***Author's Note***

I'm so sorry this took so long! I was on a break as I sorted through things I couldn't ignore.

Thank you to Gamer 072196 for their patience and support!

This is the last chapter of this story. I want to know if people would like Part 2 in this story or in its own new one? Let me know :)

Enjoy and review!

Chapter 27 - Goodbyes

Shepard clucked his tongue as he looked through the list of places his crew and squad wanted to be dropped off. There had been a subdued feeling throughout the ship after he had informed everyone of what Hackett had said. His squad even going as far to prepare a defense case for him, which he turned down saying that they were not coming to Earth with him. Garrus was particularly pissed. And now he sat alone as everyone packed whilst the ship drifted by the Perseus Veil, the natural boundary between geth pace and the Terminus systems, Legion's choice of a drop off point.

The geth was sitting quietly between Tali and Marie in the shuttle bay as the women said their goodbyes to him. Muted promises between from the two women declared their belief that they would see Legion again. The synthetic simply nodded his head and boarded the shuttle.

The shuttle departed and the Normandy began its departure for the mass relay under its stealth drive, shielded from possible onlookers radars, so as not to draw attention for themselves. Normally, Shepard wouldn't have bothered ordering the stealth systems online, but he simply wasn't in the mood for fighting pirates, or geth heretics, or explaining himself to the quarian fleet.

Joker pinged him with the information for the trip to the Omega Nebula. He was loath to return to the place after their narrow escape through the Omega four relay, but Mordin wished to return to his clinic before leaving for his home world. Jack had decided it was the lesser of two evils when compared to the Citadel. Zaeed wished to check through his source for new opportunities (Shepard was sure they weren't entirely legal) and Kasumi had simply said "Unfinished business." When Shepard had asked her about her choice. A few members of the ship's crew had also decided to depart at Omega as well. Shepard had no clue as to why, wouldn't it have been better on the Citadel?

It would take a while before they got to the Omega nebula, but he was willing to wait. he felt the shift of the ship as it travelled through the relay and sat back in his chair. This ship is going to get very empty, very quickly. He frowned and sighed. It wouldn't be long until the boredom sets in, and then he would have to talk to someone.

"Hey Shepard?"

"Ah!" He jumped and fell onto the floor in a heap.

"Sorry...your door was open." He could hear the laughter in her voice as she leant casually against the fish tank.

"Well..." He heaved himself of the ground and sat back into his chair. "You could've knock of coughed or something..." He pouted at her as she grinned.

"Where's the fun in that, though?"

"Hmm." he looked down back at his list. she wasn't on it. "Have you decided to come to Earth after all, Marie?"

She moved to sit on his desk, bring ing her feet up below her. "If that's where Thane goes, then yes."

"What do you mean 'if that's where Thane goes?' Earth is your home."

She smiled a sad smile then. "If you could pick between Earth and a starship, which would you choose?"

"Well, a starship. I was raised on them. You were raised on Earth." He said matter-of-factly before turning back to his list, Thane's name was under the Citadel.

"Yeah, but I think the Normandy is my home now. And it wouldn't be the same without everyone else."

"I guess. So, you're going to the Citadel, then?"

"Uh huh." Her fingers were tapping a tune out onto her leg. "You'll come visit us?"

"If they let me. I have a question." She nodded for him to continue. "Will you braid my hair?" his eyes were pleading with her as her face turned red with supressed laughter.

"Seriously? You want me to braid your hair?"

"Like the way you do your own! Not just a plait, I can do that myself." He dimmed his screen as he spoke and put on a meaningless film.

"You want to watch films and do each others hair? The great commander Shepard want a girly night in?" She laughed as she spoke as he flicked through the films he had to offer.

He winced at her terminology. "We'll make it more macho with a horror." He stated simply and pressed play on a turian horror film.

"Ha! Fine."

She stood behind him as the film began to play, her nimble finger scratching at his scalp as she separated the strands of his hair and began to braid.

"EDI? Where is Shepard?"

The commander hadn't been seen for hours. He hadn't come down for the evening meal, and he hadn't done his daily rounds with checking on everyone.

"The commander is in his quarters with engineer Travis."

Garrus shared a look with Thane as he pursed his lips over the brim of his mug. Kasumi and Jack chuckled at the two men and Mordin began chittering to himself. The turian and the drell stood quickly from the poker table that the squad had gathered around and made their ways quickly toward the elevator.

"I wonder what they are doing." Thane said as they stood beside one another in the elevator.

Garrus hummed. "I...I don't know." His talons found Shepard's dog tags around his neck. "They've never spent time alone together before, have they?"

Thane shook his head with a frown. "Not that I am aware of."

The elevator opened up and the both rushed to the door. The panel was green and the two swiped it to let themselves in.

Laughter filled their ears and the smell of alcohol filled their noses. They rounded the corner and stopped dead.

