Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is the first fanfic I have ever uploaded to anywhere. I wrote this because a friend of mine asked me to. She played through ME2 and felt that after Garrus' loyalty mission that he wouldn't have just given in to being all forgiving so quickly, especially after almost killing Sidonis.

So my friend asked me to do a story about what it should have been like, she also decided to have me throw in some drama for Garrus & Shepard to work out. There maybe some references to a MShep x Garrus pairing in later chapters; also at her request. I understand that my portrayal of Garrus & others may not be everyone's cup of tea, so just bare with it if you can.

Now, I am probably one of the worst writers out there but she liked it and told me to share it. So here it is. I will greatly appreciate any comments. Please no flames, my flameproof suit has not arrived yet.

**Disclaimer: **Mass Effect and its characters/dialogue belong to Bioware.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The RTV _(Rapid Transport Vehicle)_ sped along on its automated journey back to the docking area where the SSV Normandy SR-2 sat waiting.

Things were progressing smoothly as the calm skyline of the Citadel passed by. To an untrained eye, the three occupants all seemed calm almost tranquil. However, there might as well have been a raging hell storm going on for all they would have noticed.

Silence was all-encompassing inside the passenger compartment, seemingly smothering the Human, Turian, and Drell; yet none seemed willing to speak up and break this stillness.

Glancing to his left side towards his turian ally, Shepard observed him staring intensely out the side window. Garrus sat holding his rifle in crossed arms the barrel leaning gently against the window.

Only the occasional twitch of his mandibles breaking the illusion of his look of serenity. While his exterior gave off the impression of a cool, poised and collected individual in reality he could not be further from it.

His insides were a total mess, twisted up in every conceivable way. Garrus' emotions were rampaging throughout him, feelings of anger, relief, sorrow, regret, gratitude and many others are all waging their own personal war for control.

His anger was most prominent amongst them.

Anger over his situation, over letting Harkin go and just hoping he was apprehended by C-Sec, over Sidonis going free when he finally had him in his sights, not getting the justice he felt his late comrades deserved.

However, seemingly hovering above them all; he was angry with _Shepard _for talking him down and not allowing him to carry out his plan.

He felt that should have pulled that trigger the second he had a clear shot. To hell with what Shepard said to him, Sidonis deserved to be punished for what had happened but for some reason he just could not bring himself to do so.

He had sat there looking through his rifles scope as Sidonis walked away.

So many conflicting thoughts and feelings threatening to tear the turian apart from the inside out. However, he somehow managed to keep his charade going.

"Are you doing alright Garrus?"

"Humph" was the gruff reply that seemingly echoed as Garrus shifted slightly gripping his rifle tighter to him.

"You did the right thing back there."

Again, the turian refused to respond remaining impassive just continuing to stare, seemingly willing to burn a hole through the transparent aluminium with his gaze.

Looking into the rear-viewing mirror Shepard observed their drell compatriot sitting silently eyes closed in an almost trance like state. Shepard had seen this many times before, during and after missions that the assassin had accompanied them upon.

* * *

Thane could regularly be found in a meditative prayer aboard the Normandy. During missions he would sometimes stop what he was doing to pray after he had just made a kill often ignoring all else around him.

Thane would open his eyes from time to time to glance from the human on his right, to the turian on his left before closing them and returning to his prayer.

Thane had dealt with many humans in his career, but few possessed the same drive or tenacity.

He had witnessed the Commanders impressive combat prowess, strategic intellect, and seemingly indomitable will that pushed him onward against the odds even whilst sustaining severe injuries.

Shepard also showed equal skill outside of militaristic arenas, often intimidating individuals to settle conflict without resorting to violence or sometimes charming them to draw out information. Shepard had even deployed such talents in helping him deal with his own wayward son.

For that, Thane would forever be grateful to the human. Again, on just their latest mission Thane had witnessed Shepard use his talents to save the life of one turian and perhaps just saved the soul of another.

Focusing on the turian, he had not known him for a long time as compared to the Commander. Their interactions being somewhat limited. As their paths rarely crossed much, their majority of meetings occurred in the mess, in the comms rooms for briefings, the armory for load out or when aboard the shuttle hurtling to make planet fall.

However, Thane noticed some traits that the two shared. Both preferred to operate in the shadows, usually from a fair distance, both were excellent sharpshooters, both kept to themselves aboard the Normandy. One of the most striking similarities they shared was the pain of loss.

For Thane it was the loss of his beloved wife. For Garrus it was the loss of his squad, his friends.

Now it was they both had set out to settle a score with those responsible. Thane he had gotten what wanted but it had cost him much in return.

However, fate seemed would have it that for Garrus things would not be the same.

Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, he returned to his meditation as the transport continued onward.

* * *

Shepard again looked over to Garrus, eyeing him carefully doing his best to read his body language and gain an understanding of what he was currently thinking. However, turians are harder to read than the other two main Council species of the Asari and Salarians.

Their angular facial features, made up of the naturally _'armored'_ skin were not as expressive as that of the asari, salarian or other humans.

Still they were easier to read than that of the Elchor, and the impossible to read Volus and Quarian tucked away in their environmental suits.

Nonetheless, subtle hints are there for those with a keen eye to notice and it was at times like this; that Shepard was quite grateful for the Alliance Militaries training drilling an attention to detail into him.

'_What is going inside that mind of yours Garrus?'_

For Garrus the ride could not end soon enough, he too had been trained to pay attention to detail in ones surroundings and with his sharper turian senses; he was doing a far better job at reading the Commander's body language than he was doing of him.

Being cooped up like this was driving him nuts. Currently he just wanted to get away from everybody back to the main battery room and just be alone once again. He _especially_ wished to be away from Shepard.

His attention was taken away from his warring emotions and the human, when perceived the RTV was making final approach toward the docking area.

"What's going with you Garrus?" Shepard said as the craft came to stop lowering itself down onto the landing pad.

"There is nothing to talk about Shepard." the turian cast over his shoulder stepping out of the RTV followed by Thane who quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Shepard made some kind of rebuttal remark but it seeming fell on deaf ears, as Garrus did not reply he merely shrugged off the comment placing his rifle on his back before heading off in the direction of the Normandy.

Striding smoothly Garrus made his way through the crowds of people as they traveled to whatever was their destination. He noticed personnel coming and going, supply crews delivering goods, maintenance going about their jobs. In addition, some were just crews shipping out others returning from whatever their mission had been.

Glancing around him, Garrus could make out the C-Sec personnel scanning over the crowds following their patrols.

"Garrus."

He could hear Shepard calling amongst the hustle and bustle of the masses.

'_If I can make it to the ship quick enough I might be able to make it inside before he does.'_

Few paid the turian any attention as he passed by them. He pushed his way through the crowd of people, almost knocking over several who were in his way. He knew Shepard would undoubtedly stop to help up those he had knocked down.

"That should buy me some time."

Garrus did not wish to intentionally harm them but right now if they could used to buy him a bit more of a lead on the Commander then it was worth it. Glancing over his shoulder Garrus saw the Commander currently helping a uniformed salarian gather up some datapads he had dropped when he has pushed his way by.

* * *

Shepard kept his eyes on the turian making his way through the crowds, pushing a few people out of his way as he went along.

This was far from normal behavior for Garrus; something had to be serious to get him to act in such as fashion. He always seemed to hold himself in a poised respectful manner, but since the encounter with Fade and then Sidonis.

Garrus had seemed troubled and Shepard wished to help his friend.

Weaving between the flow of Citadel patrons as they went about their routines. Shepard followed as close as he could.

Noticing the increasing speed at which Garrus seemed to be traveling as he drew nearer. He was closing in when Garrus had bumped into a salarian carrying an almost absurd amount of datapads.

The salarian stumbled for a moment before losing his hold upon the majority of pads as they rained down.

"Such rude behavior for a turian, inexcusable."

"Let me help you with that."

"Ah, thank you human."

Stopping the Commander knelt down and began to gather what pads he could, returning them to the original owner. With a quick nod the salarian stood back up hurrying along his way in a typical salarian manner.

Though the delay was brief, it was enough to give Garrus a good lead. Leaving Shepard to once again duck and weave through the masses in an attempt to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The main airlock loomed in front of him, Garrus had made it to the Normandy ahead of Shepard.

Swiftly he made his way toward its doors approaching Garrus glimpsed familiar figures standing in the way. Thane had somehow made it there ahead of him, and was currently chatting with Yeoman Kelly Chambers.

He also noted the other crewmembers making their way on and off the ship, some carrying packages of varying sizes.

"Garrus."

Shepard had caught up and was now standing less than 6 feet from him.

A low growl reverberated through the turians chest, as he paused but for a moment before moving forward once again.

The crew of the Normandy seemingly stood aside quite readily as they laid eyes on the turian. Many knew that Garrus had gone off with Shepard on some personal mission. Nobody really save Miranda, Thane and of course, Joker, who spent plenty of time rooting through the personal files aboard the Normandy, knew what the mission had really been about.

Garrus could hear soft mutterings as he made his way through the CIC. Though he did not care to look, he could seemingly feel the eyes of those he passed travel over his face and the rest of him.

"Garrus, hold on second. What is going on?"

Shepard found it easier to catch up to his friend once they made it to the ship. With most of the crew willing to move out of the way, he was able to quickly keep pace.

Now Shepard strode almost parallel to Garrus.

"Just leave me alone Shepard. I have nothing to say."

They kept that pace as they made it to the crew deck.

'_Almost there'_

"Garrus stop and tell me what is going on."

Again, Garrus ignored his friend as he made his way through the galley, his eyes locked on the doors that lead to the main battery.

"Very well, EDI,"

"Yes Commander?"

"Command priority override; seal the doors to the main battery."

"Understood, command authorization accepted."

Then came the recognizable hiss and metallic clanking as the doors were sealed and locked, the once green holographic display turning a red color.

Garrus froze in his tracks half way up the stairs. His eyes still focused on the doors blocking his way.

* * *

The word was spreading quickly amongst the crew that was still aboard ship of the disturbance going on below deck. Many left what they were doing to head down see for themselves just what was happening.

"Heard there was some kind of fight between the Commander and the Gunnery Officer going on,"

"Yeah, any idea what it's about?"

"No idea. Probably has something to do with that latest mission of theirs"

Joker sat in his chair listening to the chatter of those around him.

"The Commander and Garrus having a _lovers' quarrel_ eh. This should be pretty interesting" a small chuckle came forth as Joker considered his little joke.

Shepard and Garrus were seemingly best friends; they made a good team on the ground missions. Joker could remember the days aboard the SSV Normandy SR-1 when Shepard and Garrus would be found chatting.

Often it was Garrus talking about his time in C-Sec; and how dealing with the politics was growing tiresome for the turian.

The turian seemed too rigid, moody, and rash for Joker's liking. He noted Garrus as being a bit naïve in his way of thinking, as would act first then ask questions later with little regard for what might happen.

Returning to the task before him, his hands moved seemingly on their own as he navigated the myriad of menus and lines of code as he bought up the onboard surveillance system.

With a few more taps of his fingers, the holographic image of ships galley appeared before him. His eyes shifting from one tall figure to the other.

* * *

Commander Shepard stood just in front of the mess hall dining table.

"Garrus what is going on with you?"

"What is the meaning of this Shepard?" the irate tone in his voice obvious to anyone listening.

"You refused to acknowledge me, so I had to think of another way to get your attention."

Slowly the turian turned from the stairs, eyeing the human who stood opposite him in the mess. His pale eyes met with Shepard's own icy blue eyes; each giving little away of what they were thinking as each sized up his opponent.

Methodically Garrus strode down the stairs crossing the room before coming to a stop within four feet of the human.

* * *

Sitting at her desk Doctor Chakwas was sorting through reports it was by chance that she looked up to notice the crowd forming about the galley. Standing and peering passed the bodies blocking the majority of the windows Chakwas spotted an odd sight. The Commander and Gunnery Chief were mere feet apart staring each other down.

"EDI what is going in the galley?"

"I am registering a disturbance between Commander Shepard and Officer Vakarian."

Curiosity and concern spurred her on; she then proceeded from the Med-bay out into the ruckus. Spotting a gap Chakwas stepped in to fill it gaining a ringside seat.

'_What is going on out here?'_

Peering around she noticed others slowly trickling in, it was Shepard's other squadmates that garnered her attention.

First, was the Krogan, Grunt, his seemingly thunderous footsteps echoing off the plating as he made his way into the room, the human crew quickly getting out of his way for fear of upsetting the unstable at best crewmember. He had a smile at the thought getting to see some violence.

Second, was Miranda and Jacob, the two coming out from the armory. Chakwas could not help but notice the somewhat flushed appearance of Miranda's face as they entered. She could not help but have a small grin creep acrossed her face.

* * *

"I already told you Shepard there is nothing to talk about,"

"That's a damn lie and you know it. I've spent enough time around you to know that something is off. Ever since this whole personal quest of yours started you've changed."

At the mention of that, Garrus' eyes seemed to flash as he felt his emotions once again rise to the surface.

"I understand that you have been dealing with this…," he paused "since the incident that started all this, but it is time to put it in the past and move on."

"You don't understand Shepard," the turian's voice taking on an almost deadly tone "How could you possibly begin to."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"You think you're the only one who has lost team mates before."

"They were good people, Shepard. Friends and that bastard Sidonis sold us out, he betrayed them. He betrayed me!" Garrus' talons coming up and tapping his armored chest to emphasis the point he was making.

Shepard's brows lifted at the statement, but they quickly returned to their normal resting position.

"So we get to the underlying issue at hand. You took his betrayal personally, that is why you are so obsessed with this."

"Why shouldn't have I? I trusted him, we all did and he broke that trust. He ran away to hide, he tried to act as if all of it had never occurred. He even changed his identity so people wouldn't know he had anything to with what happened; so I couldn't find him."

Garrus turned walking to the foot of the stairs, ignoring the looks of those gathered.

Whether it was the stupid grin that Grunt had plastered on his face, the intrigued look of Dr Chakwas, the seemingly emotionless look of the XO. Or the myriad of looks plastered across the faces of the others gathered around.

"You heard him Garrus; he had been captured by the Mercs. Who knows what they did to him,"

* * *

Kneeling on the balcony, his rifle at the ready lying on his left forearm for added stability. His eyepiece gathering information on: distance, temperature, trajectory and others displaying all of it before him. Peering through the scope narrowing his vision into a selected spot blocking out the world around it.

Looking about Garrus could see the varying neon signs, all aglow in attempt to attract those in need of a good drink, good food, or those just looking for somewhere to be.

Pulling back on the scopes zoom, he spotted Shepard making his way into the throngs of patrons passing from one club to another. Garrus noticed that Thane was not with the commander; most likely, the assassin had taken up his usual tactics of sticking to the shadows. No doubt, he was in a place that offered him a clean view of both himself and Shepard awaiting a signal to act.

Tracking Shepard was easily done, not very hard to spot and follow the movements of human wearing military grade combat armor amongst groups of people who looked dressed more for a night on the town than fight a war.

'_Lucky this doesn't require subtlety or this would be over before it begins'_

Shifting his scopes gaze to follow the direction the human was moving in he spotted his mark. There sitting on a bench was his target, the very being who he had been tracking ever since he had learned who it was that had set him up on those fake jobs back on Omega.

Sidonis was sitting there looking around nervously unsure of what was going on. Waiting for the agent that "Fade" was sending to meet him. Garrus could not help but let loose a low reverberating growl from his throat.

It had been Harkin masquerading by the name "Fade" helping people disappear and avoid the authorities at C-Sec.

'_Shepard should have let me shoot the bastard'_

"Alright Shepard there he is… wave him over and keep him talking."

He watched as the Commander waved his right hand toward the turian. Sidonis saw the motion leaning back as he gathered his nerve he stood and approached.

Garrus' mandibles quivered at the thought of finally getting his revenge.

Sidonis said something but he didn't quite make it out, as he zoomed in his rifle's scope lining up the crosshair with the head of the other turian.

"You're in my shot. Move to the side" Garrus reported over his commlink his trigger finger starting to apply the pressure required to fire the shot.

His senses were alive as he waited for the moment when the human was to stand aside. Leaving nothing between him and Sidonis.

Instead, he listened in astonishment as Shepard informed Sidonis about the whole setup. His anger flared for a moment as his plan was coming undone.

Sidonis tried to flee, Garrus adjusted his aim to compensate, but Shepard pulled him back blocking his shot once more.

"Look… I didn't want to do it… I didn't have a choice,"

"Everyone has a choice." He could not help but refute such a flimsy excuse.

