Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1

My story of a Post ME3 FShep/Traynor romance. I originally didn't like the synthesis ending but the extended cut definitely made it feel like the best ending that it was advertised as. Sticking with canon for the most part, but taking a little artistic license. Would like to continue this as I thought Traynor was the best new character is ME3, seeing her transform from the timid comm officer at the beginning, to the battle tested veteran by the end was great. So please review and tell me, good? Bad? Continue? Stop?

"There is another option, synthesis. Add your energy to the Crucible's, fusing organic and synthetics into a new framework, a new DNA," the Catalyst told Shepard.

"How would that even work," asked Shepard. This idea intrigued her, the catalyst had told her that destroying the Reapers would also mean the death of EDI and the Geth, and Shepard was not willing to sacrifice an entire race and a close friend if there were other options. Likewise she was hesitant to try to control the Reapers for the same reasons she had given the Illusive man. What if she couldn't control them, and the cycle began anew. If there was another option, another way to end the cycles and ensure that organics and synthetics would never come into conflict again, then she had to consider it.

"By taking a sample of your DNA, we can replicate it and send out the Crucible's energy in such a way that it integrates with synthetic technology. With organics we would use your DNA as a way of ensuring that the new synapses and software are not rejected by the biological components. There is more to it than that but there is insufficient time to explain. Suffice it to say synthetics will be enhanced by gaining an understanding of organics hopes, dreams, and fears, and organics will be enhanced with the superior knowledge and interdependence of synthetics without sacrificing the individual."

The Catalyst continued, "Synthesis will ensure peace between organics and synthetics because they will finally understand each other without having to sacrifice their independence or identity. Furthermore the civilizations stored in Reaper form will be freed in the digital sense, and able to contribute their ideas and knowledge to the galaxy.

Shepard had one final question, "and me, what will happen to me with these choices?" She was willing to sacrifice herself for everyone, had always been willing to, but she would have been less than human to not be concerned somewhat with her own survival.

The catalyst replied, "Should you chose to destroy us, you will die as well. You are part synthetic and without that part of you, you will die. Should you chose to control us, your physical body will be destroyed, but your mind will live on in Reaper form. However you shall be locked within Reaper form for as long as you control us. Should you chose synthesis, I cannot say, you will survive the sampling of your DNA, but I cannot predict what will happen to the Citadel nor to the Crucible when its energy is released. Your survival is a small matter though, is it not?"

Shepard thought, _maybe to you, but I promised Samantha two children and a white picket fence, and if there is any chance to live up to that promise, I have to take it. I'll see you again Sam, I swear._

Shepard pondered her choices, she couldn't destroy the Reapers, she might be able to sacrifice EDI, because she knew EDI would be willing to make the sacrifice if it meant victory in the war. The Geth however, she couldn't sacrifice them, Legion's final words to Tali and herself on Rannoch echoed in her head, "Does this unit have a soul?" Yes, she decided, the Geth did have souls, with the upgraded code the Geth were every bit as alive as Humans or Turians, and she couldn't condemn an entire race and civilization to death. Especially since they had made peace with the Quarians and committed their entire race to the war.

Likewise controlling the Reapers was out of the question, her last words to the Illusive Man rang through her head, "are you willing to bet humanity's existence on it?" And no, she wasn't willing to bet the existence of her race and every other race in the galaxy on her ability to control the Reapers. Should she fail to control them, everything she had fought for, everyone who had died, would have done so in vain.

There was really only one real option, she didn't like the idea of altering everything and everyone in the galaxy without their consent, but she decided that this was the least criminal of her three options. She thought about telling the catalyst to go to hell, but doing that would risk him continuing the cycle. She could see from the battle that it was a stalemate, with hundreds of ships and dozens of Reapers destroyed, but she also knew that almost every ship in the galaxy was engaged in this fight, while the Reapers only had a portion of their ships, a conventional victory was out of the question, she had to choose.

"Ok, let's do it, I chose synthesis." Shepard said.

