Mass Effect: Each Story Has A Million Tales.

Summary: "There is always more than just one side to a story- and more than one lesson to learn. Follow Garrus Vakarian as he stands by a promise that he means to keep, contemplates the true meaning of life, death, and the ultimate sacrifice, and as he confronts someone who should have been behind him all along. Follow Adelais Vakarian as he mends a broken bond, and as he comes to terms with a terrible loss of his own. Follow Kolyat Krios as he navigates through a very dangerous place, only to find another- under the guidance of someone who may or may not be there at all. And follow Commander Joleen Shepard as she goes through her past and present, only to find herself in the middle of a battle for her future." (Garrus' Story: 'The Promise-Keeper.' Adelais' Story: 'The Old Soldier.' Kolyat's Story: 'The Wanderer.' Shepard's Story: 'The Missing.')

Warning: "This is a heavy one- some swearing, angst, implied adult situations, adult situations, a few character deaths, violence, and blood. All the big ones this time. Remember, this is my Shepard, my feelings on the game and what should have happened and will happen, with my own opinions and storyline, so no nasty comments. Got it? Good." (Commander Joleen Shepard: War Hero, Earthborn. Soldier. Paragon. Romanced Kaidan Alenko in the 1st game, Garrus Vakarian in the 2nd and 3rd. Shot and killed Udina during the Citadel Coup.)

Disclaimer: "I do not own Mass Effect. At all. So don't make me say it again."

Author's Note: "Just so you all know, the name 'Adelais,' is Latin for 'Noble,' and the name 'Carissa' means 'the most beloved one.' Personally, I just thought the two names fit the story and what the characters were meant for."

N._.S._.S

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Missing V.

Something was different this time.

Commander Joleen Shepard had walked through Elysium's silent, tranquil beaches more times than she cared to ever admit- she was tied to this beautiful place, even in her dreams, because, as she discovered many years ago, she was tied to this place, in ways that Cerberus, the Reapers, and even death could never take away from her.

No matter how many times they tried.

Because a part of her had been born here.

And a part of her had died here.

Shepard knelt at the edge of the water, pushing up her silver-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose before dipping her ungloved hands into the clear water. She cupped her hands and stood, letting the icy water slip through the cracks between her fingers until her hands were once again empty, watching it drip back down into the white sand at her bare feet.

She wore the same clothes she had during the Blitz- a pair of new dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved, white t-shirt, both too tight in just the right places, and a pair of high-heeled combat boots. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a short ponytail, and the escaped, scraggly ends were held back in a white cloth headband.

Strapped tightly onto her back was an old sniper rifle- the same sniper rifle that she'd snatched from one of her own fallen comrades during the fight, and the same one she'd personally destroyed after her "vengeance" had been extracted. Taking the old sniper rifle off her back, she knelt down in the sand, running her hand over its smooth, metallic surface, brow furrowing as she turned the weapon over and continued her slow, curious inspection.

"That's the old model, isn't it?"

Started, Shepard dropped the weapon and scrambled to her feet. The one who had spoken was standing a few meters away from her. He had short, spiked-up, sun-bleached blonde hair and dark blue eyes- the color of the ocean. He wore jeans and a short-sleeved black t-shirt with the N7 emblem stitched onto it. He was barefoot, and there was a noticeable scar just under his left eye, and a few others on his arms, stark white against lightly-tanned skin.

She recognized him in an instant.

"Ranger."

The shock in her voice was apparent. Keeping her eyes locked on those of her companion, Shepard slowly bent and picked up the sniper rifle, dark brown eyes unblinking and still wide with amazement.

Ranger, in all his forever twenty-five-year-old glory, simply snorted in amusement. "After all these years of being dead all I get from you is my name, Shep? Seriously, I expected at least a scream-" he began, teasingly.

He didn't get to finish.

The sniper rifle hit the ground for the second time as Shepard embraced him, dark brown eyes still shocked- but this time, they were filled with an emotion that had rarely been seen by anyone in the past few years.

