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As Shepard came through the waiting area of the hospital, clutching Thane's prayer book tightly in her hand, she saw several familiar figures rise to their feet from the chairs they had been sitting in. Garrus, Vega, Liara, Joker, EDI, Dr. Chakwas, Commander Bailey, Emily Wong, Cortez, Javik … they were all here. And with them, Kaidan.

It was all she could do to keep from crying, she was so touched to see them all.

"Shepard. Is he—?" Garrus asked.

Biting her lip to hold the tears back, she nodded. "It was … it was the way he would have chosen. I … That's all I can …"

"We understand, Shepard. We wanted to be here for you," Liara told her gently.

"Thank you. All of you," she added, glancing at Kaidan. "I … Bailey, Kolyat is up there. Will you—will you help him through all the paperwork?"

"Of course, Commander. Anything he needs. Or you."

"I'm afraid we can't stay to help you clean up."

"That's all right. You gave us the help we needed—we can take it from here," Bailey promised.

"I'll be back soon, and I'll check in with you then."

"Take care of yourself, Commander."

"You, too," she said, nodding at the wound in his side, which he still hadn't dealt with.

"If I'm breathin', I'm workin'," he said stoutly. With a nod at the rest, he headed off into the hospital, where she hoped someone would waylay him and make him take care of himself.

"The rest of you, we'll need to be heading out within the next couple of hours. Finish up anything you need to do here on the Citadel and meet me aboard the Normandy."

With pats on her shoulder and expressions of sympathy, they all headed off … except for two. Garrus hovered near the elevator, clearly waiting for her, and Kaidan still stood in front of her, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"Shepard. I just wanted to say … I mean, I knew him, we … we talked, and he—I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. And … about what happened today …"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened. I'm … not used to staring down the gun of someone I … consider a friend. How it all went down, it's got me … well, I don't really know, to be honest with you."

"If it helps any, I wasn't exactly myself." She gestured behind her, in the direction of the hospital room she had just left her heart in.

"I know. And I don't mean to be a problem for you to solve, I really don't. I just have to ask—if I hadn't backed down first, would you have taken me out?"

Shepard couldn't remember the moment they had looked at each other across their guns, not right now. But she knew the answer. Other people, maybe, but Kaidan … never. "I trusted you, and I knew you'd come around. And together we stopped the coup and got Cerberus off the Citadel." She smiled at him. "We make a good team."

"We do," he agreed, "but it does matter the way a thing happens. Later, when you have to live with yourself."

"You mean Udina."

"Yeah."

"I … He gave me no choice, so I took the shot."

"You mean you didn't trust me to do it."

Shepard shook her head. "No. I … I didn't want you to have to." There was such an innocence in him, even now, even after everything. She hadn't wanted to see that destroyed.

"You can't protect me, Shepard. You have to let me take the hard shots."

"I'll try." A thought struck her. "Does that mean, if I asked you to come back aboard the Normandy—"

"Is there a chance I could do that? Hackett offered me a position, but I'd turn it down in a second to be aboard the Normandy again."

It felt right, having her friend aboard again. Someone she could talk to, someone she could count on … "I couldn't imagine meeting the Reapers without you."

Kaidan smiled a little, nodding. "Thank you, Commander."

"See you aboard in two hours. That enough time to get your things together?"

"I don't have much to pack. I left Earth in a bit of a hurry, so it's just the clothes on my back and a few things I've picked up here on the Citadel." He smiled. "And a really nice bottle of whiskey. Maybe we can share a drink sometime."

"I look forward to it."

She started to walk past him, but he caught her before she could.

"Shepard?"

"Yes?"

"I just … I need you to know that I'll never doubt you again. I've got your back, whatever comes. That's a promise."

"Thank you, Kaidan."

She left him there and joined Garrus by the elevators. He looked down at her, his eyes gentle. "You all right?"

"Just … get me back to my ship before I fall completely to pieces, will you?"

"Of course." With a hand on her back, he led her into the elevator.