At long last (Mass Effect Fan Fiction)

Painful but True

 Jane woke from her sleep the same way she has been waking up almost every morning since Cerberus brought her back to the world of the living , panicked, sweating, and gasping for air. "Breath Shepard, breath! It's just a dream...just a dream" She repeats over and over until her mind slowly found it's way back to reality, and her breathing returns to normal. "Damn, I'm really starting to hate sleeping" She shook her head to brush the images that lingered from her mind, as she turned her head glancing over her shoulder, 4:30 the clock on the night stand flashed mockingly at her. It was after one when she had finally hit the send button on her omni tool shooting a message to Kavis letting him know she would be returning to Omega in a week. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed a handful of butterflies and the familiar heat traveled through her body at the thought of seeing him again. "Geeze Shepard, get a grip, or this is going to be one hell of a long week" She thought to herself as she headed to the bathroom for the shower. Thirty minutes later, she was showered, dressed, and heading out the door with the mission file in hand.

Stepping out of the elevator on to the crew deck, Jane saw Jack and Kasumi sitting at a table. She grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat across from Jack next to Kasumi. "Morning guy's." She smiled. "Morning Shep." Kasumi said handing her the sugar. "Morning Shepard, you look like shit." Jack grins" "Thanks Jack." "Anytime Shepard." Jack stood, and salutes as she grabs the file on Cerberus that Jane had Miranda give her, then heads to  the engineering deck. "She's right Shep." Kasumi sighed moving to sit across from her "What's up?" Jane looked down into her coffee cup trying to prevent the images of her nightmare from resurfacing. "I haven't been getting what you would call a good nights rest lately." She stammered "It wouldn't happen to be because of a gorgeous, golden eyed hunk of a turian would it?" Kasumi lifted her eye brows up and down giving her a devilish grin. "So tell me Shep how was it?" Jane leaned in closer, she looked at Kasumi with a very large evil grin "It Was amazing!! she whispered excitedly. "I knew it would be!" Kasumi winked "You going to see him again?" "As a matter of fact, I sent him a message last night, well early this morning, letting him know I would be back on Omega in a week, and asked him to meet me for drinks" "That is great Shep, maybe this could be the beginning of something." Kasumi smiled. Jane put her head down, "I don't know Kasumi, I mean I really like him, and he made me feel alive for the first time since I've been back." Kasumi looked at her sideways "So then, whats the problem?" Jane took a deep breath"I still think about Garrus, not as much, but I miss him." "Look Shep" Kasumi reached across the table and took her hand. "You have been looking for him for weeks, and there has been no sign of him, and, say you do find him...he thinks you'er dead. He could have a family, kids, who knows." Kasumi stood up "You will always keep 'what might have been' in the back of your mind and a place for Garrus in your heart, but he is not here Shep, Your golden eyed turian is." She turned to walk away" "Hey, where you going?" Jane asked "It's almost 7, Jacob starts his work out at 7, and I want to hack into the vid-comm so I can watch." Jane smiled as she wave Kasumi off "Eight in the comm room, don't be late, and no cloaking" "Aye, aye Shep." Off she went, leaving Jane to think about what they had talked about. 

 The idea that Garrus had moved on with his life, never crossed her mind, it should have, he does think she's dead, and it has been two years. "What if Kasumi is right!" Jane felt a pain in her heart thinking Garrus could have gone on with his life without her. Jane wasn't sure how to feel about this. Her and Garrus were never together, and she hadn't the chance to tell him how she felt before being spaced, so what right would she really have to be angry if he had moved on. Jane sat lost in her thought until she heard Edi over the comm system "Briefing in ten minutes Shepard" "Thank you Edi"  "No problem Shepard."

 The briefing went surprisingly well Jane thought. Jack and Zaeed will be going with her on this mission to collect Dr. Okeer. Jane is wanting to see Jack in action, and see the strength of her Biotics for herself, not just the aftermath that she saw on the prison ship. Joker informed her they should reach Korlus by 2200 (10:00 pm) tonight giving them plenty of time to complete the mission by nightfall tomorrow if they start out before 0900 (9 am). 

It was after noon, and Jane was feeling a bit hungry, so she grabbed a sandwich before heading to her cabin to check her messages, and go over the dossier on Archangel, the next mission that will bring her back to Omega, and back to Kavis.