Author's Note: Well, here it is. The final chapter. I'm overwhelmed with emotion as I type this. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and that you're happy with the ending. I love you all, and have loved writing this story. What an amazing feeling to finish something I started a decade ago. You can find me on tumblr, tlcinbflo, if you're interested. I will respond to messages there. There is so much I want to say, but you all have waited long enough ... Enjoy. - TLC
One Hundred
Alenko Family Orchard; Vancouver, British Columbia; 2191, Five Years after Sloan Shepard's Death
Kaidan woke later than he expected. He stretched and checked the clock at his bedside. It was just after 9am. The smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying helped him cast off the last of sleep and sit up. His mom was up early today. She woke up early every year on this day. Sitting up, he swung his leg off the bed, and reached for the prosthetic that was leaning against his nightstand. He strapped it on, still using a fully mechanical version. He was no longer active in the Alliance, but he did still instruct biotic children. He didn't need the fancy tech currently available for his desk job.
After attaching the leg, and taking care of his body's basic needs, he came out of the bathroom freshly showered and dressed for this day. This was the first year since the war ended that he didn't wake nightly shaking and panting, near vomiting from the flashbacks, in the weeks leading up to today. In fact, he'd found himself looking forward to it. Earlier years were difficult for him, getting used to his new life, teaching, and helping his mom run the farm; somehow, this anniversary managed to creep up on him every year, but not this time.
He reached the kitchen and found Lisa Alenko, plump again, and humming to herself as she cooked. Yet, there was a light missing in her eyes. He knew, intimately, it would never return. They both missed Alex every single day. She looked at him over her shoulder as he approached. He kissed her cheek and stole a piece of bacon from the plate by the stove. She tapped his knuckles with the utensil in her hand. They shared a laugh, and a smile, and she watched him as he stepped out the back door of the kitchen to the porch that overlooked the orchard. He took a deep breath of his favorite fragrance as he started down the stairs.
Plum blossoms.
He felt a wave of emotion settle in his throat; he coughed to clear it before scrubbing his hands over his face. He sat on the step for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. His eyes burned. In just a few short hours, the backyard would be filled with those he was closest to. James and Liara with their little one – well, Liara and Javik's, but James was raising her with Liara as if she were his own. It was an absolute delight to see. She looked increasingly like Liara every day, except for her eyes, they were yellow like her father's, and her biotics, which glowed green instead of blue.
Garrus and Tali would be by as well, having traveled from the home they built on Rannoch. Garrus was still serving as an advisor for the Turian military, but he was no longer actively fighting. They had discussed an official wedding but had yet to set any plans. Jeff and EDI would be by later in the day. It had taken about a year, but combining Tali, Samantha, and Kaidan's expertise had helped them bring the AI back to life. Since then, Jeff and she had retired to Earth. Keeping to themselves as much as possible, for fear of the government finding out that EDI was in fact, an artificial intelligence. Developing and researching AI technology was heavily regulated and monitored, and they felt safest staying off the radar. Jeff still flew, though, following Kaidan's example and teaching.
The rustling of the wind through the purple flowers of the plum trees brough a smile to his lips as he inhaled deeply. He stood and made his way towards the Orchard proper. This has been his favorite place to be the last five years, especially early in the morning, as the sun burned off the dew, and the breeze picked up carrying the fragrance on the air. He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks at the image before him. The blossoms were hanging low and blowing gently. A few petals falling to the ground, but that was not what caught his attention.
She turned towards him and held out a hand. Her mahogany brown hair fell to mid-back in a soft curl, her cerulean eyes sparkled, so wide and excited. Her full lips were spread in a bright smile, and her hand rested on her swollen belly. "Good morning, sleepy head," Sloan spoke gently as Kaidan moved to her, wrapping his arms around her. Their foreheads pressing together.
"Good morning," he pressed a light kiss to her lips before pulling back enough to drop to a knee and wish a quiet good morning to her belly and the baby within. He looked up at her from his knees. "Can you believe it has been five years?" he asked, standing, and taking her back in his arms.
"Yes, and no," she answered, leaning into his embrace. He wrapped her tight, and closed his eyes thinking back on that night, a lifetime ago.
He had been ushered out of the room when the alarms sounded, the window blurred to keep him out, to keep him in the dark. He felt everything, and nothing. He had no idea what to think or do. So, he sat in his wheelchair, outside her room, and waited. Nausea churned in his gut. He wasn't sure how much time had gone by. Chakwas came rushing down the hallway, and he looked at her. She made quick eye contact before slipping into the hospital room. Kaidan deflated, dropping his head into his hands.
The next time the door opened, he heard Sloan screaming, violently. "No! No! No! Kaidan! Kaidan! No! No! Don't make me do this again! I can't do this again! Kaidan!" His heart broke at the desperation and fear in her voice. It was a high pitched, yet hoarse shriek, and he wanted to run to her. Instinct had him shifting in his chair to stand, but he stopped himself just in time. If he'd stood on one leg, he'd have fallen. Chakwas went to the wheelchair.
