Reaching Out For Help

"NO! IT CAN"T BE TRUE!", Tali screamed with tears pouring down her face. "He can't be dead! Shepard wouldn't die like this!"

Kelly, holding her close, couldn't think of anything to say. She just stood there with the same disbelief that everyone else was feeling. Their commander was dead.

"Ugh, where am I?", Shepard asked himself. He looked around and he noticed he was on a beach. Something about this beach seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He kept heading down feeling the sand between his toes when out of nowhere, he heard yelling.

An unknown voice yelled, "These aren't real Krogan Wrex! They are just slaves for Saren!"

Shepard immediately remembered where he was. This was Virmire.

"How can you not see what this means for the Krogan?", Wrex asked. "This cure can be the thing that brings the Krogan out of misery and uplift us once again."

The other Shepard replied, "Saren will abuse this cure! The Krogan will be nothing more than pawns for him and the Reapers."

Shepard, the real one, remembered this conversation. He convinced Wrex to stand down and realize that this wasn't the time for division. Was he watching his past memories unfold? Why Virmire of all places? He thought these questions to himself, but was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. He looked out and saw that he had just shot Wrex!

"What? That isn't how it happened!"

He watched as he unloaded round after round into Wrex's squirming body. He kept firing until the gun overheated, but it only got worse. He looked up and saw that the skies were stained blood red. He looked back and saw the other Shepard lift Wrex up with biotics. Shepard watched in horror as he saw himself tear Wrex apart limb by limb until all that was left was a puddle of guts and his head.

The other Shepard picked up Wrex's mangled head and flashed it to all those at the camp and screamed, "And if anyone else has a fucking problem with the way I handle things, talk to Wrex about how it turns out!"

Shepard stared horrified at what he had just witnessed. He rubbed his eyes as he couldn't believe what happened was real. When he pulled is hands away, he found himself standing on the roof of some building. He looked around and saw that no one was there. He walked around the abandoned roof top until he saw a figure standing at the edge of the building. As he approached the figure, he was knocked off his feet by a strong gust. He looked up and saw that the Normandy was flying away.

"Wait! There is still someone here!", he screamed.

"I'll be joining you soon dad", said the unknown figure.

Shepard recognized the voice, jumped up and ran to the figure. It was Ashley. He left her behind as she asked.

"Ashley, I… I'm sorry", he stuttered.

She couldn't hear him. It was as if he was the ghost here. Just as he reached out to her, he was blinded by a bright light. He knew what it was. It was the bomb he left to destroy Saren's research facility. He turned his attention back to Ashley and watched as the explosion disintegrated her body and all he heard was the shriek of the damned. The only thing that made it less painful, was that her suffering was quick. The blast knocked Shepard off the side of the building and he plunged into the sharp rocks below. Just before he would have been skewered by the rocks, he felt a thud and everything went black.

It was if he had hit a floor. He opened his eyes, looked up and noticed he was in some apartment building. Unlike the last time, he knew where was. How could he not? He was here a month or so ago to recruit "Archangel", who turned out to be Garrus. He looked around and saw dead Blue Sun, Blood Pack, Eclipse, and freelance mercenaries face down on the floor. He kept looking around until an explosion caught him off guard. He ran out of the apartment and saw that it was Tarak's, the leader of the Blue Suns, gunship. He ran up the stairs because he remembered what happened around this time. Garrus had taken a direct hit from a rocket and his life was in danger. He got inside the room and saw another Shepard along with Grunt and Mordin. He had a sinister smile on his face.

"You two get out of here and contact the shuttle", said the shadow Shepard. He pulled out his pistol and looked down at Garrus. "I don't think he'll be coming with us."

Grunt and Mordin left the room so Shepard could take care of business.

"Looks like you won't be coming with us…old friend."

