Sorry for the break yesterday, guys. I have exams and they really suck big time. :((

Please review this chapter!

xoxo

THR

Chapter 18

Your name was Commander Shepard and you were preparing for a day that was bittersweet.

In fact, that day was today, and it had approached faster than you had been expecting.

Your ship that had once been filled with diligent workers and trusted friends was now close to being empty. Everyone who you had known and loved would soon part ways. This wasn't something that you had expected to be so difficult. Now that your squadmates had left, though, you couldn't help feeling a little lost on the inside. Keeping a soldier's composure began to get more strenuous as you packed your own things in your personal quarters.

Your mate's goodbyes had been heartfelt and memorable. You couldn't help but try to coax them all to stay for a little while longer. Jack had the nerve to call you motherly when you attempted to sweet talk her into having a drink on the Citadel next week.

"You sound like the mom I never had, Shep. Get a grip."

You had scoffed at that comment.

You supposed that she was right despite your retorts. Growing close to every single one of them was a journey. As much as you didn't want to admit it, you hoped that these adventures with them were not entirely over.

People who had started out as basic colleagues had turned into something so much more. When you had enlisted so many years before, you didn't think that these sorts of attachments to people would come so easy to you. You weren't a people person at first; you were just a leader who had no idea what she was doing.

Although leaders were supposed to have amiable qualities, you seemed to break the mold. You had been something like a monster when you were first resurrected. Your demeanor had been cold until you met people that had changed you.

There was one person in particular that had changed you for the better.

You smiled when you thought about him and looked down bashfully at the mention of his name sometimes. He was like the teenage dream that you never had.

Of course, your teenage dream wasn't a badass Turian at first, but you were willing to change your once conceited opinions.

He was the only one who had agreed to accompany you on your post-Collector adventures, whatever they may be. Everyone else on the crew had someone to go home with. Others had obligations that needed fulfilling.

You had one too.

So did Garrus.

Your obligations right now were each other.

You hadn't planned on having a steady partner at all throughout your life. Brief relationships suited you more than long term ones. People had told you that this was a phase and that there would be the one person that could break it.

They would be the one that could stand beside you in combat and behind closed doors. They could decode your expressions with nothing more than a glance, and they still grew warm when they felt the flutter of your heartbeat. They knew questionable things about you yet would still stand by your side.

They would take a bullet for you without even blinking.

You found these qualities in Garrus, and you hoped that he could at least find some of them in you.

You didn't exactly know where you were going to go with him. After bringing the subject up a month prior, he had suggested settling on Palaven while you preferred Earth. The both of you unanimously agreed that you wouldn't become Citadel citizens, though. It was too stuffy and neither of you couold bear to spend more time there than you needed to.

You never did reach a consensus with him about your next endeavors. All that mattered was that you were going to be with him. Maybe you could even live a normal life like a civilian and not have to care about everyone else. It was a thought that was clouded with problems: the Reaper's return, the threat of Cerberus interference, the trouble with fame. The list of worries seemed to go on the more you thought about it.

With a reluctant exhale, you took one last look around your quarters. You'd miss the Normandy and her beauty, and you were certain that at least Joker would feel the same..

You would also long for EDI, who had become a little more than just a simple AI companion.

You sat down at your clean desk which used to be covered in unfinished mission reports and datapads. The surface was unusually clean now, and a cheerless feeling came over you.

This wasn't your last mission on your very own vessel, though. You could sense it.

Abruptly, the door behind you opened and a figure stepped inside. He greeted you with nothing more than a ghost of a smile. His black eyes flickered and stared at you through the bluish light of the room, and his green skin clashed against the other cool colors.

This man's name was Thane Krios, and you were surprised that he had a desire to say goodbye to you.

"Siha," he began, his voice reverberating throughout the space. You turned and rose up when you saw him, not expecting his visit to be long.

Although you had grown close to Thane over time, you could tell that there was something that he had been holding back throughout the mission.

Since you had helped him with reconciling with his son, he had changed. His thoughts and words were more optimistic.

His smiles and exultant tones became more frequent.

"I wanted to say goodbye before I left the ship. I've decided to spend more time with Kolyat before succumbing to my own fate."

You took a step towards him and crossed your arms.

"I was starting to think that you weren't gonna come around and really say bye." you said. You gave him a warm grin which he did not return.

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Thane. Really, I mean it."

He nodded before sticking out his hand to you. His method in doing it was awkward, but you took it anyway.

"This is proper human behavior for goodbyes, isn't it? I'm sure yours differ greatly from Drell or Hanar ones."

Without hesitation, you leaned in and hugged him. His scent was intoxicating, and the lust of something more than friendship lingered upon you. His skin felt so much more different than Garrus'. It was almost wet, but the leather of his outfit made it feel less welcoming. You could feel his chest moving up and down in an offbeat rhythm, most likely caused by his terminal disease. You just wanted to reach up and-

No.

You couldn't do that.

You shook it off with a throaty laugh and looked back at him.

"We usually do it like that, hon."

Thane looked back at you and blinked. You swore that you could get lost in those eyes. They were a deep black abyss, and sometimes you found yourself staring at them for a bit too long.

Instead of doing anything tempting, you diverted your gaze and listened to him as he began to speak again.

"You know, my time is limited in this galaxy and I've wanted to leave it so that it's a better place for my son…for my race…and for people like you. I just wanted to give you my utmost gratitude for making that possible for me, siha. You'll never know what you've done for me by giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. You've reunited me with my son, given me a chance to seek penance and create new relationships. It's been refreshing and rewarding."

Your eyes widened as he looked at you with the greatest amount of thanks that you had ever witnessed. He had done his atonement; hell, he had helped save the entire galaxy from destruction. If forgiveness from his gods was what he had been looking for all of this time, he had damn well achieved it all.

