*Author's Notes- Hey guys! Sorry about the wait. Finals week is really kickin my ass and it was hard to find the time to pump this out. As always, if you like the story, please review, fav, and follow!
Chapter 9
Reunion
The shuttle slowed and entered the temporary terminal set up to shuttle supplies for the Turian camps. They got out and caught another sky car, destination: the Strip. A place Shepard had heard stories about. It was the greatest collection of gambling and entertainment on this side of the planet at one point. It was now a ghost town, but it served a purpose for the Hierarchy as they waited for the relays to be fixed.
" I tracked down your father and sister here. It's a lot easier to find you when you're tapped to be the next Councilor for your race." Shepard said.
Garrus kept quiet as his mind raced over how his reunion would go. Am I ready for this? Is my father going to be glad to see me? How's Solana?
Even with all of these questions running through his head he forgot the biggest one to him, How will he react to Shepard? Well, he'd find out sooner than later, he thought as he stared out the window.
As the car lowered to where Shepard and Garrus got out, they were met with cautious eyes. A Turian and a Human in the same car? No matter how normal it was for him, Garrus forgot how rigid Turian culture was on Humans. Shepard played it off as she didn't notice, or she didn't care.
As they walked into one of the oversized buildings that had giant pools in front. The buildings and pools had fallen into disrepair, empty and falling apart like an old western town you see in the old movies.
They turn as they hear a loud authoritative Turian that was giving orders as he was leaning over a holo-map of the city. He bore the same clan markings, the Palaven blue that stretched across his nose, cheek plates, and mandibles like Garrus. His mandibles splayed wide in surprise then tightened in typical Turian fashion when he saw the duo together.
" Fellus, take over here," he said as he marched over to greet the two. "Garrus, what are you doing here? I was expecting to meet you at the Council," he said as he shook the hand of his son and extends his hand out toward Shepard. " Even as I'm pleasantly surprised, what are you doing here Executor Shepard? I didn't order an escort."
" Yea about that dad. I need to tell you something, but not here," Garrus replied as he guided his father outside after he leans to Shepard, " Can you wait out here? I don't know how he'll handle it."
She bobs her head in agreement and moves off to inspect the old pools that had so far been filled with the sand of the desert.
Garrus followed his father into the lobby of the old building close to the Turian HQ. The interior hadn't fared well like the outside. The sand had made it's way in any way it could and dust covered the ancient machines on the walls.
As they reached the interior away from prying ears Vibos turned to meet his son, " What is this son? What's so important that you have to take me from my post?"
" Dad…I don't know how to tell you this…" He had imagined telling his dad, but of course telling him in his dreams and in person is a very different thing.
Dad Shepard and I are mates.
What the hell are you doing? No Turian woman wants you?
Dad Shepard and I are mates.
I'm mates with a Hanar.
Dad Shepard and I are mates.
I've been casted for the next Blasto movie.
Dad Shepard and I are mates.
How are Humans in bed? Are they as good as the Asari?
Dad Shepard and I are mates.
You're disowned, get the hell out of my sight and may the Spirits forgive you.
Garrus you can do this, was the primary thought racing through his brain as all of these scenarios run through his head, and none of them good.
" Shepard and I are mates dad."
His usual reserved mandibles widened in surprise then retracted again, " Wow I'm surprised. I really thought that you would stick within the species, but you deserve to be happy. I can't fault you for that."
Garrus sighed at this revelation. It was a weight off his chest to find that his dad at least didn't disown him over who he loved. But, maybe after everything his family has been through, his father had softened up on his hateful demeanor he had when Garrus was a young man in C-SEC.
He looked out the window to see her walking through a sea of Turians. She stops in front of the field hospital and helped a wobbling Turian walk over to a cot to be looked at. A small Human letting a Turian almost double her size lean on her to get the help he needed.
As she sets the Turian down and starts to talk to him she looks up and notices Garrus starring from inside. They locked eyes and she let out a faint smile as she pulled back loose hair behind her ear.