"This is the worst fucking film I've ever seen!" Marie squealed as she flipped Shepard's braided hair at his face. They were both sat on his desk with a gory scene playing out on the screen in front of them. "Turians are rubbish at horror."

Shepard chuckled and looked over at the two new comers. "I don't think drell are that good at it either."

Marie laughed and turned to face the men, a bottle of beer in her hand. the two of them just stared at the two humans with their matching hair and reddened faces from laughing and alcohol. They looked at each other with a shrug and moved to sit with their respective partners, sitting through the rest of the 'bad' turian film. Garrus seemed to like it.

"Commander, we are now approaching Omega."

Shepard groaned and stood, looking down at his three companions. "You guys are staying until the Citadel?" They all nodded. "That's my last stop then." He said simply as he moved to his door.

Omega was as disgusting as usual and as the squad and members of the crew wound their way through the dim alleys to their agreed area of splitting up, they had to avoid spitting vorcha and distressed batarians. Both groups wanting to get at them for one reason or another. Luckily, the heavily armoured krogan and turian, battle scarred humans, and Shepard himself, were enough reason to give them pause. Regardless, they were ready to fight if they needed too.

Shepard said his goodbyes to the crew members who had family nearby or simply wished to get a fresh start on the god forsaken station. Quiet tears were shed as they left with their heads bowed low, promises were made to see each other again and to stay away from Cerberus personnel. The crew were no longer Cerberus. They were Shepard's crew. Crew that would be arrested were they suspected of working with him at this time. The commander found himself getting rather choked up as they patted him on the arm or gave him quick hugs, each one leaving his life quickly. He knew he would probably never see them again.

"Commander, I want to thank you-"

He was a member of the skeleton crew that kept an eye on the ship during the night cycle. Michael, Shepard believed his name was.

"Michael?" It came out a question and Shepard bit his lip, hoping the crew member didn't realised. "Don't worry about it, we worked as a team. All of us. I should be thanking you."

"No I-"

"You have family, right? A wife? Just go home and be there for her."

"I'll tell her what you did for me. For us...thank you." Michael nodded and walked away from the group with loud hollers of goodbyes.

After the crew had gone their separate ways, Shepard turned to his ground team.

Mordin, Zaeed, Jack, Kasumi and Tali all stepped forward. Tali's light on her helmet flickered as her breath came in pants from the effort of keeping from crying.

"Guys, I don't think I would've been able to do this without you all."

Zaeed snorted. "Fuck, Shepard, don't get all teary on us, eh?" He patted his shoulder and began to walk away. "I'm sure we'll see each other again, kid." He chuckled and gave a half-arsed salute to the Commander and the squad and left. Walking down a dim alley and out of sight.

"Well, I-" his breath was knocked out of him as Tali barreled herself into him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. "Tali..."

"Don't you dare leave it so long this time! You boshtet!" She choked back a sob and turned to Garrus and wrapped her arms around him. "Or you. Promise me you'll message me."

"Of course I will, Tali." He rumbled and the three shared a quiet moment with each other.

"I...I have to go and catch my ride." She couldn't move as Marie hugged her from behind so she turned to Thane. "You better look after this old lady, Krios."

Thane nodded and quirked his lips as Marie gasped. "Old!? Respect your elders, young miss!" The group laughed and said their goodbyes as Tali walked away, shotgun not too far away from her hand. She looked back at them oer her shoulder before turning down a street.

"Jack, behave yourself." Shepard said seriously to the convict.

"Like you'd be able to stop me." She had a sad smile on her face as she looked at each member of the squad. "I guess I'll miss you fuckers..."

"Just as sure as we'll miss you."

Mordin clapped Shepard on his shoulder. "Yes. Well. I must be going. Lots of work, new samples."

"I'm sure someone else can do it for you, Mordin. You could go back home."

"Has to be me, someone else might get it wrong."

Kasumi chuckled as her cloak flickered into life. "I'll be seeing you around, Shep." And she was gone.

The walk back to the ship felt like a long empty one as the remaining members of the squad lamented on their absent friends.

"Yeah...I'll be seeing you."

The ship seemed far too empty and as it drifted through the krogan system toward Tuchanka, Marie found the engine room painfully quiet. Too quiet to work properly.

Tali and Jack had been gone for little under a day and already she missed them both terribly. She missed everyone that had left but those two especially. The way Tali would mutter to herself as she double checked every code and algorithm set up around the engine's software. Or how she would chuckle as they spoke whilst Marie huddled in the crawl spaces with her own work. Jack would join them often for something to do and the three would fall into an easy chatter about nothing in particular. Jack's coarse language would fill the room and even cause the other engineers to chuckle at her profanities. Marie hoped she would get to see them both soon.

"Hey, Marie. Do you want to have a game of Skyllian Five with us?" Ken's thick Scottish accent punctured the silence and she jumped in surprise.

