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Love, Blood and Tears: Chapter 49

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Love, Blood & Tears
Chapter 49:



Shepard slowly opened her eyes as she stretched out her muscles; quickly realizing the lack of a warm body next to her. She could hear the faint sound of the shower and smiled as she got out of bed; heading to the bathroom. She felt steadier on her feet than she had the last couple of days. She felt better, achy but better; like she'd broken through a fever. Steam flooded out of the bathroom as she opened the door. The thickness of it let her know that the water temperature Garrus was using was entirely too hot for her and she decided to let him enjoy his scalding shower alone. She wondered if it was sort of payback for the icy cold shower she had been taking the other day. She smiled at the thought as she turned to exit but not before something caught her eye; the mirror over the sink was fogged heavily. Her smile widened as she ran her fingers across the mirror; leaving the words I love you written, framed in a heart, before quietly exiting the bathroom. She quickly got dressed and set off to make her final set of rounds before they arrived at Earth.



***



Shepard was finishing up her final walkthrough when she bumped into Tali.

"Tali, hey…I think it goes without saying but you're on the shuttle list for Earth."

"I would certainly hope so. We've been in this together since the beginning."

"That we have," Shepard replied with a warm smile.

"Since I've got you here, can I have your omni-tool for a second?" Tali asked as she held her hand out for it.

"Uh, sure...why?" Shepard inquired.

"Well...I've been secretly snapping pictures of you and Garrus," she said bashfully.

"What?" Shepard chuckled surprised.

"Just whenever I saw a sweet moment between the two of you, I felt compelled to take a picture. I started noticing others doing the same thing as well."

"Who?" Shepard grinned.

"Uhm, Liara...Chakwas...a few others. Liara and I gathered up all the pictures we could from everyone and...here," Tali said as she transferred the data to Shepard's omni-tool. "We thought you'd like to have them."

Shepard took back her tool and started scrolling through the pictures; Garrus and her sitting closely together in the mess hall, a quick forehead nuzzle in the corridors, cuddled together in the lounge, strolling through the Citadel and so on.

"Wow," Jane sighed happily, "These are great shots. Just...wonderful...priceless. Thank you, Tali"

"You're welcome," Tali replied as she reached out; giving Shepard a hug.

Jane warmly received the embrace and squeezed Tali firmly in her arms.

Good-bye my friend, Shepard thought as she committed to memory what was sure to be her final peaceful moment with her favorite quarian.

After a final understanding nod, Jane walked off toward the elevator and bumped into Artus as he was exiting off of it.

"Oops, sorry," Shepard muttered with a smile, "I should really watch where I'm going, huh?"

"You've got a lot on your mind," Artus replied in a neutral tone.  It threw Shepard off; she couldn't get a reading on him.  Garrus, and the rest of his family, showed their emotions. Artus however, he was much harder to get a feel for.  From what she knew of him though, he had no problem saying what was he was thinking so that was helpful.

"Shepard, we haven't had a chance to really talk yet," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh? Something in particular you need to talk about?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Do I need a reason to speak with my new bond-daughter?" he offered innocently.

She narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms while shifting her weight to one hip; as if to say I'm not buying it.

"Well, maybe there's a thing or two on my mind," he conceded, "Could you join me in the lounge for a moment to discuss them?"

"Of course," she smiled.

"After you," he nodded as he stepped aside to let her walk by and lead the way.



***



After a satisfying shower, Garrus stepped out and grabbed a towel. As he began to dry off, something caught his eye. He looked up at the mirror; immediately noticing the "I love you" Jane had left for him. His mandibles flickered in delight and he hoped that their night together gave her everything she needed to feel better.

He looked around their empty quarters; the bed sheets were a mess.  He laughed to himself as he walked over and made the bed.  For being in the military, you think Shepard could make the bed.  It wasn't that she couldn't make the bed; she just didn't care to.  He recalled her telling him on many occasions that she didn't see the point when it was just going to get messy again and nobody but them was going to see it. Her logic didn't stop Garrus from making the bed anyway.  Jane had made the bed a handful of times since they were together and each time she did, it did not go unnoticed by Garrus who would make some smart remark about it like "What's the special occasion?"

After making the bed and getting dressed, Garrus headed out for the main battery.  He had some final calibrations to check on; then he would look for Jane.



