On the Normandy in the Captain's Cabin, Commander Shepard sits at the precipice of his bed. Head bowed, he covers his face with his hands. A sigh escapes his lips, borne from a feeling of relief, an awareness that in the last hour he had been part of something that was already beginning to fulfill him right down to the very core of his being. He had confessed to Tali his feelings and she had reciprocated him. Shepard smiled, wondering why he hadn't said anything sooner when suddenly, the door to the Captain's Cabin opens.

Shepard looks up to see Garrus saunter inside. The turian says with wide grinning mandibles, "Sorry for barging in unannounced, Commander. I would have mentioned I'd be coming up over the intercom, but I had an idea."

Shepard gives Garrus a puzzled look and asks, "Alright, hit me."

"We haven't really had the time to talk since I joined back up with you, Shepard," Garrus states. "I figured it'd do us some good to go to the Citadel and unwind a bit. What do you say?"

Shepard smiles and says, "Yeah, I'd like that. "

On the Citadel, Shepard and Garrus walk into Purgatory, a local bar similar to Club Afterlife on Omega.

"Sorry we couldn't find a livelier place to drink," Garrus says with a laugh.

Shepard looks at Club Purgatory's sign, grins a little, then looks back at Garrus. "Nah, I'd rather avoid going into a place where I'm constantly reaching for my gun. It'll be nice to relax."

"Ah, but such environments can be invigorating! You get to keep your edge," Garrus quips.

Shepard laughs, pats Garrus on the back and says to him, "Alright, let's go in. But you're buying all the drinks."

The lights and scenery of Purgatory are filled with neon and dancing. Scantily clad asari and human women are dancing on the stages while laughter and the sounds of drinks clinking can be heard.

At the bar, Garrus tells the bartender, "Give me the heaviest dextro and levo drink you've got."

Garrus hands the drink to Shepard and they down the drinks. Shepard takes in the scenery.

"Hey," Shepard wonders aloud. "How much alcohol would it take to make me a better dancer?"

Garrus snorts. "Shepard, no amount of alcohol could make you dance better. Sure, you can fight like a krogan… but you'll never dance better than one."

"Yeah, yeah…" Shaking his head, Shepard laughs. "You're probably right. But at least I've got my marksmanship skills. And I bet I've got you beat there."

Garrus looks sidelong at the Commander, "I'd beg to differ. How about we have a little contest, and to keep it interesting, the loser has to buy the first round. Deal?" Garrus holds out his hand towards Shepard. Shepard nods and shakes the turian's hand firmly. With a stern look, Garrus says, "You can't back out now."

"Who's backing out?" The two grin fiercely at one another.

A few hours and a few rounds later, Shepard and Garrus are finding themselves delving into deeper conversations about family and friends among other things, laughter weaving itself naturally in. The club is a little emptier than when they first entered.

Garrus looks down at the empty glass in his hand and sighs a little, saying, "So, I heard you had a thing for Tali, Commander..."

Shepard stopped smiling and looked down at the bar counter. He thinks for a minute as Garrus turns to him, then says, "You heard about that, huh?"

"You knew I was interested in her too, eh?" He fakes a laugh but Shepard sees through it. The look in Shepard's eyes kills the laughter in Garrus' throat. The turian lowers his head and says, without bitterness, "Sorry. It's just, things haven't been working out all that well for me lately. I just wanted something to go right for once..."

Shepard pauses for a moment, trying to think of what to say.

Garrus notices Shepard's hesitance manages a laugh, saying, "Well I guess it's probably for the best if I back off then? The ladies can't seem to get enough of me anyways."

Shepard tries to laugh but can't. He meets Garrus' eyes, seeing the pain there.

With a pained, but determined expression, Shepard says, "Garrus...she means a lot to me. I'll do whatever I have to in order to make things work with her. I don't want this to cause problems between you and me."

Garrus looks back at the empty glass and begins to squeeze it a little, saying, "As much as I want to be with her, I can't think of any other person that would treat her as well as you would." He sighs and says, "You'd probably give her more than I could anyways."

Garrus asks the bartender for another round.

Shepard sighs, "...I'm sorry, Garrus."

After a short pause and another emptied glass, Garrus says shortly, "It's fine. Just...give me some time."

"Fair enough," the Commander said.

A silence falls on the two friends. They both watch as the club beginsto grow more and more empty. After a while, Garrus stands up and Shepard does the same. They look at each other, each reflecting the same deep-set admiration.

"Thanks for coming out here with me, Shepard," Garrus says with a smile.

Shepard smiles in return and says, "I should be thanking you, Garrus. I'm glad we had the chance to catch up and get things out in the open."

"Anytime." Garrus says, dropping a friendly hand on Shepard's shoulder.

The two shake hands then head back to the Normandy, making jokes and telling stories on the way back.

When they reach the Normandy, they see Tali.

She walks up to them, a smile in her voice as she calls out to them. "Hey! Did you have fun?"

"Yeah,we did," Garrus says with a friendly smile. " He turns to Shepard and says, "Well, I think I'm headed off to the pods. After I get some rest I'll get back to calibrating the weapons systems. Good talking to you, Shepard."

Shepard smiles and nods, saying, "Same to you, old friend. Sleep well."

Garrus proceeds towards the Normandy. As he walks away, Tali turns to Shepard with a puzzled look.

She asks, "Is everything alright? Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so. He took it a little hard but I think he's going to be okay," Shepard says and smiles reassuringly.

Tali moves closer towards Shepard and hugs him. "I...I didn't mean to put him through that."

"It's not your fault, Tali," Shepard says as he gently hugs her tighter. "He's going to be okay, I promise." She sighs into him. Shepard puts a hand to the side of her mask, drawing her eyes to his. "But what about us? Are we going to be okay?"

Tali, eyes ever gleaming, says in a passionate tone, "I believe we are."

They smile at each other and then embrace for a while before heading back to the Normandy together.