A/N: This is the sequel to "Just Right". If you haven't read it, I strongly suggest that you at least skim through it, there are a few things that you may not understand if you don't. Please also note that "Just Right" is still being worked on to fix any errors. This fic for the most part has been looked over by a beta.

This fic takes place a year after "Just Right". Since BioWare has not released any info on ME3 (at the time this was written ME2 has only been out for about a month), this is a what-if fic. Anything that I have put in here is purely my speculations. In this fic, the only thing that has happened since the end of ME2 is that they have defeated the Reapers. Garrus and Shepard, for the most part is referred to as Commander or Jane now, are trying to live a simple life that just seems a little too dull for them, but things aren't always that easy.

Once Again
Chapter 1

Stolen

The weather on the Presidium almost never changed. It always felt like spring to Commander Jane Shepard-Vakarian. The crystal clear water surrounded by luscious green gardens shone beautifully beneath the simulated morning sky. She was not sure how, but they were even able to simulate a light breeze. It was truly an amazing place, but for Jane there was no substitute for the real thing. She missed the different climates, from the freezing cold environment on Noveria covering everything in snow to the blistering hot summers on Palaven.

She sighed as she looked down at the perfect gray walkways that looped and arched around the silent scenery from her apartment window, to be more specific, their apartment window. Garrus was down at C-Sec checking up on Thane's son Kolyat. Thane was escorting a group of dignitaries from the Citadel through a more hostile part of space and had asked if they could keep an eye on his son while he was away. She liked it that their friend had found a new line of work that was more honorable. Thane seemed to like the work as well. He could use his skills as an ex-assassin to make sure that the people he escorted were kept safe.

Jane, on the other hand, was getting restless. It had been a few months since they had finally defeated the remaining Reapers. Although life on the Presidium was not bad, it did have a very bland feeling. She knew Garrus was beginning to feel the same. The Council had not sent either of them on a mission since their return, it was not like one would leave the other for a solo mission anyway, and Jane was beginning to wonder if they where just keeping them here for some odd reason. Maybe it was to satisfy their own need to show her off, like some trophy you kept in pristine condition in some glass case, only taking it out once in a while to dust it off. Or maybe, it was to keep her from getting into anymore "trouble" as they would call it. What ever it was, she did not care. She was just itching to get off this hunk of metal. She wanted it to be running around the galaxy, to see things for the pleasure of it instead of work. She still needed a little more action, more adventure. This place was just so damn boring to her. Not that having a permanent place to call home was not nice and all; she just did not want to sit around all day doing nothing.

Sighing, she stepped away from the window and picked up her omni tool. It flicker to life with a touch and she tapped at it dully. Oh well, might as well start another game of mahjong until Garrus gets back. At least their one-year anniversary was coming up soon and they would be making a trip to Virmire. They had agreed that every year they would go back there to honor Ashley's death by letting her spirit know how they were doing. At the moment, it was the only thing she was really looking forward to and she knew that Garrus felt the same.

__

Garrus inhaled a deep breath of the warm afternoon air. It felt good to feel real ground under his feet again. Not that he did not enjoy working on ships but there was just something about being cooped up on a ship too long that got to him. He wondered if it felt the same for Jane. She had grown up with her parents being in space all the time. What was it like? Had she even been to her home planet Earth? The water splashed over his ankles and pulled the sand toward the open water. Soft and tiny arms encircled his waist breaking into his thoughts. He purred in answer to her touch.

"Are you going to have me make camp all by myself while you go off to have fun without me?" Jane's hands fiddled with the bottom hem of his shirt.

The tent was already set up so Jane was just teasing him. There was not much for them to do except enjoy the temperate weather of Virmire. After Thane had returned, Joker was more than pleased to take them to the sparsely populated planet. Grunt was on his way back for a visit to Tuchanka anyway and it was easy enough to drop them off for a few days. Only some of the crew stayed with the Normandy. It mostly ran escort for special dignitaries or those who could afford an ear, or money, to the Council now that the Reaper threat was exterminated.