***



"So what do you want to talk about?" Jane asked Artus as she grabbed herself a carbonated drink and sat down at the bar.

"First, I haven't personally welcomed you into the family," Artus replied as he cleared his throat and sat down on the barstool next to her.

"Did Sophira make you aware of that?" Jane chuckled as she took a sip of her drink.

"Perhaps," he smirked, "As did Solana and Garrus."

"Oh boy, all three of them hit you up, eh?" she laughed. "Well, in all fairness, I didn't seek you out either so that makes us even."

"You've been busy, Shepard, and you're the one being welcomed into the family. It is my responsibility to reach out; not yours," he stated.

"Please, call me Jane," she said warmly.

"Okay…Jane," he nodded.

"So, I'm your bond-daughter?" she asked curiously.

"Yes."

"So…that makes Solana my bond-sister?" she asked, testing out the titles of her newly extended family.

"Correct."

"Hmm…interesting. I like that," she smiled as she took another sip.

"What titles are used in your species?"

"Once a couple is married, everything is 'in-law'," she replied, "So like father in-law, sister in-law, and so forth."

"Ah, I see," Artus replied, "Well, Shep…I mean Jane, welcome to the family."

"Thank you."

"There is one more thing...about the upcoming battle. I understand leaving my wife on the ship and I also understand if there is hesitation to take Solana along but...I want to join your strike team. I want to fight alongside my son in battle," he finished roughly.

The look in his eyes, desperately waiting for her answer, made her heart ache.  How could she refuse his request?

"I can understand that and I welcome the help," she smiled, "Of course you can join us."

"Thank you, Jane. Thank you very much."

The door to the lounge swooshed open as Garrus entered the room. Artus looked up and snickered as he saw his son visibly tense up at the sight of him and Jane alone together. What did he think was going to happen? An audible laugh escaped Artus as Jane looked over her shoulder to see who was standing in the doorway.

"You going to stand there all day or would you like to join us?" Artus inquired.

Shepard chuckled at his question. Seeing his father and bondmate smiling made Garrus feel better and he let out a sigh of relief; eliciting a snicker from Artus that only Garrus could hear.

"What are you two talking about?" Garrus asked as he took a seat next to Jane.

"War plans," she replied, "Your father will be joining us on Earth."

"You are?" Garrus asked his father; stunned.

"Yes, it that really a surprise to you?" Artus responded.

"Does mom know?"

"She will," Artus replied in what Shepard could swear was a timid sounding tone.

"What about Solana?" Garrus asked Shepard, "Have you said she can go?"

"Actually, I was going to leave her on ship," Jane replied, "I think it's a smart move considering your mom is staying on the ship as well."

"I agree," Garrus said with a sigh of relief.

"Well, if you two would please excuse me," Shepard said as she got up from her seat, "I need to start getting prepped. Artus, I'll see you on the shuttles."

"You can count on it," he nodded.

Garrus watched Jane exit the lounge before turning back to his father.

"War plans? That's what you two talked about?" Garrus asked.

"Do I have to tell you everything I talk to Jane about?" Artus countered.

"Jane? When did she become Jane to you?" Garrus snickered.

"When she asked me to start calling her that."

"So you did talk about other things other than war," Garrus accused.

"That's between me and my bond-daughter."

Garrus stared at his father in disbelief. Jane? Bond-daughter? Protecting their conversations? A warm feeling of happiness spread through him at his father's willing acceptance of his bondmate.

"Okay, I can live with that," Garrus smiled.

Artus gave his son a pat on the back as if to say You did good, son.



***



"ETA two hours, Commander," Joker said over the comm.

"Thank you, let me know when we're thirty minutes out," she replied as she stepped off the elevator.

"Aye, aye."

Shepard sighed heavily as the butterflies crept up in her stomach and she entered her quarters.

First things first, she thought as she  walked over to her personal terminal. She uploaded the images of her and Garrus onto it and picked out her favorite for the holo pic in the frame next to the bed. The picture selected was of Shepard leaning against a railing with Garrus snuggled up against her; looking out over the lush gardens and lake on the Citadel. Feeling satisfied with her new decoration, she grabbed her armor and started getting ready.

She had her bodysuit and the bottom half of her armor on when Garrus entered their quarters to get suited up as well.

"Hey," she said softly as she looked up at him.

