Goodbye

Tali sat near the cliff's edge, watching as Tikkun slowly set on the horizon. In her hand she held a small rock, a rock Shepard had given to her when they had first landed on Rannoch.

'Shepard.' She thought, her eyes turning back to the fading light above. 'I wish I could see you... one last time...'

She sighed and looked down at the stream below. Earlier that week there had been a funeral for him, after they found his charred corpse and his dog tags...

Tali held back tears and tightly gripped the rock. The funeral had been modest, and everyone still alive had attended... While it didn't bring him back, it brought her some closure.

She still remembered the last words he said to her, though. Get back to Rannoch... build yourself a home...

More tears began falling down her cheeks. Why was the universe so unfair? He had been the greatest man she had ever met... and he was the one who died to stop the Reapers, he was the one who had to be sacrificed to save everyone... Anyone else could have died, anyone! A smuggler, a gang member, or some other criminal should have taken his place! Keelah, she should have died instead of him!

"Tali..." A voice said lightly behind her.

Tali sprang up and turned around, overjoyed at the voice. "Shepard!?"

Shepard smiled as his Quarian lover ran to him and gave him a close hug.

"Is this... real?" She asked through tear-filled eyes.

"Tali, I'm still gone..." He began.

Tali jerked back. "Then this is another dream, here to torture me!?"

"No, Tali..." He stepped towards her. "I... have some unfinished business with you."

"Yes, you do..." she sighed. "So, are you going to build me a house and disappear?"

Shepard chuckled. "No, Tali, I just... needed to say goodbye."

"No, no goodbyes! You can't have just died, Shepard!" Tali sniffled. "You can't just leave me alone after all we've been through..."

Shepard sighed. "Tali... we both knew the path I walked was a one-way street. There was no way I was getting out of this alive."

"Then why didn't you take me with you!?" Tali cried. "Wherever you go, I was going to come with you, Shepard..."

"So you could have died beside me, Tali?" Shepard shook his head. "No, I couldn't do it. I saw you get hit by that explosion, I knew you couldn't keep going. And even if you could have, I don't know what I would have done if I saw you turn to dust from one of those Reaper lasers..."

He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I needed to know you were safe, Tali... I needed to know I was saving this galaxy for a reason."

Tali shook her head. "Shepard, giving me the chance to live a long and lonely life is a terrible reason to save the galaxy!"

"Lonely? Tali, you have so many friends here, on Rannoch, and throughout the galaxy. And I'm sure you can... find someone else, when you're ready."

"W-what?" Tali glared at him. "I can't find someone else, Shepard! You were mine... the only one I've ever trusted to link suits with! I can never forget you, or be with someone else!"

"I know, and I'm not telling you to forget me." He smiled. "I'll be in your heart, forever, but I do want you to be happy, and help rebuild the galaxy. I'm sorry I won't be there to help, but... I hope I've done enough."

"You deserve better than this, Tali." He sighed again. "And I know you'll find someone else, you're too beautiful to be alone in this galaxy."

Tali shook her head. "But I don't want anyone else, Shepard..."

Shepard smiled faintly. "Ok, Tali, I won't force you to do anything. Just know if you ever change your mind, I won't be angry. I want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted."

"I would be happy if you... were really here..." She whispered.

"I know, Tali. But I can't change the past."

"I know..." She replied quietly.

Shepard took a step back, and turned towards Tikkun. "Tali... I think I've been here long enough, so... Goodbye, and know I love you."

"Shepard, wait." Tali pleaded.

He turned back to her. "Yes, my love?"

"What... was dying like?"

"Painful." He sighed. "I fought it as hard as I could, at the end. My only thoughts were of you... but it hurt so much... Then they eased the pain, and it was over."

"They?" Tali asked.

"My parents." Shepard explained. "They died on Mindior, all those years ago, along with my sister, Jane. They were there, telling me it was time to go. I didn't want to listen to them, but... mom reached out her hand, and took mine. She stopped the pain... and I finally saw them again."

"It felt like a miracle." Shepard smiled. "I also met your parents, Tali. Your mother was exactly as you described her, I honestly thought I was talking to you at first. She's a good woman, and is so proud of you. And your father... he told me to apologize to you, for everything."

Tali nodded. "Thank you... I needed to hear that, Shepard."

"And I need you to know I'm at peace, Tali." He took her hand. "I've spoken to everyone I've ever lost, on the Normandy, on Akuze... everyone. My mind is at peace, my only regret... is that I can't share the peace with you."

Tali pulled him closer. "Shepard... was all of this really just a dream?"

Shepard smiled faintly. "You tell me."

He removed her mask, and pressed his lips to hers...

Tali opened her eyes, and turned to the other side of her bed. She saw no one there, or anywhere in the room... yet she could still taste him, as if that last kiss had been real...

Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back... sort of. I was feeling a bit of melancholy recently, and decided to write this while I continue my own project. I've rarely given the thought of Shepard being actually dead much thought, to be frank. Usually I just say he stays alive, and he returns to Rannoch with Tali... but stretching your brain out to different possibilities can't hurt. In fact, it gives me a strange sense of ease. I'm not sure I can really explain it... Anyway, thanks for reading, and Keelah Se'lai.