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Marlowe willed herself to take that first step.  That first step seemed so huge and daunting.  Her left leg had been lost in the damage from her fall in the Crucible.  Her left arm below the elbow as well, but the prosthetic for that was adapting better than her leg.  It reacted to her nerves much easier than her leg and Marlowe was getting much better at using it.  She still got the pain that she was told was normal.  Normal her ass, it still hurt like a bitch.  She’d take that pain and make it hers, it reminded her the Reapers had not won.  They, humanity and all the other races that banded together, had won.  The galaxy no longer had a looming death clock anymore.

“Damn it Shepard.  You were supposed to wait for a nurse to get back.”  Marlowe laughed as she heard the petulant tone in his voice.  Hearing a friendly voice lifted her spirits, especially since he’d been a constant pain in her ass.

“Still playing my nursemaid Vega?”  She leaned against the railing, propping her chin on her hand as she watched the big Marine enter the room.  The first steps being forgotten temporarily as Vega shuffled around with coffee and breakfast.  Her stomach growled as the tantalizing smells reached her.  He snorted.

“Hardly but I don’t want to get my ass kicked by your merc boyfriend because you got hurt on my watch.”  At the mention of Zaeed, Marlowe felt her heart flutter.  He’d been there when she woke up.  You can’t be the one girlfriend to break the streak of trying to kill me.  Wake up damn it!  Marlowe told him to quit yelling or she really would try to kill him.  She remembered his next words with clarity, it still sent a trill of heat through her.  That’s my sweetheart.  Now let’s get you up.  She’d been making progress every day for the past six months to get to where she was.  Her spine had been fractured and had to heal before she could try putting weight on it.  One doctor had informed her she would never walk again, he’d been thrown out of her room by everyone in it.  Every single crew member and friend she had made all told that doctor where to shove his opinion.  Marlowe herself threatened to kick his ass if he didn’t get out of her room.

Miranda had informed her that she had redone her implants but without any Cerberus tech this time.  Miranda privately whispered that Zaeed had been particularly adamant that she not use Cerberus tech.  Vega was her physical therapy buddy since he had the uncanny ability to tap into that stubborn streak she had.  Zaeed stayed with her when he wasn’t needed for reconstruction.  Marlowe focused her eyes on Vega and they narrowed at the nervous shifting of his eyes.  “What are you up to James Vega?”  He pointed at himself in a Who me?  Marlowe glared at him and arched one eyebrow.

“Spill it Vega.  Or I’ll tell that pretty nurse that you flex in front of the mirror when you think no one is looking.”  He grumbled and shifted his weight around.  It looked as if he was weighing the options and consequences in his head.  His arms crossed as he shook his head.  

“No can do Lola.  Sworn to secrecy.”

“So it is something.”  Marlowe tapped her finger against her lips as her mind whirled with possibilities.  “Tell me Vega.”  She demanded as her body straightened and wobbled a bit as her body tried to regain its balance.

“If you can make it over to me on your own maybe I will.”  Vega teased and Marlowe sucked in a breath to steel herself against the excruciating effort.  She moved slowly and could feel Vega’s eyes on her.  Her eyes stayed on her legs, making sure to put one in front of the other.  Her foot moved and then she concentrated on the prosthetic.  The synthetic foot twitched and finally moved a step.  Her eyes shot up to Vega and he looked amazed.

“Hold up on that just yet Lola.  The nurse is on her way.  Please?”  There was a note in his voice that had her freeze.  She nodded and leaned against the railing.  It had been about a week since Zaeed had been there, and she missed him.  Missed hearing him tell the nurses that if they wanted him out of her hospital bed, they’d have to drag him out.  Missed hearing the stories he told her that lulled her to sleep.  She especially missed him being there when the nightmares struck in the night, his comforting arms sliding around her warm and comforting.  

“Come on Vega.  You know I hate surprises.”  Shepard whined as Vega shook his head.  The door opened and she turned with an exasperated huff.  “About time.”  She froze as she recognized the man standing in the doorway.  Tall, always so tall, broad shouldered, and the salt and pepper hair.  It had once been as deep red as her own.  His eyes that she remembered shining with mischief as he and she got up to shenanigans when she was a child had more lines around them.  “Dad?”  