" She does make you happy?" Vibos asks, breaking Garrus' thoughts as he looked through the dusty windows.
Garrus smiled back and turned to his father " More than anything in this world."
They exited the old casino to meet Shepard, who Vibos was very content to talk to, knowing that his son and her were in a relationship. They approached her, engrossed in conversation with the injured Turian. The Turian tried to jump up, compounding his injuries, but gave a small salute as he winced in pain, " Councilor Vakarian, Advisor Vakarian."
" At ease," the older Turian responded. " What is your name?"
" Corporal Caeus Heldos, Sir," he replied with intrigue at the fact that a high ranking member of the Hierarchy is actually talking to a barefaced soldier.
His leg had cuts and burns up and down the hide and plates. His facial expressions were pained, and rightly so as his leg looked like it would be scarred for the rest of his life.
" How long have you been waiting for treatment?"
" An hour Sir. They've given painkillers to try to tide me over until they can look at it."
" That's way too long," the elder Vakarian replied as he turns to the medical tent and shouts to get someones attention. " Medic Vakarian, I need help out here."
Vibos turned around and continued his conversation with the Corporal, leaving Garrus awkwardly standing with Shepard over the fact that the Councilor called over the other Vakarian. Someone who Garrus did not want to see right now, especially when he was dealing with his father at the moment.
As his father continues to ignore them, a tall attractive female Turian wearing a blue medic uniform came out of one of the tents and started to walk toward the small group. She had a slight limp which led Shepard to put two and two together.
Shepard watches her as she walked with the same sway that she has seen many female Turians do while walking around on the Citadel, even as she was trying to hide the slight limp. Obviously looking for a mate, Shepard scoffed to herself as she smiled finding it hard to contain herself as she saw every Turian and his brother look at the young medic.
When she saw her father she smiled and continued to walk toward the man talking with the soldier. When Garrus came into view she lost her smile and her eyes glazed over.
No, I cannot deal with this today, Garrus thought as his sister coldly walked up to the two Turians.
" Ah Corporal, I've been looking for you. A spot opened up and it's got your name on it. First I need to do a basic evaluation."
She started her evaluation and whenever she was close to looking at Garrus, deflected her eyes elsewhere.
Garrus knew it was going to be hard to tell both of his father and sister, but he didn't think she was going to be the worse of the two.
As he lowered his head in defeat over his sister, he felt a slight tug on his arm. He looked over to see Shepard pull him away, obviously over her confusion at the situation. He didn't have the strength to fight back and slowly followed her to the lobby of one of the abandoned buildings with his head lowered in sadness the entire way.
Shepard took his hands and looked up to his lowered head, " What's going on?"
" That was my sister, Solana," he choked out as Shepard lifted his head by cupping it between her hands.
" It doesn't take a C-SEC detective to figure that out, but what's her issue with you?"
" It's all about my mother, how I was never there to help take care of her. It was during the fight against the Collectors, so my father told me to stay. She never let it go how Mater had died with only one of her children by her side."
At this point Garrus was quietly weeping into Shepard's shoulder. He had never done this before on the Normandy in her presence. After all of the things they had been through, the one to set him over the edge was the death of his mother and how he wasn't there in the end, not the decimation of the Turian fleets over Palaven or his family being missing.
" Garrus, I'm so sorry. Look, we'll just go out and talk to your father. She'll come around to you, but let's just work on one at a time," she said as she rubbed under his fringe, something that had always helped him calm down.
He returned a small smile as he responded, " yea, we can do that."
As they go back out to the field hospital they see that Vibos was the only one waiting for them.
As they approached he started toward them. " It's getting dark, I want you two to stay here for the night. You can join Solana and myself for breakfast before you head out."
" Thank you, father," Garrus let out as he tried to control his subharmonics from giving away his emotional state.
" Let me take you to your room."