"Ranger," she said again, breathlessly. "Ranger."

"That's better," Ranger grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "Much better."

Like she remembered, his arms were warm, and his heart beat strongly against her.

Looking up at him, into his ocean-blue eyes, a thought struck her.

"Ranger," she began, allowing her arms to drop to her sides, "Am I dead?"

The young man snorted at her. "No," he responded, "Not unless you make that choice, of course." He added, almost sympathetically. With that, he stepped away from her, his face suddenly growing serious as he turned away.

"You've got another choice to make, Commander."

"Ranger?"

The young man looked over his shoulder at her and gestured at her to follow. Shepard did so without hesitation.

As Ranger led her away from the beautiful, still beach and into the city, the sky above them, the piercing, electric blue, cloudless sky, sent Shepard's mind suddenly to Garrus- and beyond her friend (and lover), to the rest of her crew… her family.

And beyond them, to the Galaxy she had, unknowingly, left behind.

"After all that crap we did in New York to the A-Class," Ranger said, suddenly, jerking Shepard out of her thoughts, "I still can't believe you're with one now." He was grinning that damned, famous grin that haunted her dreams again. He was leaning against the wall of the many small, random shops that littered Elysium.

"We were kids," Shepard retorted, her voice sharper than she meant it to be.

Ranger snorted again and folded his arms. Above them, the sky seemed to grow brighter.

"Ah, Shep," he chuckled, "Still the same old Shep, after all."

She folded her arms as well and gave him her best glare. "If you say one thing about Garrus-"

"I'm not here about that, Shep." Ranger pushed himself off the wall of the shop, laughing again.

The scene around them began to blur and spin- and Shepard closed her eyes as she began to feel light-headed. When the spinning feeling suddenly stopped, and she opened her eyes again, they were in a grassy field, far from the bustling beach-town city- and Shepard knew instinctively that just over the hills around them, would be the white-sanded beach.

"What are you here for, Ranger?" She asked, her voice softer this time.

"I'm here to give you some friendly advice- and another choice," Ranger said, sitting down on the grass as Shepard stood beside him. He grinned up at her, and his ocean-blue eyes glistened a bit. Above them, Shepard realized, the sky had, once again, taken the same exact color as Garrus' electric blue eyes.

"That guy Garrus," Ranger says, suddenly, matter-of-factly, "he cares about you big time. You're with him on the Citadel right now, in the Hospital. You've been comatose for maybe seven months now.

"Seven months?" Shepard had had the feeling that something was up- she'd been on Elysium for far too long without seeing anyone familiar this time.

But she'd been gone already seven months?

"I guess the Crucible really did almost kill me. The Catalyst was right." Shepard said, mostly to herself. Ranger heard her, and nodded in silent agreement.

"It kind of did, Shep. You've been out for a while- it's the reason why I'm the first guy besides that Turian to come see you. He's the only one with a powerful enough connection to you. No one else, except me, is close enough… although," he added, thoughtfully, "That Drell almost got through, but he was distracted at the last second."

"You mean Thane?" Shepard asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that was his name. Friendly guy, but man, he freaked me out when he got here. Panicking over this and that, getting called back all the time, refusing to stop watching you or his son."

"Called back?"

"Ghost slang for going back to help a living person, Shep," Ranger responded, bluntly. "From what I hear, his son, Kolyat, got himself into a hell of a lot of trouble- and I don't know with whom, how or why, though," he added when Shepard began to say something. "And Thane hasn't even come back, so I assume he's still out there."

"How do you get called back? And why?"

Ranger shrugged again. "It just happens, Shep. But that Drell has a better connection to the living than me and the others- probably because he's from Kahje. That planet's famous for restless spirits like him. As for why… well, sometimes people need help that they can only get from ghosts like us."

"So… you're just a ghost? Not real?"

"Oh, I'm real, Shep," Ranger grinned in satisfaction, "As real as anything here."

N._.S._.S