Mass Effect

Back In Time

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Disclaimer; I do not, and probably never will, own Mass Effect.
Author's Note; For now, this is the end. For any of you who have just started reading this, or are looking back over it, I am putting this story on a hiatus. The time length isn't defined, so for now, I'm tabbing the story as complete.
P.S. Thank you for your patience. :)
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Back In Time

Chapter Fifty

Shepard's steps halted at Anderson's door.

He had insisted on coming here alone.

Miranda hadn't been too happy to hear his decision. He didn't really care how she felt; Anderson asked for him to come back, so he had.

He took a deep breath, raising a hand to knock on the metal door.

Shepard was slightly nervous.

Before his knuckles could hit the metal, the door slid open.

His momentary confusion was blown away as two arms clamped around him. Blonde hair danced around him, a chin dug into his shoulder. The arms tightened around him.

He moved his arms around her, lowering his face to the top of her head.

"John," she whispered.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

After a moment, she stepped back, almost hesitantly moving back into the room. Her eyes never left his.

"So… Spectre Melanie Shepard, right? Rank of N7?"

A smile spread across her face.

She missed him. He missed her.

Anderson walked up to the two of them, nodding at him.

"Yes. She fought for her position, and earned it."

Shepard stepped into the room, his smile turning into a grin.

"So what happens now? I'm not sure if this galaxy can handle two Spectre Shepards."

There- a full smile.

Mission accomplished.

"They'll figure it out," she responded.

Anderson held up a hand to politely interrupt.

"I believe I need to tell the Commander of the nature of this meeting." The man turned to him. "Spectre Shepard will be following you onboard the Normandy to keep an eye on the workings of the Normandy and its crew. She will be making sure that you are operating under the terms of the deal you set up with the Council."

"So you're giving me a babysitter?"

Melanie grinned.

"Be thankful that he's not giving you a warden."

Anderson glanced between the two of them. He stepped back, grabbing a datapad off of his desk.

"Here are the exact terms and conditions you will follow. All you have to do is read them, sign, and email the form back to me. Do you understand?"

With a smile on his face, Commander Shepard nodded.

In response, Anderson held out the datapad.

He took it.

Melanie's smile only widened.

.~*~.

Miranda had noticed that something was off the moment the Commander stepped into the Normandy.

His shoulders were slumped, the scars on his face glowing brightly, begging to be noticed by the world.

Behind him entered Melanie Shepard.

Miranda stiffened.

No. She did not need another Shepard on board. Together, they were only going to cause more trouble. She already had too much.

The Operative stepped forward, opening her mouth to protest when a hand on her shoulder made her fall silent.

She turned, meeting Kasumi's dark gaze.

To tell the truth, Miranda hadn't even noticed that the thief was on the floor. She needed to sharpen her skills.

At the moment, all she could do was glare.

"Let them be. John doesn't do anything without good reason."

As Kasumi drifted away, Miranda listened to the echo, her mind replaying the two sentences as if they were a broken record.

.~*~.

John invited Melanie to sit next to him on the large, plush bed.

There was a darkness inside of the woman that he couldn't recognize.

Something wasn't right.

"Melanie?"

She looked away, her eyes locking onto the closet.

"I hate you."

The words were so simple, yet laced with too many emotions.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself, but it caught in her throat, choking her.

"I hate you for being the hero that only you would be."

He could see the pain rolling off of her.

Desperately, he tried to move, to reach out to the woman, but he found that all of his limbs were frozen in place.

"I hate you for taking everyone's bullshit, grinning at them as you did so."

He could hear his heart as it rammed into his chest, attempting to break free from its constraints.

"I hate you for dying."

Stop. Please stop.

Her dark blue eyes drifted to him, tears making salty paths down her face.

"But I still love you."

.~*~.

Melanie watched Miranda pace around the small room.

The N7 tried to ignore the steady beeping of the heart monitor. It only served to remind her of a war they almost lost. The war that decided whether or not people would live, or die.

The war decided the fate of the universe.

And John had decided the fate of the war.

They won.

He won.

Now, the man laid on a bed in the Huerta Memorial Hospital, forgotten by the galaxy that he had saved.

"Can I please have a moment with him," Melanie asked, watching as Miranda halted her steps, her gaze falling to the floor.

The woman shrugged, and forced a smile before stepping out of the room.

Once the doors slid shut, Melanie sighed. She had worked so hard to get Hackett to give her this time off of the reconstruction.

April 11, 2188.

Slowly, she walked across the room. Her arms folded over her chest, fingers clasping onto the edges of the armor. It was nearly silent. Only the incessant beeping was heard.

"John…"

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"You really need to wake up. Soon. It's been two years…" she paused, giving another sigh. "It wasn't this hard when you were dead."

She pulled her eyes to the bed. She listened to his breathing.

"Then… All I needed to do was live the life my cousin- my brother- would have wanted me to live. All I needed to do was live up to your name. Commander Shepard. First Human Spectre. Hannah- Mom- even helped me, supported me, and followed her own methods of remembrance.

"Now all we have to do is wait for you to wake back up."

She paused, moving to sit next to him on the bed. He didn't move, but she never expected him to.

"We miss you so damn much."

Melanie's breath caught in her throat.

"Tali wants to adopt a child. A Human. There aren't many Quarian orphans- the only Reaper that found them was destroyed. By you.

"John… Tali- she says… she wants to wait for you before she looks into it. She wants to be with you. We all do."

The Marine looked up, eyes locking onto the pristine wall.

She never felt so lonely.

Melanie stood, walking across the room to the table by the door. Her hands clumsily flew over the table, picking up the cards that sat there. Then, she walked back, and reclaimed her spot next to him on the bed.

"The crew already visited. I told them to get back to their lives…" She paused, a sad smile crossing her face. "I know what you're thinking. Jealous, much?" A nod. "Very."

The smile faded.

"I have what you could call an obligation. I'm going to read all your cards to you… Just like I did after you died, a few years back. Yes. I made everyone get you cards."

She put the envelopes on her lap to slip the gloves off her fingers.

"You know, John… I really hope you've been listening."

The gloves found their way to the floor, moments before she opened an envelope.

The first card had sheep on it, a man with a staff standing off to the side.

Melanie took the time to read each and every handwritten message.

After they were all read, she remained sitting on the edge of the bed.

The cards found their way onto the nearby table.

"I hate you."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"I hate you for being the hero that only you would be…"

A tear slipped down her face.

"I hate you for taking everyone's bullshit, grinning at them as you did so."

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"I hate you for dying."

An unwanted sob escaped her, tearing its way out of her throat.

Her dark blue eyes wandered over him, taking in his still features.

"But I still love you."