Hey folks, I apologise for not updating this story in almost a year, let's just say it's been rather hectic and not allowing much in the way of free time. Again I am really sorry, but hope to continue this now that things seem to have died down. I had to remind myself of what I was planning to do with TTHD it's been that long xD anyway, enjoy and thank you for following!

The room was plain, as was custom amidst the Lazarus facility. A stylish arrangement of white chairs and a table made from marble had been situated within the centre, two beings sat upon the sitting furnishings talking amongst one and other in mellow tones. While the area seemed bare and sterile, a set of rather elegantly potted flowers and fauna had been arranged within the corners as to not make the place seem too sparse, at least that was what the female Operative had hoped. Miranda had begun to suspect that the minimalistic nature of the Lazarus centre was something too clinical for one who had just awoken from two years of sleep and as such she had requisitioned various items to make the station more...'homely', at least in the residential area and the ward where her patient was staying.

'Homely'. She shook her head at the word starting to realise that caring for her project was starting to make her do peculiar things. She had to admit however that the presence of vegetation was something soothing after being stationed in space for so long.

"Now, we need to go over some simple questions before we start your mental therapy. Nothing too invasive, just some personal history." Miranda spoke while sitting, her digits gently scrolling through the contents of a datapad.

Shepard, his features fuller and fresher after a week of recovery, gave a quick nod, his emerald eyes peering at the file in the Operative's hand. "Of course." He shifted within in his seat, making himself comfortable after sensing that this was probably going to take some time to complete.

"Good. Let's start with your younger years. Where did you grow up?" She queried.

"My parents were both in the Alliance, I spent most of my time on various ships with various family members and friends as my mother and father were often on duty." There was no hesitation in his words, the memories as clear as day.

Miranda nodded, pleased with the response. "Excellent. And is that how you ended up joining the military?"

The commander shrugged. "I suppose you could think of it as keeping up with the family tradition. A part of me wanted to explore space as well."

"Your family has a long history of military employment?"

"Yes."

Miranda placed a few notes on the file before continuing to scroll through. "And what of your N7 training, how did that come about?"

Shepard gave a nervous chuckle, with something of a grimace and smile on his face. "Huh...yeah...I believe it was after the incident on Akuze; they offered me a commendation for surviving the ordeal." He spoke as if it was a rather painful subject. "I'd rather not get into all of that. I was recommended and passed the program. I think that says enough."

The Operative was silent, clearly understanding the whole situation. "I won't pry any further then." She flicked further down. "How did you meet Captain Anderson and the Normandy?"

Shepard spoke as if remembering fond memories. "After I passed the N7 program I was put under Ander- I mean Captain Anderson's command, hence why I was stationed on his ship. We were involved in various scenarios with Batarian pirates, gangs, boarder disputes and military projects before the mission directly from the Council and my Spectre candidacy. I can only hope that the man is doing some good in the world after we destroyed Sovereign. In many ways I regret not putting him on the Council, but I could tell that it was not the place for him. He's a military man like me, and a good one at that, in many respects I think a desk job would not do him any favours. Even if I despise Udina, that man knows how to play the game...all that political BS..." He trailed off realising that he had let his words become too personal.

Miranda gave something of a smile in return. "Do not worry Commander, I need to know if all your memories are there after what you have been through, it does not matter if it becomes slightly unprofessional, we are not at a hearing or in a military facility. From what I know, Anderson has held his position within the military, though he acts as something of a liaison between the Alliance, Udina and the Council. I think it was probably the correct move in terms of our future."

Shepard placed his hands together on the marble surface. "I hope so."

The Operative looked up from her file. "Let's try something more recent. Your mission on Virmire. Tell me what your remember."

"I..." Shepard paused, his head hanging slightly, the bright spark of his eyes extinguishing with the thoughts of the mission. "Virmire. What a hell hole. The Normandy was tasked with investigating a distress call from a STG group who had been investigating Saren by the will of the Council. We didn't know the full details due to the message being partially incomprehensible as to what they were requesting. When we arrived, the whole thing was a mess; anti-air turrets, a legion of Geth troops and a Krogan cloning facility where the rouge Turian had developed a cure for the genophage. That based needed to be destroyed. Naturally Wrex was opposed to the idea and the implications of eradicating the research, however after a brief confrontation I managed to talk him out of shooting my face off with his Claymore..." He cleared his throat. "At any rate, the captain of the task force there came up with the idea of using their ships drive core as a small nuclear device. We would plant the bomb at the facility and evacuate to a safe distance. To do this, we had to split up into two teams. One to hit the base directly, the other to distract them. I placed the Lieutenant with the task group and the Gunnery Chief on bomb duty." The commander paused again. "Events transpired where I was unable to save both teams from being overrun by a surprise counter attack. Gunnery Williams activated the nuke without my orders, ensuring that it would detonate under the circumstances. I was faced with a choice, and due to the nature of Kaiden's rank and the team he was a part of, I chose to save him and the salarians, leaving Ashley..." He stopped, staring off into the distance at the plants.

