Hi guys, I haven't written for ages due to insane work commitments, and then when I came to write I found that I had complete writers block! Not wanting to stop writing completely, I started a new story, which combined my love of Mass Effect with my love of Zombie stories (called Mass Infect….it sounded funnier in my head).

But while looking at the viewing numbers for that story, I stumbled upon the numbers for this story, and for my first story ('Falling for Garrus'), and was shocked to find the numbers are still really high. It really made me feel good to see that people are still reading and following those stories, despite nothing new being added in so long. It also made me realise that I owe you guys the ending to this one, and it's not fair to leave you hanging. So I sat down and tried to plan out what I want to happen in 'Reunited', and will hopefully be updating much more often over the next few weeks.

I hope you enjoy where the story goes, I've sort of merged a few plot lines, so try not to think of how things go in the game, and just go with the flow of the story!

Thank you for being so patient with me, you really make my day every time I see a review or a follow, or just when I see that people are still reading.

Thanks!

Casey coughed, the landscape around her finally coming into focus. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The explosion had been caused by a bomb: that much was obvious, but she had no idea where the thing had been. She realised she was laying on her back, and slowly sat up, rubbing her head. Casey looked around. The garden, which had been the epitome of beauty and tranquillity not moments before, was now in flames. Part of the building behind her had collapsed forwards, meaning that over half the garden was now obscured from her view by rubble. Casey could hear screaming and gunfire coming from all directions, and it quickly became clear that the Citadel was under attack.

So much for my wedding day, she thought. Gingerly she climbed to her feet, reaching for her gun, before remembering that she was, of course, without it. Her dress was dirty and torn, but other than a few cuts, she didn't seem to be hurt. She could see members of the Normandy crew struggling to their feet, but most of her vision was obscured by the flames and smoke. She couldn't see Garrus, but then he had been near the end of the garden, the part which she had been cut off from by the debris.

"Garrus!" She cried, barely able to even hear her own voice over the noise around her. She felt someone grab her arm and turned around.

A Cerberus soldier was holding onto her. Casey tried to shake him off but he was too strong. The soldier raised his gun, when suddenly his head exploded. Blood spattered against her face and dress, and the man fell to the ground, still gripping her arm. Casey shook him off. She looked behind her and saw Grunt standing a few feet away, shotgun in hand. "I told that damn Salarian I'd need this," he muttered, reloading the weapon.

"Thanks," Casey breathed, before fully taking in what he said. "Mordin!" She gasped, spinning around and searching the surrounding area for him. He had been walking with her just moments ago, where could he be?

"Over here!" Casey heard someone shouting, and she headed towards the sound, with Grunt close behind. She found Sam and Kasumi crouched over Mordin. He looked like he was hurt, but he was awake. "We need to get out of here!" Sam cried, shielding her face with her arm as the roaring flames around them grew larger.

"Where is everyone?!" Casey asked. Most of the guests seemed to have disappeared, and other than the dead soldier, the group were alone in their part of the garden.

"I don't know but we need to move!" Kasumi interrupted. "Grunt, help me get him up."

Kasumi put Mordin's arm around her shoulders in an attempt to hoist him up, but Grunt simply grabbed the Salarian, tossing his shotgun to Casey. "Move!" He yelled, slinging Mordin over his shoulder as another explosion rang out not too far away.

The four of them ran back into what was left of the building, and did not stop until they were out the other side, into the Citadel streets. There were signs of panic all around, with people from all races running scared. Fires were raging, gunshots rang out, and explosions made the ground beneath their feet shudder and shake. At that moment, an announcement resonated through all Omni-tools. "People of the Citadel, Cerberus currently has control of the station. Please remain calm, and surrender to Cerberus forces. Surrender, and you will be safe. If you fight, you will not….People of the Citadel-"

The broadcast began to repeat, and Casey muted it with an exasperated groan. It didn't take a tech genius to see that Cerberus were blocking Omni-tool communication. "We're not going to be able to contact anyone," she said to the others.

"Great," Kasumi replied sarcastically. She glanced over to the left, before gesturing to the store behind them, "Quick, in here!"

Casey glanced over to where Kasumi had looked: Cerberus troops were approaching, rounding up civilians as they went. The five of them quickly entered the store, and Kasumi hacked the lock on the door. "That should hold them if they try to get inside," she muttered.

Grunt put Mordin down on the counter. He didn't look good but he was still awake, and Casey had seen him survive worse. She couldn't worry about him right now, not when most of the crew were missing and the Citadel seemed to be falling apart around them. Another explosion shook the building, causing dust and small pieces of rubble to fall from the ceiling. The lights flickered.

"Seems like our old employers didn't want to miss your wedding, Case," Kasumi joked.

"Lucky me," Casey sighed.

"Why would they attack the Citadel?" Grunt asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"Either they're looking for something," Kasumi began, "Or they're trying to make a statement. Either way it's bad news." She looked at Casey, "What should we do?"

