Shepard sat at the bar in Omega and nursed her Turian ale. She was hunched over, the side of her cheek resting on her hand. She stared ahead at the metal wall, tuning out the pulsating music and dancers around her. The bright red and blue lights were in stark contrast to her pale face. She swirled her drink around again and lost herself in memories of the SR1.

She smiled, remembering the time she brought Turian ale for Garrus and he drank it in her quarters. She took a large gulp. He'd get a kick out of her being able to share that with him now. Since her Cerberus re-build, she had no dextro allergies. Her lips twisted into a frown. Figures, now that he was missing, and probably dead. She sighed, looking down at the bar counter and absentmindedly wiping off the wet rings her drink made.

Determined to find him, she'd researched, asked everyone she could – the Illusive man, even Miranda. "Find him." She'd demanded, and Miranda to her credit had tried. She actually felt sorry for her when she finally had to tell her, "I'm sorry, Commander. I've been able to track all your other crew members to a certain extent, but there's no trace of Garrus after he left the Spectre program almost 2 years ago."

What's the use of being brought back from the dead when the one person most important to you is gone? She looked up at the bartender and gestured for a refill. I wonder if he felt that way, if he missed me as much as I'm missing him.

She was back in action, back on the Normandy. A new ship, a new crew, a new life. She put herself into the mission with full commitment, but a part of her was not there, a part died with her when she pummeled down from the burning SR1, gasping for air. She shook her head, that memory kept creeping in, and she took another drink to help push it out. She turned around on her barstool, drink in hand, watching the dancers on the floor. They were out on shore leave until the next morning. She wanted to recruit the Salarian professor, but it was late, and they decided to wait until the morning before making their way to his lab.

She watched the scene and sipped at her drink. Suddenly she was jostled by an Asari, "Oh, sorry," she giggled and walked away. Shepard shook her head and wiped her spilled drink off her pants. As she started to turn back around towards the bar, she noticed a Turian staring at her. For a split second she thought – no, no. It was someone else. She glared at him.

"Is there a problem?"

He leaned on the bar counter, "No, I just never saw a human drink Turian ale before, fascinating."

"Oh," she looked down at her glass, "well, yeah."

He got up from his stool and walked towards her, "I'll order you another, Bartender?" he got her attention. Before Shepard could refuse, he had ordered two of what she had. He gestured to the empty seat next to her, "Do you mind?"

She looked up at him, ready to say no, but heard herself say, "Sure, go ahead." And he sat down.

He offered her a hand, "I'm Talek. I'm with the Palaven forces, here on leave. You look like a soldier too."

She gave a little snort, "I was, I'm sort of, with a private force now, you could say."

He nodded, she looked like a merc. The bartender gave them their drinks.

She took his hand and shook it, "I'm Jane, nice to meet you, and thanks for the drink, you didn't have to."

He held up his drink to hers, "Here's to Turian ale." She was surprised and held up her glass to clink to his and they both took a drink.

"You uh, seem to know a lot about human customs."

He nodded, "Yea, I've been around a lot of them. So, are you here on a job?"

She eyed him critically, was he trying to get intel about her mission? "You could say that. I'm on leave until tomorrow morning, though."

"Nice. Um, would you like to dance?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't be so forward."

"No, that's not it, I'm a horrible dancer, like the worst."

He laughed, "Well, I'm not too much better."

They were quiet, looking out on the dance floor. "So, how is it that you are able to drink Turian ale and not be violently ill?"

"Ah, that's a long story. The short story is I was sick for quite a while. I have medical implants, extensive surgery, and one of the side effects is no dextro allergies."

"Huh. You can eat the food too?"

"Yup. It's good, actually." She smiled at him.

He grinned, "You're really pretty when you smile."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Spirits, I said that out loud, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," his mandibles fluttered. He stood up, "Look, I'd better go, I'm making a fool of myself."

"No, wait," she grabbed his arm. She could sense his sincerity. He was, kind of cute, actually, and she was weary of being alone. "Stay."

