I've had this rattling around my head ever since Citadel DLC came out. These are the same Shepard and Garrus from No Shepard Without Vakarian/Rhapsody in Green, in case anyone's wondering.

If there was one word that could sum up what Teresa Shepard experienced on the Silversun Strip for the past week, it would be neon. Flashy, glowing neon everywhere. Every shop sign, every street light, even every tree was made of holographic neon. It would wake her at night sometimes, even with the blinds down. Something about it, and the entire surroundings, seemed almost surreal. Teresa didn't like that feeling. The only thing she liked less was how detached from real life she became in the last few years.

This is real life. Real people, with everyday worries. Not space opera heroines chasing down legends… or being chased by their own clones.

Teresa ran her hand through her straight, long, blonde hair and shifted uncomfortably on the bench she sat on. Anderson was right. She needed this. A place to relax, to unwind, to clear her head. He knew her better than anyone… except maybe for Garrus.

It was almost terrifying how bad she was at it. When she took a walk down the Strip for the first time after the clone business had been settled, she had to fight the urge to find a box, stand on it and yell "The Reapers are here! Wake up!" at the top of her lungs. With all the noise from the passing skycars, music from the bars and nightclubs and incessant chatter of the people walking by, she doubted anyone would be able to hear her even if she tried. That, and these people really didn't deserve to be scared like that. They were innocent civilians. And if Reapers reach the Citadel, then the war was probably lost. Making these people upset just because she had to carry the weight of this war on her shoulders was… unfair.

There was still laughter in the air. Couples kissing in shady corners. People complaining about the sushi place being blown up. The life went on, and it was still good. If she could get off this bench and join them, become part of it, it would be even better.

Teresa sighed and turned her omni-tool on. It was a brand new, top-of-the-line model she had just bought from one of the many electronic shops on the Strip. Just the kind she had always wanted, ever since she bought that crappy Bluewire in Mindoir's only electronic shop. Not a battle model (she felt the corners of her mouth tilting upwards as she thought about electronic shops and battles), but one filled with all sorts of useful apps such as music library organizers, recipe downloaders and games. Angry Varrens 6 included.

Her hand moved on her own and tapped the icon for Angry Varrens. The original was installed on her old Bluewire, and she had played it whenever she could get some spare time (not much on a farm that wanted to succeed). She had dreamed of buying a better omni-tool so she could play the sequel, and had just saved enough money when—

No. Clear head. Fun times. No Reapers or batarians. New game.

She was lost in the game in seconds. It just felt so good and she couldn't really explain why. She didn't lift her head or acknowledged the real world around her until someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"So excited to see me, huh, that you didn't even notice me approaching?" The beloved flanging voice, with that playful mockery she adored full present in its subharmonics, whispered in her ear. She stiffened and switched the omni-tool off, not caring about saving the game first. Garrus was probably joking – his subharmonics confirmed that, if she heard them right – but she still felt embarrassed.

"Relax," he drawled. "You looked so cute, so carefree, so happ—"

"Stop," she cut him off. Her cheeks were blushing, she could feel it. Spirits. Uh, good lord. She was really bad at this.

"You stop being so modest," Garrus replied. There was another note in his subharmonics, this time sounding more serious. "I'm just telling the truth."

Teresa stood up and turned around to finally look at him. He wore a black-and-white outfit, similar to the one he wore for the mission at the casino. It looked good on him. More than good. His taste in civvies improved recently. She searched for a proper reply, but Garrus surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

Teresa shivered slightly when his mouth plates touched her lips and found herself giving in to the familiar rhythm of their tongues completely. Garrus was getting better in human kissing by the day, and kept doing it with deliberate slowness, letting the entire Silversun Strip see it.

When he finally pulled away, they've been both slightly out of breath. Teresa was nearly surprised there hadn't been any applauding or rude comments from the people around them. It had happened several times since she and Garrus started exploring the Strip. They would suddenly feel drawn to each other and ended up lost in their kiss like a couple of teenagers.