"Very well," replied the Catalyst. "Go down the middle ramp, and grab the handles. The Crucible will handle rest. She gave the Catalyst one more look and sprinted down the ramp as fast as her battered body could take her. Grabbing hold of the handles she could feel the pinpricks of them extracting her DNA, and the energy running through as the Crucible charged up to disperse its energy. The last thing that went through her head before she blacked out was Samantha's voice, "no matter what happens, I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry kind of a slow chapter, trying to make this as close to established canon with the exception of Commander Shepard surviving the synthesis ending. I promise I'll get around to my promised FShep/Traynor. Again please review and give feedback and/or suggestions. Also I'm not really going into much detail about the new synthetic parts of everyone yet, but I will try to elaborate on it in future chapters.

_Error….Error…. organic components have suffered severe trauma._

_Estimate blood loss at 21.74 percent_

_Severe damage to right lung, kidney, and 4 vertebrae._

_Estimate without medical attention death in 4 hours, 38 minutes._

_Reducing all biological functions to minimum levels…._

_***Revised Estimate***_

_Estimate without medical attention death in 7hours, 9 minutes._

Shepard was in and out of consciousness, and almost totally unaware of where she was. In the back of her head she could hear her new synthetic self-whispering information to her, but she was unsure of what it was or what it meant. She wasn't aware of the new green glow of her skin which was her new synthetic software racing to repair damage and keep her alive, nor of her surroundings.

She was on the Presidium, though she was unaware of it, not far from the human embassies. In the distance there were voices that could be heard over the sounds of sparking electronics and fires, but she was unaware of them, instead consumed by her own pain and trauma.

As she faded back into unconsciousness, a new image materialized in her mind, a picture of two young children playing in a large green yard, of her looking out through the window and watching them, and of two slender arms wrapping around her, as her wife came from behind to embrace her. Her wife's beautiful English accent as she said, "I love you Rebecca Shepard."

In a brief moment of lucidity, she realized that her life was flashing before her eyes, and instead of all of her regrets and mistakes, she was experiencing a dream; a dream of what she had hoped the future would hold, and what she still hoped to see. The last thing she remembered before she fell unconscious again was Sam repeating her love for her.

_Determining time elapsed….._

_Time elapsed since unconscious…. 19 days, 4 hours, 52 minutes, 18 seconds_

_87% of internal injuries repaired, ETA for 100%...3 days 14 hours_

These were the first things that echoed through her mind as she came around. Immediately after that she became aware of the beeping of medical equipment and the quiet hum of a starship's engines.

"Admiral, she's coming around." She heard a voice say.

"Good, maybe she can answer us a few questions." Replied the Admiral.

"Sir, she's in no state to answer questions." Replied who Shepard assumed was a doctor.

"You don't know the Commander very well, she took down the Collectors after dying, I think she'll be able to answer some questions after taking down the Reapers."

Shepard opened her eyes and was assaulted by the intense white light of an Alliance med bay, though immediately her eyes adjusted to the light and she saw Admiral Hackett standing across from her bed, as the doctor continued monitoring Shepard's vital signs.

"Sir" she said weakly. "Did we do it? Are the Reapers gone?"

"Yes and no Commander. That's actually what I wanted to ask you about." Replied Admiral Hackett.

As her eyesight became a little bit better she saw that Hackett's eyes had a dim green glow to them, and that there were synthetic lines running down his face and arms, not enough to distort his face, but definitely there. Looking down, she could see the same lines on her arms, and on the doctor who was in the medbay as well.

"Sir?" she asked questioningly. Shepard was conscious, but between the trauma she had endured and the effects of the medical anesthetic, she was still a little out of it.

"Commander, we're wondering just what the hell happened on the Crucible and how one moment we were locked in conflict in the Reapers, and now they are clearing rubble and reestablishing our infrastructure and communications with the rest of the galaxy."

"Sir, it's going to take a little time to explain." She replied weakly.

"Take all the time you need Commander. You're stuck in this bed, and I've already issued orders to damn near every soul in the system, so I don't have much to do."

Slowly and thoroughly, she walked Hackett through the actual purpose of the Crucible. She told him of the choices she had been given, and why she had ultimately chosen what she did.