He looked pleasantly surprised and sat back down next to her. She nodded her drink in his direction and took a sip. She studied him. He has silvery skin, looked sort of around her age, it was hard to tell with Turians. He had warm brown eyes. She sized him up and down, he was in good shape.

He caught her gaze, "Are you – checking me out?"

She laughed, it was funny to hear that expression from a Turian, "Maybe. Should I not?"

"I'm not complaining." He leaned his arm on the bar, turning to face her.

They talked for a while, had a few more drinks, a few snacks from the bar. He told her about his unit, they were shipping back out in a few days, stopping in Omega to restock supplies. She asked him about Palaven, where he grew up. She listened, fascinated. She wished she'd asked Garrus more about his history when she'd had the chance.

"So, what about you? What's your story?" he asked.

She scrunched up her face and looked down, "Well, I'm an orphan from Earth, I was in the Alliance, but not anymore. Not much else to say, really."

"Okay, I get it." She must be a merc, he thought.

He changed the subject, "You look like you can handle yourself pretty well in a fight. We don't get too many non-military issue weapons, what do you use?"

She lit up as she talked to him about her favorite pistol, assault rifle and mods.

"Maybe I can talk my Captain into adding some of those mods on our regular issue weaponry."

"It would be worth it, for sure." She said.

He took a deep breath, "It's getting late, you ah, need to get back to your ship, or has your captain reserved quarters on Omega?"

She shook her head, "No and no." she smiled up at him and tilted her head to the side, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I have a lot of suggestions. Depends on you." He looked at her intently.

She stood up and put her hand on his arm, squeezing lightly. He leaned down, his mouth close by her ear, "If you'd like, there's a place next door that rents rooms, it's looks really nice." He leaned back and looked at her, holding his breath lightly.

She looked up at him, still holding onto his arm. She thought it over. It's something she would have never done before, but since she'd been brought back by Cerberus, her old life, her old self seemed so far away. She was getting used to that. She was starting to want to be someone else. "That's a great idea." She said softly. He gestured to the bartender to finish their tab, and they walked out of the bar, his arm around her shoulder. They made their way down the street and as they approached the hotel she stopped.

She turned to face him and said quietly, "I need to tell you that I've never actually been with a Turian before, I'm very interested, obviously, I, damn, this is embarrassing." She absentmindedly rubbed her shoulder.

He watched her face turn red, charmed by this shy side the tough merc was suddenly showing him, "You've been with humans before right? I mean, you're not a virgin or anything?"

Her head snapped up, "No, not a virgin at all, not with humans."

He took her hand in his and kissed it, "Don't worry. I've had human girlfriends before, I can show you, help you out. If you've changed your mind, I'll be disappointed, but it's okay. I'll rent you a room and go back to my unit."

"No, I want to, definitely. I just wanted you to be prepared because I won't know what I'm doing."

"I think you'll find our species are really pretty similar in that regard and the differences just make things interesting."

She gave him a sideways smile as they entered the hotel and he rented a room. In the bright light of the lobby, she was able to get a better look at him. She felt a little excitement run through her, she realized she really wanted him. He walked over to where she was waiting by the elevator. He grabbed her hand and they entered the elevator and made their way up to the room. He opened the door and let her in. She walked in and looked around. It was a nice room, just like the lobby. Surprising for Omega.

"Wow." She walked around.

"Yea, it is nice." He watched her.

She looked around the corner at the bathroom, "I'll be right back, okay?"

He nodded.

She used the toilet and looked at her reflection, freshening up in the sink. She splashed some water on her face and drank a little of it. She took a deep breath and walked out. He was standing by the window, looking out at the night sky of Omega. She stood next to him and put her arm around his waist. He hugged her. She turned to look at him, hesitant. Their anatomy suddenly seemed very different.

He reached up and held her face in his hands, leaning down and kissing her. His leathery skin felt different, his lips were slight, but it was a kiss, and she eagerly returned it. "See?" he said, "Not too bad."

She smiled, "No, not at all." She started to relax.

