AU, Post ME3. Synthisis ending.

Thane POV

Needle pierced deep in my neck. Surging pain felt throughout. Lungs collapse, fail to bring in air. Doctor plunges second needle into chest. I gasp. Not a moment too soon oxygen floods my body.

I close my eyes and breathe deep. The procedure was rushed, but could not of come at a better time. Gene therapy, special nanites, it didn't cure keprals syndrome but it did eliminate the symptoms with monthly shots.

Shepard had pulled some strings, I was the first to receive the treatment despite it still being in the testing phase yet. My dr, a brilliant hanar. Without them, I would of died of my wounds at the hands of Kai Leng. Instead because of Shepherd, I received the injections just in time.

Determination on her brow. Sun glinting off her armor. Rifle poised to shoot. She hesitates. Looking for me.

From that first moment in the tower, I knew our time together would be life altering. She changed my life that day. After all, I may have surprised her, but she shocked me.

Here I am though, stranded on another planet. The reapers beaten, and I was here, with the crew and now I'd lost someone irreplaceable and unforgettable. The citadel had exploded, if not for Joker we might not of survived at all.

Her words rang in my ears, still.

"I Love you Thane Krios, don't you forget that" her hand soft across the scales of my arm. Her skin glowing in the moon light. Her hair, like a halo on the sheets. my lips touched hers tenderly.

I blinked the memory away again, it was so easy to get lost in that one. It was hard to stay present in a world where she didn't exist.

I was one of the few almost unchanged by Jane's decision to merge synthetic and organic life. EDI has Dna, blood even. Many had adapted to their technology and the technology was no longer working. We were all organic now. A bi-core multistrand DNA as liara called it, she said it means we all have 6 strands of Dna with 2 cores. We were now, both synthetic and organic, we are now all flesh and blood.That's what I got out of it at least.

I might of been minimally unchanged physically but my soul had been forever changed by Jane. I hope to find her again across the sea, waiting for me.

Dr Chakwas walked in, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I'd like to run some tests to see if this change has harmed your genetic nanites to fight off the symptoms of your Keprals."

"I'm at your service, as you wish"

I followed the good doctor to the Normandy's med bay. Tali and Garrus had gotten the emergency water system working and the solar system patched in so everything was working brilliantly. The doctor sat me down at a machine, it whirred to life.

I closed my eyes. Knowing the scan would take a while; I let myself delve into the past, not skim it as I usually did.

The stars shimmered through the window setting her blue eyes alight and dancing with laughter. My fingers traced delicately across the soft sensitive flesh of her rib cage. She burst into another fit of laughter. It was like seeing perfection for the first time, there on her face.Id never found quite the solace, that I found everytime I looked into her steely blue pools. I ached for her body, I craved the taste of her lips and I hungrily drank up her joy. None would ever stand up to her. She reached for my face, hands so tender as her thumb traced over my lower lip and she stared into my eyes. My mouth stole hers, our bodies melded together. Touches so tender they brought both great joy and hunger to my heart.This night before we hit Earth, was perfect. We devoured one another's presence by star light. As we lay in one another's arms I can't help but have a moment where I wish Jane was Drell. I felt selfish for wanting it, but I also wished to have a piece of her just as Id always have a piece of Irika in Kolyat.

"Thane, Thane... "

My eyes opened to a concerned doctor. I apologised for letting myself get too deep into the memory. My face wet, I touched my face only to find tears. I wiped them away and apoligised again. I changed the subject in haste.

"What did you find"

"It's quite incredible, the genetic Nanites have merged becoming part of your DNA permanently. You are cured..."

I paused to stare at the screen where the results were right infront of me but since i wasn't a doctor it might as well have been written in prothean.

Cured? I'd been resigned to death, without Jane, I actually welcomed it a little without her. But cured? What would I do with that? I suppose if we ever make it off this rock I could go find Kolyat. What would I do though without Jane? There was always that small chance she survived like always. There were no real answers to my internal questions. I nodded and thanked Chakwas. Jane saved my life 3 times. Once when we met, once from the symptoms of Keprals and now a third time all together from the disease itself.

