you visit him," she told me. "But only for a short while, and he says to mind your manners."

"Hey, I've already promised Shepard to be good," I said.

"Very well," EDI said, and then she gently scooped me up into her arms.

"So," I said before we left the medical bay, "is this how you're gonna handle Joker when you guys get hitched? You gonna carry him across the threshold?" I grinned, unable to resist getting a jab in.

"Ho, ho, very funny," Joker's voice said over the speakers. Didn't he have better things to do than watch me all the time? Unless it was that boring in the cockpit sometimes...

A short time later, EDI entered the gunnery with me in her arms. She set me down on the floor in the corner, making certain I was in a comfortable seated position against the wall. Then the fem-bot left as quickly as she entered. Maybe even more quickly, since I wasn't in her arms.

"Hi, Garrus," I said with a smile. "Long time no see." The last time I'd really seen him had been on Menae. And he was yelling at me.

"Sarah. It's good to see you're alive and well," Garrus said, sounding friendly and slightly pleased to see me, almost. "Welcome back to the Normandy."

"Thanks," I said with genuine appreciation. "So... how are you?"

"As well as can be expected. There's a war going on, my planet is burning...a lot of friends have died, and I don't know what's become of my family," Garrus replied morosely.

"Don't worry, this war will be over... eventually," I told him confidently. "We need to cure the-I mean, get the krogan to cooperate," I said, catching myself before making a potential slip, "and then we need to sort everything out between the quarians and the geth... and then work things out with the asari." I sighed. "All that's going to take a while," I told him. "But don't worry," I added quickly. "From my visions, your family makes it out okay."

Garrus paused for a moment, not saying anything. "Thank you, I appreciate that," he said softly. "And it sounds like we have quite a mission ahead of us. Don't we always."

He paused again for a moment, hitting in several things on the console before him, like he often did. "By the way, Sarah, I wanted to thank you for telling me about Primarch Fedorian. I know that he died anyway, unfortunately, but...I appreciate the effort, and the trust. I don't want to know everything, but little things like these mean a lot."

"You're welcome," I told him. "I promised Shepard I was gonna try to be more of a team-player this time, and... cause less trouble," I told him. Somehow it felt important for him to know that I'd made that promise. Maybe it was because he was the one I'd spoken to the most on the last mission... besides Kasumi.

Maybe I should send Kasumi an email and let her know of that promise, too. Just so she wouldn't worry.

"I'm not gonna be a headache to anyone anymore," I told him, giving him the most serious stare I'd ever given anyone on this ship. I conveyed my solemn oath to him just as I had to Shepard.

"Good. I'd really prefer not to have anymore exposing pictures of myself being thrown around the ship, as tempting as it may be," Garrus said with a chuckle.

I groaned and buried my face into my good hand. I was definitely making progress with my new arm, but not enough to move it at will yet-especially not quickly. "Please don't ever mention that again," I grumbled. "Seriously... I didn't think I'd be alive to see you again after you... read that goodbye letter."

"Well, I suppose life has a way of bringing around everything for you to face," Garrus remarked. "I won't mention it again. Just don't give me a reason to."

"Don't worry," I told him. "Besides, I've got my eyes on someone else anyway," I said, almost dreamily.

Somehow that sounded better in my head than it did being spoken.

"Ahh," Garrus said, as if a realization hit him. "That makes sense. I won't say anything."

I narrowed my eyes a little. "Yeah well, I'd rather not know what you want to say," I said simply. Then again... just as long as he didn't think I had a crush on the Primarch, we were all good.

"So," I said, trying to change the subject, "is it true that you and Irren are distantly related? I mean, he mentioned something about that on Menae."

"Ahh, yes, we are. Barely. He's a good soldier, and a good man," Garrus explained to me. "You were fortunate to have him as your bodyguard."

"He seemed pretty loyal," I commented. "I mean... he stayed with me even when I ran out of the turian camp on Menae. Even when the brutes were coming at me, even when the avalanche was coming down on us..." I sighed, once again sounding kind of... dreamy. Hey, a girl had to think about something if she was going to escape bad nightmares and forget her problems.

