He knew he loved her from the very start. The moment she pulled him from the beacon on Eden Prime his fate was sealed. He remembers vividly sitting with her in the med bay of the Normandy for the 15 hours she was out. Dr. Chakwas had tried to get him to leave, but he wouldn't hear it. It had been his curiosity that put her in that bed, and had refused to leave until she woke up.

When she finally did wake up she treated the whole thing like it was normal. She only smiled at him, and told him it was no big deal.

That was how it had all started between them. That was their beginning. Now it's three years later. The Reapers we finally defeated, and the galaxy could start rebuilding. The two of them could finally start their lives together. Now all she had to do was wake up.

He held her frail hand in his as she lay broken in her bed. They dug her out of the London rubble two months ago, and ever since then she laid here. But she was alive, and for right now that was worth everything they had done until now.

"Major Alenko," he heard a nurse say from the doorway, "maybe you should get some sleep. She isn't going to be waking up anytime soon."

He didn't want to leave. He didn't leave the first time, and he sure as hell wasn't going anywhere now. "I'm alright. I just want to sit with her a little bit longer."

The nurse said something he didn't quite catch and left before he could ask her to repeat it. Kaidan dismissed it, and returned to Shepards battered form. She was 'healing nicely' they said. Though it would take a while until she would be up and saving the world again.

He sat with her for another hour before deciding to leave. As he pulled away the grip on his hand tightened.

"Kaidan," Shepard rasped, "Don't leave me..."

His heart leapt into his throat, and he could feel tears burning in his eyes, "I'm not leaving. I'm never leaving you."

"Did we do it? Did we win?"

"Yes, yes, Shepard, we won. You did it."

He watched as she turned her head slightly to look at him. Her, beaten, blue eyes looked up at him.

"Then it's really over... We can start over..."

"Yes, Shepard. We can. A new beginning."

"A new beginning," and she fell back asleep.