AN: So, it's been a while - but I'm BACK!!! The comments I've received since finishing Vulnerability have all been really positive, and I just wanted to thank each and every reviewer who spent the time to write me. It's mainly for this reason that I chose to continue with this fic which will follow Garrus and Nora Shepard as they learn to cope with the distance that has come with her two year absence. I expect the story to be darker than the previous one, but we'll see how I do - fluffy romance is sure to be around as well :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect (or ME2) the characters or any other recognizable plot piece - they all belong to the lovely Bioware.

Thanks again all who commented, favorited, and messaged me about Vulnerabilty - you have truly been an inspiration. So without further ado - The Space Between

Choking and coughing, as the air vented from her suit, her hands clutch futilely at the deep lacerations in her suit, her body. Her lungs burned and though she could begin to feel an icy cold settle in her lower extremities, the laser sharp pain across her back and down her left leg suggested that if the void of space didn't kill her soon the blood loss would be sure to finish the deed.

And yet, she couldn't stop the way her body revolted against the idea of giving up. She would not, could not; not on herself, not on her crew. They had saved her time and time again, she reasoned to herself as she faced the panic down and turned to watch the escape pods recede into space like small golden stars; besides this was not the first time she was close to death.

The images of her confrontation with Saren flashed in her mind's eye, a reminder of events still too recent to fully let free.

Anger, Loss, the sense of helplessness rose once more.

Every vivid memory slowly growing hazy around the edges as her brain struggled to cope with the increasing lack of oxygen.

She refused to believe that this was the end, that this was her end. There was still so much to do, with the Geth, with the Reapers...with…

"Garrus."

Her lips formed the name though she no longer had the strength, the breath left, to give it sound. Lips trembling, blue now as the cold truly began to sink into the flesh of her body, Commander Nora Shepard struggled not to waste the last moments of her life in tears.

These final moments she would fill with the memories of her most precious times, memories of her friends, her lover. Her eyes slowly sliding shut as she smiled and remembered…remembered them all…

…and died.

For two years the universe continued on without her, those that survived the destruction of the Normandy going their own separate ways held together now by nothing more than a ghostly thread of pain and loss. Times changed, people changed…and then the unthinkable happened.

She returned.

"Miranda, how many more times am I going to have to answer your questions?"

Walking briskly down the metallic ramp leading to the small shuttle, it was the flash of biotic power on her finger tips rather than vocal inflection that suggested the speaker was annoyed.

By contrast, the dark-haired Cerberus was infuriatingly calm as she kept up with the shorter woman, her heels clicking against the metallic floors coldly.

"We should have done all of these tests before you were ever removed from the medical center. As you well know, circumstances made such instances impossible, and so here we are."

"I'm really getting tired of answering all of your questions; we've already gone through each one at least three times. I've already returned from a mission on Freedoms Progress and nothing went wrong, you're wasting both of our times."

Slim hands pushed through short shorn hair in an attempt to avoid biotically crushing something in irritation. She had been a state of emotional imbalance since waking up nearly a week ago, surprised, confused upset. Everything she had known blown out of the water with the realization that she had been dead for nearly two years.

At a loss and without any clear indication that she could trust anyone, the anger had helped deal with the startling emptiness in her chest. Every little thing seemed somehow tied to it. The uniform she wore, sporting the orange emblem of Cerberus seemed more like a brand, and the fact that she was unable to contact any of her crew made her situation feel that much more isolated.

Tugging at the short strands of her hair reminded her of yet another change she had been less than pleased about. They had cut it, her hair. She still missed it, every time she reached up to touch it, and though she was being silly the sense of loss she felt seemed startlingly profound. She supposed she could appreciate the practicality of it, given that with her constant biological reconstruction long hair would probably have been an undesired hygienic complication. But the new imposed cut felt like another tether, another brand on her body, like she was more science project than person now.

"Your name?"

The questions had resumed once more, droning as they continued down the catwalk and paused to watch the various mechanics move about their waiting shuttle.

"Shepard."

"Your full name."

She opened her mouth to respond in irritation before the sudden emptiness in her mind gave her pause, pushing her towards panic a second before the answer formed itself properly.

"Nora. My full name, is Nora Shepard."

The hesitation in her voice made the other darker-haired woman scribbled something onto her data pad. The pauses, gaps in her memory, were not considerable as far as either woman could tell but they were there, the result of careful but ultimately imperfect reanimation. There was only so much one could to do to repair a brain.

"That is name you registered with when you joined the Alliance; it is the name that the entire universe knows you by. Though to be correct, this is not your birth name?"

"That's right."

