The last party

Thane wasn't killed by fucking Kai Leng and was alive for the party!

Enjoy!

A party. It felt so out of place during wartime. People having fun, enjoying themselves while millions were being slaughtered. But Anderson had been correct. In order to win this war, Shepard needed to be rested and focused. She wasn't sure that the best way to achieve this was to ingest an ridiculous amounts of alcohol, but she desperately needed to just relax for a while. Especially after the whole deal with the clone.

And she'd get to spend time with Thane.

Kepral's had finally caught up with him and he wasn't well. Saving the salarian councillor had perhaps done his soul good, but it hadn't had a good effect on his body. Shepard knew that this day would come, she had known even before she initiated a relationship with him. But it still hurt. She wondered how the hell asari could take partners with shorter lifespans than themselves. To go through this pain several times during their lifetime. It was hell.

All of these thoughts passed through Shepard's mind as she stood under the shower, allowing the warm water to wash over her tired and scarred body. Her battle-scars had disappeared when Cerberus had rebuilt her but she had gotten several new ones over the last few months. She flinched as her fingers brushed over the most recent one, given to her by her clone while they wrestled in the cargo bay. If there was ever a vid made about her, she doubted many people would take it as something other than fiction. Her life was truly ridicolous.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as the sharp shrill of the doorbell rang through the apartment. What the hell? She peaked out of the shower to look at the large clock on the wall. The guests weren't supposed to arrive for another two hours. Perhaps someone had gotten the time wrong.

There was no time to throw on any clothes so she snatched a towel from the towel-rack and wrapped it around herself before hurrying down the stairs. Before opening the door, she turned on the terminal next to the door to see who was waiting on the other side. To her delight, and surprise, it was Thane. He stood there, a faint smile on his full lips. He was also dressed in something that closely reminded her of a suit.

"Siha." He said as the door slid open.

"Hey." Shepard smiled widely.

"I hope I'm not intruding." His eyes scanned over her nearly naked body. "I thought I'd give you a hand with the party preparations."

"It's fine. You know I always have time for you."

The smile on Shepard's face faltered slightly as Thane coughed into his elbow. There was now a faint wheezing sound as he breathed, a painful reminder that his time was no longer counted in months, but weeks or days. Fuck Kepral's.

"How are you?" She said, her voice tender as she closed the door to the apartment.

"Well enough to enjoy this evening with you, siha." Thane assured. "It's going to be pleasant to meet the friends I made during my time aboard the Normandy. It's a bit ironic. I've gone my whole life without proper friends, only to have several of them so close to my death."

"Well, you know what they say. Better late than never!" Shepard made an attempt to keep her voice light.

"I suppose that's true." Thane lowered his gaze to the floor for a second. "But this night is not about death or suffering. It's about friendship, about camaraderie."

"You make it sound like something special. It's just an excuse to become hammered."

As they had talked, they had made their way up into the bedroom that Shepard had claimed as her own. Why Anderson had so many bedrooms in his apartment, she didn't know. She wasn't sure if she actually wanted to know.

"So... A clone?" Thane asked, sounding like he was fighting back a laugh, as he took a seat on the large bed.

"Yeah." Shepard started wiping the remaining water off her body. "I thought I had finally gone completely insane when I saw her."

"Your life is never dull, siha."

Shepard chuckled as she threw the now wet towel onto the bed and turned towards the closet. Nudity had never concerned her. Perhaps it was because she had been living so long on a warship. While in so close proximity to each other for extended periods of time, there was no such thing as privacy. Besides, there was no need to cover herself in front of Thane. He had already seen everything there was to see.

"Truer words have never been said." She muttered as she went through her drawers for something to wear.

Somehow, several dresses had ended up mixed in with the clothes she could actually remember buying. Either they had been forgotten by Kahlee Sanders. Or, Kasumi had decided to upgrade her wardrobe.

"How's Kolyat?" She asked to keep the conversation going.

"He's doing well, in ever sense of the word. Commander Bailey has offered him to join the C-Sec training program."

"Wow, that's great." Shepard had so far only managed to find underwear. "I have no idea what to wear..."

After much silent debating with herself, Shepard decided on a pair of skinny, maroon coloured trousers along with a cream coloured top. After all, she had mentioned in the invitation that the dress code was casual or semi-casual. Thane had apparently not read that far into the invitation, or had simply ignored it.

"Good enough?" She said as she looked at Thane.

"You are beautiful, siha." He walked up to her and pulled her into a light hug. "As per usual."

