As much as I would like to own them, all the characters and the main plot belong to BIOWARE - I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended. This is purely for entertainment purposes. All writing is my own.

I can't believe the end is here. The epilogue. This is the last chapter and update for this story and I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, and sent me words of confidence. I truly appreciate it. I would also like to thank everybody who added this to their watch list, favourites, and story alerts. It means so much so I'm thanking every single one of you for your love and support of this fic.

I may go back and review all the chapters and make adjustments and correct spelling etc. So, keep your eyes peeled for changes to the chapters. Anyway, away with all the sad mushy stuff and on to the chapter. This last chapter sets it up for the beginning of ME3. Be warned: there are Arrival spoilers ahead.

(P.S: I used some of my favourite lyrics to add some depth and feeling to this piece, as it's an important milestone in the mass effect story. Enjoy. I'll name them at the end for the people who don't know what the songs are)

Thank you everybody! :D

Elise studied Miranda's face in their dimly lit cabin. Her skin was creamy and soft to the touch and her perfectly curved body was draped over the commander in all the right places.

"When I wake up in the morning
You're beside me
I'm so thankful that I found
Everything that I been looking for"

What did I do to deserve you? Elise thought to herself.

Last night had been filled with a mix of tender and passionate love making, exploring each others bodies over and over. Miranda always got what she wanted. Elise smiled at the thought. She was broken out of her bliss when she felt Miranda stir in her arms.

"Thank you" She said hoarsely.

"What for?" Elise inquired.

"For last night. I thoroughly enjoyed myself." The raven haired woman kissed Elise's chest before going back to using it as a pillow again.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance."

"When have you gotta go?"

Elise craned her neck to look at the bedside clock. "About an hour. There's a message here saying that we've arrived in the Bahak system. Suppose I'd better get up. Sorry."

"Don't be. As long as you give me a kiss I'll be happy."

"Now that, I know how to do" Elise smirked, leaning down to capture her girlfriends lips with her own.

Miranda finally pulled back and sat up slightly. "Come on, get up."

"Aww, do I have to?"

"Yes"

"On one condition."

"And what might that be Elise Shepard?"

"You join me." Miranda smiled in and lowered her head in defeat so that Elise could kiss her soft and luscious hair. Elise smelt her hair before kissing it and pulling back.

"Ok." Was all Miranda said before getting out of bed and dragging Elise with her towards their bathroom.

"She's pulling her weapon to her side
Loading it full of her goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line"

Elise looked out onto the wide open space outside the shuttle. She was well on her way to the prison outpost. She had a bad feeling about this mission ever since she first got it a few days ago. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure something wasn't right. Anything involving the Reaper's was wrong, but this was different. It was going to be an eventful mission for sure, she just knew it and felt it. She shook off her thoughts as she went back to looking out at the vast emptiness surrounding her.

Elise ran for her life towards the main control console.

"Welcome to project control" It greeted.

"I want to activate the project."

"Warning; activating the project will result in estimated 3,500 casualties. Do you wish to continue?" Elise watched as the accurate number revealed itself on the screen.

304942

She stood back, taking a few moments to herself.

"You were waiting on the edge of the unknown
And with the cataclysm raining down
Insides crying 'save me now'..."

"Damn it!" She cursed. Could she really do this? Let all those people die? But could she let the Reapers in and let them start their cycle of mass genocide once more? No, she thought. Everybody had to make sacrifices to achieve something greater. This was the fate of the galaxy that she had to consider. This number of people didn't compare to the amount of people who would die if she'd let them live. She knew the better option, and it went against her nature and everything she stood for. She didn't sacrifice people to achieve her goals. It was her golden rule. But, this would be the only time she would ever let herself do it. She made her decision and sighed as she looked up at the time remaining.

00:01:50:49

"You felt the gravity of tempered grace
Falling into empty space
No one there to catch you in their arms"

She looked up, putting on a brave face and stepped back up towards the console, activating it with one of her gloved hands, turning it from red to green. Knowing she held the fate of thousands in her hands, that no one could save them now, she hoped that she had made the right decision. The engines beamed to life outside, firing up and shaking the station and Elise as she stood in the control room. As the engines settled into a comfortable motion, Elise regained her composure, looking at the console in front of her once more. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously as the console talked.

"Project activation in progress. Warning: collision with Mass Relay's imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."

