Author's Note: Still here. I said I would finish and I will. Hope you're still there. Enjoy. - TLC

Chapter Ninety-Five

The shuttle was quiet as Cortez took them into London proper - what was left of London, anyway. Kaidan and Shepard were buckled in side by side. Across the shuttle sat Liara, Tali, and Garrus. The rest of the crew would meet up with them after the Normandy landed. London was in ruins and Kaidan's heart sunk as he thought of everything that – and everyone who – had already been lost. Once great buildings, the pride of a nation, architecture that had been written about, studied, and admired for centuries were reduced to rubble. Broken structures stretching out to a dark sky like the last reaching grasp of a dying being, begging for salvation.

Kaidan's stomach churned as the shuttle set down. Shepard waited, just a heartbeat or two, before unbuckling and heading towards the door. The rest of the group followed her lead. Kaidan was standing behind her, slightly to her right, the door opened to reveal the weathered, war-torn face of Admiral David Anderson.

Their training kicked in, and they saluted. Pride shone in Anderson's eyes as he looked them over. "You are a sight for sore eyes," he offered as he returned the salute.

"You, Admiral, could use a shower," Shepard answered with a smirk. "I brought the fleet I promised," she spoke as she stepped out of the shuttle. "You'd better have a plan on how to use it."

"That we do, Commander. This way," he nodded towards a crumbling building and the group followed him to his makeshift office. Calling it an office was generous. It was an open space that had once been the lobby of a hotel. Debris had been organized in the destroyed, abandoned space. Most of the roof and the face of the building had been torn off, but there was still a counter in the back clearly serving as Anderson's desk. As they approached, Kaidan could make out a holographic map of the city.

"What's left of the Resistance is holding a Forward Operating Base here," Anderson pointed to their position on the map. Flashing red lights littered the map between the FOB and the Reaper seated in the center of the city. "The Citadel is stationed in galactic space just over us. Once it arrived, the Reaper in the city center activated a transport beam that – from what we can tell – is connected to the Citadel. Reaper ground forces are using it to send bodies from here to the station. From the reports we received since yesterday, it's my understanding that you need to get to the station – to activate the Crucible. Using this beam is your best – your only – chance."

Kaidan swallowed hard. "Do you have any information on what is at the other end of that beam? Would we even survive the transport?" They were the galaxy's last hope. Everything was riding on their success. They needed some kind of assurance that they'd reach their destination in one piece.

Anderson met Kaidan's gaze, and he felt his stomach drop. "The Citadel's arms have closed. There is no other way to access the Station. If the beam doesn't get you there, it won't matter. It'll be over."

"What can we expect … these hostiles," Kaidan gestured to the blinking red on the map, "they're – what? Husks? Brutes?"

"Everything we've seen: husks, brutes, banshees," Anderson confirmed, and Kaidan's chest constricted. The more they learned, the more impossible the task at hand seemed.

"It doesn't matter. We've already passed the point of no return," Shepard spoke quietly; her eyes cold, hard, and calculating as she weighed their options. She was right; of course, she was right. It was something they all knew – but there was a finality now that they were here. With Earth burning beneath their feet, it was clear there was only one way forward – into the beam, with only a hope and a prayer that they'd survive and make it to the Citadel. Shepard moved and it broke the stone silence in the room. She turned her eyes to her omni-tool. "The QEC is open. Use it. Say your goodbyes. We move at Daybreak," Shepard ordered.

"You heard the Commander," Anderson affirmed and suddenly the room buzzed with activity. The final battle was mere hours away, and Kaidan felt the panic rising in his chest. His skin itched with an overwhelming desire to sweep her up in his arms and run away from all of it. He wanted her; he wanted to survive. He turned, his hands reaching up to the collar of his armor and he walked from the room. He glanced back just in time to find Shepard falling into Anderson's embrace. He nodded, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths he turned and walked into the London night. What he wanted simply didn't matter.

Explosions echoed through the dark sky lit orange by distant blazes. The glow of the beam lit the FOB. They'd been on the ground less than an hour and the dirt and grime of the front lines somehow found its way under his armor. It scratched against his skin. He didn't dare think it a nuisance, or complain. He was still alive. His mind was his own. He could feel the annoyance. He cherished it.

He found a relatively quiet corner. Quiet because it was empty. He sat on a broken wall and opened his omni-tool. With trembling fingers, he started a message to his Mom. Pressing record, he spoke, "Mom," that was all he could choke out as he struggled to breathe. Tears spilled from his eyes, leaving streaks in the dirt on his face as they raced down his cheeks and died in his scruff. He didn't bother to stop recording - to wipe them away. He wanted to feel as much as he could before it was over. "I want you to know, if there had been a way to—" he was going to say that if there had been a way to get this done and survive, he would have taken it, but he didn't want to lie. He didn't have to go with Shepard, he could have allowed someone else in his place, but he knew he couldn't live in this world if he had left her to die alone again. "I love you. I'll tell Dad you love him. See you later, Mom." He closed the program, and just in case, he set the message to send if his tool registered his heart stopped.

