See, I get a new game, go run around in fanfiction for a while, and next thing I know, here's another story!
Okay, I know quite a few people have a Garrus/Fem!Shepard story where they have a baby after romancing and all that. Not this time. So enjoy it! ^^
Also, I am seriously screwing around with a time line here. I don't really know what all I got planned concerning it, but Garrus is already out of military and in C-Sec, despite his age.
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, but I do own Riley. You will see.
Chapter One Starts Here
Fresh out of Alliance training, top of her class. Any weapons made, she could handle. Perfect hand-to-hand skills and perfect aim. Fellow Alliance members dragged out Melissa Shepard, an Earthborn soldier, to Flux on the Citadel to celebrate their graduation from the boot camp. It was a relatively small group, only seven of them.
After a few drinks, Shepard agreed to go with one of the other soldiers, a young man only a year older than her with blonde hair and blue eyes. Not much about him was extraordinary. He had average good looks, his teeth weren't too white or too yellow, but he was probably a bit more drunk than she was. Shepard had only a few drinks, enough for a buzz but not enough to cloud her judgement in any way, shape, or form.
They ended up in a hall, alone. The music from Flux still beating through their ears, the sounds of other patrons muffled by the walls. For a short few seconds, they were fine. Then after those few seconds, he started to fumble and get awkward. With a small smile, she asked if he could go get them some drinks. He nodded and left her in the hall, alone. A sigh escaped her before she looked around.
"You handled that pretty well," a flanged voice commented. Her eyes landed on a turian on the catwalks above her.
"He's just a bit drunk," she told him. "Probably already forgot about me out here."
"Yet I don't see you in a rush to go back in there to remind him," the turian shot back with amusement.
"All my friends are drunk and are poor company at the moment," she replied with a shrug and a smirk. Then she looked up at him. "Mind keeping me company?"
"I'm sorry, but I really can't," he said, shuffling his feet a little. "I'm on duty."
"Ah, C-Sec," she noted with a nod. "I'm sorry, kind of hard to see you up there. I didn't notice your uniform."
"It's alright, I know it's a bit dark up here," he commented. "If you're still here, I'm off in an hour if you want some sober company."
Shepard smiled. "Well, I can't think of safer company than C-Sec. And if you're a crooked cop, I'm Alliance and I can probably kick your ass."
The turian laughed. "You don't need to worry."
Compared to her drunk friends who, a few of the boys shamelessly flirting with nearby asari and the girls just drinking and gossiping, the turian was really good company. He was nice and polite, didn't know her at all but chose to keep her company since her friends practically abandoned her.
"So, C-Sec," she spoke, her head a little more than a buzz and her judgement only slightly clouded. "We've been talking for the past thirty minutes, but we don't know each others names."
He chuckled, his piercing blue eyes closing for a second as he nursed his own alcohol. "Garrus," he told her.
"Nice to meet you, Garrus," she giggled. "I'm Melissa. My friends call me Mel, though. When they're not tripping over each other drunk." She took another drink before slamming her empty glass onto the counter. "So, what made you decide to keep me company?"
Garrus shrugged. "You asked," he replied with a shake of his head. "Besides, there's some scum around here that will wait until you are drunk enough for them to take advantage of or they'll just drug you."
Shepard laughed, her face hidden by her bright red hair as she leaned forward. "Aw, I got a cop concerned for some stranger's well being."
"Just one less report for me to deal with in the morning," he joked, accepting another ordered drink from the bartender.
Break
Her head was pounding, and any bit of light hurt her eyes whenever she cracked them open. A cool rag was dropped over her eyes before her overly sensitive ears picked up the sound of something being placed down on a nearby table. The lights were turned down before she removed the rag from her eyes and dared to open her light blue orbs, scanning the area. "Shit, where am I?" her groggy voice asked, making the pounding in her head more ferocious.
"In my apartment," a familiar flanged voice answered her. "We…got a bit…too drunk last night."
Shepard looked around and spotted the turian from last night sitting on the floor against the opposite wall, his blue eyes visible and the blue marks on his lower face barely noticeable. He seemed to be playing with a visor in one hand, refusing to look at her.
"How drunk?" she asked.