Elise took a deep cleansing breath, just as Samara had taught her, and pressed two fingers to her ear piece. "Alert. All colonists living in the Bahak system, this is-" She was cut off by Kenson appearing on the screen before her.

"Shepard, no! Do you have any idea what you've done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed."

Elise looked down at the console. If she was going to stop the Reaper's early arrival, she would have to stop this crazy woman first. "Tell me where to find Dr. Amanda Kenson" Elise commanded, cutting the doctor off and letting the AI locate the doctor.

"Dr. Kenson is travelling to the reactor core module."

Kenson's video feed appeared once more, replacing the image of the reactor core.

"An eezo core meltdown should do it. Because of you everyone on this rock will be obliterated."

"Not if I get to you first" Elise declared before facing away from the console and getting ready to make her way to the doctor's location.

Elise finally arrived at the reactor core module, where Dr. Amanda Kenson was supposed to be located. She looked around, finding the controlled doctor standing and facing her.

She pointed a finger at Elise who now had her gun trained on her. "Don't try to stop me Shepard. I have to do this!" Eventhough Elise made no move toward her, she backed right up to the barrier behind her.

"Stop now, Kenson. Hackett's friend or not, I will kill you." Elise didn't make threats very often, and always tried to go about it in a non-violent way, but this woman was pissing her off more than she thought possible.

"Your forcing my hand Shepard. You know that." She turned to face the reactor core and leant against the barrier. "There is no escape. There is no redemption for what you've done. I will die, never having seen the Reaper's blessings." She turned and faced Elise. "And you will just die!" She turned once more to face the core and then ran out of sight.

"Damn it Kenson!" Elise cursed, lowering her gun for a split second. This woman was turning out to be more trouble than she was worth.

The commander turned and saw more armed guards heading her way. She rose her gun once more and prepared herself for another gunfight.

Elise finally killed the last guard and turned to see Kenson interfering with the reactor core.

"How do I stabilize the reactor core?" She asked the AI.

"All automatic safety protocols have been overridden. To stabilize the reactor core, manually insert cooling rod A from this control station. Manually insert cooling rod B from control station B." Elise grabbed the rod and started to push it into it's designated hole whilst the AI continued to inform her. "Doing so will stabilize the reactor core." Elise pushed the rod down and turned it, the ring of light around the edge of the rod turning from green to red. "Cooling rod A inserted. Reactor cooling process has begun."

Elise watched the reactor start to cool before drawing her gun again and heading for the next door. As the next door opened, Kenson came over the comm, talking to her guards. "I need more time. Get in there!"

"Here we go again!" Elise muttered under her breath before getting back into action and blasting the first guard she saw.

After yet another round of killing and travelling, Elise let out a quick breath of relief as she bypassed her way into station B where cooling rod B was located. She grabbed the refined eezo that was situated by the panel before rushing to push the remaining rod into it's compartment.

"Cooling rod B re-inserted. Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping." the AI informed.

Elise equipped her gun once more and made her way for the next exit.

"You've done nothing Shepard! I can still override power to the engines! Try to stop me!" Kenson protested through the comm, this time addressing Shepard directly.

As she hit the elevator switch, she mumbled under her breath for what seemed the hundredth time on this mission. "When will this crazy old bitch stop!" She was pissed. Not a good sign. Elise Shepard never got pissed with anyone enough to swear. Annoyed, yes. But, this woman really did grind on her nerves. Time to finish her off! Elise thought as the elevator came to a swift stop on the floor below. She immediately ran through the door, ready to confront this now-psychotic woman. She crept up behind her and then stood up in a tough, soldier-like stance, aiming her gun directly at the doctor. "Step away from the reactor."

"You've ruined everything!" She hit the console with her hands in defeat. "I can't hear the whispers anymore!" She cried in sadness, glancing back at Shepard before facing the panel again.

"Turn around. Now!" Elise commanded.

Kenson rested against the panel. "You've taken them away from me. I will never see the Reaper's arrival!" She turned to Shepard once more with a menacing glare and held up a detonation switch. She flipped up the top, ready to push the button. "All you had to do was stay was stay asleep. None of this had to happen."

Elise thought for a moment before lowering her gun, ready to reason with the doctor.

"Kenson, you don't have to do this. We can get off this asteroid." She raised her gun once more.

