A/n: Okay, real quick before we get started:

My Shepperd:

First name: Crystal

Female

Pale skin

Short, silver hair

Piercing golden eyes

Romanced Traynor. Obviously.

As everyone who ever played these games know, everyone makes different choices. And trying to explain every choice I made would take up an entire chapter all it's own. So, I leave it to you, the reader, to piece it together yourselves. That okay?

On we go!


Chapter 1: One War Ends...

Five Hours After The War

The Reapers are dead.

Throughout the galaxy, reality is only just sinking in. On every colonized planet, on every Allied ship, people of all species release cries of triumph as their scanners register no sign of the Reapers, each celebrating in their own way. From the Turian forces on Palaven to the Asari Commandos of Thessia, from the ruins of Tuchanka to the Quarian fleets, the sense of victory is universal.

Except for on one ship.

On an uncharted jungle world lay the SSV Normandy. Inside her, her crew rushes from deck to deck, making the last minute repairs needed to get off world.

As they work, however, they make sure to steer clear of the port-side observation deck, who's door hadn't been opened as a sign of respect for those within.

Inside, gathered around the poker table, sat a solemn, mismatched group of eight: a muscled man with a mohawk, his grey armor dented, even shattered in some places. A human Spectre, her blue battle suit in as bad, if not worse shape. An Asari Shadow Broker, head in her hands, arms resting on the table. A dark-skinned shuttle pilot, an untouched shot glass held between loose fingers. Another pilot, leaned far back in his seat, the look of frailty about him having nothing to do with Vrolik's Syndrome. A battle-scared Turian supporting a female Quarian leaning against him, unseen tears falling behind her visor. And rounding the table...

...a very distraught Comm Specialist.

Though no sound escaped her, her pain was the most obvious to everyone else around the table. Though none could blame her, all were surprised, simply due to the revelation of exactly what she was to...

...to...


Six Hours Ago

"Normandy! Do you copy?"

Samantha froze. All throughout the hell that is the Battle for Earth, she had been working franticly at her post, sifting through the constant bombardment of radio traffic, trying to separate key information from combination of commanding orders, status updates, and pleas for assistance that streamed from the ruins that were once London. While she usually would relish from such a challenge, the knowledge that her job largely contributed to whether soldiers on the battlefield lived or fell to the Reapers was wearing her nerves thin. Especially the thought of one particular solider, one who was currently on the equivalent of a suicide mission.

The same one who's voice now streamed from from her console, the normally secure comm channel found completely by accident.

"I need an evac. Right now!"

Samantha ceased all movement, an instant backlog of messages and comm chatter cluttering up her terminal. She could still hear the conversation clear as day.

"We're taking heavy losses up here, Commander." Joker's voice answered. Then Samantha felt the Normandy dip and turn, the amount of enemy fire against the hull increasing. A few moments latter, Joker replied, determined. "On our way, Commander."

Samantha stood frozen for a moment as the ship continued down. A few members of the crew were starting to note her lack of activity as the Normandy landed, wondering is she had maybe cracked under all the pressure.

As the faint hint of a hiss sounded throughout the ship, signaling the ramp lowering, Samantha bolted. As if in a daze, she suddenly found herself in the elevator, the door closing on the shocked look on the officers she blew past. A small light along the top of the car showed her passing the crew's quarters... Engineering...

The Shuttle Bay.

As the doors opened, Specialist Traynor was met... with hell.

Looking out of the Normandy, Samantha's eyes were instantly drawn to the massive pillar of light in the distance, then to the just-as-massive Reaper known as Harbinger. A glowing red dot near it's center signaled that it was charging for an attack. Fear froze Samantha to the spot, fully aware of the devastation that was about to be wrought. At the last minute, a large flash of laser fire crashed into Harbinger's side, likely a lucky pot shot from one of the thousands of ships waging war in orbit. Harbinger barely staggered, but turned it's red charge in the offending direction and opened fire, releasing it's own beam of red energy. All this in the span of a second.

Samantha's gaze was torn from the massive behemoth by a voice at the bottom of ramp:

"Damn it, I can do this."

Her eyes were instantly drawn to the unfolding scene.

James Vega, signs of fatigue obvious, stood there supporting a beaten, bloody, and frustrated Lieutenant Commander Williams. Garrus Vakarian lay cover fire for the soldiers retreating up the ramp. And in the center of it all...

Shepard.

