Author's note: One more chapter to go!

Chapter Eighteen

Ashlyn's body struck something hard and it shook her to the bone. Her head was spinning as her blurred vision tried to focus on anything. She looked up to her right. Garrus was next to her. Blue blood was splattered over his face plates.

"You… okay?" He groaned.

She tried to talk, but her voice was extremely hoarse and weak. "You're not." She choked out.

"Don't… worry about me." He said, gripping his right side.

Suddenly Shepard was over them shouting into his omni-tool, "I need an evac now!"

Ashlyn's vision was becoming clearer slowly. Shepard was a little battered, but okay. Garrus on the other hand was severely injured. Blood came from his side too quickly to heal on its own. His breathing was labored and his eyes were rolling back and forth.

Shepard grabbed her shoulder and said, "I'll get you two out of here."

Ashlyn shook her head, but before she could protest she heard the roar of the Normandy's engines nearby. Shepard went to help her up.

"I've got it, help him." She told him as she carefully got onto her feet.

Shepard pulled Garrus up and acted as a crutch to get him to the Normandy. An officer was there as the ramp to the shuttle bay opened.

"Get them out of here!" Shepard shouted.

The officer took Shepard's place under Garrus's arm to keep him standing. Ashlyn stopped to glance at Shepard and he smiled. Then he turned and ran towards the Conduit. Harbinger's beams were getting increasingly close and as one hit merely a few feet away from Shepard, Ashlyn knew he wouldn't make it. She went to run back down the ramp but Garrus grabbed her arm, nearly pulling the officer down.

"Don't… do it." He said, immediately knowing what she planned to do.

She met his gaze. "I have to."

"Don't leave me alone." He whimpered softly, not caring if anyone saw his weak moment.

She moved closer to him, feeling the ramp begin to close, and kissed him on his mouth plates. "I'll always be with you." She murmured against them.

The warmth of her kiss was gone far too quickly as she slipped from his grasp. "I love you." He called to her as she began to run down the ramp.

Ashlyn wished she had time to respond, but she was already over the edge when his words hit her ears. The Normandy was much higher than she expected and she quickly mimicked biotics once again and used it to slow her fall. She hit the ground and rolled, ignoring the searing pain that pulsated through her body. She saw Shepard ahead and then saw the Harbinger's beam. Everything seemed to occur in slow motion. The beam struck him, barely, but before it could disintegrate him, Ashlyn pushed him out of the way and lifted her hand to the beam. Her own energy erupted from her palm and met the Harbinger's.

"Ashlyn!" Shepard cried out.

"John! Go!" She shouted, gathering all the strength she had left to fight the Harbinger's beam. "Get to the Conduit and stop them! Hurry!"

He hesitated, but then got up and carried his injured body as quickly as he could to the teleportation beam.

Ashlyn focused on the Harbinger's beam, pushing her own out and pressing against the Reaper. It was like trying to push down a brick wall, but it would at least give Shepard enough time. Unfortunately, her adrenaline and strength began to wane. She could feel her energy beginning to taper. She wouldn't be able to break free without being caught in the beam. All at once she realized that this was the end. A lot of thoughts ran through her mind as she came to that realization. She thought about her father and though most of her hated him for what he did to her, she wondered if she would've made him proud. Then she thought about the Normandy, where she felt the majority of her life took place even though she was only there for a short time. She thought about her closest friend, EDI and how she wished she could thank her one last time. She thought about Liara and wondered if the asari would miss her at all even though she was suspicious of her all that time. Then she thought about John. She enjoyed their time together, their blissful and tender moments. Then she thought about Garrus and her heart ached. She thought about the mark on her shoulder and how she wished she could be there for him while he recovered. She thought about how they met in the med bay and how he scared the living daylights out of her. She thought about their time on the Citadel as she gushed over the sight of a tree and she thought about their dance. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to laugh. Tears and laughter flowed from her as she remembered all the good times she had in her short waking life. Then her power faded completely and she was enveloped in the Harbinger's beam.

"Turn around!" Garrus cried out, watching the events on Earth in the cockpit of the Normandy, watching Ashlyn's beam fail and then being struck by the Reaper's. "Turn around now!" He cried again. He had refused to go directly to the med bay and though he left a trail of blue blood, he made it to the cockpit.

"You know I can't." Joker told him.

"Just… go back and pick her up." His voice was beginning to break with emotional and physical pain.

"Garrus," Joker murmured sadly, "she's gone."

"No…" He shook his head slowly. "She's stronger than that! She… she could survive that!" Garrus fell to his knees. "I know she's stronger." He felt his world turning black. "I know…" The Normandy's cockpit was then painted in darkness as he collapsed.

Garrus sighed heavily as he stared into the dark ceiling of his old room, unable to sleep as usual. Ever since he placed Shepard's and Ashlyn's names on the Normandy's memorial wall, sleep was a distant memory. His bedroom hadn't changed since he left for the C-Sec Academy. It was strange being in a room he hadn't entered in many years, but always felt like he never left it. He remembered spending hours in the corner taking apart his toy guns, putting them back together with added parts. In fact, the little table where all of that took place was where his sniper rifle sat now. It had been there for ten months, ever since he first came back home.

