AN: Rewritten (6/17) with my lovely new beta Im The Sweet. Thank you to her and everyone's comments so far! I do not own these characters; they are Biowear's, and will always stay Biowear's… Will be updating the other two chapters before I start four! Mild changes but no big plot changes.
Chapter One: Duty
Commander Jane Shepard was a war hero. She had honor, integrity, and she always put the crew's needs before her own. Commander Jane Shepard, like any true Alliance soldier, would always sacrifice herself for the greater good of the civilians that she truly served for. This mission though, even Jane thought it was going too far. It was too dangerous, the possibility of failure was too great in Jane's eyes. Captain Anderson had assured her multiple times that she would be safe, and that her sacrifice would save humanity from decades more of turmoil and war with the Turian's. She had no choice in this matter though; it has to be her. Jane Sheppard was the only one who could complete this mission.
Jane's moss green eyes looked into the mirror at a reflection she could never call her own. There she was in a poofy white gown she had sworn she would never wear. Her wild, unruly, red hair had been straightened and styled. Then finally, some Asari woman had caked Jane's face with make-up; her name had been Liara, or something like that. Jane sighed softly as she stepped away from the mirror, sickened by her own image she went and sat down on the hotel room's bed to get far away from it.
That Asari had kept telling her, as she was doing her hair and make up, how noble and good this man was. The asari had expressed to Jane, who was, in the rest of the galaxies eyes, lucky to soon be bonded to him. But Jane knew this Turain, he had been ruthless on the field, for every man of his she killed, he killed two of hers; she had lost too many good people to his sniper riffle. She had even lost-
A knock at the door pulled Jane out of her memories. Startled she looked up to see Captain Anderson somberly walking into the room and towards her.
"Jane," with sad eyes the man in front of her held out his hand, "It's time." Slowly, Jane slipped her small now manicured hand into his large callused ones, and stood up from the bed.
"Time to save humanity," she thought bitterly as she took hold of her wedding bouquet.
oOoOoOo
"This has to be a joke, there is no way that this could not be a joke." Nihlus paced around the room like a caged animal. "I mean seriously? Who could have come up with such a messed up thing as this if it wasn't a joke?"
Garrus sighed as he sat down on the hotel room's bed. For the first time Garrus Vakarian had given up; maybe it wasn't giving up per say, but allowing fate to take control of the situation? Garrus looked up at his childhood friend, he had been like this for days. Nihlus, at some point, became convinced that, what Garrus was being forced into, was some big running gag. Did Garrus want to bond with a human? No, even more so not with Commander Shepard. Over the years the two of them had faced off so many times on the battlefield, he couldn't even give anyone a full tally. He loathed the fact that the chemicals in his body would soon take over his mind and make him overly aware of her presence; maybe even possibly make him care for her. Garrus put his head in his hands. She had killed so many good turians with good families waiting back on their home worlds. He let out a little growl; she killed some his friends and squad mates, and now the council had come to the decision that this would lead to peace between the two cultures.
"Whoevercame up with this, will pay." Garrus thought harshly, he looked back to his friend. Nihlus was still pacing, making Garrus surprised that there wasn't a trenched made by his friends movements.
"Nihlus, give it up. There's no joke, you were there when the Primarch told us of this treaty he had agreed to, and this…odd… compromise." Nihlus stopped and looked at Garrus, his mandibles going slack. "And you know the only reason why I agreed was because there was no other alternative." Nihlus shook his head slowly.
"Why though? Why push two people who want to kill each other to be bond mates?" Nihlus sat down next to his friend on the edge of the bed slowly rubbing his eyes.
"Apparently it's a human thing." Garrus sighed, he looked down next to himself and at the data pad that was all the facts he was expected to know about her. If they hadn't been enemies then he may have respected her and her family's service records. If she had been turian he may have been happy about today, but she wasn't, Jane Shepard was a pink, fleshy, thing that had a weird number of fingers and no natural armor. What were humans good for? Garrus could see no reason for them.
There was a soft knock at the door and both Turian's looked up expectantly as General Victus walked in slowly. The two Turian men got up off of the bed and stood at attention.
"At ease." Vitcus watched the two of them and he walked over. "It's time."
With that the three Turians walked out of the cramped hotel room and into what was to come.
oOoOoOo
The council had agreed that the ceremony would look Human but be Turian in vows, since human bonds could be broken, while a Turian's could not. Garrus watched as his mate to be was lead down the isle of guests that they didn't invite. A tall man with a graying fringe led her down the isle; he was Admiral Sheppard, his mate's father, as Garrus had been informed. She was dressed in a human's customary large white wedding dress with a matching veil. Garrus' interest became heightened, he had never seen her in anything other then combat armor. She was even more petite looking now then he had remembered. On the battlefield, Commander Jane Shepard, seamed like a much larger opponent, but Garrus looked at her now and realized he could easily grab her and toss her with out any difficulty. As the two humans neared, Garrus was instructed to step forward and take her hands when her father presented them to him.