"He was... my hero." I blinked a little. "And then Kasumi was my hero on the Citadel," I added, unaware that I was starting to ramble. "And then Thane saved me... I'm surrounded by good people."

I smiled up at him. "I'm gonna do better this time," I told him again, with confidence. "This time, I'm going to do everything right. I am going to learn to walk again, and then I'm going to learn to use a gun."

"I'm glad to hear it. Just...be careful, and take it one step at a time. Don't rush anything," Garrus told me. "And we're here for you, to help you; I'll try to help however I can. But you need to stand on your own two feet. Er, wait, that sounded bad. Sorry. You know what I mean."

"I really appreciate that," I said. "So um... what was it like, when everybody thought I... died? How did Shepard take it? How did HK and Abby take it?"

"There were a mix of emotions. General Corinthus contacted Shepard and told her about you fleeing from the camp; she had to make a choice between you and Victus, and you have to understand that we all knew that we needed Victus to help stop this war. He was our only hope. Shepard and I were both...frustrated with a lot of things; the war, you running off...it was tough," Garrus explained to me, slightly somber. "When we told Abby and HK… I think they were angry at Shepard. We haven't talked that much."

I scowled at him a little. "Excuse me, but I was running blind when I ran out of the camp," I said defensively. "I heard the Reapers screaming in my head, as if they were trying to control me. And there were Brutes coming at me. I panicked. In case you've forgotten, I didn't get a whole lot of experience out in the battlefield, and nobody bothered to try and help me get over my fears during the last mission."

I sighed, realizing that I was being a little snippy. But my talk with Shepard had encouraged me to open up about my feelings more. I couldn't keep stuffing things down anymore. "I'm sorry if I sound snappy," I told him in a softer tone. "It just seems like Abby and HK always fit in without a problem, and did everything right. Me? I got to clean the floors, and... okay, I'll admit I caused a lot of problems, and I'm sorry for that. But maybe some people just need a little more time and patience before they can be anywhere near your level, okay?"

I could have continued that rant a little further, but I realized something. Somehow, while I was focused on talking to Garrus, I had managed to rise a little bit off the floor. Maybe my body was had remembered my old limbs, and was substituting the new ones in their place or something. However, once I made the realization, they caved and I ended up sitting down on the floor again, hard. I gritted my teeth in frustration; this was going to get annoying fast if this kept up.

"I understand why you did what you did; I know you were scared. It was a tough spot to be in, that was all, particularly for Shepard. And Abby and HK didn't understand," Garrus told me. "And I know things haven't been easy on you, either, this time or last time. However, Abby and HK haven't fit in as perfectly as they did, either; most of the crew isn't friendly to them. James certainly isn't, and admittedly, neither am I most of the time."

"Why not?" I asked with a little shrug. "You seem pretty calm and friendly around me right now." I grinned in spite of myself. "That happy to see me alive?" I asked, almost playfully.

"It's been hard, Sarah, and you know what? We all have bigger things to worry about that your games," Garrus said. "My world's burning and all of you know how this war will end, and you won't say anything. So if we sound a little bit upset, we have good reason."

"Yeah well... if it means anything, I kind of told Shepard how this war will end during her long talk with me," I confided. I frowned, knowing that maybe I shouldn't have said anything. If that got around, everybody might start pestering Shepard for the info... or they might think they can pressure me for more information.

And what would HK and Abby think, if or when they found out that I'd given Shepard some of the intel from the Extended Cut ending?

"Huh," Garrus said.

"If we spill too much, and if the future changes... well, we probably won't get new visions, so we have to stick with what we know," I reminded him.

"Agreed. I'm not saying you need to tell us everything. It's just hard for the people who don't have these visions, like the rest of the crew, to understand," Garrus told me. "Especially the newer people, like James. This Normandy is a different one than the one you're accustomed to."

