Location: Omega Nebula / Sahrabarik / Normandy SR-2

Shepard silently watched with a stony countenance as the Galaxy Map, which highlighted all available destinations, lost contact with the Bahak System's relay –The Alpha Relay–.

Next to him, Miranda looked on, but clearly not understanding why he was so distressed about it. "The relay system lost contact with the Alpha Relay. It's destroyed, then?"

"Yeah."

"That means that entire nebula is cut off from the rest of galaxy. That colony will be isolated."

"It doesn't exist anymore. Most of that system doesn't exist anymore," Shepard said in a hollow voice.

Miranda looked at his profile sharply. "What?"

"According to Kenson, since mass relays are powerful mass effect engines, destroying one would be tantamount to a supernova. Aratoht colony and the 304,942 colonists living there are gone," he said. He surprised himself with how emotionless his voice sounded.

"You need to report to Dr. Chakwas," Miranda said. It wasn't a suggestion.

"I'm fine," he stubbornly asserted. His gaze remained fixed on the empty spot on the Galaxy Map where the Viper Nebula was, completely unreachable.

And where the Reapers have probably entered by now.

"Are you going to force me to relieve you of duty, Captain?" Miranda asked evenly.

Now Shepard turned to his left to observe her. She was standing tall, arms crossed and clearly not going to budge on the issue. And he knew she was right.

"You have the conn," he muttered. This time, bitterness entered his tone, which matched the taste in his mouth.

"Thank you," Miranda replied, but in a softer tone. "I'll see you soon."

Shepard just nodded and trudged to the elevator.

~o~O~o~

The moment the elevator doors closed, Miranda ordered Garrus to take the conn for a moment. He seemed to understand and nodded. She swiftly marched through the Armory and into the Comm Room.

"EDI, connect me to Admiral Hackett," she ordered. "And encrypt the call."

"Connecting… connection established. Encrypting. Stand by," EDI said.

"Hackett here. Shepard, what do you—who are you?" Hackett demanded.

"Admiral Hackett, my name is Miranda Lawson, Executive Officer aboard the Normandy SR-2, under Captain Shepard's command."

Hackett's gaze hardened just a touch, which told her that he knew about her previous affiliation. "What can I do for you, Commander?"

Miranda let the rank/title slide. It wasn't worth the effort to correct anyway. "I wished to inform you that Shepard's mission took on a few… complications. I felt it best to inform you before you heard the news second hand, Admiral. I'm afraid it isn't good."

"Where's Shepard?" he demanded.

"Recuperating," she answered simply.

Her brief answer mollified him for now. "Very well, you have my complete attention."

~o~O~o~

"Well, whatever happened to you, it wasn't permanent. You're the picture of physical health, Shepard. Even with the amount of sedatives they used on you," Chakwas announced. "And no, without any cause, there's no reason to use the SMART Scan."

"Thanks," Shepard replied automatically.

Currently, he was in his uniform, sitting atop one of the beds in the Med Bay. He had been confined to his bed for nearly a day so far since his return. The time was spent typing his report to Hackett while Chakwas ran her tests on him. With what he did, he couldn't delay informing him about what transpired on his mission.

"Not even a grimace," Chakwas observed with a worried look. "What happened down there wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I pushed the button and I knowingly destroyed a system," Shepard said. His expression darkened a bit before he took a breath to calm down. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Doc, but let's not today."

Before Chakwas could prod further, the door opened. Admiral Hackett and Miranda entered.

Chakwas automatically stood at attention and saluted just as any Alliance officer would. Shepard hopped off his bed, but had to resist doing the same.

Hackett saluted back. "At ease, doctor."

Chakwas dropped her hand and nodded.

"Admiral Hackett. I didn't expect to see you here," Shepard confessed. His eyes found their way to Miranda's. She nodded once to show who invited him.

"Your XO informed me of some of the particulars of your mission," Hackett said. "Would you ladies mind? I'd like to speak to Shepard in private."

"Of course, Admiral," Miranda obliged.

"Yes, of course, sir," Chakwas said at the same time.

Both women left, leaving Shepard alone with Hackett.

"From what Miss Lawson told me, you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?" Hackett asked.

"Fine. Just fine," Shepard answered. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, though."

