Seriously, I can't stop writing these two. This was supposed to be a oneshot, but it would have been way too long to post.
'Archangel?' Shepard's voice was soft, the helmet she rarely wore distorting her voice, and she was trying not to antagonize the large mercenary in front of her. The merc didn't move, save for a hand gesture, one that clearly meant, give me a second. He tilted his head and adjusted his rifle just so, and the freelancer hiding below was dead with a twitch of his finger.
'I'm not here to kill you,' she said slowly, though she didn't lower her pistol. Finally, the mercenary pushed himself off the windowsill and glanced toward Shepard's squad. He tapped his helmet meaningfully.
'You want me to take it off? I will if you will.' Archangel nodded, and Shepard pulled her helmet off smoothly. The merc froze, and his rifle hit the floor. His hand trembled as he reached up and ripped his helmet off, dropping it carelessly on the carpet. Shepard gaped at the alien standing in front of her.
'Shepard?' The familiar sub-tones in his voice snapped Shepard back to reality.
'Jacob, Miranda, hold the line,' she ordered swiftly, hardly daring to believe what- or who- was in front of her. Her team nodded and left to guard the stairs. 'Garrus, I-' She didn't get very far before the turian crossed the room in three long strides and crushed her to his chest.
'Spirits, Shep, we thought- I thought you were dead,' he murmured in her ear as one of his hands came up to cradle her head, and subsequently sent her pulse racing.
'I was, I guess,' she said, unable to slow her heart rate. Despite herself, tears welled in her eyes. 'Oh, Garrus, what have you done?' He sighed.
'I had a team. We were slowly taking Omega back from the gangs, but... I was betrayed by one of my own. The bastard killed my entire squad, then disappeared. Now, since I'm on my own, the gangs are finally coming after me.' Shepard lifted her head off his chest and studied his face.
'You know what? I don't even care right now. I was sure you were gone for good, Garrus.' She smiled as the tears in her eyes finally spilled over. He searched her eyes in concern and reached up to brush them away.
'It's good to have you back, Shep,' he rumbled, and smiled his turian smile.
'Hey, Commander, they've retreated for n- uh, sorry,' Jacob topped the stairs, clearly flustered at the the old friends' proximity. Miranda smacked the back of his head.
'You idiot, they haven't seen each other for two years, and he thought she was dead.' She shook her head. 'Sorry, Commander. You two make a cute couple.' At that, the embracing pair recovered their wits and sprang away from each other.
'Oh, we're not-' they began in unison, then stopped and glared at each other, 'you think I'd- would you stop doing that?' they snapped at each other at the same time. Miranda smirked.
'Sure, you're not,' she said coyly, then glanced out the window. 'Oh shit, here come the Eclipse. What are your orders, Commander?' Shepard shot back into her role.
'Garrus,' she stated, and he nodded, positioning himself at the window. 'Miranda, you and Jacob go downstairs and take out anything he misses.' The two of them nodded and headed downstairs, and she joined Garrus, angling and adjusting her rifle.
'Ready?' She asked, though she already knew then answer. His mandibles twitched.
'I'm always ready, Shepard.' She smiled as she lowered her eye to the scope and scanned the bridge. Several Eclipse Heavies were taking cover behind crates on the bridge, while even more troopers were storming across. One by one, the two of them took the Eclipse out with painstakingly placed head shots.
'So, Vakarian,' she muttered, as casually as if they were lounging in the old Normandy, not pinned down in an abandoned building, shooting for their lives, 'Archangel?' Garrus growled, somewhat embarrassed.
'That's just a name the locals started giving me. For all my good deeds.' Shepard grinned as she took down a mech.
'Don't even pretend that you don't love it, Vakarian,' she teased, quickly falling into their old banter again.
'Oh, and what about you, eh? The amazing, talented, beautiful Commander Shepard, who single-handedly saved the Citadel, not to mention the Council. You're telling me you don't bask in that glory?'
'Vakarian, you're the only one who says that,' she laughed, stealing a glance at him, secretly awing over the way he was so much better at handling a rifle than her- hell, they way he beat her out in so many ways.
'Keep telling yourself that, Commander. Maybe one day it'll be true.' Garrus said as he took out the last trooper, then ducked back down behind the windowsill beside her. 'You've saved a lot of lives, Shepard. People take notice of that kind of thing.' He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. 'Spirits know you've saved mine.' Shepard sighed.
'Save your praise for someone who deserves it, Garrus. I didn't know you were Archangel. I just know that I was sent to collect him for our mission. I'm... I'm working with Cerberus Garrus. All those people they killed, and those twisted experiments, and I'm working with them.' Garrus sighed and leaned his head against the wall behind him as he reached for her hand.
'I know you're doing it for the right reasons, Shep,' he said simply, and she stared.
'You don't know anything about this mission, and you're on my side without question? Even defending my choices? Why?' He squeezed her hand.
'I know you, Shep. You've always been working for the greater good. Two years isn't enough time to change that.' Shepard flashed him a quick smile.
'Thanks, Garrus. When did you get so good with words? Last I remember, you were stumbling over them awkwardly like a baby quarian.' He snorted.
'Are you kidding me? I was just treating you carefully, so you wouldn't realize my ulterior motives.' Shepard stifled a laugh and raised her eyebrow.
'Ulterior motives, huh? And what exactly were those?' The turian flexed his mandibles.
'Oh, you know, plotting to overthrow your command, messing with Alenko...' he glanced at her meaningfully, 'the flirting.' Shepard choked, just as her squad ran up the stairs. Garrus dropped her hand and stood, grabbing his rifle as he went.
'Status,' he barked, and Miranda shot an uneasy glance at Shepard, who nodded.
'We managed to take out their leader after he made it past the bridge, and we haven't seen the Blood Pack yet.'
'Jaroth?' Garrus' voice was strained. 'You killed Jaroth?' He smiled at Miranda's worried expression. 'I've been hunting that little bastard for months. Well done.' Before Miranda could respond, an explosion rocked the base.
'What in the holy hell was that?' Jacob asked through his gritted teeth, and Garrus sighed.
'It's the Blood Pack. They're trying to get in through the basement. There are three shutters that need to be closed, Shepard.'
'Like hell I'm leaving you on your own up here,' she snapped, and Garrus growled, the sub-tones taking over his voice.
'Go, Shepard. You don't have much time.' She rounded on him, her anger taking over.
'If you really think I'm just going to leave you-' Finally, Jacob interrupted.
'I'll stay with him, Commander. Take Miranda down and get those gates closed.' At last, Shepard conceded.
'Fine. But I swear, Garrus, if you die while I'm gone...' Garrus held his hands up.
'I won't die. What is it humans say? Scout's honor.' She smiled briefly, and then raced down the stairs, daring to take Garrus' words as the truth.