"We can't calm her; we can't even get near her to try. Her biotics keep flaring, but we need to examine her. She won't stop screaming for you. You must calm her down before she loses complete control of her biotics, and hurts herself," Chakwas explained as she began pushing his chair towards the room. His palms grew damp, and his heart pounded hard against his ribs in a punishing rhythm.
"Hurry, get me to her." It was the first order he'd placed since he demanded Liara and James find her. Chakwas steered him towards the bed, and Kaidan nearly choked at what he saw. She was on the bed, on her knees. Hair matted to the back of her head. Her eyes wide and feral, staring at the staff in the room. Her hands were stretched out in front of her, sheathed in blue as the energy raced over her form, lifting small instruments at her bedside. The aides were standing back five feet from the bed, afraid to get closer. She just kept screaming, crying, begging for him, for rest, to be let go, but it wasn't until she screamed his name again that he spoke up having been shaken from his shock.
"Sloan! I'm right here, Sloan!" He shouted, to be heard over her screams. "I'm right here." Chakwas moved him closer to the bed as her eyes found him, and she went limp, her hands falling to her sides, and her chin quivering as tears fell from her eyes. "Hey," he greeted her with a shaky voice. "I'm right here," she held a trembling hand out to him, and he reached for her. The aides looked between each other, before looking at Chakwas and Kaidan as he spoke. "It's okay. She's not going to hurt me. Move me closer," he assured them, and Chakwas moved him within reach. "Sloan, I'm here," he took her hands as and shifted closer.
Tears, snot, and spit soaked her face as she wept, "Kaidan, I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just … I can't. I'm so tired. I don't want to fight anymore. It's too much. I can't… No… please… please… just let me go, please, let me go this time…" She dropped her head and pulled her hands to cover her face. Kaidan looked to Chakwas, who moved to his side, and helped him shift from the chair to her bed. He paid the doctor no mind as he reached and took Sloan's face in his hands.
"Sloan, it's over. The Reapers are gone. We won. You did it. You and… and Anderson, and Javik, you did it. We won. It's done," he assured her. He vaguely heard Chakwas usher the other doctors out of the room to give them time. She opened her eyes and met his, her hands sliding down her face to cover her mouth. He could read the question there. "Yeah, you saved the universe again. And if you're done, I'm done. We'll figure it out."
"No more fighting?" she asked in a whisper, moving her hands to cover his on her face.
"No more fighting," he confirmed, leaning forward, and pressed a kiss to her lips. A sob broke through, and he wrapped his arms around her. He held her as she wept into his chest. A brief eternity passed, but eventually Chakwas had come back, and insisted they check her status. He never left the room. She never took her eyes off him. He couldn't have even if he'd wanted to. Too afraid that if he looked away, she'd disappear.
Hours later, after she was disconnected from most of the wires, and settled back into bed, his chair was parked next to it, and he lay with her. Holding her close, her head on his chest. His hands moving over her hair, and down her back. He asked her what happened on the Citadel. She closed her eyes as she spoke. Her voice was so quiet, Kaidan had to focus to hear. "When we got up there, we had to find the terminal. It was Javik, Anderson, and me. We fought through the station, eventually reaching the Council Chambers, remember? Where we fought Saren?" She paused then and moved to make eye contact. He nodded, and she settled back against his chest to keep talking. "Except the terminal had changed, that was part of the Keepers' jobs. Javik knew what to do but… the Illusive Man was there. David killed him. It wasn't until then I realized that David had been injured," she paused, and a tremor shook through her body. Kaidan tightened his hold on her. "I held him as he died," her voice broke on the last word, and she fell silent.
Tears fell steadily down her cheeks, and her body shook with the force of her grief. Kaidan wasn't sure what he could do, how to help. So, he did what he knew. He held her, and shushed her, reminding her that she was okay. After a time, the tears slowed, then stopped. She took a deep breath, and they adjusted their positions, sitting up, and facing each other. She wiped her hands over her face before continuing, "When he was gone, Javik had prepped the terminal for us to make the final move. To set off the bomb and destroy everything," she paused then, and he offered her water, but she shook her head.
It was as if taking another break would stop the flow. Like she would only tell this story once. To one person. To him, and that was it. She continued, "I went to him. To assist him in the detonation. He told me that the one thing that made this cycle different was me. That I had something worth fighting for. That I had something worth surviving for. Then, he apologized to me, and I couldn't figure out why. I saw his blade, and before I could react, he'd stabbed me. Straight through the chest. He stabbed me, then Threw me, and I lost consciousness. That's all I know. Kaidan… I'm… I'm so sorry," she reached for his hands then, taking them and holding them firm as she searched his face. She locked her eyes on his again, squeezing his hands so tight her knuckles were white. "I am so sorry. I just couldn't stand the idea of saving the universe if you weren't in it. I love you so much, but I was wrong. I was so wrong to do that to you. To break that promise, and to take the choice away from you, I shouldn't have done that. I'm … please forgive me."