“Marlowe.  You were supposed to wait for a nurse, but patience has never been your strongest trait.”  Her father, Admiral Kenneth Shepard, strode over to her as she straightened.  “Has it baby girl?”  Marlowe laughed at the nickname.  He had once told her she would be sixty and he’d still call her his baby girl.  

“How?  I thought you and Mom.”  Marlowe paused at the flash of pain in her dad’s face.  “Mom isn’t here is she?”  Her father shook his head and held out his arm for her.  Marlowe reached out and grabbed his forearm with her right hand.  “I’m glad you made it Dad.”  

“And I’m glad you did.  I heard about the disaster that the ground assault was.  We heard there were no survivors and then, then, we all heard your voice.  Hackett almost had a coronary when you asked what you needed to do.”  Vega watched as Marlowe took a step as her Dad spoke.  He kept his lips sealed as the two caught up.  “I almost had a coronary when your name came across the lines.  ‘Shepard!  We have Shepard!’  I can’t tell you how much that meant.”  Kenneth grinned as they made it to the end of the railing.  Marlowe jolted as the railing slipped from her fingers and she looked down to see they’d gone beyond it.

“What?”  Kenneth chuckled and she glanced up at her father.

“You always did overthink things dear girl.  Occupy your mind with something else and you’d manage to overcome anything.”  Vega burst out laughing and the elder Shepard looked at the Marine, who clapped a hand over his mouth.  “Now.  Let’s go.  There is someone else who wants to see you.”

Marlowe glanced out the door and saw Zaeed standing there.  Looking distinctly uncomfortable in his casual clothes.  Jeans and a dark shirt.  She let go of her father’s arm and walked over to him.  Worry flashed in his eyes as she stopped in front of him.  “So you found my Dad?”

“Vega opened his bloody mouth didn’t he?”

“I am being falsely accused!”  Came the reply from the therapy room.  Kenneth chuckled at the protest.

“You were gone a week.  I figured something was up,” Marlowe explained.  “Don’t blame Vega.  I even threatened him and he kept his mouth shut.”

“I figured he’d crumple.  Shocking,” Zaeed grumbled as Marlowe put her hand on his arm to keep her balance.  He instinctively covered her hand with his.  Marlowe grinned at him.

“You’re just a big softie.  Admit it.”  Marlowe laughed at the disgruntled expression on his face.  

Kenneth watched his daughter with the grizzled mercenary.  He wouldn’t have picked Zaeed Massani out for her, but he saw the light in her eyes.  Those eyes so much like her mother’s shined with the same emotion he would see in Hannah’s eyes.  His daughter lit up when that man came into the room.  If Zaeed made her happy, then he’d let her be.  All he wanted was for her to be happy.

“How would you feel if I told you that we got permission for you to leave?”

“Leave?  Leave the hospital?”  Zaeed nodded.  “When!?  I don’t care how you got the cage unlocked.”  Marlowe wrapped her arms around Zaeed, pressing her cheek against his chest.  

“Now.  I even got your apartment finished.”

“Wait.  That big one that Anderson left me?”  Zaeed nodded as she tilted her face up to him.  “How?  I didn’t think Zakera Ward was a priority?”

Vega laughed and spoke up from the doorway.  “It wasn’t.  Until your boyfriend rounded up the crew and between us we had more than enough leverage to get the complex fixed.”  Vega grinned as Zaeed shot him a glare over Marlowe’s head.

“And now he opens his bloody mouth.  Arsehole.”  Vega held up his hands at Zaeed’s grumbling insults.  Marlowe smiled and leaned back.

“Let’s go home.”

“Anything for you sweetheart.”  Vega made a face and Kenneth coughed to cover up a laugh.  “You’re not invited.”  Zaeed pointedly told Vega.

“No problems here.”  Vega backed away and Kenneth told Marlowe he would visit the next day.  Zaeed looked down at Marlowe after the others left.

“Are you going to tell them?”  Marlowe’s eyes danced with mischief as he shook his head.  No one knew but Marlowe suspected they all had a feeling something was up.  The glint of silver on her dogtag chain drew his attention.  The simple band wasn’t anything fancy, she only wanted simple.  Fancy wasn’t their style.  “I suppose we should let Tali know it’s okay to tell since she was our witness and all.”  Marlowe tilted her face up and he leaned down to press his lips against hers.  She sighed and fisted her hands in his shirt as he lifted his head.