It took a couple of minutes before they managed to calm down. Shepard's cheeks matched the colour of her armour by the time she managed to get out of what she clearly stated "was NOT a giggle fit".

"One thing I've always been curious about. What do you do in your spare time?" Garrus asked as he rolled up a blanket to stick in behind his neck so he could rest more comfortably against the cave wall.

"What's that? What is this spare time you speak of?" Shepard replied with feigned ignorance.

Garrus cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at her response."Oh c'mon Shepard! With Miranda as your XO, you can't tell me that you have the same amount of paperwork when you were in the Alliance."

Shepard nodded and conceded that Garrus did have a point. "Yeah, Miranda is pretty awesome in that respect. There are still some administrative things I like to take care of on my own, cause you know control issues with a heaping dash of "I don't trust Cerberus". But even with Miranda helping out that still means I have more time to focus on my crew. Which frankly is spectacular cause I need any extra time I can squeeze out of the day now that the ground team rotation is double the size of what it was on the SR1. Catching up with you, Wrex and Ash was like shooting fish in a barrel. All I had to do is head to the cargo hold and BOOM!", Shepard mimicked an explosion with her hands. "There you all were, with Tali just a stone's throw away. Now the squad is scattered everywhere. If I didn't know that this ship was larger than the SR1 when I first boarded, I would have quickly figured it out after my first week of rounds."

"Still, I know eventually you manage to head up to that palatial room of yours. What do you do to unwind when you're up there?"

"Not a lot. I jump in the shower and then get back to finishing up reports while I dry off. I do watch the occasional vid, although I find it hard to really get into unless I'm on shore leave. Even off duty for the night I feel a strong urge to multi-task, so if I watch something, it's usually background noise when I'm putting a ship model kit together when I can get my hands on one," Shepard replied. a nonchalant look on her face.

"And….?", Garrus waved his hand urging her on.

Shepard bit her bottom lip and thought for a second before continuing. "Having the pets is pretty awesome. I never got to have that growing up as a military brat. I was always living on ships and military bases, and now that I have them, I realize what I missed out on. I will admit, it hasn't been completely smooth sailing. I may have lost a couple batches of fish, but at least I've managed to keep the tank I have now alive for a decent amount of time," her pride evident in her wide smile.

"I thought was Kelly the reason why you haven't had to have as many aquatic funerals?"

"Okay, okay, Kelly has been a huge help at keeping them alive," Shepard admitted. "But I think it's because she saw how upset I was when I lost the Prejek paddlefish and took pity on me. I wish they weren't so delicate and have to be fed every so many hours. Those little suckers cost a fortune."

Garrus swore he could see her calculating how many of her own credits she had spent to replace her tank and held back a chuckle at the disturbed face Shepard made when it appeared she had a final number. Shepard sighed, "At least it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. She was drawn to them when I invited her up here to hang out for a bit. I appreciate the help and if she gets to enjoy the fish while she's up here all the better."

"What about the hemstar? You know, that rodent you have?"

"It's hamster. My little Nestor," Shepard cooed as Garrus shook his head and chuckled at Shepard's reaction to the little ball of fur that would have been considered vermin on his planet. "I managed to build him a little ramp for the steps so he can move been my living area and office. You know so he can have more time to run around in his exercise ball."

"You mean that plastic bubble you brought onto the ship and Tali thought was a miniature replica of the one she lived in before she graduated into her enviro suit?"

"Yup, that's the one. I don't have a good metal exercise wheel yet as it seems like he enjoys destroying the plastic ones they have on the Citadel for fun, so at least this way he can get a bit of exercise and explore around the room."

"So reports, pets, and the odd model ship thrown in for variety? Please tell me you do more than that, Shepard," Garrus said with a quirked brow plate.

"Hey, who are you to judge Mr. Calibrations?" Shepard gently poked the front of Garrus' chest plate. "I'll have you know I do read for fun. I probably do that the most. Nothing in particular, just whatever catches my attention. Could be articles on from the extranet about new discoveries, or a novel a friend has recommended. On the SR1 if I came across an article on a recent Prothean discovery, I would forward it off to Liara to see if she had seen it yet. I learned a LOT from her discussing it afterwards. I've started doing the same with Mordin, just without the need to forward him the article first. Turns out needing only an hour or two of sleep a day really gives him a lot of time to read, so he's already WAY ahead of me."