"No we cannot." Elise had a bad feeling about what was coming next.

She watched on in slight horror as the doctor finally pressed the detonation switch in her hand. It glowed red as it made a whirring sound. Elise started backing up. She couldn't predict what was to happen next, as something near her blew up and flung her against the wall behind her, knocking her out cold.

"Warning, collision imminent. Warning, collision imminent." The AI repeated itself as Elise was awoken. She caressed her head and turned her attentions towards the control panel that was now flashing red. Elise grabbed her fallen gun and sprung into action, ignoring the oncoming headache from the fall.

"Joker, this is Shepard. I need a pickup, now."

"Communication system damaged." The AI responded.

"For God sakes!" Elise cursed. She paced as the AI talked once more.

"Evacuation protocols in effect. All personnel report to escape shuttles."

Elise looked around the damaged room. "Where can I find an escape shuttle?"

"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower." Elise spotted the door on the other side of the room and turned back to the control panel. "The remaining escape shuttles will be located on the tower's landing pad."

"I have to get to that comm tower and take a shuttle. Its my only chance." She turned towards the door once more. Before she headed for it, she looked up at the timer.

00:00:28:43

"Let's get this show on the road!" She said before drawing her gun and heading for the door. She had to get out. Now. And fast.

Elise secured her helmet as fast as she could before the airlock door opened. As soon as it opened, it revealed more people wanting her dead.

"Oh great! Just what I needed!" She saw the heavy mech in the distance. "Even better!" She sarcastically spat as she readied herself with her gun once more.

After the heavy mech fell leaving no more threats, Elise ran for her life towards the comm terminal. She activated it and the dish moved.

"External comm channel open"

"Shepard to Normandy. Joker, do you read me?" She heard nothing back and turned when she heard a strange sound. She looked over and saw a hologram of harbinger. She walked towards it.

"Great, nothing like a conversation with your arch nemeses while your on the verge of impacting with a mass relay." Elise grumbled once more as she made her way around the comm tower to face the hologram that was now hovering above the landing pad.

"Shepard, you have become an annoyance. You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds. This seems a victory to you. A star system sacrificed. But, even now, your greatest civilisations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us."

"You were standing in the wake of devastation
And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown..."

"Maybe your right, maybe we can't win this. But we'll fight you regardless. Just like we did sovereign. Just like I'm doin' now. However 'insignificant' we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will find a way. That's what humans do."

"Know this as you die in vain. Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourself for the arrival." The hologram dissipated into the air, just in time for the Normandy to arrive.

"Commander Shepard, Normandy inbound for pick-up." The comm relay buzzed as the Normandy come into Elise's view.

"Roger that" she said, releasing her fingers from her comm channel. She started running ready to jump onto the ship. As the ship swooped in, she ran and jumped on, the door sealing in front of her.

The Normandy then headed for the relay, firing on full cylinders.

Elise ran up behind Joker, grabbing his chair in suspense. "Get us out of here Joker." The pilot said nothing, but expressed a determined look to do all that he could.

The Normandy hit the relay straight away, just before the asteroid destroyed it, barely escaping in time.

As Elise's nerves eased slightly, she couldn't help but think of all the lives she had just sacrificed. She couldn't even imagine what all of those people were thinking right now.

"And in a burst of light that blinded every angel
As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars
You felt the gravity of tempered grace
Falling into empty space
No one there to catch you in their arms"

"Damn it!" She scolded herself as she took off her helmet. She felt a warm sticky substance as she held the helmet. She examined it in the light. Blood. She hadn't realised that when she had been knock out that she had cut her head. She sighed as she made her way down the bridge to the CIC. She grabbed the first crew member who passed her. "Where's Miss Lawson?"

"In the med bay with Dr. Chakwas ma'am."

"Thank you very much." Elise tried smiling at the shy woman but could barely hold herself together. She clutched her helmet tightly as she made her way through the CIC, with blood pouring down the side of her face. She needed to see her love. Needed reassurance that she had done the right thing.

"I never asked to let go
I never thought I could sink so low
I never let myself down
Until the second I did right now"

Elise sighed as she entered the elevator, ignoring Kelly's concerns and punching the panel inside to be taken down the crew deck. She slumped against the wall, willing the elevator to go faster before she broke down into tears.