"Hey," he replied warmly as he approached her.

"You ready for this?" she sighed.

"Not yet," he said as reached out and gently held her face in his hands.  He pressed his forehead against hers as his chest started to rumble.

"I love you," he purred.

"I love you too," she replied as she pressed her forehead harder into his.

"Okay, now I'm ready," he smiled. He laid gentle kisses down her cheek as his eyes scanned past her and noticed the picture on the nightstand.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Apparently the crew has been snapping pictures of us for months," she replied without turning around; she knew what he was referring to. "That was one of my favorites so I decided to put it in that frame. There's a whole bunch more on my terminal that I can show you later."

She felt a hard lump in her throat at her words...she just lied to Garrus; there would be no later - not for her. Garrus walked over to the picture and picked it up; scanning it closely.

"This was after our first proper date," he smirked, "The day you agreed to be my bondmate."

"I know," she smiled warmly, "One of the reasons why it's my favorite."

"I love you so much," he sighed as he walked over to her and held her close to him.

Everything had become so wonderful in his life: his relationship with his father, having his family close to him again, having Jane in his life…his bondmate. They just needed to win this war and then they could start a new chapter in their lives.  Garrus could hardly wait for that part of his life with Jane to begin.  



***



Shepard notified those who would be going on the shuttles with her and who would stay on the ship. For Joker's sanity, Shepard decided to leave EDI onboard with him. Sophira was another one that would stay behind as well as Solana; who didn't take the news well.

"What do you mean I'm not going on the shuttle?!" Solana scoffed, "I want to fight alongside my brother and father! You've seen me in action; you know I'm skilled. Please...let me help you."

"Sol, somebody has to care for your mother," Jane replied tenderly, "You've been trained to help her - if something happens to you, who will take care of her? Besides, if something happens to the Normandy I need somebody capable of kicking ass still on this ship."

Solana chuckled at that.

"Fine," Solana huffed.

"Keep my ship safe, okay?" Shepard pleaded as she reached her arms out for a hug.

"I will," Solana promised as she returned the hug and held her bond-sister.

"Keep my brother and father safe?" Solana whispered softly.

"I'll do everything I can…I promise."

"I know you will," Solana said warmly as she gave Jane one last squeeze.

From there, Shepard finished up informing ones that would be heading to Earth with her. That list included Javik, James, Kaidan, Liara, Tali, Mordin, Garrus, Artus and Victus; who would be meeting his men at the rendezvous point in London.





*****





"Approaching the Sol Relay, Commander," Joker said as Shepard walked over and stood behind him. "We're through the relay in thirty seconds."

Shepard looked out the windows as they passed through the relay and came through the other side along with the entire fleet they had acquired; a very impressive sight.

"All fleets reporting in," Joker informed Shepard, "Ready to engage on your command."

The fleets drew closer to Earth and soon the Reapers came into sight; surrounding the closed up Citadel.

"This is it everyone. Be ready on my signal!" Shepard said as the Reapers started moving towards them. "Fire!"

The fleets charged forward, firing their weapons at the Reapers.  Joker guided the Normandy through the battle and closer to Earth for the shuttles to take off.

"Commander, be careful down there," Joker said.

Shepard gave Joker's shoulder a squeeze and then turned around to head out for the docking bay.



***



Sophira walked her men to the shuttle bay, with Solana closely in tow.

"I guess this is good-bye," Solana sighed softly.

"I've never found any 'good' in it," Sophira scoffed.

"Hey now," Artus replied as he gently pulled Sophira into him, "Good-bye simply means I'll miss you until we get back. We will be back."

"You promise?" she asked softly as she nuzzled him.  It was a question she knew better than to ask. Artus' military response was always that in times of war, no such promise could be made.

"I promise," he replied; much to her surprise.

"I'll hold you to that," she smiled; locking eyes with her mate.

Solana punched her brother's arm, "You better come back."

"You heard dad," Garrus replied, "We're just taking an extended leave of absence. This isn't the end."

"I know," Solana smiled, "Shepard said she'd keep you and dad safe."

"What?" he asked; slightly stunned, "She promised that?"

"She promised she'd do everything she could to."

Of course she did, Garrus thought; always protecting everyone else and not herself. That's what he was for though - to protect her, guard her, shield her…with his own life if necessary. Nothing could ever waiver his resolve in this matter.