He put his hand around her waist, "Mm, feels good." He purred. He ran his other hand up to her bun, "Let this out."

She reached up and took the clips out of her hair, letting it fall down her back. She reached up and ran her fingers lightly over his face, standing on her toes to give him a kiss. He teased her lips with his tongue and she let him explore. His taste was exotic, intoxicating. She felt his tongue playing against hers, not as rough as she thought it would be. She started moving hers into his mouth. He pulled back, "Careful, my teeth are sharp." She nodded and they resumed their kiss, Shepard tentatively exploring his mouth. He held on to her back harder, pulling her against him.

She pulled away and started taking off her clothes as she walked towards the bed, Talek following her and doing the same. She finished getting everything off and kicked off her underpants. She turned to him as he was putting his pants on a chair. He looked up and took her in, drawing in a sharp breath.

"Spirits, you're beautiful." Her long, dark curls cascaded down her back, her smooth white skin fairly glowed in the lights from the window. He walked up to her and ran his hand lightly down her arms. He trailed along the faint orange lines on her body, "What are these? I've never seen that before."

"That's from the medical implants I told you about. They're okay."

He nodded and pulled her in close. She reveled in his warmth, the roughness of his skin against hers. "Tell me what to do," she said.

He took her hands up to his shoulders, "If you knead your fingers in the grooves, ooh, yeah, like that."

She experimented with digging her blunt nails into his carapace. The harder she worked in, the more he responded. He definitely knew what he was doing as well, he raked his blunt talons down her back and cupped her round ass, squeezing lightly, "Damn you are sexy," he said.

She gasped softly and let go, turning to crawl into bed. The sight of her on all fours nearly sent him over the edge, but a look at her back, her pristine skin, he forced himself calm. He didn't want to scare her off by marking her up. He crawled in after her and lay on his back, "You get on top." He told her.

She ran her hands down the grooves his chest, his abdomen, tentatively feeling around his crotch area.

Anticipating her question, he said, "It's covered by plates, they move apart when I get excited."

She nodded, relieved. There wasn't anything down there, she was starting to wonder. She got on top of him and straddled him, rubbing her crotch on him. He stopped her – "I've got to get protection, there's probably something in the drawer," he started to reach over.

"No, we don't need it. I don't have those allergies, remember?"

He looked concerned, "Are you sure? I mean, you know for certain?"

"Yes, Mir- um, the ship doctor told me."

He reached back to her hips with a new excitement, he'd never felt a female human without a condom on before. He held onto her legs and groaned, trying not to dig his talons in her thighs. She gasped, feeling his plates shift and pressure against her. She positioned herself so that the head of his penis was at her opening.

"You are so wet," he groaned.

She started slowly rocking back and forth, propping herself up with her hands on his chest, "Yes, yes." She looked down at Talek, This is really happening, her mind whirled.

He started to enter her slowly, and she felt his grip on her hips tighten, locking her in place. He got deeper and deeper inside her, and she was surprised at the sensation, "Do you have bumps on it or something?"

"Ridges, we have ridges." He sputtered out, attempting to keep control.

"Holy hell," she whispered, feeling him continue to move inside her.

"Oh, you feel amazing," he said.

She could barely speak, waves of pleasure were washing over her as they rocked back and forth together. She wasn't sure how things would be after her Cerberus re-build, but she was able to accommodate his large penis, and everything felt wonderful. Better than wonderful, fucking unbelievable.

She could feel she was close, "Don't stop," she said in a harsh whisper, and a few more movements back and forth and she felt a white hot heat wash over her as her climax started, "Oh, I'm cumming!" she said, hoping he would know what that meant.

He definitely knew what that meant, and he finally let loose and as he felt her walls clamping down on him, he pushed up into her, feeling his own release coming from the base and spasming out inside her. "Oh, oh," she grabbed onto his carapace, digging her hands into him as she continued to climax. He kept moving, amazed at her endurance, at how long she was climaxing. No other human female he'd been with before had been like this. He loved how soft and wet her walls were too. Finally she leaned down and lay on top of him, panting heavily. She was still tight around him, but the orgasm had slowed.