"They got to me said they would kill me if I didn't want to help. What was I supposed to do?"

Again, Garrus felt his anger rise up, "Let me take the shot, Shepard. He's a damn coward."

Following their synchronized movements as Shepard and Sidonis slowly made their way to the railing. Keeping his crosshairs aimed to exactly level with the spot where Sidonis' head was. He listened to their conversation, as Sidonis expressed his guilt to the Commander.

Garrus waited, Sidonis had confessed to Shepard about what he had done. Surely now the Commander knew the truth and would move to the side and allow him to be done with this. However, the more he listened the more Shepard's earlier words wormed their way around his mind.

"Just… go. Tell him to go...," he breathed out the words not sure of why.

Lowering his rifle, he could make out Sidonis and Shepard parting ways in the distance. Standing replaced it on his back; with one final glance in the direction, Sidonis had disappeared in Garrus turned and walked away to where Shepard and Thane were to land to retrieve him.

* * *

Garrus' thoughts slowly came back to the present, leaving behind the memory of what had occurred.

"All we have is his word on that. He should have held out, should have died with honor rather than giving in."

"He was alone, no doubt frightened and possibly being tortured. Not everyone is as strong under pressure."

Both Shepard and Garrus held their ground, their frames still held rigid neither really moving any closer or apart.

"Look at me Garrus,"

Begrudgingly the turian slowly turned facing his opponent, both once again locking eyes. Both could hear the faint murmurs of those about them but both blocked them out. To them the outside world did not exist.

"I should have pulled that trigger. Ten good men are dead and no one cares. There is no one on Omega who would bat an eye at this. The Citadel has no authority over happened there, so Sidonis gets away with murder!"

Garrus' voice was reverberated with barely controlled fury; his eyes seemed ablaze with an inner light. As he clenched his talons the sound of his gloves straining as he tightened his grip.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Looking on Tali did not understand what was going on. All she had heard from Gabby and Donnelly was that Shepard and Garrus were having a heated discussion.

However, here these two males looked more on the verge of a brutal brawl than a conversation. She had known that something was up with Garrus before he and the Commander left with Thane but none would talk. Continuing onward Tali took up a spot next to doctor Chakwas.

"What is happening?"

"That is something I am not sure about either, my dear. From what I can gather Officer Vakarian lost some friends while on Omega and he had a chance for vengeance but seems Shepard talked him out of it" the good doctor replied as she crossed her arms raising her right hand to her chin.

"Isn't that a good thing, that the Commander was able to stop Garrus?"

The two of them were friends stopping one another from doing something the other would regret is supposed to be something friends do for each other. Yet here they were as if bitter enemies, then again enemies might be too strong a word… Maybe rivals would better apply.

Returning her attention to the males, Tali could see the look in Garrus' eye as he spoke, the way he clinched his jaw as well as his talons. She could even hear the straining of the gloves over her helmets speakers.

A worrying sensation overtook her, if they were to come to blows what kind of injuries would they receive from one another. Tali had heard of the turian's skill at hand to hand, his higher agility and strength would give Garrus the advantage over Shepard. Judging by that look she had glimpsed in his eye, she wasn't sure if Garrus would even be able to stop himself before he killed the Commander!

'_Keelah, stop this soon'_

* * *

"Killing him wouldn't have solved anything then, it wouldn't have helped anyone, it wouldn't have brought back your men"

"But they would have had their justice. He deserved the same all betrayers deserve," his tone deepened to where it sounded almost like an indiscernible growl, "the same thing you deserve Shepard!"

Garrus' mandibles were quivering, his fangs bared, his eyes narrowed at Shepard's level as he slightly lowered his head adding to an intimidating posture.

Shepard was taken aback by the statement, never had Garrus even hinted at such feelings. Shock was scrolled acrossed his features, as well as on the faces of some of the crew.

"W…What do you mean by that?"

"You heard me Shepard, you deserved the same fate. You betrayed us!"

"How did I..., I would never betray you or anyone!" Shepard's voice had changed no longer was it the even tone he had kept since the beginning. Now it too held the spite of anger in the undercurrent.

"You betrayed our trust! We trusted you get us through was what was to come. You betrayed me then just as you did today! I trusted you to help me with Sidonis but you sold me out just like he did those years ago" Garrus pointed a talon in accusation leveling his arm with Shepard's chest.

"You're no better than he is!"

Taking a step forward "I couldn't let you go through with it Garrus. It was not you being yourself, that plan was born out of your obsession for revenge. I couldn't allow you to do something you would have regretted later on." Shepard shook his head.

* * *

The three squadmates had just dealt with "Fade" and his mercenaries. Now they were sitting in the RTV on the landing platform near the Orbital Lounge.

"Harkin is a bloody menace. We shouldn't have just let him go. He deserved to be punished."

Garrus shifted uncomfortable with this conversation.

"You're worrying me, Garrus. You were going to actually shoot Harkin."

"You don't think he deserved it" turning his attention to the human who sat beside him, "helping all those criminals avoid the law. He's no better than them."

"It's not like you" Shepard kept his eyes straight ahead watching the foot traffic.

Garrus turned away, his voice lowering "What do you want from me, Shepard? What would you do if someone betrayed you?"

Shepard paused mulling the question over in his head before answering, "I'm not sure but I wouldn't let it change me."

"I would have said the same thing before it happened to me. I am not going to be so naive again."

"It's not too late; you don't have to go through with this. There is still time to turn back." For the first time Shepard turned to look directly at his friend since the beginning of the conversation.

"Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice then, if I don't?" he drew a deep breath "Nobody else knows what he's done, nobody else cares"

"Let me talk to him then"

"Talk all you want it's not going to change my mind. I don't care what his reasons were, he screwed us…he deserves to die" a rumbling growl came from the turian as he pronounced the last word.

"I understand what you're going through" concern was permeating the Commanders words.

"I appreciate your concern… but I'm not you" the words came out almost as if they had been spat out in insult.

"This isn't you either, I know that much"

"Really? I've always hated injustice. The thought that Sidonis could get away with this…" Garrus' eyes seemed to stare off into the distance as his words followed suit with a seemingly light chuckle.

"Why should he go on living while ten good men lie in unmarked graves? He may not have pulled the trigger but he is the one responsible for this. He brought this on himself!"

"You felt the same way about catching Dr Saleon, obsessed then too"

"We put a stop to the same way as I recall."

"That's only as he gave us no choice."

"I'm sorry Shepard. But words are meaningless they aren't going to solve this problem."

* * *

Garrus still stood there teeth bared, his posture seemed even more rigid than before.

"It wasn't just Sidonis you were going to kill; I saw the look on your face when you had the pistol aimed at Harkin. If I hadn't stopped you then he'd probably be laying in pool of his own blood."

Shepard took a step nearer once more, he now stood within three feet Garrus.

"What if you had missed Garrus, did you think of that? Instead of hitting Sidonis, you would have murdered some innocent bystander. Is that something you would have wanted on your conscience?" Shepard motioned to the side of his head.

'_Shepard's right, what if I had…missed'_ for a moment Garrus' expression softened, as the thought entered his mind for the first time.

Shepard gazed on as Garrus retreated inward, as he sought to answer the question proposed before him. The retreat did not last long as he seemed to push it aside for now.

"I wouldn't have missed! The crowds were not that tightly packed to worry. It was only you stopping me, holding me back."

Shepard's stance relaxed, the change made Garrus wary unsure of what this meant.

'_Had the Commander given in? No surely not, he had gone against the Council, taken on the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius armed with just words and he had been able to conquer both.'_

"So you wish to still hold someone accountable?" Shepard's tone had undergone a change; it no longer held any anger in it. Rather it had returned to normal but it held sense of regret to it.

Garrus merely gave a curt nod to affirm his standing on the subject. It was then a simple movement on Shepard's part caught him completely off guard. The movement was one he had seen many times before, but now it was directed at him and it actually filled him with a small sense of dread.

Shepard stood facing him, but Garrus' focus wasn't on his face instead drawn to his right hand. The cold metallic gleam of the pistol stood out clearly against Shepard's armor.

"If that is what you really want then Garrus."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **This chapter is probably kinda cheesy, but my friend liked it so here it is. I do hope others are enjoying this story as I am not getting a lot of feedback on this, if you like feel free to leave a review as every comment helps improve the story and the author.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Garrus' pupils had dilated attempting to take in as much visual information as they could. His eyepiece taking readings on Shepard, threat assessments getting results from Shepard's voice, body temp, eye movement and pupil dilation and body language all in effort to give its owner and edge over the opponent.

'_What is Shepard doing, does he intend to shoot me? I won't be able to dodge at this range, even if I did Shepard is far too good to let me even get a chance to counter'_ the turians mind was reeling.

Shepard stood unmoved, the crowd around looked on in astonishment as many began to whisper. Was their Commander really intending to kill a squadmate, a friend?

* * *

'_What is Shepard doing? This could ruin the mission if this goes badly'_

One minute she and Jacob were in the middle of heated session when suddenly EDI interrupted them.

"Officer Lawson, there is a disturbance occurring in the galley between Commander Shepard and Gunnery Officer Vakarian."

Miranda gave an exacerbated sigh, as she reluctantly pulled away from the man standing shirtless before her.

"I copy EDI, I shall attend to it"

"Stupid computer couldn't pick a better moment" Jacob shot over his shoulder as he tugged his shirt back on over his head.

Exiting the room quickly they made the turn to enter the galley, there they found the two already deep in argument.

Miranda watched from the Jacob's side her face held a look of surprised mixed with agitation. She could hear the murmurs of the crew around her.

"Do you think he'll do it?" Jacob said getting Miranda to shift her gaze over

"I don't know but this certainly isn't great for the morale"

* * *

Shepard's arm moved upwards swiftly and for a moment, Garrus froze looking into back into his eyes. He felt this was it, that the last he would see was the muzzle flash. Instead, he watched as Shepard's hold lessened on the pistol's grip as it were lifted upward.

Then he saw Shepard's grip disappear entirely as the heavy pistol became airborne leaving its owner's hand; sailing through the air coming directly at him!

There was a clank as the gun made contact with the turians armored chest, falling at the sudden loss of its momentum. Garrus instinctively caught it fumbling with it in his talons, almost dropping it on multiple occasions.

"Shepard?" Garrus stood there looking at the large calibered pistol cradled in his talons.

"Take it, point it at me" Shepard paused returning his posture to more rigid one "And pull the trigger"

Gasps were audibly heard, amongst the group encircling them.

"What is the meaning of this Shepard? What do you think you are doing?!" Doctor Chakwas erupted as she moved forward between the two figures.

"Stand aside Doctor, this only between us" Shepard's voice held a calm resolve to it, a tone that held also a sense of peace to it.

Garrus stood; this shock was evident even on his hardened facial features as he tried to comprehend what had just been said. _Had his Commander, his friend really just told him to shoot him?_

"You want someone to pay for what happened, then I give you the one ultimately responsible" Shepard held his arms wide, as if to present a larger target.

Garrus pulled his gaze away from the pistol to the human who gave it to him. As before when he had been looking at Sidonis through his rifle's scope, a part of him was telling him to pull the trigger but again there was that other part.

The side that Shepard seemed to be able to bring out in him, the side that told him to do the right thing and never give in to the easy path. To keep his head up and push on through.

"Shepard…" Garrus tried to speak unsure of what to say, he had said that Shepard deserved to die, but now given the opportunity to do it so impromptu and openly, it was just so happening too fast.

Shepard lowered his arms to his side once more, "Think about it Garrus. When we met you asked to join my crew I could have turned you down sent you back to your job at C-Sec" Shepard paused as he slowly began to pace about.

"Instead I dragged you along, just like everyone else. From system to system all the while I filled your head with ideals that may not have been totally your own. I pulled everyone with me on some forsaken mission in pursuit of Saren."

"But you stopped him, Commander. You saved the council, pushed back the Geth onslaught, and stopped the Reaper invasion." Tali chimed in holding her cupped hands to her chest.

The attention of both the human and turian were drawn over to this seemingly shier figure among the crew.

"Seems I have done more harm than good Tali, we've lost a lot of good people as a result." Shepard's face remained steadfast, but his eyes seemed to deepen. Looking into them showed the turbulent emotions going on inside this veteran soldier.

"It was _my_ actions you were mimicking, you gathered your team and tried to pick up where I left off. So again it all leads back to me."

Moving quickly Shepard grabbed Garrus' hand brought it up and leveled the pistol with his head. The turian tried to pull his talons free but the humans grip was sure, the Commander never flinched a muscle.

"Your men get their peace, you get your pound of flesh, and I get what I deserve. The universe carries on like always. So now pull the trigger."

There was a uneasy stillness in the air as it seemed as if time itself had ceased. Garrus swore if he wanted to he could walk circles around the ship before anyone noticed. His senses were all alive, his brain racked with an overflow of sensory information.

Garrus' mind was running rampant going through his memories of everything recent as well his older memories. He remembered his first meeting with Shepard in the Citadel tower then later again during the incident with Dr. Chloe Michel where he asked to join the team to go after Saren.

The long chats they had in the cargo bay, as he fiddled with that fastidious Mako, the damned thing always needing some kind of adjustment. He could not help but chuckle mentally at the remembrance of that cursed vehicle.

Every ground mission Shepard brought him on, and the interesting things they encountered: battling a Thresher Maw on Edolus and again later on Tuchanka with Grunt, helping Wrex recover his family's armor and the many wondrous planets in-between. Then his memory turned to when he told Shepard about Dr Saleon, how it was Shepard's different points of view that got him to reconsider how it was he did things.

How from those lessons he decided not to sacrifice the innocent, always do what was right whether it was difficult or not. Garrus nearly broke those new ideals when they finally met up with Saleon, but again it was Shepard who kept him in line. Helped him come to terms with his need for revenge then.

Shepard had always been there for him, with a kind word or piece of advice for the turian to consider. There had been some nights when sleep just wouldn't come to Garrus he would go to the old galley and clean his gear to keep himself busy.

Oddly enough, the Captain's cabin was located just on the side of the galley.

'_Anderson must have liked his snacks' _

It was there Shepard had found him many times, often joining in taking up a seat as the two sat swapping stories while having a bite to eat or drink.

Glancing at the gun then to Shepard, he saw the humans icy blue orbs still locked on him. They reflected Garrus' own silhouette clearly in their sheen. The turian could also discern something else hidden in there as well, a faint glimmer in the distance. Perhaps it was just his imagination playing tricks on him; perhaps it was just the lighting or the cybernetic implants. _Yet,_ a feeling seemed to tell him otherwise.

For the very first time in his life, Garrus felt his hand tremble ever so slight. Those amassed around would never have noticed such an infinitesimal development. However, Shepard could feel it, the tremor passing through their connection of the pistol grip.

"Shepard…" the turian's voice was hoarse as if he had been choking something back.

The glimmer seemed to grow brighter, as if that simple spark represented something in Shepard; perhaps it was his soul he was seeing. _On the other hand, maybe it was a glimmer of hope and trust that he had for his friend, knowing that he do the right thing in the end._

'_I can't do it'_

Garrus looked away, removing his talon from the trigger "I won't shoot you Shepard."

The human eased his grip on the turians hand as it released the pistol grip. Shepard took back possession of the weapon replacing it in its holster.

"EDI unseal the Main Battery doors"

"Understood Commander"

Once more, the sound of the hiss and metallic clanking as the doors were unsealed, the holographic display returning to its normal green color.

With a subtle glance Garrus received a nod from Shepard, upon which he turned and proceeded down the long hall. His steps clanking at his quickened pace he paused only for moment just long enough for the doors to open before disappearing within.

The crowd still stood around watching, murmuring between themselves

"If you have anything better to do then I suggest you get to it. There is still seven hours before we ship out again." Shepard's tone was harsh leaving no question he meant to clear the deck.

The Commander turned passing through the crowd as they moved to get out of his way. He made his way to the elevator giving a deep sigh as the door closed behind him. Extending his hand he pushed the button for Deck 1 wishing for the secluded dark of his cabin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Operations were slowly returning to normal aboard the ship.

Just because they were forced to return to station didn't mean they would stop talking about what happened.

Word quickly spread to those that were not there to witness the event first hand, as messages were sent out to them. Some expressed an odd sense of regret not getting to see it; others wondered what this would mean for the mission.

* * *

Grunt still had that same grin on his face as he made his way to the port observation area. Getting to see a little violence on an otherwise boring ship is always a plus for the krogan.

