Just like the Commander predicted, that little break seemed to be having very good results on the crew members, even after chasing her own clone and beginning a race to prevent it from stealing the Normandy. Occupational hazards. If that have brought a good consequence, it was probably that after resolving the case, Joker convinced Shepard to organize a party on her new apartment that night. It would be a little weird under those circumstances, but it was possible that they wouldn't get another chance to celebrate all together.

Garrus watched distractedly a store catalog hoping to find a part, but he knew it probably wouldn't be available. It was really hard to get, and in times like those it seemed almost impossible. He was about to abandon his search when something else caught his attention. A pistol upgrade. It seemed a lot better than those he had seen on the Normandy. He wondered If Shepard saw it already.

"Thinking about someone in particular?" The known accent of his quarian friend made him startle a bit.

"So now I can't check the catalog for my own interests?". Said the turian ironically, but the woman answered immediately in an amused tone.

"Yeah, right, except that you don't use pistols during combat."

Garrus gave up on his search and walked without answering, now with his friend's company. She didn't stay quiet for too long.

"Did you invite her on a date?"

Garrus remembered his recent shooting contest with the Commander on the higher spot of the Presidium and felt warm inside. He wasn't sure he could call that a date, but they surely shared a great moment by themselves.

"Am I sensing a personal interest for my romantic preferences" He mocked trying to make his friend uncomfortable.

"Oh, consider it charity. I'm just trying to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself and end up losing your only chance to get a romance before the fight against the reapers" She joked back with a fake tone of arrogance. Garrus knew his friend used to mock like that to evade shameful situations, but he preferred to play along with her.

"Well, thanks for your honesty."

She laughed a little before answering again.

"That's exactly why you need me. A shooting contest would be fine for a friend, but if you want her to see you like something else then you will have to improve your techniques."

The turian wondered if Liara had wires and cameras installed on the clothes of all the crew members. That thought made him feel a shiver run through his back.

"Thanks for your confidence, Tali, but I think I can handle it" He finally said, trying to put an end to that uncomfortable conversation. The quarian crossed her arms totally amused before talking one last time.

"Is that so? Well, if I were you I would hurry. The last time I saw Shepard she was in the Purgatory drinking with a turian. He was kind of handsome, by the way" She walked provocatively by his side, "See you later, Garrus."

The turian stood on the place trying to process what Tali just told him. He knew she was trying to be provocative, but it didn't mean she was actually lying. Nonetheless, what could he do? He couldn't just get there and take her away from him. Right?

As if his body was unaffiliated with his mind's rationalization, his legs quickly took him to the elevator and pressed the number three, decided to get to the bar. He didn't have a plan for what he was about to do, but he couldn't contain his need to see it by himself.

The place was crowded with people, especially where the dance floor was. He took a couple of steps forward looking for Shepard, but the familiar voice of Joker interrupted him.

"Hey, Garrus! Just in time. Some guy just invited Shepard a drink. It seemed serious." He said clearly trying to make him jealous. EDI was just by his side and gave him an illegible look before talking.

"Jeff, that is not…"

"Anyway, I would hurry if I were you. See ya!" He interrupted the AI, grabbing her by her shoulders to keep going to the dance floor. Garrus felt kind of confused and he wasn't sure of what to think. He kept moving anyway and ordered a drink once he finally got to the bar.

From there, he subtly examined the place trying to find a red headed woman on the crowd and he felt a little gripe when he finally found out that Joker and Tali were not lying. Not too far from him he could barely distinguish the Commander sitting on one of the sofas right beside a turian he didn't recognize. They were pleasantly chatting. In an uncontrollable jealous rage, he drank all the glass's content at once, asking for another one immediately.

Ten minutes had passed, and his extremely ineffective plan of watching while he drank like the world was going to end was starting to set his nerves on edge. Why had they been talking for so long? What did that turian had that made him so interesting? Every glass he emptied made an intervention seem like a better idea. But the top of it was seeing the other turian talking to the waitress to ask for another round. Totally resolved, Garrus stood up and walked towards Shepard. She was clearly trying to reject the turian's offer, but he insisted.

"Shepard!" Exclaimed Garrus as if seeing her was a total surprise. The two other pair of eyes got focused on him while he sat down beside the woman, completely ignoring the other male in the place, "I was hoping to run into you. What time should I get to your house tonight" He slipped an arm over the back of the sofa, just behind the woman. It was a possessive gesture the other turian seemed to quickly understand.

The woman looked at him with a mix of amusement and surprise. Something was definitely wrong with her friend, but she preferred to let it go for the moment.

"I thought I sent a message with the details" She answered lifting an eyebrow and trying to restrain a smile, but failing in the attempt.