Casey was a little taken aback, "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the only one here who's still part of Shep's crew, and who can fight worth a damn." Kasumi turned to Mordin and Sam. "No offence."

"None taken," Mordin muttered, and Sam shrugged.

Casey thought for a moment. "We don't know what Cerberus want, and we don't know where the rest of the crew are. I say we head back to the Normandy."

Grunt nodded, "That's a good idea, I'm not sure I like the thought of Cerberus getting their hands on it while it's just sitting there."

Kasumi nodded too, but when she spoke she lowered her voice. "Ok, but I think it should just be us three, I'm not sure how I feel about bringing those two along, not with Mordin how he is."

Casey wasn't sure, "I don't think we should leave them, it's not safe here."

"They'll slow us down."

"I'll carry Mordin," Grunt protested. "He won't slow us down."

"Then you can't shoot," Kasumi sounded exasperated, but though Casey knew she had a point, she wasn't going to leave Sam and Mordin alone.

"I'll carry the gun," Casey insisted.

Kasumi looked like she wanted to say something more, but dropped the issue. "Ok," she sighed. "Then let's get out of here, the docks aren't far. We go slow and quiet, stick to cover as much as you can-"

"I wouldn't go out just yet if I were you."

Casey turned around, surprised to see Anaya standing behind the counter. She seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

"How did you-"

"Trapdoor under the counter," the Asari interrupted. "Most Citadel stores have them, they lead to the underfloor tunnels: great for emergencies. If you know they're there that is."

"You'd definitely be the one who knew," Casey smiled, giving her friend a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Anaya began, smiling. "It's good to see things with Garrus improved, though I'm guessing this isn't quite how you planned your big day?"

"Not exactly."

Anaya smiled, "You look beautiful though…or you did…before you got covered in blood and dirt…"

Casey smiled too, "Thanks, you look-"

Aria's impatient voice drifted through the trap door: "If you two are done boning each other, do you think we could continue?"

Anaya rolled her eyes in a way which made her look like a sullen teenager, but said nothing. She simply dropped down through the trapdoor. Casey thought she heard her friend hiss "God, you're so embarrassing," but she couldn't be certain.

"Come on," Casey said, gesturing for the rest of her group to follow.

Grunt stayed true to his word, carrying Mordin through the dark tunnels. This meant Casey had to carry the shotgun, which was heavier than any Alliance shotgun she had ever used. She hoped she wouldn't have to fire it: the recoil would probably knock her over.

The group half walked, half jogged in silence through the tunnels, which were lit with dim emergency lights along the sides of the walls. There were a number of containers and crates down there, and ladders lining the walls, marking the exits from different stores.

Aria led the group, but as she rounded the latest corner she quickly retreated, holding her hand up. The group stopped, but Casey moved to the front, followed by Anaya and Kasumi.

"Cerberus," Aria breathed. "Lots of them."

Casey watched as Kasumi cloaked herself. She returned a few moments later. "They're rounding up people down here: I guess the ones who escaped from the stores like we did."

"How many soldiers?" Anaya asked.

"Twenty," Kasumi replied. "And we've got one gun."

"Please," Aria interrupted, pulling a pistol out from her jacket. "I never go anywhere unarmed."

"Ok, two guns," Kasumi shrugged. "They'd still kill us before we made a dent."

Casey watched as Sam and Anaya seemed to droop. She realised this was the moment when Shepard would make one of his inspirational speeches. Unfortunately, she wouldn't even know where to start with something like that, so she decided to just lay out the facts.

"Ok, you're right. We're outnumbered, and we're outgunned…But does that mean we're going to give up?" No one replied, so she continued. "It's not like we're a bunch of amateurs, we've all seen combat before, we all have our strengths, and I know we can do this." She looked at Traynor. "Sam, empty your pockets."

Her friend raised an eyebrow, "Wha-"

"You too Kasumi, and Mordin."

They did as they were asked, and Casey wasn't surprised to find a pile of tech appearing in front of her. Those three were the biggest hoarders she knew, and picked up anything they could find which they "might be able to use someday." Casey looked at the pile, noticing a few familiar odds and ends. And something rather unfamiliar.

"Sam, why are you carrying a toothbrush?"

Sam shrugged, "There was going to be food…I take oral hygiene really seriously….That's not weird."

Casey looked at Kasumi, "Can you make something useful with this?"

Kasumi looked at the pile. "Give me five minutes."

"You have two." Casey turned to the rest of the group, smiling as the pieces of the plan began to fall into place in her mind.

Grunt ran as fast as he could, not towards the soldiers, but through them, as if he was trying to escape. They all saw him of course, and ran to try and take him down. Grunt was rather disappointed they didn't shoot their guns, he had been half hoping for a chance to see how strong his new armour was. Instead the soldiers surrounded him, guns raised, trying to herd him into the group of civilians. "This is where the fun begins" Grunt muttered, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch.