"What about when you were growing up? Did you do the same kinds of things then?"

"Aside from reading, no. Between the ages of six and twelve, I was lucky enough to have access to a gymnastics program."

"Huh?"

"It's a sport that involves developing and maintaining physical agility and coordination. It really helps if you're flexible. I did a little bit of everything, but I definitely preferred the floor routine and the balance beam the most. Lots of flips, and tumbling. There's a remote chance I might be able to still do a one of my old floor routines. I'm pretty sure I remember at least part of one. I can't guarantee it will turn out well given it's been ages since I've done anything like it. Plus I'm about eight inches taller than I was when I quit."

"Did you stop because of school, or did your parents get posted to a new location?"

"Uhhhh…neither. I stopped because… I had a rather nasty accident. Took me a while to recover from," Shepard sighed and clasped the back of her head over her amp port. "Did I ever tell you that when I initially had my amp installed I was fitted with a L2 implant?"

Garrus' attention perked up at the small surprise in Shepard's admission. "No. Did Kaidan know that?"

"No, I didn't feel quite right mentioning it to Kaidan. Not with what he's gone through with his own implant. That and…well, me having the L2 didn't last long. I had it in for a month and a half. One nasty slip on the balance beam and I cracked my head right on the amp port going down. With how unstable the L2 was to begin with, everything had to be removed to try and get the swelling and bleeding under control. The doctors didn't think I would survive." Shepard shot Garrus a sajd smile. "I guess my habit of defying the odds started early cause obviously I pulled through."

"Spirits, Shepard," concern vastly apparent in the tone of his dual vocal cords. "How old did you say you were?"

"I was twelve. At first the doctors were certain I was going to be brain dead, and it was only a matter of time before my poor mother would have to make the decision on whether or not to shut down the machines that were keeping her only child alive. Then they saw I still had brain activity, and the question became how much brain damage I would be stuck with and whether I'd be plagued with debilitating seizures for the rest of my life. When they realized that I was going to walk away from it, without any lasting effects other than some scarring near my port, my mother who had never gambled a day in her life went out and bought a bunch of lottery tickets. I think she said won about a hundred and fifty credits. After I recovered, it didn't feel right going back to it. I didn't want to give Mom an aneurism after what she went through. Plus I wanted to focus a bit more on school and other things."

"You were very lucky. Your poor mother hasn't had it easy, has she?"

"Yeah, no kidding. I stuck with less dangerous activities until it was clear I had healed enough to be fitted with a new amp and start more physical training to prepare for enlisting with the Alliance. If that poor woman has a heart attack I swear I'm going to be the one to blame for it."

"What activities were those?"

"I played the cello between the age of seven to seventeen," Shepard paused and brought up an image of the stringed instrument on her omnitool. "My parents insisted I learn to play an instrument, and I wanted something different than they played. Dad was awesome with the guitar, and Mom had a small keyboard in our quarters. She said she happy with it, but I knew she longed for a full sized piano. That's why I had to give it up, instruments just take up way too much room when you're moving from one mission to the next in the military."

"Did you perform?", Garrus asked with piqued interest.

"Oh yeah, I mean the kids on the base had recitals, but where we were stationed there wasn't always enough people for what you would call a school band. Actually in high school I wound up...I wound up singing more than playing the cello. My best friend Kevan was really into theatre and he usually persuaded me to act in whatever play he was throwing together. If there was a role that needed a vocalist or even if he needed a singer to act as filler in between plays, I was usually it. Whether I liked it not."

"You were in plays? Is there video?" Garrus snickered. "I'm shocked that no one talks about this or has seen it. Emily Wong and al-Jilani would sell their first born at a chance to own a copy of that."

