Garrus Vakarian eyed the mercenaries through the scope on his sniper rifle. His scope passed over a group of three. These three were more heavily armed than the other mercs. But that wasn't what caught Garrus' attention. Garrus watched the female who led the group. She walked like, held her rifle like, and searched like…Shepard. Garrus' breath caught in his throat.

A bullet whizzed by his head and he shrank down into cover. His mind was racing. Shepard was dead. She was very, very dead. She had been confirmed dead two years ago after an attack on the Normandy. Garrus had been on the ship. But Garrus had a keen and calculating mind. Either that woman was Commander Kate Shepard or it was a clone.

Garrus looked up over the cover and looked through his scope again; he lined up a shot when a familiar, and surprisingly deeply missed, voice rang in his head, "Archangel?"

Garrus did the only thing he could to control his racing emotions, he held up a hand to signal the woman to wait. Garrus took the shot and hit his target between the eyes. He slouched against the wall and looked up at the woman through his helmet. She wouldn't be able to recognize him for anything but Turian, and for that, he was very thankful.

It was her. It was Kate Shepard, in the flesh, standing before him. Garrus collected himself and stood up, moving to sit on a bar closer to her. He took off his helmet once he sat down and watched as her eyes took him in.

"Garrus?!" She gasped and did something completely unexpected.

She gathered him in a rough embrace, taking him completely by surprise.

He closed his eyes and relaxed slightly, but barely, in her embrace. His heart was racing. He had never admitted his romantic feelings for his former Commander but he loved her. His world had come crashing down around him two years ago when he was informed of her death. His head was spinning.

"Garrus," She whispered into his ear, squeezing him even tighter.

"Shepard," His voice was barely more than a whisper, but it was rough in a way Shepard had never heard before.

"I've missed you, Garrus," She admitted in another whisper to her dear friend.

"You were dead, Shepard," Garrus said pushing her away from him slowly.

"I know," She looked at the floor.

"You know? Well, I'm certainly glad you know you were dead, Shepard. I am more interested in how exactly you are alive," Anger was boiling deep in his gut. He felt betrayed. Had she not been dead the last two years? Had she left him broken to go into hiding?

"I can explain," Shepard said and reached out to touch Garrus, who jerked away.

Garrus' mind exploded with a blinding pain as he slammed into the hard, cement floor. He didn't know what was happening but there was blood all over him. He tasted blood in his mouth and he could faintly hear gunshots. He slipped briefly into unconsciousness and was awoken by Shepard calling his name loudly.

He coughed up blood and she told him to hold on and that she was getting him out of there.