"Time to ship out!" Shepard yelled as she signaled for her team to load the shuttles.

Artus pressed his forehead into Sophira's; giving her a final squeeze, then gave his daughter a hug.  Garrus gave Solana a hug and then walked over to his mother.

"I love you," he whispered to her as he tightly held her for a moment.

"I love you too," Sophira purred, "And Garrus, keep her safe."

Jane…

"I will."

Sophira and Solana watched as the other half of their family walked away and into battle.



***



In the first shuttle, with Shepard, were Garrus, Artus, Victus and Tali. In the second shuttle, with Vega, were Kaidan, Javik, Liara and Mordin.

Anderson's Hammer unit was in position; all Shepard's squads needed to do was clear a path to them.  Once the shuttles exited the Normandy, Joker flew back to rejoin the fleet.

Shepard sighed heavily at the sight of London as they flew over it; she barely even recognized it.  The first thing they needed to do was take out the Hades cannon so that the Alliance shuttles could have a chance.  Her shuttle had a different landing zone than Vega's; they would meet back up at the rendezvous point.

Shepard was the first off the shuttle, followed by Garrus and the rest.  They made their way forward, taking out marauders and cannibals along the way.  With the squad size Shepard had with her, it didn't take long for them to make advancement.  

When they came across their first brute, Shepard watched in amazement as Garrus, Artus and Victus worked in harmonious union to take it down.  They worked around each other's movements with swift precision and seamless communication.  Taking the brute down was fast, flawless, and perfect.

Without a word, they continued on. Vega's squad had managed to take two of the guns out but there was still one remaining which Shepard's squad was closer to.  They made their way up to the nearest rooftop for a clean shot at the target.  Waiting on the rooftop for them where multiple marauders, cannibals and ravagers.

Shepard ran for cover; as did the rest of her squad.  Jane would wait until Garrus had sniped a majority of the targets before rushing in.  Beside her seasoned sniper was his father who had his sniper rifle out as well.  Shepard watched as father and son knelt down side by side - working together to take out the enemies.  It was like watching Garrus and an aged version of himself.  She glanced over to see the progress they had made. She couldn't tell whose shots were whose but it didn't matter; all shots hit the intended targets.  

Once the amount of enemies was reduced, Shepard ran out from her cover and charged forward.  Artus' focus switched to Jane as she ran by him; firing off her assault rifle as she drew closer and closer to the cannibals.  Garrus continued to pick off any enemies but Artus had his scope set for the enemies nearest Jane; in case anyone got too close for comfort.  He was able to watch her in battle as Tali and Victus rushed in to cover her flank.  

Shepard ran towards a group of three cannibals; killing two of them with her assault rifle before hitting close range.  In one swift graceful motion, Shepard switched out her rifle for her shot gun.  She dived and rolled to avoid the cannibal's fire and as she came to stand on her feet again, the barrel of her gun was on the cannibal's chest. Trigger pulled, enemy down, Shepard turned around and Artus could see her face in his scope. She had enemy blood splattered across her face and neck and it was just…beautiful.  From this standpoint, Artus could understand how his son fell in love with her so easily.  Added to everything else he had come to know about her, he was beginning to understand why his son not only fell in love easily…but fell in love hard.

Once all enemies were cleared out, Shepard set her target on the enemy canon.  That was it; the last gun was down. With that, all Hammer teams could prepare for landing.  Shepard waited a few seconds…radio silence.

"Anybody? Come in! We need extraction!" Shepard said into her comm.

Silence.

Crap!

A new wave of enemies flooded in, including a banshee. Shepard ran back for cover as did the rest of her squad.  They just needed to survive until radio contact was established.  

"Garrus!" she called out.

"On it!" he shouted without Shepard having to finish her command.  He needed to take out that banshee before it got too close.

"This is Commander Shepard," she said into her comm, "Any Alliance personnel in the vicinity?"

Still nothing.

God damn it!

Shepard peered from her cover and started picking off enemies before providing fire support to take down the banshee.  Suddenly, the banshee warped mere feet away from Garrus; too close for his sniper rifle.  He switched out for his assault rifle just as the banshee came within a mere foot of him; close enough for its arms to reach him.

Shit!

Shepard ran over for a closer shot.

No! No! No! her brain screamed in protest.

Garrus fired off a few rounds from his gun before the banshee grabbed hold of him.

