A/N: I want to thank Jukogenas for beta-reading and editing this chapter and beyond. It's very much appreciated.

Chapter 1 - Welcome Home

The sun was high up in the bright blue sky as people within the boundaries of Toronto went about their day. What had once been a beautiful city was now mostly rubble, save for a handful of buildings that'd managed to avoid the Reaper onslaught.

One building within the city, a former department store, currently served as a makeshift hospital as many of the original medical facilities had been destroyed in the initial attack. Surviving doctors, nurses, and volunteers were hard at work to undo the reaper's damage as best they could.

Today a handful of people came out of the sliding glass doors on the building's back and began their approach towards a waiting skycar at the street curb. There were a few nurses and one doctor in uniform surrounding a single patient in a wheelchair. It wasn't exactly standard to bring a patient to a car behind a building, but the last thing the group needed was to be hounded by new reporters and journalists, particularly at the person in the wheelchair. There was a good reason for all of this…

After eight months in the hospital, Commander Shepard, the savior of the galaxy, was finally being released.

Had it been at all possible, Shepard would have performed a victory dance. Okay, so she was only awake three out of the eight months she was in the hospital, but even so, the confinement had nearly driven her insane. Being brought outside, knowing that she was finally getting out of here she realized that she could practically taste her freedom.

However, being in a wheelchair prevented her from doing said victory dance. There were two reasons for the chair: For one, it was standard procedure for patients to be released from the hospital in a wheelchair. The second reason, one more somber, were the bolts and rods in her hips and legs that kept her together. It was an old procedure the doctors had had to resort to because of the current lack of resources, but one that was necessary if it meant she could walk at all. That ability to walk, however, was very limited at this time. It was slow and it took a lot more effort than she was comfortable with, but at least she could do it, if only for a very short time.

With that, Shepard was forced to take a medical leave from the military. She remembered how Admiral Hackett had mentioned the idea of her retirement some weeks ago, but she only laughed at the suggestion.

"I'll just take the medical leave for now," Shepard remembered saying to the older man when he came to visit her. "You never know, I could be up and running in no time."

The group soon reached the skycar, and Shepard smiled as they met up with a familiar turian who was leaning against the vehicle with his arms folded in front of his chest. He was wearing his civilian clothes, something that almost surprised Shepard because she was used to seeing him in armor. He did keep that glowing blue visor over his left eye, though.

I'm sure that will never change, Shepard thought with amusement.

"Hey Garrus," she said once she and her escort were a few feet away.

Garrus stared at her with his steel blue eyes, his mandibles spreading out in a turian version of a grin. "Hey. Are you ready to go?"

Shepard nearly laughed. "Heck yeah! I've been waiting to leave this place ever since I woke up."

"I don't doubt that for a second."

Garrus reached for her hand. Without even thinking about it, Shepard took it with her own. Then he gently pulled her up from the wheelchair before helping her get into the passenger seat of the skycar. Normally, she hated feeling helpless and would have tried to get into the vehicle herself. Even with the bolts and rods, getting into the car would not have been all that difficult.

However, considering that she was being released from the hospital today – and seeing the hint of happiness in Garrus' eyes – she decided to let it go just for today.

Soon, Shepard was settled in the car. Garrus closed the door before he made his way to the driver's side. She turned her head to the doctor and nurses and waved goodbye to them. They did the same before walking back towards the facility. Sure, she gave them hell about being confined here, but she also made sure to let them know how much she appreciated the care they gave her.

They also did an excellent job in keeping the reporters away; only once did she give an interview. It was to help boost the galaxy's morale by confirming her survival. The reporter who got lucky to land the interview was paid well by the Alliance. With that, she agreed on two things: Not to ask personal questions and not to reveal the hospital Shepard was staying in. As far as Shepard knew, the reporter made good on that promise.

Soon, Garrus got into the car. He put on his seat belt before starting up the vehicle. Once the car was in the air and within traffic, there was a comfortable silence between them. Shepard took hold of Garrus' hand and brought it closer to her before resting both hands on her thigh. Their fingers laced despite her five digits against his three. She felt him squeeze her hand a little while controlling the vehicle with his free arm. Feeling content by the contact, she turned her head towards the window.

From the car, Shepard saw the damage of the war that still lingered amongst the rebuilt. It suddenly seemed so long ago that she'd found herself in the middle of the war fighting against the Reapers. It was almost hard to believe she had been able to live through it in the end.

