Okay, I know I should be writing 'needed', but I couldn't make this little idea escape my brain, so I shall have to write it! Basically, I was watching Thane's death in ME3, and thought 'I wonder if Shepard and Kolyat would stay in touch?' since my Shepard romanced Thane, I thought it would be uber-cute if they sort of stayed together...so I decided to write a fic about it! Also, Thane's romance was a little sucky. So, I shall add junk. Make this a little AU-ish, but not much. I'mma list this as Shepard & Kolyat, but that isn't the pairin' o'course!...Unless I feel like it. Which I might. Even I can't predict my moods. Also, I'm not sure how long this fic shall be...but I shall try my best. Enjoy.

~MX~

Seeing Thane again had really opened Flora Shepard's eyes. Back when he was on the Normandy, during the Collector situation...he had barely even shown signs of his illness. He had just been serene, calm and relaxed. His fitness and years of fighting prowess shone through as they faced their enemies, moving with such a beautifully swift silence that Flora sometimes managed to lose sight of him even when he was behind cover right next to her. Only occasionally did he mention Kepral's syndrome, and even then it did not seem to bother him greatly.

So, now, as she sat with Thane's hands clasped in hers, seated within the patient lounge of the hospital, one could only imagine how much it broke her heart to see him like this. So frail, so sick...he hid it well, but even he couldn't disguise the coughs tearing from his throat through every sentence. His skin had grown more pale, blotchy and dull. It really hit home how much time he had left. Silently, she cursed the Alliance for keeping her in their custody for so long. She could have spent those six months with her beloved, milked every second with him whilst he was still well.

"Siha...Is everything well?" Had Thane been talking? She had zoned out in her moment of contemplation, her surroundings forgotten for just a few minutes. She looked away from their joint hands, lacing her fingers with his. Hazel eyes met the dark, sparkling orbs that she adored so much. Even some of that enchanting glimmer had vanished from his eyes.

"I was just...I left you alone for six months. Six whole months. I could have been with you, helping you enjoy...enjoy what was left." Her voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. Her eyes welled up in seconds, the tears that had been preparing to fall free during every word that was spoke finally dripping over her lower eyelids. Once the tears had started, they would not stop. Thane brushed them away from her tanned cheek, his touch feather-light, almost as if it wasn't even there. She leant into the touch, small sobs racking her form.

"It was not your fault. I was fine. The hospital treats me well, and Kolyat visits regularly." Flora had encountered Kolyat a few times since she had reunited him and his father. He had visited his father on the Normandy after the battle with the Collectors was over, and they had met up on the Citadel. Initially, Kolyat was unsure of how to react to Flora's relationship with Thane, still hesitant to accept that his Father had moved on from his Mother, but eventually he warmed to her, the two staying in contact over the extranet. And for that, Flora was incredibly glad, for without Kolyat, she wouldn't have even known if Thane was still alive or not. Thane could not message her himself, just in case someone figured out his history, or revenge-seeking enemies tracked him down.

"But...I just missed you. So much. Every day, every night...all I could think about was you, Thane." Her voice was shaky, her eyes misted over with tears that refused to shed. Thane just thought she looked gorgeous. Mid-fight, she was majestic and powerful, a vision of justice. Every movement was executed with a wonderful flourish, her focus and determination never broken. But it was the moments that she dropped the mask of seriousness that her true beauty showed. He was one of the rare few that she let herself act natural around. And he felt honoured to see this side of her.

"It was the same here, Siha. You were the thing keeping me alive. I could not depart to the ocean without seeing you again." And every word of that was true. Flora...his own little flower. She meant everything to him, kept him whole when things were hard to bear. Yes, he had loved Irikah. She had awoken him from his battle sleep, made him capable of caring. But that was nothing like what he felt for Flora. Every touch, every word, every glance. They were each magical in their own way.

"Thank you, Thane...it is you who will be keeping me alive when I fight the Reapers." The Reapers. If it wasn't for them...No. She didn't want to think of them right now. They had controlled everything she'd done for the last three years. Every gunshot, every decision, all to try and stop the inevitable. Now was not the time. Although, she could use them as her driving force...the sooner she defeated them, the less chance of Thane's life ending prematurely! It was sad, but true.