Garrus had moved in with her for the duration of the Normandy's maintenance. For a week they could pretend they lived a normal life – together – like they were, well, together. They spent time doing ordinary, everyday stuff and went out for a date every evening. The feeling was as surreal as the perpetual glow of this place. Teresa was often afraid she would wake up any moment, sitting up in her bed back on the ship, feeling the stark reality of the war bearing down on her mind and soul.

She needed this. The entire Normandy's crew needed this. The galaxy could do one week without them.

Garrus interrupted her thoughts by dipping his head and brushing another kiss against her lips. It was different this time, playful and teasing and he pulled away almost immediately. She enjoyed spending her time with him like this, not saying much. They could finally afford to exchange kisses and touches as much as they wanted. Even in a very public Citadel street. In the past week, Teresa had found out that she was immensely enjoying it.

With a smirk on his mandibles, Garrus took a step back and intertwined their fingers. "So, anything special you want to do today?" he asked, his smirk deepening. "It is our last day together, after all. One more night before the harsh reality catches up with us."

Well, she still had to hold the party she had promised to Joker, and it was scheduled for tomorrow. Only then they would have to return to the "harsh reality" behind these pretty colors, but Teresa sincerely doubted they would feel as relaxed as they did now. She could almost hear Jack's and Zaeed's snide comments and was really glad that Miranda was still preoccupied with the search for her sister and turned the invitation down.

Teresa flinched slightly when she realized she hadn't answered Garrus' question yet. That surreal feeling that kept telling her she doesn't belong here returned in full force suddenly. "I… I don't know," she offered honesty and a shrug. "I'm really bad at this."

Garrus cocked his head to one side at that weird turian angle that she almost didn't notice anymore and looked at her quizzically.

"Look at me!" Teresa pointed at the omni-tool bracelet on her wrist. "I went out to do girly shopping before our date and ended up buying this! I tried to buy something more, uh, feminine, but I lasted ten minutes before I gave up. What do I know about dresses? Or shoes? Or jewelry?"

She saw his mandibles go stiff for a brief moment before he spoke. "I spent the entire time while you were gone calibrating my rifle. Whenever I go out for a walk, I end up in a weapon mod store." He shrugged, and the gesture looked weird on him. Too human. Not enough turian. "We are what we are. We can't change that, but we can relax a little and have fun. Right?"

"Right. Sor—"

"No." Garrus held up his hand. "I didn't mean—Uh, I meant—Crap! All I wanted to say was, I'm as bad as you. What do I know about painting supplies? But I tried…"

Teresa had to giggle inwardly at his sudden stumbling for words. It was what she adored about him ever since he entered her cabin with a bottle of wine right before they stormed the Collector base. It showed his strong feelings for her louder than any mushy declaration of love he could pick up on the extranet.

Suddenly she realized something else he said, and her head snapped back in surprise. "Wait. Did you say 'painting supplies'?" She was quite sure that her eyebrows were stuck at her hairline at this point.

"Uh…" Garrus stumbled for words again. "Uh, I said that? Well, remember that drawing I made for you?" She nodded. It was a gift he gave her when they went on a date on the Citadel before Anderson let her have the apartment. "I thought… I could do something like that again. Properly."

"Why didn't you?" she grinned.

"I entered the store, looked around, realized that I'm a… how do humans say it? A fish out of water? And bolted out."

Teresa blinked. The mental image of Garrus running out of the store was quite entertaining. She really had to suppress the urge to giggle out loud.

"I think I know what we're going to do today." Teresa let her eyes gleam mischievously. "We're going back to that store."

"What?!" Garrus sounded surprised. Terrified, even. However, he recovered quickly and his eyes gleamed mischievously, too. "Agreed, on one condition. You're taking dancing lessons. I know just the place for that… It helped me learn the tango, so I'm sure it'll help you with a couple of basic moves."

"What?!" Teresa echoed. "Wh-what's wrong with—"

Garrus chuckled, interrupting her.

"Oh, fine!" Teresa growled mockingly. "I need them. For the party, if nothing else. Deal."

Still chuckling, Garrus tugged on her hand gently and began walking down the street.

