Chapter 8: Sun and Shadows [Note: The format of this chapter deviates from prior chapters. I wrote it like that to draw attention to certain points. Sorry if it's annoying!]
Garrus came to slowly, his vision was blurred, and he thought he heard someone yelling his name.
He tried to concentrate on it, "Garrus! Garrus! Can you hear me? Come on, snap out of it!"
He closed his eyes hard, and opened them again, he could see now, "Eve?" Pain surged through his side when he spoke.
He felt her hands on his mandibles, causing him to look at her eyes, "Garrus! Don't move! I have to strip you of your chest armor."
He looked down. His armor was charred, bits blown off. Then he saw blue, his blue, his blood. His eyes widened in horror, "What... What happened?"
"Shrapnel!" Eve yelled, as she slowly pried his chest plate off.
Suddenly his mind sprung to life, "Jane!" His entire abdomen ached when he yelled.
Eve shook her head, "She headed for the beam! She was alive! Injured, but alive!"
He forgot to breath a moment. Eve applied copious amounts of medi-gel to his wounds, "Why didn't you go after her?" Anger burned through his thoughts.
Eve's eyes teared up, "I couldn't, Garrus!" She pointed down at her leg.
Garrus' mandibles tightened to his face. She had several pieces of metal, ranging in size, sticking out of her right leg and hip.
She spoke when he didn't respond, "The metal was hot. It cauterized the wounds. I haven't lost much blood. I just can't walk."
She shook her head again, "I can't find Anna! Can you get up now?" She snapped back his chest piece.
Garrus took a deep breath, and braced himself against the truck wheel he was leaning against. He tried to stand, pain forced him to slide back down, "No!"
Eve teared up again, she started yelling, "Anna! Anna! Are you alive? Anna!"
She struggled to scoot herself backwards on her hands, "Anna!"
Garrus picked up the sounds of footsteps. They were far away, behind him and the truck. He guessed Eve couldn't hear them, "Eve! I hear someone! Behind the truck!"
Eve scooted faster, "Anna! Is that you?"
Suddenly Eve saw her sister. She was walking, slowly. Anna was clutching her left arm, her face was covered in blood.
Eve's eyes widened. Anna's visor had broken off, and pieces were embedded in her face. A large piece was lodged in her neck. "Oh, shit! Anna! Come here! I can't get up!"
Anna dropped to her knees in front of her sister. Eve's hands flew to her neck, "It didn't hit an artery! Nicked your windpipe! Could have injured your vocal chords! I'm gonna pull it out! I have medi-gel!"
Anna groaned in pain, too afraid to yell, or maybe she wasn't able to. The bleeding stopped as soon as the medi-gel was applied.
Anna didn't wait for Eve to tend her other wounds. As soon as her neck stopped bleeding, and stopped coursing pain through her, she got up. Anna climbed into the toppled truck. She found the hand-held emergency radio device. She threw it at Garrus, he was closest to her.
A few other soldiers started to come-to. Many cried out in pain.
…...
A few hours later, they were all at a make-shift trauma center. Eve was actually limping around, tending to the wounded.
Garrus was outside, head in his hands. Anna walked over, slid to take a seat next to him.
Her voice came out hoarse and quiet, "Garrus..."
Suddenly the sky was ablaze. Within minutes, a frantic soldier was running towards the center, yelling, "It's over! The Reapers are falling!"
They both got up, and ran to the closest monitor. A voice could be heard over the images of the Reapers shorting, and falling apart, "It was confirmed that the Crucible was activated! The Reapers seem to be self-destructing! The war is won!"
Garrus whispered, "Spirits... Jane did it..."
They looked up; explosions were coming from the Citadel.
…...
After it was determined to be safe, many ships boarded the Citadel, searching for survivors. The structure was still whole, but it sustained significant damage. Civilians were being extracted. There was no sign of Commander Jane Shepard.
Two hours into the search, Garrus couldn't take it. He walked, walked for a long time. He eventually came to the field where Jane was last seen.
He walked towards where the beam was. The beam was no longer there, a huge pile of rubble was in its place.
As he got closer, he heard something.
He strained.
He heard it again.
He ran.
He yelled.
"Jane!"
…...
Six days later Jane Shepard could see.
She saw Garrus, and cried. She saw her sisters, her whole body shook.
Two week later Jane Shepard could speak.
She could only say words at a time, and it strained her, greatly. Her first word was, "Garrus."
