Kelly grunted as she shoved the ash covered chunk of metal out of her path. With a quick look around she noticed that all the husks that had been pursuing her had become charcoal piles. "Alright everyone, it's clear" She coughed through the smoke.
Kelly looked back at the refugees and watched as they stepped out of what was once a Elkoss Combine weapons office. It had proved to be an excellent shelter from the reaper forces when the citadel was taken over. On top of equipping them all with weaponry, once they obstructed the doorway it proved to be a nearly impenetrable fortress.
"It's over!" she heard a turian woman cry out. "The reapers are no more!"
A small smile broke through Kelly's tired face. Shepard had done it. Even through the rubble and fragmented pieces of the citadel, she could still see the floating, lifeless hulls of the reapers. For a moment, she was afraid that they would spring back to life to finish the job, but that never came. Standing in shock, she watched as more ships listed into view. An Asari dreadnought, a turian frigate, and lastly, half of an Alliance cruiser.
"Mrs. Hanigan, are you alright?"Asked an Asari placing a bruised, blue hand on her shoulder. Kelly jolted back to reality as she heard her Alias.
"Yeah... I'm just- I'm just accepting what has just happened."
"It's fantastic right! The reapers are gone! We can all return to our lives!" The Alien looked to her bond-mate, a young human man, cradling a bright blue baby who had just appeared at her side.
Kelly realized that she didn't really have a life to go back to. She had devoted her past year to making sure the refugees had what they needed. Now what would she do? Most the people she knew were dead except for Shepard. Then the dread set in. Was he alive? Where was he? All the pieces of her life shattered like glass. He was the last bit of glue that was holding her together. Everything went black as she collapsed due to her own mental fatigue.
Everything felt hazy as she came back into consciousness. Groggily, she tried to study her surroundings. White, a lot of metallic white. People were all over the place, blurry faces coated in dirt. She could hear coughing and painful groans. "Where am I?" She rasped through a dry voice. Her entire body hurt, Kelly realized she was laying on the ground with a blanket rolled up under her head. After a few minutes of gathering her own consciousness, she tried to sit upright.
"Easy there lady, don't move too quickly" a man said as she heard footsteps approach her.
Kelly felt a cup press against her lips, not being able to resist, she drank the cooling liquid. "Whats going on- where is Shepard?"
"You are on the S.S.V. Ron Paul, everything's gonna be fine. Just tell me your name and remain calm."
"Ke-" Unable to keep her mind awake enough to remember her Alias, she blurt out her real name. "Kelly Chambers-" She answered with a cough.
"Alright Kelly, I'm Lieutenant Petersen. Are you feeling alright? When we found you, you were unconscious and in pretty bad shape."
"Shepard, have you seen him?" She tried to stand up but quickly got nauseous.
"Just stay here ma'am, you may have a concussion."
"Where is John Shepard?" She pleaded one more time forcing the lieutenant to restrain her.
After a moment, he let her go but didn't answer her question. Taking a moment of quiet, he used his omnitool to scan her abdomen. "If it's any comfort, your baby is doing just fine-"
Her eyes went wide as his words echoed through her mind. Her child. Her's and Shepard's.
"Oh... You didn't know." He turned his scanners display so that he could see the image. "Congratulations, you have a son."