A/N: I'm not sure how many chapters I will need to complete this story, but I plan on adding a few new adventures for the crew, and maybe that happy ending. Reviews help, however I won't read flames, so don't bother posting them. Anyway, enjoy chapter 2.

I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT.

Garrus Vakarian looked out the cockpit windows of the Normandy at the ruins of the citadel. As Shepard's number two command of the Normandy had fallen to him. After seeing the citadel explode into pieces he knew that no one could have survived that, not even Shepard. It had been five days since they were assigned by Admiral Hackett to assist with search and rescue operations in the area. The results were grim and dismal. For every one soldier they managed to rescue the found a hundred more dead. It was soul sucking work, but it needed to be done. Those who survived this war deserved to have a future…and so did those who hadn't.

In the captain's cabin a console beeped just loud enough to wake the sleeping Quarian. Again the private terminal sounded a chime. Tali rose from the bed and made the short walk to the office area of the cabin. The private terminal they had shared was indeed lit. She sat at the console and began the process of logging in. After a wait that seemed like an eternity the message appeared: beacon activated coordinates received. The console displayed a map of the citadel remains. There at the tip of the presidium tower…a tiny blip.

After a long and arduous journey he could go no farther. Shepard's legs finally gave out and he sunk to the floor of the council chamber. Looking up through the windows at the stars he hoped that she was out there somewhere. He hoped she was listening… His vision was swimming from blood loss, and his mind threatened to black out, but still he forced himself to remain awake. He had to stay alive, for her. As he sat there he reflected on all the people who mattered to him, much as he had before he triggered the catalyst. He owed it to them to keep breathing. Just a little longer…

It was the middle of the night when the doors to the CIC burst open. "Garrus!" Tali sprinted into the room shouting. "We have to go back! He's still out there!" Jerking awake Garrus, found himself being shaken violently by the small Quarian. "What? Tali what?" The sleep deprived Turian sputtered. "Garrus he's alive! He's still out there and we have to go get him!" His heart sunk. He knew it would come to this sooner or later, but now here it was staring him in the face. She couldn't accept Shepard was truly gone, and now it was up to him to make her see it.

"Tali… Shepard is dead. He's not coming back this time…" He looked down at the floor only to feel a sharp pain as a small hand made contact with his face. "Garrus his beacon was just activated! He IS alive! And he needs us!" He watched as Tali brought her omni-tool up to show presidium tower and the faint blip emanating from the top-most chamber. "Sprits… he…is he really out there?" She shot him and incredulous look and ran towards the bridge.

Several hours later the relative silence of the cockpit was broken. "Coming into visual range now Tali." "Thank you Joker." Tali replied as Joker brought the Normandy to bear over the presidium tower. "Optimum shuttle arrival time is estimated to be about fifteen minutes." EDI stated matter of factly. "Thank you EDI, we'll be heading to the shuttle bay immediately." Tali replied as she walked away. I won't leave you to die alone John.

John Shepard savoir of the galaxy sat alone in the cold chamber. His pain had numbed in the hours since he had found himself unable to go any further, a bad sign. He imagined it wouldn't be long now. He would die without seeing her again, alone in this God forsaken place. Alone, drifting through the cold dark of space to be forgotten by the galaxy he had given all to save. Maybe she hadn't received his call… his armor power reserves had long since died. He had used the last of it to send out the signal. He had run out of medigel three days ago. It seems fate was cruel after all.

Tali had remained quiet on the shuttle ride to the tower. She knew it was a long shot, she didn't need to be told that there was a very good chance she wouldn't like what they were about to find. But she had to know. She had to know that he was really gone, that he wasn't coming back. The shuttle jarred from landing and the door opened to the ruins of the presidium. To see the ruins so close only made it worse. No one could survive something like this… Not even John.

After what seemed like an eternity Garrus spoke. "Tali, we should get moving…" He started towards presidium tower knowing what he would find at the top. They reached the door and opened it to find more destruction and death, expressions of horror and pain frozen on the many faces of those who hadn't survived the attack. And… a trail… a trail of blood. They continued down the corridor to the elevator doors and called the elevator that would take them to their final destination.