"Somewhere I lost all, the control came crashing down.
And I pray for forgiveness
Look for the answers
Cause its hard
For me to pretend"

After what felt like hours, the elevator finally came to a stop. Elise looked into the med-bay as she approached it, luckily finding Miranda and Chakwas alone. She smiled and winced at the pain she felt from her wound. She ignored the looks that were given from the crew members in the mess area and continued to the med-bay. The doors opened revealing her lover and one of her long time friends.

"I need some comfort, to regain my sanity"

"M- Miranda" Elise husked, almost falling to her knees in sorrow and pain. It seemed the closer she got to her love, the more her tough exterior fell and her walls crumble. But, she willed herself to continue. She had to do this.

Miranda turned around at the sound of her name, seeing a bloodied and beaten up Elise slowly making her way towards her. A tear ran down the operatives face as she watched her lover walk in agony towards her. Elise threw her blood stained helmet down carelessly on the floor and willed herself to walk just a little further.

"It's hard to see the truth... And every road comes back to you"

"Oh my God! Elise!" Miranda cried out, catching Elise who had managed to walk right up to her. The commander collapsed in her arms out of sheer exhaustion, pain and sorrow. She began crying into the Miranda's stomach as she landed on her knees.

"Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?"

"Help me" She cried, getting blood over Miranda's uniform.

"It's ok baby, it's ok. I'm here. Your safe now." Miranda comforted, holding the commander close to her body. She looked at Chakwas who nodded and Miranda knelt down so that she was face to face with her broken girlfriend. "Baby, listen. You have to get up so that Chakwas can look at you. Here, let me help you. I'll be right by your side."

"Can't you see
This state that I'm in
No one would notice
Nobody noticed
Cause it's me where it began"

"Miri-" Elise tried to hold back another round of crying and managed to steady herself. "Please."

"Please, what?" Miranda asked, caressing the uninjured side of Elise's face. Elise couldn't say anymore, she didn't need to. She needed to feel the reassurance that only Miranda could give. The bloodied commander leant up, kissing Miranda sweetly, despite the current state that she was in. A tear ran down Miranda's face as she couldn't help but cry at her girlfriends physical and emotional state.

"Come on" Miranda said, sniffling as she stood up. Elise just nodded and stood up, Miranda helping her. The operative stripped off all her guns and out them on the bed beside them and got to work on removing Elise's visor.

Chakwas examined her and cleaned her up. She went outside for a few moments to get Jack who was relaxing in her and Kelly's cabin on the other side of the mess hall.

"Jack, can you get Shepard's BDU's from our cabin? I want to stay with her." Miranda said, holding Elise's hand tightly, giving it a slight squeeze to comfort the beaten woman.

Jack understood straight away. She and Miranda had become good friends and she understood that she wanted to be with her girlfriend at all times. "Sure, I'll be back in a minute."

Soon enough, Jack came back with Shepard's BDU's in hand.

"Thank you." Miranda sniffled.

"Ah, fuck it! Come here!" Jack sighed, pulling Miranda into a warm embrace. "Look after her." She said, pulling away and pointing at Shepard. The commander smiled, barely awake. "Get well soon Shep! I'll go let Ashley know the situation and that she's in charge." The convict now knew enough to be trusted enough by Shepard to take responsibility with these things. She stuck up her thumbs at the commander before smiling at Miranda and leaving.

"Come on, lets get you changed." Miranda said, pulling at the curtain around Elise's bed so that she could help the battered woman change into something more comfortable than her bloodied armour.

Miranda helped her change and the two just sat and chatted while they waited for Chakwas to come back to let them know if she should be allowed to rest in their cabin. That's when both doors to the med-bay opened revealing a different person who they didn't expect to see. Elise squeezed Miranda's hand, willing her to stay and not leave. She wanted her with her every step of the way.

"It's too late to turn back now
It's too loud to hear a sound
I'm so lost I can't be found
It's too late to turn back now"

FIN

And there you have it, the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this story, as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It may have be a pain sometimes, but I've loved every waking second of it.

Here are the songs that I used. I didn't just use one, because I thought that it would be nice to mix a few songs together to add some depth.

Linkin Park: Across The Line/Iridescent/What We Don't Know

Dead By Sunrise: Too Late

Alicia Keys: Like You'll Never See Me Again/Pray For Forgiveness