When they exited Toronto and entered more open land, Shepard turned her head to Garrus. "So," she started to say. The edge of one corner of her lip curled up a little. "Are we going somewhere we're not supposed to?"

Garrus chuckled at that, thinking briefly on one of the better memories of the war. It was the time he'd taken her on top of the Citadel's Presidium during one of their few shore leaves. "As tempting as it is, well… let's just say that it's a surprise."

That got a raised eyebrow from her. "Now you got me curious. Any possible hints I might get out of you?"

She noted another smile from him. "Not this time, only that it'll be a few hours before we get there."

Shepard leaned back against her chair. "I'll relax until then… not that I did enough of that at the hospital."

That got another chuckle out of the turian. "I'm surprised you didn't try to make a grand escape during your stay."

"Well… five out of eight of those months I spent in a coma, and I'm sure my legs wouldn't get me too far. Damn! I should've bribed you into calibrating the wheelchair to make it go faster."

"Suddenly, I'm curious to know how you would have bribed me."

It was almost a struggle to keep a straight face. "I have a few… ideas."

Garrus laughed. "I'm sure you do."

Comfortable silence fell between them again, this time lasting longer than before. Their hands were still clasped together with each of them gently rubbing their thumb in small circles on the other's knuckles a few times. They only pulled apart whenever Garrus had to use both of his hands to drive.

It was a few hours and a couple of rest stops later before Garrus reached their destination. On the way, they drove through what looked like an old town that, surprisingly, looked barely touched by the Reapers. Then again the machines were primarily focused on cities and suburban areas with a large population, so they would have ignored a small town like this one.

What also surprised Shepard was that she saw quite a few aliens walking the streets, a good chunk of them being asari and turians. She saw some salarians and even a couple of quarians.

"Huh," Shepard said. "I assume some of the aliens decided to stay here."

Garrus nodded. "It was a while before they were able to get even a couple of mass relays up and going. While they waited, some of them settled in various places around Earth… just in case the relays never got fixed. I heard this particular town still had plenty of humans, but those welcomed the aliens with open arms when they had nowhere else to go. They even opened a market that sold imported dextro-food once the relay to Palaven was fixed."

Shepard nodded. "Lucky you. Sounds like you've been here before."

There was a brief pause before Garrus replied. "Well, I had to get my dextro-supplies somewhere. The stuff sold in Toronto was mostly rations and nutrient paste. It was nice to get real food, even if it was imported and thus not as fresh as on Palaven."

"Well, in that case, we'll have to go on a trip to Palaven so you can enjoy fresh food. I'm sure your father and sister would love for us to visit soon."

"They would. Speaking of which, I talked to my father this morning."

"Oh? What about?"

"Well, he was updating me on the recovery efforts on Palaven for the most part. He was happy to hear that you were getting out of the hospital today." A dry laugh came out of his throat. "Even now, I'm surprised he accepted… us."

"I imagine it would have been different back in the SR1 days," Shepard mentioned. "You did make it known back then that he hated spectres."

"Still does," Garrus reminded her. "But he does respect you and all you've done for the galaxy. I'm sure that keeping my ass alive the whole time was also a plus."

"Let me guess… he said something along the lines of, 'if it had to be a human…'"

"Not in those exact words, but pretty much."

"And how is your sister?"

"Solana's fine; I imagine she'll be marrying that soldier she met during the war soon enough. Hopefully, I'll get to see him before then. I'd like to have the chance to decide whether or not I should kick his ass from one end of Palaven to the other."

Shepard had to smile despite that last sentence. Even though he was thousands of light years away from home, Garrus was still being a protective brother. "She seemed infatuated with him the last time I spoke to her."

Garrus nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I'm glad she's happy. After caring for mom for so long, she… she deserves it."

Shepard squeezed his hand at the mention of his mother, who had died from Corpalis Syndrome just a few months before the war. "We all deserve it. I just wish… all of us could…" She found that she couldn't finish her sentence.

Garrus' grip on her hand tightened as well. "I know."

Before Shepard realized it, the skycar had stopped moving. "Well, we're here," Garrus announced.

Shepard turned her head, noting the new surroundings. They had parked the car in a paved driveway in front of what looked like an old-fashioned cabin. She noted the few steps that lead up to the large patio in the front. She also noticed how green the land surrounding the home was due to the spring weather. The hills in the distance were full of trees, and there was even a lake behind the cabin.