He stroked her hair, her back. "I, that was awesome." She said breathlessly.

He grinned and kissed her shoulder, "Not so different after all, huh?"

She grinned up at him, "No, but like you said, in good ways."

"Oh, hold on," he put his arms around her waist holding her down as his penis retracted out of her.

Her eyes widened, "Oo, that was a weird feeling."

"Yea, it does that afterwards sometimes. I could go for more, but I think we'd better not push it."

She rolled off and cuddled up to him, pulling the sheet around her. Contented, she fell asleep.

Her omni-tool went off in the morning. She woke up, disoriented and turned it off, plopping back on the bed. She looked down at taloned hands around her waist and thought, Garrus. Ugh, no. Dammit. She desperately wanted to put the pain of his absence behind her. She looked over at Talek, who opened his eyes and smiled at her.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "Do you have to go?"

"Not for a couple more hours."

He tightened his grip on her, "Good."

She smiled and lay back down. She couldn't go back to sleep. "I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom." She got up and used the toilet, noticing some redness around her inner thighs. Damn, is that an allergic reaction? Miranda had told her she had no allergies anymore. She came out to see Talek waiting outside. He saw her looking down at herself, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just have some redness here, see?"

He looked down at her, "That's chafing, from the hardness of my skin. We should have used lotion. There's probably some in the drawer."

"Should I put some on?" she questioned.

"Not unless you want to go for some more." His voice got lower.

"I would love some more. I've got time before I have to go. Where do you say that lotion is?"

He pointed, "Probably in that dresser. They usually provide things like that. It'll be in a glass bottle."

She nodded as Talek went in the bathroom. Opening the first drawer, she saw he was right. She opened the bottle and smelled it, no odor. She rubbed some on her hands and over her thighs, between her legs. He walked out of the bathroom and over to her.

"You know, Turian sex isn't as rough as I thought it would be," she said, putting the cap on the bottle and dropping it in the drawer.

"That's because we weren't having Turian sex."

She said puzzled, "What? What do you mean?"

"Well," he sat on the edge of the bed, "I didn't want to hurt you or scare you off, so I kept it under control. You enjoyed it, didn't you?"

She nodded, but frowned, "You did too, right?"

"Oh, yea. That was amazing being able to feel you without protection. Come on over here," he reached out to her.

She shook her head no, "I want to know what I'm missing. The other humans, did you do things differently?"

He sighed, "Yes, it depends on how close you are though. Most human females aren't able to tolerate that type of sex. Like you said, it's rough."

She folded her arms in front of her, staring him down, "I like it rough."

He laughed, "Look, I know you're some kind of merc or something, and you're in excellent shape, but you obviously don't see that much action."

She stood open-mouthed. She was tempted to tell him who she really was. "I don't see where you get that idea. I'm a soldier, one of the toughest there is."

He held up his hands, "I'm not trying to insult you, but your skin is perfect. Not a scratch on you. No bullet holes, no scars, nothing. I'm not going to be the one to mark you up with a bunch of bites and scratches. No way."

She looked down at her naked form. He was right. "Talek, when I told you I had surgery and was out of commission for a while, that's a part of what they did. They took away all my battle scars. Believe me, they were extensive."

"I suppose seeing you drink and eat Turian food, I'll believe just about anything. Why does it matter to you so much?"

She walked closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I want the full experience, I'm not the delicate flower I appear to be. Trust me, you'll see."

He let out a low breath, "Okay. It's going to get bloody, though," he warned.

She grinned, "Now you're talking. Tell me how it should go."

He stood up and started pacing around, "Well, it starts out like a hunt."

She looked at him confused, "Okay."

"Like I'm trying to chase you and you're getting away. It gets pretty physical, violent, depending on your relationship. Turian females are able to handle that and give it back because their skin is harder. Anyway, it can be like sparring, for lack of a better term. Someone finally submits, and then it gets more, intimate."

