"I love you, Garrus Vakarian." Shepard whispered to the turian in a soft sadness "If things go wrong and I'm not around any longer, I just want you to know that you'll never be alone."
The man looked her in the eye and gave the turian equivalent of a smile as her own lips curled upwards. A deep and hungry fear settled in the pit of her stomach as her heart pounded with a deep sorrow. The woman's mind told her to be strong as her eyes fought back the bitter tears. For many years the woman had been the image of hope, strength, inspiration and if she were seen breaking down now it wouldn't be good for the soldiers morale. Shepard didn't need to cry to get her sorrowed emotions across, however. The turian felt his own heart fall to it's mercy at the feet of anxious, aching despair.
This human woman, both so strong and fragile, had been his cause from the very beginning. He may not have been aware of it at the time but when it all came crashing down into a burning pile of rubbish, she had been in the center of the mess holding up his heart all the way through. From the chaos with Saren, to coping with her death and defeating the Collectors, they had seen it all together. Somewhere in between the botched clutter the woman had claimed him hers and he willing accepted the affection. This woman, this ever-striving force that would willingly self-sacrifice her being for the good of the galaxy, was his own hope and inspiration. She was the strength that he felt this very moment and the sadness he would feel when she was gone to fight the Reapers.
The turian grazed her soft cheek with a talon as she rested her forehead against his. The bittersweet moment had been cut short as she let go of his hand to pull away from him. The feeling of emptiness that had been there to comfort him as her body left his lingered with his senses and it only increased more as he watched her walk away. His chest pained him as he desired just one more touch from her but he promised himself that when this mess had been over he would have all the time in the galaxy to be with her again. All he needed to do was be strong, for both their sakes.
The battle had been long and tiring and with each moment dancing away from him his thoughts couldn't help but to be consumed by the woman he loved. Had she been all right? Did she die? Where was she? Had she failed her mission? No, he couldn't think like that. Shepard was a strong woman who was out fighting for the galaxy and the life it bore. Selfishly, he knew that she was fighting for him just as he fought for her and he knew she wouldn't give up until every last Reaper was gone.
Suddenly a bright flash of blue hazed over the sky and it slowly dwindled into a deep scarlet shade. As the world around him darkened into a deep red-black color, save for the burning sky, he watched as large shadowy silhouettes began to fall to the earth. The sounds of soldiers rejoicing with happiness as Reapers fell from the sky meant that they had won; that Shepard had won. The turian then noticed as various sized objects also began to fall and he eventually realized that it was bits of the Citadel. The slight relief he felt moments prior disappeared altogether and it had been replaced by confusion. Looking to the sky to find answers to all of this, he only felt the sharp sting of pain.
The turian felt the galaxy become a little more lonely as the sky burned.