THE MOMENTS IN BETWEEN

Rannoch was more than anyone had bargained for. No one expected an actual Reaper to be hiding out on the quarian homeworld. Instead of running away, Alex dealt with it personally, and the geth were free. This was the quarians' chance to retreat, but they kept firing. If Alex hadn't convinced them to stop after Legion began uploading the Reaper code, the quarians would've been wiped out. The geth were now true AI's thanks to Legion's sacrifice, and they were going to help defeat the Reapers. Two additional masses of fleets would soon be on their way to retake Earth.

But Legion's sacrifice wasn't the only one made today. Many quarians, civilians even, perished trying to regain their homeworld. One specific casualty hit Tali where it hurt the most.

In a rare moment of silence after hours of shooting, Alex observed Tali as watched the burning sun setting on Rannoch. Freed of Reapers. Freed of war.

"How are you feeling?"

"This victory…it'd feel better if Kal was here…" Tali said quietly, voice croaking.

Kal'Reegar, Tali's boyfriend, had been on Admiral Koris' ship when it was sacrificed to destroy a defense cannon. Though they were able to rescue Koris, no one has seen or heard from Kal since the ship crash-landed.

"We used to talk about dreams of building a house on the homeworld after we reclaimed it. We had this picture of hope and peace. And now…all I see is him. And everyone else we've lost."

Alex let her have her minute to process the loss, the grief, the victory, and the internal conflict. Things Alex was all too familiar with.

"And Legion…I can't believe I'm mourning a geth! How crazy is that?"

Alex was mourning Legion, too. In her own way – silently and withdrawn. How would she grieve the being that gave her a second chance in life? It was almost too complex to put into words, but there was comfort knowing a piece of him lived in every geth, and they'd make amends with the quarians by helping rebuild Rannoch.

"It's not crazy at all. Crazier things have happened – like bringing dead people back to life. Besides, Legion was different than any other geth. He didn't ever admit it, but he was his own. An individual."

Tali nodded and then stood up quietly. Alex followed suit, watching her friend gaze out towards the horizon again, pensively and solemnly.

"It is beautiful, though, isn't it?"

"It sure is, ma'am…"

They turned around instantaneously, and there he was. Clutching his side, battered, groaning and limping. But alive.

"Kal!" Tali cried loudly, rushing to his aid. "I thought when the ship crashed… I didn't know if… If you—" Tali's gaze trailed down to his torso. "Keelah! You're bleeding!"

He grunted with a wheezy breath as he leaned on Tali for support. "One of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit." He lifted his palm to show his violet skin peeking through a tear in the fabric and soaked in red. "Combat seals clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in antibiotics."

"Shepard, we need to get him help!" Tali pleaded.

Alex grabbed one of his arms and threw it around her shoulders. "Already on it. Evac's on its way."

Dr. Chakwas was quick to take Kal in and quarantine the med bay. He was in such a fragile state that was nobody was allowed in or out. That left Tali standing outside the clinic window, watching Chakwas work every minute to keep Kal alive and stable. Alex approached the visibly distraught quarrian to offer her any kind of support.

Tali acknowledge her presence with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

Alex raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I now understand how you must've felt a couple of years ago. I'm sorry I didn't completely understand it then."

"Um, can you elaborate?" she asked.

"This helpless feeling of watching your loved one fight for their life, and not be able to do anything."

"Ahhh…now I understand."

It was sort of a moment of déjà vu. Alex clearly remembered the image of herself refusing to leave Garrus' side after he saved her life on Omega. Alex was the only person that would comprehend a semblance of what Tali was feeling right now.

"Well, it didn't turn out all that bad. Garrus actually seems to like the scars," she said lightheartedly. "Makes him feel like a total bad boy."

"Kal's scars won't be as glamorous," Tali replied dryly.

"He'll pull through."

Alex rubbed her back reassuringly, and she could see that Tali was looking at her with the most heartbroken expression she'd ever seen.

"How can you be so sure?"

She smiled at her warmly. "Because Kal's not the type of guy to die from an infection. As a marine, I think it'd be an insult to his pride." Tali gave her a chuckle, and she felt some of the tension release under her hand. "Once he's all healed up, we'll take you both back to the flotilla."

"I'm not leaving. I'm staying with you."

Her eyes narrowed at Tali, hoping that this wasn't a decision bred out of guilt or feeling of need to repay her.

"I wasn't going to ask."

"You've earned a few favors from the fleet."

A grin spread across her lips. "I'll have Traynor prepare two more bunks, then."