"Well," he started, but seemed quite nervous as to where to start or how to say it. "We're in my apartment. You're on my bed. When I woke up, I was laying behind you. And neither of us were wearing a damn thing. So I'd say we were way too drunk last night."
"Ah, shit!" Shepard cursed, sitting up. The blanket covering her slid down and revealed her bare chest. With a small squeak, she grabbed the blanket and covered herself. "You were supposed to be a good cop, you asshole!"
He held up his hands in defense. "I was drunk, you were drunk, neither of us were thinking properly last night! Okay? I didn't plan that. At all! I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened last night!"
"Fuck!" she kept swearing. "Ah, man." She sighed heavily then looked at him. "Can you point me to your shower after I find my clothes?"
After a long shower and an awkward morning, the two decided it was best to forget the whole incident like it never happened. Shepard was out the door and heading towards the docks shortly after the agreement was made. She barely made it back to the ship before the Captain started barking orders to go.
"Shepard!" the Captain barked. "Where have you been? You should have been in hours ago!"
"Sorry, sir!" Shepard said with a salute. "Had some problems this morning."
The captain huffed then ordered her to her post before the ship detached from the docking arms and pulled back.
Break
Over the months, her skills were sharpened and improved. She was given squads to lead and made sure she was always the last one back on the shuttle to head back to the ship. She had only been transferred once to another ship, but she didn't mind. This captain, David Anderson, was a lot better than her last captain and the crew was very welcoming. The way they spoke to their captain told her that they had worked with him for a very long time, even the sarcastic pilot, Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Normally, when given an order or a mission, she would go do it, no matter what.
But something didn't feel right with her today. Her lower back gave sharp twinges of pain once in a while. Normally, she was grin and bear, but something about this didn't feel right.
"Hey, Doc," she greeted as she entered the MedBay, the doors sliding close behind her.
Dr. Chakwas, rumors say, had been serving on the same ships as Anderson. Then when Joker came into the picture, she took to following him around to make sure he takes his medication. The man was hopeless otherwise.
"Shepard," Chakwas greeted in return as the younger woman sat on the bed. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know," Shepard replied with a shake of her head. "There's pains in my lower back. It feels like there's some kind of pressure around my lower abdomen. There's something going on, but I don't know what."
Chakwas nodded once then instructed Shepard to lay back. Once she was comfortable, with the occasional squirm since the pains were getting a little harder to ignore and closer together, Chakwas ran her glowing omni-tool over the young woman. Her brows furrowed at the results before she put them to the side and scanned again.
"Shepard, this is going to sound a little strange," she began. "But according to these results I'm getting, you're pregnant and in labor."
"I'm what?!" Shepard yelled, shooting upright before dropping again. "Okay, that hurt. Are you sure, Dr. Chakwas?"
"I can scan again to make sure," she offered.
"Please." The omni-tool scanned over her again. The look on Chakwas's face said it all. The result hadn't changed. "I can't be pregnant, Doc. The last time I even had sex, I was drunk, so was he. He isn't even human! How the hell can I be pregnant?"
"The father isn't human?" Chakwas asked in shock.
"No," Shepard replied, teeth clenching at another bout of pain. "If you must know, the last person I slept with was a turian. And like I said, we were both very drunk."
"A turian?" Chakwas repeated in surprise. "And you didn't go through anaphylactic shock?"
"No, apparently I ended up knocked up!" Shepard shouted, slapping both hands onto her forehead. "Oh god, I can't believe this."
The doctor sighed gently and patted Shepard's legs. "First of all, you will need to change into something that will let you have this baby," she instructed. "Standard uniform won't allow it. Meanwhile, I will set up an area away from prying eyes so you can have this baby in peace."
"I didn't even know I was pregnant!" Shepard started to cry. "How could I be pregnant and not know it? I had my periods! I didn't throw up in the mornings! I ate normal foods! I didn't even gain a lot of weight! Oh god, I was drinking! What if something's wrong with the baby? It'll be all my fault because I was drinking!"
"Calm down, being hysterical isn't going to solve anything," Chakwas attempted to placate. "Believe it or not, despite all out advanced technology, there are still one in every twenty-five hundred pregnancies where the mother doesn't know she is pregnant. Now get changed. I will set up an area, and do try to stay calm for the rest of the labor. Stressing out about this isn't going to do any good. I will need to inform Anderson as soon as everything is done and over with, though."