Walking over to the bar taking a seat eyeing those around the room. Seeing Mordin sitting to the side, the thin being hunched over datapads his eyes moving constantly darting about them. It was still hard for Grunt to believe that such creatures were able to defeat the krogan.

Looking about he could see other humans huddled together chatting. The majority of them seemed just as frail as the Salarians, and yet Shepard was of their race.

Remembering back to when Shepard had awakened him in the tank. He could hear all that was going on outside his small liquid filled world. How he had burst from the tank pinning the Commander against the bulkhead, his throat under his forearm.

Grunt could have easily crushed the human then and yet he did not demanding a name instead. Shepard had offered him a chance to join his clan, make it stronger, and fight against worthy opponents. That was something that spoke to his blood more than it did his mind.

Accepting he had released the puny human, it was then that he noticed it the weapon in his hand. Grunt could not help but laugh at that at the time.

The krogan's booming chuckle of remembrance caused many to look in question.

"Laughter… indication of something humorous has occurred. Forgive me I fail to see such humor," the fast talking scientist stated looking up from his omni-tool.

Grunt glanced to his right where the being sat, "Nothing you would understand, Salarian." He replied gulping down a glass of some kind of strong tasting beverage.

He felt a sharp burning sensation as the liquid flowed down his gullet warming his belly.

"Shepard is a strong leader, and fearless warrior, though he spends too much time talking for my taste but he makes up for it with giving me strong adversaries to fight" reaching for another glass he spoke to no one in particular. His mind sifting through recent events.

Though he had developed a dislike for turians in general, Garrus had seemed an odd case. He proved himself a gifted combatant, fighting alongside him through the many ground assaults. He had also proved to be a true Krantt of Grunt's, willing fighting to the death and face the trials of the Rite of Passage he had undergone when joining Clan Urdnot.

Garrus had even saved him during one particular battle! Grunt was concentrating on a Blue Suns mercenary when another had flanked passed Shepard was making his way behind the krogan warrior.

The merc had just shouldered his assault rifle when a shot rang out, the sound attracted Grunt's attention, turning he saw the merc dropping his weapon before falling face first to the ground.

Walking toward him was the turian carrying his rifle in hand, "Looks like you could use some help, Grunt" Garrus had a smug tone to his voice.

"I didn't need any help, turian. Interfere again and I'll crush you under my boot heel," Grunt responded keeping an irate tone pointing his shotgun at Garrus.

"Whatever you say. Shall we get back to saving Shepard?" raising his rifle the turian shot down another merc that was coming down a ramp toward the human.

From there it had gone into almost tag team match up on missions. Each taking score trying to bolster their kill count, this was something the krogan enjoyed. Sneering everytime he would inform his squadmate of his increased score.

Commander Shepard had done well at providing him with plenty of things to kill. Grunt sat in his seat thinking. His recent tally had been at over _two hundred_ kills to his name.

The human seemed so different from others of his race, while others looked so weak. Their puny bodies offering no redundant systems, flimsy skin giving no protection against harsh environments, senses of sight, smell and hearing so far below that of his race. It was a wonder to him they had not been wiped out by something long ago.

While it was true that Shepard was the same but at the same time, he seemed so different.

The Commander seemed to be a different breed all together ostensibly only sharing the physical resemblance with humans.

Had he been a Krogan, Shepard would no doubt have been a Warlord of unimaginable might with every fertile female krogan clamoring after him; they would have crushed all those who stood in their way. The Rebellions would have had a _very_ different outcome, no doubt about that.

He remembered the tenacity Shepard had during the Rite, fighting as if possessed. How they took down the Varren, the Klixen, and then the Thresher Maw.

The feat had garnered them much attention amongst the krogan clans gathered, even clan leader Wrex had been impressed by their actions, stating that no one had been able to accomplish that since himself.

Grunt again chuckled gulping another drink, remembering when EDI informed them of the many breeding requests that been submitted for himself, of course that was no surprise he was the most impressive krogan specimen out there.

The real shocker came when EDI also informed the group of the several requests for the Commander, and even one for poor Garrus. Grunt could the remember the exact looks on their faces as they absorbed this new information.

_'It seems I made the right choice for my Battlemaster, after all. Even as a mere human he has what it takes to get the Krogan females riled up and hot for his attentions, even Garrus managed to attract the attention of one of the females.'_ Grunt quietly mused to himself _'I wonder how the two of them would fare at the act?'_

The krogan's silvery blue reptilian eyes moved about the room as he stood deciding to return to his quarters. The juveniles mind never seemed to adhere to one strain of thoughts for too long, as he mentally replayed the galley event.

* * *

Grunt was in the port-side cargo area when he had overheard two humans talking about a fight between the Commander and his pet turian. His blood seemed to circulate a little faster at the possibility of getting to see some violence.

Drawing closer he could hear more details.

"You should get up here soon. Shepard and Garrus are arguing about something. I swear Garrus looks like he is about to blow a gasket" a voice spoke over a vid comm.

"I'll be up there shortly I have to lock down these systems power adjustments."

Curiosity had gotten to Grunt as he decided to pay a visit to the galley and see for himself. An interesting match up to say the least, both were skilled, he looked up to both in their own ways though he would never allow them to know that.

Making his way up the decks, Grunt passed by human crew with only a sharp glare they were all too willing to jump to the side.

Entering the Galley, he took up a spot that was vacated when they saw him approaching. There the two figures came into focus.

The human and turian stood in the middle, eyeing each other with a fierce looks. Grunt listened as they shot words at one another. Though their words held strength in them they were no replacement for fists, but still Grunt drew some satisfaction from the simple fact he liked seeing Garrus riled up like this.

Even he was stunned when Shepard pulled the gun, and he began to question what the Commander was preparing to do.

Again Grunt was taken aback when the weapon exchanged hands and without one of the opponents laying dead.

The Commander stood there hands on Garrus' holding the pistol in position leveled to his forehead. Grunt's natural bloodlust called for the shot to ring forth, but at the same time, he held that desire in check.

Though he was a purebred krogan, even he had a semblance of emotions to the other races and he had no desire to see either of his krantts dead.

The standoff was tense, as any small movement of either figure could have ended in a bloody mess. It was there he noticed the look in their eyes.

Garrus' displayed little the trained turian didn't want to slip, but under keen observation his eyes still showed the turmoil going on inside. The Commander's betrayed just as little, but his eyes were more peaceful as if waiting whether it was his death or not would soon be revealed.

'_He stares down death without a second thought, Shepard truly is fearless'_

Grunt's keen krogan senses picked up on the slight tremor pass through the turians rigid posture as his hand began to become unsteady. He knew then that the turian had lost his commitment to going through with the actions. Suspicions were confirmed when Garrus relented verbalizing he hadn't the desire to do it.

From there it was an anticlimactic ending, as Shepard retook possession of the weapon. He and Garrus broke off going their separate ways, the turian back to the main battery where he spent the majority of his time.

Shepard stood there for a few moments longer glancing around at the crew, before he gave the ultimatum to clear out. Even Grunt had to admit he had felt the sense of power that came from the voiced command.

At that moment, Grunt felt sorry anyone who wished to take on the Commander, whether they were simple mercenaries, collectors, or the fabled reapers.

But it quickly passed, as he soon wished someone would take him on as the invitation to increase his score some more was appealing.

The krogan looked about the crew as they began to clear out obeying. As the Commander turned to leave he glanced to Grunt who only nodded in approval as the human went off to the elevator and disappeared.

"Ha ha ha," Grunt's thunderous laughter echoed through the now empty room, "perhaps Shepard **_really_** is a Krogan after all."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The room was dark only lit with a few lights with some smaller dimmer red ones giving things a reddish tinge; the main light was just above the door casting tall shadows acrossed the room.

The console stood out before the turian as he walked slowly toward it, the holographic display appearing as it activated.

Garrus stood there placing a hand on either side of the keypad, letting out a heavy sigh.

'_What just happened out there?'_

The event was replaying itself over and over again in his head, and yet he still could not comprehend it. Garrus decided just forget about it for now as he brought his hands to the keypad and brought up the program he had been working.

The firing program calculations for the Normandy's new Thanix Cannon, it had been just recently installed. Remembering how Shepard had come to him and inquired about possible upgrades to the ship; to aid in the upcoming fight they would no doubt find themselves in once they passed through the Omega 4 relay.

His talons stopped in their tracks, at the thought of Shepard, images replayed in his head. How he stood there, the pistol pressed to the Commanders forehead, but most of all his eyes!

The look in his eyes, the glimmer hidden deep inside. The meaning of it eluded all his logic, he felt like he was grasping at a cloud trying to restrain it his bare hands.

The turian paused looking straight at the bulkhead across from him. Wrangling with his emotions, he could feel them even now swirl around inside. Bubbling, rolling, building before they crashed down like a wave upon a rocky shore before ebbing away drawing back out to build once again.

Talons curling into fists he raised them and brought them back down onto the console with as much force as he could muster. Mandibles flaring as he opened his mouth, chest reverberating as Garrus unleashed a terrifying primal roar.

In that moment Garrus felt as if the knot in his gut had been untied, his emotional baggage severed from him. He became aware the dull painful ache in his hands, relaxing his fists feeling the muscles and tendons as they flexed beneath the gloves.

Turning he walked away from the console, into the shadows leaning against the cold alloy of the bulkhead wall. Slowly the turians body slid along its surface, armor squealing bit as it forced its way against the hardened structure. Garrus sank downward sitting he drew his knees up resting his arms on them as he stared out at the empty room.

Reclining his head, he closed his tired eyes, with all his willpower he tried to stop his mind from going backward. Back into the recent events, back into the darker past that he wished he could just forget about for now.

It all seemed in vain, as things crept slowly into his head forcing him to remember. The events on Omega Station and before seemed so distant now.

* * *

Fear ran through him to his core as an unknown assailant attacked the Normandy. Its advanced weaponry slicing through the ships armored hull like a plasma cutter.

Alarms were blaring, lights flickered as their power flow was interrupted and the crew was running about in complete disorder. It was even more hectic here in the CIC people shouting, going from station to station trying to do whatever they could to aid the situation. Garrus had made his way up here in such a rush that he had left his helmet on a crate in the cargo bay.

"How did they find us with stealth systems engaged?" someone had shouted

"It doesn't matter now, the damage is done. Joker, can you get us clear?" Shepard's voice rang out over the cacophony of sounds.

"That's a negative Commander… Their locked on… to us somehow," static cut into the intercom before clearing out "Shit, hang on. Brace for impact!"

The ship shuddered violently and jerked about as the alien weapon once again struck it. It was shredding through the kinetic barriers and the hull beneath opening up another area to space beyond.

Flames erupted from the electrical conduits, as they would overload the lights would explode with the massive dose of power. Screams erupted from those who were burned, or hit by flying debris.

"Multiple hull breaches in progress, we are venting atmosphere. Kinetic barriers are down!"

Garrus hung onto the railing trying to keep himself upright as Joker piloted the ship through every evasive maneuver he could possibly think of. Sparks showered down on him as nearby console blew out. Looking up he saw a structural beam slip as it sheared itself free from its brackets.

The turian threw himself forward at a female crew member in its path, tackling her as they rolled to the side avoiding the falling beam.

"Are you alright?" Garrus just about shouted to her, all the young woman could do was nod frantically

"Good, now get out of here!"

She needed no further prodding as she stood and took off as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Distress beacon ready for launch. All crew evacuate immediately!" again the Commander's voice over the speakers rang forth.

The smoke in the room grew thicker as the fires spread consuming anything flammable in their path causing the turian to cough hard in attempt to clear his lungs and get some of the remaining oxygen. Standing on unsteady feet Garrus made his way to the stairs leading down the crew deck and to the escape pods below.

He could hear the hull groaning, as the stresses it was being forced to endure were beginning to overwhelm it.

Garrus was forced to hold on the side rails or tumble down the stairs. He made his way down helping fellow crew, as they needed. The smoke hung thick in the air; it was burning his eyes and throat, as he ducked under the plethora of cables and wires hanging from the ceiling. There in the galley fighting the fires that had broken out, trying to clear the way for the crew were Chief Williams and Commander Shepard.

Shepard looked up to see the turian leaning his shoulder against the wall through his helmets visor; he quickly dealt with the fire before him. Dropping the now empty CO2 canister the Commander made his way over to his friend.

"Garrus, are you alright?"

"I am fine Shepard…" he could not control the tremendous cough that followed "just a bit shaken up"

Wrapping an arm the Garrus' waist while pulling an arm over his shoulders, Shepard hauled Garrus along with him.

Making their way to the pods, they past several bodies of crew members they recognized. One had been crushed by debris from that had fallen; a metallic rod that had apparently become airborne propelled by an explosion it had impaled another.

Ahead they spotted a man running just in front of them suddenly sail sideways through the air as a conduit exploded sending shrapnel everywhere. The body colliding with the bulkhead with a sickening cracking sound before collapsing to the ground, Shepard and Garrus looked the body over the shrapnel and severe burns to the face made it hard to identify whom it had been.

Garrus could hear Shepard saying something but couldn't make out what it had been over the ambient sounds.

"You hang in there! That's an order." Shepard said turning to look over at the turian hanging off him.

Finally, they could see the doors to the pods, some the crew were leaping into them. Quickly seating themselves as they pulled the harness down locking them in place.

Carrying Garrus inside, Shepard placed him down on the first empty seat by the pod doors locking the harness down on him.

"Ash report… Is everybody out?" he asked of his helmets radio glancing around the remaining crew funneling in.

"Joker is still in the cockpit! He won't abandon ship."

"_Damn it to hell Joker,"_ Garrus could just make out the muttering coming from the Commander's helmet, "Roger that Ash, I'll get him out. You take care of the rest of the crew."

The human stood looking at those in the small pod he turned his attention back to Garrus. Shepard tilted his head placing a hand on the turians shoulder.

Garrus only looked up at his friend in a silent acknowledgment of what he was about to do. The figure turned exiting, the doors sealing behind him. Then came a sudden lurching as the pod was jettisoned into space, its engines kick firing as it began its programmed flight path.

Looking out the small rear window he could see the Normandy its hull riddled with large gaping holes. The edges giving off a dull red glow from the heat of the beam used to cut the plating. Moreover, behind it the attacking ship silhouetted by the rising sun of the planetary system.

* * *

Garrus awoke with a start, as the memory faded as his senses began to return to normal telling he was still in the same darkened room as before. Looking around he did a double check about making sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

He rested his head back again, thinking about the memory that just played out in his dreams. That had been the last time he had seen Shepard alive before they met again on Omega.

His thoughts turned to the aftermath of that terrible event, to when he learned that Shepard had not made it off the Normandy.

* * *

The pods had been adrift for two hours before an Alliance Cruiser, flanked by a Turian dreadnought and Asari Frigate had responded to the original Normandy distress call. The Cruiser, SSV Stalingrad, moved in to scoop up the pods while the other two ships kept on alert incase this was ambush.

It was once aboard, he and all the others were taken to the Med bay, where he spent the next few hours with medical personal poking and prodding at him. They kept him from moving around a lot as they treated him for smoke inhalation with a few other scrapes and minor cuts.

It was an hour later when a turian military squad came aboard the ship. One high-ranking officer and four security personnel flanking him, they came to visit Garrus as the officer began to ask questions.

_What was the enemy number, what were the capabilities of the vessel, did they make contact before opening the attack, etc_.

It reminded him of his time in C-Sec. The red tape that covered just about everything, always having to endure the questioning looks of his superiors as he debriefed them.

He felt a sense of elation when the Officer stated they had what all they needed, with that turned and left with his escort close behind him.

From there wasn't much to do other than listen to coughs, moans, and groans coming from the patients around him. His mind drifted to what had recently happened, as all manner of thoughts crossed his mind.

Garrus spent the night in the infirmary trying to sleep as best he could though it did not come easily to him.

All too soon it seemed, his slumber was brought to an end. as he awoke to the sounds of medics moving about, cleaning and changing the dressings of the wounded, checking on the vital signs of those still in for the more severe injuries.

Sitting up in the bed, he noticed a nurse making her way over to his bedside she was flanked by another human in uniform. She paused a moment reading over his information on an omni-tool.

"Officer Vakarian, how you feeling?" the older woman spoke looking up to him.

"Good to go" stretching his muscles turning his attention to the shorter woman.

"Things check out here, you're free to go," She said cheerfully as she turned and moved onto the next patient.

As he stood, the other human came toward him, "I am Officer Stewart. I am here to inform you the ship has docked with the Citadel and your attendance has been requested by the Council" the man handed a datapad to him.

