Author Note: Please dont hate me. I had this idea in my head and my brain wouldnt it go.
Tali and Garrus dressed in silence, as the lingering scent of sex, started to fade. It was always the same routine. Garrus would leave the hospital in the evening, returning home to the apartment he was given on Earth, to find Tali waiting for him. They'd have dinner, cuddle on the sofa, then they'd retire to the bedroom for the night. In the morning, Garrus would, almost wordlessly, leave for the hospital until the evening.
Garrus seemed to caught in an endless cycle of guilt, frustration and selfish need. His lover and future mate was still in a coma, induced by the medical staff, while she recovered from injuries sustained while saving the galaxy. In his, some what lousy, defence, he never meant to end up in bed with Tali. After Shepard was rescued from the rubble in London, doctors didn't think her odds of surviving were all that high, so he got a little drunk, but not so drunk, he didn't have some degree of control over himself. Tali walked him home and they talked into the morning. After that, he had no memory of how he woke at lunch time on the sofa with Tali getting herself into her suit.
It had become all to easy to forget Shepard, when at home with Tali. But now that Shepard's body had healed quicker than any one had ever expected, the doctors had decided to wake her from the coma. He hadn't thought about what he'd do if Shepard did actually wake up, but he wanted to be with her, only her. Tali filled the void left by Shepard, but if she lived, Shepard would fill that void again.
However, Tali had no idea that her time at his side was entirely dependant on whether Shepard lived or died. She had always wanted Garrus, becoming jealous of Shepard that she had actually got him. She secretly hoped that when Primarch Victus was aboard the Normandy, he'd catch Shepard's attention as it was obvious that the Primarch had amorous attentions towards the Commander, however, she could not be swayed.
Perhaps naively, she expected that Garrus would find a time to break the news gently to Shepard, should she wake, that he and Tali were now together. They had kept things hidden from the other crew and made sure not to leave any evidence that Liara could find in her role as the Shadow broker. The Asari was fiercely loyal to Shepard, probably slightly infatuated with her too, that she would not tolerate what they were doing, nor would the rest of the crew. Eventually, they would tell the crew in hope they would be happy for them.
Garrus left, muttering a quiet "See you later" as he was already out of the door, leaving Tali wondering, what else she must do.
He returned later that day, frustrated and exhausted as he usually was after being with Shepard all day. He wanted to forget and Tali was only too willing to help him. While having sex, the comm had pinged persistently, both too lost to acknowledge it. It was only when they were laying in the hazy glow of their orgasms, the comm pinged again, did Garrus answer it.
"Hello?" He breathed out, slowly coming back to reality.
"Garrus. Where in the Goddess have you been?" Liara snapped back impatiently, over the comm.
"Liara?" He spluttered in surprise, signalling to Tali to keep quiet. "I've just got back. What is it?"
"I tried calling twenty minutes ago. Shepard is awake and asking for you."
"I'll be there!" Garrus jumped up from the bed, quickly getting dressed, not even casting a backwards glance to Tali before he left. Guilt quickly got to him, knowing that as Shepard was waking up, he was inside of Tali, forgetting about her.
Shepard heard the steady beeping of a machine, although she couldn't place where it was.
She tried to muster the energy to open her eyes, but the lingering effects of the coma kept clinging to her. "Garrus?" She called out, weakly.
"Goddess." Liara exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side. "Take it easy, Shepard."
She tried again to open her eyes, finally able to make out the blue tone to Liara's skin. "Where's Garrus?"
"I'll go call him." Liara rushed out the room to call him while the doctors checked on Shepard.
She called, letting it ping for over five minutes before she gave up with a grunt. Grabbing the doctor as he left Shepard's room, she asked for an update. After a discussion with the doctor, Liara tried Garrus again, finally connecting. Her suspicions were raised when he answered quite breathlessly, but she ignored it, knowing Shepard wanted him by her side.