When they were as close as they were now, Shepard could clearly hear how difficult breathing was for him. The wheezing was as clear as day and his pulse seemed slightly erratic. Perhaps it had been a mistake to invite him. She wanted to spend time with him, but she didn't want to put him through unnecessary pain. After all, it didn't matter how they spent their time together, as long as they were together.

"I love you, Thane." She whispered and kissed his neck. "Never forget that."

"And I love you, Shepard."

Thane stood next to Shepard as the guests started to arrive. As per usual, his back was straight, his shoulders were pulled back and he had his hands clasped behind his back. He offered every guest a greeting nod, while some of the guests offered him more than that. Zaeed shook his hand so hard that Shepard feared her boyfriend's arm might fly off. (She suspected the gleeful greeting was due to the fact that Thane had more than once blown off the heads of enemies trapped in Zaeed's blind spot, and by that saved his life). Tali pulled him into a hug and Garrus gave his hand a firm shake, though not as violent as Zaeed's. As EDI arrived, Thane couldn't keep the shock off his face. But he quickly gathered himself and greeted her like all of the rest.

"I fear I might be slightly overdressed." He whispered to Shepard as James appeared in the hallway, dressed in his signature t-shirt and loose cargo trousers.

"Hey Lola." The soldier said with a grin. "You lookin' fine."

"James, thanks for coming." Shepard glanced over at Thane and noticed that his eyes had narrowed. "This is my boyfriend, Thane."

"Oh." James wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as Thane was. "Well, it's nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too."

Shepard couldn't help but grin. Thane was as civil as usual, despite when it seemed like he wanted to punch the other man for flirting with his girlfriend.

Now that everyone was there, Shepard closed the door and stepped into the room. Barely more than a few minutes had passed and people had already split into several groups. Shepard looked out over the room and smiled. It was a long time since she had seen her friends this relaxed.

"Come on, let's go and say hi to everyone." She took Thane's hand in hers.

At first, they stopped in the kitchen. Here, a small circle had formed. Garrus was there, along with Traynor, Liara and Samara. Tali was sitting on the kitchen bench, swaying slightly from side to side. Several empty glasses stood beside her and Shepard made a mental note to ask someone to keep the alcohol away from Tali. Or at least assign someone to look after her.

"So Shepard, you can serve this swill, but can you drink it?" Garrus asked with the turian version of a grin.

"Someone has to drive you all home!" The commander said and returned his grin.

"How 'bout you, Thane?" The turian asked, still grinning,

"I must decline. I do not wish to spoil the memory of this evening."

"Right, right you have that hiccup soli hiccup thing." Tali said and waved her free hand around.

"Solipsism." Thane filled in the blank for her.

To the left of Shepard, Traynor frowned and looked over at him.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Drell have perfect memory. We can remember any point in our life and relive it as if it is real life." Thane said and turned towards her. "It is as much of a blessing, as it is a curse."

"So you're a drell!" Traynor called out and grinned. "I was going to ask, but I felt like it's rude to ask someone what species they are."

"I would not have found it rude." Thane assured.

He attempted to stifle a cough once more, but as unsuccessful. He raised his fist to his mouth and let out a few wheezing, dry coughs. Shepard took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The coughs sounded painful and they sent a wave of pain through Shepard's body. Oh how she wished she could take the pain from him, even for a moment.

"It's nice to see you again, Thane." Liara said as soon as his coughing fit was over. "I never got to thank you for helping me take down that yagh."

"It was my pleasure, Dr. T'Soni." Thane nodded politely in her direction.

The conversation continued for a while and after a toast to the Normandy and to good times, Shepard excused them. There were still people she wanted Thane to meet. And knowing how rather poor he was at socialising, she didn't want to leave him alone.

Next, they stopped by where Cortez, James, Kaiden and Jack were. Shepard could feel Kaiden's eyes on them before they even joined the group. He still seemed to be a bit sour about her and Thane's relationship. Well, that's what you get for not trusting me. Shepard thought before she and Thane took a seat on the sofa.

"Hey there, Lizard guy!" Jack said and raised her glass to Thane.

"That's a good nickname." James said, without looking at Thane.

"I don't believe we've met." Steve said and the two men stood up to shake hands. "I'm the Normandy's impromptu shuttle pilot. I just happened to be on board when the reapers hit and, well, I stuck around."

Thane sat down next to Shepard again and took her hand in his once more. She could feel the very familiar itching appear. It would take a lot more skin contact for her to form a rash and she honestly didn't give a shit. It was just nice to be with Thane.

"Mayor Alenko. I'm glad to see you seem well." Thane said, his eyes fixed on Kaiden.