Taking the pad, his eyes scanned over what it contained. Sure enough, it was a summons as part of the Council investigation about what had happened to the Normandy and he was being called on to give testimony about the event.

With a quick nod, Garrus stood and made his way out of the room. Upon reaching the corridor, he looked around seemingly lost on this new human vessel.

Blindly he began walking down the corridor following the twists & turns as it meandered about the ship, pausing at an intersection he looked about looking for any kind of sign of where each hall might lead.

One the human passing by was kind enough to see if he was in need of assistance. The directions he was given were easy enough to follow.

He walked taking several turns and proceeding up two decks, admitting it all to his memory for future reference as he went. Making it to an airlock, he departed the ship and stepped out on the docking platforms.

Looking about he spotted an RTV sitting at its docking station.

"Please select a destination," the electronic voice instructed as soon as he entered the vehicle.

Looking over the locations available, he selected the Presidium level, and then chose Citadel Tower. Slowly the craft rose upwards into the air before it moved off to his set destination.

The trip was a short one taking only mere minutes to complete. The RTV set down just acrossed from the tower, there was already a new set of passengers awaiting it.

Garrus strode across the bridge glancing about, the Citadel had not changed all that much. The damage done by Saren's geth attack had been slowly wiped away and covered over with repairs.

Though the elevators were as slow as he remembered them, seemingly taking their time as it traveled from the tower base to the Council Chambers.

The Chambers were as elegant as ever, the tranquil fountains giving off their soothing sounds, the trees in full blossom. Representatives arguing about anything and everything they could.

Approaching the main circular fountain Garrus reflected back to the argument he had Executer Pallin just before his first introduction to Shepard.

Heading up to the Council's audience chamber he spotted Chief Williams leaning against a wall and Joker sitting on one of the benches beneath the cherry tree.

"Chief Williams?"

"Huh…ah" the woman paused looking about to see who had called her name, "Garrus? Here for the Council summonses as well?"

"Yes"

Ashley pushed off the wall walking to meet Garrus half way to the stairs.

"Is Shepard with Anderson and the Council already?" he asked looking toward in progress meeting.

Ashley paused her train of thought seemingly derailed as the question blindsided her. Joker looked up a sorrowful expression taking over dominating his features.

"Mean no one has told you, yet?!" Joker exclaimed throwing his arms up.

Garrus looked over to the human seated on the bench, his interest visible.

"Commander Shepard…" regret and sadness etched into each word as Ashley spoke up "didn't make it off the Normandy."

The turian was taken aback by the statement as he tried to let it sink in, it seemed impossible. Garrus had witnessed the Commander take on squads of mercenaries, legions of geth, rogue spectres, and even the Reaper Sovereign, a 2-kilometer long self-aware battleship.

Each time he had come away none the worse for the wear, but now from a cowardly surprise attack by an unknown ship had done what all those others had failed to accomplish!

Turning he walked away from Ashley to the side of the atrium. Crossing his arms Garrus tilted his head down as he eyed the ground as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing imaginable.

Turians were not able to show sorrow as other races could. Their faces did not contort or flex as easily, and though they possessed a lacrimal gland, it did not function like that in humans. Were he in a more personal environment he would have given voice to his grief, but in a public setting like this he held back.

Shepard had been a good teacher, and loyal friend, he had learned much. Now that feeling of comradeship was taken away from Garrus, leaving him feeling vulnerable and seemingly naked. There was hole in his gut and it would take a long time to fill in.

'_Though Shepard may have been a human, he was perhaps the closest friend I've had in my life.'_

Garrus was not aware of the fact until learning of from Ashley, but he seemed to have been trembling as if he had been standing out in the cold for too long.

He had listened from his distance to Joker explain what had occurred. How the Commander had gotten him to an escape pod when the Normandy was hit again, an explosion rocked the ship knocking him away from the pod entrance.

Before he could make it back, the alien beam had cut through the hull blocking his path, and how Shepard had pressed the launch button sending Joker off to safety while he stayed behind.

Garrus could remember how he had felt anger toward the human pilot, he had blamed him for Shepard's death.

"_If you had abandoned station when Shepard had ordered it, he would not have had to go back for you!"_

He had said that to Joker at some point later, lifting him clear into the air.

* * *

Slowly things grew sharper as his eyes began to focus on his surroundings. Garrus groaned it seemed his mind would not obey, all these memories flooding back.

He was beginning to grow aggravated by his apparent lack of control.

'_I have to clear my head; I have to get off this ship,'_

With a check of his omni-tool he found that were still five and half hours left of shore leave before the Normandy was to ship out again.

'_Good I can head out and have plenty of time to drown out these memories before the I have to report back.'_

With that the turian locked down his console before he turned and left the room. The galley as well as other areas were empty as a ghost ship, as he made his way through the innards of the vessel.

Retracing his steps from earlier he made his way to the deck above. On the Command deck he passed some of the crew had been present to see the altercation between Shepard and himself. They tried to stay out of his way and avoid making excessive eye contact.

He reached the main airlock soon enough, attempting to proceed further he surprised when the doors refused to open for him.

"Where are you off to Garrus?" the boastful voice spoke up from the cockpit.

"I am going out, that is all you need to know Joker."

"Don't tell me, you're gonna run out on the Commander. _Tisk, tisk_ I didn't figure you for the type to do such a thing. I always figured you for the rough and tumble type to stick by your _partner_." Jeff Moreau offered up placing a special emphasis on the last part as he swiveled his chair around, annoying people with his jokes was something he seemed rather fond of doing

The turian stood his ground staring down at the pilot; a short growl resonated from Garrus as his mandible quivered.

Joker's expression changed losing his levity and relenting he reached over to his console bringing up and unlocking the hatchway.

A snort and curt nod was the turian gave as a reply as he left the ship.

* * *

**Author note: **Longest chapter yet. Hope everyone reading is enjoying the story so far.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Steam billowed up around Shepard as he stood in the shower; head hung low his arms braced against the cool tiled wall as the hot water pelted down on him. The heat soothed his aching muscles, as he tried to relax and put his mind at ease over the recent happenings.

Shutting off the water, he began to towel off approaching the mirror he used the towel to wipe down the condensation enough to see.

He scanned over his reflection; the stubble of his beard and the plethora scars he had collected over his career from previous injuries were clearly visible for all to see. The six-inch scar over his right eye was most prominent a reminder of what had happened on Elysium.

The pirate attack was quick and devastating, before long most of the military personnel were wounded or dead.

Shepard had managed to gather those he could to fight back, but even then they were outnumbered, unprepared and under equipped. Combat was brutal with plenty of close-quarters fighting.

In the end, they put up enough of a resistance and held out long enough for Alliance reinforcements to arrive driving away the invaders.

While victory was theirs, the cost had been a high one. They had lost many good people in the process; Shepard himself had been too close when a mortar attack landed nearby, the shrapnel scaring his face nearly costing him an eye.

Placing down the razor Shepard's eyes passed over the scars left by his resurrection. For two long years, he had been kept in some kind of medically induced coma as Cerberus rebuilt his body with cybernetics.

The Commander once satisfied dressed leaving the washroom behind entered the main area of his private cabin.

The soft blue glow of the aquarium illuminating the otherwise dark room. Glancing around he could see the collection of model ships he had taken to picking up. His private terminal on the desk, off to the side sat his medals.

The Star of Terra he had received for his _"Bravery in the face of insurmountable odds"_ atleast that is what they told him. Shepard had told them, he only did what he had to protect the colonists and that there were others more deserving of the award.

However, the Alliance higher ups felt that since it had been Shepard who had organized the resistance, lead the charge he should be the one to receive it.

Sitting beside the Star of Terra was the Medal of Honor he had been honored with by the Citadel Council, for putting an end to Saren and his Geth incursion. Not to mention, saving their lives when he opened the Mass Relays ordering in the Fifth Fleet to protect the asari dreadnought, Destiny Ascension, they were aboard.

Shepard moved about taking a seat at the console, bringing up the list of messages he began to sort through them.

Many were ascertaining to the status of the ship and its systems, while a few were directed to him personally. The majority of those were from people he had helped in the past thanking him.

Turning his gaze to the area beside the console sat a pile of datapads. Supply requisitions, evaluations of ship performance, maintenance reports, crew evaluations, a few mission reports, and many others all requiring his attention.

* * *

The elevator was moving much too slow for the Doctors current patience level.

Crossing her arms she leaned against the back wall, as the insipid machine continued along.

Finally, the doors opened up revealing the corridor beyond. Marching down the hall till she came upon a set of sealed doors.

The holographic display remaining its red, showing its locked out status.

"EDI, unseal the doors" Chakwas began to tap her foot.

"I am sorry but the Commander has left instructions he is not to be disturbed."

"There is a matter I need to discuss with him, that supersedes the Commander's orders!"

"Understood one moment please" the virtual female's voice relented, as she began the procedure to undo the lock out.

Suddenly the doors slid open, the corridor's lights behind her cast her shadow into the room as she entered. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light as she searched out the interior for her target.

* * *

Shepard looked up from the datapad he was holding when heard the electronic beep announce the doors to his cabin opening up as a figure cast a shadow acrossed the floor. The figure paused just after entering no doubt trying to adapt to the lower light levels present.

Looking it over Shepard had no problem discovering their identity.

"I believe I left instructions not to be disturbed, Doctor" with that, he returned to going over the datapad before him.

"Don't bullshit me Shepard. We have a matter to discuss" Chakwas stormed her way over to the Commander slamming her hand down on the desk.

"Alright, what is it you wanted to talk about," placing the datapad down amongst the others of its kind on the desk.

"Care to explain to me what all that was about down there, Shepard?"

Shepard remained inexpressive as he looked to the woman before him.

"Damn it Shepard. What possessed you to do such a fucking foolish thing?"

"It was something I had to do…"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed or something?" Chakwas threw her arms up in aggravation as she turned to lean against the desk.

"I have no intention of dying for a second time so soon."

"Then what was all that about, hmm? Don't tell me you actually believe the stuff you were spouting off down there."

Shepard stood sharply bypassing Doctor Chakwas, as he made his way down the stairs into the more open area below. Walking over to a table opposite the bed, he placed his hand on the old N7 helmet he had recovered from the final resting place of the SSV Normandy SR-1.

"Believe what you want, what I said is _true_. I am the one responsible for everything that happened to Garrus. Along with what happened to everyone else, Doctor." he seemed to stare hard at the helmet as the memory of the initial attack.

Shepard could remember being thrown out into space, drifting helplessly listening to the hiss of his oxygen supply venting out into the cold vacuum outside. From there it was just bits and pieces, glimpses of things around him as Cerberus worked on him until the Lazarus Station had been attacked, and he was brought out his coma.

"You cannot hold yourself accountable for the actions of another, Shepard. What if Garrus had pulled that trigger, you would be dead now. Who would lead the mission then, who would hold this crew together and guide it?" Chakwas purposed as she stood atop the stairway hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Do you have any idea what your display has done to the crew, to Garrus? Would you really have wanted your blood to be on his hands?"

"No…" Shepard replied exhaling a deep breath.

"How can the crew hope make it through this so-called _"suicide mission,"_ if our Commander is so ready to get himself killed. Garrus was no doubt suffering some kind of severe emotional turmoil when you pulled your little stunt, and you sit here acting as if you didn't care!"

Shepard whipped around at her accusation, "You accuse me of not _caring!_ I **care** about what happens to my friends, each person on this ship is a friend and I would do whatever I could to help. My squadmates mean everything to me." his tone was harsh, attempting to hold back the majority of the anger the seethed from his verbal rebuttal.

The Commander walked to the stair base gazing up at the woman, "I have failed in the past, on Elysium when the Pirates attacked, on Virmire when I made the choice that lead Kaidan's death. Lest we not forget the attack on the Normandy where we lost 20 good and brave souls!" he turned walking away stopping at the foot of the large bed.

"Don't care Doctor," he scoffed the tone of his voice dropping to a deep bass like sound that would have sounded more at home coming from a Krogan "I care, perhaps too much but I care. Garrus means a lot to me, he is almost like a brother to me and I would gladly give my life for him if would bring him any amount of comfort and peace."

Chakwas' expression softened as she made her approach to the statuesque like soldier.

"As you said what is done is done and there is a time to put it to rest and move on."

Silence followed only broken by the sound of the Doctor's shoes as she paced to the table. Chakwas too eyed the battered and tarnished N7 helmet that sat there. Glancing above she saw a small bronze plaque hung on the wall above the helmet.

She felt the warmth as several fresh tears roll down her cheeks, her eyes scanning over the words etched cleanly into its shiny metallic surface.

_**The Fallen**_

_* Bakari, Jamin_

_* Barrett, Germeen_

_* Chase, Addison_

_* Crosby, Silas_

_* Draven, Rosamund_

_* Draven, Talitha_

_* Dubyansky, Alexei_

_* Emerson, Hector_

_* Felawa, Robert_

_* Gladstone, Harvey J. _

_* Grenado, Caroline_

_* Grieco, Marcus_

_* Laflamme, Orden_

_* Lowe, Helen M._

_* Negulesco, Monica_

_* Pakti, Abishek_

_* Pressly, Andrew  
_

_* Rahman, Mandira_

_* Tanaka, Raymond_

_* Tucks, Carlton_

_* Waaberi, Amina_

_In honor of those who can no longer be with us, their spirits will watch over and guide those in need. May the crew of the SSV Normandy SR-1 journey be fair and may they find the peace they deserve._

"_I had no idea he had this,"_ she murmured wiping the tears from her face.

Shepard had glanced from the corner of his eye to follow her movement to the table. Turning his head, he watched her reaction as she looked over his old helmet he heard voice quiver as she said something he couldn't make out as a couple of tears were visible on her cheeks.

"I'll leave you be Shepard," the woman turned away moving up the stairs to the cabin's exit.

As the doors opened Chakwas paused, "If you want some advice, you and Vakarian are more alike than you think. You both need to stop tormenting yourselves with the past. Perhaps a sit down would do you both some good." Her words trailed behind as the doors closed after her passing through.

Shepard stood rooted in his spot as he contemplated her counseling. Moving along the Commander returned to his terminal to pick up he left off with, placing his hand on the datapad once more.

He hesitated lifting it, instead he stood up deciding instead to check how things were going with some of the crew. Taking the elevator down to the CIC, many of the crew were still missing from their usual posts even Yeomen Chambers was also absent.

Shepard looked to the helm; at the end of the long path he could see the blue holographic orb active next to Joker's seat.

Briefly he wondered what they may be discussing, before the thought was brushed aside. Turning he head in the direction of the Research Lab. The room's normal inhabitant was missing, walking further into the room Shepard could see the plethora of research materials the salarian scientist had scattered about the lab.

Moving through the connecting hallway passing the Communications Room and onward to the Armory, finding the doors were locked.

"EDI, why are the doors to the Armory sealed?"

"By orders of XO Lawson, she and Chief Taylor are currently engaged in a… _intimate moment_"

The human could help but let a chuckle escape his throat at the A.I's seemingly uncomfortable pause as he retraced his steps back to board the elevator.

Deck 3 was a bit more crowded than the Command deck had been; Gardner was dishing out portions of his latest lunchtime creation.

The sight of the Main Battery doors caused an uneasy feeling in his stomach, his mouth ran dry at the thought of talking with Garrus.

Chakwas' advice came to mind, he should talk with the turian about what had happened in a civil manner in a more private setting than what they had been forced to do earlier.

The human took a breath attempting to clear his mind, as he strode through the galley. As he made his way acrossed the room he took note of some of the glancing looks he was receiving from many of those present.

Halfway through the room a voice called his name, stopping he turned around to see who it had been.

"Samara?" Shepard's eyes were drawn to the Asari Justicar stood not far behind him.

"Do you have a moment to talk, Commander?"

Shepard glanced to the sealed doors of the battery before nodding in reply, the two moved to the side of the room as to not be in the way.

"I wished to express my gratitude in assisting me in finally tracking down Morinth. You have saved many lives, and spared many that I could not have."

"The honor is mine to have been able to assist you on your mission" Shepard bowed toward Samara, who returned the gesture.

"Know that I shall do all within my power to accomplish the mission set forth before us," Samara stated in her usual fashion before she turned to leave heading back to the Starboard Observation Port.

This time his body seemed to move of its own accord going through the corridor, the uneasy feeling returned as he drew ever nearer to the foreboding location.

Swallowing Shepard pressed his palm against the holographic lock display; there was a pause while computer processed the action but soon enough it finished and the doors retreated into their respective slots.