"Let's not mention this to anyone, okay?" Shepard harrumphed. "I don't need for anyone to go looking for the footage. Not when we have friends who may have a chance of finding it. As for any vids, let's just say that the only copies I'm aware of are safely locked away and no one is going to find them. Period."

"I don't know what I can't believe more: that you have acted and sang on stage or that someone else bossed you into it," Garrus said, as he shook his head in mild disbelief.

"Believe it or not, I wasn't always assertive for myself, I had to grow and mature into it. I mean, if I really didn't want to do something it was pretty easy to say no, but Kevan had a way of just finagling me into doing it. I did enjoy it in the end; I have some great memories of it."

"Think the crew will ever get to hear you sing?", Garrus inquired. "Kasumi keeps wanting us to go to one of those karaoke bars they have on the Citadel."

"Ha! That would be fun and probably hilarious. Something tells me that Zaeed would be friggin awesome even though I know he can't sing worth shit." An excited look turned sombre and wistful. "Sad to say I think that idea will have to go on the list of "crap to do in the future". Right now we've got a super full dance card and I doubt we'll have enough time before we go after the Collectors."

"Yeah, mission comes first. Spirits, sometimes when the Thanix data is compiling I try and think of all the things you've done for your crew, all the things you said you'd do just so we're ready, and I just shake my head. You know not all commanding officers would go to the extremes you do for their crew, right?"

"Hey, I need the lot of you in your peak form, so if blowing up a former Cerberus base, or hunting someone down, or going through the krogan equivalent of a bar mitzvah is what's needed, I'm game. If it helps you focus, I'm glad to help. Although…." Shepard trailed off, seemingly torn about whether to continue on in her inquiry. A gentle nudge to the ribs from Garrus' elbow seemed to do the trick with helping her decide to keep talking.

"In for a penny, in for a pound," Shepard groaned. She could tell that her cautious and hesitant look was beginning to make her comrade's mandible flick with uneasiness. "When we were on the Citadel, if Sidonis had moved in a way I couldn't have anticipated…Let's just say that there was the tiniest of windows that you thought you could have taken the shot. Would you have done it?"

Part of her wanted to take the question back as soon as she asked. It occurred to her instantly that it was too soon to be talking about a sore spot that had only just begun to heal; she should known better and let him be the one to bring the subject up when he was ready.

Before she could dismiss what she had said, he shook his head; his demeanour a lot calmer than she thought it would be. "No. Never. Not a chance. Why would you think I would have acted any differently than I did?"

"I don't know. You're so damn good with that rifle, and with the way he was pacing I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with a turian stride and you'd blow his brains out." She rubbed her temples in exasperation and prayed she wasn't being an asshole.

"You managed to keep pace with him pretty well. Even if he did manage to get out where I knew I could get the shot in, the chance of you jumping in the way was too damn high for me. You were a hundred percent correct when you told him that you were the only thing standing in between him getting a hole in the head."

"Yeah, but…" Her gaze fell to her folded hands resting on her lap.

"Shepard." Garrus's tone coaxed her to look at him, the concern in his eye making it impossible for her to look away. "I was drunk on instinct, and thoughts and memories of what that bastard had done. At the same time I was remembering back to what happened with Saleon and how you were trying to tell me something then. I was trying to decipher whether or not you were trying turn Sidonis into another one of your "let's teach the turian something" moments. Throw all those complications, all those thoughts, plus that you were talking and he was talking on top of trying to decide if pulling the trigger is the right thing, and…no. As long as you were down there and close to him, there was no way I could shoot. If there was one thing that was clear as day, it was I could never put you in danger. "

Shepard shook her head and regarded her fellow captive a solemn look.

Wanting to steer the conversation back to more a more upbeat tone, Garrus tried to slide back into their usual cocky banter. "Besides, if I had played fast and loose with your safety, Miranda would have torn me a torn me a new one. Not that she really scares me, but I would feel bad about ruining all the hard work she put into putting you back together. She did such a great job. Besides, I think you're letting this bother you more than it does me." He internally patted himself on the back when he got a raised eyebrow and a gentle smile in return.