Anaya waited until all Cerberus eyes were fixed on the Krogan, then stealthily made her way towards the group of civilians. It seemed, however, that it didn't really matter that she was sticking to the shadows, as the Krogan was making enough of a show to keep the soldiers distracted. At that precise moment he was explaining in great detail the best way to cook human entrails. She moved into the middle of the group of civilians. "No matter what happens," she muttered. "Stay here." Her words caught the attention of several of the prisoners, who seemed to sense that something big was about to happen. They passed on her instructions to the rest of the group.

Kasumi stood around the corner holding what used to be Traynor's toothbrush, but which now had a couple of deadly alterations. "I hope this works," she breathed, cloaking herself and moving into position.

The soldiers were closing in on Grunt, but he had waited long enough. He smirked. "I. AM. KROGAN!" He boomed this at the top of his lungs, before running head first into the nearest soldier.

As soon as she heard the signal Anaya created a biotic shield around every one of the prisoners.

At that same moment Kasumi threw the toothbrush towards the soldiers, it exploded, a bigger explosion than even she had anticipated, and for a moment she, along with everyone else outside the biotic field, was blinded by it.

After the explosion Casey and Aria moved forwards, taking out the soldiers with biotic attacks. Several of the soldiers attempted to flank them, but they were met by Mordin and Sam, who were now in control of the guns.

It took about four and a half minutes before all Cerberus soldiers were dead. Anaya let down the biotic shield and Casey suggested that the civilians find somewhere nearby to hide.

They did it. Casey could scarcely believe it! She had fought groups like this before, both alone and as part of a team, but this time she had been the one to coordinate the attack, and it actually went off without a hitch!

"Looks like Shepard is rubbing off on you," Kasumi joked, interrupting Casey from her thoughts. "Let's hope you've got some more ideas up your sleeve."

That's right, Casey had forgotten that they had something potentially much harder in front of them. There was every chance that by now Cerberus had control of the Normandy, and there was no way Casey was going to let them fly away in her ship. Not without a fight!

They arrived at the docks without any more trouble, relieved to find the Normandy exactly where they left her. Casey let out an audible sigh of relief. "Ok," she began, gathering the group behind one of the large crates of supplies which littered the docks. "The ship is still here, but that doesn't mean that Cerberus aren't on board. We'll take a small group on board, the rest of you should stay here in case more Cerberus arrive."

"Can we be part of that?"

Casey turned, surprised to see Joker and Cortez coming towards her. "You're ok!" She breathed.

"Of course," Cortez grinned. "Brittle bones here pulled me out from under some rubble."

Joker was clutching his arm. "Yeah thanks for the gratitude man, I only broke my arm in about forty places doing it." Joker looked at Casey's ruined dress, and the blood spatters on her skin. "Jeez, you look awful."

"Thanks Joker," she replied sarcastically. "This isn't exactly how I planned to look in my wedding pictures either."

Joker grinned, and Cortez continued. "Cerberus are definitely on board, and I'm guessing they plan to get the Normandy out of here as soon as possible."

"What can we do?" Casey asked.

"We stop them!" Joker interrupted. "If the Normandy takes off we have no chance of catching her, so I'm going to take a sky-car. If she takes off I'll fly in front to block course plotting, she won't be able to leave the Citadel."

Kasumi shook her head, "They'll just blow you out of the sky."

Joker shook his head, "Please, I'll be fine." He began to walk away, and Cortez rolled his eyes.

"Wait for me, there's no way you can fly with a broken arm."

"Oh so now you agree it's broken," Joker groaned as they walked away.

"Course it is, I heard it snap like five times…"

Casey turned to her group. "Let's get going."

She left Anaya, Mordin and Aria at the docks, taking Grunt, Kasumi and Sam with her. Sam knew the Normandy inside and out, she'd know how to get them in if the door was locked.

Which it was.

"What now?" Kasumi asked. They were standing in the airlock chamber, and Casey didn't like how exposed they were.

Sam got onto her knees and pulled up a panel in the floor. "There's an emergency exit hatch here, you should be able to….crap."

"What is it?"

"It's locked too, and it's only meant to be opened from the other side."

Kasumi crouched down, looking at the hatch. "It looks like it could be opened by a small, controlled, biotic field…but you'd need real dexterity to control it."

Casey shook her head. "I couldn't do that."

"I can think of something that could," Sam began. "My toothbrush." She pulled the battered remains of her scorched toothbrush from her pocket, then said sarcastically, "Oh that's right, it's just a pile of burnt crap now."

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "God you're like a Dog with a bone, we used it to rescue those people."

"Yes, yes and I understand that, but that thing cost ten thousand credits and you haven't yet apologised for taking it apart so joyfully-"

CRASH.

The women turned to find Grunt standing above the now open hatch with his boot raised. He appeared to have kicked the door in. He looked over. "Hey look at that, violence worked more than talking."

Casey couldn't help but smile. "Come on," she whispered. "I guess we're going to take back the Normandy."