"I'll be damned Commander. That's a hell of a choice to make, and frankly I think you picked the right one. I'll give you the quick rundown. We're receiving reports galaxy wide of the same thing, of the Reapers stopping their attacks and instead clearing debris and rebuilding just like on Earth. Furthermore we have been told by everyone we've been in contact with that they have been changed and integrated with synthetic technology as well."

Hackett continued, "However this synthesis was done, the benefits are already obvious, we've had thousands of reports of soldiers and civilians that should have died from their injuries, and are now stable or recovering. The Quarians have been able to take off their masks without infection, and every single individual has reported enhanced senses and intelligence. Even the Geth are reporting that they are experiencing emotions and other organic thought processes. There are a lot of people who still want the Reapers dead, but right now I think everyone is too relieved that we won to think about revenge."

Hearing this Shepard had to say something, "Admiral Sir, the Catalyst told me that the Reapers were nothing more than in instrument which carried out his instructions. For people to blame the Reapers would be like blaming a rifle for killing someone. The catalyst and his flawed logic are who to be angry at, but he was eliminated when we synthesized organic and synthetic life."

Hackett replied, "That may be Commander, but it's going to take some time for people to accept that."

"Yes sir, may I ask about my crew and the Normandy?"

Hackett's face darkened at that, and his head dipped slightly. "We've reconstructed sensor data from just before the fleet went to FTL after you activated the crucible. The Normandy was the last ship to disengage from the battle, and never arrived at the rendezvous coordinates. We have determined where the ship might have emerged from FTL and narrowed it down to an area of space about 20 cubic light years."

She could feel her heart rip at that, assuming that the Normandy even survived the energy wave traveling at FTL speeds, the chances of surviving intact or finding a habitable planet to make an emergency landing were slim.

_Given current variables, probability of survival rated at 3.71%. Further variables may reduce probability of survival._

She could hear her new synthetic side whispering to her, and chose to block it out, not needing to hear such negative news.

Hackett could see the pain on Shepard's face as she came to the same conclusion which the Alliance brass had come to days ago. Trying to inspire hope in the woman who had saved the galaxy, Hackett said. "If the Normandy did survive and is able to activate an emergency beacon, our chances of finding her will increase dramatically."

Shifting to a more formal tone, Hackett said. "We'll do everything we can to find her Commander, in the meantime I want you to recover for another day or two and then take over command of the SSV Iwo Jima. Once you are there, I'm putting you in charge of searching for the Normandy. The least we can do for you after the work you've put in is to let you lead the search for your ship."

Despite the long odds, her spirits were raised at being allowed to search for her crew and her girlfriend, and she resolved to be on her feet as quickly as possible. Sitting up as much as she could, she snapped off a salute, which Hackett immediately returned, and said, "thank you sir, it means a lot to let me lead the search for my crew."

Smiling as he responded Hackett said, "I was a captain once too Commander, and there is nothing I wouldn't do to bring my crew home." At that moment a uniformed Alliance lieutenant entered the medbay and handed Hackett a pad.

Glancing at it briefly Hackett said, "If you will excuse me Commander, I have some things which need to be taken care of. When you are ready there is a uniform in the corner and I have the shuttle bay standing by with transport to the Iwo Jima."

Shepard and Hackett exchanged salutes once more and he quickly left, flanked by the other officer.

Left by herself for a moment Shepard collected herself and focused on ways of finding the Normandy. Without a conscious thought, Shepard could hear the new synthetic part of herself whispering ideas and conclusions to solve this problem.

_Standard FTL comm channels negative….impossible without point source to receive signal_

_Radio transmission negative….limited to speed of light, would require 20 years for signal to transmit across entire area of suspected Normandy location_

_Quantum entanglement communicator negative…requires matched pair for communication_

_Alternative solution…locate matched pair for Normandy Quantum entangler and determine operational status._

She had to admit to herself, having a super computer in her head to help her figure out things could have its uses. Getting to her feet she realized that despite the pain she felt, her body was largely healed. Walking to the uniform that had been left for her, she immediately put it on, feeling at home in the black standard duty Alliance uniform.