Ken and Gabby looked at her with hopeful eyes. They were obviously distracted by the emptiness of the ship too.

"I dunno, I think I might go and get something to eat." She placed her tools down and rubbed the grease from her hands onto her overalls as she stood. "I'm not really in the mood for playing today."

The nodded and shrugged. "Okay, maybe next time."

Sighing through her nose she made her way to the elevator but as it opened she was faced with what was left of the ground squad, all huddled into the tight space. Shepard smirked from over Samara's shoulder as she was pulled in by Jacob.

"Oof!" She was held tightly to his chest as the door shut behind her. "What are we doing?"

The muffled voice of the Commander could just be heard. "We're going down to the shuttle bay. We're nearly at Tuchanka and we're saying 'bye' to Grunt."

A nod of confirmation and a hollow laugh from the krogan later and the elevator opened up into the shuttle bay and the squad fell out of it. As soon as he was free, Thane stepped over to Marie and pulled her gently away from Jacob and into his own arms. He looked down at her overalls and smirked at the grease streaked over them.

"No need to ask where you have been all day."

They laced their fingers together and followed the rest over to a shuttle that was warming up.

"Aww, Garrus. Our baby is finally flying the nest!" Shepard gushed as Grunt stood before them all. Garrus chuckled and put his arm about the Commander's shoulder.

"Shepard! I'm a grown adult! A proud member of the Urdnot clan!" If krogan could pout, Marie would have bet her life that Grunt had a prize-winning one on his face right now.

Shepard waved him off with a flick of his hand. "Yeah yeah. Tell Uncle Wrex we said 'hello', okay?"

Samara stepped forward and place a hand on Grunt's arm. "You are a rather amazing individual young Grunt. May you find peace in the embrace of the goddess and may we meet again." She smiled at him and stepped back so someone else could say their piece.

Jacob simply nodded at the krogan and pulled a Claymore shotgun from his back, it was magnificently modded. "Here, in case you run into trouble that you can't headbutt to death." Grunt took the gift and grinned at the gun.

Thane smirked at him. "We should spar again soon, Grunt."

"Sure, Krios."

Garrus clapped him on the shoulder and Marie gave him a quick hug goodbye. Grunt then turned to Shepard.

"Battlemaster..."

"Grunt..." There was a heavy silence as Shepard hung his head. "Leave before I cry."

Grunt laughed and boarded his shuttle, his voice crackled over the comm as the door shut behind him. "I'll tell Uncle Wrex you said 'hi'."

The ships shuttle ramp opened up and the shuttle flew through the opening and of toward Tuchanka.

The ship got a little emptier.

The Citadel drew in closer and he watched it approach with a heavy heart. It's black silhouette reflected his mood perfectly and he sighed through his nose as he sipped at his cup of coffee. People who wished to be dropped off at the Citadel were busy packing their things. That meant Garrus was packing his things.

"Why the long face, Commander?" Joker asked quietly as he pinged the port authorities for permission to dock. He knew perfectly well why Shepard was in a black mood but he figured talking about it would make him feel better.

"This is the last stop." He stated simply as a green light appeared on Joker's controls, telling them that they could dock.

"Jeez, Commander, we're not a bus." He glanced at Shepard from the corner of his eye and saw the deep frown on his face. "Hey...we'll see them again. When all this mess is sorted out with the Alliance, we'll come and see them all."

"Yeah. After I've served my time behind bars, you mean." Another sip of coffee. "How long will that be?"

Joker shrugged. "Who knows. What I do know is that Anderson and Hackett wont let them keep you for long." The ship shuddered as the magnetic arms of their dock came down and held it in place. "Say 'bye' to everyone for me. I'm going to stay here...I don't like goodbyes."

Shepard nodded and made his way onto the dock to wait for his crew and squad. I don't want to do this.

People began to file out. Some members of the crew dashed of to their homes and families without a second glance back over their shoulders at the ship and it's Commander. Others, however, filed past him with respect, saluting him and whispering goodbye to him as they passed in a somber fashion. Gardner had a tear tracking down his cheek as he smiled and nodded at Shepard.

And then his squad filed out and Shepard had to force himself not to whine in protest. He didn't want them to leave, he wished they could stay with him until Earth, but it wasn't what was best for them.

He wrapped Marie into his arms and she hugged him back fiercely. "Be careful, Marie. People are curious about you so watch your back."

She nodded, not trusting her voice. Thane spoke for her. "Do not worry, Shepard. I'll watch her back for her."

He chuckled loudly at Thane. "I bet you will. Be safe, Krios." They shook hands.

"Goodbye, Shepard. May the gods watch over you."

Thane took Marie by her shoulder and began to walk a small distance away before stopping and waiting.

"Commander Shepard."

"Samara."