"Oh, yeah? Well… I haven't checked my messages yet. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm glad that you decided to do this. It's always nice to take some time to… Blow off steam" His tone was dangerously low on that last sentence, producing a strange reaction on the woman. He couldn't really interpret it, but he was begging he wasn't starting to scare her with his sudden change of attitude.

"Well Commander, I should go. Thank you again for bringing the flag back, it means a lot for my people" The other turian said, standing up to finally leave the place. The woman nodded to him before returning her attention to Garrus.

"Are you drunk, Vakarian?" Asked in a surprised tone. She didn't remember seeing Garrus that way before and she definitely hadn't been witness of the turian showing any weakness to alcohol.

"Not exactly… But I must admit I've been making use of our free hours. Contrary to you, it seems" He said making reference to what the soldier just said. He was kind of worried that even during her free time the woman could manage to get busy with other missions, even if they were little ones. But he knew that was a part of who she was. She just couldn't stay quiet.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I was just passing by and I remembered I had found it." She answered care freely, leaning towards the back of the seat. Garrus didn't know if the woman was aware of the position they were in, but surely that didn't look exactly friendly. Now that the adrenaline driven by his jealousy rage was gone, he felt in a very vulnerable position. He thought about moving his hand away, but he didn't want to make it seem unnatural, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Asked the woman, making him react.

"Well…" The turian thought that could be a good moment to leave, but just to remember the recent event made his blood burn. What if Shepard was actually interested on a relationship? What if he took too long and he ended up seeing her with someone else? He wasn't sure he could bare something like that. He didn't want to. He tried to remember any advice he had seen on the extranet, but as a drawback for him, Shepard wasn't an ordinary woman. He wasn't sure of what could work on her, but in the end he decided to go for the simplest choice, "Actually, I was thinking we could grab something to eat" He mentally reprehended himself for making it sound so casual. It was supposed to be the chance to insinuate his interest, not to remark their relationship as friends.

"Sure, we still have time" She answered standing up. Garrus released a little sigh thinking about the challenge that was approaching. Things wouldn't be easy.

-o-

After what probably would have been a normal dinner if it wasn't for the awkward intervention of James in the place, Shepard decided it was time to buy the stuff she needed for the party that night. Garrus thought about keeping her some company, but after finding out that EDI would join her, he decided to let them go by themselves. He actually had something he was looking forward to do before the party.

Things were not turning out to be any easier to him from the moment his feelings started to become stronger. He had been constantly daydreaming of unusual stuff and overprotecting Shepard more than he should. Before everything he had to bare during those months, the idea of what he was about to do seemed less terrible every second. He walked determinately to the elevator and pressed the number five. The doors opened and the Presidium seemed exactly the same, maybe with a little less traffic due the approaching night. His intuition didn't fail and he soon saw his blue friend standing next to the handrail of the lookout. He got closer and stood beside her quietly.

"Hey".

"Hello, Garrus. Is everything alright?"

The turian leaned himself towards the handrail, ending up on the same position his friend was. She knew the reason why he was there, but she wouldn't bring that up immediately. She knew Garrus needed to say aloud what was bothering him, it was the only way he could feel it absolutely real. He watched his hands thoughtful for a couple of minutes, but it didn't make the asari feel impatient.

"I… Haven't been myself lately" He finally said, getting the silent attention of his friend, "What I feel about Shepard, I don't know if it is a good thing or just a burden."

Liara gave him an understanding look, something that only she could fully transmit.

"How do you feel about it?"

The turian stirred restlessly, "I don't know. It's stupid, but I feel it had been mostly a source of problems lately. The truth is I'm afraid to make things harder for her. A crew member falling in love with her is the least she needs now."

Garrus took a moment to stare at the view, getting lost in his thoughts.

"But even aware of all that… I've been feeling more alive than ever."

The asari smiled satisfied, "Then it seems like you have your answer" She turned to him, "Isn't that something worth hanging onto? Especially in times like these."

Garrus gave her the equivalent to a turian smile. That conversation was something he had been avoiding from the moment he knew she was aware of his feeling towards the Commander, but now any reason he had to be reserved just wasn't enough compared to the relief he was feeling after finally speaking out his mind.

"I think you are right."

Liara put a hand on her waist and changed her expression to a sly one.

"Well, now that you have decided I don't think some advice could hurt. You and I know very well that Shepard is not the kind of woman you will get by searching tips on the extranet."

Garrus got kind of embarrassed with that sudden declaration and he couldn't help to remember Tali. Were all females like that? Nonetheless, she was right. Conventional stuff didn't seem like the most appropriate way to get closer to the Commander, and even if it didn't seem like the best of ideas, it was the only thing he could resort to. "Spirits helps me" he thought before starting to listen to Liara's ideas.