Now it was Thane's turn to feel regret. He could not be there to help his beloved to finally destroy her greatest foe, he would not get to see her moment of glory. He just prayed that he would still live to actually see the day. He wanted nothing more than to leave this damnable hospital and join her. She would never let him, though, and it was probably for the better. The stress was not good for his condition, and she would not allow him to venture into the danger of the front lines. He understood, but did not enjoy her leaving him again.

"So...how is Kolyat doing?" Shepard had instantly picked up on Thane's surge of sadness, and the swift subject change had made that very clear. Flora even knew the answer to that question, as she had been talking to Kolyat frequently, but she did not want the conversation to drift to more depressing subjects.

"He is nearing the end of his work on the citadel...He's unsure of what to do once it is over, but aside from that he is well." Thane was thankful that the area Kolyat was ordered to patrol was so near to the hospital. That meant he visited often, the two finally close enough to talk without the air being tense and the words they each spoke forced and awkward, almost painful in nature. Flora smiled, stroking one of her slender hands down the side of his face, resting on his neck to lightly stroke at his neck frills. Thane had noticed the scars upon Flora's hands, along with the missing middle finger on her right hand. They had not been there when he had met her. Her hands had been smooth, perfect and pristine...which meant that her injuries had happened on the suicide mission. She had been so focused, she hadn't even cared. She must have been in agony, and yet she spoke a word of it to no one. Such was the way of Flora. She would bottle up her emotions, let them fester and boil until they burst. He worried for what such things did for her own health. She had also begun to stop wearing her fringe clipped aside, letting it spread over her forehead, so she had likely gained another scar upon her face, one she did not want people to see.

How someone so rugged and fierce could also be so sweet and gentle...Thane didn't believe he would ever fully comprehend how she managed it. Personally, he quite liked the scars. Each told their own story, a tale of Flora's conquests. Her failures, her successes...they fascinated him. He had been known to enjoy laying next to an unclothed Flora, tracing over each of her scars as she happily explained how she had gained them. She seemed glad to tell someone, reveal secrets that she had not dared to tell anyone besides Thane. He would not judge her.

"Siha...Flora." Flora raised an eyebrow. Thane rarely called her by her first name. His look suddenly became a lot more serious than it previously had been, and his grip on her grew tighter. She hummed in reply, urging him to continue whatever it was he wanted to say. Her smile had fallen, but she tried to look at least content as she listened to him speak.

"You are aware that my heart belongs to you, yes?" Where was he going with this? Of course she knew. Yes, there had been times at the beginning of their odd little liaison in which she thought that she may have just been acting as a replacement for Irikah, but he had soon proven that he truly did care about her. She nodded, her wavy, dark hair bobbing with the movement. Thane glanced away for just a moment. He looked...nervous?

"I...wish to make it official that I am yours, for all eternity." Her eyes widened, and it brought a slight smile to Thane's scaled lips. She knew where he was going with this. Her expression was hard to decipher, but the look in her eyes screamed nothing but happiness. She wrapped her arms around him, her face lighting up. She sent him one of her rare tooth-filled smiles. He almost felt privileged. Flora despised her teeth, for reasons that confused Thane. He thought it cute that they were ever-so-slightly wonky.

"Flora Shepard, will you marry me?" Spectators of their affectionate displays turned at the question, each eager to see the reaction of the lucky lady. Which just happened to be a very loud and high-pitched squeal, the likes of which Thane hadn't even known Flora could make. He released a combination of a cough and a dry chuckle as Flora nuzzled her face into his neck, her grin bigger than he had ever seen before.

"Yes! Just...Yes!" A wave of cheering and applause erupted from their audience as Shepard just about screeched her response. Flora didn't even feel a smidgen of embarrassment despite being watched by all the inhabitants of the lounge. She'd never expected to find such an immense moment of joy within all the horror and despair filling her life. She would revel in it for as long as possible.

Thane pulled his beloved close into a passionate and kiss. Her never wanted to let this woman go. He wouldn't. He would watch her in every moment in this one and the next, every moment and every second. Yes, his life was coming to an end. But what of it remained, he could live happily alongside Flora.

And Flora...she would make every minute they had left worth it. And that was a vow. One she would never break.