Shepard didn't want to know how the Illusive Man had collected all sorts of extraneous pieces of information on her, but at this point there was little she could do to change it; being dead for two years tended to put one at a disadvantage.

"And you were born in the colonies where you lived with your family?"

Another flicker of irritation crossed the ex-Specters' face, "I wish you would stop that, it's like you're purposely trying to trip me up. You know full well I was born on Earth and have no biological family to speak of."

The renewed scribbling of the data pad was met with increased ire as the shorter woman finally swung around to look at the dark haired, white clothed beauty.

"Miranda, you have to stop. Now."

"I am the head of operations for the Lazarus Project; I will not stop just because you ask me to."

"And I can't guarantee that I can control my biotics with this new L5 implant if you continue to bother me with those questions."

It was a warning not a threat as the blue flickering of biotic power returned for a moment before disappearing once more.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave you be for the rest of today, but we have to finish these tests eventually so don't think I won't ask again tomorrow."

"Fair enough." The ex-Alliance soldier nodded before turning to leave, her hands held carefully at her sides, the soft sheen of biotic power making her hands luminescent, "I'll try to get myself sorted out by then."

Nora stumbled into her make-shift bedroom with a pale sweaty face and trembling arms.

She hadn't been sure how much longer she could have been able to appear as unaffected by the new levels of biotic power as she had.

Groaning in pain the human commander forced herself into a small fold-out chair and willed her strained lungs to take in several deep shuttering breaths. The trembling continued as she pressed her back to the thick material chair, and watched her fingers, hands and arms disappear beneath hundreds of brilliant blue streaks of biotic energy. Energy she no longer had the strength to contain within her body.

It felt as if she was being slowly being ionized, pulled apart piece by piece. Every sensation seemed multiplied, amplified by the fact that she knew this pain to be the result of bringing her back to life; another side-effect of becoming a Cerberus lab rat.

She hated them all.

A bone deep shudder rocked her body as pain lanced deeper, forcing a choked groan from her lips. She would bear the pain with as much silence as she could, no sense in revealing a weakness in a place like this. It felt like she was surrounded by the enemy with no plan of escape.

Damn it.

Hands curling into fists, the Alliance soldier forced herself to her feet and to her bed, taking only the smallest comforts as she lay down upon the plush mattress.

But no sooner had the pain begun to dissipate when there came a knock on the door.

She wondered why they even bothered pretending; no doubt her room had cameras monitoring her current situation.

Swearing, the woman forced herself and made her way across the room to punch the code into the door pad, unlocking it with a soft hiss.

"Looks like you're having a bit of a problem Shepard."

Breathing hard, Nora remained where she was, forcing herself to remain upright despite the burning sensation that had now begun to engulf her shoulders and struck at her back.

Jacob Taylor, one of the two Cerberus agents she had come to know in the past several weeks. She wanted to see him about as much as she wanted Miranda - neither of them could be trusted. The fact that Jacob has seemed kinder than his female counter part only made her that much more wary of him.

It was always the quiet ones that caused the most pain, she had recognized the similarity between them immediately, the quiet ones would smile, get close and then stab you through the heart.

She had been capable of such things as a child, there was little stopping her from going back to that lifestyle now that she was alone.

"Biotic troubles?"

Wary, the Alliance soldier merely frowned, "I told Miranda I had a headache."

The man merely looked at her once more before giving her a shrug, "Give me a break Shepard; I know the look of a biotic with way too much power and no place to put it. It's the new L5 isn't it?"

The purple-eyed woman remained impassive, "What makes you say that?"

"Your hands are white knuckled and you're giving off a distinctly purple glow."

Her eyes flickered to her hands and found them entirely normal, but by checking herself she had all but confirmed Jacob's words.

Damn it.

"Is there a reason you've decided to pay me a visit, or can I get back to dealing with my own problems?"

There was no helping the resentful tone of her voice, and Shepard didn't bother hiding it. She owed these people her life, but not her trust, and not her good manners. It was easier for her to act the Earth Gutter Rat she had been as a child; a set of manners she would never truly lose no matter how many years came between where she was and where she had been.

"Just wanted to give you this," he offered her a small box, "I had to use it when I made the transfer to the higher level implants. They'll knock you out for several hours, but they should help your body get used to the new levels of biotics within a day or so."

Nora barely gave the package a glance as she moved towards the door pad, intent on closing the door once more. No way was she going to drug herself with something given to her by a Cerberus agent.

"Thanks for the offer Jacob, but I'm fine, nothing you need to worry about."