The proud Commander still stood tall. Her jet black armor scratched and painted in Reaper blood. The tactical visor that usually covered her golden eyes was shattered, jagged orange shards jutting out from the headpiece where glass once was. Seeing the fire in her eyes still there despite it all made Samantha's heart soar.

It was her next words, however, that made the Comm Specialist's blood run cold.

The proud facade crumbled for a brief moment, reveling a look of desperation all too human on the woman's face. She looked into Ashley's eyes and said, in barely a whisper, "I need to know somebody's getting out of this alive."

Ashley was left at a loss for words as James tried to pull her up the ramp. Shepard turned from them, looking back towards the beam. Harbinger stood behind it, still firing at a growing fireball of in the distance. It looked like Shepard had every intention of running off right then.

Someone stopped her.

"Shepard!"

The Commander stopped all motion. Her shoulders seemed to slump as she turned around, a sad smile on her face.

"Sam..."

Samantha Traynor stood halfway down the ramp, surprising the other three war heroes. If the Comm Specialist noticed, she didn't show it. Her eyes were only focused on one thing.

The Commander.

Her Commander.

"Don't do this," She pleaded, her voice barely audible above the sounds of war around them. "Please. Let someone else be the hero. Don't do this."

Shepard looked up at her, the pain in her eyes having nothing to do with any physical injury. "It's gotta be me, Sam. I always knew that."

Tears now escaped from Traynor's eyes as her reality seemed to be crashing around her. "I..."

Shepard, seeing this, made her way up the ramp to meet her. "No matter what happens here today," she declared, putting a hand to Samantha's cheek, wiping away a tear. "I'll always love you. Never forget that."

Samantha could feel her heart breaking. Shepard, the woman she loved, was basically telling her that she was going to die.

Several thoughts crossed her mind. She could plead further for Shepard not to go. She could break down in a fit of hysterics. She could even do something crazy, something guaranteed to get her court-martialed.

But she didn't do that. Instead, she stood as tall and strong as she could, and looked deep into the Commander's eyes. "Promise me something."

Shepard's eyes turned even more pained. "Sam..."

"Crystal." The use of her first name silenced the Commander. Samantha continued. "Just promise me... if there's any way to come back to me, no matter how crazy..." Her voice started to crack on the last three words. "...please take it."

Shepard's eyes widened, but then sharpened. She gave a sharp nod, a determined smile on her lips. "You can count on it."

Samantha nodded back. Then, in a whisper that only those near could hear, she vowed, "I love you too. Always will."

Shepard smiled. Lowering her hand from Samantha's face she started backing down the ramp. A massive roar echoed across the landscape, causing everyone to look up.

Harbinger started to turn back towards the Normandy. Miles away, the fireball that once was a Turian Cruiser fell towards the earth, likely about to take a large section of London with it.

Shepard looked over at James and Ashley, who, until Harbinger's roar, had been watching the scene in silent shock. "You two get aboard."

James gave a sharp nod and started pulling Ashley up the ramp. Ashley pulled against him, wincing as fresh blood ran from her wounds. "Shepard..."

The Commander gave her a soft smile. "Take care of yourself, Ash."

Ashley was silent for a second, before nodding. James gave Shepard a halfhearted smirk. "Good luck, Lola."

Shepard's smile widened slightly. "You too, James. Now, go!" With only another nod, James and Ashley started limping back up the ramp.

Shepard spared a quick, heartfelt look into Samantha's eyes before turning to her Turian friend, still blasting at the Husks trying to claw their way to the ship. "Garrus, get her on board. Keep her safe."

The battle hardened Turin nodded sharply. "Yes ma'am. And Shepard?" Garrus gave her the Turian equivalent of a smirk. "Stay alive." Before she could respond, he started back up the ramp towards Traynor, who stood stock still halfway down the ramp.

Shepard gave a quick glance over her shoulder, back towards the beam. She started backing away from the ship. She gave Traynor one last look. "Go!" She ordered. And then she turned...

And charged back towards the Reapers.

Samantha felt the powerful urge to run after her. Before she could act on it, she felt a claw-like hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Garrus right beside her.

"Traynor, we need to go!"

Samantha looked at him. Then she turned away from the battlefield. She felt the jolt as the ramp started to close and the Normandy took off.

Leaving the love of her life behind.


