Epilogue

Garrus staggered off of the Normandy, blinking in the bright, new light of the strange planet where Joker had brought them, none to gently, to rest. The turian's mind was a blur. An explosion had separated he and Liara from Shepard. Through the smoke and the pain Garrus had found his way to a shuttle and instructed them, on no uncertain terms, to get him to the Normandy. He had known...no, he had hoped, with all his heart that Shepard would head for her ship when things went sideways. He had searched the ship to no avail. And then things went really bad.

Minutes later Joker was trying to outrun a shock-wave, muttering to himself, as Garrus heard from his position standing behind the pilot's seat, about not "wrecking Shepard's damn ship again". But the wave had caught them and they had made a less than smooth landing on a planet which none of them could identify. EDI had mentioned something about their coordinance. How there should not be a planet there at all. Garrus barely had enough energy left to care. He made it down the gangplank, with Joker, EDI and Liara, but he sure didn't recognize the planet that met his eyes.

It was warm, a little humid. A bright, almost reassuring sun, twinkled above somewhat bizarre trees. All the plant life here seemed a little off, and the air smelled different. Slightly metallic, like it sometimes smelled on a Geth ship. Garrus staggered a few extra steps and couldn't stop himself; "Shepard!" he called in a voice that was too hoarse to carry far. His damaged body ached in protest.

"Garrus," Joker's voice was all the answer he received. The turian turned to face his human friend, who was being supported by EDI. He knew by the look in Joker's eyes what must have happened, but he wouldn't believe it. Couldn't. "Garrus, Val's gone," whispered Joker. Tears sprang into the man's eyes and slid easily down his stubbly cheeks.

Garrus let out a choked sort of sound and turned. He stumbled a few more steps into the strange, new jungle. Now the warm air seemed oppressive. "No," he rasped. "No. She can't be. She always lives. She was dead for two years and came back. She's alright...she's..." he broke off.

He glanced back at his friends. Liara has collapsed on the ground, head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking, but her sobs were silent. He wanted to tell her not to cry. That any moment Valkyrie Shepard was going to come striding out from behind a tree and scold them all for looking so horribly tearful. His voice wouldn't come. Instead he turned back and started walking again.

He didn't make it far. His leg was practically shredded. He could feel his blood rushing freely from several wounds. Out of sight, but still within hearing of the Normandy, Garrus crumpled to the ground with a heavy breath. He leaned against one of those weird trees. He had enough strength to tug his torso armor off and throw it aside, then he sat there, breathing. Just breathing. He reached into a pocket on his under-armor, pulling free a small photo. Photographs were a human invention, but Shepard had given him one before they had gone on what had been dubbed a suicide mission against that Reaper ship. It seemed like a million years ago. The picture was crumpled, but he could still see her face clearly. She was smiling, a little wryly, as though the person who had taken the picture had been trying to take her by surprise and failed. He pulled off his gauntlet and ran his hand over the picture. He stained it blue with the motion, but didn't really notice. "I'll just wait here for you, Shepard," he muttered, still staring at the picture.

A gentle breeze wove between the trees, carrying on it the smell of unfamiliar plants, of metal, and... "Shepard?" Garrus gasped, sitting forward slightly. He knew he could not stand any longer, but his muscles tensed as though to try. It was her smell. Like heat from a gun. Like her favorite shampoo from the Citadel. A little bit like him. The breeze caressed his scars, just the way Shepard always did. Garrus had never cried. Never. When he thought she was gone the first time. When he had said goodbye to her on Earth. His eyes never moistened. Now, a lone tear ran down to trace the lines of his scars as though they were tiny rivers. "You're not coming back, are you?" he asked, so quietly anyone listening would have had to put their ear to his mouth to hear him.

The wind danced across his face again. "You died to bring us this. Somehow, you let us live. Let us have this place. For Joker and EDI. For Liara and James and Kaiden." He sat still, listening to the strange birds sing songs that were at once beautiful and confusing. Sometimes they almost sounded like the sounds the Geth made mingling with delicate notes. He could hear Joker talking with EDI. They would be happy here. With each other. Perhaps even Liara and Kaiden would find love. Garrus knew that for him, there would only be one woman. "I'm sorry, Shepard," he said, another tear sliding down his other, unscathed, cheek. "This place is beautiful. A paradise even, but not for me. I've got a date to keep. I hope..."his words caught in his throat. He was vaguely aware that he was sitting in a slowly growing pool of his own blood. His hand, still clutching the picture, had fallen to his lap and he gazed straight ahead, into the sunshine which danced off of the leaves almost as though they were tiny prisms.

The light was doing strange things to his vision. Or perhaps it was the blood loss. He could have sworn there was a figure standing amongst the trees. The sunlight shone off her skin. Her eyes, bright blue, glinted with joy as she saw him. Garrus smiled weakly, and tried again; "I hope you can forgive me. I'm a little late. I was supposed to go with you."

He could have sworn the breeze carried the sound of her laugh. Maybe it was just the strange birds. Her laugh. She had not laughed in such a long time. Her authoritative, loud, perfect laugh. He chuckled too, though even that small action made his ribs scream with pain. He ignored it.

"I see you couldn't wait at the bar like I told you," he smiled. "Don't worry my love. I'm on my way now."

As Garrus tried to focus his eyes on her through the forest, which now swam in front of his eyes, the light becoming more intense, but not harsh. Distantly he heard a song. Joker was playing music from his personal collection and piping it through the Normandy's com. system as though he wanted the whole planet to hear it. Garrus took a few last, rasping breaths before going to rejoin the woman who had captured his heart, his mind and his soul. Joker's song saw him on his way.

"Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right."