Garrus straightened to his full height and he felt his fringe flair as Admiral Shepard stood in front of him with his daughter; Garrus involuntarily tried to impress his mate to be and her father. But from the Admirals reaction Garrus had made him more reluctant to give away his daughter.
"That would work out just fine for me." Garrus' mind darkly whispered and he smirked at that thought. Garrus looked into the man's gray orbs that held pure loathing for the turian, Garrus' fringe deflated. The tall aging man leaned towards Garrus, and in a slow, clipped, voice he whispered quietly enough so only the three of them would hear his message loud and clear.
"If you ever hurt my baby I will find you, and turn you into my new hunting trophy." And with that the older Sheppard gently placed his daughters hands within Garrus' talons, with a quick nod to his daughter the older human marched to his seat in the crowd. Garrus led his mate to the alter; where the Primarch, General Vitus, and her superior stood waiting for the two of them. With the nod of approval from the three superiors, Garrus and Jane turned and faced each other for the first time. They had never been this close to one another; Garrus studied her face silently, she did not look at him, she actually looked everywhere but him. Did all humans look like this up close? When the ceremony hadn't started after a good moment Garrus wondered what he had forgotten to do.
"My veil, lift my veil." Garrus's eyes honed in on the woman whispering pink lips, then slowly drifted up to her eyes. Delicately, with his talons, he took the corners of the see-through fabric and gently, lifted and placed it behind her head to expose her face to the public. With a quick look over to the Primarch the ceremony started.
"Today we are here to observe the joining of the souls of Captain Garrus Vakarian and Commander Jane Shepard." The turian in front of them voice rang out into the mass of guests; it was low pitched and his sub harmonics made his voice sound even lower, "They will make a vow to one another that no one can break, from this day on their fates will be intertwined. Today they will forge a bond that will live on until we are all gone from this world. The couple will now make their promise to each other." The Primarch looked at Garrus and nodded for him to go. Garrus looked back from the primarch and back to his mate…to Jane.
Her green eyes turned to him slowly; as he took in her face he wondered what was behind those pools of deep green. Had she excepted this willingly? Or had she been kicking and screaming all the way? Did she have to give up a love back on Earth for her race? Or had she already been alone? Did she resent him, or maybe her own people? Garrus gulped and pushed his thoughts away before he went on.
"I, Garrus of Palavan, promise to you, Jane of Earth, to keep you safe and keep you content in your life. I will care for you and protect you; I will be there for you and serve your whims until on my last day when we part. On the honor of my name and crest I promise this to you, Jane of Earth." He tried to smile at her, tried to fake the promise, but he was met with a cold glare, in front of his eyes he watched the green orbs turn to ice and his mandibles couldn't help but fall a little. It wasn't until her soft voice rang out that his mandibles and fringe picked up.
"I, Jane of Earth, Promise to you, Garrus of Palavan, to respect and honor you. I will be a friend, an ally, and…lover until my last day when we part. On the honor of my name and family I promise this to you, Garrus of Palavan." Jane seamed to spit the words out with animosity. Once she was finished, the small human averted her eyes and fell silent once more.
Satisfied the Primarch cleared his throat and continued on with his speech blessing their union of spirits. It wasn't until near the end when he and everyone else in the room paused, all knowing full well what was to come.
"Now, Garrus Vakarian of Palavan, please claim your mate for the for the would to see." Garrus looked between the Primarch then to Jane and back again. Slowly and reluctantly he inched closer to Jane and lowered his head to the crook between the left side of her neck and shoulder.
"Do you accept this fate Jane?" His whispered softly into here ear.
"Bite me, cuttlebone." She snarled softly enough so only he could hear it. Garrus couldn't help but smile and even admire her fighting spirit, even if the insult was to him. Slowly he opened his mouth and flared his mandibles. He bit down on her soft, supple, skin until he felt her skin puncture and blood trickle into his mouth. Electricity raced through his body and danced across his mind. Her blood was sweet, almost two sweet for his tastes, but he seamed to be drawn to it and didn't want the too sweet taste to go away. When Garrus felt something wet drip onto his face that was when he pulled away from her. She her eyes were closed as she faced away from the crowd, and Garrus scanned her face to see little rivers running down her lightly flushed cheeks.
