Day One: Beginning
As the Normandy flew away from the devastation that was London, EDI and Kaidan limped from the shuttle bay to the top floor of the Normandy; Shepard's Quarters.
EDI carefully laid Kaidan onto the velvety comforter and proceeded to unlatch his hardsuit. With medi-gel in hand, she slathered the goo on the more bruised areas of his ribs and chest.
Kaidan's eye were rimmed with red, his body was wracking underneath EDI's touch violently. No, it wasn't because of the cold, wet feeling the medi-gel possessed, it came from the despair that hung tight in his throat. From the feel of desolation that consumed and swallowed up his will to live through this. If only he would've moved out of the way quicker, if only his mind would have reacted to the threat sooner, he would have still been with the ground team, making that final push, with Shepard.
Shepard…
Kaidan groaned underneath his breath, attempting to force himself to calm down and let EDI treat the damage dealt to him. But he couldn't lie still. Every time his eyes shut, Shepard's brilliant blue eyes continued to bore into his very soul, tearing it apart as he professed his love to Kaidan, taking his cheek into his hand and relishing in that last moment for what almost seemed an eternity. The radiant warmth of Shepard's hand had left as quickly as it came. Kaidan reached out to his Commander-his lover- as Shepard ran from the ship, signaling it to take off and leave, Kaidan wore such a grimace, it tugged at Shepard's heart strings as he took one final glance back.
Kaidan's breathing picked up speed and his pulse thumped at an alarming rate. As soon as his eyes snapped wide open, EDI had absconded from the deck and he was left alone, hand clutching at his chest, heart beating wildly in his ears.
And at that moment, Kaidan fully broke down.
He slumped off of the bed, sobs fighting their way out of his throat. He walked around the cabin in circles, (not even taking into account that he was just in briefs and at a moments notice someone could barge right inside) trying so hard to let the gentle hum of the aquarium ease his hyper-active thoughts.
What was happening down there?
How many causalities have been inflicted upon the ground team already?
Was Shepard safe..
Was Shepard still alive..
Was Shepard-
The sharp, sudden shift in gravity sent Kaidan flying backwards, back hitting the glass of the Aquarium. He repressed the urge to cry out from the intense pain that ran up and down his spine, the medi-gel working it's charm to subside the ache. Kaidan shakily stood up and soon became aware of Joker's panicked ridden voice on the over-com.
Kaidan limped to Shepard's closet and slipped on his fatigues. Tears of anguish began to well up and sting the corners of his eyes. He'd never forget that scent Shepard always wore. Sweet as honey but musky all the same…
Joker's urgent calls interrupted Kaidan's musings and he proceeded to limp toward the elevator to the CIC.
—
When the doors opened, the deck was flooded with hysteria. The crew members were scurrying around the large holo-table while Kaidan fought his way through to the cockpit, becoming increasingly frustrated with his lax movements.
When he finally made his way to Joker, he looked over his shoulder and saw the massive red explosion that was traveling fast behind the Normandy.
"What's going on Joker?" Kaidan tried to say, but his tongue felt like lead and his lips were dry. He could only look around in distress as the Normandy's FTL drives weren't seeming to be fast enough to out run what was a mere hundred yards behind them.
All at once, time seemed to slow as the ship was pulled into the massive hole that was the explosion.
This was it.
The impact of the Normandy being sucked into the explosion jarred the others standing in the tight space of the cockpit. The last thing Kaidan saw before a curtain of black covered his eyes, was EDI, shouting at Joker in mid-sentence, suddenly slump forward into her passenger seat.
He could barely breathe.
The tightness in his chest made certain of that.
Through the fuzzy darkness that was his vision, Kaidan could feel his lips twitch into a smile.
Almost certain that these were his last few moments, almost certain that behind the veil that clouded his eyes, Shepard would be there, waiting for him, just as he said before the battle ensued.
Almost certain that he would be in peace with Shepard in just mere moments.
Almost certain that this would be the beginning of what he'd always dreamed.
A life with the man he loved more than life itself, eternity presented to them both, no distractions, no weight of the galaxy on either of their shoulders.
Just the two of them, in perfect peace.