I'd like to thank theherocomplex for betaing this chapter, it really helped with writing Garrus' voice. :)
The Normandy was quiet after Hackett left.
Even more so as the halls began to empty. Garrus almost had the crew deck to himself. Thane mainly stayed to his room and Chakwas kept herself busy in the med bay.
Following the destruction of the Collector base, each crew member had been dropped off at their requested location. "One last spin around the galaxy tour" as Shepard had put it. Although Garrus could tell, she was just trying to buy more time before she handed herself over to the Alliance.
First Legion left on its own for the Perseus Veil, then Zaeed, Mordin, and Samara to Omega. Garrus had said a short goodbye to the mercenary and the doctor. Although the Justicar's insistence that she'd be able to help on Omega gave him a good laugh; two years on that asteroid and he barely made a dent into it.
Then Tali was dropped off with the fleet. She argued and cursed, but eventually gave in to Shepard's order. Garrus had done the same; he planned to go to Earth with her, only to receive the same results as Tali through the bickering.
"It's better this way. We don't all need to be stuck in an Alliance interrogation room." Was all she would say to it.
Next, Kasumi slipped off to Illium, with Miranda and Jacob following. His goodbyes with them were brief but pleasant. Although Kasumi last second comment on how she hoped Shepard and him "enjoyed the wine" threw him a bit. Garrus choose to ignore how she found out about that.
And finally, Grunt was sent on his way to Tuchanka. Garrus could swear Grunt was eyeing his brow plate as he was leaving the ship. Garrus left Shepard to say goodbye for the both of them on that one.
Now the Normandy would be at the Citadel within the next shift to drop off the rest. Himself included.
Garrus watched as Shepard bent over reports, as she had for the past week. The room was quiet other than her clicking of her fingers on the datapad. Garrus was sure he had those reports memorized from the number of times he read them aloud to her to make it was perfected for the Alliance.
It started from her disappearance to her work with Cerberus, the Collectors, the need to send an asteroid into the Alpha Relay, why there were no survivors other than herself, and of course the Reapers that were soon to come. He could probably give the damn presentation to them if she'd let him.
"Shit, sorry." Shepard sighed, finally swigging her drink she'd been whirling around for an hour. "Last night as a free woman and I'd like actually to enjoy it rather than moping over reports," she said, with her eyes glued right to the datapad.
Garrus ended up repeating the words that she didn't want to hear. "And you can do that by taking a break. What else can you say? You made the right call." He must have said this to her varied dozen times over the two weeks.
"That's what Hackett said," she muttered back, eyes still scanning.
"That's because he's right. So am I, for that matter," Garrus joked.
Her lips crept up a little but slowly went back down. "I know I did the right thing, but I shouldn't have had to make the call in the first place. I should have realized what was going on." She paused, taking a deep breath.
Her eyes finally fell from the datapad, but they were filled with anger as she spoke. "My goddamn cloak went down, and I got swarmed. And now a whole fucking colony is gone, because of some rookie mistake."
"You saved trillions," Garrus stated, knowing it wouldn't help.
"I know! I know, all right? But for how long? A year? Maybe two? And if the Alliance doesn't listen?" She pushed herself up from the couch, running her hand through her hair and pacing around the room. It was a common enough tactic of hers that she used to end conversations she didn't see the point in continuing. The Council had been on the receiving end of it enough times. Never him, though.
Garrus watched as she moved to the desk and reached for the framed dog tags. She huffed and shoved the frame down, too hard, though, the sound of broken glass filled the room, followed by several muttered curses.
"You know there are easier ways to get those out," Garrus called over to her, trying to ease her down. It was easier to talk around it through joking. She generally liked it that way. Him too, for that matter.
"Shut up," she said as she rolled her eyes at him. She picked up the glass and threw it in the bin with the frame, followed by careful place the tags back on the desk.
"You're only saying that because I'm right," he pressed.
He could tell she was holding back a smile on that one. The joking worked. She began to making her way back to the couch rather than continuing to pace or destroy anything else in the room.
"For once, at least," she said with a half-hearted smirk and only somewhat playing along.
Shepard sat down, then rested her head on the back of the couch with her eyes closed. Staying silent until her breath slowed. "Sorry, I'm being a jackass, I just don't want to talk or think about this anymore, not tonight." She turned her head to look at him, moved closer and pressed her side to his. Eyes lidded and calmed. "This is where you're supposed to say, 'When aren't you a jackass?'"
He took the chance and looped his arms around her, slowly fluttering his mandibles against her neck, and working his way up. "Well, I was thinking about helping with the other part instead, the not thinking part, I mean." Smooth.
Her cheeks reddened as a smile reached her eyes. "Yeah, I'd like that," she drawled and returned the gesture with a kiss. Not something he was used to, but it didn't mean he didn't enjoy it when she showered him with them.
Shepard was a lot more playful he would have expected, but he wasn't about to complain when she massaged her fingers under his fringe and working her lips up and down his neck.