"Your XO was persuasive," Hackett simply replied. He looked out the window to see Miranda standing nearby. She was watching them talk, clearly interested on the nature of their meeting, but willing to give them their privacy.

"But a Cerberus vessel?"

Hackett turned his eyes back to him. "I don't like Cerberus or the way they do things. But they brought you back to life and they're actually doing something about the state of the galaxy… or I should say, they had you do something about the state of the galaxy," he said before taking a look around. "Besides… I'm not so sure this is a Cerberus ship anymore. Right?"

"No, sir, definitely not," Shepard answered plainly.

"Now, you went out to the Bahak System as a favor to me. I decided to debrief you in person," Hackett said. "Lawson told me about the Alpha Relay and how it exploded, destroying an entire batarian system."

Shepard frowned, but didn't dispute the raw facts.

"What the hell happened down there, Shepard?"

"Have you received any intel on what happened?" Shepard probed. He had meant to answer truthfully, but his ingrained training kicked in to misdirect interrogation. He rubbed his face and tried to shrug off the weight that settled on his shoulders.

"Some. Mostly on the aftermath. What I've heard wasn't good. What facts I do know personally is that I sent you to break Amanda out of prison, and now an entire system is destroyed," Hackett answered. His voice was painfully neutral. "Your XO only told me to get the full story from you, so I hope you can fill in the leap of logic between those two events."

He picked up his report off the bed behind him and handed it over. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, sir, but Dr. Kenson is KIA. She was indoctrinated by the Reaper artifact, along with the rest of her team."

Hackett nodded. He looked up from the report with his face remaining impassive. "Yes… I suspected as much. That's… that's a damn shame."

Shepard furrowed his brow. "Sir?"

"Did you confirm her discovery? The Reaper invasion?" Hackett prompted.

"I talked to one of the Reapers myself. It contacted me over standard radio channels. There was no doubt about it. We only had minutes to spare. Destroying that relay was the only way to stop them," Shepard answered. "Kenson had me sedated for almost two days. I barely managed to start the engines with little more than an hour left. There was nothing else I could do."

Hackett looked down at the datapad before looking back up at him. "I'm sure all the details are in your report."

"Is there something I'm not aware of, Admiral?" Shepard asked carefully.

"I won't lie to you, Shepard. The batarians will want blood and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the batarians. Not with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge," Hackett said. He stood straight with his hands clasped behind him.

"What are you saying?"

Hackett frowned. "The batarians have captured the survivors of Kenson's team."

Shepard recalled the few shuttles he saw taking off just prior to his own escape. No doubt there were more while he was rendered unconscious by Kenson's last ditch effort to end him.

"They were caught using short-ranged shuttles. Their mass relay jump only took them deeper into batarian space, where they were apprehended immediately. Most of what they were saying was nonsense, but what they were saying was similar among all of them: 'The Reapers demand Shepard to witness their Arrival'. It wasn't long before the batarians started crying out for your blood, Captain," Hackett gravely stated. "This pains me to say it, but while your incursion was covert, our own men and women betrayed your presence in this op."

"Indoctrination," Shepard said before cursing under his breath. Now it made sense why Hackett wasn't surprised to hear about Kenson's death.

"I'm afraid so. The Alliance is making overtures to have those people returned to us, but Anderson and I are discouraging the idea," Hackett informed. "Especially when some bureaucrat suggested that we turn you over in exchange."

Shepard only scowled. "So what will happen?"

"As you said, they're indoctrinated. We can't afford take them and we certainly can't have that kind of risk within our own borders. Especially if you what you say is true about the Reapers, which is supported by what's left of Kenson's team," Hackett said. "As far as I'm concerned, they're already dead. I'm not about to let you join them; not when we'll need you most."

"You haven't answered my question," Shepard pointed out.

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but… there were more than three hundred thousand batarians in that system. All dead," Hackett said.

"Three hundred and four thousand, nine hundred and forty-two," Shepard corrected. The knowledge and guilt of what he had done spread through his mind like a malignant cancer. He still stood by his convictions though, no matter what the cost was. "They died to save trillions of lives. If I could've saved them, I would've done everything in my power to do it."

"You're preaching to the choir, Shepard," Hackett replied. "I'm sorry those batarians lost their lives, but someone has to make the difficult decisions that get people killed."

