A/N: Interestingly enough, I just found this while browsing through my original works to this fic. I have to say, I was surprised to find this. Since I obviously meant for this to be put in the original of this fic, I thought it would be nice to go ahead and add. A bit of a thank you for those who have been following my fics and those who have enjoyed and read (and reread) my stuff before and recently. I hope this does justice to the rest of the story, and please check the authors notes in Chapter 1: Garrus Thinks Too Much for any other info on this fic and my page for all other fics. Thank you all for following and reading! Enjoy!

-Axelkin

Prologue

Display of Affection

Garrus ran a talon along the torn tissue that was once whole and beautiful; at least in his mind his face had been mutilated beyond its former attractiveness. It had taken days before the plated skin had healed enough to where he could stand touching his face without wincing. The chipped skin felt oddly pitted to his touch, and the metal plate that held his face together made him itch terrible from time to time.

Maybe it was worth it, he was not sure. After two years he was finally reunited with his best friend, Jane Shepard. Shepard, did she really have a weakness for men with scars? Or did she really care for him that much. It had been a small joke between them, up until he had explained how Turians got ready for high-risk missions pertaining to one particular situation involving a fellow female officer, and then offered to "blow off some steam" with him.

She was his best friend for goodness sakes! At first he thought she was joking, but her look told him otherwise. "Well why the hell not" he had told her. He had been a little excited mixed with a lot of nerves when he had said that. After a while, he was not completely sure of it so he had asked her if she really meant it. She had smiled and touched his arm. Not that it bothered him, they had spent a lot of time together on the original Normandy and was used to the way Humans did not have much consideration of personal space. At least with those they thought of as good friends.

After she tried to convince him that she was not joking around she had left him feeling very awkward. For the first time, he was actually nervous around her. He found it hard to talk, even hard to think. He was still trying to sort through most of his thoughts when she was gone. Shepard was his friend, best friend really, that much he knew. What else did he want from this majestic woman whom he had spent the past two years trying to find peace with. Maybe a night of sparring in the bedroom was not such a bad idea, it would help ease some of the tension that had been building up inside him from the suicide mission that loamed in their near future; but was she the right person to share a bed with. Something still did not set in place with him; he really was not sure what it was. The hiss of the main battery doors made him jump and he swirled around to face to one person who would enter without knocking.

"Shepard!"

She smiled warmly at him. "Hey, Garrus. Do you have a moment?"

"For you, always. You know that. Plus I haven't really been able to… get anywhere with the current calibrations I was working on."

"Oh?" Shepard swayed in place, a mischievous grin formed on her face. "Too much on your mind?"

He looked her up and down; there was no lying to this woman even if he was capable of doing so. "Yeah. I… I still don't understand something. Why me? I know you want someone you can trust and not somebody closer to home, but still… I just don't get it, why not wait for Kaidan?"

He face became very grave. Garrus wanted to kick himself; it may have been the wrong thing to say to her. "He…" She paused and inhaled deeply. "He isn't coming back for me. I did receive a letter, but it felt empty. Almost like he felt obligated to explain his actions. It doesn't matter anymore, he lost his chance the moment he walked out on me."

Garrus started to reach out to her, then thought better of it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask, it won't happen again."

She looked up at him again and the pain was long gone. Maybe everyone, include me, read too much into their relationship to begin with. Nonetheless, it was the wrong time to bring it up, and he was never going to again. Her hand reached out and enclosed around one of his and squeezed. He could not feel it through the gauntlet piece, but he knew it was a genuine sign of reassurance.

"It's ok. Plus this is about us, not him." Her eyes had a certain glow to him he had never really seen before, and it was directed at him.

"Yeah, you're right." His mandible still twitched from the nervousness of his unanswered question. Damn it, why can't I keep a hold on my tongue!

"Garrus." The way she said his name made him shiver a little. "You are my best friend. Ever since Ash died, you are the only one I truly trust. I care about you, maybe a little more than I should, but I don't want to do anything if you don't."

She had closed the distance between them slowly as she talked and was now so close to him he could see his reflection in her eyes. The smell of water still clung to her freshly washed hair and cloths, and her breath was warmer than he thought. They had been close before, but not like this. This had a different meaning to it. It made the air hot and almost hard to breath.

"It… It's not that, Shepard. I just have never thought about it before."

His words were slow as she inched closer, until they were almost pushed up against each other. Shepard licked her lips in anticipation. "Well then, officer. I think you should get right on that." The teasing in her voice was obvious and her choice of words had not gone unnoticed.

He did the only thing he could think of, he wrapped his free arm around her midsection and pulled her into a full hug. Being careful not to squeeze her too tightly since he was in armor and she was not. Leaning his head forward he bumped her head affectionately. She blinked a few times, but smiled at his odd actions. Her free hand reached up and caressed the scared side of his face, brushing across the torn skin and metal plate. Every second of her touch made him even more nervous. One thing was for sure though, he had made up his mind that he did want to be with her; but something still nagged at his thoughts. He shoved them aside, he could work that out later; right now he was going to indulge in a simple pleasure of her touch that meant something more than just pure friendship.

Even that was interrupted as Shepard pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her soft mouth against his hard plated ones, he hand finding the back of his neck and pulling him closer to her. He did not know what to do, so he stood there holding her against his armor as tight as he dared to. She lips parted slightly and her wet tongue licked the edges of his mouth, almost threatening to enter his own mouth. Nothing had made him feel what he left at that moment. He groaned softly and if he thought the room was hot before, it was on fire now. It was like someone had hit him with an incendiary round and his shields were all but gone. He was not sure how long it had lasted, but when she finally broke away she was breathing heavily.

Garrus cleared his throat and she placed a finger on his mouth to keep him from saying anything. "I… I better let you get back to work. We can talk about this later."

He smile was seductive and promising for more to come. No, this won't be a bad idea after all. His mandibles flared happily and the rest of the room came back into focus.

He chuckled at her. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be much help with calibrations for a while."

She gave him a look that told him that maybe it would be a good idea to start thinking about their earlier conversation. Quickly, she pressed her mouth on his again, this time it was softer and she did not linger. She winked wickedly at him before slowly exiting from their embrace.

"You know where to find me."

Shepard touched her lips with a hand. She had just kissed Garrus! Shaking with excitement she tapped the pad to send the elevator up. She still needed to finish her rounds with the crew. Garrus could wait and she could wait. Although, she did understand what he had said by that he had never really given the thought of having more than just a friendship. It was not like she had a lot of time to just sit around and think. Only a few moments here and there, and most of them were of Garrus.

They were best friends and were always comfortable around each other. Hell, most of her memories from the old Normandy were of Garrus, not Kaidan. She knew he had meant well when he had mentioned him; it was getting easier every day to forget the pain. Garrus was also the only one who had not asked her about what happened, he gave her space and time. Letting her chose when, or if, she wanted to talk about it, and Garrus just being a good friend helped. It was what she found so attracting about him, well maybe a few other things, his skill with a rifle, his broad shoulders and thin waist, his voice that seemed to vibrate her very soul.

She sighed as she leaned into the elevator's wall. Garrus made her happy as a friend and she wanted him to make her happy in many other ways if possible. The elevator came to a halt and she stepped out, walking right past Kelly and toward the science lab. Kelly lifted her eyebrow at the satisfied look on her face. She nodded a "hello" toward the Yeoman and continued on her course. As always, Mordin was tapping his console in a hurried fashion.

"Hello, Mordin. Anything you want to talk about?" She was still half dazed as she engaged in conversation with the Salarian. Mordin stopped his work and gave her a look over.

"Actually…" In the background, a faint blue light flickered out as if trying to not bring attention to it.