"Discharged because of an unexpected pregnancy, what an embarrassment," Shepard groaned, tears still spilling from her eyes. "I'm going to kill that turian!"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, now change clothes," Chakwas patiently told the nearly hysterical young woman.
Within minutes, Chakwas had divided an area of the MedBay from the rest of the room and allowed Shepard to change behind the curtains and get comfortable. She was still in a slight shock, but not as hysterical as she was. Hours had passed, most of them very painful as her dilation grew wider. She was terrified of the event. Never had she thought of ever becoming a mother, not after her own life on Earth. With no mother figure, she didn't think she would be a very good one anyway. Yet here she is, in labor with an alien's child.
"Life is a bitch throwing these curveballs at me," Shepard hissed out as a painful contraction hit. She'll proudly admit she has high pain tolerance, came with growing up in a gang on Earth.
Chakwas chuckled as she checked over the young woman's progress. "Alright, you're at ten centimeters now," she informed her.
"I'm not ready for this," Shepard told her firmly. "Not. At. All!"
"Too bad," the doctor said as she put on clean gloves and grabbed a large towel from a nearby cabinet. "Now, on your next contraction, you push as hard as you can and count to ten. Understand? And breathe. That's very important."
Shepard nodded her head, her hands gripping the sheets under her as she sat up very little. The next contraction hit in seconds and Shepard did as she was instructed. More painful hours seemed to pass, sounds alternating from Chakwas telling her to push and her own screaming at the pain before heavy breathing. Soft comments of encouragement came from the doctor, trying to keep the woman calm. Finally, at what felt like the highest point of pain she had ever experienced, it was all gone and a screaming cry not her own echoed through the room.
"There you are," Chakwas softly spoke, wrapping the squirming creature in the towel before going over to the nearby sink. Shepard had already collapsed on the bed, tired and worn out. "Looks like you have a little boy, Melissa." She was silent for a moment then sighed, gently wiping off Shepard's bodily fluids from the newborn with a damp rag. "He looks more turian than human, so if you want to adopt him out when we reached the Citadel, it shouldn't be too long until someone takes him."
"Let me see him, please," Shepard said softly.
With a slight nod of her head, Chakwas put the dirty rag down and brought the baby over to the exhausted woman. Shepard took the squirming bundle into her arms and looked down at the newborn. Big, blue eyes stared up at her, his little face covered with plates like any other turian. He managed to wiggle out a little arm and reached up to her.
"No, he won't," she said lowly. "He looks turian, but anyone could see he isn't. Not fully."
The newborn's five-fingered hand patted her chin, earning a pair of lips pressed against his palm from her. He blinked and his little mandibles twitched slightly, curious about the gesture. His coloring was even similar to that turian who unknowingly sired him, though with small traces of red that Shepard assumed he got from her. She unwrapped him a little more. He whimpered at the cold air, but she wanted to see more of him. He had the tiny spikes at the back of his legs, not quite up to his knees. His legs were shaped like a turian, but his feet had five toes, human shaped but with turian skin and tiny claws. Seeing he was about to cry, she wrapped him back up and held him close to her chest. "He's tiny. Did me drinking during the pregnancy make him like this?"
"Actually, since you're no alcoholic and only drink once in a while, he seems to have developed well enough," the doctor reassured him. "Granted, I'm no expert about turian-human hybrids. Still, he's at six pounds and four ounces. That's still a good weight, even for a human baby. Turian children, I don't know."
The newborn yawned, mouth opening as much as it could and mandibles stretching as far as possible, a small high-pitched sound escaping the newborn. "You're both a little tired, so get some rest," Chakwas chuckled.
Break
This was the last thing Anderson ever excepted to happen on his vessel. "Shepard's the best soldier we have," he stated out loud. "Unless she puts him with his father, I don't know how she's going to handle both a baby and her job."
"I don't think the father even knows about this," Chakwas pointed out. "Melissa said that both of them were drunk and it was only one night. Besides, he's turian. I don't know how he would react to finding out he has a son with a human. He may reject him all together."
Shepard woke to them barely a moment ago, but pretended to sleep with her arm around the slumbering newborn. The baby wiggled a little bit then went still and continued his even breathing.