"You're saying someone will have to take responsibility for that choice, too, no matter how hard it is," Shepard translated.

"If it were up to me, I would've given you a medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way," Hackett said.

"What'll happen to me?"

"The evidence against you is shoddy at best. The batarians don't know you were at the prison, and the people they're interrogating are babbling about the Reapers. Hardly compelling witnesses," Hackett replied. "Still, humanity will need to do something if we're going to avoid war with the batarians. You'll have to go to Earth and face the music eventually. I can't stop it… but I can and will make them fight for it."

"Thank you, Admiral," Shepard gratefully said. The politics sickened him, but that was the state of affairs that people understood, and were even comfortable with. Some even fooled themselves into believing that they had some control over the events around them. Reapers spelled the end of life as everyone knew it, so it was hardly something the average person would care to imagine. "Is the Alliance ready for a Reaper invasion?"

"That's hard to say. It took multiple fleets –and the Destiny Ascension– to bring Sovereign down. And that was just one Reaper. Without knowing their exact numbers… fact is, if they come down in force… we're just not ready," Hackett bluntly admitted.

"How much is the Alliance concerned about the batarians response to this incident?"

"Very. The batarians have been looking for an excuse to wage war on us since we showed up in the galaxy. When the Reapers invade, we need the galaxy to work together. If we're at war with the batarians, the other races will be hesitant to give aid to either side… not to mention the cost of what that war will do to us before the Reapers arrival."

Shepard resisted the urge to growl. However, the frown that crossed his lips couldn't be contained.

"It's not a matter of preference, Shepard. You'll be a convenient scapegoat for avoiding open war," Hackett said, acutely reading Shepard's facial expressions.

"I'll do whatever I have to, Admiral. If I have to turn myself in, then I'll do it," Shepard finally said in resignation.

"Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honor," Hackett said approvingly. "That'll help you in the long run."

"When do I do this?"

"Soon. Settle your affairs, and quickly. When Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit," Hackett answered. He held out the datapad with Shepard's report on it. "In the meantime… you keep this. I don't need to see your report to know you did the right thing."

"Yes, sir."

"You did a hell of a thing, Captain. I'm sorry it's come to this," Hackett said. "I'll see you soon."

With those parting words, Hackett turned to leave.

"Admiral."

He turned around. "Shepard?"

"I just wanted you to know… your friend? Kenson? She died a hero. She may have been indoctrinated at the end, but without her initial work… we'd be in the middle of a Reaper invasion right now and you and I wouldn't even be talking," Shepard said. He was angry at the position Kenson had put him in, but it was more at the situation than at the woman herself. It certainly wasn't really her fault, not when he could blame the Reapers. "She had everything set up, before the Reapers stopped her. I just finished what she started. I couldn't have done it without her."

Hackett nodded. "Thank you, Shepard," he simply said before leaving.

~o~O~o~

"So what's going to happen now?" Garrus asked.

Shepard heaved a tired sigh and rubbed his face. He felt exhausted and what awaited him made him feel like he was running haggard. He looked around his team, all seated in the Briefing Room. "I turn myself in."

The crew all shouted and protested against his choice. He let loose a shrill whistle to quiet them down.

"Regardless of my reasons, I made the choice to kill 300,000 civilians. That's not something we can just cover up," he said.

"You're a Spectre, right?" Jack asked. "Alliance can't touch you."

"I turned in my resignation to the Council," he replied.

"What?!" Tali asked, completely aghast that he would do something like that.

Garrus seemed to understand, though. "If you didn't, then it would look like the Council authorized that attack."

"And they wouldn't," Shepard said. "If I didn't resign and turn myself over to the Alliance, then I'll be branded a rogue Spectre anyway. Just like Saren when he attacked Eden Prime. The Council will assign some other Spectre to hunt me down and take me in… or just take me out."

Tali bowed her head. "But you're not like him…"

"We all know that," Miranda concurred. "But others won't."

"The batarians also want blood. If I don't do this, we're looking at war. Just as the Reapers are entering our galaxy. If that happens, we're done. The Reapers will kill us all before we even have a chance to fight back," Shepard added. "Having someone to blame and persecute would alleviate tensions for the time being."

Jack scowled. "So you're throwing yourself to the wolves?"