"Oh." Kaiden said, his eyes meeting Thane's. "Thanks. It's nice to be able to fight. To make a difference."

"I wish I could once more join the Normandy. Being confined to the hospital is... Frustrating."

Shepard looked over at Thane, who had lowered his gaze to the floor. There was a small frown on his face as he looked at his feet with a glazed look in his large, black eyes. Once more, Shepard gave his hand a squeeze.

Behind Thane, up on the balcony, she saw Javik, Grunt, Wrex and Zaeed. If there was someone Shepard definitely wanted Thane to meet, it was Javik.

"Well, enjoy yourself guys. You've earned it." She said.

As Shepard stood up, Thane pulled his hand out of hers before standing up as well. She saw him glance over at Kaiden, who was now emptying his glass as if the answers to all of his problems were in the bottom of that glass. Though they were friends again, Shepard had lost any attraction she had had towards Kaiden when they met on Horizon.

"It's a shame Mordin isn't here to join us." Thane said as they walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah." Shepard said with a sad sigh. "He sacrificed himself to make up for his mistakes. I think he was fine with dying like that. After all, he is the very model of a scientist salarian."

They reached the top of the stairs, their hands once more intertwined. Thane's hands were slightly clammy. Was this too much of a strain on his body? Had it been a mistake to invite him? Perhaps it would have been better for him to stay in the hospital.

As they joined the group on the balcony, Javik was the first to look up. His four eyes scanned over Thane and they were met with Thane's black ones.

"Drell." Javik then said. "Your species was hunted for the intoxicating effect your skin has in my cycle."

"I assume that you are a prothean." Thane said and looked like he wasn't sure on how to react to meeting the last of a deceased species. "I do not know how that is possible, but Shepard has a way of making the impossible possible."

"They found him in a fridge." Grunt said.

"A fridge?" Thane couldn't keep the smile off his face and looked over at Shepard with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a long story." She sighed and leaned against the railing.

"Sometimes I'm not sure if the Normandy is a warship or a travelling freakshow." Wrex chuckled.

Javik looked between Shepard and Thane, his nostrils flaring slightly. Shepard couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the prothean's facial expression.

"You are joined, correct?" Javik eventually said, looking at Thane and Shepard.

"I suppose you could call it something like that." Shepard couldn't really think of anything else to say.

"I do not understand this cycle's need for pairings of different species." Javik shook his head in disbelief.

As the evening progressed, Thane disappeared from Shepard's side and joined the different conversations around the room. She kept a watchful eye on him, even though they weren't at each other's side constantly. If there was the slightest sign of him getting too worn out by all this, she'd get him back to Huerta as soon as possible. She wasn't going to risk him getting even worse.

But he seemed to be fine. She saw him have a few coughing fits, but they were over relatively quickly. He participated in conversations just the like others. After a while, Shepard relaxed a bit and could enjoy herself more, without worrying about finding her boyfriend passed out in some corner of the apartment, unable to draw breath.

"Well, that was mortifying..." Traynor said after one of the funniest conversations in human history, according to Shepard.

"Tell me about it." Tali said with a tired voice.

"You need not be embarrassed." EDI assured, but it only seemed to spur on the embarrassment. "Sexual attraction is natural for organics. And given your orientation and interested in synthetics..."

"We can..." Traynor was blushing quite furiously. "We can stop talking about this whenever you like."

"I practically poisoned myself with cheese to change the subject!" Tali blurted out.

Shepard shook her head and laughed as she walked out of the upstairs living room. It was nice to see her friends like this. Relaxed and happy with only normal issues on their minds. Such as awkward conversations, whether to have one more drink or not, or how to get as drunk as possible without dying. She was just about to head downstairs as she head Thane's gravelly voice.

"Why choose?" Thane said. "Both biotics and physical strength, along with dexterity, have their advantages. Biotics will weaken a target and make them easier to take down, but killing a target with biotics or gunfire leaves an unnecessary mess behind. It is also a good way to draw attention to yourself."

Shepard hung back a bit, interested in hearing where this went. Of the group, only Miranda and Jacob had spent an extended amount of time along with Thane. For James and Kaiden, she assumed this information was a bit concerning. Liara, however, seemed calm.

"Taking a target down by, for example, snapping their neck leaves nothing more than a dead body. It is most effective for getting in and out quickly."

The group looked at each other and seemed a bit uncomfortable. James was the first to speak.

"Damn, Lizard man. That's a bit freaky."

The night was drawing to a close. Some of the guests had already found a bed to collapse in, while others were having a dance party by the pool table. Shepard had never been a fan of parties and was beginning to feel quite tired of being social. Thane had also disappeared from the partying a while back and she was currently looking all over the apartment for him.