"Teresa, I don't think I can do that!"

"Oh no, you're not backing away now!"

They had just returned to their apartment (Teresa felt her heart flutter at the thought. One day they'll be free and return to this place and it will be truly theirs). Her feet hurt. Viciously. She wasn't in the mood for long discussions.

"Look, I can't make a painting in one day and have it displayed at the party!" Garrus' subharmonics betrayed outright panic, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it with a stony facial expression.

"I don't care how it turns out," Teresa explained. "It will be yours. Made by you. I want to see it. Besides," she smirked and motioned at the, uh, abstract paintings lining up the walls, "I'm sure it will look better than this. Don't know what got into Anderson to buy and hang this crap."

Garrus laughed at this and snapped out of his bad mood. Teresa joined him. "Glad to see you share my opinion. I thought it was only me," he said, still chuckling.

Teresa walked over to the nearest sofa (god knew this place had many of them), plopped down heavily and rose her feet on the coffee table next to it. "My feet are killing me," she mumbled quietly, almost to herself.

Garrus drew an armchair closer to the sofa, sat down and took Teresa's feet in his lap. She wanted to protest for a moment, she really did, because she didn't want it to sound like a request, or worse, an order, but when he began with the massage, all she could do was to close her eyes and give in. Enjoy. It was just too good.

"It was worth it," he said. "Now you won't embarrass me tomorrow."

"Mmmmh," she sighed. "The only way to improve this would be if you did it in that hot tub upstairs."

"The thing with hot, bubbly water? I wondered what it was for."

Teresa's eyes snapped open. "For bathing?" she said uncertainly. Was it possible…? "Please tell me that turians bathe."

"We take showers. Quickly. Efficiently. You know that. Haven't we taken enough showers together?"

Teresa chuckled inwardly. That actually explained a lot of things. "We're going to sit and relax in the hot tub now, Officer Vakarian, and you'll learn the value of taking things slow." She managed a mock glare.

"You pulling rank on me?" Garrus sounded a little offended, and she hoped—nah, knew he was just joking.

"No arguments, Officer."

"Yes, ma'am!" Garrus saluted, crisply, but the tips of his mandibles were fluttering in amusement or excitement. Or both. Good.

They went upstairs, hand in hand, and disrobed remarkably quickly. Garrus lowered himself in the water first, and Teresa followed suit, closing her eyes as the warmth enveloped her body. She felt better, relaxed immediately. It was going to work. They were going to win. The Reapers were going to be blown out of the sky.

She heard a pleased growl thrumming in Garrus' chest and opened her eyes. He sat with his eyes closed and his head tipped back for as much as his fringe would allow. The warm water did its magic already, and his plates looked softer, shinier. She stared at him with awe, feeling the familiar ache already, mixed with another type of pain.

This wasn't the first time she looked at him while he was naked like this, as if she was trying to commit it to memory, but it was the first time she did it for so long. While on the Normandy, their moments of intimacy were always quick, torn away from her busy schedule, or just before weariness overtook them both during the night cycle. Even after they got here, they continued in the similar fashion when they actually had sex and weren't slobbering over each other like teenagers. This time it was going to be different, she decided. Slow. Delicate.

He still kept his eyes closed, unaware of or refusing to acknowledge her gaze. She had felt his eyes on her many times ever since they stayed here, in the same way she looked at him, always knowing he was looking at her. So, she assumed, it had to be the latter. That other pain in her rose in her chest suddenly. Were they doing the memory thing… just in case?

No. Teresa balled her fist and hit the surface of the water. We'll stop the Reapers before they reach the Citadel. We'll return here and spend the rest of our lives together. This isn't the last time—

A sudden splash of water interrupted her. Garrus opened his eyes and shifted his position, getting closer to her. The ache, the good ache returned and she fell into his arms.

She didn't know for how long they remained like that, with nothing else happening, and she didn't care. Slow. They were going to take it slow. They were going to enjoy the last day when they could be Teresa and Garrus and not Commander Shepard and the Reaper Advisor for as long as they could.