Anderson sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not entirely sure how to handle this," he confessed. "This is something that has never happened amongst my crew. I can't discharge a soldier with skills like hers. But I know with a new baby, especially a baby with an alien father, will be hard to handle."
"I can manage," Shepard stated, bringing attention to her. Neither of the two noticed she even woke. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at them, but more to Anderson. "With all due respect, sir, I can manage both my job and my baby."
"Are you sure about that, Shepard?" Anderson pressed. "This is a very big responsibility."
"I can do my duty and take care of my baby," she told him firmly.
Another sigh escaped the captain. "Very well, then," he gave in. "Keep this in mind, Shepard. I'm only allowing this because you are a damn good soldier. One of the best and I am proud to have you in my crew. Some of the things I have seen you do, I don't expect anyone else to pull off." He linked his hands behind his back. "I'll give you two month leave to settle in with your son."
"I can be fit to work in a week, sir," she told him, rolling over a little more.
"I don't want to push you," he argued. "If you believe you can start working again in a week, let me know. I'll save the big missions for you so all the smaller ones don't get in your way with him. Now, considering what he is, he'll have to be a secret. I'm sure the crew will take time to get used to the idea of a turian-human child, but he will be a secret among us. Remember, he's your responsibility."
"Thank you, sir," the younger woman said with a small smile. "I'll let you know when I'm fit for duty."
Anderson nodded to her then turned to leave. He paused at the doors, though, then turned to look at her. "Out of curiosity, what do you plan on naming him?"
Shepard looked down at the still sleeping baby. She knew with all this noise, a human baby would wake up. Perhaps it was the turian in him. A name, though, didn't cross her minds until now. All she could really remember of his father was blue. Blue marks. Blue eyes. A blue visor. Blue C-Sec uniform. Just blue. But blue isn't a name. A small smile came to her lips when she remembered one of her few friends back on Earth, died a young age but when he was alive, he was always there for her.
"Riley," she finally answered. "Riley Azul Shepard."
Break
Riley had become a secret amongst the crew. But also a favorite. Some joked he was their little mascot, but go silent whenever Shepard came near them for the joke. Riley, despite being different from everyone in the crew, was a very happy child. At six months, he was crawling. At ten months, he stood on his own. Two months later and he was staggering around, trying to stay balanced as he walked. At eleven months of age, he spoke one word that made Shepard glow with love and pride. He called her 'Mama' and she would not stop announcing it to the ship.
His vocabulary lengthened over the next two years. Riley was very smart for such a young child. If something was bad for him, he was simply told and he never tried again. If he did when no one was looking and found out it is bad, then he really never tried again. He would sometimes stare at anyone having a conversation then would go to his mother and tell her the conversation in his own way.
At three years of age, the ship was docking at the Citadel. Anderson had some business to attend to, which left everyone else on shore leave.
"Mama, where everyone going?" Riley asked her as some of the crew left the ship, talking loudly about what they were going to do during their shore leave. Like other turians, his voice was dual-toned.
"Shore leave, sweetie," Shepard answered, rubbing the back of his head gently. "Now listen. I promise I will be back soon and then I'll take you somewhere very special. But I need to find someone first. Can you stay on the ship and keep your Uncle Joker company?"
"Where are you going, mama?" he asked, his little clawed hands wrapping around her bigger one.
"I just need to find someone, it's very important," she stated, swinging his arms gently. "I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, stay with Uncle Joker."
Riley lowered his head but nodded anyway. "Okay," he murmured.
"Hey, you'll have fun with him," Shepard said with a smile. "You always love talking with him. Besides, he doesn't leave the ship. Ever. So while everyone is on shore leave, he could use some company. He won't feel alone. Think you can keep him happy?"
"Yes, mama," Riley replied. "Come back soon?"
"I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," she giggled then pressed her lips to his forehead. "Be good."
"Okay."
She hugged him tightly then let him go before he ran into the cockpit. She chuckled when she heard Joker greet him like he normally did. "Help, a tiny person is invading my space!"
"Keep an eye on him, Joker," she called out. "I'll be back soon."
"Sure thing, Chief!"
She left the ship with one thought in mind. Truthfully, she was scared of the encounter. She was scared of how he would react. But thought it would only be fair if he knew. If he wanted nothing to do with Riley, that was fine with her. She wasn't looking for anything from him, she just thought it was right to let him know.