He just shushed her and leaned forward to press a reassuring kiss to her lips. Their foreheads met for a brief second, before he spoke. "I was incredibly angry. I couldn't believe you would do that to me, again. After everything… that you would make me live through losing you again. I was … was so angry. But now? I don't care," She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at him, as if she didn't believe him. He continued, "I don't. You're alive. I'm alive, and we can have the life we talked about. If you still want it," he asked her. "The farm, the animals, all of it." She nodded, and he smiled at her, his heart filling with joy at the possibility.
Her hands fell to his thighs then, and she pulled her hand back reflexively when she realized how close she'd come to touching his injury. Her eyes had moved to his leg multiple times since she'd woken, but she hadn't mentioned it, and Kaidan wasn't sure how to tell her. She bit her lip, then spoke. "Kaidan… what happened?" She gestured to his leg. He knew this would be hard for her to hear. He knew she would take responsibility for this, but more importantly, he knew he had to be honest. It was something they would work through together. He took a deep breath and told her what he had been through from the moment Javik put him in Stasis until today. She cried without wiping her tears, and apologized, begging for forgiveness, and he assured her she had been forgiven.
They were silent for a while, settling back in bed, back in each other's arms. "So, retirement?" she asked after a time. He told her he was ready to retire if she was, and they both decided that retirement was the way to go. The question now was how? Major Alenko could retire from active duty with no issue – he'd lost a leg and would be an amazing teacher. That was not the issue. The issue was, how could Commander Shepard retire?
It was impossible. Her name, her identity, it was all too big to escape. That was the reality they had been running from since leaving Earth when the Reapers first attacked. Her name was a bigger weapon than her pistol. It would follow her everywhere she went.
Or would it?
It was then they'd hatched the plan. To tell the world that Commander Sloan Shepard had died. To let that be the truth because it was the truth: Commander Shepard was gone, and Sloan remained. Kaidan reached out to Hackett, and then to Liara and told them what they wanted. Their answer, for Sloan Shepard? Anything she wanted. She'd earned it. They discussed logistics. They would change her name. Liara could create a whole new identity for her and alter key aspects of Shepard's file – like DNA and fingerprints – that would allow a new Sloan to be born.
All she had to do was decide on a name. David, Kaylee, and Kaidan were the only people who called her Sloan – even when she had asked the crew to use her first name, they still called her Shepard. So, she would keep Sloan. Kaidan asked her, "Well, what do you want your last name to be?" She was silent for a long moment.
"A—" her voice caught as she tried to speak, and she coughed to clear it. At the sound, Kaidan's heart jumped. "Anderson," she answered as her voice cleared, and Kaidan felt a pang of disappointment, before agreeing that Sloan Anderson was the perfect name for her. Besides, if she ever became Sloan Alenko, he wanted to do that right.
So, as the sun broke through the following morning, they had issued the statement alerting the world that Commander Sloan Shepard had died. A few days later, well into the evening, Sloan Anderson left the hospital with Kaidan and his mom.
It was still hard to believe that had been five years ago, and here they were, standing in the Orchard, expecting their first child. Neither of them had been sure if they would be able to conceive after everything her body had been through. Kaidan remembered a note in her file, though, and Miranda always said that it was a decision no one should make for another person, and that she had done all she could to restore Sloan's fertility. Kaidan lowered his face to hers, kissing her gently, slowly, thoroughly. She smiled against his mouth before breaking the kiss and pulling away just enough to take his hand and hold it to her belly where their baby was kicking. Kaidan's heart soared at the miracle he held.
The science behind the woman standing in his arms still astounded him and would forever, he knew. The utterly amazing part was the way the stars had to line up to get them here. It went all the way back to Mindoir. If the slavers had not attacked, she never would have met Anderson and joined the Alliance. That started the journey that led to Akuze, to N7, to Eden Prime and the Beacon. To think, if it had been anyone else, the Reapers would have won. If she had never gone against Saren and been noticed by Cerberus, she would never have gone through Lazarus, and without that – even if every other part fell into place – without that, he'd be standing here at the Orchard alone.
He shuddered at the thought. "Are you okay?" She asked him then, her brow creasing with concern as her hand caressed his cheek, rough with stubble.
Kaidan smiled, lifting a hand to smooth away her worry lines. He whispered, "I am wonderful. I was just… You know what I think?" She hummed at him. "I think your mom was right."
The statement startled her. "About what?" she asked quietly, her arms tightening around his middle, getting her as close as her belly would allow.
"Everything does happen for a reason."
THE END.