She found him in the bed. He was on his back with his hands behind his head. At first, she thought he had fallen asleep, but he turned his head towards her as she entered. His expression softened and he smiled.

"Siha."

Mimicking the smile, Shepard flopped down on the bed, next to him. He had loosened the first few buttons on his shirt, exposing his still muscular chest.

"You okay?" Shepard kissed his cheek and stroke over his chest.

"I am happy, siha. I have another memory to loose myself in when times are tough." He raised himself up on his elbow and looked at her. "Don't worry about me. Join your friends."

"I'd rather stay here with you." Shepard laid down and cuddled up next to Thane. "If that's okay."

"Of course, siha."

They were quiet for some time, just laying there, enjoying the warmth of each other. Shepard's hand moved up and down Thane's side. When he was gone, she wanted to remember how his rough skin felt against her fingertips. She wished she could once more feel the soft skin on his lower stomach, but knew that having sex would be too hard on his body. But their relationship had never been about sex. It had been so much more than that.

Warm tears appeared in Shepard's eyes and she did her best to wipe them away before Thane noticed. She wasn't someone who cried. She had been forced to choose who of her two friends died and hadn't shed a single tear afterwards. Her breakup with Kaiden hadn't brought any tears from her either, nor had Mordin's death. Not even Legion, who gave his life to make peace between the geth and the quarians. Yet here she was, crying over someone she had known for less than a year.

A warm hand was placed on Shepard's cheek and a rough thumb stroke away one of the tears. She looked up to see Thane. His eyes were moist as well and she sat up, turning her face away.

"Sorry, Thane." She muttered and cleared her throat. "I just... I don't want to lose you."

"Shepard..." He pulled her down again and turned onto his side so that he could look at her. "I love you, Shepard. When we met, I knew I was going to die, as I've told you before. And when I fell in love with you, death started to frightened me. However, now, you and Kolyat have granted me peace. Though the thought of leaving this world still frightens me, I know I needn't worry. Because of you, I no longer feel guilt for the lives I've taken. You have helped me feel at peace with who I once was and who I am now. You are so strong, siha. While my death may hurt, I know you will remain strong."

This didn't help Shepard's tears. They kept running down her cheeks, no matter how much she tried to stop them. Thane leaned his forehead against hers and sighed.

"It was never my intention to cause you pain. Perhaps it was selfish of me to fall for you and it is most definitely selfish of me to not regret leading you to love a dying man."

"Shut up, Thane." Shepard said and kissed him gently. "I might not have drell memory, but you have still given me so many happy memories. I love you Thane, and I wouldn't trade our time for anything. And I know there's a large chance I'll die in this war."

"In that case, I will meet you across the sea, siha."

They pulled each other into an affectionate embrace and Thane soon fell asleep, while Shepard lay awake to listen to his laboured breaths.

The Normandy was still where they had left it. She's such a beautiful ship, Shepard thought as she stood leaned against the railing. She had experienced so many happy memories on that ship. The best of times. Love, loss, laughter, tears... Such a roller coaster of emotions. And it wasn't over yet. Was it ever going to be over?

"So, back to the fight?" Joker said as he limped up to her.

"Yep." Shepard said with a sigh. "Let's go and finish this."

She pushed herself of the railing and stood up. The rest of the crew had started to appear and all of them seemed to be nursing hangovers. Though last night had been fun, they still had a war to win. And they were going to win it.

"Shepard." A rough voice said just as Shepard was about to follow the rest of the crew onto the ship. Thane was standing just outside the security checkpoint.

"I'll be with you in a second." Shepard said to Joker before jogging up to Thane. "I thought you had gone to the hospital."

"I needed to say a proper goodbye." He said and took her hands in his.

"You make this sound so final."

"We both know it might very well be."

He was right, of course he was. Whether it be because of Kepral's or because of a bullet, there was a real chance they'd never see each other again.

"I love you." His eyes seemed to look into her soul as he said that. "Never forget those words."

"I love you too, Thane." Shepard pulled him into a hug, holding him close. If she could, she'd stay in that moment forever.

When he pulled away, Shepard couldn't help but let out a shaky sigh. She wanted so badly to stay there with him, to forget that the fucking reapers were out there. She wanted to stay in Thane Krios' arms forever.

"Now, if I may make a request..." He looked down at their joined hands. "Come back to me, siha. If you ever have the time, come back to me. Preferably alive."

"I'll do my best." She assured and placed one hand on his cheek. "And if I don't... I'll meet you across the sea. I promise you that."