Just as he had enough with the teasing with her wandering hands, he pulled her on top of him. She straddled his leg and let out a laugh that echoed through the room, followed by the normal snorts and giggles that she always tried to cover up around him.
Spirits, It may have been only a week, but it had been far too long since he had heard her really laugh like that. Garrus continued to press for more, with every touch, every nuzzle, and every kiss, because, after tonight, he didn't know how long he'd have to wait to hear such a wonderful thing again.
Garrus woke as the Citadel came into view. Lights and traffic crowded the overhead window. At, best he had an hour left with her, which Joker confirmed when his voice crackled over the comms.
"Half an hour to dock, Commander, then off to Arcturus for surrender time. So hurry up with whatever you guys are doing up there."
Crap, Garrus was packed, but still needed to suit up.
"Yeah, yeah," Garrus heard Shepard yell from her desk. She was probably waving at the comms as she normally did. It was a staple of her vocabulary, just as any curse was.
"Shit, and he's gone again, I swear I just saw the little guy," Shepard muttered.
"Hamster on the lam again?" Garrus asked as he rose up and rolled his neck. Human beds were still something to get used to.
Shepard perked up when she saw that he was awake. "Yeah, I guess if you could call it that. You know that phrase?"
"Human officers used it a lot. Had to learn, or I don't think I'd ever know whatever you all were talking about. Even with the translators." She mouthed an "ah' him as she continued to search around the desk. "Do you need help?"
"It's fine, I'll try to find him later, you need to get ready anyway."
"You should have woken me earlier." Garrus tried not to sound annoyed, but thirty minutes? That wasn't enough time.
"I'm not your alarm," she teased, and then continued while nervously twirling her hands. "And beside, I liked watching you sleep, I'm, uh, I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss you, a lot actually." She stopped the search and looked towards him.
Garrus was sure he felt his heart skip a beat. That had been about as much as they talked about where they stood if this was a just one-time thing or not. Long distance and indefinite jail time tended to put strains on a relationship.
Shepard began to stammer while he paused. "Shit, sorry, that sounded dumb. If this is not what you want-"
Garrus leapt out of bed and rushed towards her, feeling like his heart was in his throat before he spoke.
"Of course, that's what I want, Shepard, I'm going to damn well sure be waiting for you. Walking through hell and all if I have to, remember?"
He wanted to point out that he'd been adamant about facing the Alliance with her. Although right when she was floundering didn't seem like best to bring it up. And Garrus wouldn't admit it, but it was nice not to be on the flustered side of these kinds of conversations. For once.
"Yeah, well I remember you complaining about that hell part, but, uh, that's good to know, because I want that too." She let out a sigh. "Um, anyways." She gulped back her sentence, moving her hands down to her uniform. She was going to try to change the conversation; he was more willingly to play along, easier to joke around it. Or they'd both end up sounding like stuttering idiots if they kept talking about it.
Shepard was in her dress blues, Hackett's orders. Garrus watched her hands as she carefully smoothed and worked out the wrinkles.
"You know, it's weird, I didn't think I'd be in these again," she said with a slight smile. The uniform conformed to her body, somewhat tightly, Garrus noted as he looked her over.
"How's my waist looking? Supportive?" she asked as she spun.
He laughed as he moved closer towards her. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"Don't worry. I got a list of worse things that I plan to use against you," she joked, but the humor in her voice was gone. Her eye fell back to her dog tags; she straightened her back as she looked them over.
She picked them up, between the pieces of glass that she missed from last night. She turned them over, running her finger around the metal, inspecting every detail. Her smile faded.
Garrus reached out and took the tags. His hands drifted as he placed them around her neck. She pressed her cheek into his palm as he caressed the glowing scars.
Spirits, they're getting worse.
Shepard wrapped one hand around his neck and placed the other upon his bandages. "Stay safe, please," she whispered.
"We all know I'm hard to kill."
"Yeah, well still, I'd rather you didn't go testing that again, you cocky bastard."
"I'm holding that to you as well then."
She stifled a laugh and pressed her forehead to his brow. "You got yourself a deal, Vakarian."
There were a lot more things he wanted to say, and goodbye wasn't one them. All he could think about was the last time he'd left the Normandy. How he had lost her, and how he wasn't at her side.
Instead, they just embraced each other in silence until Shepard signed and patted his carapace. "Come on. It's time to go big guy."
It had taken another hour before the Normandy left port. The rest of the non-Alliance, aliens, and Cerberus members alike had spread out and were gone already. Garrus made sure to watch her leave the Citadel.
The first time he had left, he was hopeful. He had a plan to work things out with C-Sec and apply to Spectre training. Barely a month later, she was dead. Within two, he was on Omega. Almost another two years had passed before she came back into his life.
He had a hell of a better plan now then he did before. He wasn't as hopeful this time. But Garrus was damn sure he'd be at her side again, and he definitely wouldn't wait as long as last time. Even if he had to break Shepard out himself.
Thank you for reading! Comments/critiques are appreciated to help me improve as a writer! :)