"May I present to the audience before us, Mr. and Mrs. Vakarian." There was a roar in the audience. It was then when he could feel it; Garrus could feel his bond to her start to link, one to the other. He now understood her silent tears, because they mimicked his own thoughts. They were trapped together, and there was nothing either of them could do.
oOoOoOo
The party was still going when Garrus and Jane made their escape. Garrus could feel Jane wasn't up for the night's festivities. After the ceremonial dinner, then the customary human slow dancing, and finally that odd human tradition with the cake cutting, Garrus had quietly suggested that the two of them sneak out and end their night early. Jane had just silently given him a stiff nod and allowed him to lead her through the mob of people and into the parking lot where their escape vehicle sat waiting for them. The driver opened the door for them and they crawled into the back seat. Jane kept her gaze away from him and stared out of her window as the car started to glide forward. They sat next to each other in complete silence, the skirt of Jane's gown seamed to fill the entire backseat. No matter how Garrus turned or shifted he was lost in a sea of white, he tried to push it away from him and to her side of the car, but finally in a huff he gave up on getting away from the strange fabric.
"I don't know why they picked this." Jane softly whispered to the silence, still looking out of her window, Garrus' fringe perked up at the sound of her voice.
"I read that it was human custom that the bride picked out her gown."
"It's also customary that the groom ask for the hand of his intended from her father, but that didn't happen, now did it?" she stated dryly.
The pair quickly fell back into silence and the driver made a turn and started up a long gated drive way. Garrus wanted to say something, he had nothing against silence, but this one was weighted with something darker. Yet what could he say? He could complement her on her good tactics during war. No, that was a bad idea. Garrus raked his mind for natural topics they could talk about. When Garrus had finally found a natural topic he felt the car stop. He shut his mouth as he slowly crawled out of the sea of white and out of the car to stare up at their new home; It was a large, un-turian like home with it's multiple stories and detailing in the white and light yellow exterior. Garrus frowned at the place he would be calling home; it wasn't a good defendable home.
"It's my house…they built me my childhood home," With slow steps Jane walked towards the door. It have been over two years since she had been home, even if this was a recreation it was still enough for Jane to finally smile. Taking the brass knob in her hand, Jane slipped her new key in and twisted it. Her heart fluttered as she gazed at the red door in front of her.
When she heard the loud click come from the lock Jane closed her eyes tightly as she pushed the front door open. Part of her mind expected to hear the sound of laughter and general chatter radiating from the family room, accompanied with the smell of a home cooked meal waft towards her, the other part of her wished for all of that to be waiting for her in side. But when Jane opened her eyes she heard and smelled nothing, instead she was welcomed to an inky blackness that had settled over the house. Jane's heart dropped a little. She knew what she wished would never be there waiting for her, but she stilled wished for it.
As Jane walked in and out of rooms she flicked on the lights as she went. The house had been upgraded and modernized, it ceilings and door frames had become to accommodate for the turians size; but other then those little things there was no difference from home. Family pictures still hung on the walls along with some of her…new husbands. She mentally shuttered at that thought. Jane passed by two bookcases next to one another; one was filled with her favorite books and little memento's she had kept all her life. While in the other case she didn't recognize a single thing that had been placed there, but one photo caught her eye. She walked closer and gently picked the glass frame up.
"That's me holding my sister for the first time." His deep voice rang out of the silence and Shepard jumped slightly then quickly looked behind her. Garrus was leaning against the doorframe leading into the study. He stood up taller as her eyes landed on him; Shepard noticed that his fringe seamed to touch the top of the doorway. Slowly he walked closer to her and looked at some of her own pictures on her bookcase. They stood there in silence looking at the others pictures and mementos; trying to learn whom the stranger they had married was. Sheppard put down that photo and grabbed another one; this one was a little less personal, a professional family photo.
"I didn't see your family at the wedding." Shepard noted the resemblance between Garrus and the older Turian he stood next to.
"My father didn't approve of our match, even if it was in my duty to… well you know. In a Turian household everyone listens and respects the… what's that term you humans use? Breadwinner? So my father, not being happy about this, didn't allow my mother and sister to go to today' s event." Garrus paused quickly, "You will meet them eventually." Garrus went back to analyzing the photo in his hands. "You look close to your family. Your father, he cares about you a lot." Jane nodded her head slowly, "And these are you and your three brothers?"
"Yeah…I'm the youngest of four."
"That's why this is so big." Garrus sneered and gestured to the house causing Jane to stifle a laugh.