"Don't be a fool Shepard," Taking a step forward into her room, the man spoke calmly but continued to invade her space, "The Illusive man is going to send you on another mission soon and – "

The encroaching presence of a man she considered an enemy was more than she would allow, band with little more warning than a snarl she sent a low level biotic push to throw the man back several feet.

"I said I was fine. Thank you for your concern, but I don't need any help."

Eyes dark in anger, the Alliance Commander didn't bother apologizing for her actions, and said not a word more, watching in silence as the man turned and left the room rubbing a sore muscle.

"Fuck."

Swearing as she closed and locked the door to her room once more, she resolved to keep to herself until Miranda herself forced the door open.

Science project be damned, if they wanted to analyze her they would have to work for it.

Kneeling down by her bed to pull the collection of medigel packs she had found the Alliance soldier felt a sudden twinge of memory, the startling sense of shame flooding her as her hands began to deconstruct the health applicator into one more suited to her tastes.

A stimulant, the needle shone dully in the industrial light of her room. Part of her wondered idly why of all things this particular skill seemed to remain, but she didn't question she wanted one now. Sitting on the edge of the bed, purple-blue eyes flickered to the door once before focusing once more on the drug in her hand.

She only hoped the rush she received would be enough to dull the pain her body seemed so intent on keeping. And when, at last, the burning sensations began to drown under the rush of euphoric haze, Nora curled up under the blankets of her cot and fell deeply asleep; her heart squeezing painfully with thought that she had somehow let someone down.

~Dream~

"Are you alright?"

Warm masculine hands wrapped around her from behind, cuddling her close now that the doors of her private quarters were securely locked. There was very little privacy to be had aboard the Normandy SR-1 but they had managed well enough in recent months to find time together.

"You've been frowning all day."

A finger drifted to touch her brow, easing the lines of stress from her face with its gentle contact, lingering until a small smile made its way onto her features.

"You never miss a beat do you?"

His momentary look of confusion prompted her to explain, "I think I frowned only once today…and of all the people on the crew only you seem to have noticed."

"Well, you do know I spend more attention watching you than most," his breath was warm against her neck as he nuzzled her softly, dragging her backwards towards the bed by increments.

"I can't figure out if I should feel flattered or irritated by the fact you have time to watch me, when I have barely time to even get a glimpse of you in between of all these errands the Council is making me run."

His fleeting look of amusement coincided with a tender ruffle of her hair.

"Well, it's the least you can do considering you took several months vacation after the incident with Saren." His voice was teasing as he tugged her around and pushed her down to her bed, lying down beside her a moment later. She snuggled closer without further prompting, her body fitting comfortably against his, her cheek pressed against the strong slope of his shoulder.

"So why were you frowning?"

He sensed her hesitation and nudged her gently, his dark eyes seeking out the purple-blue of her own. Filled with a myriad of emotion, the human woman struggled to focus herself.

"Nora, what's wrong?"

She couldn't even muster a small smile as she began to talk, her fingers drawing lazy patterns on the metallic surface of his armor.

"It's been too quiet these past couple of weeks. For the terminus systems it seems wrong." Frowning slightly, she continued, "I can't shake the feeling that we're missing something important."

"Something about the Reapers?"

"Or about where they're going to strike next, what their next target it. I hate the idea that people will have to be hurt first for us to find out where the Reapers are."

"There is nothing else for us to do; we cannot predict where they will appear any more than we can predict what will happen when we next face them."

The hand on her lower back slid under her loose shirt and stroked the long scar that ran from hip to shoulder, a reminder of the fight for the Citadel. The pale ridge served as a reminder of the brush with death not easily forgotten.

"We have to stop them," Nora whispered as she turned to look at him once more, "For all organic life, we have to stop the Reapers, no matter what the cost."

"'No matter the cost'" He echoed her words distantly as his hand continued to trace the scars on her back, "I don't want to lose you again; I don't think I'm strong enough for that."

"Me neither," her expression was desolate as her hand came to cup the side of his face, "but somehow I don't think we'll have a choice."

"We'll see," he spoke roughly, tersely as he rolled her beneath him, pressing his forehead to her own; "I'm not giving you up without a fight, not again. Never again."

~End Dream~

Nora woke up with a shuddering breath, the scar on her back throbbing with the memory of tender touch.

Had that all truly been a dream, or were they memories? Why was she crying?

Pushing tears away with a confused hand, Nora lay in bed for a long moment, gazing unseeing up at the ceiling. She was trembling, from what she couldn't say, but she felt as if she was missing a significant portion of who she was, as if the memories she couldn't remember truly were important and not as insignificant as she had initially thought.

