I wasn't getting any reviews, but that didn't mean I wasn't getting feedback.

I do so happen to stalk my own stories, you realize. Look at their story states, count how many alerts-slash-favourites it gets. I have no life, you must realize…

Anyway. Enjoy.

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Out of courtesy, she usually stayed away from the men whenever they were planning or getting ready to leave for their little missions. Of course, just because she stayed away didn't mean she wasn't curious. She was vastly curious, in fact, ready to sneak into a room or hide something in their 'war room' just to know what they were doing.

She never did though.

Which is why she was here, fiddling around with her Omi-Tool-God only knows why the men got it for her, maybe it was to keep an eye on her?- or eyeing their weapons they had picked off dead mercs.

Sometimes, she felt like a pet to them. God only knew why they kept her around, she wasn't much good at anything, really.

Maybe it was because she was considered a baby-or in others cases, a little sister- to them, since they had let her mooch of off them for four months now.

Well, not mooch, exactly, she was able to work at that one Elcor's shop down the street from them. And really, it wasn't as bad as they made it sound. So maybe the reason why they babied her was because of the state Garrus found her in? she mused on this as she absentmindedly turned off her translator when she realized that they were sitting in the family room, planning.

They were a strange family. A very, very strange family, really.

A krogan, quarian, salarian, batarian and two turians. Plus one human, her.

Their krogan's name was Ratchet, funnily enough. He was also the oldest, and strangest krogan she'd ever seen, if you thought about the ones you met in-game as Shepard. He was the one who was the most protective over her out of their merry band, and the way he acted around her-in krogan terms-meant he viewed her as part of his brood, his children. Of course, he considered all of them his children, she smiled amusedly.

Pax was their only quarian. Refused to tell them his story, but he was awesome, nonetheless. He was actually the one who had helped her figure things out. He was actually their go-to someone to get hacking done, making her hover around him more often then not for the very fact that he was a technological genius. Then again, he was quarian, so it was no wonder why he was so good at hacking and the like. He was also the silent type who was smart, able to think on his feet with Garrus if a job went bad.

Silo was suspected of being from the STG, their bombs specialist, as Garrus so put it. Like all salarians, he talked fast, thought fast and moved fast, which meant that she was the only one who was able to understand him, most of the time, considering she usually got hyperactive about certain things and talked just as fast as him. Still, he was quirky, as far as salarians went. She supposed it was for the simple fact that he was salarian though, why he was so curious about things and why he indulged said curiosity.

Skrell was fun to tease, she grinned, ignoring the chatter of the guys as she finished fixing herself something to eat. She usually called him Skrillex just to bug the hell out of him, which made him bug the hell out of her in return. Sure he was a little testy, but it seemed like all batarian's were testy, so she let his snide comments slide and ignored the scowls and bursts of temper. Skrell didn't seem to mind the nickname these days though.

Garrus and Sidonis were the same species, were raised alike but had totally different personalities.

While Garrus stood for justice, would be willing to lay down his life for them and was a strong, reliable leader who not only cared about them, but treated them as his family. He would come around, talk to everyone and make friends. Sidonis was almost the same, but not quite. He talked to them, was friends with them but he followed orders like a 'good' turian. Sure he had his options, but he wasn't going to fight for them if the odds weren't in his favour.

Okay, saying he didn't have a backbone wasn't supposed to sound as insulting as it did. She just meant that Sidonis wasn't a leader.

Her gaze slid over to the guys as she put her dishes in the sink, picking up her glass and about to leave the room again before narrowing her eyes at the too innocent looks on their faces. She eyed each and every one of them before concluding that Pax or Sidonis was about to do something as they were the only ones missing.

She looked around her, seeing nothing out of the ordinary before up towards the stairs and balconies.

She eyed the shadows wearily, looking for the slightest sign of anything before turning back to the guys with a glare on her features.

"What the hell are you up to?" she asked, reaching up and turning her translator back on.

She shook her head when Silo and Skrell asked her what she was talking about. Garrus looking offended at the notion that she'd think they were up to something. Ratchet merely looked amused as she tossed another glance around.

When she turned around to grab her drink, she gasped as her eyes instinctively shut as her face met with something, coating it in whatever it was.

"You're assholes, all of you." she growled, hand wiping away whatever was on her face before regarding it, eyes travelling from the whip cream on her hand to the sheepish looking turian in front of her.

His only response was a shrug and a smug grin.

Her own response it to was to smear the whip cream all over his own face with a cackle, fleeing the room as the guys erupted into laughter and Sidonis flailed.

She chuckled, wiping the rest of it all her face as she travelled towards the room she claimed.

"This has been bugging me for awhile now. And, despite what Garrus says, I have to know…" she stopped walking, blinking at Pax when he stepped into her path. "You have to know…?"

"Why do you turn your translator when we're talking?" confusion was laced in his voice, making her furrow her brow at him. "Because of courtesy?"

