A/N: Disclaimed: Sadly, Mass Effect does not belong to little ol' me.

Garrus set up his sniper rifle on top of a building across from his target. The sound of moving traffic below him did nothing to disturb his forced calm. Illium was thriving, alive beneath his feet, and he felt as though he could feel every tremor, his heart matching every beat.

He tried to keep all of his focus on the task at hand, taking extra care to place his bag filled with equipment down gently. He zipped open the bag, methodically taking out parts of his sniper rifle.

He couldn't think about what he was about to do. If he did, it suddenly made everything real—realer than he was able to handle.

His set up his stand quickly and quietly, snapping his gun into place in quick motions. His visor was giving him readouts about the weather; there was a strong breeze.

Not strong enough to stray his shot.

Chatter of the city below filtered up, filling the air with noise. Seconds passed into minutes, and with the passing of time, his calm façade too began to wither away.

Focus Vakarian, He chided himself harshly. It's just any other kill.

His hands twitched, body obviously recognizing the lie. It didn't matter, it didn't change anything. This was his target, his last target.

He was not going to fail now.

His knee didn't protest as he kneeled behind his gun, as he leaned up comfortably to look through his scope. His breath escaped him in a painful gust.

She looked exactly the same as before.

Fire red hair fell to kiss her shoulders in haphazard layers with one piece tucked behind her ear. She wasn't wearing make-up, something he was happy about. He never understood why human females loved putting that crap on their faces. It never did anything for him, not then, not now.

From what he could see her body remained unchanged; she was wearing a pair of civvies as she walked around her apartment. He could tell she hadn't been there long; it was unfurnished save the futon on the floor in the corner. There were some boxes stacked up around the room, its contents still inside.

He made his visor zoom in, so that he could see her face. It wasn't as sharp or clear as it would be if he'd been standing next to her, but it sufficed.

Garrus was once again surprised at how expressive human faces were, and though she'd loved to argue that she was different, he knew the truth. Though her face wasn't necessarily as expressive as the others in her race, all of her emotions were present in her eyes; a beautiful emerald green.

He could see them now; and they looked so much brighter than the last time he'd stared into them.

His talons gripped his gun tighter, trigger finger twitching. He watched, heart thudding painfully against his ribs as she walked over to the window overlooking the city. She was in plain sight.

Take the shot.

His finger moved onto the trigger of the gun. He exhaled in a shaking gust, pushing back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

His breath began sawing in and out of his lungs, and he could do nothing to stop it. All he could do was wait for his control to return to him.

Get a grip Vakarian.

It wasn't enough; he needed more. He needed a reason, he needed justification.

His mandibles trembled as he watched her purse her lips in thought.

She looks exactly the same, acts exactly the same. Maybe they're wrong, maybe—

He stopped that train of thought in its tracks. He refused to go there.

Just do it Vakarain. Your last hit, three months of chasing has led up to this.

He watched her sigh as she typed something on her PADD.

Make it quick. His gut clenched, his muscles relaxed. His trigger finger stopped twitching.

Set her free.

He pulled the trigger, just in time to see her smile.

A/N: Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave it here. (I'm not that cruel...) Thanks for reading and feel free 2 write a review! They make me oh so happy~