A/C: I just wanted to take a quick opportunity to thank all those currently following this story: MerToTheCado, Ordo Rolanberry, Shadowstrider14 & Fasterghost. It really means a lot to me. If there's something you'd like to see more of, feel free to post a review to let me know.

Also, this chapter starts off with mature sexual content. Just a warning. If you'd like to skip it, just skip ahead to the next section indicated by a line in the prose.

Quotes in italics are property of Bioware and ergo were not written by myself.

We broke apart after a long sigh that signaled a climax that rippled through my nerves. Garrus was built with the stamina and strength to survive an apocalypse on Palaven but even I could hear him panting for breath as we laid on the bed in a blissful daze.

"That was.."

"I know."

Garrus cut me off before I could utter the words. Something about that time was ... different. He had been more welcoming to my embrace as I had the pleasure of not seeing his armor snag and resist as I tried to remove it in heated desperation.

"I guess we're over the whole awkward inter-species thing."

"About time ..." after a pause, he spoke with relief: "I'm not going to miss that phase."

I smirked. "Really? I'm going to miss all those compliments about my supportive waist."

I could see him wince a little as I reminded him of our first night together. I let out a shallow breath and paused for a moment.

"Are you okay?"

"No... I mean yes.. I mean, you're... amazing. I just don't know how you fell for a Turian like me."

He tried to recover his smile as I maneuvered myself closer to him. My arms slid across his chest, feeling the tough skin underneath. He had many scars, most of which made his skin tender yet rugged at the same time. None of them hurt anymore, of course, but it reminded me just how much hurt he'd been through.

My lips met his softly while my hands caressed his face and didn't waiver as my body rose to envelop him under my control.

"You didn't think we were done, did you?" I teased, rolling my tongue over his chest playfully.

I could hear him purring as I worked my way to his lips once more. His body became receptive to the touch of my fingertips - and I liked it that way.

My fingers danced across his inner thighs, encouraged with every grunt of frustration to torment him just a little longer. Between breathless gasps, I hear the words 'lucky' and 'Turian' pieced together between the vicious sounds of restraint. Beneath my touch I could feel the tension in his body rising up like lava breaking free of a volcano.

It was then that a thought struck me. I was due to meet the council soon. The crew were probably assembling positions, the Normandy would soon be docking onto the Citadel. What if this all-too-perfect moment would soon be ruined by Joker patching through docking clearance or one of the crew coming down to check if the Commander was ready.

Biting my lip, I looked down at the bed beside Garrus's waist, his body slowly decoiling from his erotic state as he sensed my hesitance.

I met his gaze after a few seconds. "I was just thinking about the Council."

Garrus made a sound that was half-sigh, half pitiful chuckle. "Not the worst line I've heard in bed, I guess."

I snorted derisively, "I'll bet." before getting dressed, ready to resume being Commander Shepard.

Finally the Normandy docked into the Citadel and I stepped out along with Glyph the drone, squeaking happily as he went out to find his master The Shadow Broker, followed closely after by James and a few new recruits that James had taken to quite fondly. When they were on missions, he shifted alongside them like childhood friends. At the same time did everything short of hauling their asses out of the airlock when they screwed up.

"I'm counting on you James. Talk to Commander Bailey and find out what happened to Liara. If this is bad, we need to know about it. The Normandy will be back to pick you up but in case it takes a while, you can use my apartment in the meantime."

They couldn't hide the pure delight in their faces. James straightened up again after a minute and cleared his throat.

"Understood, Commander."

As for me, I walked alone to the Embassies. The sounds of my footsteps stretched across the hallway that seemed wider than the universe.

Finally, I reached the point of no return. The Council Meeting Room.

It gave me no joy to be entering another day of judgement with the council; they hadn't exactly given me the support I needed in the past. As I approached the door, I thought about how the Normandy would be setting a course for Omega while I was playing nice. Long ago, I hadn't wanted to be just another politician fighting humanity's cause. It still wasn't what I wanted - but it was something that I had to do.