She didn't notice that Garrus had left the driver's seat until he opened the door on her side. The young woman stared up at her turian, a bit astonished for a moment by her own lack of attention.

"It's a neat place to hide from the reporters," he mentioned. "Nice, quiet, and far from the cities." His mandibles flared a bit, and, noting how wide his eyes were, the human detected that he was a bit anxious.

"Well, it is isolated enough," Shepard admitted as she looked at the land again. She then shifted her eyes at him. "I'm going to take a guess and say that this is a rented vacation house for us to hide out for an undetermined amount of time."

The anxiousness she sensed that Garrus was feeling seemed to increase. He began to grasp his own hands in front of him and stretched his fingers. "Well," he started to say, his subvocals flanging a bit. "Um, it's actually… um… well… I know this place isn't exactly warm and tropical, but…"

He stopped when he noted a soft smile on Shepard's face as she figured out what he was trying to say. There were a few seconds of silence before she spoke. "So this was what you were doing when you weren't at the hospital or on Palaven."

Garrus seemed to relax a little, though he continued to grasp his hands. "Well, once I knew you were going to be on medical leave, I wanted to find a place that was… well, I found this place two months ago when I learned about the nearby town and how they helped those from off-planet. I also know that, even now, the reporters are trying to find you, and I… I thought this place would be well isolated enough to keep them away."

Shepard's grin became wider, finding his thoughtfulness endearing. "Are you sure you can deal with the weather in a few months? This part of Earth can get very cold and snowy in the winter season."

"Well, the guy that sold this place assured me it doesn't get bad like Noveria. He had a brother who lived there and said this place was like… what did he say… the Sahara? – compared to there."

Shepard shook her head in amusement. "I suppose we'll see when the time comes."

The young woman then attempted to get out of the car, but before she got her hand on the car door to begin pulling herself up, Garrus was already scooping her in his arms, gently lifting her out before closing the car door with his foot.

The turian was just about to walk towards the house when he noticed Shepard staring at him with a raised eyebrow. He practically saw her asking him, 'What are you doing?'

"Um," he started. "I saw this vid once, forgot the name of it, where this girl was carried like this when she and her lover got their first home and-"

He stopped talking when Shepard started to chuckle. It left him unsure of what she was thinking for just a second before she wrapped both of her arms around his neck.

"You don't have to explain," Shepard assured him. She then leaned her face towards him before pressing her lips against his mouth plates. Garrus pressed into the kiss a bit, the best way he was able to return the human gesture before Shepard pulled back.

"Hey," Shepard suddenly said, her eyes widening as though she thought of something important. "Don't we have any furniture?"

Garrus began to walk towards their new home. "Well, just the important stuff for now, but we'll get more later."

"That's comforting… I hope."

It took a lot of effort on Garrus' part to unlock the front door without putting Shepard down, but he managed to get it done. Soon, they were over the threshold and into the living room. The wooden floor creaked a bit as Garrus walked through the room, soon bending his body a bit as he sat Shepard onto the large couch that was placed in the middle of the area.

Once Shepard sat, Garrus pulled back a bit, but kept his arms around her. She did the same around his neck. For what seemed like a while, the couple took in one another. Shepard noted the longing in his eyes and the way his mandibles slacked a bit from his face.

Something tells me that he doesn't believe this is all real. The thought almost made her frown.

Shepard noticed that the turian took a deep breath before he leaned forward to brush his forehead against hers. It was an affectionate gesture they both shared since their first night together.

Shepard reached her hand up to touch his scarred mandible before speaking. "I'm a bit thirsty," she admitted. "I could go for some coffee."

Garrus pulled back before nodding. "Okay. I could go for some myself." He brushed his forehead to hers one more time before he got up and headed to the nearby kitchen.

Once alone, Shepard sighed as she inspected her surroundings. The first thing that caught her attention was the vaulted ceiling above her. She could already imagine the echoes that would fill the room if she and Garrus got… loud. She then looked around the living room. There was only the couch she sat on and the black coffee table in front of her. She would have been content just with that, but looking at the space, she knew that it was going to take more furniture to make the place feel full and more like home.

Home… now there's a word she never expected to use to describe any place. Well, except the Normandy perhaps.