She nodded.

"I don't think I'm explaining it very well."

She could tell he was thinking of calling it off, "No, no, I think I get it. Okay, try to catch me."

He walked over to where she was. She started walking quickly away. He rolled his eyes, "This is ridiculous."

"Oh, come on. You said you were willing to teach me. Give it a chance."

He shook his head and lunged for her. She deftly moved out of his way, laughing. She jumped on the bed. He smiled smugly, he knew this would be too easy. He reached around and grabbed her by the legs. She kicked him and knocked him back, running back around the other side of the bed. Startled, he got up and saw her moving back and forth, her hands out. He ran around the other side of the bed and she jumped over it and away.

"You're quicker than you look." He said appreciatively.

"I told you not to underestimate me."

She let him get closer and as she ran, he grabbed her from behind. She jabbed him with her elbow and swept his feet out from under him with a kick.

As he knelt down on the ground he looked up at her, pacing in front of him like an animal, panting. He growled and ran at her, this time catching her by the ankle making her fall to the ground. She kicked and crawled away from him, but he pulled her towards him, grabbing her hand over hand. He pinned her to the ground and leaned over her back triumphantly. "Submit?" he demanded.

She looked back at him over her shoulder, "I'm just getting started." He was puzzled, then felt an intense pain in his arm as she bit him. He let go for a second, and she took advantage and bucked him off of her. He turned around and saw her standing across the room, hair wild, his blue blood dripping off her mouth. He growled loudly and in two steps had jumped up and grabbed her, this time pinning her to the wall. She felt his hot breath on her, she could barely move. He leaned over and bit the fleshy part of her upper arm. She cried out in pain, but he barely registered it. Trying to get his teeth out of her, she wrangled her other arm out while he was distracted and reached up behind his head. She pulled hard on the back of his fringe to try and pull his head off her. It had the opposite effect. He growled loudly and bit her again, a bit farther up her shoulder.

Fuck! He wasn't kidding, she thought. He looked down at her with wild eyes and swiftly picked her up and held on to her tightly as he dropped down to the ground. He held her arms up with one hand, and scratched down her back with his other hand. She gasped in pain. He pulled his hand out from behind her back and still holding her hands over her hand, started to scratch down her sides. She was pinned down. She was pissed, he was getting the better of her, and she was not going to submit that easily. She leaned her head up and bit on the side of his neck. He grabbed her by the hair and whipped her head back, "NO!" he yelled, "Not there, further down." He let go and she bit down on him lower on his carapace by his shoulders.

His loud groans told her she was successful. Remembering earlier, she grabbed his fringe again and pulled hard. He used his leg to spread hers apart swiftly, and reached down with his hand towards her crotch. At the same time he licked at her neck, his rough warm tongue ravaging her. She felt his finger enter her, dipping in a few times, then he positioned himself over her and forcefully impaled her. She cried out, the pleasure was overwhelming. He pinned down her upper body, and she wrapped her legs around him as he thrust into her repeatedly. He was bigger than last night, if that was possible, and the ridges on his penis were deliciously finding every pleasure point.

She started to scream and she climaxed, biting down on his arm. He roared, and she felt him cum inside her. It felt hot inside her, different from last night. She continued to climax as he grabbed her and sat up, holding her tightly against him. She continued to orgasm on him and he continued to spasm hot liquid deep inside her. She fell limp against him as they came down off their mutual high. He caressed her softly, licking at the wounds he'd made from his bites. He felt her soft body against his, "I didn't hurt you too much, did I?"

She mumbled against his shoulder, "I loved every minute of it."

He held her tightly. He wished he could see her again, she was different from any other female, human or Turian he'd ever known.

She leaned back to look at him and smiled, kissing him softly. She started to pull up and before he could grab her, she cried out in pain. "Jane, no! Not yet!"

"Fuck, what's that?" she looked at him wide-eyed.

"When it's that intense, my penis has little barbs to hold you in. They angle down, it doesn't hurt unless you try to pull out. Just give it a minute and they will retract."