I guess I hadn't realized that, especially since I'd been stuck in the medical bay-and I would continue to be stuck there until I could walk again. "I won't have people glaring at me wherever I go when I can move around again, will I?" I asked with uncertainty.

"Probably not. They may just not be the most friendly," Garrus answered.

"Gotcha," I replied with a little nod. "Well... I think I'll get back to the medical bay now," I told him. "I'll let you get back to your... calibrating. Nice to see you, and thanks for talking to me," I said with a small smile.

"It's nice to have you back, Sarah. I'm glad you made it out alive."

"Thanks." I cleared my throat, and looked toward the ceiling. "EDI," I began, but I was interrupted.

"I have already informed Dr. Chakwas," the AI said. "She is on her way."

Wow, EDI was pretty efficient. "Thanks," I said.

A couple minutes later, I was back in the medical bay and back in my bed. I decided I would simply rest until Chakwas was ready to continue physical therapy with me.

(Abby)

HK and I hadn't had much of a chance to hang out or interact for some time... at least, not alone. Now that I slept in the female crew quarters and HK slept in the men's quarters, it was harder to be alone. I began to miss the good old days more and more, where there was only the skeleton Cerberus crew and we got a room all to ourselves.

At least if Sarah got released, she'd be in the room with me. I think there was a spare bed in there that wasn't being used... then again, no one on the ship had their "own" bed anymore. While you were up and about performing your shift, someone from the previous shift would go in and sleep in the bed you'd just deserted.

It was weird sleeping in a bed you shared with another person. Sometimes I could smell her perfume on the pillow, and there was something disconcerting about how the bed was usually still warm when I was getting in it. It didn't feel like my own. I felt like I was stealing.

Just like in Japan, people had chores and were expected to do them. I got to mop the bathrooms tomorrow. Whoopee!

I wondered if Sarah would up doing some of that stuff again once she got back on her feet. Shepard wouldn't want anyone to be idle for long on this ship, after all.

Lately, it seemed like the only times I saw HK were either in the mess hall during our meals, or here in the cargo hold. Apparently Shepard wanted to make sure we were "fit for duty" as she put it... even though I was sure that HK proved himself during the mission to Grissom Academy.

I had a sneaking suspicion that Shepard was trying to help James Vega get to know us better by forcing us into this particular "training session". He was a big gorilla of a man who appeared able to bend steel with his teeth and take down many enemies at long-range and short-range. I wasn't exactly a push-over but…

I was kind of a push-over compared to him.

Something about James Vega kind of... intimidated me. His size, mainly. I saw him grab HK right before my eyes and hold him in a bone-crushing bear-hug until HK's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He then released HK, wheezing and breathless on the floor, and I saw my friend on his hands and knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Just trying to give you an example of what you're up against once you go out there," James told us, folding his big beefy arms and hovering over us like we were toddlers as I crouched down beside HK to see if he was alright. "Hacker, you did pretty well on Grissom Academy, but what happens when you face a real enemy that isn't even human? Or one of Cerberus's more powerful, veteran teams? You wouldn't last two seconds."

I pursed my lips, bending my head low as I checked on HK so that James couldn't see my expression. My friend was recovering, so I helped him into a more comfortable sitting position before I whirled on the bigger man.

"Look," I said firmly, crossing my own arms to mirror him-in spite of my much shorter stance, I still knew how to look intimidating when I wanted to. "We know we suck compared to you. So show us how to get better."

I cast HK another quick glance, worried for a moment that his rib cage might have been bruised... or worse. But I knew that James had more self-control than that; he was trying to make a point, but he wouldn't injure us. Shepard would never forgive him.

"Daisycup," he said, calling be by my new nickname, "I don't care what happened the last time you were here. Shepard wants you here, I understand that. But you've got no business going on away missions."

He pointed at HK. "You saw what I did to your friend; one squeeze, and he's down like a limp noodle."

"Because you took him by surprise," I argued. "He wasn't wearing any armor, and you took him off-guard." I stared up at his face levelly, refusing to back down.