The room was darker than his own cabin, peering inside Shepard could not locate the normally resident turian.

Immediately he began to wonder where Garrus could have gone, "EDI.."

The faint blue glow filled the room as the A.I's representation appeared, "Yes Shepard?"

"Please locate Officer Vakarian."

"Office Vakarian is not presently located aboard the Normandy. 15 minutes, 37 seconds have passed since his departure from the vessel. Will there be anything else, Shepard?"

"No EDI, thank you" the human waved his hand toward the A.I representative.

"Very well, logging you out" the blue glow disappeared shortly thereafter.

'_Things must have been more conflicted for him than I thought if he left the ship.'_

With that, the Commander performed a 180° turn leaving the Main Battery, the metallic doors once again sealing themselves behind him.

* * *

**Author Note:** If you are enjoying this please leave a review. It doesn't have to be long, sometimes short and simple can speak more than a long winded speech. I have been lucky enough to get feedback from two who enjoyed it & a thank you to them. Reviews make a author wish to continue their work as they feel appreciated, so please R&R. Thank you for your time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Shepard soon found himself once more in his cabin; walking to his terminal, he took a seat before it. Reclining back into the chair, he exhaled a deep sigh, as he swept his hand over the back of his neck before placing it down on the desk.

Even the room about him seemed to reflect how he felt, as it seemed to be locked in a battle of its own. The light waging its war with the surrounding shadows. Both forever locked in an eternal stalemate, as neither could gain the advantage over the other naturally.

The Commander tapped his fingers against the cool metallic surface of the desk.

"Where could he have gone?!"

Garrus' sudden departure agitated the human; he had left with no word to anyone about where he was going, when he would be returning or even if he would be returning.

The thought of the turian's permanent departure, worried him. _What if Garrus had finally reached a breaking point?_

His thoughts churned mulling over all the different events that has seemed to lead up to this.

Turning he pressed a key on the terminal activating the holographic screen.

"Joker?"

"Yes Commander?" the image of the somewhat surprised cap wearing pilot replied.

"Open an outside line, connect me with Citadel Security."

"Can do Shepard, does this have anything to do with Garrus leaving? I tried to stop him and all but you know being bound to a chair I'm not much an intimidating figure."

"Just open the channel, now Moreau" the scathing tone seemed to deter the pilot from continuing with his usual wise cracks.

Soon enough the screen flickered as the bearded human vanished being replaced by an Asari.

"Citadel Security, how may we be of assistance?" she cordially greeted him.

"This is Commander Shepard, I would like to contact, Captain Bailey."

"Right away, we are always happy to assist a Council Spectre," the female stated somewhat more enthusiastically than he had expected.

There was a brief moment when the screen went blank however, it picked again shortly.

"Captain Bailey, how… Oh Shepard it's you. What can I do for ya?" the grizzled C-Sec veteran spoke up.

"A member of my crew is on the Citadel, a turian named Garrus Vakarian. I need to find him."

"I remember him, those scars seen some action has he. So what do you want from us, want me to bring him in for you?" Bailey reclined in his seat reaching for a glass, which sat nearby.

"No, I just need to know his location for now. Once I have that I'll deal with him myself" the stoic Commander stated as he seemed to shift toward the screen.

"Very well, I'll put out the word to our personnel. Even to the undercover ones, if any of them see your turian they'll be sure to call. It shouldn't take too long, anything else Shepard?"

"That will do, Shepard out" with a nod from both parties the video went black as Shepard's terminal returned to its normal appearance.

The Commander's mind seemed to be placed at a relative ease after that conversation. From the corner of his eye noticed the flashing icon on the screen, indicating the arrival of a new message had been archived. It was the origins of the letter that drew the most intrigue; moving the cursor over highlighting the message, to the side the contents were displayed.

_From: Septimus Oraka_

_Commander Shepard:_

_I have heard the rumors of your return; it is good to see they were true. I invite you to join me for a drink next time you on the Citadel, from one soldier to another._

Shepard could still remember what a pitiful sight the turian was when he had met Septimus. The turian had been sulking away in Chora's Den, nursing some kind of alcoholic drink when they had met; he had been spreading rumors about the Asari Consort, Sha'ira, all because he had been spurned by her. Moreover, it had been upon her request that he had gone to ask Septimus that he stop, appealing his sense of duty and honor, as a soldier seemed to have done the trick. At last check, he had apologized to Sha'ira and the two remained friends.

'_It wouldn't hurt to take him up on the offer. He may be able to offer some insight into what I should do about Garrus.'_

Standing up he made his way to dress once more in his armor, with the way things were around him, trouble never seemed all that far behind so it was best to be ready.

* * *

The crowds were bustling, everyone going about whatever menial tasks they set for the day. All of them oblivious to the imminent threats lurking about the galaxy. The Collectors, the Reapers, and the Geth now being an unknown quantity on whether they would be any help against the coming Reaper threat or if they would turn out to follow the same path as the so-called Heretical Geth. Especially since their reabsorption of said Geth back into the collective.

Right now, none of that really mattered to the turian as he made his way through the wards. Garrus had other things on his mind and it was those things he was there to forget.

Even from this distance, he could hear the music, the pulsating rhythm causing deep vibrations to pass through his body as he drew nearer to the club.

The neon-illuminated sign above read "Rumors," Garrus couldn't help but allow a slight chuckle his voice's natural flanging providing an almost echo like effect.

'_Seems the Shadow Broker has a sense of humor.'_

Just inside the doors, Garrus could make out the two heavily armed krogan bouncers, both leaning against a wall carrying on a chat amongst themselves. No doubt, they were waiting for the next person to act out in some way so they could have their fun _evicting_ them.

The club's interior was dimly lit, a few spotlights, which followed preset patterns, would trace about the room, a thin veil of fog along the ground from smoke machines added to the atmosphere. The center of the room was dominated by a large platform, with several scantily clad dancers applying their best moves in attempt to impress the clients to gain better tips.

Just above the platform was a much smaller one hovering just above it and on it was what appeared to be a Hanar DJ. Its tentacle like arms spread about several holographic displays moving them in time to the changes in the music.

To the left was a long bar that seemed to stretch the length of the room, a volus wandering around behind it serving up beverages to the clients. Meandering about were the servers the high majority was asari, with a few humans in matching uniforms going here and there carrying all kinds of drinks.

Garrus made his way to one of the darker corners taking a seat with his back to the wall. Garrus thought about it, this place seemed to remind him of club Afterlife on Omega. Though he could have gone to any number of other nightclubs, in the wards, none really held his interest like this one seemed to. While it was true he could have also gone to the Presidium, Garrus had no desire to go to _any_ there. While he could handle mercenaries no problems, he had no idea where to begin with politicians.

With mercenaries, he could read them easily, their motivations, their intentions, in some ways he could tell what they were going to do before they did, all were easy to discern with his keen eyes. Politicians however, kept themselves tightly wrapped up, their motivations well hidden under layers of facades they had cultivated over their careers.

They could smile and wave to you with one hand, while sticking a blade in your belly with the other.

An asari made her way over to him, she offered up a standard greeting asking if he desired anything. Garrus chose a mild beverage; after all, with some of the people here he might still need to keep his edge. His eyes scanned over the crowd, he could not help but pick out those who were higher priority targets should things get messy. Garrus had to admit with his newfound scars, he seemed to blend in better amongst such characters.

'_Maybe these will do more than just attract krogan females'_ he felt a small shudder pass through him as he reflected over the breeding request he had once received on Tuchanka.

Soon enough the asari returned placing his drink down on the table before she disappeared going off to the next table leaving him alone as he began to sip his drink.

* * *

Shepard arrived on the CIC, stepping out of the elevator clad in the so-called Blood Dragon Armor. One of the few things that the Illusive Man had provided that he actually didn't mind.

The sharp angles and seemingly overlapping plates made it seem like a throwback to an older era of combat. The silver coloring made the large red splash over the left shoulder stand out even more. The splash flowed down the front and back taking the form a great mythical dragon. It jaws agape ready to snap up any unsuspecting victims, the talons held ready to rend flesh from bone should the need arise.

As he strode past the galaxy map a voice then a hand on placed on his left arm caught his attention. Turning his head abruptly, he saw it was Miss Chambers who had snagged him.

"What is it, Kelly?"

"I am sorry sir," her normally cheerful attitude replaced with quieter one as she shied away, "…just that the Illusive Man is requesting an update. He is waiting for you in the Comm Room."

Shepard groaned, "Alright then."

He looked over the young woman standing beside him, "Something seems off, are you doing alright?"

"It's just with all that's happened recently, this situation… the whole disturbance below deck, what you said, and now with Garrus leaving the ship. He is really nice guy a little awkward at times but he is a sweety, and I wish to do something help him but I don't know what to do" the downtrodden girl responded to Shepard.

'_Chakwas was right; it seems there are more repercussions than I had thought.'_

Shepard extended his left arm placing a hand the yeoman's shoulder, "Things will get sorted out. Right now Garrus just had to blow off some steam in a place that isn't so confining. I am certain he'll be back soon enough." A nod showed that she had heard what he said.

The Commander could only hope his words helped the girl as he moved off to the rear of the CIC making his way to the Comm Room.

The doors opened briskly, entering the room Shepard took up position in the center of the circular ring inscribed on the floor. There was pause followed by a low hum as the holographic scanner activated, a holographic curtain slowly rising up around him. Soon a semi-transparent image became visible to him, a man with blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the dark sat in a chair taking a slow drag on a cigar he brandished.

"Shepard," the man's voice held a sense of refinement to it, as he spoke "How are things going on board the Normandy?"

'_No doubt he's already knows.'_ Shepard thought before his reply "The ship is handling fine, currently undergoing the final process of assembling some of the upgrades."

"Good to hear. How about the crew?" the Illusive Man's tone was smug; _he had indeed been informed of recent events_.

"Let's cut to the chase, I have no doubt you know of the recent altercations" Shepard kept his tone civil, trying his best to keep his anger over being spied upon hidden.

A quiet chuckle seemed to echo as the Illusive Man stood taking another drag on his cigar before exhaling the smoke through his nostrils, "Very well Shepard, you are right I have been informed."

Shepard stood silent, _'Miranda most likely,' _crossing his arms as he watched the Illusive Man make his way toward him.

"I am aware that you have alliances with members of the other races, and I had no problem with them so long as they do not hinder the mission. However, if your pet turian can't control himself then perhaps, he would be best removed from the picture."

Shepard's anger had reached its peak as he dropped his arms to his side balling his fists.

"My crew is not your concern. Garrus is not a problem, he's my friend! Remember this; if you or anyone in Cerberus even contemplates trying anything. _**There**_ will not be a place in this galaxy safe for you to hide!"

The Illusive Man eyed the Commander; he could tell the man standing opposite him wasn't bluffing. With the determination, allies and connections Shepard had acquired would be enough to do some serious damage. It was entirely possible that Shepard could dismantle the organization that he worked so hard to put together.

"Alright Shepard" the older man spoke returning to his seat keeping his cool exterior as he once placed the cigar to his mouth.

With that said, the Commander turned walking out of the circle; the holographic curtain disappearing immediately after the link was severed.

Shepard left the silent room making his way once more through the CIC directly to the airlock stepping out on the boarding platform, without a pause he continued onward to the RTV's awaited.

* * *

Garrus' had finished his drink, his eyes still roaming over the patrons assembled; many seemed to be the typical club goers. To casual observer they were enjoying the entertainment; however, those who looked would have seen the faint lines that betrayed the presence of hidden weapons.

According to his count, a good 40% of those present were armed in some fashion.

It was the pair that had just entered that caught his attention, a pair of humans wearing combat gear. The first had pale skin, a shaved head and stood slightly taller than his compatriot did. The other had a darker complexion, close-cropped hair and what humans referred to as 'goatee' styled facial hair.

They made their way over to the bar ordering a couple of drinks, carrying those over they sat down one table length away from Garrus. From the corner of his eye, Garrus kept watch.

The humans went through several more drinks slowly getting rowdier with each glass they consumed.

"Hey look over there," one motioned patting his friend's arm.

"Man, and here I thought turians were ugly before. But that one takes the cake," the other commented following up with a boisterous laugh.

Garrus' muscles tensed as his mandibles flexed in agitation. The two humans stood from their seats walking somewhat shakily around until they were standing at the opposite end of his table.

"What happened to you? Tried to kiss a Vorcha" the comment gaining another bout of laughing from the two.

"You've had your fun, now leave me alone" Garrus stood up to leave.

"Where do you think you're going, we're just trying to have a civil conversation" the bald one spoke.

"Yeah," the second burped, exhaling heavily toward the turian.

Garrus could smell the alcohol laced on their breath combined with other odors from whatever they had eaten, the smell was overpowering to the point of irritating his sensitive sense of smell. He could feel his stomach churn abit as the fragrance infiltrated his nose. As he turned to vacate, the two humans moved to obstruct him.

Garrus glanced down as the taller of the two put a hand to his chest plate, "Take your hand off me."

"Or you'll what…" the man didn't get a chance to finish as a turian fist soon made contact with his jaw leaving him lying flat on his back.

"You son of a bitch!"

The second man threw a right hook at Garrus. However, he managed to capture the man's arm in his grip pulling him forward before delivering a knee to the gut. As the man gasped for air, he took the opportunity to remove his weapons from his back tossing them aside.

The first human had staggered back to his feet bleeding from the corner of his mouth; reaching behind him, he produced a combat knife.

Releasing the fist human, Garrus kept his eye on the knife wielded the approaching opponent; the man took several swipes at him. Each time the turian merely pivoted to avoid the strike, watching as the blade passed harmlessly by him. Seeing an opening Garrus struck using his left leg to deliver a blow to the man's right knee.

The pain was intense as his leg buckled under his weight, causing him to lose his balance. Noticing that Garrus surged forward grabbing hold of the blade wielding hand; moving he bent the human's arm behind his back. With a twist of the wrist, the knife was wrangled from his hand and dropping into the turian's awaiting talons. Bringing the knife up Garrus held it the man's throat, pressing it against the skin leaving an indentation.

The volus behind the bar witnessed the action, signaling his bouncers to move in and put a stop to it before any damage was done to his club. Turning he proceeded to a comm unit placing his call to C-Sec informing them of what was going on, and requesting their assistance.

The krogan moved in their shotguns held at the ready, "Don't move!" a deep voice cut through the air.

Since the beginning of the little scuffle Garrus took note of their surroundings, at some point, the music had stopped and he now had the eyes of many of those there firmly locked on him. It was the gleam from the shotguns now pointed directly at him that drew his focus. At first, he thought about taking them on but that could result in the injury of the bystanders.

The krogan encircled him, keeping him pinned in, "Drop the weapon," the bouncer on his right barked out.

With a groan, the turian obeyed, allowing the knife to fall from his grip the tip embedding itself in the table. Garrus also released the human's arm, sending on his way with a strong shove.

The krogan escorted Garrus to the front of the club where several C-Sec officers stood waiting; once outside he was unceremoniously handed over with a warning not to return.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The Presidium was still sight to behold as always, for those who used to cramped confines of a starship, or those who had spent time on more typical space stations such as the Alliance military run Arcturus Station, or free wrangled semi-controlled chaos of Omega.

The wide open spaces, fresh air, and the greenery all replacing the tedious surroundings of normal life in space. People strolled through the parks, enjoying the artificial sunlight as it left a warm kiss on their skin. Even a gentle breeze gave life to the grass and leaves of the trees creating a delicate movement as if they were just beginning some kind of protracted waltz.

The occasional whirring hum of RTVs passing overhead interrupted the otherwise serene setting.

Shepard walked on following the instructions he had received from the V.I, Avina, attempting to reach his current destination. The address Septimus had sent him was harder to find than he had expected, luckily there were the always convenient terminals placed through the Presidium to contact Avina.

A hushed beep signaled Shepard that he had arrived at his goal, looking up at the slanted building that seemed to recess into the wall of the station.

Navigating his way through was much easier than finding it was. Being lit by the same sterile white lighting giving the building interior more of a hospital like feel to it than that of an apartment building. Row upon row of almost identical doors lined the hall.

Coming to a stop, he put his hand to the screen beside the door before him; then came the sound of doors catch releasing as it slid open revealing the space beyond.

The room was sparsely furnished with a couch, a few chairs around a square table, and a desk sat off the side with a single terminal atop it. A hall on the back left led away from the main room, more than likely off to the sleeping quarters and other facilities, to the right an archway led into a kitchen area and directly ahead, a large open balcony allowed ample amounts of the artificial sunlight to permeate the room.

