Endings

"You are beautiful, siha..."

Shepard grasped Thane's cold hand in hers as his last breath sighed out of his lungs. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed unashamedly into the white sheets. The shrill beeping of the medical devices around her seemed to mock her misery. She'd known that he was dying when they'd met. That had seemed irrelevant to her as they grew closer. His skill, intelligence, understanding had snuck in under her guard and stolen her heart. They had snatched hours, days, months of happiness with each other.

And now he was gone.

She remembered all the times they had shared, how he had come to her for the first time before the Omega 4 relay. She remembered the days and months as clearly as if she had possessed his memory. None of that made this moment any easier to bear. She sat there until his body grew cold, until she ran out of tears, and still she sat, clinging to his hand.

"Commander, I'm sorry. But it's time."

She raised bleary eyes to Miranda, to the hand placed on her shoulder. "Already, Miranda? I thought it would be longer."

"You've been here all night. The shuttle is prepared, and we're ready to go."

Drying her eyes, Shepard stood up and nodded. She touched his face one more time before covering him with the sheet. If they survived, she would make sure he was sent home. Sent to his people, she corrected herself. His home had been here, aboard the Normandy.

She made her way to the shuttle bay with Miranda beside her. The other woman made no comment or statement, offering her support silently. Shepard knew Miranda had experienced her own loss, and she appreciated the other woman's sensitivity.

They were all silent on the journey in the shuttle, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Shepard's own were a mix of anger, depression, determination, and pride. This is it, then. Our last strike against the Reapers. Today, they would either win completely, or lose to the cycle that had been perpetuated for millions of years.

She would make him proud of her.

She looked into each of their faces, memorizing them. She knew that some of them would not return.

Kaidan was there. She felt a brief pang for him. He'd left everything behind in his devotion to duty. Miranda, of course. She had such determination to use her abilities to the best that she was able.

Liara, Jacob, Wrex. Garrus, Tali. Samara. Grunt. All of them had the confident look of those who had faced death, and were ready to face it again. Kasumi's face was hidden, but the set of her shoulders spoke eloquently. Legion, as always, showed no concern.

Jack had been lost in a flare of biotic energy that had saved their lives and made this mission possible, giving her life to safeguard the information they carried. Mordin had poured out the last hours of his life on this final great discovery. Zaeed had pursued his old enemy into the grave. Ashley, lost so long ago.

Shepard broke the silence as they approached their goal. "You all know what's at stake here today. We've all been in this situation before. You are the best in the galaxy. We won't fail, we won't give up. We will stop the Reapers. For everyone."

They moved out.

Shepard panted, the hot air in the room scorching her lungs. They had fought through every imaginable danger. Their bodies were beyond exhaustion, and still they fought. She was so proud of all of them.

She and Legion were the only ones in the room. Beyond the doors behind her, she could hear Miranda barking out orders to keep the waves of husks, mechanicals, and hybrids out. She had brought her squad to the core of the Reaper hierarchy, and Legion was about to tell her what she needed to do to stop them.

"Shepard-Commander. We have found the answer. It is as anticipated."

"What is it, Legion?"

He told her. She closed her eyes in relief. She had not expected to return from this mission. The solution was absurdly simple.

"Are you ready, Shepard-Commander?"

"Yes, Legion. I am ready. Tell the others to get the hell out of here. I'll wait as long as I can." He left. She sealed the door behind him, slagging it until the metal melted.

Legion had shown her what to do. The sequence was not as complicated as she'd feared. The great structure before her began to glow, dark energy swirled in a gathering vortex. Her implants burned with a sympathetic heat. She briefly thought of all the work that made this possible, the steps she had taken to lead her to this place. Here, now.

She closed her eyes, spread her arms, and let the dark energy fill her.

She felt her consciousness expand as she pulled the energy into her body. She saw the entire history of the universe in a single gasp, all possible futures floated before her eyes as galaxies spun through her hands. She knew when her crew had managed to get to the shuttle. Just a little longer, she thought, trembling with anticipation.

It was simplicity itself to clear a corridor of space for the shuttle, barely an eyeblink was needed to send the Normandy back through the relay. She felt them leave her behind as they fled to safety.

She let go.

Her mind delved through the currents of darkness and found the heart of the Reaper's strength. All of the energy that they had gathered in their millions of years, every life and every consciousness that had been stolen, Shepard released in a single dark implosion. The blast dwarfed supernova in scope, encompassed eons. She tore the universe apart around the Reapers, and sealed it back together again.

Her mind and body evaporated as the energy drained out of her. She drifted on the ebb. There was nothing left around her, the silence was infinite. She reached out with the dregs of the life that had filled her and knew that her crew was safe. She felt Kaidan's grief, Miranda's pride. She reached further, straining. Anderson, waiting for news. Her mother, fearful for her child. And then she touched...something else...

Siha. I am here.

A/N: So I cried while I wrote this. I hope it's as touching to others. And I really really really hope BW does a happier ending. This takes place right before what could be the final mission in the future ME3.

All characters and games property of BioWare of course.