A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, whom I can't remember right now and I'm too busy working on the endings to go look up right now. Yes, we are coming to the end of this little tale, both options are going to be fairly long and I will post them the same day. Both will come with a bit of an epilogue as well, if everything goes according to plan. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far and I hope you like at least one of the two options given.


They barely spoke during the meal, eating instead as soldiers often do, quickly, quietly and with little regard for the meal they are eating.

It's a shame, Shepard thought briefly. She tried to slow down to enjoy both the food and the company, but his silence discouraged her. While the silence wasn't deafening as it had been earlier, she still felt a bit of strain in it. So she continued to eat her meal in silence. She couldn't help but glance over at Kaidan every so often. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, but occasionally he could catch her looking at him. She had said so much, most of it needed to be said, but some of it didn't come out quite right. He had moved back to the other side of the table and the absence of him was tangible and cold. Some part of her wanted to crawl back into his arms, another wondered why she left them in the first place, and a third was too embarrassed at her prior behavior to admit how nice it felt to be back there. So they ate in silence and left the restaurant as quietly as they came.

She second guessed herself as they shared a taxi back to Zakera Ward, wondering if she should apologize for what she had said or rather how she had said it. She certainly hadn't been her most rational self at the time. She sighed audibly as she looked out the cab's window.

"Shepard?" His voice was distant, soft, tentative. He was still looking out his window as she turned to him. "I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I just can't trust Cerberus after what I've seen them do."

She felt her heart fracture a little more, but she knew she wouldn't want him to sacrifice his ideals even if she could be with him.

"Don't worry, Kaidan. I'm not so selfish that I'd ask you again." She turned back to the passing scene outside her window. The brush of his hand through her hair drew her back to him. His eyes were filled with an ocean of sadness as he gazed at her.

"Shepard, I..." She leaned into the hand he had lain against her cheek, her eyes sliding shut, relishing the contact.

"Kaidan, don't." her voice sounded weak to her ears. She felt his lips brush hers lightly in an almost ghost-like touch, but it was enough to quicken her pulse and make her head swim. Fighting against her desire to pull him towards her, she grasped his wrist and pulled his hand from her face. When she opened her eyes, she looked firmly into his.

"Kaidan, I need you to promise me something." She was amazed at the sudden change in her tone as the gravity of her situation overwhelmed her.


A/N: Ok, so now you have a choice. If you would like to see what my Shepard would actually have done (given that she ended up hooking up with Garrus in ME2), pick option A.

If you would like to see what I would have liked to see my Shepard do, pick option B.

(And I couldn't help pursuing a romance in ME2... there was an achievement for it!)