"You do know I don't intentionally try to all teacher-mode every time you ask for help with something, right? Does seem to go that way though, doesn't it?"

"I don't mind. How many other people can say they've learned what I have at the great Commander Shepard's elbow?"

Shepard snickered. "You're a bit too experienced to really be considered my protégé anymore."

"What can I say? I'm a life-long learner."

"Well young Grasshopper, it's your turn again. Continue your learning by asking your sensei for the knowledge you desperately seek," Shepard said with a mock bow.

Garrus rummaged amongst the supplies, pulling out a packet of dual chirality biscuits and split the snack between him and Shepard. "So Jacob was helping me catalogue and take inventory of some of the parts I need to maintain the Thanix a couple weeks back. He opened a tool box where he found a pack of cookies hidden in one of the trays. At first he was making fun of me for being a slob with my tools, and that I forgot that I had left a snack in there. But then he noticed it was levo. Which made me wonder…are you still hiding food around ship?"

Garrus didn't need to wait for her to reply to know the answer. Her cheeks began to take on the deeper, vibrant shade of red that appeared whenever she was embarrassed or intoxicated as she nibbled at her snack.

It had become fond memory of the SR1 for him watching Shepard wander around the ship on her rounds, only to notice part way through she had managed to produce some kind of energy bar or preserved treat seemingly out of thin air. No one noticed at first exactly what she was doing as she was discreet as she could be, but then as people began to clue in that the Commander had squirreled away food, it had become a bit of a game to try and find her hiding spots and see what she kept to help tide her over between meals.

"Remember what I said about the ship being bigger than the last one? I get hungry! I don't want to have to take the elevator up to my room or run all the way to the mess every time I need something to nibble. Gardner would get so sick of me."

"You're gonna lose your food Shepard! I've already seen Grunt sniff out and devour a pack of that red candy you seem to adore, and Joker broke his rule of not talking to EDI unless it was absolutely necessary to ask where your closest stash was. Guess he doesn't want to have to walk all the way down to the mess either."

"Awww that's what happened to my cherry sours?" Shepard pouted. "I was beginning to think I had stashed them in a different fire extinguisher compartment. And thanks for letting me know about that fink, Joker. That'll teach me for stashing anything within his walking distance. He knows my tactics too well from the SR1."

"Do you ever get tired of having to snack as much as you do?"

She shrugged. "Eh, it's just a side effect. Being a biotic is pretty awesome most of the time, but when it comes to keeping fed, that's the bit that's a pain in the ass. But to me being able to generate mass effect fields on your own is worth the gluttony."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better Shepard, I kept Jacob from eating your cookies, even though I could tell he really wanted them. I did move them to a spot that is less likely to come into contact with a solvent."

"Thanks. I'm sorry, I should have asked you if I could have stashed them there," Shepard said as Garrus waved off her apology as unnecessary. She raised her arms over her head and stretched her back and smiled then settled back into her nest of blankets. "So wanna guess how long we've been in here?

Garrus pulled up his omnitool and groaned at the time. "It's been six hours."

"Argh!….That's it?! Well at least if we're lucky Grunt's made it back to the Normandy by now."

"Tired of my company already? It's alright Commander, you don't have to say anything. I get the message," Garrus said, feigning hurt.

Rolling her eyes, Shepard huffed, "You know that's not what I mean. It's just it's probably going to be a while until we're sprung, so I'm thinking…."

"Shepard?"

"So what would you say to upping the ante on the types of questions we ask?"

"Like?" Garrus was finding himself perturbed by the mischievous grin that spread across Shepard's face and began to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

So Garrus, have you ever fucked an alien?"

Disclaimer: See description.

Hey Everyone! It's been a while, to which I am so, so sorry! T-T I think 2016 was a rough year for a lot of people, myself included. This chapter was written and re-written countless times (still on the fence if I'm happy with it), but it's done. At times it felt like I was an ant trying to push a brick across the Sahara to do it, but it's finally done.

Thank you so much to everyone for all your reviews, favourites, and just taking the time to read what my little mind has managed to churn out. Your support means the world to me.