Based on a little moment I encountered while playing Mass Effect 2. I'm impressed with the amount of extra dialogue and scenes that can easily be missed. Also this is the first story I've written in a long time, so I apologize in advance for any errors or weirdness.

This wasn't the Shepard he knew. Shepard was strong, her determination and will unbreakable. She had seen and survived so much... Garrus shook his head and refocused on the commander. She was still downing drinks at the bar of this awful club, Afterlife. Why they were even here to begin with had been a mystery. But seeing Shepard the way she was now... He understood. She was trying to make the pain go away.

...

Their ship had just been raided, the whole crew kidnapped by the Collectors while they were away. They still weren't ready to go charging through the Omega 4 Relay and every second waiting for upgrades was time their crew was dying, or worse. Shepard had ordered Joker to dock at Omega not long after, then just disappeared into her quarters. The team had gone straight to work making sure the Normandy would be in top shape as soon as possible. Hours passed. He had been so focused on installing and calibrating the new cannons that he actually jumped when EDI's voice came on informing that the commander was going ashore. "Just the commander?" he asked, turning to face the AI's console. "Correct, Agent Vakarian." the faceless projection replied as it appeared. An unsettling feeling washed over him. The commander never went somewhere alone. Grabbing his guns, he rushed to catch up to her. As much as he hated the scum-filled rock, he wasn't going to let her wander it by herself. As he exited the elevator, he saw her talking with Joker. Even from that distance he could see the concern in the other human's eyes. As he walked up, he heard a sighed agreement from the man as his chair swiveled back to face the ship's controls. Garrus opened his mouth to speak but the voice he heard was not his own.

"Shepard-Commander," a synthesized voice called behind him. He turned to see Legion standing behind him, surprised that the geth wasn't down in the AI core for once. Hearing Shepard's sigh, he turned back to face her. There was a fleeting expression in her eyes that made his heart sink and he didn't know why. He inwardly cursed himself for not paying more attention in the human emotion course when he was training for C-Sec. "Don't you two have work to be doing?" she stated, her eyes now cold. "All relevant data has been processed and uploaded to the system," Legion replied. "We request that you take this platform with you to collect data on off-ship activities." The commander folded her arms and shifted her gaze to the turian. He straightened his stance and stared back, trying to convey his determination. "I'm not letting you go out there alone Shepard, you know how dangerous this place can be," he started. "I'll have plenty of time to finish on our way to the relay." Nothing in her posture or face changed, if anything she was frowning even more. Garrus didn't like it.

"I can take care of myself Garrus. Besides, I don't really feel like having company right now." Her words were cold and stung like she had punched him, but he didn't let his stance falter. She had always asked him to come along, even on the most mundane tasks. Something was definitely wrong. "Come on, Commander. You know the gangs wouldn't hesitate if any of them recognized you. If you want to be alone, fine. Just let me watch your back." From the look of it she still wasn't biting. "I'll even make sure Legion doesn't get into any trouble," he bargained. Finally, her arms dropped and she sighed heavily. "Do whatever you guys want."

...

As he watched her down yet another glass of blue liquid in a matter of seconds, his hands clenched up. He said he'd give her space but this... He wasn't going to stand by as she tried to destroy herself. Checking to make sure Legion was still around and not getting into any trouble, he made his was over to the bar. She didn't acknowledge his presence as he stood beside her, merely motioning for the bartender to pour her another glass. "Commander, I think you've had enough," Garrus cut in. For a moment there was no reaction. Then angry eyes met his own steel blue ones defiantly. "Sscrew you, Garrus! You can't- y'can't tell... tell ME what t'do!" she slurred as she pointed unsteadily at him. "With all due respect, Commander, you're going to kill yourself if you keep this up," he replied as calmly as possible. "Let's go back to the ship and get you rested up." He grabbed her arm lightly to pull her away, but she shrugged him off violently. "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouted, shoving him back. Anger bubbled up inside him as the patrons around them stared at the scene unfolding. "You want me to leave you alone Shepard, fine! I'm gone!" he growled back, mandibles twitching. With one last shared glare, he stalked off to the rear stairs of the club to make his way back to the docks.