"Your cause was just and worthy of my time. I thank you for the opportunity and all you have done for me." She smiled at him then. "We will meet again, I'm sure." She walked away, nodded and the remaining crew members and then Thane and Marie as she passed them. Shepard watched her move through the crowd beyond their dock before she was swallowed by the throng.

"Commander." Jacob saluted him seriously before stepping toward him and gripping his arm.

"Jacob, what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm going to look into my connections, pull a few favours. See what it turns up. Until then, I don't know."

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Commander. For everything."

"Call me Shepard."

"Shepard." He saluted once more and followed Samara into the Citadel.

Shepard looked up at Garrus. The turian stepped closer and bowed his head over Shepard's. His mandibles were pulled in tight against his cheeks as he looked down at him with those ice-blue eyes. A low rumbling was coming from him and Shepard wished he had taken the time to spend more with Garrus during the past few days. Every moment to be precise. They stood like that for a few precious moments, memorising each and every detail of the others face. Scars, colours, shapes, all committed to memory as solidly as they could. Shepard shivered as he felt Garrus' hand run down his arms and stop just above the elbow and pull him into the turian's chest.

"Garrus, I-"

"I know." He ran his hand through his hair and breathed in his scent before pulling away and pressing his forehead to Shepard's. "I know, Elliot."

Shepard took a deep breath and shut his eyes, reveling in the closeness of the other. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go to Palaven...see my family. Rouse the Hierarchy to the Reaper threat." Shepard opened his eyes and looked into his. "If they'll listen."

"I don't know how long it'll be until-"

"It doesn't matter." He wasn't sure if they were still talking about Reaper's or each other now.

"It could be months...even years."

"I'll wait for you." He pressed his mouth against Shepard's and considered changing his mind and going to Earth with him. He knew Shepard wouldn't allow it. "I don't care how long it takes."

He stepped away and Shepard already missed the warmth of him. The turian nodded and turned to walk over to the waiting couple stood beside the barrier.

"Garrus." He turned and looked back at Shepard who had moved a few steps toward the Normandy. "I love you."

"Love you too, Elliot."

And then the door shut and separated them both.

Garrus whined as Marie and Thane stood on either side of him. The Normandy began to power up as the magnetic arms detached themselves. The thrusters came to life and the three of them watched as Joker maneuvered the ship out of dock and into the leaving traffic of the Citadel. The further the ship got, the worse Garrus felt.

Eventually, the Normandy could no longer be seen and Garrus nearly yelped in surprise as Marie patted his arm.

"Come one, Garrus. Let's go." Her voice was thick and he was sure that if he answered he wouldn't have been able to form words around his pain.

The Normandy was gone, and Shepard with it.

Shepard huffed as he placed the last thing into his bag and looked around himself. For two days the ship had been empty, barring a few members of the crew that had decided to stay on board until Earth. Gabby, Ken and Kelly were among the few. For two days they had worked to remove the Cerberus insignia's inside the ship. And for two days, he had missed everyone too much.

"Commander, the Alliance are hailing us now." Joker's nervous voice sounded over the comm. "They want us to dock. Immediately. No drop offs or diversions."

Damn. "Obey them, Joker. It'll only be worse if we don't."

"Aye aye, Commander."

He made his way to the CIC and to the handful of crew left over. They all looked pale and nervous and, as the ship rocked with its docking, a few gasped or muttered to themselves. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face Chakwas. Her motherly grey eyes smiled down at him even as she drew her lips into a tight line of nervousness.

The door opened and a few members of the Alliance boarded his ship. At their head was Admiral Hackett and a well-built soldier with a faux hawk and well tanned skin.

Hackett spoke first, his tone was serious and yet slightly annoyed. Shepard couldn't decide on whether it was annoyance at him or the situation as a whole, and he couldn't find the enthusiasm to care. "Commander Shepard." Brief nods were exchanged. "It has become my responsibility to place you under arrest and head your trial. You are aware of the reasons why?"

"I am."

"Then please," He held out his arm in gesture for him to follow. "Come quietly."

Shepard snorted, his nervousness giving out to anger. He'd go quietly but he wouldn't be happy about it. He missed the smirk from the young soldier beside Hackett as the Alliance soldiers surrounded him and escorted him off the ship, others were spreading out to gather the remains of the crew and Joker.

As he left the shade of the ship and sun shine in his face, he turned to look at his Normandy. Already, engineers and aesthetics crews were roaming over its hull, getting underway with its repairs and decided on, what Shepard was certain off, its new Alliance paint job. He decided that the ship being repainted and being made Alliance again was the only good thing to come of this situation.

He sighed heavily as he looked out at the view of Vancouver. It was beautiful, sure, but Shepard was raised on ships, and on a ship is where he belonged.

So, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter :)

Let me know where you would prefer the next part to be posted!

Review and stuff!

And I hope you enjoy part 2 3

-Sophus