One of three ending fics I have in progress. Yes, I know the timeline and ages are wrong but I'm claiming "artistic integrity." That covers all plot holes doesn't it? I may add more to this fic if I get around to it.
Rattled
She opened her eyes and grunted in pain. It took her a moment to realise that Anderson was speaking to her. Dragging herself to her feet she tried to take in her surroundings. Bodies everywhere and no sign of life except for a lone keeper scavenging amongst the dead. She'd made it to the Citadel, now she just had to find the controls to open the arms then the Crucible could dock and this nightmare might finally be over. For everyone.
She forced herself to move forward ignoring the pain that doubled when she bent to retrieve a pistol lying on the floor. Faltering momentarily she shook her head, concentrating solely on making sure she kept moving. Finally she crossed a bridge and saw Anderson ahead, her pace quickened slightly. This was it, the moment that the last few years had been leading up to. Relief flooded through her, it was almost over. Soon she'd be able to rest, she was so damn tired.
Her vision became hazy as The Illusive Man stepped between her and Anderson. Her thoughts became jumbled and she fought to control them. She wavered as she tried to argue with him, her gun pointed at Anderson as she pulled the trigger. Understanding dawned; he was attempting to control her through the reaper tech Cerberus had used to rebuild her. Taking a deep breath she regained control, time to take The Illusive Man out once and for all, before he could do any more damage. She aimed and fired before he could strike the killing blow on Anderson and was relieved that the haziness in her mind disappeared completely as he fell.
She came to not knowing where she was. Her last memory was of opening the Citadel's arms and speaking quietly to Anderson before he slipped away. The child she had seen on Earth when this had started was standing before her. She shook her head trying to understand why they were both here, and where exactly here was. It seemed that he was the catalyst and he could tell her how to defeat the reapers. Nothing he said made a lot of sense to her but a choice had to be made and it appeared that it was up to her to decide the fate of all the people, both human and alien, of the galaxy.
She stood and looked at the three paths before her, uncertain of which to choose. Hackett had once told her that dead reapers was how they would win this war. It was what she'd been working towards for so long, what Anderson had died trying to help her achieve, and the only option she could live with no matter the consequences to herself. She set out towards the path on the right. Growing more certain as she fired once at the target, her mind filled with images of those that she'd lost, Thane, EDI, and finally Kaidan. She straightened up and walked forward firing repeatedly until it exploded. "Goodbye Kaidan," she whispered as she was hurled against the wall.
Major Kaidan Alenko glanced up from the monitors that were checking her vital signs to the woman in front of him. Shepard, hero of Elysium, recipient of the Star of Terra, and now Alliance poster girl. And a human biotic, but that hadn't been widely publicized. He wished it had been, it might make people look at biotics as more that freaks, but with all the problems with the L2 implants the Alliance had decided to keep Shepard's biotics to themselves. It was the reason he'd been called in to monitor her. He should have been sitting on a beach somewhere on leave instead he was assessing Shepard's potential. Her acceptance into the N7 program hinged on how well she did here and he found himself wanting her to pass with flying colours. He could have used her in his own squad, the Biotics Division that he now headed, but the N7 program had first dibs.
She was one of the few to be put through the new state of the art virtual reality program that the Alliance had commissioned. This was the first time he had seen it in action and he made a mental note to kill his friend, Michael Riordan who had designed and built it. Mike was always throwing woman at him but it seemed he had stepped up his efforts and turned the program into a dating sim especially for Kaidan. And Shepard had taken the bait.
He looked at her thoughtfully as he prepared to release her from the simulator. Given the Alliance fraternization rules maybe it was better that she wouldn't be serving under him in Biotics Division. He hoped he wouldn't blush next time they came face to face and wondered whether she would feel any embarrassment once she regained her equilibrium before snorting in self derision. You're just blinded by the fact that she seems to have a thing for you. Must have made a good impression during the two brief meetings we had.
Flicking the switch that released her from the simulator he watched her take a deep breath and open her eyes. He started walking towards her to help her out, she'd be disorientated at first, and was taken aback when she rushed towards him and kissed him passionately.
Breaking the kiss she smiled up at him, "Kaidan, thank god you're okay. We did it, we finally did it." The smile was replaced by a puzzled look as she saw the indecision on his face. "Kaidan?"
He cleared his throat, "Shepard, you are going to feel a bit rattled for a while, maybe you should lay down until you feel more yourself." Taking her by the arm he led her to a bed in the nearby medbay. She watched him as he scanned her vital signs and reached out for his hand when he was done. He sat beside her, still holding her hand, deep in thought. He would definitely be watching Shepard's career with interest. Maybe I won't be killing Mike after all. I wonder if she'd like to have dinner with me.