"Whatever you do, avoid quarians at all costs because there are few things they like to talk about more than life on the flotilla. Volus may look like a stupid, round, short species but they're quick-witted and a damn sight better with money than any other species so they'll clean out your bank account without a second thought. Krogans may look dumb but some of them will surprise you, so don't underestimate their intelligence. Batarians value gestures highly, and even nodding your head the wrong way can be offensive so just avoid batarians. Salarians-"
"Adrien." She interrupted him gently. "I'm not going to avoid everyone and hide inside all the time, I'll go fucking nuts. Everyone else has figured it out, I'm sure that I will too. And if I get a few bumps and bruises on the way, well, life wouldn't be interesting without a few fights."
He let out a deep sigh, yet he was not entirely prepared for acquiescence. "Stick with Nyreen and Aria as much as you can. They'll take care of you. Whatever you do, in the name of the Spirits, stay out of the Gozu district, they don't like quarians there."
She tilted her head fondly. The day they had both dreaded had come, and his shuttle was due to depart within the hour. Although she had wanted to accompany him to the docks, her suit modifications were not entirely completed and Adrien did not want to take any risks. As a result, their goodbyes were reserved to Aria's safe house, with an impatient Rond waiting by the door to escort Victus.
"I've programmed your omni-tool so when you send outgoing messages it's embedded with a turian signal, but don't send any classified information, just to be safe. If you ever need me, there's an emergency alarm coded to your voice, you just have to say 'help me Adrien' into the mic and I'll be on my way within five minutes. Don't even hesitate, I don't care if it's a false alarm, I-"
She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him towards her to silence him with a deep kiss. With a sigh he parted his mouth plates, allowing her tongue to caress his while he ran his hands up and down her back.
When their lips parted he rested his forehead on hers and they allowed themselves a moment to bask in each other's presence. Collecting his bravery, in a shaky voice he muttered, "I love you." Without hesitation, Sadie responded, "I love you, too."
For fear of losing his nerve, he let go of her and turned to leave, sending her one last forlorn glance before the door shut behind him.
He returned to his shuttle in silence, fearing that he had left behind the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.
Sadie stood by the door for ten minutes, waiting for it to swing open and reveal Adrien, who would shout 'just kidding, I'm staying!' before they lived happily ever after.
No. This is for the best. I can't take his life away for my own selfish purposes. Remember and cherish his love, but it's time to be grateful for his gift of my life. I love him, and because I do I need to let him go.
She went into their previously shared room and sat down on the bed, feeling it bounce underneath her weight. She pulled out her omni-tool, smiling fondly at all the changes he had made so that they could keep in touch. Pulling up his contact information, she typed him a quick message before hitting send and bursting into a waterfall of tears.
Just to let you know, my real name is Danica. Danica Janice Nought.
Thank you, Adrien. I will always love you.
Primarch Victus slowly swirled his drink, watching the tiny straw spin in circles along the rim of the glass like a carousel. He wished in that moment that he could drown in the tiny drink, forget about his loneliness and the war against the Reapers, and forget about the pressure of an entire civilization on his back.
For a fleeting moment, he wanted to abandon his post and head to Omega to find Sadie - Danica - so they could go into hiding together. His stomach contracted painfully when he realized that he didn't even know if she was still alive.
"Did you two keep in touch?"
Garrus's voice abruptly dragged him out of his reverie, and his gaze flickered from the drink to the man beside him, his eyes so like his father's.
In spite of the similarities in their appearance, there were few other similarities between Kaius and his son. Kaius was cold and reclusive; Garrus was warm, friendly, and from what Victus could see from his relationship with Shepard, loving. Kaius was utilitarian, Garrus loved his technology. Kaius was serious - often too serious - and Garrus was always cracking jokes, regardless of the situation. Kaius was repulsed by aliens; Garrus was madly in love with one. Adrien could see it in Garrus's eyes, hear it in his subvocals: he adored everything about Shepard and was unstoppably loyal. Garrus had listened to every single word of Victus's story about his young love with rapt attentiveness.
If only humans and turians interacted as amicably then as they did now, he and Sadie could be together to this day.
How painful wishful thinking could be.
"We did, for a long time," he finally answered. "We had to time our calls very carefully, and we had to often keep them very short. The war ended a few months after I left Omega, and when humans became more interspersed through the galaxy Sadie was able to remove her suit and began to live a more normal life.
"A few years after my little tale, I met my wife. I couldn't lie to my wife, but I couldn't exactly keep tabs with my first love while I was with another woman, so our interactions were reduced to annual newsletters. She entered into a relationship herself about a year later, and in her last message she told me that she had a daughter through a surrogate. I... haven't heard from her since."
"Aren't you curious where she is now?" Garrus asked in hushed tones.
"Although my life became overwhelming with my wife, my son, and my position as a General, I think about it every day. But she either blocked all communications or..." He swallowed, allowing the sentence to finish itself. "Either way, my attempts at contact have been ineffective. With the war now, I have no hope of finding her again."
Garrus let out a very human tutting noise. "It's never too late."
"For an old man who's tasked with saving a burning planet, it is too late."
A ping resonated from Garrus's omni-tool, and he let out a frustrated sigh. "Duty calls. But thank you, Victus. I greatly enjoyed our time together; your tale was very enlightening."
"I appreciated the company, Garrus. Keep in touch if you ever need me."
"I will."
As the young turian left, so full of hope and love, Victus wondered to himself if there would ever be a time again when he was not lonely. With Sadie, Tarquin, and his wife gone, all he had left was his duty and his people.
Perched high in the rafters above the bar, Sadie shoved her handkerchief in her mouth to muffle her weeping.
Adrien still thought of her, after all these years.
Would he still feel the same if he knew that her husband had been killed by the Alliance men that were chasing her down? If he knew that in fear of those men she had given away her only daughter to protect her? That she had ceased contact with Adrien to protect him from those same people, and that she had been spending her last twenty years in hiding?
But this is the Reaper war. This is the end of the galaxy. This is the time to take chances.
She watched him as he finished his drink and stood with a groan reserved for aching bones, and as she crawled through the rafters behind him her own bones protested. Only a kilometre from the bar he entered an unobtrusive apartment complex, and she followed. She watched from around a corner as he entered into an apartment, and with a deep inhale, she jogged over to knock on his door.
Adrien stopped abruptly when he heard the knock and spun around, hesitant to answer. If someone wished to speak with him, why would they follow him here?
But when he gazed through the viewing hole, his heart rose up in his throat until it felt akin to being choked and he swung the door open so swiftly that he nearly threw it off his hinges.
It was her.
It was Sadie.
She had doubtless changed: her hair was black instead of blue, the fire in her eyes had been muted, and lines had begun to appear at the corners of her eyes.
But it was still her.
"Sadie," he whispered, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning her in circles while they both laughed until their stomachs ached.
Their past woes and crimes were forgotten, and Adrien and Sadie lived in the moment.
After that day, through the war and beyond, neither of them were again burdened with loneliness.
A/N: THE END! I hope everyone enjoyed reading my little tale of Adrien and Sadie. A big thank you goes out to SnowWhiteQueen for being a fantastic beta, and a big thank you also goes out to everyone who's been reading and reviewing my work (extra thanks to Mousey57 for reviewing almost every chapter!). Your support continues to inspire me to write.