in which it is 7.22.2239
Shepard smiled as she slowly ran her hand along the big wolfhound of a dog. She could hear her grandkids running from the kitchen to the front door. She snorted as they slammed the screen door open.
"Bye nana," her granddaughter said giving her a peck on her check then bouncing down the steps.
"Buh, nunu" Shepard leaned down so that her grandson could give her a hug and a kiss. Then they where off giggling and running for home, she was not worried it was only a half mile to their home, and there was nothing but sheep between the two houses. Shepard leaned back allowing her mind to wander. It invariably took her to the last time she saw Garrus.
Garrus was sprawled out, not moving. Shepard wanted to stay but she could not, she had a mission to complete. Turning she fled.
The memories did not stop there, always the other team members followed.
Tali faltering, "keelah se'lai" she said breathlessly as her mask cracked from when a violent explosion threw her against the wall. Shepard felt Kal'reegar hesitate.
"Kal go, go." Tali said, but Shepard could hear her labored breathing, Tali had already taken quite a few hits. Shepard knew an infection was already setting in as she turned and hauled Tali back to her feet.
"I will destroy you." Jack shouted as she thru a shockwave, she did not see the rocket that flew towards her.
"Jack down." Shepard order, swinging her rifle toward the keeper like being that they fought against. Shepard fired a quick burst, but it would not help Jack. Shepard had seen Jack body fly off the edge, but she also caught the unnatural flop of Jack's head before she went over.
"Shepard bomb set. Jacob's gone." Miranda's voice came over the com. Shepard wanted to break down and cry. But if this worked, billions of lives would be safe. She had to keep going.
"Get to the shuttle. Less than ten minutes and counting." Shepard snapped rounding a corner. The enemy was waiting, it thru something at her. Reflexively she tried to block it with her gun. But only succeeding of knocking in to her face instead of her chest where it was headed.
It exploding in to a fine powered, then all Shepard knew was burning. Shepard dropped her gun and clawed at her face. She was no long aware of anything but the pain...
Shepard came back to the present when she heard his footsteps coming from the kitchen towards the front door. Shepard sighed, he was limping again. She turned her head towards the front door as it opened.
"You should tell the doctor your knee is bothering you again." She accused.
"You should stop brooding." his distinctive flanging voice replied with practice ease, after a slight pause he added "I brought you a sandwich." Shepard smiled and held out her hand. Garrus slid the plate in to it. Then set down next to her on the glider, patting the dog on her head.
"I can't help it. We leave in a few days for the citadel and the fiftieth anniversary of the defeat of the Reapers. We lost so many. Over two thirds of the human and turian fleets, at least a third of the salarans' STG, unknown number of rachni, krogans, quarians, asari and geth." She said slowly.
Garrus looked at her, really looked at her. Shepard still pinned her hair up in its customary bun but now that bun had gone snowy white. Her eyes had changed to a milky white, and had been that way for...well...fifty years. Every morning he thanked Kal'Reegar in his heart for hauling her back to the ship. Though Kal himself has passed on a few days later from an infection, everyone speculated that if Tali had still been alive...Garrus frowned as Shepard placed her plate on the table next to her. Shepard tucked herself under his arm, and placed her head over his heart.
"Jane I am sorry-"
"It's not your fault Mo chuisle..." Shepard started but Garrus angrily cut her off.
"If I had not got sick, I could have gone with you and Tali would have gone with Miranda..." Garrus got up and started pacing on the porch. "Then you would still have your sight, Tali, Kal, and Jacob would still be alive."
"Or we would all be dead, or the whole galaxy would be wiped out or..." Shepard took a gulping breath, trying to get air in to her scarred lungs. Garrus quickly went to her side, "slow, deep breaths." he murmured holding her. After she got her breath back under control she settled back up against him.
"You would think after all this time we would stop having the same arguments." Garrus tried to lighten the mood. Shepard snorted then coughed.
"We're both too stubborn to let it completely drop." Was her replied then she let out a small sigh, "this will be my last trip off planet."
"What makes you say that?" Garrus asked, Shepard could hear his mandibles click closed with nervousness.
"I heard you talking to the doctor." Shepard stated. "Now I know what Thane felt like."
"The doctors have been wrong before." Garrus tried denying.
"Not this time I can feel it, Garrus I'm eighty-five, not too overly old for either of our races, but I'm so tired of fighting, Mo chuisle." they sat in compatible silence. Finally Shepard added "thank you."
"For what?" Garrus asked.
"For taking care of me, god how I hated that. Of course with all the damage done to my eyes and lungs there was no way I could have taken care of myself. The doctors telling me I will be dead within a year only pissed me off more. I think I survived just to spite them at first." Shepard talked slowly; Garrus tighten his arms a bit.
"Thank you for taking me away from the Alliance and Cerberus and the citadel... for being disowned by your father to be with me. For finding a backwater plant that we could 'disappear' to and where no one would care that I was a 'hero'. For learning how to cook human food for me. For buying me a two story house with a picket fence, which I assume is white." Shepard laughed at that but end with a cough. "thank you for giving me a family. I am sorry that we could not adopt any turian children to raise with our human ones. And I'm sorry that I made you leave your people." Shepard finished.
"Shepard it's not your fault we could not adopt any turian children. And I picked this planet remember? I made the decision to leave my people, just like I know you would do the same for me if our position had been reversed. Beside I don't think we could have handled the four human children and turian children too." Garrus finished with a laugh.
"I think we did alright by them." Shepard said with a sigh. Garrus buried his face in her hair.
"Yes we did, remember when I brought the first one home...?"
i will continue to be fairly vague about my Shepard in the story, other than the already stated hair length. (but then again hair long enough to be put in a bun could be any length from just past shoulders to ...well when it gets to knee length you have to usually braid then pin it up. but you get the idea.)
how every if you want to know how i picture this Shepard. Strawberry blond hair, hazel eyes, hair to just bushing mid back. a light smattering of freckles across her cheeks.