Next there was the fireplace. It was large enough that Shepard was sure a krogan could curl himself into a ball and fit inside just fine. She was sure Garrus liked the fireplace. It looked as though it was definitely going to keep his turian hide warm once winter came.

Knowing that it was going to take a bit of time for Garrus to make coffee, Shepard decided to go and explore the rest of their new home. It required some effort to get up, but she was soon on her feet and began to slowly walk through the cabin.

Shepard had received physical therapy at the hospital to strengthen her legs and would continue to do so twice a week. There was a bit of improvement during her stay, but walking still strained her. She did it slowly as to not end up tripping, and she had to put her weight into every step, her upper body swaying a bit each time. Shepard could last like this for a few minutes before she had to rest. The doctors did suggest a cane, but the young woman declined, wanting to focus all she could on getting her legs' strength back.

She passed the kitchen, which had an entrance wide enough for her to guess that it had had a standard door at some time. From her point of view, it was a bit small with the traditional stove, refrigerator, sink, and a couple of counters. Near the entrance, Shepard noted a small table that she was sure fit two people. The thought of her eating breakfast with Garrus every morning at that table gave her a bit of a warm feeling.

Shepard saw a hallway not too far and began walking towards it. She lifted her hand, dragging the tip of her fingers on the wall to guide herself. The first door was on the right-hand side and, upon peering in, she noticed the bathroom. It was windowless and small, and it contained a shower-and-tub combo, a pedestal sink and, of course, the toilet that looked as old as the house itself; about two hundred years, she guessed.

A bath did sound inviting, but Shepard decided to wait until tonight to do that. The young woman continued forward, reaching a door on her left through which she saw a small bedroom. There was currently a double twin bed, and Shepard guessed that Garrus had set it up for future guests. She was already imagining Tali setting her faceplate down (something that would soon be possible for her people) on the nightstand as she got ready for bed, or Liara looking at one of the many datapads scattered around the room as she spent half the night working.

Another door on the left led to a second bedroom which was slightly bigger than the other. It was completely empty save for the blinds that were covered by two windows, and she wondered what kind of furniture to buy for this room.

Maybe even find out what a Turian-human baby looks like, Garrus' voice suddenly played in her mind. It had been one of their last conversations during the fight in London, a time that, once again, felt so far away…

Of course, they both knew biology wouldn't cooperate, though she was sure trying would be fun either way. She nearly laughed as she remembered him mentioning how there would be a few little krogan running around after the war. She admitted (to herself only) that raising a baby krogan would be cute… at least until he was big enough to start head-butting everything in sight.

Shepard soon pushed the baby thoughts out of her mind. Now was not the time of think of that…

There was one more door, and she already knew where it led to. She pushed it gently, revealing the master bedroom. She walked over to the king size bed with a black nightstand on either side, both containing a matching lamp.

On the nightstand she realized Garrus already claimed, there was a holo showing a photo of the two of them. Shepard remembered the picture. It had been right after shore leave during the war, and they were just getting ready to board the Normandy. Before entering the airlock, Tali stopped them, wanting to take a picture of the couple. They were both a bit reluctant at first, but soon gave in when Tali mentioned that they might not get another chance.

Shepard was glad for that decision, more for Garrus' sake than anything else. She was sure that Tali had given the picture to him while the Normandy was stranded all those months ago…

Shepard shook the memories out of her head again. It was something she and Garrus hadn't talked about. She didn't want to imagine what he'd been thinking during those four months they were stranded while she lay in a coma at the hospital…

Soon, Shepard did notice two doors. One was definitely a closet, and the other she guessed led to a second bathroom. By then, her legs ached from her walk. When she turned her head Shepard noticed two chairs which faced the large windows overlooking the lake. Deciding to admire the view, Shepard took the last few steps before slowly sitting down.

The springtime tended to make nature pleasant. There were a few wildflowers blooming nearby, and a group of ducks hung out in and around the lake. She even noticed a small dock that could contain a sailboat if possible.

Huh… I don't think I ever thought of going sailing.

Shepard then looked at the field close to the cabin. In her mind, she suddenly imagined a vegetable garden, which made her snort in amusement. That thought was definitely laughable. On the Normandy, she had needed a VI just to help her remember to feed the fish. She was sure if she ever tried gardening, the vegetables would be dead in no time.