"…courtesy?" he deadpanned at her, even if she couldn't see it.

"Yeah, courtesy. While I'm apart of this family, I'm not apart of your plans, right? So I figured, since I won't be going out with you on missions or helping you plan, I may as well stay out of your way or turn off the translator. Courtesy."

There was a moment of silence as Pax simply gazed at her in bemusement.

"And I can deny any and all involvement, that's a bonus. Just in case, you know?"

He snorted at her, shaking his head and patting her shoulder in a brotherly way.

"But we trust you, which is why we stopped dropping into silence whenever you entered the room. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you are a help. Coming back with intel we can't find, by just over hearing it or by just being at the right place at the right time. You help, and have shown us as much loyalty as we put into ourselves…"

He trailed off, she realized, making her look up at him.

"You're just apart of this family, okay?" he shuffled a moment, almost looking tense but relaxing when she smiled at him and placed her hand on his arm.

"I know, but other then that, I'm useless. You know it, everyone here knows that other then telling you guys information I overhear, I'd be worthless. And even if I did know where you'd be, what you were doing; I wouldn't be able to actually do anything about it."

Pax scoffed at her. "You underestimate yourself, Misha. You are an Infiltrator, someone we have been looking for a while. Someone who is always present, but more often more then not, over looked."

She raised an eyebrow, silently wondering if he was complimenting her on something she'd always tried to force into her own reality, or if he was simply stating a fact.

Before she could say anything though, he continued on. "You are able to handle yourself fine in fights, if going to Afterlife to drag our asses back home is anything to go by," he chuckled. "Even with weapons, you are good."

"Think about it, you will be an asset to our team." Pax patted her on the head affectionately before leaving.

She watched his retreating back, her eyes eventually falling onto his backside before he was gone from her sight.

She was only a woman-girl, female, femme; however you wanted to put it.

She jumped back, eyes going to the floor and her hands and noticing the whip cream had turned into a liquid while they had been talked, getting sticky.

"Oh, ew. Gross." she groaned, going into the nearest bathroom to wash her hands and face.

Yeah, like seeing a white mess on her face and hands was really something…you know what? She wasn't going to continue that thought right there. She grabbed one of the smaller towels, drying off her face and hands.

She could consider it, at least, Pax's advice.

After all, she pretty much stalked them around the house, picking up on certain things and leaning as she went along. Plus they were nice enough to actually show her how to use weapons, especially the sniper. She hounded Garrus into teaching her how to use the blasted thing since no one else used it.

She also prided herself on being a fast learner.

So…yes. She'd think on his advice deeply, if only be able to actually help and not feel like a hindrance.

Besides, she was apart of this family full of men, right? Sure Skrell had kids, and he had a home. Along with Silo and Ratchet, but Garrus, Pax and her lived in this house. Still, it was nice to know she had family with these guys and their extended family.

She stopped short.

A family…her brothers, their other halves being her sisters and their children. Her nieces and nephews.

She stopped what she was doing, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Damn Pax, anyways. He just gave her more reason to help them and become more involved in what they were doing. A family to protect.

A dull ache began in her chest, reminding her of the betrayal she went through back in her dimension and the possibility of them dying any day now entering her mind.

"If I start putting aside creds now, then when the mercs attack, I might have enough creds to at least help Skrell and Silo's family." she muttered to herself, contemplating how she should do things now.

Maybe she could alter how things go. The thought made her excited, she could at least try to. After knowing them for four months, getting to know them and calling them family…she could at least try to stop what was going to happen.

Damn Pax, anyways. Whenever they talked, there was always an idea, another way to do things after their conversation ended.

Still, at least there was a chance now.

Because, well, she was stuck here, wasn't she? She might as well make the most of it, try to stop certain things from happening. Problem was, she was running on unknown territory. It had only been eight months since Shepard died, and the two years between wasn't clear.

The only thing she knew about Garrus' situation was that they wouldn't be slaughtered for a while now, since she figured it happened not long before Shepard woke up. Four months to go for this year, and then another few months before Sidonis was forced into betraying them.

Three weeks, maybe even two, before Shepard wakes up where the thugs would be harassing Sidonis. Then it would be Garrus for almost a week-or was it a week? It had been a while since she'd actually played the game, after all- holed up in their little base, fighting for his life.

Damnit, she knew she should have been paying more attention to BioWare. Hell, she shouldn't have stopped playing the games, period.

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Garrus said he was with a Quarian, Batarian and Salarian, I believe(not sure). Plus Sidonis, but I love Krogans. To death, I love Krogans. So I made an extra squad mate for Gar-Bear!

And while I realize he tells you about his squad mates, he doesn't, at the same time.

So they're pretty much OC's who are supposed to be Canon.

Don't worry, there'll be more interaction between them soon! I'm just puzzling over their personalities I see and silently wondering how they all get along. Because, believe me, no family is truly normal, right? Especially a Mass Effect family. Or, well, BioWare family in general.

So what do you think?