"How sure are you that the Alliance won't just turn you over to the batarians?" Jacob asked. "Wouldn't put it past them to screw you over to avoid war, too."

"I got Hackett and Anderson backing me up. They have just enough influence to avoid that. Plus, the batarians are a rogue state. No extradition between us," Shepard answered.

"Any lawyer can argue that and make it a political mess. It's very unlikely Shepard will be going anywhere once in Alliance custody," Miranda agreed. Still, a frown still crossed her lips. "But even Admiral Hackett and Admiral Anderson have their limits, and most of their influence is in the military. This is going to boil down to politics. What will happen to you in Alliance custody is what concerns me."

Shepard shrugged. "Whatever happens will happen. Right now, it's out of our control. We're going to Omega, outside of Alliance jurisdiction. Everyone, and I mean everyone, will disembark there. Admiral Anderson will seize control of the Normandy and place me under arrest at that point."

Everyone shared a glance at each other, uncertain what to say.

"You all know what's coming and what's at stake. Do whatever you have to do to prepare or make peace with that," he continued before the silence lingered. "For whatever it's worth, it was an honor serving with all of you."

Jacob spoke up first. He stood straight and saluted. "The honor was mine, Shepard."

Shepard stood out of his seat as well and saluted back.

"Shit… I was just getting to like this ship, too," Jack muttered. "I guess I better find some other place to get into trouble, then."

"So long as you don't get arrested. Your record is clean, but it doesn't mean you get free rein to break the law again. And this time, I won't be able to bail you out," Shepard joked.

"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way," Jack said gratefully. "Just… shit, just-just don't anything I would do, alright?"

He smirked at her. "So no breaking out of prison and stealing the Normandy back. Got it."

"As far as plans go, that's not the worst you've done," Garrus teased. He walked up to Shepard and shook his hand. "Everything will be alright."

"Thanks, Garrus."

Tali ran up and hugged him fiercely. "Stay strong, Shepard. You're always welcome to the Migrant Fleet."

Hugging her back, he said, "Thanks. For everything you've done."

"We will remember you and all that you have done for us, Shepard-Commander," Legion stated.

"I guess I'll be going into hiding after all," Kasumi joked, clearly trying to stay upbeat. "Good thing I have practice in that area. Don't worry about me… unless I get bored and decide to sneak in wherever you're being held prisoner and stage a prison break. Hmm… that could actually be fun!"

"Let's not," Shepard deadpanned, though he smiled all the same.

Miranda stood from her chair. "I'll make preparations for the crew's departure, then. I have some personal business to attend to as well." With that said, she swiftly walked out of the Briefing Room.

Those interested in the nature of their relationship looked at the space Miranda had been sitting in before looking at Shepard.

He followed in her wake at a more sedate pace. Whatever was between them was personal and he intended for it to stay that way. "I'm going to make the announcement to the crew. You guys should start packing up."

As expected, Kasumi was first to try to get the inside scoop. "Wait, what was—?"

"Dismissed," Shepard interjected smoothly with a small chuckle before leaving. As miserable as he felt, he was glad to have such good friends.

However, once he entered the CIC, what little good mood he had evaporated. Upon reaching the command post he said, "EDI, ship-wide comms."

"Comms active, Shepard."

"Everyone, this is Shepard. Listen up. I'm about to give you your final orders."

~o~O~o~

Shepard leaned against the elevator and sighed. During his ascent to his cabin from the Crew Deck, he reflected on the last thirty minutes.

The crew of the Normandy SR-2 assembled in the Crew Deck to say their farewells to him and that they were supporting him in whatever capacity they could. As former Cerberus crewman, it wouldn't be good if they had stayed, even they wanted to. Since Omega was neutral ground, Anderson had agreed to allow them to leave without question when they meet up.

By obvious necessity, EDI was staying. Shepard was supremely worried what would happen to her when the Alliance seizes control of the Normandy, but it was well out of his hands. One of the final acts the crew was currently doing was removing any and all signs of EDI's presence. The stenciling in the Med Bay that labeled the AI Core room was being erased. References to EDI's sentience in the databanks were either being deleted or encrypted and buried while terms like AI Core room were being changed to 'Server Room' in addition to other such similarities. And finally, all the pedestals where EDI's teal, spherical avatar appeared were being uninstalled. It was the best they could do to hide her existence, but Alliance engineers would be thorough in their examination of Normandy. Whether or not she would be discovered was in the air, as was her fate if she was found.