Well… maybe I could try to grow some dextro-stuff… then Garrus wouldn't have to eat all those imported-

"Shepard?"

Speaking of Garrus...

"I'm in the bedroom!" she called out.

Shepard heard his footsteps against the creaking wooden floorboard before appearing in the bedroom. "There you are," he said. "I had a feeling you left to explore the cabin." He sat down next to her on the other chair before placing a mug filled with coffee onto the small table that sat between them.

"Thank you." Shepard grabbed the warm cup by the handle and took a small sip. It was too sweet for her taste, but still a huge improvement to the coffee she'd had to endure at the hospital. That stuff had tasted suspiciously like cardboard.

Garrus took a sip of his kava before speaking. "How do you like the place?"

"The view is nice," Shepard admitted. "Those trees on the hills… they'll change colors in the autumn season. There will be a lot of red, orange, brown, and yellow. It'll be really pretty."

"Hmm, I don't think I've ever seen trees change colors," Garrus admitted. "That'll be something to see. And you'll be happy to know that we have plenty of room for shooting contests when, you know, you want a rematch to gain back your title of Queen of the bottle shooters."

Shepard turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow at him while she smirked. "I've told you for the past two months, I missed on purpose."

Garrus gave her a playful grin. "Uh huh. Still can't admit your pride was bruised that day, huh?"

Shepard shook her head, but was still smiling. "Guess I'll never convince you."

000

The sun set on the horizon hours later. After eating take-out from the only diner within twenty miles that served both levo- and (imported) dextro-meals, Garrus relaxed on the king size bed wearing nothing but his sleeping pants. While he leaned against the headboard, he kept himself occupied with the datapad in front of him. It contained information from Primarch Victus about the turian refugees on Earth. Victus delegated to Garrus the small task of speaking with these refugees as soon as possible. He didn't want him to convince them to return to Palaven, but there remained the question as to why these turians chose to stay on a levo-based planet long after the war had ended.

That was something Garrus had wondered about for the last few months. He knew his reasons for staying on Earth, but he was curious as to why the other turians had decided to stick around. Had they felt settled enough that they saw no point in returning to Palaven by the time the relays were back up and running? Did they want to start over in a new place after losing so much?

His thoughts were cut off when he heard Shepard emerge from the master bathroom. Her hair was still wet from the bath she'd taken, and Garrus couldn't help but stare as he noticed that she wore nothing but a towel around her nude form.

Putting the datapad down on the nightstand, Garrus reached a hand towards her. Shepard took it with her own and he guided herself onto the bed until she was settled against the headboard. As she did, Garrus briefly looked down at her right leg, noting the deep scars from her multiple surgeries. Shepard had said it didn't hurt as much as it looked, but he sometimes wondered if she was just trying to convince him that she was fine so he stopped worrying.

"That bath felt nice," Shepard admitted. "And I was able to stay as long as I wanted this time. No more dealing with time limits."

As she spoke, Garrus carefully leaned onto her side of the bed, soon close enough to gently wrap his arms around her. In response, Shepard leaned into him, resting her head against his neck and raising one hand to grasp his forearm.

For a while, they sat like this hearing nothing more than the other's breathing and the occasional sounds of nature outside of their new cabin. Shepard remembered a conversation she had had with Liara when she and Garrus began their relationship. "I never thought I'd find peace in the arms of a turian," she'd said back then…

Shepard couldn't imagine anything more peaceful than this.

Then, Shepard broke the silence as she placed a kiss on the side of his neck. "I missed you…" she whispered.

Garrus nuzzled the top of her head with his plated cheek. "I've always been here. You know that."

Shepard shook her head. "No… I missed you…"

It clicked in Garrus' mind as he realized what she was implying. He pulled away just enough to gaze into her eyes. Shepard immediately noticed the nervous look on his face, but there was also that hint of longing in his eyes, the same she'd seen earlier today.

"I… Shepard… I'm not sure if-"

She reached up to gently brush her fingers over the scarred side of his face. "I know you're worried, but I'm not made of glass. Besides, I want to take it slow… it's been too long."

Garrus took a deep breath. "If you're sure…"

It only required a nod and him seeing the lust in her eyes to convince Garrus. It was something he too had wanted, and needed, for so long. Their last time had been just before the push to Earth in the war. Had it really been that long? Soon, they were both moving further down onto the bed, their mouths pressed together in a deep kiss.

