CH 7

The course of true love never did run Smooth

Shepard couldn't believe it was finally time to end all of this. To end Saren. To stop the Reapers. Everything that she'd done so far, everything she had sacrificed— it was all so she could make it here. So she could stop them. Shepard knew what was at stake. She knew she likely wouldn't make it out of this fight alive. But she had to do whatever she could to win this battle. The entire fate of the galaxy rested in her hands. For the first time the weight didn't seem like a burden, but a blessing.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard." Saren taunted her. He scoffed throwing a grenade at them, sending them all flying back into cover.

"In time for what!" Shepard yelled back over her shoulder as loud as she could.

"In time for the final confrontation of course. I had a feeling it would play out this way… I think we both expected it would. You've lost, you know that don't you? In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems, the relay will open and the Reapers will return. It's over, Shepard." Saren was almost laughing.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeves, Saren." Shepard growled back to him voice as strong as she could muster, she could see Garrus was staring at her.

Please don't do anything stupid, Shepard…

"You may have survived our encounter on Virmire. But you won't survive this. I have changed since then. I am improved… Sovereign has… upgraded me. Made me stronger." Saren's voice was deep.

"You let Sovereign implant you? Are you completely insane?" She yelled back to him over the sounds of the tower aching from the destruction.

"You don't understand, Shepard. There is a place for the organics in the new order… The Reapers need people like us. People like you. You have impressed Sovereign. Surrender now to him and you will be spared. Join us, Shepard… There is a place for you amongst us."

"You can't seriously believe that, Saren. Sovereign is controlling you through your implants! Can't you see that?"

"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am the future, Shepard. I am the evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny, join Sovereign and experience our true rebirth!" Saren's voice was growing louder and more powerful.

"Sovereign hasn't won yet, Saren. Step aside and let me fix this. Let me stop this invasion before it's too late!" Shepard pleaded with him still ducking behind cover. Still noticing Garrus watching her closely.

"Oh, Shepard!" Saren yelled out raising his hands to his head. "We can't stop it! Not forever… You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans… The Reapers are too powerful…" He lowered his hands looking downward.

He's still in there. I can still save him.

"Saren, I know some part of you must realize this is wrong! You can fight this!" Shepard was full of urgency… Full of hope.

"Maybe… you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for— uhg!" Saren grabbed either side of his head in pain, heaving over. "The implants… Sovereign's control is too strong. I'm sorry, Shepard. It's too late for me." His voice was growing weak and defeated.

Garrus saw the look in her eyes as she rolled from cover to face Saren head on. Before he could protest she was out of sight, gun lowered to her side staring Saren in the face. He couldn't believe she was going to try this again. The last time she almost had been killed. How could she be so reckless?

"No. It's not too late, Saren. You can still redeem yourself! You're still in there. I know you are."

"Thank you, Shepard." Saren spoke lighting his head after a moment. "Goodbye." Left his lips as he raised his gun to his head pulling the trigger.

Saren's lifeless body fell to the side sliding off the catwalk and falling through the glass into a garden below them. Shepard stood there looking at the place he had just been. The second the bullet went off Garrus had leapt from cover rushing to her side. They didn't have time to react to what had happened, they had to move. She rushed forward towards the console inserting the data Virgil provided.

It worked. That damn data actually worked and she had control of all the Citadel's systems. Just when she thought this was close to over the clatter of the coms sunk her heart. The Destiny Ascension was falling, their shields were at 40%. Not only did they have the Council on board, but the lives of 10,000 others. Before she could process Joker replied to her destress call. He and the entire fleet were ready to react. But to what? Liara pleaded for Shepard to save the Council, and Garrus offered no word of advice. Just his cool gaze looking at her.

Should she send them towards the Destiny to save the Council and countless alien lives? Should she focus fully on Sovereign and say fuck the Council?

The decision wouldn't be easy but it was one she had to make alone. Like back on Virmire. Sometimes you just have to make a choice between two shitty decisions. Shepard realized then that she would always have to make this decision. She would always be the one to choose. No one else could do it. No one else wanted to do it.

Joker asked again more forcefully over the com. They needed orders. They needed them now.

"I'm opening the arms now, Joker. We need to save the Ascension… No matter what the cost." She knew how many human lives would be lost in the process. But this was one of those choices. Sacrifice the few, to save the many. Seeing the bigger picture: this war was bigger than humanity. This war involved the entire galaxy. They needed the Council alive.

Garrus closed the space between them extending an arm to her shoulder. But before he could speak the building began shaking. All around them red beams of bright electricity shot out and into Saren's lifeless corpse below them. They were knocked off the catwalk and into the garden. Saren's body pulsed with red light and small screams of discomfort echoed around them. Screams of agony. Saren's body stood, only it wasn't Saren anymore. It was something else entirely.

The turian he used to be was no more, and the figure in front of them was purely mechanical. There was nothing organic left about him— he was a machine. A tool.

"I am Sovereign. And this station is mine." The voice was a mix of mechanical like on Virmire, and Saren's own. The robotic figure loomed over them, red electricity circling it.

The fight had been hard. Worse than anything else they had to face before. The hybrid that they fought had abilities they had never seen. Sovereign would shoot fiery, red beams of electricity at them. If they weren't careful it would burn straight through their suits, immediately disabling their shields. Not only that, but Sovereign made it very difficult to get any damage on him, jumping from place to place. They could feel the fleet around them attempting to weaken Sovereign as they fought his puppet. And after what seemed like hours Saren's body felt to the floor in a loud thud, bursting into a red flame disintegrating.