He closed the 'tool, and scrubbed his still gloved hands over his face as he looked around. They didn't have much time left; though, it was hard to tell if the sun was rising with the light from the beam. He turned his back to it, and looked over the city ruins. They sky at the horizon was turning orange, the darkness of night fading away and he knew time was running short. He wanted to see Shepard, for at least a few minutes before they had to make their run for it. He stood and made his way back to Anderson's office – where he was sure Shepard would still be. He glanced into an empty storefront as he passed it, and found James and Liara in a passionate embrace. He looked away, in an effort to allow them privacy, but he was glad they seemed to have repaired what had been broken between them.

He entered Anderson's office with a knock on the crumbling doorframe. "Major," Anderson greeted as Kaidan stepped closer, Shepard turned quickly, caught off guard, and it was then that he noticed Javik in the room with them. His gut churned. "Perfect timing. We were just discussing the final push."

Kaidan stepped up to the table, next to Shepard, and her hand found his, latching on and lacing their fingers. He held her hand tight, and listened to Anderson. "Shepard's team will breach the FOB here and push into no man's land – the space between us and the beam. The main objective is to get you and Shepard to the beam. You'll be covered by the rest of the ground forces going with you, as well as air support from above. We'll get you to the beam, the rest of it – well, that we can't plan," Anderson explained, and Kaidan nodded.

"Looks as solid as a plan can be at this point," he admitted, his eyes locked on the Prothean who blinked, but maintained his stare. "Do you still need us? Or can I have a few minutes with Sloan?" His use of her first name was not lost on anyone in the room, and Anderson nodded, dropping his eyes back to the map. He tugged her hand and she stood allowing him to lead her from the room. He steered her back to his quiet corner, and turned to look at her. He didn't say anything, just let his gaze linger on her face. She didn't even blink. After a silent moment, he reached up and his hand cupped the back of her head as he pulled her into his chest, her arms immediately wrapped around his waist as he held her close.

"I've never been to London before," Kaidan spoke quietly, and he heard a soft chuckle slip from Sloan. "Always wanted to see it." She pulled back and looked up at his face, he could see her in his periphery as he looked at the broken skyline.

"I came here … before, with David. He was born here, you know?"

"I did know that," he turned his gaze back to hers. "So, this is it, huh?"

"I wish there was another way," she whispered, her hand coming up to brush his cheek. He didn't answer, just pressed a kiss to her forehead. It was strange – the sense of calm that washed over him once it was just him and her. This was it. This was the end, and he was with her; he couldn't think of any place he'd rather be. "We should get going," she started and pulled out of his embrace. He gripped her arm and spun her back into him. His arms wrapped around her and he pressed his lips to hers. She responded immediately, her arms wrapping around his neck.

He only wished there wasn't two layers of armor between them. He wanted to feel her pressed against him. He wanted to feel the softness of her skin one more time, to press his head against her chest and hear her heartbeat. There was no time left. She broke their kiss, pulling away and meeting his eyes. "No matter what happens…" she paused, her voice breaking as she reached up and cupped his face, "know that I love you. Always."

"I love you, too," he answered, and she nodded and kissed him once more, a quick press of her lips on his and he released her.

He glanced over her shoulder and noticed more than a few soldiers with their eyes on the pair of them. He said nothing, and when they found him watching them, they made quick work of getting back to their tasks at had. He followed her back to Anderson's office.

Everyone had gathered there, and Kaidan stayed at the back of the room as Shepard moved to the front; even Anderson took a secondary position to Shepard, allowing her to speak to the team assembled before them.

Wrex. Grunt. Garrus. Tali. EDI. Joker. Liara. James. Javik.

"This war has already taken so much from us. It has brought pain, and loss, and fear. Yet, it managed to do more than destroy. It brought us together as comrades, as allies, as friends, as family. We won't all make it to see tomorrow," her eyes met Kaidan's briefly before darting away, and he swallowed hard, trying to force back the emotion burning in his throat. "But the sacrifices we make today will bring peace, comfort, and the promise of a future to those left behind. Today, we fight to honor those who went before us and to end the reaper's chokehold on the universe. We'll push forward, not as a single ship against a fleet, but as a united galactic force against a common threat. And we'll win, because we have things that the Reapers do not, can not understand – love, trust, hope. And this is the advantage we need. So, let's do this, and send these bastards back to dark space!"

One by one, they stood at attention and saluted. Shepard dropped her head for just a moment, and Kaidan watched her shoulders lift and drop with a deep breath. After a moment, she stood ramrod straight and returned the salute.

Outside the makeshift office, over the broken buildings, and the sounds of explosions, the sun rose over the horizon.

Time was up.