Three weeks later Jane Shepard could speak complete sentences.
As her loved ones surrounded her, she spoke her first sentence, "Keep heading towards the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you." It was labored and rough, but they could all understand her.
Eve started sobbing. Anna put her hand on Jane's arm, right above where she grasped Garrus' hand.
Anna whispered, "That's what you said at dad's funeral."
Soon Jane Shepard learned of everything that happened.
She destroyed the Reapers. She avoided the main explosions by escaping through the beam that brought her to the Citadel. The Citadel was damaged, but salvageable. Less than half of the Citadel's population had been extracted. The Normandy had aided in the extraction. The ground team members were still in London, they were helping in any capacity possible. The Mass Relays had shorted. All the minds that had worked on the Crucible, had almost immediately set to work on repairing the Relays.
Nearly everything she was told in those final moments, was a lie. Guess you shouldn't trust a hologram of a dead boy. And why would you?
EDI was still alive, so were the Geth. Jane's Cerberus implants kept her alive. All synthetics were not destroyed.
The Catalyst lied in order to protect its best interests; it didn't want to be destroyed.
Jane Shepard would survive.
The galaxy was saved.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Epilogue
"Tia Jane!"
Jane bent down and scooped up her dark-haired five year-old niece, Olivia.
Jack shouted from across the room, on the sofa, "Finally the rest of you showed up!"
James, Anna, EDI, and Joker filed into the room after Olivia. They joined the rest of Jane and Garrus' house guests.
Joker felt compelled to remark, "Why do you have a banner that says 'Seven Year Anniversary'? It's not like we're celebrating a wedding."
Jane chuckled, "No, but we are celebrating the seventh anniversary of the Mass Relay activation."
Joker mumbled, "Yeah, but last year there wasn't a banner."
Olivia started to squirm, so Jane put her down. The girl scurried over towards the other children playing in the back of the room. She snatched a block away from one of Liara and Javik's daughters, Tallia, who started crying. When Tallia started crying, her younger sister Devina had to join in.
Solana stood up, "I've got this one," and walked over. She bent down and whispered to the girls, and handed a doll to Olivia. When Aldrin saw his mother give one of the other children a toy, he wanted one too. So, Solana had to quickly pacify her son as well.
Once everyone quited, Jane announced, "I'll see if Garrus is done in the kitchen. We'll eat soon." She smiled and left the living room.
Anna walked over to where Tali was sitting next to Eve, and rubbed her swollen abdomen, "When's he due?"
Kal'Reegar spoke up for Tali, "A little over two months now." Pride was evident in his voice.
Kaidan coughed and had to add, "Let's just hope he gets his looks from his mother." Eve elbowed him, and Kal sat back.
Tali laughed, "He can look like anything, and he'll still be loved... Well, maybe not a vorcha."
EDI interjected, "It is highly unlikely that your child would have the appearance of a vorcha, Tali." That caused a burst of laughter across the entire room.
Jane and Garrus emerged from the kitchen. Jane announced, "Dinner's done!" and sat a tray full of food on the table.
She pointed towards the far end of the table, "Dextro meals on that end." She turned, "And Levo meals on this end. EDI, would you mind helping the children?"
"I am happy to assist."
Joker laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, "You always get stuck at the kid's table."
Suddenly Jane and Garrus' omni-tools beeped. Garrus pulled the message open, and his face dropped.
"Jane..."
Seeing her mate's expression, Jane quickly pulled open her message too, and shrieked, "We're having a baby!" She turned towards Garrus, and practically tackled him in a hug.
Jack exclaimed, "What?"
Garrus spoke up as Jane loosened her grip, "We were accepted. The adoption's going through."
Solana cackled and picked up Aldrin, "Guess you're finally getting a little turian cousin."
Jane wiped a tear from her eye, "Thanks for pulling those strings, Liara."
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Author's note:
I love fluffy endings. If you don't really care for a sunshine and bunnies ending, then I guess you can ignore the epilogue. lol. But, the whole ending prior to the epilogue, is my personal favorite take on the destroy ending. Again, sunshine and bunnies! Hope you enjoyed it all! Please review! I'd really, really appreciate it! Thanks a bunch! - Musicalrain
P.S.
Sorry this last chapter is a little short! :)
NOTICE: I drew them! Update: I've fixed the link! Sorry for the delay!
musicalrain0 (dot) deviantart (dot) com/#/d50twkp