People of every race and species ignored the three Alliance soldiers as they made their way through the Upper Wards of the Citadel. Shopkeepers and consumers haggled over prices of firearms and food, several children laughed as they ran to and fro, screaming in delight as their parents tried futilely to catch them. An angry krogan shouted at a squat volus merchant over the return policy of a rare piece of armor. Outside of the trading area, more throngs of patrons hustled and bustled about their lives, unconcerned about the looming threat of Geth outside the Perseus Veil, and unaware of a Council Spectre gone rogue. They were content to go about their meager and shallow lives as if nothing were happening in the galaxy.
Glancing through the massive picture window that looked out to the other colossal Citadel arms, Commander Shepard frowned, in spite of the high level of energy in the atmosphere.
"It's all so typical, isn't it?" she questioned despondently. Neither Kaidan Alenko nor Ashley Williams replied immediately. They were too busy admiring the view. After several minutes of silence, Kaidan finally answered, awestruck and enamored by the sights around him, "Sorry Commander... but I've never been to the Citadel. This is incredible!"
Shepard snorted derisively, causing Williams to turn and look at her.
"These people have no idea about what's going on out there, do they?" the Gunnery Chief asked.
Shepard shook her head irritably, "I doubt they'd even care... They're happy enough to go about their mundane lives as soldiers risk their own to keep them safe from harm..."
"Isn't that the point though?" Kaidan said, cocking his dark head to one side. "To be the defenders of Man? The elite, the few, the strong? At least that's partly why I joined up with the military..."
Shepard shrugged her shoulders heavily and sighed, "While I do see your point... sometimes it just seems so... I don't know... pointless..."
"I dunno, Commander...," Williams said. "Maybe something big... something devastating has to happen for them to realize just how good they have things..."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," said Shepard. Nothing was ever that cut and dry however. "So, where did that drunken idiot Harkin say we'd find the turian? Garrus Something...?"
"Garrus Vakarian...," whispered Williams almost fearfully. "The same turian that was in the Council Chambers demanding more time."
"In the medical clinic on this level," said Kaidan. "I guess he went back there to look for more information involving Saren."
"Well... Let's go see if he found anything useful," the Commander said wearily. "I'd hate for this thing to be dragged out any longer than it has to be."
Ashley hesitated a moment too long, and Shepard scowled at her, "What is it Williams?"
The Gunnery Chief wrung her hands together nervously, disinclined to answer.
"Williams?" Shepard warned, her voice turning from that of an exhausted soldier to that of a stern and commanding officer, demanding the respect from those under her.
"I- I... Just... umm... Let's just be careful. Harkin said this Vakarian was a hot head... And he's turian...," Williams emphasized the last word as if it was some unholy curse word she was forbidden to speak. "Turians are dangerous..."
Shepard rolled her eyes at the other woman, "Williams, you're never going to get anywhere with that sort of xenophobic outlook-"
Ashley held up her hands defensively, and interrupted, "Oh! I'm not xenophobic... I'm just... cautious... that's all."
Shepard eyed her suspiciously, not quite believing it, but she didn't pursue the matter. Pushing off the wall she had been leaning against, she turned to look for the med clinic sign and headed in that direction.
Upon reach the entry to the clinic where Vakarian supposedly was, Shepard's stomach lurched when she heard shouting just beyond the door.
"That doesn't sound good," Kaidan whispered, drawing his pistol.
She pushed past the Staff Lieutenant, unholstering her own gun.
Entering the clinic, Shepard spotted the victim and her assailants, a female doctor with shortly cropped hair and five armed thugs.
"I swear, I didn't tell anyone!" the doctor cried out to her harassers.
"That was smart, Doc," threatened one of the men. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth, or I'll-"
The thug took sanctuary behind the doctor, whose eyes were brimming with fear. Making himself as small as possible, he pointed his pistol at Shepard as she came through the door, demanding to know her identity, "WHO ARE YOU?!"
From the corner of her eye, she saw something hulking and grey move swiftly from behind cover and into the open. Garrus Vakarian, his pistol poised at the aggressor, side stepped across the empty space of the clinic with all the ease and grace of a highly trained soldier. So focused on Shepard, the thug didn't even have a moment to comprehend what was happening before a gun was fired. He fell to the floor, body slack and unmoving, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. He was dead before he even hit the ground.
She barely had enough time to admire Vakarian's beautiful headshot before the other goons drew their weapons and sent a flurry of bullets in their direction.
"Enemy contact!" Ashley yelled, as if they had no other way of knowing.