The door parted and revealed the sight of the four Councillors; Tevos, the asari; Valern, the salarian; Sparatus, the turian; and Darnell Valik, the latest human Councillor that had replaced Donnel Udina following the attempted Citadel Coup by Cerberus.

It was the newcomer that spoke first. Valik took a firm grasp of my hand as I walked through the door.

"Commander Shepard. What a privilege to see you again. I understand that a great deal of time has passed since you last came to the Citadel. I am inclined to ask, what changed?" he inquired, his words razor-sharp and cut through the room like a virus.

Each Councillor looked at me in turn as I hesitated to answer the question.

"Pardon me Councillors but my crew and I found several injustices taking place in the Terminus systems-"

"-And what of us? Or had you not heard that there were a string of murders on Thessia?" quipped the asari Councillor.

My eyes looked like graves. "Murders? Of asari?" I questioned with urgency.

Sparatus interjected before the asari councillor could speak. My mind went uneasy, for Sparatus had been my biggest critic for as long as I could remember. Whatever he had to say, it certainly wouldn't be in favour of me or my decisions.

"Do not be hasty, Councillor" he said, speaking first to Tevos before turning back to me. "Allow Commander Shepard to tell us, what important missions has our noble Spectre been undertaking since her last visit to the Citadel?"

This was it, my time to come clean.

"Councillors, I came face-to-face with an Ardat Yakshi that was supposed to be dead.." I could sense the asari councillor's uneasiness as she heard me say the term. I knew of the difficult position the Asari government would be in if an Ardat-Yakshi was revealed, due in large to the secrecy of their existence to the rest of the galaxy.

Ignoring her pleading eyes, begging me not to utter a single other word, I spoke the name;

"Morinth."

Her heated gaze fixated on me as I walked across the bar.

"My name is Morinth. I've been watching you. You're the most interesting person in this place. I've got a booth over here in the shadows. Why don't you come sit with me?"

Her questions were so innocent, yet the way her voice resonated in the air was like that of sin. I joined her at her booth in Afterlife, mentally prepping myself with every bit of information I could muster from talking to Samara. The aim was clear: get her interested.

"Some nights I come here and there's no one interesting to talk to. Some nights, there's just one person. Tonight it's you, why is that?" she asked curiously, her fixed gaze showing a faint interest in me already.

"I know what I like" I replied, remembering that Morinth was attracted to those that oozed confidence. It wasn't hard to show confidence. After all, the shy kids never made it past Alliance training.

"Do you?" she answered, her voice perking as if wanting to know more.

As tempted as I was to slip Justicars into the conversation - just to find out what her response would be to any slither of remembrance to her family - I avoided it and steered the conversation to a subject that I knew she'd like.

"I've traveled all over the galaxy" I boasted. It was obvious to me that she was a woman that breezed through worlds without taking a glance back at the destruction left behind her. If nothing else, I knew she'd be at least curious.

Her eyes met mine as her voice leveled with a smooth undertone.

"It changes you, doesn't it?"

As clique as it sounded, even I knew the allure of the unstable, bad boy/girl routine.

"Real travel means going to dangerous places"

"Where you can see and do things most people can't imagine" her intrigue was as clear as day, so that all I needed to answer was "Yes."

"When I travel, I find myself drawn to dark, dangerous places" she confessed, her eyes seeking mine as a Queen searches for the most prizeworthy jewel.

I decided to maintain the bad girl persona, it seemed to be working.

"Violent places?" I inquired.

"Violence is the surest expression of power."

Admittedly, the poetry to her language was enticing. Ashamedly, I felt quite drawn to her. It was easy for me to under-estimate the power of the Ardat-Yakshi, especially when I had been sent on a mission to destroy her. Talking to her felt... safe. Although I was supposed to be playing dangerous.

"Do you think this conversation is about power?" I asked, somewhat ironically, as I already knew the answer.

"Of course it is" she tsked.

"The fact that I'm sitting here in your booth means I'm winning" I replied smoothly.

"I think you might be right" she replied with a hearty chuckle that stirred waves of elatedness as if it were drugging my soul.

It seemed to be working though, as her next words would secure her death.

"Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby, and I want you alone."