Exiting the med bay of the SSV Everest, Hackett's command dreadnaught, Shepard saw dozens of Alliance personnel at work, all of whom had the same faint green glow in their eyes and the green synthetic code running down their bodies. Making her way to the shuttle bay she found a single shuttle being guarded by two marines and worked on by two more Alliance officers.

She immediately gave orders to the officers, who were the pilot and copilot of the shuttle, and within 10 minutes was on her way down to London. The SSV Iwo Jima didn't have what she needed, so it could wait. Looking out the shuttle windows, she could see the debris floating in orbit, and several of the massive reapers, now sporting a green glow, clearing the remains of ships which they had so recently been destroying with ruthless efficiency. On Earth countless fires still remained, though most of them were in less populated areas, as there were more personnel in the major cities to help with efforts.

Descending into London Shepard was appalled by what she saw. Her last descent into the city had been in the final battle on Earth, and as such had been done at night and under heavy fire. This time the shuttle descended in broad daylight and she could see that hardly anything over 3 stories remained standing. By some miracle she could see Big Ben in the distance still standing, but the Palace of Westminster adjacent to it was just as divested as the rest of London. The Commander gave orders to land the shuttle inside the forward operating base that had been set up just prior to the final assault on the Conduit.

Making her way inside, the headquarters was a beehive of activity, but she quickly found the man she was looking for. Major Coats was hovering over a map of London, but he quickly saw Shepard as she approached.

"Ma'am, glad to see you made it."

"Good to see you too Major, what's the sitrep in London?"

"Well ma'am, we've got about 85% of London reconnoitered, most of our wounded are in various makeshift hospitals around the city, and we're beginning to clear away the rubble."

"How much help have the Reapers been?" asked Shepard.

"A tremendous help Commander. Without them, we wouldn't have done half as much work as we've gotten done." He paused for a moment before adding. "Of course if they hadn't destroyed London in the first place, we wouldn't have to rebuild it."

"I understand your feelings Major, but the Reapers were simply a tool which carried out the instructions they were given. They are now a sentient species who is helping us rebuild because they have free will and regret what they have done."

"As you say Commander, it's still just a little too soon to forgive and forget. Anyway, what brings you to London?"

"The quantum entangler which Admiral Anderson used to keep in contact with the Normandy during the war, where is it located?"

"It's located deep below where Alliance UK headquarters use to be, about 4 kilometers southeast of here."

"Major, I need you to scrape together an engineering team to gain access to it. If you know anyone who specialized in QE tech, get them here."

Shepard quickly acquired a vehicle to get to the HQ, or rather what was left of it, as the once huge building probably didn't have more than two stones standing on top of each other. Fortunately the debris had been largely cleared away already, leaving Shepard access to the lower levels. Her team of engineers arrived quickly, and much to her surprise an old friend was among them.

She didn't see that person, as Shepard was busy surveying the area, but she immediately recognized the crisp Australian accent that she had grown accustomed to during her fight against the Collectors.

"Commander Shepard, fancy seeing you here."

Turning in surprise, Shepard saw Miranda Lawson standing with a broad smile behind her. "Miranda?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been helping with work in London; Major Coats informed me that you needed experts in Quantum entanglement, so I decided to help. After all, Cerberus perfected QE tech before the Alliance, so I probably know a thing or two that your Alliance engineers don't."

Both women quickly went to work with the rest of the engineering crew, and within hours had gained access to the Quantum Entangler chamber. Going into it, they could immediately see that despite the damage around the chamber, the unit itself was largely intact.

Miranda quickly moved to the central console. "Good news Commander. The unit itself is undamaged, it only needs a power source to become operational again. It would seem the bunker that surrounds the chamber did its job. I can have the engineering team run power cables from a Mako that should provide enough power to get this thing running for a while.

"Do it." Shepard immediately ordered. Both she and Miranda had expected damage to the unit, the fact that there was none was a welcome surprise. Despite knowing the long odds, she could feel hope rising in her even as her synthetic side continued to whisper the low probability of finding the Normandy.