It seemed logical to him at the time. He had to check on his father and sister and his people as a whole. After spending two months on that jungle planet, the Normandy finally took flight and at first he wasn't sure what to say when EDI asked him where he'd like to go. His thoughts were a blurred mass of grief, frustration, despair, worry and loneliness that he just happened to instinctively murmur, "Home."

And that's where the Normandy dropped him off. Palaven had already started to rebuild with the help of the Reapers. No one really knew what Shepard did in the Citadel, but now the Reapers were good. They helped rebuild cities, rebuilt the mass relays and began to bring peace. Though everyone was still wary of them, they helped without question, without a word.

When Garrus returned home, he was surprised to see his family house was one of the first buildings to be rebuilt and his father and sister were already at home mending their wounds. He was happy to see his home, but it saddened him at the same time. He had always fantasized on the Normandy about bringing Shepard and Ashlyn to Palaven to meet his family. That wasn't going to happen now.

He tried telling his father and sister about Ashlyn, but they didn't understand. They'd been more than relieved to see him and honestly, he was relieved to see them too, but they couldn't offer much comfort where he needed it the most. They gave him his old room, food and company, but his mind was always far gone. His thoughts dwelled on Shepard, and more so on Ashlyn.

Garrus rolled over in his bed and forced his eyes shut. He had to start getting sleep eventually.

Garrus was on the verge of sleep finally, when a noise stirred him. Of course something would interrupt his first somewhat sleep in spirits knew when. He tried to ignore whatever it was and go back to sleep.

"Garrus…"

He heard it again. The wind seemed to carry his name and he winced at the sound. It almost sounded like Shepard.

"Garrus…"

He shivered and sat up, deciding it was time to close the window so he could stop hearing things in the wind. He froze when his eyes focused through the darkness. There was someone standing in his room: A human. At least it looked human. It was more like a ghost, wispy and ethereal. Garrus gulped hard as he began to recognize the features on the ghost's face. The determined eyes, the angular face, the strong-willed expression. It was Shepard.

"Sh-Shepard!" He blurted out.

"Yes, it is I." Shepard's voice sounded far away and close up all at once. It sounded like a whisper, a cry and a shout mixed into one saddening sound.

"Shepard," Garrus began, not sure of what to say. Was he a spirit? Shepard wasn't even a part of turian religion, it couldn't be possible. "Shepard, you're dead." He made the statement, but it felt like it should've been a question.

"Not exactly," Shepard said with no emotion in his multi-toned voice. "But its better that everyone think I am."

"What do you mean?" Garrus couldn't believe him. "Everyone is grieving over you, you're the hero of this war! The Normandy misses you, spirits, I miss you."

"The sentiment is shared, dear friend, but I've come here for a reason."

Garrus put his hand up. "Wait, first I need to apologize. I never meant for our partnership to end the way it did." He lowered his eyes. "I never expected things to turn out the way they did."

"All is forgiven. We were all learning how to love. As experienced as you and I were in battle, love was like uncharted ground. You were and always will be my brother in arms." Shepard replied.

Garrus looked up and smiled slightly, then continued. "Now you need to tell me what is going on."

"Of course, I can always trust you." He paused before starting his explanation. "When I stepped through the Conduit and was teleported into the Citadel, it wasn't what I was expecting. The Catalyst, the thing that we had been searching for was inside the Citadel and it gave me a choice. I could either destroy the Reapers or control them. My first instinct was to destroy them, what we had planned to do all along, but then I thought, what if our galaxy was threatened again? Or what if Cerberus got ahold of the Reaper tech and recreated it? I decided the best thing to do was to make myself the Catalyst and control them. This way I could protect the galaxy and protect the Reapers from falling into the wrong hands. I no longer exist the way I once did. I am now within every single Reaper, rebuilding the damage, protecting the innocent."

Garrus stayed silent for a moment, taking in everything Shepard had said. "You know," he finally began, "people should know what you sacrificed to keep us all safe."

"No, everyone should forget me, it is better this way."

Garrus sighed and looked away. He knew he couldn't argue. This was not only Shepard, but disembodied, Reaper-controlling Shepard. He always knew the human was noble, but he never could've imagined giving up his existence like this. Then again, he realized he could. "What do you need from me?" He asked, looking back at his once commander, rival and friend.

"I need you to find Ashlyn."

"Shepard… she died. She was pronounced KIA." It hurt to say the words, but he couldn't chase after ghosts.

"No," Shepard stated, "she is very much alive. You must find her and save her from herself. If you don't, she will get lost amongst the Reaper tech that inhabits her and you will then be forced to kill her."

"Wait, if she's Reaper, can't you help her?"

"No, the Reaper tech inside her was from a dead Reaper reanimated using human methods. I cannot reach her. I've tried."

Garrus scratched the back of his head worriedly. "What do you mean I'll have to kill her if I can't help her?"

"The power inside her will consume her. It will continue to grow until it takes over and Ashlyn will be no more. Only the creation that Cerberus birthed will remain." Shepard's form began to slowly dissipate. "This is my final wish, Garrus. Find her. Save her. Keep her safe and happy."

Garrus began to panic as Shepard's ghost began to fade. "Yes, Shepard! I'll find her, I promise!"

To be concluded...