As soon as the elevator stopped, she stepped out and approached the first C-Sec officer she saw, who was also a turian. "Excuse me," she called.
His amber eyes stared down at her, the light tan face paint nearly invisible on his face. "Something I can help you with, ma'am?" he asked, truly polite instead of faking it.
"I'm looking for a C-Sec officer, a turian," she started. "He has blue facial markings on the lower half of his face. And he wears a blue visor."
"Ah, Garrus," the turian chuckled. "Just mention the visor. He's the only one around who wears one. Makes his aim better, not that it isn't deadly enough."
"Do you know here I can find him?" she asked. "It's kind of important."
The turian stared up at the ceiling in though for a moment. "Last I saw Garrus, he was going for routine patrol around the Zakera Wards. They're only a few floors, but they're generally crowded and he isn't the type of turian to sit still. Transit Stations can take you there."
"Thank you," she said before heading over to the glowing orange pedestal not too far away.
Once she was at the Zakera Wards, she started trying to find that one turian, scanning the crowds of multiple species. Occasionally, she would check the time on her omni-tool. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty-five. After an hour and fourteen minutes of looking around, she finally spotted him. He was speaking with a human C-Sec officer, or arguing more like it. Between them was a very agitated human. When the two officers were done with their argument and the turian walked off with furrowed brow plates, the human looked quite smug about his apparent victory.
She quickly approached him before he had a chance to leave her sights. "Hey," she called to him.
He stopped and turned to look at her. "Something I can help you with?" he asked, though sounded frustrated.
"You're name is Garrus, right?" she hesitantly asked.
"Yes. Do I know you?"
She sighed and crossed her arms. "Four years ago, you met a human girl outside Flux. You both got drunk. And you both agreed that night never happened. Remember?"
He stared at her. "The only way you would know that is if you are her," he noted. "Yeah, I remember you now. Why are you bringing that up? We agreed. Never happened."
"I need to talk to you," she cut him off. "In private, preferably. It's really, really important."
Garrus looked over her then around the crowd. He motioned for her to follow him to the side. No one else was around there, but people were still walking by. He opened a nearby door and nudged his head to the empty room. She went in and he after her, closing and locking the door behind them. "Alright, what is so important?" he asked.
"I don't care how bad your day has been, cut the attitude," she snapped at him. "I don't even have to be here telling you this, but I am because I felt like I should."
"And what are you choosing to tell me?" the turian pressed. "It's been four years. What the hell could be so important about what happened back then now?"
She inhaled deeply. "I know human and turians are allergic to each other," she started. "I know we're really not even supposed to be doing things like sex together because we're allergic to each other. I don't know about you, but I didn't suffer from any allergic reaction, but something did happen that night."
"And what was that?" he asked, pacing.
Shepard gulped this time. "I got pregnant," she answered. He stilled and stared at her in shock. "For nine months, I carried him and didn't know it. And before you say anything, yes. He is yours. No, I am not looking for anything from you. I just thought that it would be good if you at least knew. If you don't want anything to do with him, fine. I don't care. I just wanted to tell you so I can get that off my chest."
He just continued staring at her. "You…were pregnant?" he asked. "With…with my child? No…No, that's impossible. Turians and humans can't breed."
"He is a genetic impossibility, yes, but he is," she told him. "He looks more turian than human, but I am his mother. And you are his father." They were silent for a moment. "Like I said, I don't care if you want nothing to do with him. I was just letting you know."
She moved towards the door and started unlocking it when he spoke up. "May I see him?" he asked lowly.
Pausing, Shepard looked over her shoulder at him. "What?"
"May I see him?" he patiently asked again. "I want to meet him."
Silence seemed to reign over them before a small, soft smile came to her lips. "Yeah, that's fine," she answered. "He's on the ship."
Within minutes, the two were on the elevator that went to the docking bay, a word not passed between them since the room. Shepard broke it first. "I would prefer it if he's kept a secret," she started. Garrus looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Like I said, he looks turian, but he does have some human features."
"Such as?" Garrus asked.
