Mass Effect

Hell, Yeah

Chapter One

Rating: T (might change to M)

Main Pairing: Garrus/FemShep

Minor Pairings: Joker/EDI – others(?)

Add Note: I need to stop going through old USB's. I keep finding old fanfic's I never uploaded. Why the hell didn't I ever upload this? It's freakin' adorable. Still don't know whether or not I'll make a chapter 2, can't seem to find anything on this external hard drive. But there are over 700 .odt files on here so I won't start writing a chapter 2 until I've gone through them all.

Shepard stood in front of her full length mirror in her apartment. She turned her body from side to side, looking at her scars. She was in the hospital recuperating for a full year after Wrex, Jack and a few Krogan and Turian scouts found her in the Citadel wreckage. Miranda helped with her cybernetics, fixing what she could with what little what little was left after the destruction of the Reapers. Shepard was left with a slight limp on her left leg, some of the muscles being permanently scared. She now had chronic pain and a ton of discolored scars from the multiple surgeries she's undergone in the past six years. She had never been self conscious before, even with the scar that cut through her lip to her hairline, but she sometimes hid behind longer sleeved clothes now. Wrex tried to turn them into something to be proud of, she saved the galaxy, saved the Krogan, saved the Asari, saved the Turians, saved the Humans and what little was left of the Salarian's, Batarians, Hanar and Drell. She understood what these scars meant, she understood why she got them, she understood they were battle scars, but she loathed them. Because of the war, the harvest, she was permanently damaged—physically and mentally. She often wondered where and who she would be right now if the Reapers never existed. Would she even be alive?

She was pulled from her thoughts as her Omni-tool's video call notification went off. Shepard turned away from her mirror, walking over to her bed. She activated her OT and grunted, "Jack."

"Shep."

"ETA?" Shepard walked over to her dresser, pulling it open. As Jack continued to talk Shepard pulled out her Alliance Military outfit.

"The Normandy is landing in an hour," Jack said, with slight static. Jack expression changed to annoyance as Shepard's face faded in and out on her own omni-tool, "You still haven't gotten your damned OT fixed?"

"I've been busy." Shepard frowned, looking down at her other arm. The scars seems to stick out today—at least to her. Jack noticed the slight frown, a long sigh escaping her lips.

"Yo, Shep...I—"

"I'll meet you at the landing pad in half an hour. I need to do a couple things before I leave." Shepard ended the transmission before Jack could disapprove, moving back over to the mirror. She took another look at herself, her frown deepening, and decided that she better cover up her arms and legs. She didn't want her crew to see her for the first time in years so cut up and scared. With that thought Shepard took out her longed sleeved N7 V-neck and her dark blue service pants, shoving her Alliance uniform back in.

Shepard jumped out of the skycar, leaving the door open, and ran threw the doors of the new Alliance facility. Cursing every time she put pressure on her left leg, she should have arrived sooner. The Normandy should have been here already, she prayed to God that they hadn't already arrived. The ass-whooping both Jack and Wrex would give her would kill her, literally. Jack might even ask Miranda to bring her back just and kick her ass all over again.

"Excuse me!" Shepard pushed past officers and clerks before finally getting to the door.

"I'm here! I'm here! I'm-" Shepard bursted through the doors, stumbling to catch herself before she fell on her knees in between Wrex and Jack.

"You're late." Wrex grunted, his arms crossed and glaring down at Shepard.

"People...In...Way...I..." Shepard panted, moving to sit on her bum to clutch onto her left leg, "Shit..."

"Shep?" Jack walked up next to her.

Shepard forcefully pushed herself up, shaking her head, "I-I'm fine...just a...cramp?" Jack and Wrex both looked at each other before looking back at Shepard. She couldn't even convince herself that her leg was alright. That was not a cramp, they all knew it. She still haven't even thought about how to tell her men about this. She had a hard enough time keeping it from Wrex and Jack in the beginning, though they've been stuck with her for the past six years and could tell when she even had a headache.

"You've been in contact with Joker,right? So he knows about everything?" Jack crossed her arms.

"Not everything." Shepard sheepishly smiled, placing her palms on her waist.

"Haha...Garrus is gonna be pissed." Wrex smirked, crossing his arms.