A lone figure stood out on the balcony overlooking the very park Shepard had passed through on his way here. The tall figure was dressed in a dark colored suit, reminiscent of a military uniform, his white facial paint a stark contrast to his naturally darker skin tone.

"Welcome to my home, Commander Shepard" the turian spoke as he walked into the main living area to greet the human.

"An honor as always, General Septimus" Shepard extended his hand to which the turian eyed it carefully before he accepted clasping the humans hand giving a solid handshake.

"Septimus, I am retired. Please come share a drink," the turian moved off toward a series of shelves stocked with bottles of varying sizes, shapes, and even colors.

Shepard scanned over the bottles, many looked like run of the mill alcoholic beverages though with labels he could not comprehend, but a few caught his eye. One of them seemed to almost glow with a light green fluorescence. He was slightly worried when Spetimus' hand paused at the bottle before selecting the one beside it.

Septimus turned to Shepard with the turian's best equivalent of a grin, "Don't worry Shepard, its safe."

The former General placed two glasses down on a table near an already opened bottle. Pulling the top off the bottle in hand, Septimus proceeded to pour it into one of the glasses, setting it down he repeated the motions with the other bottle.

Shepard reached to the glass taking it in hand, the liquid inside seemed a little thick more like thin syrup than a normally watery beverage. The smell was a heady combination of smoke, fruits, and the strong alcoholic content that no doubt resided within.

His eyes returned to the turian who already had his glass to his mouth taking a swig from whatever he had previously had been drinking. Placing his glass to his mouth, Shepard parted his lips allowing the thick liquid to creep inside.

The flavor was just as complex as the smell, but mainly it was the accompaniment of a strong burning sensation that grabbed him. Swallowing hard to force the fluid down, the whole way it seemed to sear his throat. The Commander quickly set the partially emptied glass back upon the table; a sputtering cough erupted from him shortly thereafter.

"A bit stronger than what I am used too," the human replied hoarsely to the turian's quizzical look in an attempt to save face.

Septimus once more moved out onto the balcony followed by his guest.

"Any particular reason why you invited me here today, General?"

"My intention is to thank you for what you said to me those years ago" he took another sip from his glass, "you were right about my behavior of the time, it was most shameful."

"We all have hard times, but we have to stand and face them. If we retreat then it becomes that much harder for us to overcome them."

"Again your right kid. No war is ever won when the soldiers retreat from the battle."

Shepard approached the railing, placing his forearms on them as he leaned over them gazing out acrossed the park.

"I am familiar with that look I have seen it many times in my life; the look of a soldier who is weighing his thoughts on an upcoming battle. What is it that troubles you?"

"I am having problems with a member of my crew. A turian, Garrus Vakarian" Shepard straightened up looking to the drink he still held.

"He lost several comrades on Omega to a betrayal, and recently he had a chance to avenge them," he paused "And I stopped him from doing so."

"The loss of comrades is never easy, especially when you serve with them for any length of time. Our society is built upon discipline, duty and honor, for someone to commit an act of betrayal it breaks everything we hold dear." The turian's voice was sorrowful, as memories of past comrades bubbled up.

"I stopped him because it was something he would not have done were in his right mind. He was obsessed with revenge for his men. I confronted him about it and our exchange grew heated."

Shepard then relayed what information he could to Septimus about the incident aboard the Normandy.

"While there is nothing against it; expressing ones emotions publicly is commonly discouraged unless amongst closely trusted friends. To spark such a reaction sounds like you and he are rather close friends."

"Garrus is like my own brother, I couldn't allow him to become just like what he spent so much time fighting against." Shepard sounded distant.

"Turians generally prefer to face a conflict, not skirt about it."

The human once more gazed out over the park, watching several couples walking along its winding pathways.

* * *

Garrus sat in the back of the RTV, his bound hands lying in his lap as he would shift is his gaze from them to the two arresting Officers. The two humans sat in the front seats of the RTV, one was reading something with his omni-tool while his partner sat there reclined in his seat, and head tilted downward eyes closed.

The trip was reminiscent of the many times he himself had escorted criminals into custody. The two individuals up front remained quiet during the whole trip. Garrus knew the tactic all too well; it was all part of the psychological mind games employed quite extensively at C-Sec, used in order to break down a suspect.

Soon the vehicle stopped, coming to rest just outside of the Citadel Security building.

The original Officers remained seated looking to the left as two new uniformed bodies approached. Garrus was surprised to see that one of the beings was a krogan dressed in C-Sec uniform; trailing after him was a short human female.

The krogan was a young one, though he seemed a little short for a krogan standing less than 7 foot, his brighter skin tones signaled his youth, his eyes were a muddy brown in color, and his crest somewhat resembled Grunt's with far less individual plates.

The human girl following alongside him appeared almost equally young. Standing at best just over 5 foot tall, with a rather light build, she had sandy colored hair that she wore pulled back in a ponytail, again another curious term Garrus never fully understood. Facially she was unremarkable as far humans go; but she possessed a pair of striking green eyes.

"This the one we were told to get?" the krogan asked his eyes roaming over Garrus.

"Yeah, sure looks like it. Alright up and out of there" the human girl directed to the turian before moving to her seated comrades.

They handed over a datapad and after a short exchange of words, she returned her attention to him, "I am Officer Tanya, this is Officer Tarek. If you would please follow us."

Garrus obeyed the request, standing he took the opportunity to stretch his legs glancing to the krogan; before he looked to the girl.

"This way," Tanya pivoted on the heel of her right foot, as she took off toward the C-Sec building.

With a glance over his shoulder to the krogan cop following behind him, keeping the turian between him and his partner. They walked on through passing other Officers, all Garrus could do was hope that none of his former associates would currently recognize him.

It was odd experience for him to be on this side of the proceedings, his information be taken and cataloged as if he was just an ordinary criminal. Tarek kept watch over him as Tanya directed him in what to do, once they were through Garrus was escorted to a holding cell.

Garrus took a seat on the provided bench, leaning his head back he let out a deep sigh.

"I sure hope my father doesn't find out about this."

* * *

The artificial clouds drifted lazily acrossed the sky, seemingly without a care in the world, as the two figures on the balcony gazed upon them.

"Time has not been kind to you Commander," the turian took another drink "There have been quite a few rumors circulating as of late."

"Not your doing I trust?"

Septimus mandibles flexed as he began to laugh, "No I am afraid not. I have heard you are working for the terrorist group Cerberus. I am sure the Council didn't take the news lightly."

Shepard sighed as he turned around to face the turian, "No they did not, I was informed it amounted to treason. I cooperate with them so far as this mission is concerned, but once it is finished so is my relations with them" Shepard lifted his glass bracing himself as he took another gulp of the liquid.

"Politics, there is a war that I never want to get involved in."

The human flashed back to his reunion with Council.

Anderson was already in the middle of a discussion with the other Councilors when he had arrived; their flickering holograms turning to see who was entering. Garrus and Grunt flanked him as they made their way into the embassy room.

Anderson greeted Shepard warmly; however, the Council's was less amicable. From there the proceedings became a bit more tangled. The Council admitted that it was good that he was alive however, the recent development were quite unsettling.

Shepard told them of the Collectors working for the Reapers in their plot to abduct the human colonies; though the Councilors were not so easily swayed maintaining their stance of denial without any solid evidence. The Turian Councilor in particular seemed the most adamant about it; going so far as to accuse him of being mentally unbalanced. When he attempted a rebuttal, it was then the Asari Councilor explained that his working with Cerberus was tantamount to treason!

That statement, having his loyalties questioned like this struck at his core.

"_My involvement with Cerberus only goes so far as their providing the ship and information for the investigation. My allegiance lies with the Council and the continued relations between our races as it always has. I will not allow them or anyone jeopardize that." _

It was Anderson, who spoke up reaffirming his trust in the Commander and did his best to alleviate the tension in the room. In the end they came to a mutually agreed solution, he was welcomed back as a Spectre so long as he did not try to exercise his authority outside of the Terminus Systems.

The sound of door opening and closing drew Shepard back to the present, looking about he noticed his host had retreated into the apartment so he followed suit.

"Welcome to our home, Commander Shepard. It is good to meet you." An oddly feminine voice spoke up with a distinctive flanging to it as he entered the room.

Septimus stood in the center of the main room with another turian, "Commander, this is… how you humans say my wife, Aella."

Aella stood only slightly shorter; her waist was thicker and hips wider than her male counterparts. Her eyes a vibrant green, her facial features seemed softer, much more feminine with more curves to them than the sharp angles of the males, her face paints were similar to Septimus' own but violet in color. Her fringe was not as long as the males, her mandibles lacked the two downward protrusions, and she possessed a smaller collar around her neck.

"It's an honor to meet you"

Aella bowed her head toward the human in acknowledgment, "Excuse me for the time being I must go change."

She turned leaving the room as she moved off down the hall to bedroom; leaving Septimus and Shepard alone once more in the main room.

There was electronic beeping came from the humans omni-tool, gaining the attention of both parties.

"Commander got a call from a Captain Bailey" Joker's familiar voice spoke over the comm.

"Patch it through, Joker."

"Shepard," the gravelly voice spoke.

"Bailey, I take it you found Garrus?"

"Found him, hell I have him sitting down here in a holding cell."

"What's going on, why is he locked up?" Shepard's voice betrayed his concern.

"He was involved in an incident at nightclub, seems he was part of a fight that broke out" Shepard could hear the sound of a cup being set down on a hard surface.

"In a related note, we had a turian by the name of Lantar Sidonis turn himself over to our custody he mentioned your friend during the interview. He claims to be responsible for the deaths of several individuals on the Omega station."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Not much we can do, Citadel Security has no jurisdiction there. However, he is being extradited to the Turian Hierarchy as they have launched their own inquiry into the allegations."

"Alright, I'll be there shortly. Shepard out," with the link cut the omni-tool once again returned to its normal state.

"I must be going, thank you for the drink General."

"A pleasure, Commander" Septimus bowed his head to the human, and watched as he made his way to the door.

* * *

Garrus sat in the small cell, his eyes closed as he thought about this most recent predicament and its implications. However, he did not have to sit for long as soon the sound of the force field being taken offline garnered his interest. Looking up saw another turian standing to the side of the cell entrance.

"Come with me" his voice was serious leaving no room for questions.

Garrus followed close behind as he was led through the building, from the detention area to the offices. As they passed through, it brought back memories what he had disliked most about working for C-Sec, mounds of paperwork he always had to fill out. He and fellow Officers used to joke about how it seemed they had to file three reports and a requisition form before they were even allowed to scratch their chins.

Many other Officers sat behind desks filling out reports, or some sat talking to complainants about a myriad of subjects. He guessed he was being led to one of the turian's superiors, as to who he had no idea.

Garrus would soon have his answer as they came to a stop outside one of the offices, "Wait here," the turian officer held up a hand to his chest.

He disappeared into the small room; Garrus could just make out the sound of muddled voices. The new voice held authority over the intruder, at the same time it had a ring of familiarity to it. Yet Garrus was unable to place where he had heard the voice before.

The Officer reappeared almost as fast as he had disappeared, with a nod to Garrus he walked away back down the corridor they had come through. Garrus paused for a moment then pressed hologram, the doors quickly parted.

There was someone seated in a rather high back chair, they kept the back of the chair directed to the door. The room was virtually silent only sounds he heard was his own steady breathing and footsteps as he moved through the room.

"It has been some time since your last visit to my office," the authoritative voice from earlier spoke.

Gradually the chair began to rotate revealing inch by inch who it was that spoke. The moment the figure was entirely showcased was one of the more startling moments, Garrus recognized him now. It was an old friend of his fathers, Quintus Antenor.

Quintus' face spoke some of his age; a deep-set scar ran acrossed the bridge of his nose. His eyes were both a dark red in color, though the right one was, as Garrus knew was a cybernetic implant. It was the price he had paid for a mistake made long ago during his time in the Turian Military. His fringe was badly scarred, with the entire end of one seemingly broken off. The face paints he wore marked him of the same clan descent as that of the Turian Councilor.

Garrus had known Quintus for many years; his father and he were old friends since their time serving in the same unit in the military. Quintus was very much like his father both were very by the book, believing in the rules and held a certain level of contempt for anyone who went against them. Many times Garrus had to report to him during his time in C-Sec, often it resulted in a grating conversation about rules and regulations.

The older turian sat behind his desk eyeing Garrus, paying particular attention to his newly acquired scars. Reaching he picked up an errant datapad that lay on the desk, with a quick glance he looked it over before returning to Garrus.

"Though I would not have suspected you would show up here like _**this**_. I see you have not taken the best care with yourself" Quintus motioned with his hand to for the younger turian to be seated.

Garrus strode closer taking up one of the unoccupied chairs that sat in front of the desk, "I didn't know you were still serving in C-Sec after all this time, Quintus."

"I will serve till I am dead. However, the conversation here today is not about me, but you. To think the son of my old friend would behave in such a manner as this" he tossed the datapad in front of Garrus.

"You are lucky your father is not here at this moment, I doubt he would be so pleasant to deal with as I" Garrus remained silent.

"Starting brawls in nightclubs now, seems a step down from what you were doing on Omega, Garrus or should I refer to you as Archangel."

Garrus was aghast as Quintus spoke so openly of that, "How…does my father know?"

"You do not work as long as I have without making a few contacts with which to gather information. I don't think he needs to learn of this, but I know all about your actions there. My contacts also tell me you're once again working the human Spectre Shepard, who now is a member of a known terrorist organization"

"I am working with Shepard, but he is not a terrorist! He is only working with them because they have information he needs to investigate the disappearing colonists. Since the Council is unwilling to do anything about it," Garrus responded as firmly as he was able without sounding irate.

The older turian leant forward placing both hands on the desk, "Proper investigation does not require such actions; it is unethical, immoral and untrustworthy to deal such people. There is a way to get things done; nothing gets accomplished when one disregards the rules."

"Unorthodox actions are sometimes necessary, not all situations can be handled with standard procedures."

"By your behavior I can't say this human has been a good influence on you. You have given up a promising career here in C-Sec to go gallivanting around the galaxy." Quintus' tone was brash as he waved a hand as if to dismiss his actions.

"I have seen Shepard do more than I have managed to accomplish my entire time at C-Sec, he has seemingly gone out of his way to help many innocent people out there. Shepard is perhaps my closest friend and I have learned a lot from him," Garrus received a hard stare from Quintus.

Quintus grumbled quietly, placing a taloned hand to his forehead. The terminal atop the desk suddenly lit up, as it displayed a notice of new message.

The turian looked it over, "Seems your Commander is here, and waiting for you with Captain Bailey," with sigh, Quintus relented his mannerisms softening.

"I am usually strongly against such abuses in authority. However, as this is your first offense and you are not at fault, I will lower the charges. You will still pay the fines of the original charge though" Quintus' spoke as if to no-one in particular while his talons typed out something on the keypad.

Garrus just about had to scoop his jaw off the ground at such a statement; never would he have thought that something so out of character could happen.

"This should cover any debt I owe to your father," he looked back to the youngster and who with a nod, stood, and moved off to the door.

"Garrus…" at the sound of his name he paused looking back to the seated turian, "It is good to see you again. Take better care of yourself out there, your father would be quite displeased if something happened to you."

"I will," pivoting around making his way back to the door, they parted before him. He hastily exited the room entering the the corridor on his way to the rendezvous with Shepard.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Here's a read out of the incident," the seated human stated holding a datapad in an outstretched arm.

Commander Shepard took possession of the pad, his eyes scanning over its contents carefully._ "Bastards got off lucky,"_ Shepard muttered as he read over the details of the C-Sec report.

The human felt his emotions broil, churning in his stomach. He felt anger over the incident, his friend being basically harassed and attacked then being arrested. But, also he felt regret that he had not been there to protect Garrus, to put a stop to things before they got out of hand.

Though it was true, Garrus would have in all likelihood, not wanted him anywhere near him. He wanted to have been there anyways. However, it didn't matter to Shepard as now it was just another situation where he failed to protect a friend.

"So where is he now?"

"One of the higher ups wanted to have a word with him, should be here shortly" Bailey responded without removing his eyes from the screen before him.

Replacing the datapad upon the Captain's desk, Shepard moved off a walking to the opposite side of the office. Placing his back against the open doorway, he began his vigil for the wayward turian. The Commander watched various Officers as they made their way about, some stopping to talk before moving on, a few carrying datapads over attempting to get Bailey's approval on whatever it said.

Listening in he could make out what some were saying.

"Want to go get something to eat?" a krogan in a C-Sec uniform asked a uniformed woman walking beside him.