Shepard held up her hand and wiggled all her fingers. "Such as this," she stated. "Feet, too. Stands like a turian, but has toes like a human, slightly elongated and he does have claws. Turian really stands out in him. But like I said, I want him to remain a secret. He's a genetic impossibility. He should not even exist, but he does. And I don't want some anti-alien fanatics from either side saying they want him dead or calling him things like an abomination. I also don't want any mad scientist finding out about him and trying to kidnap him so they can run sick experiments to find out what makes him tick."
"Sounds good to me," the turian agreed. Dr. Saleon was still fresh in his mind. Who knows what other mad doctors or scientists there are in the galaxy? And he can only try to do something about the ones on the Citadel, if he finds them.
"He's also very intelligent, and that isn't just motherly pride talking," she went on. "He is very smart. He may not understand everything, but he has perfect memory and his speech is a lot better than human children at his age."
The elevator stopped before the doors slid open. Garrus looked over the large vessel docked near them. It seemed large enough to give everyone their own quarters, but he knows looks are deceiving. It is a standard military vessel, meaning all that space was taken up very quickly with equipment.
The decontamination chamber seemed to go on forever until the door finally opened and the pair stepped onto the ship. Shepard was pleased to see that no one else came back in from shore leave and only the skeleton crew was still onboard.
"Hey, don't touch that!" she heard Joker exclaim. "Bad! Bad, bad, bad, bad!"
"Why?" Riley's flanged voice followed.
Garrus looked at her with a slight bit of confusion and surprise. She shrugged. "I said he seemed more turian than human," she pointed out.
"Push that button and we blow a hole into the docks and I don't think the captain will be very happy with us," Joker explained calmly.
"He won't know it was me," Riley shot back playfully. "He would think that you are just blaming me."
"When Shepard gets back, I'm telling her how evil you truly are."
"He's not evil," Shepard commented as she and Garrus entered the cockpit. "He's using childish innocence as his alibi."
"Alibi?" Riley repeated.
"Your side of a story, an excuse for you not to be blamed," she explained. "Now, come here, Riley. There's someone I want you to meet."
Joker actually turned around as Riley climbed out of his seat and ran over to his mother. The pilot's eyes widened at the sight of the turian behind the Chief.
"And Joker? Not a word."
"Lips are sealed," he assured her with a wave of his hand as he turned back around.
"Mama, who's that?" Riley asked, pointing to Garrus.
"It's rude to point," she gently reprimanded. "Now come on. Let's go somewhere a little more quiet for this."
"Okay!" Riley chirped before running out of the cockpit.
"Moves pretty fast for a three-year-old," Garrus commented.
"Oh, you have no idea," Shepard chuckled as she followed after her son, Garrus behind her. She led him to a room, living quarters it looked like, with two bed and a desk off to the side. The little boy was sitting on one bed, swinging his legs over the edge. "After Riley was born, I got this room so his crying wouldn't wake anyone else up."
"And now you both share it," he noted.
"Mama, who's that?" Riley asked again, but didn't point like last time.
Shepard smiled at him then kneeled in front of the three-year-old. "Remember what I told you before? About why you're so unique?" she asked.
"Because you're a human and my daddy's a turian," he replied, then firmly nodded his head like he was trying to acknowledge the fact was right.
"Yes," she said with a returned nod. "Now, I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Garrus, this is Riley. Riley, this is Garrus. He's your daddy."
The three were silent. Riley's blue eyes went up to the turian and seemed to study him. He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the tall alien. His head tilted to the side before he reached over and grabbed Garrus's hand and jerked on it a couple times. Unsure about what the signal meant, he knelt down.
"You're my daddy?" he asked lowly.
"Yeah," he replied almost breathlessly. "I guess I am. It's very nice to meet you, Riley."
Hesitantly, Riley stepped a little closer until his little arms were wrapped around Garrus's neck. The turian seemed to freeze up at the hug before finally returning it.
Break
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to spend some time with him whenever you're at the Citadel," he said to her as he was leaving the ship.
Shepard smiled a little at that. "I think he'd like that," she told him, crossing her arms. "Glad my fears were unfounded, though. Had no clue how you would react and… I don't know. Guess I was worried about him mainly."
"That's understandable," Garrus commented with a shrug. "How long are you going to be here?"
She sighed. "Until the captain is done with his business, then we're out of here. I don't know what he's doing or what his plans are."