As he reached the upper level of the club, he paused. What good would walking away do? He'd probably have to come back to drag her to the ship anyways, plus he left Legion behind... Sighing, he turned to walk back down. He wouldn't give up on her. She'd done too much for him, helped him through so much, kept him from turning into something he'd hate. It was time to return the favor. As he turned through the door, the sight before him struck fear in his heart. Shepard was lifting another glass to her lips, a batarian behind the bar smirking wickedly as she gulped it down. The bartenders must have changed shifts when he walked away. The music was suddenly too loud and the distance between them seemed like miles as he watched her stumble and collapse. He called her name, shoving violently past everyone in his path as he ran to her unmoving form. He kneeled beside her, shaking her, begging her to get up to no avail. Seething, he glared back up at the bar but the batarian was gone. Garrus had heard about him not long after forming his group here on Omega, the batarian bartender who liked to poison humans. He hadn't had a chance to deal with him, being more preoccupied with the gangs at the time. He hated himself for never making the time to hunt him down. He would get what was coming to him now. But first he had to get Shepard out of here. He pressed a finger to her neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. It was weak, but it was still there. A bright light caught his eye and he looked up to see Legion staring back.

"What happened to Shepard-Commander?" it inquired, eye scanning over them curiously. "She's been poisoned. Help me get her out of here," he replied irritably as he administered medi-gel. "We do not understand. The purpose of this establishment is for organics to consume poison," it stated. Garrus glared up at the synthetic. "Just help me carry her." The synthetic merely nodded and mimicked Garrus as he slung one of Shepard's arms over his shoulder. They laid her back down in the alley outside, Legion watching as Garrus sat beside her, checking that she was still breathing. Her pulse was still going steady, but she showed no signs of waking. "Damnit Shepard... don't you die on me..." he whispered desperately. "I've lost too many friends already... I don't want to lose you too..."

Waiting felt like an eternity, and Legion's constant questioning wasn't helping his mood. He considered dragging her back to the ship to see Mordin, but what would the team say when they found out how this happened? Shepard was their center, their beacon of hope. To hear that she had been drowning herself in a sleazy bar... Not to mention the blame that would surely fall on him for not protecting her. He already knew he had failed her, he didn't need to be reminded by everyone else.

"Let me guess, your friend had a drink at Afterlife?"

The unfamiliar voice tore him away from his thoughts. He looked up to see a human male standing before them, a sorrowful look in his eyes. Garrus could only nod and look back down at the ground. "She still alive?" the man asked quietly. Another nod. The unknown man gave an impressed whistle. "That's one tough chick. She's damn lucky." A pained groan rose up beside Garrus before he could respond. Relief washed over him as he watched her slowly sit up. She looked up at the man before them blearily, then slowly turned towards Garrus, confusion in her eyes. "I should've warned you, Shepard. I'm sorry," he apologized. His eyes went back to the floor as the guilt washed over his relief.

"What's going on here?" she asked unsteadily, trying to stand. Garrus quickly caught her arm and helped lift her to her feet. "You ought to be all right. Just take 'er easy," the man responded. "Looks like you broke the first rule of Omega. Don't order a drink at Afterlife if you're human." She questioned the man a little more as she regained her composure, but Garrus barely heard what was being said. He was lost in his thoughts again. Almost losing her like that... He wondered if this was what it was like for her when that gunship shot him down. He remembered the pain, gasping for breath as he choked on his own blood. The sound of Shepard's voice calling to him, begging him to hold on. Her face... He could never forget that face. He remembers seeing her holding back tears, still trying to look strong for him.

"I think I'll go give that bartender a taste of his own medicine." Those words sent him crashing back to reality. He couldn't have heard that right. Shepard would never... She was the one who prevented HIM from getting mindless revenge! But sure enough, she was already marching right back into that bar. He jogged to catch up, Legion not far behind. She was already back at the bar, the batarian scum was back and offered her another drink. A low growl escaped Garrus's throat. He wanted to tear the bastard apart, but he had to stop Shepard first. He couldn't let her stoop down to his level. "What do you think these people will do when they find out you're poisoning your customers?" she asked coldly. Before Garrus could interject, another turian cut in on the conversation. The batarian angrily tried to shut him out. Using the sign of aggression to her advantage, she continued to taunt him by asking if he hated turians too. She had gone too far. The bartender pulled a gun and pointed it right in her face. Before anyone else could react, he was quickly shot down by the turian customer beside her. Nodding her thanks, she made her way towards the exit. "C'mon guys. Let's go," she mumbled as she passed her companions. With one last glance back at the now empty bar, they followed their commander out the door.

Don't worry, it's not over yet. Not sure how far I'll go with this just yet, but there is going to be another chapter. Please leave feedback, like I said I'm still pretty rusty... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it so far.