Once the entangler was back online, that hope quickly diminished as there was no signal. Shepard stayed there for several hours fiddling with the controls attempting to establish contact, but eventually realized there was not going to be a response. _Come on Becca,_ she thought. _It's not like you're going to flip a switch and see Samantha standing in the Quantum entangler, it's going to take time._ With a sigh she informed one of the engineers that she was turning in. Miranda had left a while ago to get some rest, and Shepard decided to do the same.

That routine kept up for several days. Shepard was beginning to lose hope, counting the time she had spent unconscious it had been over 3 weeks since the war ended and the Normandy vanished, and there had been no luck. Miranda had taken over monitoring and maintaining the Quantum entangler, as Commander Shepard needed to become familiar with her new command and crew. In addition to monitoring the QE, several frigates had been dispatched to look for the Normandy, but they had turned up nothing and Shepard had gone aboard the SSV Iwo Jima to assume command.

The crew of the Iwo Jima was fatigued; as she found out they had been on straight combat ops since the Reapers hit Earth. The Iwo Jima had been a part of the 63rd Scout Flotilla of the 5th fleet, and had been present when the Reapers hit Arcturus Station, which had effectively decapitated the Alliance. Since then she had been busy evacuating colonies and guarding convoys before the final Battle for Earth. During the battle she had screened one of the 5th fleet's dreadnaughts before a Reaper oculus fighter had hit her, killing 7 of her crew including the captain.

Shepard didn't like sleeping in a bed which so recently had belonged to a man that was now dead, but with so many displaced civilians, she wasn't about to take up a bed or cot which could otherwise be used for someone who had nowhere else to go. It had been another long day for the Commander, seeing to her new ship, overseeing repairs, and becoming familiar with the ship and its crew. While she desperately wanted information on the Normandy, a lifetime of military discipline ensured that she continued to function as normal, containing her fear and grief for when she was alone in her cabin. Shepard was just about to fall asleep when she heard her Omni-tool beeping. Getting up, she quickly crossed her small quarters and was surprised to see Miranda's image come up.

Miranda looked excited, and her voice reinforced that idea. "Shepard, you need to come to London right away, we've made contact with the Normandy."


	3. Chapter 3

Shorter chapter from Samantha's POV. Ever since the ending I've wanted the perspective of the Normandy's crew and how they survive until they get the Normandy operational again. Please review with critiques and recommendations, don't know exactly where I want to take this but I am enjoying writing it and would like to continue.

"Jeez Samantha, this is the 14th day in a row with nothing but standard Alliance rations and those plants you've been digging up." One thing the crew of the Normandy could always count on was for Joker to come up with a smartass remark, no matter the circumstances.

"Complain all you want Joker, but don't know how long we'll be here, so we've got to make what we have last." She said kindly, but truth be told Sam was started to get a little tired of Joker's constant quips and sarcasm. Between pulling 18 hour days scavenging edible plant life and working on the Normandy's systems, she was more than a little on edge.

_Warning….stress levels exceeding recommended tolerances_

_ Oh shut up, Sam thought. _She would love to know why every crew member of the Normandy was now sporting synthetic code up and down their bodies, and why EDI seemed to have a new understanding of human emotions and thought processes. Until that particular question was answered though, she was just happy that wherever these enhancements came from, they were helping her solve problems in minutes or hours what would have taken her days or weeks. Deciding to leave Joker and his constant bitching behind, she headed to the war room.

The Normandy had sustained heavy damage during the crash, with her engines requiring a full rebuild and communications much the same way. Fortunately there had been no fatalities and all of the other injuries had been stabilized by what the crew could only guess were the new synthetic parts of themselves. One other issue was the fact that while most of the crew were able to eat the local plant and animal life, Tali and Garrus weren't. It wasn't an immediate concern since the Normandy carried enough provisions for several months, but it was definitely something that had to be considered in the long term if the crew couldn't get the Normandy repaired.

