Picking Up The Pieces

Summary: Directly follows the end of ME3 after (paragon) Shepard chooses the "renegade" option - the reapers are destroyed, and Shepard survives - "James Vega knew that she had done it, when the reapers collapsed on the streets of London. For a minute, the triumph took over. But… He soon looked towards the sky. Was she okay? Had she made it? He knew that he had to find her. He would not rest till he had her safe in his arms. For too long, he had pushed his feelings for his commanding officer aside. But no more. He loved her. He just hoped that it was not too late…"

Author's note:
End: There are a few gaps in the story where I honestly don't know how to explain what happens. But we've all had those thoughts already, I think. How is Shepard breathing in space (when using the crucible) without a helmet and so on and so forth.

Pairing: Shepard (F) & James Vega

Warning: Rated M for mainly sexual content. Might also contain other graphical descriptions of what is seen and experienced by the "team".

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect trilogy or any of its characters. Nothing of it is mine, and I don't earn any money from writing this. But you knew that already, didn't you? :)


Picking Up The Pieces - chapter 1

She had done it!
When the bright wave of red light touched the city, and the reapers soon after collapsed on the battlefield that was the streets of London, he knew that it was her. That she had done it.

For a minute, the triumph took over, and countless high-fives and hugs were shared among the soldiers. Lieutenant James Vega grabbed the hand of his scarred, turian friend and pulled him in for a couple of firm pats on the back. It almost turned to a hug, as they heard the cheers of their comrades. Turians, asari, humans, krogans… They had all come together, and they had won.

As he and Garrus pulled apart, victorious grins on their faces, he saw the clouds part in the distance, high above them, light shining through the dark. Immediately, his smile faltered as he returned to the real world, which suddenly seemed to be packed too tight with the consequences of reality. The Citadel. The Crucible. Shepard. He looked more focused towards the sky, his eyes squinting in a desperate attempt to see what he wanted to, but naturally couldn't. Was she okay? Had she made it?

Garrus must have followed his train of thoughts, because he laid a hand on James' shoulder and looked from the lieutenant towards the horizon. The three fingers of his friend's hand felt oddly comforting, despite the fact that he couldn't feel them through the metal shoulder plates.

"I… We have to find her, man…" He said, as he looked at the turian, who merely nodded at the statement. He had seen it coming.

"I have to.." He repeated before continuing "Even if she's—"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Wouldn't.

"I'll come with you, Vega"

James nodded and swallowed consciously as he contacted Cortez on his omni-tool.

"Vega, that you? We did it, man! It's over!" He heard the tired voice of their pilot.

"I know, listen, Cortez… I need you to help me get a cruiser and get me to the Citadel as soon as possible. We need to find Shepard!"


The ruins were completely quiet when they arrived at the very base of the Citadel where the Crucible had been, intact, only hours earlier. The sounds of gunfire from ships had ceased after the firing of the beam and not a sound, but the ones the team made, could now be heard at the station. The silence was ringing in James' ears after what seemed like forever, running around between exploding grenades and grenades and with gunfire all around them.

He stood in the middle of the ruins without moving a muscle. He refused to believe it. It couldn't be. She couldn't be..

Pulling himself together as he felt his eyes sting, he started running. He had no idea where to start, but he had to try. He climbed across a big chunk of stone and looked around, searching for his commander, his friend... The woman he had come to love more than anyone else.

"Shepard!" He yelled as loud as he could.

Garrus, Cortez and the medics they brought along on the ship followed his example, and started searching. They each went in separate directions, looking for the woman who had saved them all. Hoping… Begging… That they could return the favour.

What seemed like an eternity, but was probably only about twenty minutes, passed, before one of the medics called out for the others.

"I think I've found her! Need confirmation!" he yelled as he got down on his knees next to the body, he had discovered. Everyone hurried to where they were, but James ran as fast as he could, making him the first one there. He got down on the ground next to the medic, and the body he had found. He froze when he saw her.

There was no doubt it was her, but it took him a moment to see it. Large parts of her were covered in dirt and blood, and she had been burned badly. While she had, only hours earlier, had luscious dark brown hair cascading around her neck, down past her shoulders, the blast of fire that had undoubtedly hit her hard, had burned away much of it. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving.

"It's her…" He heard himself say slowly and with clenched teeth.

Much of what happened next was a blur to him. The medic felt her throat with two fingers, yelled something to one of the others, who quickly came running with a bag. He snatched it and rummaged around in it until he found what he was looking for. A small glass jar with a clear, blue substance inside as well as a syringe and other utensils, which James had no idea what was called. The other medics got to work on removing the armor covering her chest and all assisted however they could.
He had no idea what they were doing, but when they, after minutes of sitting and working on her body, finally moved again, one of them sighed relieved as he exclaimed:

"We've got a pulse. It's slow, but she's breathing. Let's get her on board the ship, and back to London. That's where her best chances are right now."

James' head flew up and he looked at the man with tears in his eyes and disbelief painted all over his face.

"She's alive? Are you shittin' me right now?"

"She's alive," he confirmed. "And I'm pretty sure it's thanks to all her implants and in large part that armor as well. Help me get her to the ship."

He didn't need to be told twice. Carefully, he picked her up into his arms, noting how small she seemed and how little she weighed, when she was as still as in that moment. He carried her inside the ship and down to the med-bay, where he was soon after shut out, while the medics got to work on her.

He stood outside the med-bay for almost two hours, looking at his commander through the windows of the room, before a couple of the medics finally walked out and told him that he could go in. A single salarian medic remained in the corner of the room, cleaning and sterilizing large amounts of equipment that lay piled up on a metal table next to the sink, where he was standing. Like James himself, the war had clearly taken its toll on him. He seemed exhausted, and the lieutenant could see his hands shaking softly.

He walked over to him and let his eyes rest on the lizard-like man as he spoke with a voice that seemed low, yet weirdly intruding in the silent room, where only the sounds of beeping from machines and the running water could be heard.

"Hey, man.. Thanks for saving her. Why don't you take a well-deserved rest? I'll stay here and report if her condition changes."

"Are you sure?" The medic asked him, almost embarrassed and with his voice carrying a hint of surprise.

"Yeah.. You seem like you could use a break. Go."

The salarian sent him a small smile and nodded before slowly walking out of the med-bay. As the metallic door slid shut behind him, James turned around and walked to where Shepard was lying.
She was hooked up to several machines, and the only one he could recognize was monitoring her heart rate. Several tubes were connected to her bare arms and one led to her nose, providing her with oxygen.
He examined her closely. The work of the medics had made a big difference. She looked much better, even if the way to full recovery was probably gonna be long for her.

The cutting-edge, salarian technology had eased a lot of her burns, and some of the minor ones were already gone. Though the bruises and cuts remained all over her body.
He couldn't help but feel guilty as he stood there, observing her, his eyes roaming all over her body. Obviously, his thoughts were only on her health at that very moment, but nevertheless, he felt like he was intruding on her privacy as she lay in front of him, only wearing alliance underwear but with a sheet pulled up over her chest, held down in the sides by her arms.

James sat down in a chair next to her and leaned back as he watched over her, for the first time in a few hours noticing just how his own body ached after what had seemed like an endless war. But.. It had come to an end after all. Now began the process of recovering, rebuilding and making up for lost time.

END OF CHAPTER 1


A/N: Please review… It would make me very happy :)