Three choices lay before her. The path forward was of one mind; destroy the Reapers. For the last three years, the ever looming threat of death and destruction hounded her. These primordial machines existed for a singular reason - to end all advanced life. Biological life that had sought the stars and then reached them. To even contemplate not ridding the galaxy of these menaces would be madness in its truest form.
So why did she pause? Her bottom lip twitched, becoming wet with tears.
"Shepard I … love you too."
Garrus' final words ached, as if a million rounds pierced her heart at once. She always knew how he felt, but hearing those three words aloud for the first time … the only time, that amendment she made ... only time. That's why her tears welled up unbidden. She'd longed to hear those words from him for so long, and now that she knew the way they sounded coming from him, she'd do anything to hear them again and again. He promised her a life of retirement on a beach with a family to call their own. If she survived. She had never pictured herself having a family of her own. Surviving the Reapers didn't even seem a possibility. But hearing the words of promise come from her one true love made Shepard want that future with him, desperately so.
She blinked back those bitter tears and swallowed past the angry lump in her throat as she said goodbye to a dream that had barely begun to grow, torn away so cruelly by the theatre of war. She came here for one reason, and one reason alone.
The cycle must end, even if it meant her own demise.
The indubitable path lay ahead as she walked forward, each step seeming heavier than the last. She raised her weapon, the instrument of her fate. It seemed so difficult to lift, even though she'd held it in her grasp hundreds of times before. As she gripped the stock, she winced. The muscles in her shoulder burned as if ripping apart, the battle from before ringing a toll on her near broken body. She pushed the pain to the side. Each second she delayed, more lives perished.
"I'm so sorry, Garrus. Please, forgive me," she whispered hoarsely, and pulled the trigger, hammering the last nail in her coffin, no chance of turning back.
The first shot fired. The force from the bullet leaving her gun put pressure on her damaged arm, seeming to tear her muscles anew. Throughout the pain, an image of Thane flashed in her mind. Her trusted friend and ally. He died a hero's death, his final actions erasing any suffering he may have caused. Perhaps, hers would too.
On the second shot, her mind produced a vision of EDI in her new form. She knew this path would end the AI's life, and all like hers. But none were like EDI. She became so much more than a useful tool: a friend, a lover to Joker, someone Shepard trusted and respected. The lump in her throat rose again. Don't stop now, she scolded herself.
On the third shot, Anderson's face came to view. The man had been a father to her, the only one since her own had perished so many years ago at the hands of batarian slavers. Anderson's final moments had been stoic, calm. He believed in her, more than she believed in herself. This was for him, for the family she'd lost so long ago, and for all those fighting and sacrificing down below.
And on the fourth shot; Garrus. Her love. 'You'll never be alone.' Shepard had never been a religious woman, but she prayed to a God she hadn't believed in since Mindoir. Begged whole heartedly that her promise to Garrus would hold true; that even in death she would always be with him, watching him from afar, as he lived a long, and happy life. The life he deserved, with or without her.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she let forth a scream, unloading shot after shot until a wave of unimaginable heat scorched her every nerve ending, as if it harnessed the power of the sun. Another shriek tore through her throat, violent at first, but soon becoming nothing, as the nerve endings in her throat seared with the rest of her.
Debris covered her broken body, darkness consuming her sight. Shepard's heart pounded furious in her chest, her brain yelling at her to move. But the fight in her soon vanquished as did the pain. Once the pain disappeared, she found herself relaxing.
A calmness came over her, just as it had with Anderson in his final moments. Her breathing slowed and her mind ceased its panic. Shepard closed her eyes and thought of Garrus. Because of her, he would live. And that alone made everything worth it. For the first time in years, she felt nothing but peace and acceptance. Finally, she could rest.
And then, there was nothing but silence.
'Rest easy fearless warrior. You can sleep now, you can finally calm your bones. Breathe easy, noble saviour. Only human, still more valiant than us all. Nobody ever said that victory came without casualties. They say the good die young, but they never really tell you that they never die alone.' - Lyrics from War, part 2 by Formal Vandal
Author's notes: Welcome to my first ever Mass Effect multi chapter story. This is gonna be a bit of a ride! Those who know me from the Dragon Age fandom should expect something completely different than my usual work.
Any lyrics I may use at the end to sum up a chapter do not belong to me, and I will credit their artists. And of course, Bioware owns all rights to Mass Effect and their characters. I am but a fan, playing with the ideas swarming my head :)
Many thanks go to my beta The Scribbly Knave for being her usual awesome self, and to Lord Danerius for the input in this brief chapter. I hope many of you stick around for the rest, I have been planning this story out for over a year and thus, it will be very close to my heart. Our dear Shepard and Garrus deserve a happy ending, but expect many bumps along the way!