At long last (Mass Effect Fan Fiction)

The One left behind

The next morning Jane woke from the alarm, She grabbed the pillow, and threw it at the end table knocking the alarm against the wall causing it to shatter into pieces. "Damn it!" She was having an amazing dream about her, and Kavis when the stupid alarm ruined it. Jane sat up "Edi." "yes Shepard." Set up a briefing for 0800 please." "Sure thing Shepard." "Oh and Edi." "Yes Shepard?" "Can you order me a new alarm clock?" "Will do." "Thanks Edi." Jane stood up, put on a tee shirt, and sweat pants, she washed her face, brushed her hair and teeth, grabbed the file off her desk, and headed to the crew deck. It was 0700 when she walked into the Med-bay. "Good morning Doc." Jane walked over to the desk where Dr. Chakwas was sitting "How's our patient today?" "Good morning Commander." Dr. Chakwas grabbed a file from her desk "Looks like he's doing great, a lot better than I had expected."

"Oh crap!" Garrus opened his eyes as soon as he heard her voice "She's here." His heart was beating so fast he hoped the damn machines the Doc. had him hooked up to didn't start blaring out alarms. He wasn't sure what to say to her, how he should feel. A lot has happen since he saw her two and a half years ago. Garrus closed his eyes, as two years of memories filled his mind...

The Normandy was hit by something big, Garrus was thrown to the ground from the blast. "No way that's Geth!" He thought as he picked himself up. The sounds of alarms, and smoke filled the command center. Garrus ran to the cockpit. "Joker, we have to go!" He grabbed Jokers arm. "No way, I'm not leaving my baby!" Joker yelled pulling his arm away. "I need to find Shepard, I can't stand here arguing with you." "Just go Garrus." "Damn it!" Garrus yelled as he left Joker at the cockpit. He ran as fast as he could through the smoke and dead bodies "Shepard!" He found her at her locker putting on her helmet. "The distress beacon is ready for launch." She said as she turned to face him. "You think the alliance will get here in time?" Garrus asked unsure. "I'm not doing this so they can find our frozen corpses, get everyone to Evac!" She shouted. "Joker is still in the cockpit, he wont leave...I'm not leaving either Shepard." After all they have been through, he wont leave her now. "I need you to get the crew on the shuttles, I'll take care of Joker." "Shepard, I..." Garrus looked down, he felt a pain in the pit of his stomach "Garrus GO!, that's an order!" "Okay Shepard." He turned and left her.

"How could I have left her?" He flinched from the memory. He could still feel the pain he felt as he turned to look at her one last time before getting everyone, and himself onto an evac shuttle. Moments later he heard a huge explosion, Garrus looked out into space with shock, and disbelief as the Normandy exploded into pieces, and the women he respected, the women who was his best friends, the women he fell in love with vanished right before his eyes, now he will never have the chance to tell her how he felt about her.

The memorial service for Shepard was rough, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Her death hit everyone pretty hard, him, and Tali most of all. A year later, he was in a bar sending drunk messages to Tali from his omni tool. A few hours later Tali was sitting next to him "You need to stop this Garrus, she would want you to move on." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know Tali, I just don't know how." He laid his head down on the bar and sobbed. "I know it's hard." Tali lifted his head. "I loved her too, she was my best friend. I could talk to her about everything, and she told me things she never shared with anyone." Garrus gave her a sideways look. "Like what Tali?" "Like she had fallen in love with you." Garrus sat up straight. "She said that, she loved me?" Garrus reached forward and took Tali into his arms and held her tight. "Thank you Tali." "You're welcome Garrus, now let's get you home." Tali helped him to stand, and led him to a shuttle waiting outside. When they reached his apartment, he asked her to stay. He knew he didn't love her like he did Shepard, but having her with him made the pain more bearable. They have been an item ever since that night.

Six months ago he decided to put together a group of mercenaries, to clean up the streets of Omega. Things were going great, crime was down people felt safer, they even started calling him "Archangel." He knew Shepard would be proud of him. Then every thing went south, he was betrayed by one of his own, Sidonis! The bastard got his whole squad killed, and him pined down by all three merc gangs on a stupid balcony at the end of a bridge, making what he thought was his last stand.

He hadn't slept for days, he was pumped up on stimulants, he knew it wouldn't be long now. Garrus called his father just to talk one last time, then he sent a message to Tali saying goodbye. "Well" he sighed "This is it Shepard, see you soon." He looked through his scope, when one of the freelancers caught his eye, a human. "What the hell!" He said rubbing his eyes, and looking through the scope again. He watcher her as she placed a strand of her beautiful auburn hair behind her ear, and looked right up at him. "Spirits, it's her!" He started to kill freelancers, and Mercs to clear a path to him, hitting her a few times taking out her shield just to make sure she wouldn't disappear. Moments later he heard her sweet voice calling out his name. "Archangel?"

"So Doc, is it okay if I look in on him?" Jane smiled. "Sure Commander, but try not to wake him, he needs his rest." Dr. Chakwas gave her a stern look. "Don't worry Doc, I'll only stay a minute or two." She winked, and headed behind the privacy screen. Garrus shut his eyes, and laid still hoping she would think he was asleep, he wasn't ready to face her just yet.