Something had happened in that moment, she heard Hackett over com yelling. Sovereign was vulnerable— he looked like he was falling. His shields were down, something… The Fleet had to attack now and they had to make it count.

They felt the shockwave from the explosion. Sovereigns body was bursting into a million pieces. The Alliance Fleet had done it. They had destroyed him. But not without a hitch, the energy wave from the blast had sent rubble and pieces of Sovereign everywhere. Shepard's squad couldn't be missed as the top half of the Citadel was crumbling to dust around them. The three of them attempted to escape, running wildly towards the exit. Shepard thought back to earlier in the day to the moment she surrendered to the possibility of death…

Shepard woke a few hours later in the Normandy Med Bay, with no memory of how she got there. Opening her eyes slowly, the room was far too bright. She couldn't make anything out. There was a ringing in her ears and her mouth was dry. She blinked several times, as the ringing stopped she tried focusing on her surroundings. Shepard looked to her right seeing Garrus sitting, head rested on his arm. He was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful sleeping there. She could watch him do this for hours.

Almost as if he could feel her waking, he opened an eye seeing her. Shepard was laying on her side, looking at him with a big smile on her face. She had cuts and bruises on her hands arms and face. Somehow this time she managed to make it out with nothing worse than a dislocated shoulder and some flesh wounds.

"Shepard." Garrus purred at her sliding from his chair to his knees in front of her.

"I'm okay, big guy. I'm hard to kill, you should know that." Shepard smiled extending a hand to meet his face. "I told you, Garrus. We would get that son of a bitch."

Garrus closed his hand around hers, leaning his face into it. Garrus placed a small kiss on the inside of her palm, holding it to his mouth for a moment. They had done it. She was alive. What would they do now? It was hard to see life after this mission, but he hoped Shepard would be there.

It had been nearly two weeks since the attack on the Citadel, and Shepard was getting used to her new found fame. The Hero of the Citadel wasn't about to take all the glory, though. She had taken down Saren, the geth and Sovereign; but she didn't do it alone. Anytime Shepard was interviewed she made sure to drop the names of her crew. How the Alliance was proud to be on the front line fighting Saren and Sovereign. Of all the lives lost during their battle.

Knowing she wasn't alone didn't change the fact that she was the poster child for humanity. Shepard's modesty made her even more lovable. Her actions and selflessness was what had made her a true hero. Her record was perfect before, but she seemed even more revered now.

Humanity was even granted a place on the Council due to her commitment to saving them during the attack. Shepard's decision proved that humanity was ready in their eyes. The Council also seemed to be taking her warnings seriously and were getting ready to send her on a serious of recon missions. She was to clean up the rest of Saren's army, mainly clusters of geth in the outer reaches of the systems. Shepard would leave in a couple more weeks with her remaining crew, and Garrus would head back to C-Sec…

No, the time for them be together wasn't now. They could pretend for the last few weeks though and they really did pretend. They'd watch each others favorite vids, or spend time shooting at Pinnacle Station. They'd even run some random routine pick ups together for old times sake. Once each night rolled around, Garrus would be in her quarters. Nothing ever happened though, not with Garrus' Spectre training coming up. Not with Shepard's missions- they knew they shouldn't. He wanted to go with her… But she wouldn't let him. Once she found out that he had been selected for Spectre training again, how could she ask him to join her any longer?

Shepard knew how badly he had once wanted that. She would have been scared to see the man she once met in the Tower all those months ago as a Spectre. Ruthless, idealistic and dangerous. Shepard knew though that he was different. The man he was now, would never risk the lives of an innocent to get what he wanted. The man he was now, would make an excellent Spectre. The right kind of Spectre. And she wanted that for him, she wanted him to be happy over all else. Even if that meant letting him go. Even if that meant never seeing him again.

When it came time to say goodbye on the Docking Bay there was a dark heaviness in her chest. Shepard could see he felt it too. This would be the first time they had been apart for more than a day or two since they had met. She had grown so used to always having him on her 6, it felt wrong thinking of him being alone. Without her.

Garrus didn't like it, but she had a point. This was what he needed. This was an opportunity. Later, when he was finished they could roam the traverse again. They could…

They stood a few feet away from each other not saying a word. They both had so much they wanted to get out, but nothing left their mouths. Shepard found herself growing anxious and felt her palms begin to sweat. This was it. This was goodbye. Not forever… just… temporary. Right? For some reason she felt like was going to be the last…

Shepard began to speak but he grabbed the back of her neck lightly pulling her to his mouth. Garrus kissed her hard, tasting her lips. Feeing the softness of her tongue against his. The smell of her skin and hair.

Lavender.

Pulling her close he breathed her in one more time. He didn't want to forget this. Garrus knew this wouldn't be the last time he saw her. But knowing that she would come back didn't make leaving her any easier. He had this unexplainable feeling deep in his gut that told him never to let her go… That if he did, he wouldn't see her stood there foreheads touching for a moment, both thinking the same thing…

Garrus moved his moth to her forehead kissing it one last time. When his feelings became too unbearable he released her, turning and entering the elevator.

"I'll be seeing you, Vakarian." Garrus heard her say as the doors closed and she disappeared from vision.

They both had a very clear path lined out in front of them… One that didn't include the other. Not yet anyway. As much as they cared for each other, as much as they wanted to try it. They knew it wouldn't work.

Not then. Not yet.

One day…