"Shepard…please." Garrus paused as he coughed up more blood before he continued, "It could be like…"

"…old times." Shepard laughed, "Oh Garrus, if only you could see how pathetic you looked right now. You think I give a fuck about some dying Turian. You really should have learned to pick your allies more wisely. I killed Dr. Heart instead of letting you do it. I left you alone just long enough for Tarak to kill you. Garrus,I guess what you've said before is true, you really are the worst Turian ever. The only good thing I can say is that the person who killed you, as the Krogan say, was a worthwhile enemy."

Just like that, a loud bang followed by the sound of blood splattering across the floor. Shepard couldn't believe what he had just seen. He ran up to Garrus and fell to his knees. Never before had Shepard cried, but he couldn't help himself as he tears ran down his face. He held his mangled friend's body in his arms.

The shadow Shepard interrupted the moment, "My, my Shepard. I always knew Garrus was a pussy but you… I never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up!"

"Touchy I see. Either way welcome to hell Shepard."

"What did you say?"

"What, did you honestly believe a war hound like you would wind up somewhere else? War is all you know. All you can do is fight… nothing else. You love to fight. You killed innocent Batarians because of what happened on Mindoir. They had nothing to do with the raid that killed your parents but you still slaughtered them, women and children included. You led your whole squad to death on Torfan because you wanted to keep fighting. They couldn't hang with you but they couldn't say no to you. They feared you."

Petrified Shepard replied, "No, I'm not a monster. I…I know love for things other than war."

"Right, you say you know love but, if i recall correctly, you left the woman you "loved" to die on Virmire. Now you think you have a chance with Tali…with that sweet piece of Quarian ass."

"Don't you dare talk about Tali that way!"

"What are you going to do about it? Fight me? You're too busy trying to save everyone, you fail to realize that the person who needs saving... is you. Accept it moron… the only thing you love in this life is war."

Shepard went silent.

"I don't see any more reason to keep talking to a pussy like you. You can't face the truth so I think I'm going to go now."

"Don't turn your back on me!"

"I'd be worried about myself if I were you. Goodbye Shepard."

Shepard looked down and saw that he was sinking into the blood of Garrus as if it was quicksand. He began frantically flailing around trying to break free. He could do nothing as his body began engulfed by the blood. His face began to sink and all he could do was accept that this was the end. But in true fashion, Shepard continued to fight as he always had until he felt his hand rise above the blood. He reached around for anything to grab when he heard a voice.

"Shepard! Grab my hand!", the anonymous voice cried out.

He reached up and grabbed onto the hand. He began to rise slowly out of the blood. As his head reemerged, he looked up and saw a familiar face. It was Tali. Just as he was almost free, Tali faded and a bright light emerged.

A voice came from the light, "I love you."

It was immediately followed by another voice and the last thing Shepard heard, "Clear!"

"We've got a pulse!", Dr. Chakwas cried out, "Mordin get the sedatives! We need to stabilize his condition."

A sigh of relief flooded over this ship. Shepard had found his way back. Tali and Kelly cried in each other's arms. Even Miranda let a small tear of joy run down the side of her face.

"Still need to operate on shoulder, but should be simple surgery as heart is no longer under pressure", Mordin proclaimed.

"Agreed", Chakwas replied.

They operated on his shoulder and after about 30 minutes Mordin came out of the Medical Bay and announced, "Shepard will pull through, will need rest though."

People began clearing out of the area and either went back to work or went to sleep. Tali, Kelly, and Miranda remained in the Mess Hall.

"You going to be ok Tali?", Kelly asked.

"Yes, I'm so glad that Shepard is going to pull through." She paused and looked at Kelly, "I also want to thank you Kelly."

Surprised Kelly replied, "For what?"

"For being there for me… for being a good... friend."

"Oh… you're welcome Tali", she replied, now with a big smile on her face.

"You should probably get some rest Kelly."