Miranda raised a hand as if to stop him from continuing. "You don't need to finish Shepard."

"No, it's alright. I just...Ash deserved better. Her family deserved better. She was an amazing woman and solider, despite her families blacklisting. She should have been here today. Because of me, they lost a sister, a daughter and I lost a very close friend. Sometimes, I wish I was not responsible for the chain of command, such decisions stay with you for the rest of your life." He concluded.

The female Operative stayed silent for a moment, feeling the weight of his words. "It wasn't your fault Commander. In situations like that, there is no correct answer. We all do what we have to. I'm sure she didn't blame you for making the call." Her icy demeanour softened slightly.

Shepard seemed solemn, the hint of a saddened smile marking his emotion. "Ashley once asked me if I believed in God, I don't, but I can only hope she is somewhere better now. I do truly wish for her to be at peace."

The raven haired woman studied the Commander for a time before coming to the conclusion that she had likely pushed too far. She was no psychologist, yet she knew that delving into troubling memories often caused stress. Miranda decided to draw the line with a final question before concluding the current session and leaving the matter to a Cerberus member who had experience with dealing in traumatic experiences. "I apologise, I did not mean to bring up such emotional turmoil for you, yet I now know that your memories seem to be there. I have one final question for today before we wrap things up, if you allow it."

The commander nodded silently.

"Your encounter with Sovereign," She continued. "do you remember anything specific ?"

Shepard sank back within his seat, running a hand through his styled hair cut. "Yes, I remember that...thing. It's voice, it's appearance. It was like death itself, and when it spoke to me...I felt cold, like I had been kept in darkness my whole life. It reverberated in my mind, called to me. I had to keep talking to stop myself from going under. Garrus and Tali felt it too. We all felt it. And when the visions were finally comprehended, Sovereign made sense. A machine of organic will... Bent on destroying all in this galaxy. The Reapers..." He looked up from his thoughts. "Tell me, what has the Council done to prepare for them?"

Miranda winced. "It's... a delicate matter. The Council publicly denounced your claims, keeping to the Geth threat as the culprits behind what happened on the Citadel with Saren as their leader. That being said, they seemed to have fortified security and defences within the Widow system."

"What!?" Shepard questioned, shooting up from his seating in a somewhat aggressive manner. "Surely your joking? Take any sample from the wreckage on the Citadel and tell me it's Geth technology! Any sample! That's preposterous! And just the Widow cluster? How th- Why wo-!" He paused, letting a deep exhale escape his lungs. "So the whole galaxy thinks I'm just insane then. Is that why we are here now? Do you think I'm crazy too?" His eyes pierced Miranda's own.

Remaining stoic at her patients outburst, she cooly replied. "I can see you are not crazy Commander, but it is not my place to judge wether you are right or wrong."

Shepard returned to his seating, seeming to have calmed down. "Sorry. You're right. That was... uncalled for, I did not mean it to be aimed at you. I just... I just sometimes wonder if what I, what anyone on my team has fought for has made any real difference in this galaxy, if all we do is inaction in return."

Miranda placed her datapad on the table, speaking directly to the Commander. "It's alright. Your actions in the galaxy have had much impact, perhaps not what you were wanting specifically, but at least it is something. Humanity now has a place in how it can effectively influence things outside its own systems, we have a voice and we are not strained by the restrictions we used to have. It's all thanks to you, Shepard. You may not see it, but things have progressed." She paused thinking to herself, perplexed as to why she was being so complementing. " Anyway... We are done here for today, Operative Taylor should be waiting outside for your munitions training. Feel free to leave at your leisure."

The Commander nodded, rising from his seat and placing the chair neatly under the table. "Thanks." He said, turning to walk to the doorway as it slid open, revealing Jacob leaning against the wall, head cocked to the sound of the now open entryway. Shepard turned back to face Miranda for a moment, an arm pressed on the doorframe. "Oh...I forgot to ask...You said that this facility was named Lazarus." The woman nodded. "Why was it named that specifically?"

Miranda placed her hands together on the table, her tone professional and conveying no hint of emotion. "I did not pick the name, however I believe it had something to do with the struggles of what we do here and reviving you from your coma. Chalk it up to the founders getting carried away with their funding and ego..."

Shepard smiled, laughing lightly. "I see, well I hope I wasn't dead like Saint Lazarus. I suppose it's not too bad of a name, it just seems a bit...morbid and, well, pompous." With that he exited, the door sliding behind him.

Miranda stared at the doorway for some time, processing what had just been said. She frowned before taking the file and transcribing more notes.

"Idiot...Why did I reveal the project name." She scolded herself.

Sighing, the Operative took to her feet, walking from the room to deposit the data from their meeting.