"Garrus!" Jane screamed as she ran as fast as she could over to them.

The banshee tilted her head as she prepared her final strike on Garrus.  All of a sudden, the bright orange tip of an omni-tool shot through the banshee's chest. It screeched and dropped Garrus as a final bullet went through her head.  Her limp body fell to the ground to reveal Artus; holding out a hand for his son to help him up.

"I thought I was the rusty one," Artus snickered, "That thing should have been down the minute it was in your sights."

"You have no idea how hard those things are to kill," Garrus defended.

"Didn't seem that difficult to me."

"Yeah, because I weakened it for you," Garrus huffed.

"Whatever makes you feel better," Artus smirked.

"Commander, prepare for extraction," said an Alliance Major over the comm.

Shepard looked up and saw a shuttle fly over and hover over at the far end of the building.

"Come on! We'll cover you!" shouted the Major, Major Coats, from the shuttle.

"You heard him!" Shepard shouted to her squad, "Let's move!"

Shepard and her squad made a mad dash for the shuttle and leaped in.

"Get us out of here, Corporal!" Major Coats shouted to his pilot.

Shepard barely had time to catch her breath before she heard a familiar voice at her back. She turned around…

"Anderson!" she exclaimed.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Shepard," he smiled.

She reached for him; pulling him into a hug.

"It's good to see you," she said as she gave him a firm squeeze.

"And you're a sight for sore eyes," he replied.

"How are we looking?" she asked grimly.

"Now that the heavy air defenses are dealt with, Hammer can land. What's left of the resistance is holding the Forward Operating Base. But the Reapers are countering already. Once we regroup, it's gonna be up to Hammer to take up the fight."

"God…it must have been brutal here…" she barely whispered.

"Yeah…we held back as long as we could; sending in recon teams. Lost a lot of good men planning this attack," he said gravely.

"We'll make sure their sacrifice means something. We'll get it done," Shepard said fiercely.

"The entire galaxy united…too bad it took the Reapers to bring us together."

"Shepard is the reason we're united," Garrus corrected.

"That's exactly what I meant," Anderson replied, "I know you didn't like leaving, Shepard, but nobody could've accomplished what you've done."

"It's good to be back home," Shepard said warmly.

"We're approaching the FOB," the pilot called out.

"Looks good," Anderson responded, "Give Hammer the all clear."

The shuttles, including the one that picked up Vega's squad, arrived at the base.  Shepard stepped off the shuttle and walked next to Anderson.

"Admiral, we've set up a command center in the building over there," a marine said.

"Looks like we've still got groups coming in," Anderson said.

"Yes sir, but not as many as we'd hoped."

"Hmm, come see when you're ready, Shepard," Anderson said, "Now would be the time to say any good-byes or things left unsaid before we head out."

"I understand," she nodded.

As Anderson walked off, Shepard looked over at Garrus.

"Why don't you go find Vega and his squad and all regroup," she suggested to him, "I'll catch up."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," she smiled, "Now go."

He tenderly pressed foreheads with her before walking off.  She let out a sigh as he left her line of sight and she turned to gaze out at the destruction of London.  Major Coats approached her…

"The fighting here's been some of the worse on the planet," he said as he came to stand next to her, "It looks bad, but there's still hope. And, you're here. It'll do the troops good to see you. Bolster their resolve."

"I'm just a soldier like them," she replied.

"You might see yourself like that, but they don't. Like it or not, Commander, you're a hero to these men and women. Don't discount the effect that can have on them. I better go meet with my battalion. I'll see you at the Command Center."

Shepard nodded as he walked away.

This was it. She desperately tried to catch her breath as she thought of her final hours counting down.  She didn't know when or how but she was going to die…on that day.  The only thing she knew for certain was why; why she was going to die. She was going to die winning this war for the galaxy.  Anderson was right; now was the perfect time for her to say her good-byes.

She took a deep breath as she set off on her personal mission.
Chapter 49 of LBT! The final battle has begun!

All main characters are the sole property of Bioware, and all that jazz.

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LouFale1337's avatar
Crap.. Im getting all types of knots in my gut! And i cant help but shake due to all this tension.. Good story.. I love everything about it.. But i just pray.. That there might be a happy ending for both Garrus and Jane.. Because theres no Shepherd without Vakarian..