"As should you Tali, but I understand if you're going to stick around for a while. I'll talk to you later. Later Tali… oh and good day to you as well Ms. Lawson"

The air was tense as Tali and Miranda sat across the table from each other. Tali had no respect for Miranda and being a part of Cerberus only made her more unable to trust her. Meanwhile, Miranda looked at Tali and wondered what Shepard saw in such a strange creature. She wasn't a xenophobe like some of the people who joined Cerberus, but she had a hard time wrapping her mind around the concept of inter-species relationships. She wasn't alone though. A lot of people, regardless of species, are not big fans of their own species to mate with someone of another species, with the Asari being the only exception. Rupert tried to cut the tension bringing them each some food; however, even as they ate, they couldn't take their eyes of the other. Eventually the tension in the room exploded as they both slammed their hands on the table and stood up.

"What the bloody hell are you looking at Quarian?"

"I could ask you the same thing Cerberus agent!"

"Me being a part of Cerberus shouldn't even be a factor."

"Really? What makes you think I can trust you people after what you did to the Idenna?"

"I wasn't part of that!"

"No… but you're still with them! You massacred my people! If you think I'm going to get all buddy-buddy with you, you are sadly mistaken you bosh'tet!"

"It wasn't to be expected", Miranda replied with grim look on her face.

The two stared each other down in a moment of silence before Tali broke it, "Why didn't you apply any Medi-gel to his wound? You let him suffer probably because of all the Cerberus agents he killed."

Miranda, fed up with all the accusations, shouted, "No, you stupid bitch! You don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about! I didn't apply any Medi-gel because we didn't have anymore." She paused as a tear fell down her face. She wiped it away and continued, "He used the last of it tending to a bullet wound I took to my leg." She turned and showed the bullet hole to Tali. "I told him to use it on his shoulder, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. He risked his life for both Mordin and me."

Tali, taken back by what Miranda had said, found herself remembering her own incidents. Shepard had taken a shot to the chest, but used the last Medi-gel on her even though the wound seemed less serious. He risked his life to protect her the first time they met on the Citadel. After a moment of silence, she looks back at Miranda, who had tears uncontrollably sliding down her face.

"Miranda…I'm sorry. I had no right to get mad at you. Shepard did the same thing for me…he risked his life for mine. Neither of us deserve his sacrifices if we can't work together."

"I'm not asking you to trust Cerberus. All I'm asking is that you trust me; If not fall the way, at least trust me for as long as work together."

"Agreed."

The two sat back down and finished their meals. They both routinely looked at Shepard lying down on the bed.

Tali looked at Miranda, "He looks so peaceful."

Puzzled by the tone of her voice Miranda asked, "Do you like the commander Tali?"

Tali quickly turned away, "Excuse me?"

"I see the way you look at him. It's an honest question. Do like the commander?"

Tali wasn't use to being put on the spot. She always got nervous, but this time she knew she had to choose her words correctly. Miranda was a gorgeous woman. She had curves, nice hair, and most importantly, Shepard could see her face. She knew if she declined interest, Miranda could probably steal Shepard from her even if she hardly tried.

"Tali?"

Knocked out of her zone, she turned to her and looked directly at her and said, "Yes Miranda. I've liked him ever since we first met a few years ago on the Citadel."

"I thought so… I've seen the way he looks at you too."

Surprised Tali replied, "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on," she laughed, "if he wouldn't give a woman who looks like me as much as a peek, it's obvious to me he has his heart set on somebody else."

"You certainly don't lack confidence", she replied.

"You've got a winner there Tali. You better treat him right, or else somebody else might."

Then Kelly came over the intercom, "Ms. Lawson, the Illusive Man is looking for an update on the mission. With Shepard resting, I was wondering if you want to take it for him."

"Right away Yeoman Chambers," she looked at Tali. "Remember what I said about Shepard." She winked at her and walked off.

Tali sat at the table. As minutes turned to hours, Tali's body had finally succumbed to exhaustion. She lied her head down on the table only to rest her eyes but fell asleep.

