I was going to do the Shore Leave (spoiler: Lieutenant Brooks was Irlan too), Leviathan, Thessia, and the Cerberus Base Fight but have another story in the works and decided not to drag out ME3 anymore. So we're just going to jump to the end. I may add those chapters later but... for now... nah. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!

...w...

Shepard, Leah, Garrus, Kaiden, Javik and James were all running for the beam. They didn't know who was going to make it but they wanted to make sure one of them did! They all lost sight of Anderson and the others but didn't let that stop them.

The beam kept ripping up the ground near them, killing people around them but they were making it. A beam suddenly blew up a Mako close to Shepard and Leah making them slide to a stop. As they turned to see if everyone else was okay, another Mako flew over the top of them and landed, what looked like on top of the others.

Shepard immediately ran back and jumped over the wreckage with Leah behind him. Shepard grabbed onto James and Leah grabbed Garrus moving them behind the damaged Mako.

"Normandy do you copy? I need an evac right now!" He shouted.

Shortly after the call the Normandy flew in. Shepard and Leah got everyone onto the opened door and turned to run back.

"Leah, you go with them." Shepard ordered.

"Not a chance in hell. I'm not leaving you again!"

"Go!" He shouted to Garrus and everyone else as he and Leah ran off the Normandy.

"And you've GOT to be kidding me!" Garrus hissed.

"You have to get out of here." Shepard yelled.

"No!" He fought to step out. "We're in this until the end!"

"Garrus," Leah walked up to him. "...you've done enough. It's our turn."

"Go!" Shepard yelled to Joker.

He and Leah then began running toward the beam without looking back, they were going to make it. They ran long and hard not knowing if they'd make it because the beam was getting close...then it happened. A beam aimed directly at them fired. Just before a bright light flashed he heard:

"SHEPARD!" Leah screamed.

He felt two hands push him to the left then... Darkness.

Shepard's vision was blurry. His body ached and burned so badly that he rolled over and retched. As his eyes and head slowly cleared, he was able to understand the voices in his comm.

"...it's too much!" Major Coates' voice danced in his head. "We need to regroup. Fall back to the buildings!"

Shepard looked around for Leah but didn't see her. He saw pieces of both his armor and her armor but no sign of her body. He then looked at his arms and the puddle of blood dripping from his body. His armor was decimated. His hands fumbled around the ground and his fingers touched the butt of a heavy pistol. He grabbed it and stood, determined to get to the beam.

"L-Leah..." He groaned from the blinding pain.

He gasped for breath, ribs busted he assumed because it hurt so badly to breath. He began limping toward the beam terrified Leah was dead but not having the time to process his worries, he had to get to the beam. He knew if she did die she'd be very angry he didn't press forward.

As Shepard limped closer to the beam, three husks began running at him. With a groan he lifted the heavy pistol and began firing at them. One went down but the other two were getting closer until gun fire rang from behind him killing the other two. He looked behind him and Leah was leaning against a burning Mako. Her armor was gone, half her body covered in blood and she limped to his position.

"You look terrible." She chuckled then winced from pain.

"You look beautiful..." He smiled.

"Liar..."

Together they limped toward the beam, both falling on several occasions trying not to let their wounds end it too soon for them. A Marauder stepped into view and fired a shot striking Leah just left of her chest plate.

"Ah." She shouted hitting the ground.

Shepard took out the Marauder and turned to her. She was slowly trying to stand and waving him forward because she didn't want him to know anything was wrong. She watched as he turned and limped into the beam without her.

Leah waited until she knew he was gone to fall to her knees and cough up blood trying to will herself forward. Her entire left side was numb and she kept coughing up blood, she knew enough field medicine to know that she was going to drown in her own blood soon, she was going to die. She smiled knowing that Shepard made it but pushed herself up thinking he may need back up... she needed to get moving for him. She was holding onto a wound but pulled her hand away and closed her eyes, lifting her head to the sky. Her blood was a dark reddish, blue...she was going to die.

Leah stood after the second attempt and limped to the beam. If she was going to die she would see that Shepard made it first. She felt her body suddenly lift and felt as though she was weightless along with everything getting really bright. After a few seconds everything went dark and she hit the ground hard rolling into a pile of human remains. She slowly sat up and gagged from the pain, spitting and coughing up blood.

"S-Shepard...?" She asked looking around. "Anderson?"

As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw a pathway between the bodies. There was a keeper picking through them as if looking for something but other than that, she was alone. She stood slowly and began limping out of the chamber she was in.

...w...

Shepard couldn't control his body. The Illusive man now had the control. There was a force he couldn't see that he felt snaking into his his and pulling his trigger. Shepard stared in disbelief as Anderson held his bleeding wound. Listening to the Illusive Man blather on about control just irritated Shepard more.

"I see what they did to you." Shepard shook his head.

"I took what i needed from them! Made it my own!"

"He's wrong..." Anderson gasped. "Don't listen to him."

"And who will you listen to, Shepard..."

A knife then went into the neck of the Illusive Man making him spit blood everywhere before falling to the ground. Leah's breaths were ragged and short, she then fell to the ground on her knees. As she fell to the floor, so did Anderson. Shepard limped to the control panel and opened the Citadel arms before limping to Leah.

"You should have just told him to shut the fuck up." Leah chuckled.

"Are you okay?"

"It's been a pleasure serving under you, Commander Shepard."

The weight of her words hit him in the chest like a percussion grenade. She wasn't okay. He scooped her into his arms and held her.

"No." His voice shook.

"It's okay." Tears ran down her face. "See this through."

"Leah..." Tears ran down his face.

"Thank you for letting me love you, John."

"Thank you for loving me." He kissed her.

Leah reached up touching his face and a single tear slid down the side of cheek as she died in Shepard's arms. He squeezed her limp body to his and let out soft sob into her chest.

"Shepard." Anderson groaned. "I'm sorry."

"She was everything. How will I go on?"

Shepard set Leah down and walked over to Anderson. He sat down hard next to Anderson staring at Leah's body. He wiped his face and sighed deeply.

"You'll find a way to. Like you always do. You did good, son."

Shepard and Anderson stared at the Earth and the fighting. Waiting for the crucible to activate.

"Anderson?" Shepard looked over but it was too late, he too was dead.

...w...

Shepard looked at the child. There was only one thing he knew to do. Synthesis. People and machines needed to evolve. As he ran toward that option he saw Mordin's face, then Thane's face, then Anderson's face... then just before jumping in he saw Leah's beautiful face. He was tired. Wanting the war to be over... wanting to just be able to hold Leah again...