He met my stare evenly. "So you think any enemies we face now are going to tap you politely on the shoulder to announce your presence before they attack?" He snorted. " You're going to slow us down and get us killed."

I felt my cheeks growing hot as I narrowed my eyes into a scowl. "So what's this about then?" I asked. "Tell us."

"I want both of you to see that you have no business going into fights. If I had been one of those Reaper husk things, Hacker would be dead right now. I want both of you to go to Shepard and tell her that you won't be going into fights anymore." Hacker was James' casual reference to people who were, in his opinion, where they shouldn't be.

"I disagree," I said stoically.

James sighed and gazed skyward, as if catching himself just short of rolling his eyes. "Even if you can," he acknowledged slowly, "it's not a good idea for you to leave the ship. Cerberus knows about you guys, and they'll want you. I heard about their attack on your friend in the medical bay, plus the Reapers will want to know what you know. So why should the Commander put you into situations where you might be captured, or killed?"

"If you feel so strongly about this, why not ask the Commander herself?" I asked. I knew that James was an outspoken individual in his own way, especially when it came to topics he felt passionate about. Since he was already spreading rumors about us around the Normandy, there was no doubt in my mind that he would eventually say this to Shepard whether I approved or not.

"I've already said it to her," James stated. "Point-blank to her face, right where you're standing now." He cocked his head toward the shuttle, where Cortez was doing some work. "Just ask Esteban over there; he saw the whole exchange, even if he pretended not to notice!"

I blinked a little, shocked. "What did Shepard say?" I asked. I felt something at my shoulder; HK had apparently recovered, more or less. He was standing just behind me now, wheezing.

"What do you think?"

Well, it was good to know that James knew he couldn't order us around.

"If I may say something," HK chimed in, speaking for the first time since catching his breath. "James, I know you think we're withholding information and that we shouldn't be fighting. I see where you're coming from, and you've made excellent points. But we need to be here, and we're going to help Shepard as much as we are able, just like we did last time."

"Yeah, two kids and a young woman who was so stupid she went and get her leg chopped off," James retorted.

I could tell when a conversation was starting to go in pointless circles, and this one was already doing that. "We're here, and we're staying, and unless Shepard says otherwise, we are going to keep going with her and keep on fighting," I vowed. I met his gaze again, making it absolutely clear that he couldn't boss me around or make me back down. He wasn't going to push me around. "If you need some proof of my abilities, why don't you take me on?"

Hmm… okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

James actually looked like he was trying to bite back a laugh. "You have absolutely no muscle on you, and you look like I could pick you up and put you over my knee easily. Look, kid, you obviously don't belong here. It would be like... duking it out with a pyjack. You couldn't handle me."

His words stunned me, and then infuriated me. Suddenly I realized why he referred to me as Daisycup, and why he'd grabbed HK instead of me to prove his point. To him, I was nothing but a kid. He saw me as this little schoolgirl who had nothing better to do than talk about boys or whine about a chipped nail.

I was really, really considering the idea of challenging him. As long as I was fast enough, I might have a chance, plus my body here had learned a few tricks that it hadn't learned in the real world. I could put them to good use here.

But he seemed to be one step ahead of me. As if reading my mind, he shook his head slightly. "I think we've spent enough time down here," he said. "You kids can target practice without me. I need to go take a shower." With that, he spun on his heel and marched to the nearest turbolift.

"Abby, are you okay?" HK asked me, touching my shoulder with concern. If anything, I should have been asking him that. The expression on my face must have been something.

"I hate arguing with walls. Especially one built like a brick shithouse."

"I know," HK nodded sympathetically. "But Shepard trusts us. Maybe James and some of the others just need a little more time."

I remembered my conversation with Garrus; I believed that I made some headway with him. Hopefully, by the time all of this was over, everyone would at least learn to accept our presence.

If we survived that long.

"Come on," I grumbled. "Let's spar. Half-speed."