Shepard's eyes open as he finds himself on a operating table. He sits up and looks around. He is back on the Normandy. He sees Chakwas sleeping at her desk and decides to throw a blanket over her. He looks out the window and sees Tali knocked out on at the table. He walks over to her and picks her up.

"She looks so adorable sleeping", he thought to himself.

He carries her to the elevator and heads up to his cabin. He gets to his room and gently sets Tali down on his bed. He tucks her in and lets her sleep. As he was heading back to the elevator to have a little chat with the Illusive Man, he noticed his terminal was unlocked. He walked over and saw that Tali's message was highlighted. He looked over at Tali and smiled. He then proceeded to the elevator to "discuss" things with the Illusive Man.

"Shepard… there is something I've always wanted to tell you but I could never figure out how to say it."

"I know Tali, and there is something I've always wanted to tell you."

"Really Shepard? What is it?"

"I think I'd like to tell you to your face", and Shepard sticks is hand on her mask. He unlocks it and pulls of the mask. Holding her by her chin, he pulls her close and tells her, "Tali Zorah Vas Normandy… I love you."

Tali, with butterflies in her stomach, replies, "Oh Shepard, I love you too." Just as the two were ready to press their lips upon one another…she woke up.

Tali sits up, angry about waking up, notices she's not in the mess hall anymore. She looks down and realizes she is sleeping in Shepard's bed. She felt a warm feeling inside her suit. She was wet.

"For once I'm glad we wear these suits", she thought to herself, embarrassed. Just then she hears a voice she longed to hear.

"You sleep well Tali?"

"Shepard!" Tali happily ran up to Shepard and hugged him like she'd never had before. Squeezing him tightly and holding him close to her.

Shepard responds to the enthusiasm, "Umm Tali…I'm happy to see you too but I can't breathe."

"Oh…I'm sorry I was just so scared Shepard. When you died", with tears pouring down her face, "I thought I lost you forever."

Shepard looked at her and a tear fell from his eye as well. He pulled her in close.

"Thank you Tali… because of you I found my way back home."

She had no idea what he was talking about, but she was enjoying of every moment of being with Shepard. She finally had the man she loved in her arms and he had his arms around her.

"Shepard!", yelled a familiar, and unwelcomed, voice.

Shepard turns his head and sees Garrus running up to him. Meanwhile, Tali, under the mask, had a very annoyed look on her face. Garrus knew it as well. He knew if looks could kill, it been him in the hospital.

"I'm so sorry. I heard what happened and I can't tell you how bad I feel about it. Figures the one time I'm not here to pull your ass out of the fire you go and die on me."

Shepard smiled and laughed, "Gee I guess you won't be getting any more leaves of absence. So you can say goodbye to that get away to Thessia."

"Damn and she was so looking forward to me coming back", he replied sarcastically. Garrus notices that Tali's death stare was getting more vicious asks, "Did I interrupt something?"

Tali, annoyed, replied, "No Garrus, I was just getting ready to go back to Engineering. I'm sure Ken and Gaby are lost without their boss to guide them."

She darted for the elevator, but Garrus and Shepard both joined her.

"What?", Shepard joked, "I got to get back to work"

"Same here", Garrus added.

Shepard got off on Deck 2 and waved goodbye to Tali and Garrus.

The doors shut and Tali looked at Garrus and said, "Garrus, you are lucky I don't have my shotgun or else I would shoot you dead right now."

"I missed you too Tali." Garrus couldn't get off the elevator fast enough when he reached Deck 3. He turned to her, "Don't worry I won't do it again."

"You better not or else someone else will be calibrating the guns."

The doors closed and Tali headed for Engineering. She looked down at the floor and Shepard's blood still stained the floor panels. She almost cried but knew she had to keep herself together. The door opened and she was about to step of when a though came to her head and with that she turned around. She had something she needed to discuss with Dr. Mordin.