Present

The silence stretched around the table, as it had for the last hour. Ever since entering the room, no one could think of what to say. So they stayed silent, simply taking comfort in each other's presence.

"We should have stayed."

The group turned to speaker, all except for Traynor, who kept staring at her hands.

"And done what, Joker?" Garrus asked. His tone wasn't angry, more tired, like the same thought had crossed his mind already. "We had our orders." He let out a sad sigh, wrapping his arm a bit tighter around Tali. "Besides, we all saw the feed. Where she was at, none of us could have helped her."

The feed, Traynor thought absently.


After being knocked off course by that red pulse, Joker was forced to set down on the nearest planet with a breathable atmosphere. Half the ships systems were fried, including the subspace messengers. Traynor worked in a daze while she repaired them, ignoring the occasional look from various crew members. When she did after two hours of work, she quickly wished she hadn't.

Upon activation, a large file appeared, labeled from Admiral Hackett to the crew of the Normandy. Attached was a short message:

To the crew of the SSV Normandy,

We have just begun contacting planets around the galaxy. While we are hesitant to make the assumption that the Reaper threat is now over, it is starting to appear so. We have received word that all Reaper activity has dropped to zero on Earth, Palaven, Thessia, Tuchanka, Sur'Kesh, and Rannoch, just to name a few. It would seem that Project Crucible is a success. From the reports, it appears that every Mass Relay throughout the Milky Way has been has been put out of commission by the Crucible's energy wave. However, the damage is reparable. Early estimates expect the major Relay lines will be operational within four months, with all Relays repaired within a year.

However, there is unfortunate news. After the Crucible was activated, the Citadel was heavily damaged. While most civilians had been evacuated before moving it towards Earth, it would appear that the majority of officers stationed in the first sector perished during the battle. However, early investigators have discovered something peculiar. While all unneeded power was thought to have been shut off during transit, it appears that the security cameras on board the Citadel remained active. What it captured was... There is no easy way to say it. We believe that the Citadel security system captured the last moments of Commander Crystal Shepard. While we have not yet found a body, the evidence is very staggering. As the Normandy was her ship, we felt it was only right that it's crew should be the first to see the footage before it is released to the public...

The message went on from there with apologize to the crew for their loss, but Traynor didn't get that far. As the Comm Specialist, she was the first person to read the note. It wasn't until she let out a strangled cry of inner pain, breaking down right there at her console, that the file was made aware to the rest of the crew.

Surprisingly, Tali was the first one at her side. After reading the note herself, the Quarian did her best to calm the grief-stricken Traynor, while fighting off her own grief at the loss of one of her closest friends.

Word quickly spread throughout the ship about the message. As Traynor was in no shape to do much of anything, Tali was the one to activate the video, projecting it across every working vid-screen on the ship. The crew watched as Shepard, bruised and bloodied, entered the Citadel. They witnessed the confrontation between Shepard, Anderson, and the heavily indoctrinated Illusive Man. By this point, the crew closest to Shepard had found there way to the CIC. As the Illusive Man took his own life, Traynor heard a bandaged Ashley of to her side mutter, "Serves the bastard right."

The crew watched as Anderson slipped into the void as Shepard made her way up, cradling the bullet wound in her side. The crew was silent as Shepard was confronted with the Catalyst, all listening intently as it explained its purpose, what it was, what the Reapers were. And then, it presented Shepard with a choice. She could choose to Destroy, not only the Reapers, but all synthetics, wiping them from the face of the galaxy. She could Control the Reapers, doing what the Illusive Man couldn't, using the Reapers as a tool to better the universe. Or, she could Synthesize new DNA for the entire galaxy, blurring the line between organic and synthetic, thus rendering the Reapers obsolete.

The crew watched as Shepard contemplated each choice, giving all of them an honest thought. Then, in the words of James Vega, she chose to 'blow them all to hell.'

Shepard puled her pistol, and limped towards the red device. She fired a few rounds, breaking the glass covering. As she neared it, her resolve seemed to grow, her limp disappearing. As she unloaded her weapon into the machine, fire and red bolts of electricity shot out. Finally she found herself right in front of it, an inferno blazing inside the unstable machine. Shepard saw this, a sad smile forming on her lips. The Commander closed her eyes and said, in a clear, strong voice...

"I'm sorry, Sam."

A red flash. A human form flung offscreen. Then, static.