"It was smaller before you came along Big Guy." Jane smiled slowly and looked over at him, her face quickly fell and she turned away from him. What was she doing? He shouldn't be making her laugh. They shouldn't be talking like this. They should be trying to kill one another, right? She loathed him and his species. Garrus sighed softly, silence fell as both of them starting trying to think of what to say to the other.
"Look, Jane, I-"
"You know what, it's late…we should… I should really get to bed…" With that, Jane darted out of the study and ran up the stairs into the master bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She pressed her back against the cool white door and sighed softly as she looking up at the ceiling. What had she gotten herself into? After a moment Jane pushed herself off of the door and walked around the light gray room, studying the unfamiliar territory. This did not feel like home to her, to Jane she felt like this was a jail.
Jane just wanted this day to end already. She just wanted to get this stupid dress off of her body. Jane reached around her back to unlace the corseted monstrosity called a gown. She growled; the Asari had done the lacing too tight along with the knots so there was no way she could get out of the dress alone.
"That bitch."
oOoOoOo
Garrus didn't know what to do with himself; he just stood in the spot Jane had left him in. He stood there gazing at the doorway she had just run out of, and the stairs she had trampled up. This entire situation had been a terrible idea, whoever had come up with bonding a turian and human together was an idiot. Two cultures that had been torn apart by war were now being forced together in one household. Garrus didn't know the first thing about normal human patterns. Was it this customary for human women to be cold towards their mates? What did she expect from him? What should he expect from her? Who's culture would they fallow? It wasn't turian, Garrus knew that for sure, if it had been she should have started her nesting and preening the two of them. Garrus sighed as his mind lingered on the idea of her preening and fussing over him. He shook his head as he let out a low growl; he shouldn't be thinking of a human doing that to him, good turians did not think of that with humans. Next thing Garrus knew he would want to be with her, and then it would hurt not being with his mate. He didn't want that, he didn't want any of that.
When they had shared just a moment of time together, and she smiled at him for the first time Garrus had felt his heart flutter and the new bonding chemicals start to try and push him to the woman. Garrus sighed and rubbed his temples. This entire turn of events was one giant headache. One day they were fighting each other trying to kill the other and then the next they were bonded. He was about to walk upstairs to their room, but then he stopped at the third step. He should sleep on the couch, give each other space, and give her the bedroom. He wouldn't want to sleep in the same room with her anyways. Garrus was about to turn around and head to the living room when he heard a faint call of his name. He looked up the stairs and heard a door being opened.
"Garrus… I need help, with my dress." With that Garrus found himself barreling up the stairs and into the bedroom. He found himself chest to chest with Jane as his heart pounded. She looked away, her face looked like a normal humans now, except it was now very pink and her fringe was down; this made Garrus wonder if this long length was normal for a human woman's fringe.
"It's a corset… I can't get out of the dress alone." With that she turned her back to him and lifted her long hair off her neck and back. With delicate talons Garrus untied the knots and loosened the laces. With every correct tug more and more of her skin became exposed, Garrus noticed all the muscled fleshy bits and in the back of his mind he wondered what it would feel like to rake his talons softy over her flesh. He closed his eyes and shook his head to try and clear the images that were bubbling up. If he weren't carful she would know just what he was thinking without the use of the link.
"Just an automatic response to my mate because of the chemicals…" his mind used sound rational.
Slowly the white mass pooled at Jane's feet and Garrus adverted his eyes from her practically naked form. He could hear her walk to the other side of the room opening and closing draws. Swearing under her breath when she couldn't find what she wanted. With a sigh he finally spoke to the floor in front of him "If you want I can go sleep on the couch, I don't mind." But Garrus' sub harmonics seamed to disagree with him, Garrus grimaced at that. Jane paused in her dig; she stood there deep in thought. With a small sigh she went back to digging and finally spoke.
"Don't Turian's have specific beds for nesting? I mean I don't want to make you sleep on the couch if that will cause any harm. Any ways the bed in here is big enough for four people, we will have plenty of room if we keep to our own sides." Finally at some point Shepard had found what she was looking for and got dressed. Garrus turned and looked at her as she crawled into the bed, he watched her as she sat in the bed, watching him right back. Jane cocked her head and looked at him with a question in her eyes, and Garrus couldn't help but stand taller in her gaze.
"Well, I want to go to bed, so are you getting in or not?" with that Garrus quickly shut the door, turned of the light and stripped down to nothing. Quickly and quietly he slipped into the bed next to his bond mate who had promptly curled up on her side with her back next to him. He was about to say goodnight when he heard her breathing evened out and deepened. He laid there in the dark staring up at the white ceiling wondering about the future and asking him self if this up and down fickleness of his mate would always be this way.