Talons raked through Alex's hair, holding as much of it out of the toilet bowl as she spewed bile. She knew it had to be the nightmares making her feel this sick. Her sleep was riddled with hyper-realistic visions of losing to the Reapers and watching worlds on fire. Losing her team. Her dad. Garrus. There was almost never a time that she didn't wake up in a cold sweat or hyperventilating. Alex knew she was worrying Garrus, and she hated that.

"Spirits, Alex. We need to take you to see Chakwas. This isn't normal."

After the last heave, she reached for the toilet handle and pushed herself away as she flushed. Garrus joined her on the floor and pulled her in close, petting her damp and tussled hair.

"I'm fine," she groaned. "I could've gone to Horizon. You didn't have to ground me."

Garrus sighed heavily at her stubbornness and penchant for denial. Alex was well aware that she wasn't fine, but she didn't think it was enough reason to stop her from going on the mission to Horizon. Alex has been in worse conditions, but Garrus had a bad feeling in his gut about it. His gut was right.

"They did just fine without you. Kaidan, Ashley, and Liara had it all under control. You need to rest."

"I still can't believe Saren set up a Reaper solider-making factory and disguised it as a sanctuary," she grumbled.

"Under indoctrination, he's capable of anything."

Alex didn't know that there was anything that could make her hate Saren more than she already did, but the news about Sanctuary just about did it. A message with a honeyed voice had broadcasted over all the airwaves with a message that the planet Iera had been untouched by Reapers and anyone could seek safety on a colony named Horizon. All humans knew there was a well-established colony there, and there was no reason to think anything wrong of them opening up their doors to refugees. But no one thought it'd be their very demise until the reports came in that those who had fled to Sanctuary stopped calling their families. Hackett sent the Normandy crew to investigate the apparent safe haven.

Nihlus thought it'd be a fruitless venture, so he stayed out of it and let the newest human Spectres take the lead. But even he was in disbelief when the squad came back with their mission report. The Sanctuary wasn't just for humans. Turians. Asari. Anybody that passed through their doors were being turned into Reaper soldiers. It was beyond cruel.

There was a part of Alex that felt bad for Saren. An unwilling servant to the Reapers. Sure, his morals were questionable before, and he was known to be ruthless and aggressive, but under indoctrination, he was purely heinous and delirious. She couldn't imagine that the true Saren would've gone along with the Reaper's plan. It didn't benefit him in any way.

Alex soon cut off the train of thought. It didn't matter anymore who and what the real Saren was. He was gone. It was made clear on Eden Prime when he transformed into a mindless husk with one the sole objective to kill.

"We can finally stop him. After all these years knowing he was the enemy, I get to nail the bastard and his puppet masters."

"In no small part to the geth. They helped finish building the Crucible in just a couple of days. If only they had been with us from the start."

"It would've been all for nothing if Liara hadn't found the Prothean VI in the Horizon labs. How else would we have known that the Crucible needed a Catalyst – I'm sorry – the fucking Citadel to even function?"

"I guess we were lucky for once. Come on," he said, nudging her. "Let me help you to the bed."

She resisted at first, pushing all of her weight down towards her bottom and planting her feet on the ground, but she was no match for her turian boyfriend. Garrus easily, but gently, pulled her up and led her towards the bed at a crawling pace.

As soon as she settled on the bed, her mind took a turn to another dark place and she instantly felt a heaviness press down on her. Garrus' brow plates quirked at her, noticing the change in her deposition.

"I don't know if we're ready for a battle like this, Garrus," she exhaled. "Nihlus and I started this mission years ago. We were so naïve to think we were going to be prepared for the Reapers, not knowing what they were or how many or what they were capable of. Looking back it now, we were slow and incompetent." Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. "And now…everything we've ever known…it's all hanging by a thread."

"Yeah, but the truth is, when hasn't it?" Garrus sat down next to her, enclosing his hands over hers. "Every fight we've ever seen could've been our last. Every bullet we've ever dodged could have been the one."

"There have been a lot of bullets."

"And this time around, they're just a little bigger."

The heaviness lifted at the release of chuckling, and Garrus lowered his head to nuzzle her, providing her further comfort. Instant warmth spread throughout her body, quelling the toxic thoughts. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Shepard. Vakarian. Your presence has been requested in the QEC," EDI spoke over the intercom. "Admiral Hackett and Anderson have requested an emergency meeting. Nihlus has already been notified and is on his way."

They shared a knowing, wistful look, longing for more of these moments in between chaos.

Garrus nodded at the ceiling and said, "Thanks, we'll be right there."

There was a change in the air that stirred Alex's stomach a certain way. She felt the need to run off to the bathroom and vomit again but took deep breaths to fight off the film of disgust beginning to coat her mouth. Something big was about to happen and she wasn't sure if she'd like it.