Night Terrors - Normandy During the Mass Effect 3 storyline
Garrus wakes in the familiar surroundings of Shepard's cabin; the soft human bed slowly growing on him. As he becomes more aware of his surroundings he realises that he's alone in the bed. He stretches out his arms to check for her form beside him. Her side of the bed doesn't even hold any warmth, "she's been gone awhile." He thinks to himself. He pulls himself up, spotting her with datapad in hand, sat on the sofa, already dressed for the day. He spots another item; her usual coffee is missing and replaced by something stronger.
Shepard remains focused on her datapad not noticing Garrus heading towards her.
"A little early for that isn't it." He purred, leaning over and placing his forehead on hers.
"I had reports to finish."
"You need sleep Shepard. And besides my Turian ego gets bruised each time I wake up and you've left me for reports." He feigns distress.
"No different to you and your calibrations…. Well these don't write themselves..." She says teasingly.
"Now that's the Shepard I know." He places a long taloned hand on her hers. "Now, tell me what's wrong."
Her sombre demeanour returns, she stares at the hand, not wanting to meet the intense gaze from Garrus's eyes.
"Do Turian's dream?" Her voice was quiet and weak, so unlike his fearsome Commander he had grown to love. This Shepard needed to be protected, this Shepard needed to be loved, by no one but him. He paused a moment.
"Well I've been known to have a few drunken induced sessions, normally it's me, my gun and a stretch of enemies as far as the eye can see. Naturally I take them all out, I don't know if that counts as a dream though, that's just a normal day for me." His confidence easing out of him.
Shepard let out a short laugh, Garrus felt a sense of relief, he could still make her laugh. If anything, he knew he could always do that.
Shepard took a deep breath in. "When I was on Earth, there was this boy, he was hiding in a vent. I tried to help him, but he disappeared." She paused. "When I got on the Normandy, I saw him climb into one of the evacuation transports." Tears built in her eyes and choked her in her throat. "Then I saw one Reaper destroy that and two other transports in one shot." She took another pause. "Since then every time I go to sleep, I have this recurring dream of that boy. But we're not on Earth, we're in a Forrest or something its burning or burnt, I can't be sure. And I chase him, when I get to him he disappears and is somewhere else. I run through shadows of people I used to know, and hear their voices. I just wake up with this sense of dread and… I couldn't save one little boy, how am I supposed to save the Galaxy." A tear escapes from her eye; Garrus raises his hand to her face and wipes the tear away. He gently turns her face towards his.
"There's one vital difference Shepard, you didn't have me with you on Earth. And those Reapers don't know what they've started as nothing can stop Vakarian and Shepard." Her expression softens.
"You mean Shepard Vakarian?"
"I've heard it both ways, we can fight over the details another night. When you're rested and not near a sidearm."