A small flicker of tender affection relit within her heart, holding the only warmth in a body she believed to no longer carry anything but the cold iciness of science. The aching of her heart seemed to reassure the fact she was still very much warm and alive.

She wanted to go talk to Miranda, maybe somehow find out what she had lost.

Head aching slightly as she swung her legs around to get out of bed, Shepard paused as her hands flickered with biotic power once more.

Yet another problem, the human commander sighed as she felt the burning of her hands return slowly, she would have to do something about it before it got worse…but how?

As if to answer her question the bright light of the biotic energy flared once more and this time her fingers snapped reflexively when the glow was at its brightest. The room was immediately filled with small fish-shaped biotic ribbons.

She snapped her fingers again, turning all of the fish into little birds. Again and again, shifting forms whenever her sharp sound echoed from her fingertips, Nora lay back on bed as she watched the ribbons dance over head.

This all seemed so familiar somehow.

Once more her mind seemed to provide her with the answers now that she had made the correct statement. Strange that all the answers she needed seemed to be held in the proverbial vault of her mind, awaiting only the proper phrase to reveal themselves.

A set of images flew before her eyes, these clearer than her dream.

It had been in the Normandy, Liara's room after the Noveria mission.

"That time with Kaiden and Liara…of course."

The names were familiar, the faces slower in coming around in her minds eyes. Still, she remembered them both; Liara the scholarly but socially untried Asari researcher and Kaiden Alenko, a man she considered the closest she would ever have to a brother, to family.

She didn't know for sure where either one of them had gone to, or even if they had survived the destruction of the Normandy two years ago. But, as she watched the small biotic animals overhead slowly draining away the painful excess of biotic power, there was a sudden comforting sense that she was not quite alone as she had thought.

Meeting with Miranda could wait.

"Where have you been?" Miranda was pacing the room when Shepard arrived, her expression one of annoyance thought it was clear she meant to hide it, "You have a meeting with the Illusive Man – go, now."

Hating that she followed the order without question, Nora clenched her hands into fists as she stepped into the holographic transmitter finding herself suddenly face to face with the strange turquoise eyes of the Illusive man. A flash of rebellion made her smile; the man looked annoyed at the delay of this meeting.

Let him be upset, she challenged him silently as she stared unblinkingly at the head of Cerberus, it was his decision to bring her back – let him deal with the consequences.

"Shepard."

Her face remained impassive as she gave him a brief nod.

"Good work on Freedoms Progress." Full of easy, meaningless praise, the Illusive man congratulated her on her latest mission. "The Quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."

"You ever think about playing nice once in a while?" Sarcasm seemed to be her new go-to tone for dealing with the people surrounding her, masking the deep sense of unease she had been unable to shake since waking up.

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat." The embers on his cigar burned brightly for a moment as he inhaled, "But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."

She scowled, "Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

"I had my suspicions," the older man responded evenly, comfortable in his position of power, "But I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel the terminus systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay."

Is there any particular reason why the Omega 4 relay unmapped?" Nora had certainly never heard of the relay before, "What do we know about it?"

"Only that no ship passing through it has ever returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage. If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of their connection with the Reapers."

"I still don't see why they've shifted their focus to humans."

"If they're agents for the Reapers, it could be for any number of reasons. Obviously humanity played a huge role in Sovereign's destruction. That might have been enough to draw their attention. What really concerns me is why they bother abducting colonists. Once humans are paralyzed, why not just kill them?"

"So do we know what the collectors getting from these deals?"

Every question was answered with more questions, an ever growing void of knowledge that left too many variables in question. It was like the Saren case all over again.

"The Collectors aren't very forthcoming about their motives. Generally they seek out species with rare genetic mutations or abnormalities. They pay slaves and merc groups exorbitant sums to obtain these specimens. And then they leave. But they've never targeted a single species before. And the previous sample sizes were in the dozens, not tens of thousands."

Her eyes narrowed, not missing a beat, "You're holding something back. How do you know the Reapers are involved?"

The man had the gall to smile in amusement, "The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign. You and I know better. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."

The sense of agreement that bubbled within her was ruthlessly suppressed, "If this is a war, I'll need and army. Or a really good team."

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them.". "Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. Sparing her only the most brief of glances, the Illusive man shuffled data-cards at his terminal and sent them to her, she didn't bother opening the files

"Keep your list. I want people I can trust – the ones who helped me stop Saren and the Geth."

Kaiden, Liara…her mind began to supply additional names and faces, Wrex, Tali…

"That was two years ago, Commander." The reminder was surprisingly gentle, "Most of them moved on…or their allegiances have changed."

"Garrus Vakarian," the name had escaped her lips before she quite knew what she was asking, who she was asking about, "Where is he?"

