The cry pierced through the night and the warm body beside him shifted in response. Bare skin pressed flush against his chest and he exhaled out hard as hair tickled his jaw. Rather than brush it away, he endured and he wrapped a long spindly arm around the woman's torso to hold her to him as the cry sounded a second time, and then a third without stopping.
It was like the wail of a siren and the woman shifted an elbow back to nudge him out of his partial stupor. He answered with a groan and she nudged him again before rolling away and clutching the blankets to her chest. "Your turn," she murmured with a soft yawn. Her voice was thick with sleep and he rolled onto his back with a long groan.
A hand dragged down his face, pausing to feel against the raised skin of the scar that marred him. Fuck, it was too late (or was it too early?) for this. He had just closed his eyes and now he was being forced to slip out from the warmth of his bed to answer the wails of some insatiable beast just down the hall.
No, that was his insatiable beast and he groaned again before swinging long bowed legs over the edge of the bed and pushing himself up. "You know, he's your son too," he reminded the woman, but she was snoring softly and he looked over his shoulder with a quiet scoff. Go figure.
He dragged himself down the quiet hallway and rubbed sleep from his eyes as the hydraulics of the door released. Stepping into the small room, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and the twinkling light of the projection lamp throwing warm light onto the walls in the shape of stars and planets. There was a break in the cries as tiny lungs refilled before the bundle wailed once more. "Okay, okay." He crossed the room in four long strides and reached down to scoop the squirming bundle of blankets into his arms.
"Relax. I've got you. Daddy's got you. Shh," his words were met with a hiccup as watery eyes blinked up at him and small mandibles quivered. "There we go," the ear-piercing wails quieted to a pathetic warble and he chuckled.
"That was all you wanted? Some attention? You learned that from your mother, didn't you?" There was a pause and he watched as a row of little teeth poked through the knowing smile. "Ah ha. Thought so. Well, just so you know...it works for her usually, too. But don't tell her I said that." He adjusted the baby in his arms and swayed back and forth to a silent but steady rhythm.
His eyes dragged up the planets rotating through above their heads and he watched them cycle through twice before the whimper in his arms drew his attention once again and he muttered a quick apology. He had stopped moving and he resumed his swaying before the screaming could start up again. His throat cleared and he raised a talon-tipped finger to point at a planet floating by. "See that one? That's Palaven." His eyes followed the planet until it disappeared. "That's where daddy was born. And, that one there? That's Earth. That's where mommy was born."
Wide eyes blinked up at the ceiling before shifting to the familiar face peering down at him. The baby smiled again and giggled. "Maybe someday you'll get to see them both. Even though...I don't know how much will still be there," he looked up and frowned. "Ow!" He yanked his hand away as needle-like teeth sunk into his finger. The baby giggled again with a mischievous glint in his bright eyes.
"Right. Forgot that you're dangerous these days," he mumbled as both hands slid out of reach of gnashing little teeth. "You need to be sleeping, little one. How does your mom do it, huh? She sings to you, doesn't she? You don't want me to sing to you, trust me."
"Why not? I happen to think you have a wonderful voice," the voice that came from behind startled him and he spun around. The woman smirked as she finished fastening the tie on her sheer robe. "But maybe it's not the best for lullabies," she added as she stepped further into the room.
His expression softened as the child between them all but clawed his way out of his blankets to reach for his mother. Her arms raised and she smiled as she reached for the baby, wrapping her arms around him and cradling him close to her chest. Lips brushed his forehead and she hummed in content before glancing up.
"How long were you standing there?" He asked curiously. Her smile was warm as she searched his face in the low glow of the lamp.
"Long enough." He swore he blushed and he cleared his throat before looking down at his now empty hands.
"You could've stayed in bed. I had it under control," he went on.
"I know," she said easily. "But it was starting to get cold and I missed you," her green eyes burned and he swallowed hard. Those eyes had a way of tugging right at his core and he breathed out hard. It was, without a doubt, one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her in the first place. Aside from her vivacious personality and her fearlessness, of course. He loved her fiercely and the evidence of that was currently cooing happily in her arms.
"Give me a few minutes while I put this little alien to bed and I'll meet you back in bed," she brushed past him and sunk down into the rocking chair positioned near the window and beside the crib. Her words were soft as she sang a sweet haunting melody and he watched for a moment before slipping out and rubbing the side of his neck on the trek back to their shared bedroom.
Sometimes it was still strange to witness the tenderness between mother and son. This was the same woman that had kicked ass against the Reaper threat and yet there she sat, singing their son back to sleep in her robe. Funny how that worked and he chuckled to himself as he sank down onto the edge of the bed. They hadn't been joking when they said that having children changed people.
Despite his best efforts, his eyes closed sometime before she returned and he stirred as the mattress shifted beneath her weight. Warm breath blossomed against his lips as the weight of her body settled against him. He could feel her bare skin and a hand raised to trail gently along the ridges of her spine. He didn't need to see her to know how beautiful she looked in the darkness with dark hair cascading over her shoulders and pale skin glowing with a delicate flush. He could feel her green eyes drinking him in and he held her to him as she kissed him. "Garrus," her voice was barely above a whisper and he tried to open his mouth to respond but no sound came.
"I love you," she said, and once more he tried to speak. "But you have to wake up now," there was a lingering sadness in her words and he frowned. No. Panic seized him and his hold on her tightened. Not again. He wasn't going to lose her again. He couldn't...
"Garrus," she said again with more conviction. "Wake up. Wake up, Garrus...Garrus..."
"GARRUS," the hand on his shoulder jolted him awake and he reached for the gun resting beside him. Kaidan raised his hands and stepped back. "Easy now, Vakarian. It's just me." The human allowed the turian a moment to collect his bearings before lowering his hands. The turian sat up slowly and blinked at the empty spot on the bunk bed beside him. His hand flattened against the sheet and he exhaled heavily as his shoulders slumped forward. It was just a dream. It was always just a dream and he fought the urge to close his eyes and go back to sleep.
"What is it, Alenko?" His voice was terse and Kaidan wet his bottom lip.
"Liara found another possible lead. Scanners picked up something in the Exodus Cluster," he explained and Garrus nodded after a moment. "Should be there soon. About a half hour or so."
Garrus said nothing in response. He needed time to work through his latest dream-or nightmare-and prepare himself for another round of disappointment when Liara's scans turned up debris or some other useless piece of garbage and not...her. But rather than take the silent cue for dismissal, Kaidan lingered for a moment longer and turned his attention to the stars that blurred past through the small window. "I promise we'll find her, Garrus. One way or another."