He nodded once before his omni-tool lit up and he started to go through everything on it. "Here's the number for my omni-tool. You can contact me whenever you're on your way back to the Citadel."
Her own omni-tool lit up with the sent information. "How did you know mine?" she asked as she activated her own.
His mandibles spread open a little bit, like a turian version of a grin. "I have my ways." The grin faded and he seemed a little nervous now. "So, I guess I'll see you and Riley later or next time or…whenever."
The young woman gave him a nod. "Next time," she said before feeling clawed hands grabbing her arm. She looked down to see Riley staring at his father.
"Daddy leaving?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I'll see you next time you come to the Citadel, alright?" Garrus replied before Shepard could. "Can you behave for your mother until then?" If felt strange to him saying something this. He didn't really think he would have a son at his age.
Riley nodded. "Okay," he replied. "Bye-bye, daddy."
Break
"I got a mission," Shepard told him as they walked through the wards. "It's on Akuze. And I'm going with a different crew and on a different ship."
"I can see where this is going," Garrus commented. "You want me to take Riley for a while."
"Would very much appreciate it," she replied with a sigh. "He loves the crew we're with right now and they all love him, but I don't want them being distracted by him. He's my responsibility on that ship, meaning I look after him. But I don't want him around a new crew and I don't know if I can trust anyone to keep their mouths shut about him." She finally stopped and looked at him. "Can you take him for a few days?"
"I could take him for a few weeks, if that's how long you would be gone," Garrus answered. "I'd take him however long you need to me. Want a break from him? Pass him over. I won't complain."
Shepard smiled and slowly shook her head. "Thank you," she said. "It should be a few days at least. Two weeks at most. Then I'll be back to get him off your fringe."
"Hey, no need to rush," he chuckled. "I'd like to spend some time with him."
"Which is why I am asking you to take him during my mission."
"Glad you did ask me."
"I knew you wouldn't say no."
An awkward moment passed between then before the turian sighed heavily. "Just…be careful out there. I don't think Riley would be too happy if he's told you didn't make it."
"Yeah," Shepard said with a nod. "Anyway, you know where to go to get him. Joker knows you, so does Anderson and Chakwas. I have to go."
"Did you already tell him good-bye?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's eight. He knows I'll be gone for a while. He understands. Just keep a close eye on him. He will vanish if you give him the chance."
"Will do. I'll go get him now. Be careful out there."
"It's just as simple run in and secure mission. What the worst that could happen?"
Break
Almost a year ago. Fifty men. Dead. Her, the only survivor. Her only trophy of her survival, a long scar from the top of her right eye, down across her nose, and onto her cheek. Quick treatment had taken care of the acid burns she suffered from the thresher maw. But fifty good soldiers still died. At that still haunts her to this day.
"Mom?" a soft voice called to her, bringing her attention from the mirror to her young son standing in the doorway. "There's a turian on the Normandy. He said his name is Nihlus and he's a Spectre."
"Has he seen you yet?" she asked him. Thankfully, Anderson kept his crew with a few additions, meaning almost everyone on the brand new, state-of-the-art, prototype vessel knows about Riley.
"He might have seen me," Riley answered before shaking his head. "I don't know."
"What about the new guys?"
"No." He was silent for a moment and looked at the floor. A little worried, she approached him and kneeled down in front of the nine-year-old hybrid. "I watched them a bit. Jenkins seems nice, really happy and excited. The other guy, Kaidan… I don't know about him…"
"We'll just have to wait and see, honey," she commented, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe after this shakedown run, everything will go back to normal."
Riley nodded. "Can I spend a little more time with dad next time we're at the Citadel?"
"Depends on his work," she answered as she got to her feet. Joker's voice came over the intercom, going over a checklist. "Sounds like we're about to make our first jump of the day. Stay hidden. I don't know how this Spectre will react to you and I don't want to chance it."
"Yes, mom," Riley answered with a firm nod before his mother walked by him and headed towards the cockpit. For a moment, Riley wondered about what he could do at the moment then spread his mandibles in a slight grin. A new ship means new things to find. And he does remember seeing them loading something like a tank.
Chapter One Ends Here
Well there you go. I introduced Riley and brought it up to the start of ME1. If anyone has questions, I will answer to the best of my ability. But please, review and let me know what you think.