No Vakarian without Shepard

Saving the Commander

The Catalyst told her the choices, told her what she had to do. She had no doubt in her mind what her choice was. She had to end the Reapers, even if it ended the lives of other Synthetics. It was the only sure way that she could save the universe. There was a lot riding on her shoulders, but Shepard knew what she had to do. Of course, she did feel bad for the lives that would be lost, but she knew that she had to save as many people as she could. Ending the Reapers was the only way to do that.

The Commander held her side, limping towards the red light slowly. She was in rough shape and did not expect to survive the mission. She didn't want to die, but, if she had to in order to save everyone she would. Especially him. She hated to leave him behind, she had promised him that she would fight like hell to get back to him. She had meant it too. But, she couldn't let the Reapers live. If they lived, they were both going to end up dead, and to her, that was worse. No. She was willing to die to save him.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she raised her pistol, aiming before pulling the trigger. She continued to stagger forward, pulling the trigger on her gun, firing multiple shots into it before the red flames began to erupt. She kept firing though, thinking of those she had lost along the way; Captain Anderson, Thane Krios, Mordin Solis. She had lost lots of friends along the way, she wasn't going to lose anymore. She continued to fire, each shot landing on her target. Her last thought before the explosion was about Garrus. "I love you. I'll be watching over you from that bar..." she thought to herself as the explosion flung her backward., knocking her out.

----

The crew of the Normandy had watched the Reapers drop from the sky around them, and they knew it was over. But there was still no word from Shepard. However, they had not made it to the relay in time before it got damaged by the explosions. Instead, the ship was thrown off course, crash landing in a forest in Norway. The ship had survived the land, although would need some minor repairs; something Garrus and Tali would be able to fix without a problem.

With the war now over, a sense of relief washed over them. They had lost a lot along the way, but now they would be able to rebuild and; hopefully; live normal lives. But, with still no word from Commander Shepard, everyone assumed the worst. She was gone, most likely dead. And this time, there was no Cerberus to bring her back.

Standing in front of the memorial wall on the Crew Deck of the Normandy, Garrus was clutching the plaque with her name on it. "Commander Shepard." However, he couldn't bring himself to add it to the wall. Staring down at it, he shook his head. "She's not dead," he whispered, more to himself. Turning to look at the rest of the crew; still clutching the plaque; he shook his head. "I can feel it... she isn't dead. We need to find her."

No one; including Garrus; knew if it was denial, or if he really did just know that she was alive. But, they knew they had to find out. They had to find her, dead or alive; although everyone preferred alive. Garrus needed the closure, they all did. Commander Shepard was an important person for all of them, all of them wanted to know if she was dead or alive. All needed to know.

----

The hours drug on, but Garrus refused to give up until he found her. He was determined to find his girlfriend, to see her again. Although growing tired, he was not going to go back to that ship without her. It was hard though, and his hope was beginning to run thin. They had been out there for hours, and there was still no sign of her. A heavy sigh escaped the Turian's lips. The thought of her really being gone was something that he could not handle.

It was Garrus that found her dog tags in the pile of debris. "I think I found her!" he yelled out as he began pulling chunks of the destroyed ship off of her. Moments later, the others rushed over to help him. "Shepard..." Garrus breathed out, his eyes scanning her bloodied body. He was terrified he had lost her until he saw her chest moving. She was breathing. Barely, but she was still alive. He finished getting the rubble off of her body before picking her up. "It's okay, Shepard..." he whispered, cradling her lifeless body. He knew that he had to get her back to Doctor Chakwas and fast.

Although Vega offered to help carry her, Garrus refused the help. He had to be the one to get her there. If she died on the way; something he was terrified about with the shape she was in; he needed her to be close. He was thankful though that he was able to get her back to the ship safely. Getting to the med bay, he lay her down on the table. "Please tell me that you can help her," the worry showing in his voice as he looked at the Doctor.

"It won't be easy, but I should be able to," Chakwas nodded her head and immediately got to work.

Garrus joined the others outside of the med bay, staring in through the windows. He had never been attracted to humans before, but there had been something about Shepard that had drawn him in. He had fallen in love with her, and everything about her. To see her like this was hard for the Turian. He was used to seeing his girlfriend being strong and beautiful. But at that moment, she was broken and barely breathing. He stared through the window, watching Chakwas work; wanting to be close in case she needed help with anything.

----

Garrus never left the window as he waited for the Doctor to finish up. Even though he was exhausted and knew that he needed rest, he couldn't bring himself to leave. No, he had to stay there just in case. He needed to be close to her at that moment. Watching Chakwas walk away from Shepard's body and towards the door, Garrus looked at her nervously. But, before he could say anything, the Doctor nodded her head. "She is going to be alright. She isn't awake yet, that may take a while, she is still in rough shape. But, she is going to live."

Relief washed over Garrus at her words. "Can I see her?" he asked. Chakwas nodded her head, letting him into the room. He walked over to her bed, reaching down and taking her hand in his. He held it softly, not wanting to hurt her, as he examined her. "Shepard, I am so glad you are alive. This is where you are supposed to be. Here with me. I love you," he whispered, even though he wasn't sure if she could hear him or not. His thumb lightly caressed her hand. After a minute, he let go of her hand and walked across the room. "Thank you for saving her, Doctor," he nodded his head, holding his hand out to her to shake it.