Their lovemaking was slow and careful as they traced familiar lines and scars both old and new. Neither of them forgot what the other liked even after months of longing for their other half. He was careful when he was on top of her as they became one. They gripped one another tightly with each wave, their voices echoing their need for each other in the quiet of their cabin. It didn't take long before she consummated with him following not too far behind.

Garrus was still on top of her as they both came down from their high. He put most of his weight in his arms as they rested on either side of Shepard, who had hers around his neck. They took a minute to catch their breath, feeling small beads of sweat on their own skin.

Then, Garrus pulled back a little to look at Shepard. He noticed her eyes, tired but full of love… love for him.

His heart suddenly clenched as memories of the last eight months flooded in his mind. He had been injured during their run to the beam. The turian had wanted nothing more than to finish the fight at Shepard's side, but no matter how stubborn he'd tried to be, he had known that she would see to his safety.

In all honesty, he would have done the same thing in her place.

After they'd said goodbye and she'd run back towards the beam, Garrus had been so sure that she was going to die. The thought alone had nearly torn him apart. Despite that, he'd attempted to remain strong… for her sake and that of their friends.

Then, there'd been those weeks of not knowing what had happened while he and the rest of the Normandy's crew made repairs to the ship, which had been damaged by the Crucible's blast. When they eventually got communications back up and received news of Shepard being MIA, too much time had passed…

He still remembered the weight of the plaque containing Shepard's name in his hands. It was meant to join with the other names on the memorial wall, but something inside Garrus had told him not to put it up, not until he was sure that Shepard was truly gone.

The Normandy had been repaired enough to return to Earth after four months. Upon their arrival, they met with Admiral Hackett as well as Miranda Lawson, who gave them the news that Shepard was alive. However, she was in a coma and no one was sure when she would wake up, if she ever did.

Garrus had spent the next month by her bedside keeping a vigil. He'd actually been away seeing his father and sister over at the turian camp in Toronto when she'd finally woken up. He had practically sprinted to the hospital after he'd received the news. When back at her side, he'd said her name, her given name, and Shepard had responded by opening her eyes. She'd still been groggy from the drugs and unable to talk due to the equipment helping her breathe, but to see those eyes again made Garrus believe that everything would be all right.

He had been by her side during her recovery for most of her remaining time at the hospital. Garrus had only left when he'd needed to take care of things on Palaven a couple of times and also to set up their new home. The decision to buy the cabin had hastily been made, and while he'd been a bit nervous about it, he didn't regret the purchase one bit.

Now they were here in each other's arms in their new home. Shepard still had a long way to go in her recovery, but what mattered most was that she was alive. She was alive and safe in his arms.

Shepard looked concerned as she noticed the far-away look in his eyes. She reached up to caress his face. "Garrus." she whispered.

Hearing his name on her lips somehow made his throat tighten. Closing his eyes, he leaned into her before burying his face in the spot between her neck and shoulder. A few seconds later, Shepard frowned as his shoulders shook a bit just before a soft, brief keen escaped him. She could tell he was barely holding it back.

Hearing that sound made Shepard realize what he had been thinking about. She pressed her face into the side of his head and tightened her arms around him. "Please, don't cry," she whispered near his ear canal. "I'm here now. It's all right."

He took a deep breath before speaking in a hoarse voice. "I almost lost you…"

Gently, Shepard shifted them both with her arms until they were lying on their sides facing each other. She pulled back a little so that she could regard him, cupping his head with both of her hands. The young woman noted that his mandibles were pinched tight against his face, his eyes firmly shut.

"We have a future now. My recovery will be a long one, but that's a challenge I'd take over the Reapers any day. We can't let the past keep a tight grip on us." She nearly laughed at her own words. "I wish I'd taken my own advice during the war…"

Another deep sigh escaped him before Garrus opened his eyes to look at her. He lifted a hand to cup her chin between his thumb and index finger. "You're right. I'm sure it'll… take time for us to adjust to this new life, considering we've spent most of our old one fighting. The physical injuries and the PTSD will be there… but we can do this together, I'm sure of that."

Shepard smiled. "Don't ever forget, there's no Shepard without Vakarian."

Garrus brought her closer to him, tucking her head underneath his chin. "Never."

Throughout the night in each other's arms, Shepard and Garrus felt true peace for the first time either of them could remember.