"The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate him."

Another touch of despair, this one more profound than any of the others pierced her. She remembered the name, but not the face, not the voice, not a single clue. And yet, her body seemed remeber, her heart tugging insistently, begging for something she couldn't remember losing.

"What of the others?"

For each name she asked, there was one reason or another that prevented them from helping her. And when she was left with no one, the sharp pain in her chest turned to cold anger.

"Ok I get it, they're unavailable" Her voice sounded flat in the expansive room.

"You're a leader Shepard; you'll get who you need."

She needed his sympathy about as much as she needed a bullet in the back of her head. She would not trust him, not for a second.

"You worry about the collectors. I'll make sure my team's ready."

She didn't have any other choice, and so she'd do what she was told – for now.

"Good." The Illusive man took another long drag from his cigar, "Two things before you go. First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus, He's a brilliant Salarian Scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collectors paralyzing seeker swarms."

"I haven't even started yet and you're telling me what to do?" She kept her voice steady though her hands had once more reflexively tightened into fists. .

"I'm giving you direction," he spoke as if he was correcting a child, "What you do with it is up to you. I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

Like he didn't know she would do what he suggested, Nora frowned once more.

"All right. So what's the other thing?"

"I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."

She turned around just in time to see Joker walking carefully down the ramp, his expression one of impish amusement, "Hello Commander, you're looking pretty good for corpse."

"Remind me again how you ended up working for Cerberus."

Sitting next to her pilot in the cockpit of their new ship, the Normandy SR-2, Nora Shepard glanced at the brilliant computer interface and winced, she was still as technologically inept as she had been before she died.

Thankfully EDI was proving to be especially helpful, much to Joker's displeasure.

"I ended up getting into Cerberus after the Council clipped my wings, ungrateful bastards." Joker had waited until EDI had 'left' before starting to talk, mumbling about back-seat driving despite the fact the AI had told them both she did not have those sorts of capabilities.

"They broke up the team, all the evidence was hidden away, and with you gone there was nothing holding them back. Cerberus found me and offered me a ship, with you as the commanding officer if you can believe that. Hell yeah I was going to join."

"Do you trust the Illusive Man?" Nora asked quietly as she turned to the scruffy face of her pilot, "After all the times we dealt with Cerberus before, do you think it wise?"

"I don't trust anyone who makes more money that I do," Joker shrugged carelessly, "But we need him right now to get the job done, and he brought you back from the dead. That counts for something, not trust necessarily, but something."

His commander managed a smile at the honesty, an opinion she could trust, "I'll have to think about it."

"Fair enough, Commander. I'll be here if you ever want to chat again."

Nora left without another word, her light expression shifting once more to one of stern control, a temperament that only barely masked the aching hole in her chest.

She missed her old team desperately, missed feeling like she could trust them to watch her back.

The Alliance Commander walked into the armory and turned to the EDI interface, "Tell me about this room."

Being dead had been less stressful than this.

.

Shepard arrived at her very spacious quarters after nearly two hours touring the ship, finding the quarters much like the rest of her new ship, beautifully designed, large, and not lacking in amenities. Remembering the modest quarters of the first Normandy Nora felt a momentary hesitation in her appreciation of the ship. This new vessel was beautiful, but it would be a while before she could call it home. All the same, it was her base of her operations for now, and she had work to do, a mission to complete.

Sighing as she changed out of her armor, the woman glanced at the empty bed with much trepidation; half frightened of what she would find when she closed her eyes. The memory from that morning had left her more confused than not, vulnerable in a way she hadn't realized.

She didn't want to fall asleep if she didn't have to.

And so she read, and re-read the dossiers until she knew each candidate as well as she knew herself.

Convict.

Warlord.

Scientist.

The information she had been provided had made everything perfectly clear; the need for the Salarian doctor outweighed any other immediate candidate. Scowling, Nora pushed the data pad on her desk, agreeing with at twinge of irritation that the Illusive man had been right.

Of course.

The commander flicked a wayward strand of hair from her eyes, damned man really couldn't be trusted, but what could she do?

"Joker, set a course for Omega."

Mordin Solus would be their best bet in the fight against the Collectors, but there was another candidate who was waiting for them at Omega as well. Glancing at the data tablet once more, she read the dossier on the recruit who had so interested her, the Tactician. An enigma, a sharp-shooter who had appeared out of nowhere and had proven to be the justice in a lawless system; Nora smiled a little. His name was charming really, and as she murmured his name out loud, she couldn't stop the small feminine laugh that escaped her lips.

"They call him Archangel…cute."