I climbed through the maintenance shaft, headed up to the CIC. We used them instead of the elevator to save electricity. I, as always, silently slid up and got to my feet and just as I turned, I was face to face with Garrus and Tali who had chagrin painted on her face plainly. With her helmet off now, it was easy to see the embarrassment on her face. They had just been in a intimate lip lock. I nodded to them and slipped away. This was the down side of a lifetime of moving around without a sound, something of a habit that was easy as breathing.

Tali took some getting used to seeing her without her mask. I could also tell it was taking time for her to get used to people seeing her emotions which normally would be hidden by the mask. She was not as I had imagined. Her big brown eyes, full lips an almost flat nose. A red and yellow ridge over there crest of her head. Her skin smooth soft scales of light brown and pale yellows. She had adapted to her tech through the synthesis change. The most obvious change was she could breathe the air without getting sick so the helmet she had worn all her life was not even nessisary.

I headed for the airlock and outside where massive trees dwarfed everything around them. The foliage of the under brush were equally as large. Our fence surrounding camp looked like a tiny stick pile compared to the trees. We had settled in pretty easily, luckily the ship was packed with state of the art gear for situations a lot like this. Most of the parts we had to make by hand, which was proving hard. Considering mining was not possible so we had to settle for what we could find topside mostly.

The planet was, as far as we could tell, uninhabited. Time would tell. Once the old mako was fixed we would certainly be seeing more of this place. It certainly would make finding deposits of things we need to fix the Normandy, easier. Joker got a message just as we landed, but it was mostly static and he is still trying to clean it up and fix the comms, but no luck yet.

I headed down the ramp then began the climb of a nearby tree. My favorite tree so far. I'd found the perfect spot to sit with a birds eye view of everything to watch for any hostile creatures.

I slung my rifle from my back and slid it against my shoulder. It was like greeting an old friend. I looked through the scope watching the coming and going of camp. Tali and Steve were working on the Mako. EDI was target practicing with the heavy pistol I gave her from Jane's locker. Liara was studying the local plants and animals to see what was edible and what could be used as medicine.

What would become of us? Were we destined to live out our life here? A loud thunderous noise echoed through our little valley. I scanned smoothly to the open docking bay and seen a very happy Cortez. Looks like the Mako is running.

I smiled, finally we can see a little more of this rock. I scanned the perimeter looking for anything dangerous. Finding nothing I relaxed and leaned back against the tree I was carefully perched on.

I wonder what Kolyat is doing? Is he back home helping the Hanar rebuild?

"Did you ever love my mother?" Kolyat asked out of frustration after I told him that Shepard and I were together."Yes I loved your mom very much, she will always hold a special spot in my heart. "But Shepard, there is something about her, something stronger that pulls me to her, that makes me just"..."Follow her, to the end of all" Kolyat said finishing my scentance."Yes exactly" I nodded looking to the door. Every second away from her was painful. Kolyat was quiet for a moment trying to process this, to at least understand. Just then Shepard walked in and something must have washed across my face because Kolyat stared at me starting at her, staring at me. He softly gasped and whispered "Tu'fira"

I blinked the memory away as my Omni tool chirpped at me. I opened the message from Joker.

"Assemble at the hangar bay, they are getting ready to send a scavenging party out. You and Garrus are needed to watch their 6"

I proceeded to climb from the tree all that way to the ground. I slipped through camp and headed for the hangar. I nodded at Garrus. Tali turned and almost walked into me. She gasped then laughed nervously from the surprise.

"I was just going to come get you" she said with a smile

"Well here I am." I smiled back.

" Seriously we need to put a bell around your neck" she comments and a few crew members laughed. I cracked a smile and nodded. Jane had said this herself a time or two when I would materialize behind her, on purpose, to surprise her.

Garrus, Cortez, Tali, and Liara all climbed in the Mako. Jack bioticly moved a section of our barricade to let us out. It wasn't far to the ocean we had discovered a few days ago. The beach would make for faster travel. If there was a city it would be along the water.

I stared at the seat, no one dared to sit in. It was Jane's seat after all. If I relaxed enough, I would certainly be able to see her there, holding on to a bar above her as we jostled around on our way to, who knows where. Garrus was standing. because, we all missed her and none of us were ready to let her go, yet. This team was still trying to hold on, just like I was.