"Sure, but no more of that krogan stew. It felt like it was gonna eat a hole through my stomach," the woman replied as she held a hand over her abdomen, the krogan chuckled as he glanced to her.

The young woman grumbled, turning she attempted to shove him away. It seemed she succeeded more in moving herself than him. The krogan gave a hearty laugh stopping he reached out placing his hands under her arms lifting her clean into the air.

The girl squealed in surprise as she was suddenly uprooted, the noise attracting many looks from those around including Shepard. Some looked on in concern, other in amusement but the majority were looking on with curiosity scrolled acrossed their faces.

"You put me down right now, you overgrown space lizard!" the undignified cry rang out.

"Ha ha ha, why you seemed so eager to wrestle just a second ago."

"Alright, alright put me down and we can go where ever you want," defeat hung heavy in her words.

The krogan sported a leering grin, "Shall we go back to my place or yours afterwards?"

A stern look was enough to convince him to release her, once down they retreated off into the distance still debating about their upcoming dinner.

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle to himself, seeing a krogan and human together as a couple was not something he thought he would see when he woke up that morning.

Atleast the diversion helped to provide some levity to his mood.

* * *

Navigating the building seemed to come to Garrus like second nature, luckily the architecture had pretty the same general layout as all the previous C-Sec divisions he had visited before.

Sure enough the path led him straight where he wanted to go, along the way he passed by the krogan, Tarek, and human girl, Tanya, who had processed him into the system. They didn't seem to take notice of his presence instead they were intent on arguing about where to go for dinner; though to Garrus it seemed Tarek may have had other things on his mind judging by the looks and more lewd comments he dished out.

Looking ahead he could make out the back of an easily recognizable form, Commander Shepard stood leaning back against the doors archway. His head tilted down toward his chest he seemed to be deep in thought about something.

Something in him seemed to make him pause mid-step, this would the first time he had faced him since their parting aboard the Normandy. Garrus swallowed quickly in attempt to remove the lump that seemed to form in his throat.

Clenching a fist as he strode forward "Shepard…"

Shepard remained unmoving turning his head to look at him over his shoulder, "Got things squared away?"

"Yes, things here are under control."

"Very well, let's head out. I have a few places to go before I return to the Normandy you're welcome to tag along or you can return to the ship," the human pushed off the wall moving off pivoting to face him.

Garrus nodded in response following Shepard to the RTV platform, the craft's automated doors swung open for them. Garrus' eyes followed the Commander's movements as he rounded the front of the vehicle before he took a seat, once seated Shepard went through the process of selecting the destination.

The turian climbed into the passenger side seat listening as the onboard V.I restated Shepard's selections for confirmation. Once received, the shuttle came to life taking to the air like a magic carpet.

Silence reigned supreme once more all through the journey, just as it did on their return to the Normandy after the start of this whole mess.

The first stop was to the Zakera Café, there Shepard dealt with getting another consignment of supplies for Gardner sent to the Normandy. Shepard also made sure to have an good allotment of various foods available for both Garrus and Tali, as their dietary needs would not allow them to consume the same foods as the rest of the crew.

From the Café it was off to Radom Encounters.

"Wait here for a moment; it shouldn't take long to get this done."

Garrus seemed surprised by the request but he obeyed silently watching as Shepard stepped out and made his way into the store.

* * *

Etarn Tiron, the turian shopkeeper, was busy talking with a pair of humans attempting to sell them on the latest adventure package.

Gradually Shepard moved around the store, looking over what was on display. A wide assortment of gear was laid out, from clothing to weapons, though none of these held Shepard's interest.

"Ah, Commander Shepard welcome back" the shopkeeper announced, his tone implying he had been rather successful dealing with the previous shop occupants.

"I take it they came in already?"

"They're right here behind the counter," the turian then ducked down retrieving something from below. "Here you go."

Reappearing the turian hoisted several metallic cases. The largest one was perhaps 3ft long x 2ft wide x 1ft tall, while smaller ones all varied in size from half the size of the large one down to just half a foot in length.

Shepard opened each slightly to examine the contents.

"Everything seems to be in order," closing the lid on the last case, "How much do I owe you for them?"

"The prices were quite reasonable on all except on this one;" Etarn tapped the large case "this one was rather hard to get a hold of, had to use a few favors."

Shepard looked over the datapad being handed to him, "It is higher than I expected."

"These are well worth the extra creds," the turian's arm swept over the metal cases.

The Commander carefully eyed the being opposite him, "Alright, have them delivered to the Normandy" he spoke handing over a credit chit.

Etarn's mandibles pulled higher as the turian did his to smile looking at the rather large donation on the screen after he scanned Shepard's credit chit "Certainly, it's been a pleasure doing business."

With a nod, Shepard turned leaving the turian's shop and headed back to the awaiting shuttle.

* * *

With the doors shut, the shuttle was quick to respond, resuming its preprogrammed course selection. The final destination was back to the Normandy.

It seemed the last leg of the journey was the longest, though in reality it was the shortest.

"I received some information on Sidonis," Shepard spoke calmly as if it was just an everyday topic.

At the mention of that name, Garrus' jaw clenched, mandibles flexed, muscles tensed as his head quickly swiveled to face the one who spoke. However, the majority of the vast foundation of his anger had eroded away, amongst its crumbled remnants some small lump yet lingered.

"What do you mean, Shepard?"

"He went to C-Sec and informed them about what happened on Omega. He mentioned you during his interrogation, seems he is trying to make it up to you."

"Let me guess C-Sec gave their no jurisdiction speech and let him walk right out the door!" the turian's hand waved as to knock something away while his steely gaze was on the human.

"It seems the allegations against him, has attracted the attention of the Turian Hierarchy, and they have launched their own investigation. Sidonis had no qualms against the extradition to face trial under the turian courts."

Garrus' eyes widened with shock. Never did he imagine that Lantar Sidonis, the betrayer; the one who fled changed his name to hide from him would so willingly turn himself in. Shepard observed his mandibles go slack; mouth held agape as this sudden revelation began to sink into his conscious understanding.

Garrus sat facing forward, head tilted down, as he gazed at his hands _'I can't believe it…he turned himself over without so much as a complaint. Even after I nearly killed him, and he hasn't mentioned it to C-Sec.'_

Shepard remained silent himself after passing on the information, no doubt Garrus would need a bit of time to absorb it. Returning his gaze forward he watched the traffic, shuttles jockeying for position as they each flew along some ascending while others descended to their landing spots.

Steadily the craft homed in on its target, drawing ever closer. Its final approach didn't take too long to perform, slowly the shuttle drifted downward till it made contact powering down doing so.

Garrus slowly came to the realization that they were no longer in motion, but instead parked on the platform. Looking about he noticed Shepard was no longer in the RTV but was standing just beside his door.

With a hiss the door released swinging upwards, the turian then pivoted throwing his feet out as he pushed himself off the seat and into a standing position before moving off.

Unlike the last time, returning to the Normandy no longer held the same feelings for Garrus. No longer did it loom over him, no longer did it have the feeling of a hostile environment.

In a way of its own, it was almost like going home for the turian.

* * *

**_Author's note:_** Probably have 1 or 2 chapters left to go in this story, hopefully they will be longer and better than this one was.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**_ This is the last chapter in the story, unless my friend wishes me to come back and do an epilogue. I hope that those who read it enjoyed it, if you do please drop a line and give a shout out. To those that have left a review I thank you and deep appreciate it, knowing people were out there enjoying it helped drive me to compose it.

I have begun work on another Mass Effect based story, which I hope to post up soon. There may be some cameo's by Shepard and others in it, but the main character's will be OC's. So if you liked this one you may like the other. But enough self promotion on with story. Once more thank you for your reviews and hope to hear from more of you, whether you are anonymous or registered user.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"Welcome back Commander Shepard, Officer Vakarian" EDI's voice hailed the two as they emerged from the airlock.

"I will be getting back to my station," a extended talon signaling the turian's intention before he turned and headed off through the CIC.

Shepard lingered a moment, pivoting making his way to the seated pilot, "Joker…"

Joker's chair swiveled at Shepard's call "Hey Commander, what can I do ya for?"

"A few things are going to be delivered to the Normandy shortly. When they arrive have them sent to my cabin."

"Will do, it's good to see old crabby onboard again. Hope he doesn't hop back on that stick anytime soon" Joker's trailing chuckle was cut short by the unamused appearance of his superior.

"Look, suddenly these flashing lights need my attention," Joker returned his chair to its original position as he held his left hand up to wave to Shepard "See ya Commander."

Shepard allowed a small grin to edge onto his face, as he shook his head the pilot's antics. Even in some of the most dire situations Joker was still able to keep his sense of humor, though his jokes could be difficult to take at times.

Moving along he took the chance to look around, the majority of the crew were back at their stations going about their normal routines. Performing checks and double checks of the Normandy's systems before their scheduled departure from the Citadel. Yeomen Kelly was in her usual spot, holding a datapad in her hand as she carried on a conversation with someone in engineering.

"Commander Shepard, a moment please" the young woman's tone of voice once more in good spirits.

The silver armored human paused mid-stride his eyes watching the red haired young woman, as she attempted to end the current conversation.

"Sorry for taking so long."

"Not a problem Kelly. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Shepard shifted folding his arms as he placed more weight on his left foot.

"While you were out, we received a package addressed to you so I had it sent to your cabin," Kelly pointed to the elevator.

"Did the package say whom it was from?"

Lifting the datapad once more, she began to scroll through it, "A Septimus Oraka."

The Commander sported a half cocked grin, "Thank you, Kelly."

"Sir," the young woman responded saluting him.

Returning the gesture, he continued on his way to his cabin, now his curiosity having been piqued.

'_What could Septimus have sent?'_ the voice in his head questioned as various answers were brought into existence to solve the puzzle.

Kelly turned following Shepard as he stepped onto the lift "It's good to have Garrus back, I am glad you were able to work things out."

"Me too," was all she was able to hear before the doors shut.

His cabin was just as he left it, the fish lazily making their rounds inside their liquid filled world, the pile of datapads still sat beside his terminal. His hand slid along the railing as he made his way down the stairs, looking to the right a reflective glimmer stood out.

Just in front of the battered helmet sat a pair of metallic canisters, standing about a foot tall and six inches wide.

The Commander cocked his head as he strode to the desk, placed atop them was an slim "L" shaped rod with a flat circular portion at the crux of the joint. Lifting it seemed to activate the internal circuitry as a orange holographic display was emitted.

_Commander Shepard:_

_A little souvenir, something no Commanding Officer's quarters should be without. How else is one expected to relax after hard day's work. Also took the liberty to add in something for your turian compatriot._

_Septimus Oraka_

After being placed down upon the desktop the device returned to its inactive state once more.

The twin cylinders sat unmoving under the human's scrutinizing, reaching out a hand gripped the right most canister. The surface was smooth and polished, the only defect visible was a clear division about one inch from the bottom. His grip above the line tightened as he took hold of the bottom giving it a good twist counter-clockwise, a hissing sound was heard as the internal pressures equalized with the surrounding environment.

When it would turn no more, Shepard slid the top up and away. Nestled inside, held in place by a set of flexible arms was a glass bottle. The tint of the glass made it hard to tell what the color of the liquid contained within was other than it was dark.

Pulling the bottle free its label came into view, it was some kind Batarian Ale judging by what he could discern from the wording.

Setting the Ale down he repeated the process for its brother. This bottle was clear while its contents were almost neon blue in color; the label indicated it was a Turian Brandy.

"Shepard, several containers have just arrived. As per your orders they are being brought up to your cabin," the sound of EDI's voice broke the spell the neon liquid held over him.

The bottle was set alongside its companion, "Very well, EDI."

A chime signaled the presence of crew members bearing the packages just on the other side of the cabin door. Two crewmen entered shortly thereafter, the first carried the largest of them while his companion toted 4 small metallic cases.

"Place them over there," a pointing finger indicating next to the stairs.

"Will that be all, sir?" the first asked to which a nod came as his answer.

"Alright sir," with that the two turned swiftly and exited the room.

The Commander approached, kneeling he released the catch on the lids as he examined their insides ensuring nothing was disturbed. Satisfied he stood walking to his wardrobe selecting a more casual outfit to wear.

* * *

Garrus strode through the ship, this time however the crew did not have the worried or somewhat fearful expressions cast acrossed their features. Seems they could sense the change in his mood and made use of it.

A few greeted him, others just cast him a grin and a nod as a welcome back acknowledgment.

The mess had a few people traveling through it, one such person was Tali'Zorah, she was reading from her omni-tool as she walked.

"Garrus…" the quarian girl spoke as she just about crashed into him.

"Reading while on the move is not something done easily in a confined space."

"It is good to see you back again. You and Shepard are not still fighting, are you?" Tali's concern was palpable.

The turian's eyes shifted as if he was attempting to find a way out, "No, Shepard and I are not fighting currently."

Even from behind her visor, Garrus could tell she was no doubt smiling.

Tali clasped her hands together raising them to her chest, "Keelah! I am thankful you two have put the past behind you."

"Uh…yeah," his posture shifted becoming more withdrawn "If you'll excuse me, I have work that I need to be getting back to."

The quarian nodded understandingly, as she too began to move past him heading back to engineering.

Continuing he past Gardner, who in his usual position leaning back against the counter of his workstation, gave a quick nod and raised his hand to Garrus' passing.

As with before his terminal activated when he came close, its holographic screen displaying a message warning of the password encryption placed upon it. His talons rested on the keys moving instinctively as they input the password he had put in place.

The firing program booted up, awakening from its hibernation. Eyes scanned over the lines of code already present his brain working through the calibrations as his hands came to life creating new lines of code to appear on screen.

* * *

Shepard sat once again in front of his terminal, the datapad from earlier sat to the side with several others he had just reviewed.

Though things seemed to be steadily returning to normal aboard the Normandy, Shepard was still unable to settle back into the flow. Standing he straightened his outfit moving to the exit.

The Commander moved through the CIC to the cockpit, "Joker, how are the upgrades coming along?"

"All completed Shepard, though I gotta say they're throwing off the Normandy's handling."

"The additional mass is properly distributed, I am detecting variances are within tolerable levels" the blue orb besides Jeff's chair spoke.

"It's not the same EDI, of course they would feel pretty normal for you as you're tied into the ship. I was able to tell just how fast the ship was traveling just by the feel of the deck plating, or the course changes through the vibrations in my chair."

Shepard stood silently in the background as the two began to argue.

'_If Joker's this attached to the Normandy, I would be worried if EDI had a physical body to interact with.'_

"Is the ship ready to go or not, Moreau?"

The use of his last name stopped him dead, slowly he turned to face the man standing four feet away arms crossed and staring down at him. "Yeah sure, we're good to go if that's all you were wanting to know."

Jeff watched at Commander slowly retreated back down the corridor to the Galaxy map, he turned to face the semi-transparent blue orb once more.

"You know, this is all your fault."

The swirling hologram of the Milky Way lazily rotated, a holographic targeting reticle indicating the ship's current position. Shepard stepped up on the small podium that stood before it, the hologram moved zooming in upon the Citadel.

"There is still sometime before the end of shore leave, once everyone is back aboard set course for Illium."

"Yes, sir Commander" Kelly was quick to respond.

* * *

A drawn out groan caught the turian by surprise, again he could feel his stomach contracting creating the noise.

'_Guess I could take a short break and grab something to eat.'_

Pulling away from the console, stretched his arms raising one to rub the back of his neck as he strode to the doors. The mechanical obstruction bifurcated before the two halves divided into several pieces once more as they retreated.

The sleep pods hung empty on the walls, while they served their purpose it just wasn't the same as a good night's sleep in comfortable bed.

In a rare moment, Gardner was not present at his kitchen station Garrus glanced about not seeing his form anywhere. Taking the initiative he moved to the cold storage compartment, or as humans referred to it refrigerator, he dug through its interior.

Gardner would often bury the food he and Tali were able to eat in the rear, after bit of shuffling things around he was able to locate a MRE styled dish.

Preparing the meal was simple, just mix a few things add heat and presto your food was ready.

While it was never going to win any awards or find itself featured in any high society turian restaurants, the simple meal was enough to quench his appetite.

As Garrus disposed of any evidence he had been there, he turned to look back at the elevator. His sense of guilt felt he owed Shepard an apology for what he had said to him.

The turian quickly surveyed the deck area, making sure he would not draw attention to himself. At a brisk pace he crossed the room to the elevator pressing the call button. The lift arrived promptly the twin doors parting ways allowing him entry, once inside he turned pressing the correlating button to his destination.