"The pleasure's all mine. I, uh, well…"

Were you stuttering in front of him?

No, you weren't stuttering.

You couldn't stutter in front of him.

His hand touched your shoulder in a manner that made you shiver. He picked up on this sudden movement and backed off towards the door.

You wanted to tell him to stay, but you didn't.

"Goodbye, Shepard. May your travels lead you to warm sands."

The door opened in front of him, and you suddenly did what you thought you couldn't.

"Thane!"

He turned around and looked at you in question.

"Before you go, I have one more thing to ask of you."

Instead of retreating, he took a step back in and was only about a meter away.

"How may I be of service?"

You bit down on your lip; even though you just wanted to take him in for the last time, you had to think of some legitimate reason to keep him behind.

"What does siha mean?"

For the first time in a long time, he smiled at you and took your hand.

"It means warrior angel…or fierce protector."

After patting your palm, he vanished and was soon out of your sight.

Your name was Commander Shepard, and you were becoming the victim of a hasty feeling of guilt.

These emotions began to overwhelm you when yet another voice interrupted your thoughts.

"Commander, there's a last message for you on your private terminal. It's from Admiral Hackett and he mentioned a Batarian-Reaper conflict. Would you like me to pull it up?"

"Go right ahead, EDI."

You were the Turian Councilor and you were filled with rage.

More specifically, your name was Quentius Valibus and you were absolutely mortified with the recent reports about Liz Shepard's sudden escape.

Her violent encounter with a group of your own people also didn't aid you in liking her.

Yes, she was a well respected war hero, but that didn't make her insanity less apparent. She deserved respect like all of the other veterans. In fact, you believed that she had deserved more than what the public gave her.

Adoration for such actions was not enough. As the first human Spectre, she exceeded everyone's expectations and managed to save the galaxy from Reaper havoc. Not to mention her saving the Citadel during a Cerberus invasion and protecting the Council from a rogue member.

However, her actions were inexcusable. This was no longer a time of war; killing and aggression had no place in this new era.

At least that's what the rest of the Council kept on spouting out to the public.

In your opinion, she was better off dead now anyway.

The Shepard Files were never supposed to be opened after your well respected group had condemned her to a decent home on the Presidium. She wasn't supposed to get out of her home prison until someone like you considered her to be fit for duty again.

Something had happened and circumstances were altered. The variables had been unchecked.

An incident like this was just what the Council had ignored. They should have known that they couldn't box in a once righteous commander.

As you sat at your place in the former Councilor Udina's office, you began to wonder what would be accomplished in this "emergency" meeting. Its guests included the Council, Admiral Hackett and Commander Bailey, among other important diplomats. The trouble that the former commander was giving everyone was really starting to take a toll.

Lives had been lost.

Minds had gone to shit.

It was time for an intervention.

The Asari councilor, Irissa T'Alneto, sat across from you with a stern expression. Her eyes, which had always been ominous, expressed no feelings now. She was a closed book and she hadn't said a word since she had arrived.

The Salarian councilor hadn't arrived yet, but a solemn looking admiral was sitting next to you. His hands were folded neatly in the lap of his Alliance blues. His face was wise, but an expression of sorrow was upon it.

You felt like he knew something that everyone else didn't know.

Your name was Quentius Valibus, and you had nothing more than an inkling of an idea about how this meeting was truly going to go.

"Bailey? God damn it, Bailey, is that you?!"

Your name was Commander Bailey, and in your arms you held a flailing Shepard.

Finding her cell hadn't taken up a lot of time. It was five fifty five in the morning, and you had decided to show up a little bit early to Shepard's meeting.

You also intended to bring a surprise.

Although this surprise was living, breathing and deadly, she needed to hear the truth.

"If you'd stop moving your ass everywhere we might be able to talk about this!"

Passersby looked at the scene playing out in front of them. It was quite comical to see an old man carry a strong woman like that.

It was especially humorous to see said woman falling to the ground.

"That was your own fault."

"Fuck you."

Shepard gave you a glare and stood up. It was clear that she had no composure at the moment. Her nails had been grinded down to stubs and her skin was practically translucent. Her locks flowed just past her shoulders, framing her exposed collarbones quite well.

She would have looked fine with a little more muscle and some depression prevention pills, but you decided against pointing this out to her.

"Where's Garrus?"

You looked around for the man in question and didn't see a single Turian.

"Lord knows where that fellow's run off to." you answered. "He's not important now, though. The Council's having a meeting regarding your status and I am not letting them keep you locked up."

She looked down in guilt, and you could see the sorrow in her eyes. She was well aware of the crimes that she had committed. Whether or not she was going to seek forgiveness was beyond you, though.

"What I did to those men…it was nothing more than a reaction."

You nodded at her and grabbed her by the arm. Although she protested by rattling off her defense, you still had to drag her all the way to Udina's former office. It was only a few steps away from your office, which made it convenient.

When you reached the doors, you looked her in the eye.

"Listen, you're going to go in there and prove to them that you're healthy. I know you're struggling but now is not the time to let them know that. You're not alright but there's no way in hell that I'm going to allow them to keep you in a glass cage anymore. Understand, civilian?"

She rolled her eyes and gripped the doorknob.

"That's Commander to you, Bai—"

"You haven't been reinstated. I suggest you take this seriously so we don't both look like fools."

It was obvious that she was disoriented. This probably wasn't going to be a good idea in the long run.

You'd be willing to bet a hundred thousand credits on it.

"I always get what I want, crazy or not." she exclaimed. "And right now, I want answers to what the fuck has happened to me over the past year."

Your name was Commander Bailey, and you were starting to wonder if you were as crazy as the woman in front of you.