Traynor hadn't spoken since the video ended. She had just stared at the static on the screen. When James had suggested that the Commander's friends gather on the observation deck for a drink, Tali had had to lead her there, at which point she simply had kept here head down, tears flowing silently.

"I still think we could have done something." Joker mumbled dejectedly. It was clear that he knew he was wrong. They were just words.

Tali gave a small sniffle, before pushing lightly on Garrus. The Turian released his grip on her, his now free arm going for the shot glass in front of him. The Quarian gave a sidelong look at Traynor, still in her trance. She reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ms. Samantha? Are you okay?"

Traynor looked up at the touch, gazing at the blue orbs behind the Quarian's visor. At first she didn't seem to register Tali being right in front of her. Then she gave a quick shake of her head, her eyes blinking rapidly. "Oh... oh, I'm... I'm okay, Tali." She sounded like she had just come out of a daze.

Tali wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"

Samantha took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yes, I'm... I'm okay. It's just..." The Comm Specialist had to clear her throat to keep from choking on tears. "I'm just really going to miss her."

Tali let out a sigh, patting Samantha's back as fresh tears fell down. "We all will. She was a loyal friend."

"She was one hell of a solider," Garrus stated, swallowing another shot of Turian ale.

"Never gave in," James agreed, doing the same.

"Brave to a fault," Ashley added in.

"She never left anyone behind," Liara claimed, finally pulling her head from her hands. "Not if she could help it."

"Always making sure we were okay." Cortez affirmed. "Always looking out for us."

"She had good sense of humor." Joker chimed in. "Always admired her for that."

Samantha felt a small smile form. The pain was still there, glaringly so, but, at the moment, surrounded by people that felt the same way, the pain seemed numbed.

The stiffness that had dominated the room had dissipated. The silence was now more comfortable, friendly.

Suddenly, James broke the silence. "So, uh, Traynor," he started awkwardly. Thinking back, he couldn't recall ever saying two words to the dark-skinned woman. Samantha turned to him. James rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly uncomfortable. "You and the Commander..."

"James!" Ashley exclaimed harshly, elbowing the large man in the ribs.

If he felt anything from the blow, he didn't show it. "What? Look, I am sorry, but I know I'm not the only one wondering."

Though they were giving him dirty looks, several people around the table secretly agreed with him.

"That still doesn't mean you should-"

"Ashley." All attention at the table was focused on Samantha. Her tears had finally stopped falling, a bit of shine in her eyes. "It's okay." Ashley gave her a long look before accepting her words. Samantha then turned towards James. "And yes, James. Me and Shepard ar- were together."

James, catching her minor slip up, simply nodded and let the mater drop. Garrus, however, let out a small chuckle.

Joker raised an eyebrow at him. "Something funny, Scarface?"

Garrus gave another chuckle. "Just thinking on how we were all so close to Shepard, yet none of us could tell she was in a relationship. Though, thinking back, she did seem to smile a bit more the past few weeks."

Joker opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a voice from the comm system.

"I knew."

Everybody looked up in shock, save for Joker, who was trying not to laugh.

"EDI!?" Tali exclaimed, baffled.

"Yes?"

"B-Bu-bu-but-but-" Samantha stammered as she stared up at the speaker EDI's voice came. "How?"

"I assume you are inquiring how I survived the Crucible pulse? It was quite simple. As the Normandy tried to escape from the pulse, I ran a scan on it. The pulse targeted VI and AI platforms and programs, so I made myself something else."

"Excuse me?" Ashley asked, perplexed.

"I broke my AI software into four-thousand, six-hundred and eighty-four individual programs and scattered them thought different systems on the ship, thereby having no resemblance to an AI. I also created a program that would activate one hour after creation that would, as Jeff put it, 'pull myself together.'"

Everyone stared up at the speakers for a few moments. Then James through up his hands. "I'll buy it!"

This got a light bit of laughter from everyone. Cortez turned to Joker. "You know she was going to do this?"

Joker scoffed. "Would have been nice to know, wouldn't it? No, after that pulse passed us, I spent an entire hour trying to figure out were she was. Turns out the pulse vaporized her body. I was about to break down when I hear her voice coming out of the speakers."

After a minute, James put a hand to his temple. "This day has been too friggin' long."

Murmurs of agreement sounded from everybody. Garrus looked around the table before speaking. "Your right, James. I think I speak for all of us when I say that this has been one of, if not the most trying day of our lives. So I say we finally let it end and get some sleep." There were nods all around the table. Garrus nodded with them. "Right. But first things first: EDI?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea what sector we are in?"