"A-hah, A-hah," Shepard laughed sarcastically and punched Wrex's shoulder, "Shaddap. I'll tell everyone after the party tonight. I can't have them worrying, I don't want them to worry. I haven't seen them in six years—the last thing they need is to be reminded about the full year they thought I was dead."

Wrex rubbed his shoulder and mumbled, "For your sake, I hope they don't kick your ass..."

"They won't...can't. I'll play the 'I saved the galaxy' card." Shepard smirked, crossing her arms.

"They should have been here by now." Jack pulled her hair out of her pony tail, leaning over to retie it. Shepard chewed on her lip, her brows furrowed as her mind started to turn to her crew. How would they even react to her? Joker, she assumed, would be pissed. Liara as well. Kaiden too. Tali most definitely. James would want to compare scars. Garrus would just be relieved that it wasn't anything worse than scars and more cybernetics and chronic pain and nightmares…

"I should have told them." Shepard groaned, putting her face in her palms. "Shit."

"Normandy approaching!" Jack called out as she ran further down the landing pad. Wrex looked at Shepard who longingly looked at the descending Normandy. Deja vu swirled in her mind, seeing the shiny battle ship she had commanded fly over the ocean again. She remembers how relieved she was to see the Normandy when Earth was attacked but felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered the last. She had taken EDI and Garrus were with her when they headed for the Conduit...when she said goodbye to Garrus, what they both thought was forever.

EDI pulled Garrus aboard the Normandy. Garrus had been badly injured by Harbingers beams, clutching onto his abdomen as blue bleed pooled through his fingers.

"We're in this till the end." Garrus spoke through his pain, his eyes showed sadness and anger as Shepard took a few steps back. Her eyes darted from Harbinger to Garrus.

"No matter what happens here..." Shepard tried to control her tone as she took a few steps toward Garrus, refusing to lose eye contact with him as she spoke, "...you know I love you. I always have, and always will." Shepard placed her hand on Garrus' cheek, lightly rubbing her thumb against his mandible.

His talons were around her hand in a second, his breath labored, "Shepard, I..." She knew he saw the tears well up in her eyes, just as she knew EDI saw them when she forced herself to look away. Garrus leaned into her touch before Shepard took a step back.

"I love you too." He spoke before Shepard was off of the Normandy. His hand reached out to her as she stepped back, her gaze turning to Harbinger as it readied it's laser beams.

"Go!" Shepard commanded, her voice hard, motioning towards the Normandy before starting to run towards the Conduit.

Wrex huffed, knocking her out of her thoughts. Before she knew it, Wrex threw her over his shoulder and started charging towards the Normandy, "Come on, pyjak!"

Wrex caught up with Jack as the Normandy landed on the pad. Wrex set Shepard down as she mouthed a 'thank you.' He nodded his head and looked up at the Normandy as it's shuttle bay door opened. Shepard held her breath as the bay doors slowly opened.

"You'd think they would upgrade the doors by now," Jack mumbled, getting tired of the suspense.

As the shuttle door finally hit the ground, all anyone could do was stare. After 6 years of not seeing each other...Shepard could feel the tears prick her eyes as she saw her friends again. The people who she went through hell with, survived through hell with...She quickly took off toward everyone, not caring about the searing pain in her body. She could hear Jack and Wrex behind her.

"I bet I can make it there before you two bitch babies!" Jack called as she started to pass Wrex and Shepard. Shepard could care less as both Jack and Wrex passed her. The tears where falling out of her eyes as she finally felt the Normandy's metal under her feet again, her crew starting running towards them all—save for Joker, who slowly walked down the ramp with a purple glowing drone following close behind him.

"Shepard!"

Garrus...Shepard closed her eyes as she jumped into Garrus' arms. A cry of happiness escaped her lips as she clutching onto him for dear life.

"Shepard, I—" Shepard cut Garrus off, planting her lips against his.

"Look's like the Commander has other things in mind besides talking." Joker joked, catching up with the crew.

"I'm not letting you go, you are not talking and anyone who tried to ruin this perfect moment will die." Shepard pulled away, a teasing smile on her lips as she glared at the rest of her crew.

Garrus' mandibles twitched in amusement, "I've missed you."