Shepard dove behind the nearest wall to avoid getting pummeled from the onslaught of gunfire. Straightening herself up, she holstered her pistol and reached for her larger and more preferred Avenger. She blind fired from around cover and continued to pull the trigger until the assault rifle overheated. Ripping out her Paladin again, she heard a second body drop, then a third, as her party members sent their own volley at the enemies. She took out the fourth with several rounds in a matter of seconds.
She watched in slow motion as Vakarian brought up his sniper rifle to his face in one fluid motion. The soft cobalt glow from his targeting visor only accented his blue clan markings on his mandibles, his cheek bones and across the bridge of his perplexingly flat nose. She observed the calmness that had settled over his visage as he took careful and gently squeezed the trigger and let loose a singular bullet. It found its mark between the final man's eyes and he fell backwards in a cascade of his own blood.
"Perfect timing Shepard!" Vakarian called. "Gave me a clear shot at that bastard."
It took a second for her to grasp onto the concept that he had spoken to her. She blushed profusely when she realized she had been staring at his ridiculously small waist. Why hadn't she noticed that before, in the Citadel Tower, where they had first met?
Was she seriously even considering a desire to explore this curiosity she had just found in the turian? No... no... of course not... he was turian... she was human... It was absurd to even think that she might see him as... attractive... No, it was more of a mild inquisitiveness to know more about a seemingly regal and proud species...
Without making eye contact, and instead, opting to look at his lengthy fringe, face still burning, Shepard replied quickly, "You took him down clean."
The turian nodded confidently, his mandibles flared. She wasn't sure what that meant. They were so hard to read... much more difficult than humans and asari.
"Sometimes you just get lucky," he said. Turning to the doctor he asked, in a dual-toned voice, in what Shepard could only guess was concern, "Dr. Michele are you hurt?"
The doctor shook her head, running a hand through her hair, "No, I'm okay. Thanks to you... all of you..."
Shepard watched as red crept from below the doctor's collar, up her neck and into her cheeks, reflecting exactly how Shepard felt in that instant. Shy, flirty... and utterly ridiculous!
Rolling over in her king sized bed, Shepard woke herself up by bumping into a dark shape next to her, underneath her covers. Garrus was breathing deeply on his side and sleeping soundly... for once. She watched as the sheets rose and fell with every breath he took. His mouth hung slightly open, his mandibles slack against one of her many pillows. He looked at peace, with not a care in the galaxy. She smiled gently at him and caressed his scarred face, tracing the markings down the length of his neck, over his cowl and shoulder and down half of his upper arm. He had been right... they were starting to fade slightly, though, she knew, just like with most scars, it would never fully heal. He had been extremely lucky... The outcome could have been far worse.
But she actually preferred him like this... The scars made him seem more mature... more of a soldier... more... ORGANIC... plus she found them to be incredibly sexy... Not that she would admit that to him... EVER.
Sitting up in bed, Shepard recalled the dream she had been having before she had awoken... It had been of their first time working together to save Dr. Michele from Fist's thugs. Reminiscing on the last details of the memory, she was struck with a sudden blow. It had been at that moment when she initially found him appealing to look at... almost like an instant attraction... no matter how much she tried to deny it at first. She had denied it so much that she had led innocent Kaidan on to sleep with her... Looking back on it now, she kind of regretted it... Poor Alenko was still reeling from her work with Cerberus and her denial of him...
Changing her thought direction, she put her focus back on Garrus. Oh! How she had blushed when she had realized she was gawking luridly at him. And Dr. Michele had turned beat red also...
"OH. MY. GOD!" Shepard said out loud in complete understanding.
"Hmm," Garrus grumbled sleepily.
Oh my God!" she said again, nearly falling off the bed, shaking with laughter.
"What is it, Shepard?" he replied, not opening his eyes.
"Dr. Chloe Michele has a crush on you!" she screamed in awareness and hilarity.
"So? She sent me chocolates not too long ago..."
Shepard laughed even harder at the notion, shoulders quaking as she attempted to stifle her continued sniggers. She reeled back once more and lost her balance, tumbling backwards off the bed and onto the floor, tangled in sheets.
She lay there for the next five minutes unable to control her mirth. Garrus was not amused. He rolled over to his other side and mumbled, "Serves you right..."
Shepard crawled back into bed, singing obnoxiously, "Garrus and Chloe sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
As she readjusted the sheets and heard Garrus begin to snore. She settled herself down next to his warm body and sighed, quite content. It was the first time in a long while that she would fall asleep with a smile on her face.
That was super fun to write! Just a quick oneshot that I've had in my head for awhile now, and it didn't seem to fit very well in my main story. Enjoy!
And as always, Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and all that jazz!