If you have not beaten Mass Effect 2 or you don't want to read spoilers, please skip this chapter!
WARNING: end game spoilers for Mass Effect 2! You have been warned!
The Suicide Mission. Thanks to our ship upgrades and Joker's piloting skills, everyone survives the trip to the Collector base. When we arrive inside, however, our entire crew is dead. The team and I watch in horror at Yeoman Chambers in the Collector pod as she dies, her skin blackening into a viscous liquid. Her shrieks of agony are muffled by the pod's membrane as she begs for help. Miranda and Thane slowly crack it open, but are too slow to save her. Garrus and Zaeed bust open the one pod with a live crew member. Doctor Chakwas looks into my luminous red eyes, her gray ones filled with such pain as I have seen only once before. It reminds me of Torfan, of the looks on the surviving crew members' faces as I sacrificed countless human lives and killed thousands more Batarians, some fighting but most begging for mercy. It didn't faze me back then, and it doesn't faze me now.
"You abandoned us! They're all dead!" Chakwas cries. "Everyone's dead and I'm the only one left!"
Arms folded and snarling, I growled, "I had no choice! I needed my team ready for this. This is more than some rescue mission, this is saving the fucking galaxy."
"I- I know," Chakwas whispers, eyes dropping to the floor. I radio Joker and set up a rendevous. I knew I would need all my manpower so I sent her alone.
The group split into two teams. Using Jack as our biotic shield, Miranda, Thane and I head forward. Zaeed offers to lead the distraction team, and I allow him. My team survives, but when we meet up with the distraction team, I find Zaeed slumped against the wall.
"I thought it would end like this," he groans. His head droops and his body crumples. I look away at the rest of the group.
"Let's keep moving," I order. I call Joker. "Are you at the rendevous point yet?" I ask.
"Eh," Joker hesitates. "Yeah, but Doctor Chakwas didn't make it." I cut off the transmission and we continue on.
Eventually we reach the center of the base. By now, I have Garrus and Mordin on my team. We battle the human-Reaper hybrid, and at his defeat the platforms we stand on collapse beneath us. We land beneath the rubble of the falling platforms. I am the first to stand, and I see Garrus limp on the floor. I run to him, praying that he isn't dead. I reach out to him and he groans gratefully as I help him up. We hug quickly and run to Mordin, who is trapped underneath a large section of concrete. We pull the debris off of his midsection and he stands up. We continue on our way, meet up with the others, and the eleven of us board the Normandy.
Inside, we return to the cargo hold to survey the damage and to send off our fallen comrade. I run my hand down the length of the white casket emblazoned with the black and yellow Cerberus logo. The feel of the cool metal all that reminds me of the man inside. I turn and walk away; the team follows at a distance.
Except for Garrus.
Garrus follows on my heels. I stop at the elevator door, and he does the same. When the door opens and I step in, he stands beside me, watching me carefully, silently. The rest of the team enters as well. One awkward elevator ride later, everyone is back at his usual post, except Garrus. Garrus and I stand together, waiting for the elevator to reach the top level: my personal quarters.
"Are you okay, Shepard?" he asks, touching my hand lightly. I look up at him and hold his hand in both of mine.
"As long as you're here, Garrus, with me." I reach out and hold his face in my hands. As I stroke his mandibles with my thumbs, he pulls me close and brings our foreheads together. He then takes my hand and walks me to my room. We go in and lock the door behind us. Garrus sits on the sofa and sighs.
"You know, Shepard. I can't even believe we both survived." He looks up at me, a little sad. "Shepard," he starts again, slowly. "I know it was just 'relieving tension', but…" he trails off, looking down at the floor. I choke. I know what I want to say: I want this to be more, to be with you, completely. But I can't make the words come out. Instead I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. I pull our foreheads together.
Holding Garrus tightly, I feel myself start to cry. I squeeze my eyes shut and fight the tears, hating the thought of showing this disgusting womanly weakness to anyone, even Garrus. Soon, my body betrays my intent and the tears fall freely, dripping down my fast like two tiny rivers.
"Sh- Shepard?" I open my eyes to see Garrus looking at me in a mild panic. His voice shakes with concern. "What's the matter. Have I done something?"
I shake my head, furiously wiping my face with my sleeve. Sniffling, I stumble across my words: "I just don't want to lose you." I start crying again and hide by face from Garrus by nuzzling his neck. He takes hold of my shoulders and gently pulls me away. Using one talon, he lifts my chin up, making me look at him. I hide my face behind my hands, ashamed of my tears.
He pulls my hands away from my face. My face cupped in his hands, he dries my tears with his thumbs.
"You won't lose me." He brings our foreheads together once more. "I promise."
I lean away from him and smile. He takes my face back into his hands and a single talon floats across the luminous crimson scars on my face.
"I love you, Garrus," I whisper, grateful that I've finally got a hold of myself.
"I love you too, Shepard," he replies, mandibles quivering happily. "Come on, let's lie down for awhile. Spirits know we both need it." He slides his right hand down to my back and his left slides underneath my thighs. He stands and carries me over to the bed, laying me down carefully. He lies down on the left side of the bed beside me.
I rest my hand on the middle of his chest and press my forehead against the side of his neck. Sharp, armor-like scales never felt so soft before. I snuggle into his neck. Soon, I feel and hear a soft purring sound from him.
His arm is wrapped around my shoulders; his talons click softly as his fingers play with the ends of my hair. We fall asleep, knowing that we can take whatever the galaxy throws at us so long as we take it on together.
