Foreword:
Normally i like bittersweet endings, but this time it has to be a happy ending. So if you don't like happy endings, do not read^^ And i am a romantic, so it may get a little cheesy in some parts. Also, i hope you don't have any problems with reading my fanfic, because i wrote it in OpenOffice, and there it looked quite different. I somewhat tried to restore the original look of the text. If that's a problem, please pm me.
Enjoy reading :) (i hope)
„Come on, we HAVE to find Shepard!"
It was Liara's voice, but it sounded like it came from a far, far away place. Commander Selene Shepard wasn't sure if she really heard something, or if it was simply her head messing with her again.
Barely drifting at the edge of consciousness, she still leaned against the computer console, which she used some time ago to open the arms of the Citadel. Shortly after that she had collapsed, and hasn't been able to move since.
It's said, that in the last moments before ones death, one relives his life in fast motion.
But instead, Shepard only relived the memories of all the people and friends she sent to their deaths, because she gave the wrong orders or wasn't fast enough:
Jenkins, Kaiden Alenko, Mordin Solus, Thane Krios, and the faces of all the soldiers she saw in the camp, and who gave their lives so that she could reach the beam to the Citadel.
Even the faces of her parents who lost their lives during a raid of batarian slavers, or the „face" of Legion, who gave his life for all Geth, came to her mind.
But after all those sad memories, the face of the most important person in her life came to her mind:
Liara, the blue Asari who was even more important to her then her own life.
„Move it! I'm NOT going to mourn her a second time!"
She even could hear her voice. Even though it was clearer and louder than last time, Shepard still believed it was only her imagination.
Dammit, it would be great to see Liara one last time... to feel her skin again... see her smile one last time... she thought, i'm sorry, Liara... i promised to always come back, but i think this time won't be keeping my word. I already lost too much blood. But at least i made sure that you will live.
Even with no strength left to move her body, that thought alone made her smile a little and send a tear down her cheek.
Liara had somehow convinced Joker to send the second shuttle down to pick her and some others up. She didn't knew exactly what happened, but after she woke up and couldn't find Shepard's body with the rest of those who ran for the beam, she was sure that Shepard somehow got to it.
Then on the Normandy, she convinced Joker to dock on the Citadel.
Now she walked in front of most of the Normandy crew, looking for Shepard. Nearly the whole crew walked behind Liara, guns ready, ready to kill everything that tried to stop them.
If it survived the first wave of Liara's biotic attacks.
She was determined, to let nothing stop her from finding Shepard.
„Come on, we HAVE to find Shepard!" she yelled without turning her head to the rest of the crew.
She activated her Omni-Tool, and accessed a map of the Citadel. Good, we're still heading straight for the part where the Catalyst must have connected to the Citadel. Hang in there Sel...
She turned around a corner, then another, every time moving a little bit further away from the rest of the crew.
„Move it! I'm NOT going to mourn her a second time!" she yelled, again without turning her head towards the crew, which now has fallen quite a bit behind.
She has to be alive...
She turned around another corner, where she nearly ran into two husks. But she simply smashed them with her full biotic force into the walls and continued walking. Another turn, then again. After some more husks and turns, she walked into a corridor which was full of human corpses.
But her mind was focused, fading everything out except one thought:
Shepard.
She walked past all the corpses,until she got to the end of the corridor, and again turned around a corner, seeing stairs leading up to somewhere. She once again looked at her Omni-Tool, and then she knew where the stairs led to. Not being able to hold back any longer, she began running the stairs up. Once at the end of the stairs, she nearly stopped at the horrendous sight.
Shepard was there, leaning against a console.
And by the looks of it, she was really close to death.
„Shepard!"
This time the Liara's voice was way too clear, for Shepard to believe that it was her imagination. She somehow managed to open her eyes, but couldn't see very clearly. She only saw something that looked somewhat like a husk, but wasn't able to determine what it really was.
Dammit, the Citadel must still be full of cannibals and husks... And i can't even move a finger...