The doors opened and they stepped quietly inside, neither having said a word since starting off for the tower. Tali was the first to break the silence. "John always hated this elevator…" she said smiling just a bit. "To say we had some awkward conversations in here would definitely be an understatement." Garrus replied with a slight smirk. "Shepard always thought these things were too damn slow." He chuckled. Then as much as they wished otherwise the elevator stopped and the door slid open revealing a thick blood trail that snaked off into the council chamber.

"Keelah…" Tali's voice wavered involuntarily, "please just let him be alive… please." They clicked on their flashlights to compensate for the ever dimming flicker of lights around the room. Proceeding up the stairs following the blood trail, passing by more of the unfortunate souls lost in the battle. As they crested the last set of stairs, they could never have prepared themselves for the site that was waiting for them.

Sitting in the middle of the council chamber, slumped against a railing sat a broken heap of a man. A pool of dark red blood surrounding him, reflecting the stars above. Oh Keelah no….NO NO NO NO! Tali couldn't help but feel her heart sink. The man's face was tipped down towards the floor, but she knew. She knew it was Shepard.

Garrus couldn't believe his eyes. He wished they'd never received that signal. Shepard had crawled for 5 days bleeding, wounded, suffering to this spot where he'd used the last of his reserves to send out the signal, and all for nothing. He had suffered and died only for them to arrive too late to save him, it was Omega all over again. Garrus walked towards Tali. He couldn't see her tears but her small frame shook with sobs. He wished she didn't have to see this. Her love, and his best friend, the man who had always been so strong now sat a broken corpse.

Tali wished she could stop herself, but her legs moved of their own accord. One step after another she drew closer to the wrecked form of the man. Slowly a burned N7 insignia became visible and she could contain it no longer. She cried. She couldn't stop herself anymore, and the tears came like a flood. Wracked by sobs and broken breaths. She said nothing, there were no words for this. She was too late. He had died alone waiting for her to save him, for once he needed her to save him and she had failed. She had failed the only one who truly mattered to her anymore, just like she had failed her father.

Then it happened, a raspy breath from the ruin that was Shepard, followed by another. "Keelah John!" Tali screamed and sprinted to his side. Kneeling beside him in the large pool of blood she put her arms around him and tried to lift his eyes to her. A rattling cough shook his frame like he could fall apart at any second. "John please hang on!" she shook him gently "John please say something! Say anything!" After what seemed like hours his eyes opened. He looked up at her with dead eyes, like she wasn't really there at all.

"Tali…" another cough, but worse this time, "Tali I love you. I'm so sorry Tali. I don't…" He inhaled sharply, grimacing with pain. "I don't think I can…" "STOP IT!" she cut him off. "You will make it John! You have to hold on." He looked at her, his vision growing dark once more. Inside he prayed it wouldn't be for the last time. "Tali I…" "NO John. You WILL NOT DIE HERE!" She yelled trying to keep him awake. His eyes started to close, NO she would not allow him to die here, not after all they ahd been through. He had made her a promise and by Keelah he was going to keep it!

"Joker, this is Garrus, we need a medical team ready and waiting we're bringing the commander home. He doesn't have much time!" Garrus was already moving to inject the commander with medigel, in hopes of keeping him going long enough to reach Normandy. "We hear you Garrus we'll be ready, just get him back here alive! Joker out." With the comms cut he moved towards Tali. "Tali he needs medigel now! We need to get him moving!" Tali grabbed the vials and hastily injected them into Shepard's exposed forearm. "Hang on John we have you!"

Shepard could barely process what was happening to him. Blood loss he supposed, he could almost see Tali. He could almost hear her. Was she real? Or was this the "light at the end of the tunnel"? He didn't know. He felt something wrap around him, pain in his arm, then warmth spreading from his arm across his chest. Is this what death feels like? He had often wondered. Of course the last time he had died was much more painful. Burning alive upon entering a planet's atmosphere, smelling burnt flesh… his flesh, crawling towards the Normandy, unable to breathe. It was beyond a horrible way to die. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

He could see blurry shapes of purple and blue. He felt like he was being lifted off the ground, his head swimming, dizzy. He could hear muffled sounds, like someone trying to yell underwater. He took solace knowing he had accomplished his mission, and now if nothing else he supposed he could finally rest. And so with those last thoughts Shepard's consciousness faded to black.