Despite the crew's hopes, the chances of repairing the Normandy were increasingly dim. As Engineer Adams, Crewmen Donnelly and Daniels, and Tali tore apart the core to make repairs; they kept discovering new damage and fused wiring. There had never been a clear chain of command under Commander Shepard, so there really was no XO like Pressley or Miranda, but given her status as a Spectre and ranking officer, Lt. Commander Williams had assumed command of the Normandy's crew. During the last meeting of the crew, Ashley had told the crew that there was less than a 10% chance that the Normandy could be made space worthy again. There was just too much damage to repair without the proper facilities, equipment, and parts.

The engineering crew was continuing their efforts, after all, 10% was still 10%, but several communications personnel had been moved to assist Traynor with repairs. As the leading communications specialist aboard, she naturally assumed control of repairs. When they had begun repairs, her synthetic components had whispered that there was greater than 75% probability that they could repair the Quantum entangler. The problem however was that the entangler was useless unless someone on the other end had theirs working. Despite this they had little choice but to continue their repairs and hope that someone was looking for them.

Sam didn't need to say it out loud, but she kept hoping that every time she powered up the unit, that Rebecca would be standing there saying she was on the way. Before the Reaper invasion and being posted to the Normandy, Sam had never entertained the idea of entering into a relationship with her commanding officer. However given the circumstances and the chances of the total extinction of her race, maintaining non-fraternization policies seemed rather trivial. They were hardly the only ones on the ship to strike up some kind of relationship.

Joker and EDI had gotten together, as had Garrus and Tali, Donnelly and Daniels, and various other enlisted personnel. She had even caught Lt. Commander Williams and Lt. Vega exchanging glances from time to time. Samantha however, she had fallen for the Commander. From the first moment Sam had laid eyes on Commander Shepard, she was love struck. The Commander had just radiated confidence and Sam had taken every opportunity to talk with Shepard and get to know her. Shepard had started out rather formal, but as the war had worn on, she had become increasingly friendly with Samantha. The stress and pressure of having the entire war on her shoulders had gotten to her until finally the barriers of rank had broken down after the resolution of the Quarian/Geth war. Sam had kept the Commander grounded for the rest of the war, being there to comfort her after the fall of Thessia, the final assault on Cronos Station, and countless other missions and skirmishes.

Shaking her head, she realized that she had been daydreaming for a while. Her hands had continued doing the work while her mind had gone elsewhere.

_16 minutes, 18 seconds_

"Thank you very much." She said to herself. It was certainly nice to be able to multitask without having to think about it, but she could do without the constant little pieces of information her new synthetic wiring was always happy to give her. Sometimes it felt like her synthetic side was being sarcastic or intentionally picking the wrong time to give information, but she knew that was just stress and irritation talking.

She continued working for another few hours before deciding to take a break and get some air. Taking a stroll outside the Normandy's crash site, she saw various Normandy crewmen building shelters, organizing salvaged components and equipment, and several of the marines returning from hunting. Lt. Vega and Garrus had been having a friendly hunting competition. Judging by what Sam saw them hauling, Garrus was still the unmatched marksman aboard the Normandy.

"I don't get it Scars; with these new synthetic enhancements I should be kicking your ass." Vega said, clearly dismayed at being beat by Garrus.

"Even with enhanced eyesight and senses, there's no substitute for experience Vega. If I can outshoot Commander Shepard then I think I can outshoot you." Garrus responded. Garrus's little shootout on the Citadel with the Commander had quickly become a favorite topic among the crew during the war, and Garrus enjoyed ribbing people about it.

Smiling at the friendly banter between the human soldier and the Turian, Samantha decided to take the opportunity while she was outside to report on progress to Ashley. "Ma'am, the Entangler is working at 87% efficiency, I think I can get it up another couple percent, but realistically it's going to fall to the people on the other end of it if we can't get the Normandy space worthy again."

Despite their stranded situation there was still considerable respect for the chain of command and military discipline. It seemed to help the crew stay unified and focused on survival and contacting the Alliance without fracturing. There were several minor personal disputes, but that was to be expected during normal times, and all the more so given their current situation.

"Very well Sam, keep up at it, if nothing else, it will keep the crew's spirits up; hope of contact with the Alliance."