Joker was absolutely adamant that he wasn't leaving. When Shepard tried to pull rank, the helmsman actually laughed at him.

~o~O~o~

"And if I don't follow your orders? What next? You're gonna court-martial me? Oh, wait… that's what's gonna happen to you, isn't it?" Joker rhetorically asked.

"Not funny, Joker. If you don't leave, the Alliance will court martial you. As an accessory at the least, maybe even an accomplice, or co-conspirator at the worst," Shepard warned.

Joker just shrugged it off. "Eh, I was about to be court-martialed anyway for stealing the Normandy and I got off scot-free."

"That doesn't count," Shepard argued. "We were after Saren."

"Eh?" Joker responded in confusion before slapping the side of his head. "OH! No, I meant when I stole the Normandy the first time."

Now it was Shepard's turn to be confused. "What?"

"Long story. I got lucky, though. Some turian admiral spoke up for me, and I got to be the helmsman instead," Joker answered with a wide grin. "Tell you what, once we clear our names, I'll take you to this bar I know on Earth and I'll tell you all about it."

~o~O~o~

The only other two crewmen that argued to stay were his engineers, Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly.

~o~O~o~

"You know even EDI has her limitsm right?" Gabby asked. "You need someone to keep the ship running until we get to Omega. And we have to brief the new engineers on the extent of the damage from our little trip in batarian space."

"Otherwise, we could have huge instabilities in the Tantalus Core. The whole ship could explode!" Ken added dramatically.

Somehow, Shepard doubted the problem would ever get that serious.

"Sorry, Captain. You're stuck with us. Period," Gabby staunchly said.

~o~O~o~

Considering his authority was stripped from him before he was even incarcerated, he couldn't order any of them off the frigate. He just hoped they would be treated fairly.

Stepping into his Cabin, he wasn't terribly surprised to finally see Miranda waiting for him inside.

~o~O~o~

Once the meeting with the squad had concluded, Miranda swiftly travelled to her office. Sitting at her desk, she accessed her terminal, and opened a chat with her sister Oriana. She left a message saying that she would be visiting her sooner than expected. It didn't take long for Oriana to reply, saying she would be thrilled to have her.

Their exchange was brief, but comfortable, and Miranda was glad for it. Their earlier attempts to be closer were awkward, though more so for the elder sister than the younger. Normalcy wasn't Miranda's strong suit. However, their communication was constant and soon became routine, which helped ease her into the role of older sister.

She listened with half an ear to Shepard's announcement overhead about the results of their mission, the aftermath, and his decision to surrender to the Alliance. His final orders were for everyone to assemble on the Crew Deck so that he could address everyone in person.

After her first piece of personal business was concluded, Miranda went on to send secondary orders to the crewmen that were leaving. She wouldn't put it past Cerberus to try to arrange a series of 'accidents' to any of them for defecting the way they did. The instructions held a set of locations for them to hide at until she called for them within the week for safe relocation and new employment away from Cerberus scrutiny. Several messaged her almost immediately, thanking her for her help. Those that responded were assured that she would charter flights for them to the rendezvous location.

For any of the crewmen no longer aboard the Normandy anymore, she sent messages as well, containing similar instructions and warnings.

Finally, she compiled all the information she had on Kelly Chambers; everything gathered since her assignment aboard the Normandy to the present time. It didn't take Miranda long to know that she was acting as the Illusive Man's secondary eyes and ears and had long since been intercepting her messages to the Cerberus CEO to look over them herself. To the yeoman's credit, she ceased her espionage after their mission at the galactic core. It was only because she stopped that Miranda declined to burden Shepard with the knowledge of yet another spy on his activities, if he hadn't guessed already. The dossier was ancillary now.

She sent the information away to the one person she knew who dealt in that sort of thing. Once done, she left her office and returned to the Comm Room, now devoid of anyone.

"EDI, would you mind if I have a little privacy this time? This is a very personal call," Miranda requested.

"Of course, Miranda," EDI said.

As sure as she could be that she was alone, Miranda used a very specific frequency and encryption as she placed her call.