The upward motion abruptly slowed then ceased all together, puzzled Garrus looked about for any indication as to why the journey had ended so shortly.

His gaze snapped to the doors at the sound of the mechanism releasing, someone on the other side was waiting to board.

The gap between the doors grew slightly before their mutual kiss disappeared. The person who had been waiting took a step into the confined space before he paused.

The turian's pale eyes widened with surprise as Shepard's own eyes betrayed his surprise.

"Shepard…"

"Garrus," Shepard continued in standing to the side "I was needing to talk with you."

"I was just coming to see you actually," the human cocked an eyebrow at the statement as the elevator resumed its run, traveling upwards again.

The pair exited the lift walking down the hall to the Commander's quarters. Shepard was the first to enter as he moved down the short staircase while Garrus paused at the top "What is it you wished to talk about Shepard?"

"A few things, by the way those are yours" the tilt of Shepard's head attracted Garrus' attention to bottom of the stairs.

The turian strode down the stairs, at the base next to the stairs sat a large metal case with smaller case half the size atop it. Garrus knelt down running a hand along the surface of the small case, examining it for any markings or clues to what they contained. A quick survey of the large one proved just as a barren.

Looking over his shoulder he notice Shepard leaning against a desk, his arms folded acrossed his chest.

Returning to the small container, his talons found the catch releases on the front pressing them in. With a snap the lid was unlocked, lifting it carefully allowing the ambient light to illuminate the contents. Lying in the center of the foam padding was a M-92 Mantis sniper rifle.

The turian slid his talons along the length of the rifle, eyes taking in every detail. The rifle's paint was black with blue highlights to accent the overall appearance. Hefting it to shoulder the rifle's weight was surprising as it was lighter than his current selection. Peering through the scope also indicated the it was not a stock model, there were obviously some mods made to it the subtle click from the trigger being squeezed was heard.

Replacing the weapon Garrus repeated the opening procedure with the larger case. Inside sat an obvious set of armor, a headset tucked into a slot cut into the packing material to side.

Lifting the torso piece, he set it aside as he looked over the other pieces which lay underneath.

The armors sleek lines, angular curves, and dark coloration all lending to the idea this armor's primary design was for stealth. Judging by the design and construction this was no doubt turian military grade equipment and rather expensive too.

Garrus turned at the sound of a liquid being poured; the Commander stood with his back toward him allowing only glimpses of a bottle of some kind.

Shepard placed the bottle of ale aside; grabbing the bottle of turian brandy, he turned holding the bottle as an offering to Garrus "Care for a drink?"

"Sure," the turian rose strolling closer as the human prepared his glass.

"To friends" Shepard held up his glass in toast as Garrus mimicked the gesture repeating the phrase.

The flavor of the brandy was smooth and sweet tasting to Garrus, by his reckoning it was probably a high priced, well-aged vintage. Garrus looked to the glass in his hand then to his friend a quizzical look etched on his features.

"Ah good stuff" Shepard's hoarse voice rasped out, a quick cough to clear his throat got his tone back to normal "You're probably wondering why I purchased those things."

"Why did you?"

"You could use some better protection, Garrus." Shepard shifted eyeing the half-empty glass in his hand, "It's a bit of a cruel twist of fate really."

"I am the one who screwed up and yet you are the one who is forced to carry around the marks for it," a gentle tilt of his hand motioned to the scars on the turian's right cheek.

Garrus reflexively tightened his mandibles, "I am sorry for that Garrus."

The human paced to the opposite side of the room eyeing the fish, "I have been in frightening positions before, yet none seemed more so than that day."

Lifting his glass, he took another sip, "On Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz, on Virmire with our raid on Saren's base. Even when I was drifting helplessly in space my suit breached and venting oxygen after the Normandy attack" a light chortle soon followed the sentence.

"But seeing you lying there, motionless in a pool of blood like that, the thought of losing my closest friend, it frightened me more than anything."

The turian stood silent in the center of the room, eyeing this human carefully. Shepard stood unmoving; his left arm bent acrossed his abdomen holding the alcoholic beverage. Garrus could see the reflection of his eyes in the glass of the fish tank they were focused, but not on anything in particular it seemed.

* * *

A shot rang out, from over his shoulder as the krogan before him blinked for a moment his body slumping to his knees before gravity pulled him down face first. Garm, the once proud leader of the Blood Pack on Omega, lay dead.

Shepard eyed the body approaching slowly, his assault rifle trained at the krogan's head. Miranda and Jacob took up flanking positions their weapons trained upon the body as well. The Commander's arm extended his omni-tool activating in the process, as it scanned for life signs.

A quick nod to the others confirmed their suspicions Garm was truly finished this time.

Standing upright Shepard shoulder his assault rifle, turning he moved to the turian who until now had been stood behind a large sofa.

"Thanks, Shepard. They hardly got through to me," shift of his eyes to the lifeless corpse "And we took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better. He was one tough son of a bitch."

"Then I take it you've fought with him before?"

Garrus ready his rifle loosely as he began to pace in front of Shepard, "Yeah, we tangled once. Caught him alone, none of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out , I've never seen a krogan regen that fast. He's a freak of nature."

The human's eyes tracked him as turned pacing the opposite direction "He just kept at it until his vorcha showed up. It was close but I had to let him go," he exhaled "Not this time."

The Commander looked about "Only the Blue Suns are left, I say we take our chances and fight our way out."

"I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group but nothing we haven't faced before. Besides he won't be expecting us to meet him head-on…" Garrus' words trailed off at the low rumble of the Gunship's thrusters.

Slowly the aircraft arose completely filling the view from the window behind the squad, the glass shattering as the cockpit made contact with it.

Dispersing the squadmates dove for cover, "Damn it, I thought I took that thing out already. They're offloading troops! Watch your back Shepard!"

Glancing around the corner of the large cabinet he took cover behind, Shepard watched as the Blue Suns mercenaries rappelled into the room from the broken window.

The troops let loose with automatic fire the second their boots hit the floor. The projectiles tearing through the weaker objects in their path, the mercs slid to the side taking cover where they could as more made their way down.

In the rear of the room, Garrus took a crouched position behind a large planter, only the barrel and scope of his rifle really visible through the vegetation. He took his time breathing slowly as he aligned each shot for maximum devastation and a clean kill. Applying the require pressure to the trigger the rifle respond firing its deadly payload, the round sailing through the air impacting the right ocular cavity of the merc attempting to peer around a corner. Readjusting he moved to acquire a new target.

Miranda stood to the left side of the room, taking cover behind a out embunkment holding her trusted M-12 Locust submachine gun. Exposing herself from cover, she delivered a quick hail of gunfire as a distraction while she powered up her biotics. Locking her sights one of the offending troops she let loose her warp ability flinging it at its intended target. The ball of biotic energy exploded on contact; stunning those around it for moment allowing her to pick them off.

Jacob like Shepard preferred to be closer to the action, rushing forward and moving from cover to cover. The M-22 Eviscerator shotgun clutched in his hands as he popped up from behind a large sofa to take a pot shot. One mercenary dove for cover the second he saw the barrel of the shotgun pointed his direction.

Shepard made use of his assault rifle, using its rapid fire capabilities to pin down targets allowing Garrus or another squadmate to engage them.

Several small waves came at them, all while Tarak would make passes by with his gunship observing the progress of his gang. The last to fall in the latest wave was Jentha, the Blue Suns Lieutenant, her shields taken down by an overload charge from Miranda and her armor pierced by a well placed shot to the heart from Garrus.

There was a pause, things seemed to still as the gunship disappeared. Shepard glanced to his squadmates; they too were puzzled by this development. Perhaps the mercs had learned that rushing into a bottleneck was not the best strategy on how to deal with these trouble makers.

Shouts were heard from the lower level attracting their attention.

"They're rappelling down the side wall. Ground floor!" the turian's voice cut through their comms.

From their higher vantage point, they managed to keep the mercs pinned. Cutting through their numbers each time one would rush for the rear stairs, making short work of the enemy squads. Shepard, Miranda and Jacob moved to the adjoining hall to get a view from another angle.

Garrus stood doing one last survey of the lower level, using his eyepiece to scan for any movement that would denote stragglers or survivors.

"Archangel!" Tarak's harsh voice cut through the quiet as he maneuvered the gunship just outside the building aiming the dual machine cannons into the room.

The turian's eyes widened at the sight his jaw falling limp, as his mind shouted for his body to take cover as fast as possible! Spinning around he dove for the nearest shelter he could find as the cannons came to life with a roar.

His armor's kinetic barriers managed to absorb the vast majority of impacts but they were quickly being depleted as some began to slip past the shields striking the armor itself. The impacts were jarring to his body causing him to stagger about before losing his balance, though he fell Garrus dragged himself behind the large planter.

"You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!"

The sounds of chaos reached Shepard's ears, rushing back as quickly as his feet would carry him! He pushed his way past his two squadmates as he slowed approaching the corner leading into the room.

A quick peek around the bend he could make out Garrus' form cramped behind a planter for cover. The volume of projectiles slowly eating away at the cover it provided.

The turian looked to his right, recognizing Shepard by the room's exit. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to quickly scramble as best he could to the exit. From the edge of his peripheral vision, he could just glimpse an incoming missile.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Shepard watched the missile inch ever closer to his friend. The fiery projectile detonating just a mere **four** feet ahead of Garrus. The heat from the flames and bits of shrapnel scarring the right side of his face, while the explosive force making him go airborne tumbling head of heels before returning to earth landing in a heap.

Charging into the room without any consideration for his own safety, Shepard took cover what offered to him.

"Garrus!" his voice was awash with many different emotions.

A very real fear entered his heart, as the turian lay there motionless. Shepard's eyes scanned over his body, gritting his teeth he glanced over the short wall watching at the gunship wobbled firing wildly into the confined space.

Jacob and Miranda were quick to assume defensive postures as they prepared to engage the craft.

With a overload burst from Miranda, to take down the vulnerable systems of the gunship. Jacob made use of his biotic barrier to deflect the cannon's fire in manner similar to their kinetic barriers. They pounded away at the cockpits armored covering. Finally, they managed to place several rounds into the pilot inside, the aircraft spiraling out of control in its earthward journey.

The threat neutralized the group of three made their way to their downed comrade. Garrus lie on his right side, dark blue blood pooling around his crumpled form.

Shepard knelt beside him placing a hand on his shoulder, it seemed as though they had arrived too late to be of any help.

Suddenly a pale eyes shot open, mandibles quivered as he gasped for breath, a taloned hand grasped at barrel of the rifle that lay in front of him.

"Garrus!" Shepard gently rolled him onto his back. Jacob and Miranda approached: Jacob accessed his omni-tool scanning to discover the extent of the injuries.

"We're getting you out of here, Garrus. Just hold on!" The turian's eyes locked up at him, the only signals Garrus gave was his raspy labored breathing and a hideous gurgling noise as he choked back his own blood.

"Radio Joker. Make sure they're ready for us!" Shepard's fear and anger dripped from every word.

"We better hurry. He looks bad." Jacob replied as he looked to the Commander.

Placing his assault rifle on his back, the Commander went about making use of their supply of Medi-gel to stabilize his condition as best they could.

Once he was stable Garrus lost consciousness. Shepard relied on his armor's exoskeleton to give him the additional strength necessary as he hoisted the turian over his shoulder. With a quick nod to Jacob and Miranda they set off with all haste on the way back to the Normandy!

Jacob took point his shotgun alert and primed, Shepard took the middle his heavy pistol carried in his right hand while he used his left arm to keep Garrus body steady on his shoulder, and Miranda pulled up the rear her SMG at the ready. If anyone, even Aria herself, had made the mistake of approaching Shepard would not have hesitated in putting them down.

From there things all began to blur together for him, they had made it back to the Normandy. Doctor Chakwas was prepared for their arrival and rushed Garrus into surgery. He could remember being unable to handle it and needing a distraction going to the debriefing after ordering Chakwas to alert the second there was any change.

The exchange with Jacob was slow as his worries agonizingly ate away at him. Then rush of relief and seemingly joy when those doors parted and Garrus strode in. Even after all that happened to him, Garrus expressed his own greater concern for Shepard and falling in with Cerberus. But even with the reservations he still fell in line and joined the crew, heading off to the Main Battery to start work.

* * *

The heavy air dissipated as memories faded back into the background. Pupils dilated as the darting movement of a fish stole his attention. Slowly Shepard became aware of the figure now standing to his left side, pale eyes watching him.

Garrus had studied the human's face observing the subtle changes, as Shepard was lost in his memories. The various emotions changing his features in infinitesimal ways, the one that stunned him most was when he saw a tear roll down from the corner of his left eye before it was briskly brushed away.

'_Shepard is crying!' _it was so out of place, so completely out of character that the turian could barely comprehend it.

He had seen Shepard deal with many things in the time he had journeyed with him. Garrus had even been there with him on Virmire when the call came in from Kaidan of the Geth closing in on the bombsite. The Commander's choice was difficult but he chose to go for Chief Williams and the Salarian STG team.

An old human term came to his mind at the time _'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.'_

Even after it had all been said and done, never had he seen Shepard show any outward sign of distress. In many aspects Shepard was like any other turian: he believed in discipline and strong ethics, he chose to keep his emotions in control rather than openly exposed, aiding those in need, always kept his word, he joined the military at an early age, and he treated everyone equally.

Perhaps it was because of these similarities that made him feel so comfortable around this particular individual human. Maybe they were reason the two had grown to be fast friends.

'_Shepard is a better turian than I am,'_ Garrus mused over thinking of his own failings.

"I apologize Shepard," the turian's words turning the human to face him with his own curious look.

Garrus hung his head, wringing his talons together in an effort to alleviate his awkward feelings, "What I said to you earlier was foolish I know you wouldn't betray us no matter what. I…I have never been good at this" his voice faltered.

"No, you were right Garrus, I did betray you and the others" Shepard paced back to his desk setting down his drink down near the bottle of its origin. "You trusted me and I failed you all, if I could fix things I would."

Shepard turned placing his hands flat on the desktop as he stared at the plaque hung on the wall.

"I know how you felt about losing your friends; but seeing you turn into what you spent so much time rallying against; I could not allow it to occur." Shepard paused drawing in a breath "Garrus you are like family to me and I care about what happens with you, and if giving up my life could bring you peace then I would do so gladly…_**that**_ is why I stopped you with Sidonis."

The statement floored the turian, to think the Commander thought so highly of him and felt so close to him.

"You are probably the only friend I have in this screwed up galaxy, Shepard" Garrus looked at Shepard, his own feeling on the matter coming into play.

"I am honored that you still consider me a friend, Garrus. I couldn't do this without you."

Garrus did his best to smile, "Oh sure you could. Not as stylish perhaps but I am sure you could still manage to pull it off."

His efforts at humor were rewarded as Shepard allowed himself a short laugh. Shepard turned around his eyes meeting with Garrus' for the first time since they entered the elevator.

There Garrus could see the same shimmer lurking about in the human's eyes. It seemed to add warmth to the otherwise icy blue orbs and gave him a strange comforting feeling of being at ease. The edge of his conscious mind wondered what it was he was seeing and why it was making him feel so but no answers came to him.

"Shepard," Garrus cleared his throat "I…I should probably get back to work shore leave will be over shortly."

Commander Shepard nodded accepting the glass from the turian setting it beside his own on the desk. "Don't worry about the gear, I'll have it prepped and ready in the armory."

The turian gave a slow nod in understanding, pivoting he made his way up the stairs and to the doors. As the doors opened he stopped, turning his torso to look back at Shepard who now stood at the base of the stairs.

"If it's alright with you could we…" he began to fidget nervously "perhaps talk again later?"

The human smiled, "I would like that, whenever you feel like it, my door is always open if you need me, Garrus."

"Thank you, Shepard" with his words he once more faced the corridor moving out to the elevator as the doors closed behind him.

Returning to the Main Battery to he stood at his console gazing once more on the lines of code displayed on the screen but try as he might he could not seem to get any work done.

His mind was preoccupied his latest encounter with Shepard that left him with much to think about. With these revelations and new feelings stirring within, Garrus was unsure of what this meant for their continued friendship.

'_Shepard may human but he is still the closest friend I have. I wonder if…'_ his mind began to wonder acrossed subjects he hadn't considered before and into areas he had never ventured before, _'Maybe Mordin would have some answers.'

* * *

_I tried to keep it open in the end, whether Shepard and Garrus choose to carry onto a more intimate relationship or they just share brotherly love. Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
