"I will await you across the sea..."
She stood on the beach, her toes digging into the sand as she stared across the huge expanse of water. She took a careful advance forward letting out a soft gasp as the cold water grabbed her ankles.
She turned to look behind her at the empty desolate beach seeing the scattered seashells.
'Mordin would have...studied those...' she gave a faint smiled bending down to pick up a pink spiral shell and ran her fingers along it's spines.
Lightning crackled over head causing her to look up as the water began to churn. She turned back to the water and slowly made her way in. The water's cool touch enveloped up to her waist, the spiral shell still clutched in her hand.
"I'm coming Thane...please wait for me...across the sea..." she dove into the water and began to swim.
She swam for hours, her body slicing through the crashing waves over her head.
"I destroyed the Reapers, I saved them all...and now I'll get to be with my beloved..."
She looked behind her, shock and pain filled her body as she saw the beach still behind her.
'No! This can't be...'
"Thane!" she screams as tears course down her cheeks into the salty abyss. "Please..."
She lays in the water letting it carrying her out. The current gently roll her back onto the shore. A slight apologetic feel to the tendrils of water as they let go of her body. She closed her eyes, her sobs quietly drifting her off to sleep.
A sound, someone's humming wakes her from her despair. She slowly rolls to her side gazing out through tear filled eyes. In the distance she see's the shape of someone coming towards her. The figure casually picking up and examining seashells tossing the ones they did not want to keep.
"Mordin?" her hoarse voice croaked.
"Ah, Shepard you awake? Very reckless diving into the water, could die," Mordin nods as a smile spreads across his familiar face.
She sputters and shakes her head, "But aren't I already dead?"
"Dead? No. Very much alive," Mordin's large eyes blink at her.
"What do...what do you mean I'm not dead?" her hands waving frantically behind her gesturing all around her.
"See for yourself," Mordin points to the sky.
She turns to see the sky melt into a pink and orange like the sunset before going opaque. She watched as it showed a chest covered in white moving steadily as it breathes. Slowly drawing back to reveal a woman hooked to machines, once bright red hair lays stringy on bright white pillows. Skin, once glowed with life, now pale and smudged with bruises wrapped in bandages. Once bright green eyes, closed with dark smudges under the long lashes.
"That...that's me," she sunk to the ground.
"Ah yes, after the crucible was activated it exploded. They found your body a few days later and rushed you to the hospital," Mordin glanced over her.
The image zooms out more, revealing a familiar turian hunched over the bed. His eyes were closed, blue colony tattoos fading on his pale gray scaled face.
"Garrus..." sadness gripping her heart.
"There is no Shepard without Vakarian..." she told him.
"If this goes sideways...I'll met you at the bar..." he had said as he swallowed painfully.
She reached a hand up as if to touch his face, the image quickly faded to show another. This time, Kaidan standing next to her bed, in his arms Liara sobbed quietly.
"She won't wake up...I can feel her on the other side but she..." Liara's shoulders shake as she buries her face in Kaidan's chest.
"She'll wake up, she has to..." Garrus said from his chair, his subharmonics singing loud with sorrow.
"Garrus I..." Liara moved closer to him only for him to shrug off her comforting hand to stare at Jane's sleeping body.
"I'm so sorry Garrus..." a sob choked out of her.
The screen fades blank only allowing voice to drift from it.
"Garrus you need to go home and rest, you've been here since they brought her body back," Miranda's controlled voice cracked with exhaustion and pain.
"Not until she wakes up..." Garrus said rubbing his hand across his face.
"Garrus..."
"No. I'm not leaving her behind, not again," he balled his fists into the sheets of Jane's bed.
Miranda's body slumps as she sighs, a hand going to her forehead before sliding into her stringy black hair.
"Fine..." her voice clipped as she turned to walk out.
The screen flickers showing a familiar looking drell standing by her bed, hands clasped behind his back.
'Thane? Wait...no Kolyat...?' she though curiously.
"How is she...?" Kolyat asked, dual toned voice sounding similar to his father's sending a spike of pain through her heart.
"I don't know...they say her signs are good...she's just...not waking up." Tali's voice echoed from behind him.
"How's Garrus?"
"They set him up in a room after he collapsed. The stubborn turian hasn't been taking care of himself. They had to tranquilize him so he could get some rest..."
Jane bit back a sob as the screen slowly shifted to Garrus, laying prone in a hospital bed, his scales dulled from lack of nourishment and care.
"Garrus...what are you doing to yourself..." she whispered.
As if hearing her he spoke, "Jane...please come back I need you. You promised that...there was no Vakarian without Shepard...and you're not here..." his subharmonics whispered in pain.
Garrus slowly pushes himself out of bed, his hands making quick work of the I.V.'s setting off one of the machines. His room floods with nurses as they struggle to push him back into the bed.
"No! I want to stay with her! Please!" he begged. "If I can just stay there she'll come back...she'll come back..."
Dr. Michels sighs and nods, gently pushing him back to the bed.
"Fine Garrus, we'll bring your bed next to hers. It will be a tight fit but I'm sure Dr. Chakwas won't mind."
Garrus lays back exhausted as the nurses start to push his bed out the door and across the hall to slide next to Jane's. He reaches out a hand to tangle his fingers in hers before drifting off to a drug induced sleep.
"Oh Garrus..." she whimpers, fresh tears springing into her eyes.
The screen slowly faded, returning to cloudy gray. She looked around, realizing she was alone on the beach. She stood up quickly, eyes roaming the sand seeing no footprints but her own.
She turned to look at the ocean waves, crashing and rolling against the sand. She took a step towards the water. Feeling a heavy weight settle across her body. She took another step, and another slowly sinking into the sand. She gritted her teeth as tears slid down her cheeks.
"Siha..." a voice whispers in the wind.
"Thane?!" she cried, rolling over and pushing herself up. She watches as his form appears in front of her. His lip was tilted up slightly, as he reached a hand down to help her up.
"Siha," he says again as he runs phantom hands through her hair and pulls her close. "It isn't your time yet."
"What..what do you mean it's not my time yet?" her hands grasped the smooth supple leather of his jacket.
"You are still needed..." he says gently pulling away from her. "You have to go back..."
"Thane no! I can't...I can't live without you," she cried attempting to pull him closer to her.
"You must, Siha. Always remember, I love you and I'll wait for you on the shore...across the sea," he says as he takes a step back slowly beginning to fade.
"Please no...Thane come back..." she cried reaching out towards him.
"I'm sorry Siha...I'll see you again..." he said with a sad smile as he vanished into the mists covering the beach.
She crumples to the ground, arms wrapped tightly around her waist as sobs wracked her body.
"Live..." his voice whispered into her heart.
She felt a shock go through her body as the world around her shatters like broken glass.
"What...wha...what's going on?!" she screams as she begins to plummet.
"You have to live, Siha..."