"Are you shitting me? Why does it do that?"

"It's like a mating thing. To ensure you stay in place so it gets up there, something like that."

"Oh, is that why it was hot, too?"

"It was? I didn't know that."

She started kissing him again, "Yes, it felt sublime."

He drew in a sharp breath, "You'd better stop, or you'll be stuck on me permanently."

She gave him a devilish smile, "That sounds very tempting, but I think I'd probably better get some medigel on me."

He looked down and saw red blood slowly dripping from her sides, from his bites, bruises forming on her. "Spirits, I didn't realize – I'm sorry, I got carried away."

She laughed, "I wanted you to get carried away. It was fantastic. I'm glad to finally have some marks on me, I missed my battle scars. These are a great start."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "You are really something."

"Hey, can I get off now?"

He nodded and she pulled herself off him, standing up. "I'll be right back." She went to the bathroom and turned around in front of the mirror, examining her wounds. "Now that's more like it." She felt more like herself than she had in weeks. Talek came up behind her, horrified at the extent of the damage, "Spirits!"

"I wish you'd quit saying that." She reprimanded. She pulled the medigel out of the cabinet and handed it to him, "Would you rub that in on my back? I'll take care of the front."

He did as she asked, putting a thin film of the gel over the scratches. She did the same on the bites and scratches on her sides. She had a large bruise coming up on her forehead. He hugged her from behind and she beamed at their reflection in the mirror.

"See, all better." She said.

He wasn't convinced, "I think it will still scar, though."

She turned to face him, "Good."

"I have to admit, you were right. That was the best sex I've ever had, human or Turian."

She hugged him, "I feel the same way. Thanks for trusting me."

She let go and walked out of the bathroom, Talek following her with a wet washcloth. "You need to get my blood off your face."

She held her face up like a child while he wiped the blue off her mouth and cheek.

"Why wouldn't you let me bite your neck? You were licking all over mine." She asked.

He finished wiping the last bit off her and took the washcloth to wipe the blood off his face, "That's different. It's a bonding bite."

"A what?"

He rubbed the towel over his face then looked at her as she got dressed, "You can take a shower if you want."

"Can't – no time. I'll do that when I get back to my ship. You didn't answer my question." She sat down and pulled on her socks.

"A bonding bite, like being married."

"Really?"

"Yes. Anywhere else is okay, it usually fades on a Turian female after a few days, but on the neck is different. That takes place after you are married. The scar is there permanently. The skin is different there. Everyone can see it and know you are taken."

"Oh, sorry I messed up."

"It's okay, you didn't know. There's no mark there."

She started putting on her boots. Talek sat on the bed, "You have to go, huh?"

"Yup."

"So, any chance you might be around on Omega in the next few days?"

"Not after today's mission. We'll be leaving. Then heading to the Citadel."

"Shame. I really enjoyed being with you."

She walked over to him, "I did too. I'll never forget it, never forget you."

He took her hand and kissed it, "Hopefully I'll see you again."

She took her hair clips off the floor and worked her hair up in a messy bun, "If you do, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make it known we know each other. It's probably better for you, as well."

"That's rather cryptic," he said.

"I'm sorry, I know, and it's no reflection on you. You're awesome, and I do wish I could tell you more, but I can't."

He eyed her more carefully, seeing a half-torn Cerberus symbol on her sleeve. He nodded, "I understand. We'll be shipping out in a few days anyway. Good luck to you, Jane."

"Good luck Talek." She turned for the door and left the hotel. She checked her omni-tool, she had 30 minutes to make it back to the Normandy to prepare for the mission. She picked up the pace and caught a taxi back to the dock. Walking back to the Normandy, she smiled to herself, images of Talek flashing through her mind. She shivered involuntarily remembering how he made her feel. She barely acknowledged Joker on her way in, still thinking about that morning. She was pretty sore, actually. She hadn't had sex since that night with Kaidan. She made a face, there was no comparison.