Everything hurt. She had no idea where she was. The only thing Shepard knows is that before she was here was Garrus whispering in her ear, "I love you". She wants to sit up and look around,but her entire body is paralyzed. Shepard panics and a bunch of beeps and sirens go off.

"Shepard it is ok, just relax" a British voice says, and she feels herself slipping away.

A green haze covers everything. The first thing she recognizes is the that she is on the old citadel. It is like a complete re-make of her old life. Shepard smiles to herself and wanders around curiously.

"Saren's hiding something, give me more time, STALL HIM!" Garrus was yelling at some other Turian.

"Stall the Council?" the Turian said, and this made Shepard chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over Garrus". Shepard looked at the younger Garrus. His left mandible untouched. She walked over to stand next to him, and that's when he spots her.

"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation of Saren" he said. Shepard looked at herself as the scene was playing out. She looked younger, more vibrant, not so tired and like a badass, if she did say so herself. Smiling to herself to moved to Garrus's right.

"Saren's a spectre, most of his activities are classified. I couldn't find anything solid, but I know he is up to something" Garrus said.

"Oh he is up to something all right" Shepard said aloud, knowing no one could hear her, but the younger Garrus looked straight into her eyes. His mandibles flicked in the way that told Shepard that he recognized her. He looked even more gorgeous than she remembered. How did she not notice this earlier? Garrus continued, "Like you humans say, 'I can feel it in my gut'".

Shepard was back, laying in her hospital bed. She could hear beeps, and voices. She wanted to shout that she was here. She tried shaking her toes, nothing. Her fingers?

"Like you humans say, 'I can feel it in my gut'". Garrus was saying, and he felt her hand tiredly squeeze his and jumped back. "MORDIN, MIRANDA!" he yelled and went running from the room.

Shepard was left comatose in her bed. She knew she wasn't alone and that was when she felt the balmy hand on her forehead.

"What does he know, I am your mother. I know you fought long and hard, but a mother knows when her children are checking out. It's ok to let go baby, it's ok".

Shepard felt herself slipping away again.

The green haze again. She looks around and sees that she is on Virmire. She walked around, watched herself talk Wrex down, saw how Ashley kept her gun pointed in his direction. Saw how she released the prisoners, and even laughed again at the partially indoctrinated one hitting the door again. Then she found it again.

"This is not good" young Garrus said. She walks up to him and puts her hand up to his left mandible. She hurts inside knowing what comes next. The younger Garrus puts her hand over her ghostly one, and Shepard has no idea what to read from this gesture. She knew this was a dream, her real self was in that hospital room.

"You are not Saren" the disembodied Sovereign says.

"What is that? Some kind of VI interface?" Garrus murmurs.

'There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign."

Shepard chuckles to herself and air-quotes, I am the Harbinger of your destruction. She noticed that Liara didn't flinch at all, but Garrus looked puzzled. Then it hit her, she remembered when they were on the suicide mission that Garrus mentioned that he had heard that phrase somewhere else. Had she been here before? Had he heard her?

"Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant, we simply are" Sovereign said. "Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades".

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"She is alive, and she is fine" Garrus was saying.

"No she isn't, I am her mother!"

"I am her husband!" Garrus shouted.

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measure in years and decades, but the technology and how Shepard was created, is much different." Miranda was explaining.

Shepard wondered how long she was out of it. It didn't seem that long because just before this memory she remembered her mother telling her to let go. They are still fighting over her life. She thought, 'Don't give up Garrus, I am still here'. She figured Mordin or Miranda must have seen the spike in her brain activity because the last thing she remembered was Mordin saying, "Out, out, much to do, not long now". Beeps slowly lulled Shepard back to oblivion.

"Look out! Seeker Swarms" Garrus yelled. Shepard turned to look at him, but he was moving so quick, so swift. She was in awe.

"We're in position, we need this door open now!" She heard her counterpart scream.

"Go, we'll cover you" Garrus said with love. Then the attention was over towards Legion. Shepard's heart panged, she missed him.

"Shepard, Commander. The door has malfunctioned. Path blocked." She looked to Garrus then to herself and they nodded to each other. She remembered this vividly, and how it felt like years had passed until the door opened. In reality, or her 'dream-reality' it was only seconds.

The door opened, and her crew moved into safety. Shepard looked around to them. They looked so tired, so determined, and horrified. She knew what was coming, and walked towards the tube that contained Chakwas. She softly touched the tube, not knowing that Garrus was intently watching her. The other Shepard was looking over her team. Garrus did a double-take and said, "Shepard, you need to see this". The other Shepard turned around, saw Chakwas and screamed.

She frantically broke her crew out of the tubes. "Shepard? you...you came for us." Chakwas was saying through their hug. Shepard took the opportunity to watch the moment, seeing the love from herself for Chakwas, and it being returned.

'No one gets left behind" Shepard whispered as her counterpart said it aloud. Garrus shook his head.

"The colonists were...processed. Those swarms of little robots, they...melted their bodies into gray liquid and pumped it through these tubes".

"...through these tubes?" Shepard heard her mother asking. Again, unable to move, unable to communicate she squeezed her hand.

Garrus squeezed back and whispered, "It won't be long now, she's almost here". He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she started to feel pain, immense pain.

"Her survival fortunate. Will stabilize new government should Wrex hey any ideas. Good match, promising future for Krogan". Mordin said as he was fiddling at the panel. Shepard looked around, she remembered this moment, the moment she saved his life.

"Mordin…" she heard her other self say.

"No, No other option. Not coming back. Suggest you clear."

"Like hell you're not coming back. Let someone else take care of this." Shepard said. Mordin was visually becoming irritated.

"HAD TO BE ME! Somebody else would have gotten it wrong." Mordin said looking down.

Shepard walked around to the other side of Mordin and listened to herself say, "What if Cortez flies parallel to that console up there" she points at the shroud, "Can you jump clear before…" She trailed off. Mordin took a few seconds to contemplate this idea.

"Hmm, will work. Will be ready in a few minutes." He went back to the console, and the elevator opened. Shepard walked in with Mordin, she always was curious how he pulled this off. They both stepped off the elevator at the top of the shroud. Mordin frantically worked and hummed, "I've studied species Turian, Asari, Batarian...my Xenoscience Studies range from Urban to Argarian. I am the very model of…"

There was a light humming of a tune. Shepard could tell this tune from anywhere. "My Xenoscience Studies range from Urban to Argarian. I am the very model of a scientist Salarian". Mordin sang while changing some of Shepard's dressings.

Garrus had just walked into the room, Shepard could recognize his scent anywhere. "How is she?" he asked.

"Not long now. Any day now." Mordin said cheerfully.

Garrus say next to Shepard and held her hand. She squeezed back and tried her hardest to open her eyes, but again, nothing. She sighed. "Pretty soon you can meet Arabella. She's been asking a lot about you, you know." Garrus was telling her. Then it hit her. She did it, she successfully built her family.