"Yes ma'am." Sam responded. She wanted to keep hoping, but after seeing the energy wave erupting from the Crucible right before the Normandy went to FTL, she couldn't help but think that there was no way that Rebecca could have survived. It just seemed like they had expended all their good luck; defeating Cerberus, defeating the Reapers, surviving the war, coming out of FTL only minutes away from a habitable planet, and surviving nearly unscathed from a controlled collision onto that planet. She kept hoping that any day an Alliance ship would come and pick them up, and she would see Rebecca coming down the ramp of the shuttle and into her arms, but Sam couldn't help but feel that her luck had run out. Until then though, they had little choice but to continue making repairs and foraging for food.

The routine among the Normandy crew remained pretty much unchanged for the next two weeks. Various crewmen and marines would hunt and construct additional shelter, while the engineers and communications personnel attempted to repair systems. They had been stranded for nearly a month, and Garrus and Tali were starting to become a little nervous about their prospects for the future. They had already used roughly a quarter of the Normandy's food stores, and neither of them could eat the same food as the rest of the crew. Samantha and the other communications personnel had repaired the Normandy's communications as much as they could, and now had little to do but help the other crew members with the basic survival jobs.

Sam had just pulled another 18 hour day and was absolutely exhausted. _23 days of 18 hour or greater workdays. Average is 18 hours, 12 minutes 52 seconds._

To add to this her nights were restless, with constant nightmares of seeing Rebecca being hurled into space by the Crucibles energy wave, helpless to do anything but float in the vacuum while her oxygen ran out. During one of their nights together during the war, Rebecca had told Samantha what it was like when the SR-1 was destroyed, suffocating to death in a vacuum, unable to do anything to help herself as she entered the atmosphere of a planet which had never been explored before. The story had chilled Sam to the core, and now that image, and those feelings, were haunting Sam almost every night. 

She had just woken up from yet another nightmare, covered in sweat and panting, when she heard commotion outside her shelter, quickly dressing herself she went outside to see the entire crew running to the Normandy. Having no idea what was going on, she joined the other crewmen. There was a large group waiting in the CIC, talking excitedly to each other. Pushing her way forward she found Tali hovering at the door to the War room.

Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention Sam asked, "Tali, what is going on?"

While she couldn't see her face, the delight was evident in Tali's voice. "It's Shepard Sam! She's on the other end of the Entangler! She'll be here with the SSV Iwo Jima in 2 days."

Sam could hardly believe what she was hearing, she had convinced herself that Shepard had not survived the Crucible firing, but somehow she had defied death yet again, and was coming to the rescue once again. Sam was hoping she would be able to get to the entangler and have a few words with Rebecca, but Ashley came out a moment later. Before she could say more than, "The Iwo Jima will be here in 2 days," the crew erupted into a deafening cheer.

The rest of the night was a blur to Sam, as the crew broke out every ration, and every bit of contraband alcohol, and celebrated. They toasted each other, the Normandy, the Alliance, those who had fallen during the war, and they let Sam do the honors of toasting Commander Shepard. In 2 days they would be headed back to Earth to start rebuilding, but for now, it was time to celebrate and honor their victory, and the woman who had made it possible.

The next day almost nothing was done, as every member of the crew was feeling the result of the previous night's celebrations, even Tali and Garrus had found dextro-friendly drinks and were suffering just as bad as the rest of the crew. Ashley cut the crew some slack, though that night there was no more wild celebrating, as the crew wanted to be in top shape when Commander Shepard and the Iwo Jima picked them up.

About midday on the day the Iwo Jima was scheduled to arrive, the unmistakable sound of Alliance Kodiak drop ships filled the air around the Normandy. There were over a dozen of them, all touching down around the Normandy. Sam ran to the first Kodiak to touch down nearly overwhelmed with joy. Just as she hoped, as soon as the ramp opened, Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, hero of the Battle of the Citadel, savior of the galaxy, and the person who meant everything to Samantha, was the first one out.

Pushing her way through the Normandy crew, Sam jumped into Shepard's arms and embraced her as if for the first time. As they kissed, both were completely unaware of the clapping and cheering of the crew behind them. Though there would be much more grieving for the lost and rebuilding what had been destroyed, in this moment, the universe was perfect.


End file.