"Maybe," Garrus answered looking down at Jane with a mischievous look in his eyes. She giggled in return.

He had never seen what humans wore on Earth, just those who traveled or lived on colonies, so their fashion was very new to him. Jane must have really liked Earth fashion for a spacer. She had a collection of clothing he had never seen other humans wear in their closet at home. Today she was in something he had never seen before. The fabric was covered with floral designs in bright blues and greens, and it only covered her high proud breasts and her round bottom. It slightly reminded him of the things she wore under her clothing, but it had a much different feel to it. The undergarments she had worn where very see through and, to be frank, arousing. If he had never seen her in clothing like that he would have sworn that she was wearing some now. It was nowhere near being as see through, quite the opposite actually, but it still left nothing to the imagination.

Jane let go of his waist and winked at him before she ran strait into the water without so much as shedding a single piece of clothing. What is she doing? She dove under the water and came up with very wet, stringy hair. It was the only thing Garrus did not quite understand about their species. Their hair looked so different when wet. After discarding his clothing he walked slowly toward her form, which was nothing but her head bobbing above the water. She was grinning strangely at him.

"Why are you wearing those things in the water?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

She cocked her head to the side quizzically. "You don't have swimwear on Palaven?"

"Uh… what's swimwear?" Jane laughed lightly and pointed at her clothing. "Oh… um, no."

"So, do you all just swim naked together then?"

If Garrus could blush, he would have. "I, uh, we don't normally learn to swim with the opposite sex. There isn't really any reason to swim unless one has too."

"Oh." Jane looked a little surprised. "It was one of the only things we did when I would visit my grandfather. Not much too really do in California except for maybe shopping and making trouble.

What was California? Must be a place on Earth. "So you have been to Earth."

She nodded her head. "Just because I grew up in space doesn't mean my parents didn't always try to find excuses to get rid of me now and then. I spent almost two months every year until I joined the military on Earth with my grandfather. I would always go with the neighbor's kids down to the beach and we would go swimming and play volleyball."

Garrus was not sure what "volleyball" was and it probably did not matter either. It just felt good being alone with Jane away from everyone else. They swam together for a while in silence. Garrus could not help but watch how the water and sunlight sparkled across Jane's sculpted body. They did not speak much, just swam and enjoyed the warm sun and tepid water. He had never really thought of swimming as a pass time before this. Jane continued to amaze him with new things almost every day. It was like learning to live again after all the pain he had felt for so many years, he did not want it to end. After about half an hour, Jane called it quits. Saying if she stayed in the water any longer she would turn into a prune, what ever that was.

The whole day felt like he was dreaming. The air was so quite he would have sworn he could hear the core of the planet shifting around on its axis. He could hear the waves crashing and receding against the beaches. Animals calling out with happiness, even the plants gave off a faint aura of joy.

They shared a lunch on the sand and watched the clouds drift by. Jane pointing out that if he looked really closely he would be able to see the clouds take on different shapes. He did not really understand, but it felt nice just lying on the ground with Jane curled up next to him in her tiny clothing. He knew that if they both were not so antsy about seeing the galaxy, even when they had seen quite a bit of it already, he would want to stay here forever; just like they were now.

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Nights on Virmire were only slightly cooler than the nights on Palaven. With Jane in his arms and blankets surrounding them, it was not too bad. Garrus was so deeply asleep he never heard them coming. There was a violent ripping sound as the material of the tent was torn away and by the time he had his eyes open all he could see was the butt of a very large shotgun coming down onto his face.

___

Garrus finally came to amidst the wreckage of their camp. He felt like his head had been cracked open by the blow from the shotgun and rubbed the spot with a groan. Whoever they were, they had torn the place apart. Automatically, Garrus reached to his right to wake up his beloved only to find… nothing. She was not there. Someone had taken her from him. Her spot was cold and ruffled. Garrus panicked. Grabbing his omni tool, he punched it angrily. Hoping the Normandy was close enough to pick up the signal. Someone had taken his wife, and he was going to get her back and make them pay.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. I will upload new chapters as they are finished being refined.