But after that person moved closer she realized that it was Liara, not a husk.
„Dr. Chakwas! I found Shepard. She is still alive. Hurry!" Liara yelled into her Omni-Tool, shortly before she squatted down besides Shepard.
„Selene, i'm here. Don't die on me now..." Liara said with a shaky voice, and took Shepard into her arms „you promised to always come back! And you always keep your promises."
Liara placed Shepard's head on her breast, and started caressing the left side of her head with her free right hand.
Liara... you... i'm so glad you're here...Shepard wanted to say, but she had no strength left to talk.
Instead, overwhelmed by being able to see Liara again, she simply let her tears flow freely down her cheeks.
„Dr. Chakwas, please! Shepard is..." Shepard could hear Liara talking again, but mid sentence she couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer.
I'm... sorry... were her last thought, before she finally lost consciousness.
Liara felt the tension suddenly leaving Shepard's body. She looked down, only to see Shepard with closed eyes, and not moving at all.
„No, Shepard! No, no, no, no..." Please don't die on me now... Please! She turned her head towards the entrance, „Chakwas!"
Just a few seconds later, the elderly woman entered the room. Behind her the rest of the crew, weapons ready. Most of them looked a bit shaken and pale.
„Doctor Chakwas, Selene..." Liara started, but was cut off by the doctor. „Move it, Liara!"
She realized after a look at Chakwas stern face, that the doctor was probably Shepard's best chance. Hesitantly she laid Shepard on the floor. Chakwas stepped to her side, and Liara stood up and took a few steps back, her eyes solely focused on Shepard.
A Marine from the Normandy knelt down at Shepard's other side, and both he and Chakwas began immediately treating Shepard.
„This is bad," Chakwas muttered „really bad. We have to get her to the Medbay... No. Our Medbay can't handle such wounds." She beckoned the two crew members who carried the stretcher. „But we still have to get her there. We can't treat her here. Help me heave her on the stretcher."
Oh no... Liara thought to herself unable to do anything. All she could do was watch as Chakwas and some of the crew heaved Shepard on the stretcher. She couldn't take her eyes of Shepard and at the thought of loosing her again, tears started to well up in her eyes.
Her thoughts were so focused on Shepard, that she didn't realize that Chakwas was talking to her.
„Hey Liara! Snap out of it!" Chakwas snapped her fingers in front of Liaras eyes. „If we don't get Shepard to the Normandy right now, she will die!"
„Right!" Liara replied, and ran in front of the crew as they started making their way back. She activated her Omni-Tool and signaled Joker. „Joker, we have Shepard! But she is critically wounded and Doctor Chakwas said that the Normandy can't handle such wounds... We're back at the Normandy in..." Liara stopped for a second and looked at her Omni-Tool, "3 minutes."
„Roger that. ETA 3 minutes" Joker replied and Liara cut the connection.
Shortly after that, Liara's Omni-Tool came to live again.
„This is the SSV Normandy to all allied ships. We have Council Specter Shepard. Alive, but in critical condition. Requesting emergency medical backup. Repeat: Council Specter Shepard on board. Critical condition. Requesting emergency medical backup." it was Jokers voice. Liara had somehow tapped Normandy's communication systems.
„SSV Normandy, this is Admiral Hackett. The SSV Orizaba has a top-of-the-line Medbay. We will start with preparations immediately."
Another, female voice sounded from Liara's Omni-Tool: „Negative. Destiny Ascension here. Our Medbay is nearly on par with the hospitals on the Citadel. Some of our decks are still on fire, but our Medbay is fully operational. And we can move some of the wounded to crew quarters and prepare for a medical emergency."
„Destiny Ascension," it was Hackett's voice again „you are lacking doctors with knowledge of human physiology. We are sending some of ours. Normandy, bring Shepard to the Destiny Ascension. Don't worry, we will take care of her there. Hackett out."
A few minutes later, Liara and the rest of the crew arrived at the Normandy, and after getting on board, were on their way to the Destiny Ascension.