"Just a moment." Edi was silent for a full two seconds. Then: "Scanning complete. We appear to be in the Petra Nebula, two-hundred and nineteen light years from the nearest Mass Relay."

Garrus thought for a moment. "From what we heard from Admiral Hackett, the Relays are dead. But... if memory serves me right, Planet Elysium is in that same system, right?"

"That is correct, Garrus."

"Okay." He then turned to the other seven people in the room. "The fact remains that right now, we don't have a commanding officer." He sparred a quick glance at Samantha, who's head dipped down for a moment, before nodding for him to continue. "Also, the QEC is down and we don't have the materials to repair it. However, there is an Alliance base on Elysium that likely has a working one. I say that we go there and contact high command. Anyone think differently?"

No one did. Seeing this, Garrus nodded. "Okay. Joker, think you can set the autopilot before you retire?"

Joker grunted as he carefully pushed himself away from the table. "I usually sleep in my chair anyway. I'll get us there."

Garrus smirked. "Good man. Alright people, let's go put this day behind us."

More murmurs of acknowledgment sounded from around the room as the group rose to their feet. As they exited the room, everyone went their separate ways. Joker was already headed towards the bridge in the elevator. Liara headed off towards her room along the port side. Garrus went back to the main battery, to do what, no one knew. James and Ashley waited for the elevator with Cortez, most likely to deposit their armor.

As Samantha walked out of the room, she felt Tali put a hand on her shoulder again. "Your sure your okay, Ms. Samantha?"

Samantha gave her a smile, small, but genuine. "I'm fine, Tali. It hurts, but... I'll be okay." She gave the Quarian a small chuckle. "And please just call me Sam. All my friends do."

Somehow, Samantha could feel Tali smile behind her mask. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." She then headed off towards the main battery after Garrus.

Samantha smiled as she watched her go. When she disappeared around the corner, however, the Comm Specialist felt very alone. The others had already disappeared down the elevator, headed towards the shuttle bay. Samantha turned to walk towards the crew quarters, but stopped. She looked towards the elevator, contemplating. With a sharp nod, she walked over and called for it. When the door slid open, she stepped inside.

"Deck one." She called out loud.

The car gave a small jerk as it started it's ascent. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal the small compartment right before the captain's quarters. She walked up to the door. She typed a quick command on her Omni-tool and the door unlocked.

She stepped inside and was greeted with memories. While they had only been together for a few months, Samantha and the Commander had spent almost all of their seldom offtime up here, together. Whether they played chess, talked, or simply enjoyed being near each other, they always were happy because there were together.

And now she was gone.

Samantha's gaze drifted across the room. From the tiny model ships in the display case to the cascade of color that made up the aquarium, even to the small closet off to the side of the bed; all of it reminder her of Shepard.

She made her way silently to the bed. She pulled off her uniform leaving her in her underclothes. As she crawled under the covers, she was distinctly aware of how... empty it felt.

As Samantha started to slip into the darkness of sleep, tears once again began to fall. But at the same time, she felt something. Something that wouldn't let her fall into the bleak depression she had been in earlier. It almost felt like... like she knew.

That somehow she knew...


Earth

...that she was still out there.

The city of London, now a shell of it's former self. Buildings demolished. Wreckage everywhere. The corpses of soldiers from varying species lay strewn across the ground. And yet, no one is sad. For there is one new feature in this shell of a city that makes the spirits of all Allied soldiers soar:

The massive corpse of Harbinger.

The sight of the original Reaper now dead stands as a testament to what has been accomplished: the entire galaxy united to stop a common foe. And now is the time to rebuild.

As the sun starts to rise on the decimated London skyline, Allied troops march up and down the streets, searching for survivors as well as wounded soldiers. Their search has not yet reached the most devastated part of the city.

A large structure stands in a crater, high above the rubble. In it's center is a massive beam of light, stretching all the way into the heavens. At the foot of this structure lay dozens of bodies, all of which men and women who died in a made scramble to reach the beam.

Among them, laying in the rubble, is a figure wearing ruined armor. Armor that bares the symbol 'N7.'

(gasp!)

A/n: As you might have guessed, this is my first Mass Effect story. Hopefully I did a good job. If you liked it, please tell me so I now to continue. No reviews equal no story.