Chapter 13:

"Well, don't you look dashing." I teased.

Garrus had just walked in wearing formal-looking comfortable clothes, a bottle of wine in his hand.

"For you." He chuckled, holding it out. "It's not the best stuff, but it's what a vigilante salary can buy."

I stepped closer, kissing him softly. "Anything you give me is enough."

"I'll keep that in mind." Husky.

Moving back a few steps, he held out a hand. I took it with my free hand, and he led me to the couch. He sat, and I pulled out a turian wine bottle, passing it to him, before grabbing glasses and settling in beside him. We drank, our free hands lazily exploring each other's bodies. Our light touches turned into soft groping after a few glasses. He eased my suit open, pulling it down about my waist. Took my bra off and just stared at my exposed skin. I took the opportunity to relieve him of his shirt, as well.

...

I woke up feeling... content. I hadn't forgotten our mission, not in the slightest, but I was soaking in the situation- last night and now, waking up in his arms, not a stitch between us. It would be the last calm before the storm.

...

"Garrus will lead the second team." I raised my voice to be heard over the arguing.

Miranda didn't look happy about it, but she didn't speak out against the decision.

...

We watched in horror as some of the missing colonists were liquified, rushing to get our crew out safely. And we did. They were all safe and accounted for, much to all of our relief.

I sent Mordin with them back to the ship.

...

I picked Thane and Kasumi to come with me, leaving the others to defend the door. We would need our heavy hitters for the door. Garrus was in charge again.

He looked up at me with an unreadable expression. I knelt on the platform, beckoning him closer. Looking deep into his eyes, I kissed him gently, slowly. Standing back up, I moved away from him- from them.

"Garrus." I spoke into the radio as the platform took us away. "I love you."

Then, I cut the link, not wanting for either of us to be distracted with everything going on. I'd just wanted him to know, and there was no telling if I'd make it back from this. If either of us would- any of us would.

"They are building a Reaper." EDI said, and I blinked at the monstrosity before us.

It was enormous. I couldn't wrap my head around how big it was.

It was a simple matter of breaking the glass tubing that helped to hold up the Reaper. As soon as the last one shattered, it fell into the abyss that waited below.

Tim demanded we salvage the Reaper, but I refused, setting a bomb to go off in ten minutes. There was nothing about this that could be justified. This thing was an abomination and needed to be destroyed.

I had Kasumi end the call, and we gave ourselves a moment to breathe, before turning our backs on the space the Reaper had taken up. It had gone much easier than I'd thought it would. Honestly, I'd expected us all to die.

Of course, I should have known it wouldn't be that simple.

Two large hands rose up, gripping the platforms behind us. I whirled around in time to see a large head lifting above them to peer at us.

The fight took so much longer than I was comfortable with. By the time it was over, the Reaper finally dead, we only had two minutes and ten seconds left.

The hands of the Reaper came down as it fell, pulling down several of the platforms around us. Including the one we were standing on. We made a break for it, barely managing to get onto one that was still in place. A moment later, another crashed into ours, knocking us off.

I was shaken, blinking into awareness.

"We have to go!" Kasumi shouted.

With a nod, I let them pull me to my feet, and we tore off toward the meeting point that Joker had said to them that he was waiting at for us.

The second we were all in the airlock, I ordered Joker to get us the hell out of here. As we were approaching the relay, the explosion rocketing toward us from behind, the airlock opened, allowing the three of us into the ship. We stopped near Omega, and I let out a breath of relief, before turning and looking over Thane and Kasumi.

They assured me they were fine, and I set about checking on the others. Everyone had made it. Everyone was okay. Everyone was alive.

My eyes met Garrus', and I held my breath, my last words to him playing in my head. Slowly, he walked around the table to stop mere inches from me. His hands cupped my cheeks, guiding me in for a deep kiss.

"I love you, too." He murmured when we parted, hands moving to my hips.

...

We dropped off the Cerberus crew that wanted to stay with Cerberus at Omega, including Miranda and Jacob. Along with Mordin, Jack, and Zaeed. Legion, we dropped off on a remote planet near geth space. Tali went back to the fleet. Grunt, to Tuchanka. Kasumi simply disappeared without a trace. Samara requested Illium. Garrus and Thane opted to return with me to the Citadel, along with the remaining crew members, the ones who wanted sanctuary from Cerberus and Tim.

We were immediately met with C-Sec officers. Here to arrest those of us who had been Alliance previously.

I gave a small smile to the two men, assuring them I would be okay. Garrus made me promise to contact him as soon as I was able. We both knew that it would be a while, considering.

I was the last to be led away. Straight to Anderson's office, to my surprise. He said he'd worked out a deal- I would give all the information I had on Cerberus, and I would not be tried for treason. I admitted I was going to tell them everything I knew even without that incentive, and he patted my shoulder, a proud gleam in his eye. Told me he knew that.

Then, I was taken into a C-Sec holding room.

...

The next day, I was transferred to an Alliance ship and taken to Earth. I was interrogated for days- weeks, even- and every time I remembered something, I would immediately tell the officer standing guard outside my door.

For a prisoner, I was being kept really well, actually. I was placed in an apartment, not a cell. And I had a visitor that came often- James Vega. He was a marine, really seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. I could tell, from our interactions, that he would go far in life, if he put his mind to it.

All of my communications were restricted to Earth- to Alliance personnel only. I had no way of getting anything across to Garrus, to let him know I was okay. And vice versa. I had no idea where he'd ended up, after I'd been arrested.

...

Anderson stood on the other side of my door, and I smiled in greeting. He did not. Something was wrong, judging from his expression.

Motioning for me to walk with him, he led me through the winding hallways. All the while, telling me that Hackett was mobilizing the fleets.

The Reapers were here.

And he wanted me to meet with the defense committee. He wanted me to tell them directly what I'd seen and experienced- the reports weren't enough. You could read through those, and still think it's nonsense. But hearing someone passionately speak about something? That changed minds.

Rather, it should. The Council hadn't listened, either, and I'd stood in front of them- both past and present me- warning them of the danger, but they had refused to believe.

I almost literally bumped into Kaidan. He stopped and stared at me for a few moments, eyes wide. I raised an eyebrow and stepped around him.

"It's good to see you, Shepard." He said as I passed.

"You, too, Alenko."

Anderson started walking again, and I followed after.

The room had a large window wall overlooking the city. The site was always so breathtaking, regardless of how it was viewed, to me.

The defense committee sat around a halfmoon table, eyes on us, their backs to the window.

They told me about the reports of colonies going dark. Everything beyond our little system was out of reach. Just after they'd finished, someone spoke up and said Luna base wasn't responding.

Another person shouted that the UK headquarters had a visual, before patching through to a video feed on one of the large monitors lining the wall behind us. It ended, switching to a news channel.

An image of a Reaper in the city caused everyone in the room to gasp.

Several other stations appeared, a collage of horrific images. Reapers, dozens of them, all over Earth.

"What do we do?" One of them asked fearfully.

I looked around the room. "We fight. We fight or we die."

A loud noise shook the room, and all eyes turned to the window. Just in time to watch the Reaper descend from the clouds, its red laser sweeping out and destroying the buildings around it with one swift move.

The beam shone again, this time, aiming straight to us. I darted away from the window, hearing it shatter behind me. Just as I turned to see the damage, it fired again, and I was knocked the rest of the way across the room, my consciousness fading.