It was accepted immediately. There was no holographic projection or video conferencing, only audio. The voice that replied was masked; it spoke in a deep, rumbling bass that she knew wasn't real.

"Miranda?"

"I accept your offer. I'll be there within the week. We have a lot of work to do."

"So I gathered. I heard about the events at Bahak. A Doctor Amanda Kenson was imprisoned there. However, I suddenly lost all contact with my agents in the region."

"I have all the details. I'll give them to you personally."

"And you sent me a dossier… a Kelly Chambers?"

"For your—our— records. It's just a personal thing, nothing important or significant, but I felt it needed to be catalogued. We're purging the databases here aboard the Normandy of all the personnel."

"I see… so my initial reports are true? Admiral Anderson is already en route to Omega."

"Yes, most likely so. I'll fill in the details and gaps when I get to your location. I also need some resources to protect the crewmen here."

"What's mine is yours."

"I appreciate that."

"You're right. We do have a lot of work to do. I look forward to seeing you here soon."

The call was terminated right after and Miranda heaved a sigh.

At least I don't have to choose anymore. Everything was chosen for me.

It was a bitter thought, but she had long since learned that she had to work with whatever resources were on hand or events that occurred.

She quietly left the Comm Room and entered the elevator, where she ascended one deck and into the Captain's Cabin.

Stepping inside, she looked around the room she had begun spending more and more time in than her own office. There were moments where she entertained the idea of redecorating the place, which caused her to smile. Or scoff.

Still feels like a pokey bachelor pad.

It didn't take long for Shepard to find her there.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, yourself."

They both sat down on the couch at some unspoken signal.

"It wasn't your fault," Miranda said. "I'm not saying that as a platitude. I mean it; it wasn't your fault at all."

He scowled and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I really wish I could believe that."

Miranda knew that he would go into custody with the guilt of what he had done. And she was determined not to let him suffer like that. "John, you did the right thing by destroying that relay."

"How much time do you think I bought that was worth 300,000 lives?"

"Not nearly enough… if you indeed sacrificed that much."

Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"John… the sad truth is: that colony was already dead," she said. "Let's say the Alpha Relay didn't destroy the system. It just cut Bahak off from the rest of the galaxy and the colonists were alive and well and trapped there. Do you really think the Reapers would have left the colony alone while they made their way to the next relay?"

The simple question brought new realization and understanding dawned on him.

"Exactly. They would've been harvested. Or turned into husks. Or indoctrinated and sent into the batarian hegemony as saboteurs. The fact is, no one could have saved them from what was coming. Not even you," she explained patiently. She clasped his hands. "It was a mercy that you granted them. A cold, cruel mercy, but mercy nonetheless."

Shepard appeared uncertain about her words, but didn't refute them, either.

Seeing that she lifted some of the burden off his shoulders, she changed the subject. "Remember that I wanted to tell you something before you left?"

"I remember."

"Liara offered me a job. I'm accepting it."

At her confession, he only looked confused. "I'm not following."

"If I took her offer, I would've had to leave the Normandy. That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Miranda said. "However, it seems our new circumstances have forced me to find gainful employment elsewhere."

Shepard smiled. "I'm glad you'll be okay, then."

"More than you, anyway," she replied.

"I'll be fine for now. What is Liara offering you?"

"It's better if I don't say anything more. For plausible deniability. Just remember, I'm going to take care of you, no matter what happens, okay?" she asked. He probably guessed considering he already knew about Liara's other 'job', but whatever he was thinking was probably off the mark.

He raised an eyebrow at her cryptic statement. "I trust you."

She smiled, stood up, and pulled him to his feet. "I know."

That earned another smile.

Taking his head in her hands, she forced him to look at her. "We don't know what other atrocities the Reapers have in store for us, but I do know that we'll need you. Stay strong, for me?"

He nodded and placed his forehead against hers. She leaned into him comfortably. It was a physical gesture she had never done with anyone before, but it felt right.

"For you… I'll do anything," he whispered.

She smiled. Taking advantage of his invitation, she stepped back, took his hands, and guided him to the bed.

She didn't know when the next time they would see each other and what those circumstance might be, so she was determined to live the moment as if it were their last.

~o~O~o~

Author's Notes:

End of an Era, here I come!

A pic called Embrace by psychicsocial on Deviantart inspired that last scene. Check it out.