Garrus arrived at the hospital, rushing to her room. He was relieved when he saw her sitting up in bed, giving him a weak smile. "So I spent months on trying to get you to sleep, then you go and spend 2 months sleeping." He joked, taking her hand.
"I think I earned a rest. I did save the galaxy."
"Yes, you did." He pressed his mouth plates against her hand,taking in her scent. "I've missed you, Elowen."
"Good. Now, be the perfect boyfriend and get me a huge hamburger." She chuckled.
He laughed, giving her a quick kiss. "Your wish is my command."
Shepard was snoozing when Admiral Anderson and Admiral Hackett entered her room, rousing her from her a slumber. "Admirals, if they galaxy needs saving, ask someone else. I've retired."
Both men laughed lightly. "No, Shepard. We just came to see how you are." Anderson moved to give his former protégé a quick peck on the cheek.
"I'm glad to see you both in one piece. Now why are you really here?" She asked, suspicious of their motives.
Hackett made a slight coughing noise, before he moved towards the window, looking down on the street below. "The doctors don't believe that'll be fit for active duty again. So you need to think about your options for the future."
"What are the options?" She asked.
"You can retire with an Admiral's pension. The Alliance Parliament are looking for members and the Councillors are looking for a new Humanities Councillor." Anderson told her.
"That's not much choice since I nearly died saving this galaxy."
"What is that you want, Shepard?" Hackett asked.
"I want my ship and my crew back. I may not be fit for active duty, but it doesn't mean I cant captain a ship. I'll play diplomat, Councillor, what ever you need. But I pick what we do, where we go and who is on my crew."
"Who'll be in charge of the ground team?"
"James, if he's staying."
"Fine. We can discuss the finer details when you are ready to return to duty." Hackett said with a polite nod. "Oh, a Major Coats is requesting a visit with you. It seems you saved him and another soldier. He wants to offer his thanks."
"If people want to visit, I have no objections. As long as that woman, Al-Jilani is kept at bay."
"As you wish, Shepard." Both men left, leaving her to her thoughts.
She had expected that the doctors wouldn't allow her to return in the capacity she had before. She didn't ask the for true extent of her injuries, as long as she could walk and bark orders, that all she care about. But even if she couldn't go ground side, she'd still be in charge of the Normandy. She was still a Spectre, at least for the time being, so she need a ship. No one was going to take the Normandy from her.
Thinking of the Normandy, almost like magic, Joker appeared in the doorway, a shit eating grin on his face. "You look like shit."
"Fuck you, Joker." She fired back with a smirk. "What is in the bag, Flight Lieutenant?"
He approached, placing the bag on the bed. "I heard you had woken up. You were always a lazy shit. So I headed to the nearest grotty little burger place, that this city has to offer and got you two."
Shepard gasped, snagging the bag quickly, eagerly opening it to check the contents. A groan that sounded entirely to much like lust, escape her lips as she took the aroma of the burgers. "Joker, I fucking love you sometimes."
He watched as she devoured both burgers in quick succession. "Is Garrus not here?"
She shallowed the last bite, before taking a drink of water. "I sent him out for a burger. He's taken ages."
"I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"I'll have to endure your company for a while." She chuckled as they engaged in some teasing banter, letting the minutes go by while she waited for Garrus to return.
Garrus had returned to his apartment to get someone for Shepard, when Tali returned to speak to him. He tried to brush her off gently, but she wouldn't be deterred. "Not now, Tali."
"When are you going to tell her?" She questioned.
"About what?"
"About us."
"She's just woken up, Tali. She is my main focus right now."
"Fine. But she deserves to know the truth. You don't want to be with her. Longer you drag it out, the worse it will be."
Garrus wasn't normally a coward, but he found himself in a situation that he had no idea how to get free from. He wanted to be with Shepard, but Tali kept drawing him back in when he finally summoned the courage to tell her, it had all been a mistake. He felt horrendously guilty about betraying Shepard and he preyed she would never find out.