After they climbed four flights of stairs to reach the level they needed, they made their way to the group of rooms reserved for the Vakarians. Vibos stopped in front of one of the doors and opened it for them. "There, you're right next to me and Solana. If you have any issues, just tell either of us."
" Councillor, thank you," Shepard replied. Garrus only walked in with a slight nod, still feeling distraught from his sister's silent punishment.
After Shepard shut the door behind Garrus, she took him and walked him to the bed while massaging the hide under his fringe. " It's okay, lets get you to bed," she said as she set him at the edge of the bed and started to work at the buckles and zippers on his uniform until she got him in nothing but his natural plates.
After she got him out, she laid him on the bed and quickly folded his clothes for the next morning. As they hadn't planned on staying overnight, they only had the one change of clothes.
After she had striped down herself, she got in the bed and gently put the Turian's head on her legs as she laid against the headboard of the old bed.
She started to try to fall asleep, but only reached it when she heard Garrus softy snoring on her. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, she thought as she finally fell asleep.
Shepard slowly work up, not recognizing where she was. Then she looked around, she could only see darkness that continued forever.
As she continued to franticly look around she spotted Anderson. He was standing there, looking at her as if he was expecting her to come to him.
Shepard started to run to Anderson, who continued to stand still. When Shepard got closer, she saw he was injured. He was holding his side, and had blood running down his face.
He finally moved, but kneeling to reveal someone behind him.
The Illusive Man stood over Anderson and they both looked up to see her approach.
" Ah Shepard, I found out how to control them, and you need to stay out of my way. I will be the pinnacle of Human evolution and show the galaxy what we can achieve. This is your only warning." With that he points the guns to the back of Anderson's head, " This is what happens to those who don't listen."
He pulled the trigger just as Shepard reached out to Anderson to try and pull him out of the way.
She didn't make it in time and could feel the heat from the gun as it was fired into Anderson's head, leaving a hole in the back of his skull.
" No, Anderson!" she screamed as she reached her knees and cradled his body in her arms.
" Let that be a lesson Shepard. This fight is not over," the Illusive Man said as he walked away into the infinite blackness.
She woke up with a gasp. Sweating from either her dream or the heat trickling in from the hot Nevada morning.
She was tucked in with no Garrus to be seen beside her. Looking over, she saw the clothes she folded were gone, and the door to the small bathroom shut with light peeking out under the door.
As she got out from the bed and put her carefully folded clothes on in preparation for the pending breakfast with the Vakarians, the door to the bathroom opened to reveal Garrus fumbling around with a buckle on his tunic." Are you ready for breakfast?"
As a response he gave her a scowl as he picked up his visor to put it on, partly hiding the look of resentfulness for what's to come.
As they made their way down the dust halls to the open area where they were having breakfast, Shepard took Garrus's hand and squeezed in reassurance that they would make it through this.
As they entered the open area that Shepard recognized as an old buffet area from when the building was a destination.
Shepard looked around to see the room populated with Turians. All enjoying various forms of dextro rations that they had been living on for the past month.
It was easy to point out the Vakarians, you only had to look for the large rigid Turian and the one who obviously didn't want to be there.
As they approached Vibos got up, leaving Solana sitting with her mandibles tight and a scowl on her face.
" Spectre, welcome," Vibos said as he pulled out a chair for the Human, receiving glares from the room full of Turians. Who knew being polite was a sin.
" Dad, why must you be polite to her and Garrus? Especially after him leaving us to tend to mother," Solana scowled as she remained sitting.
As Shepard settled in it was hard to remain composed at the shots that Solana was throwing at her and Garrus.
" It's not what mother would've wanted or deserved. She deserved all of us there for her, but you continue to show support for abandoning Mater."
Shepard looked over to Garrus and could see that he was not taking it well.
He was hunched over in the Human chair, looking down at the ration on the table to not look at his sister and show how hurt he was, but Shepard didn't need to see his face to know. It was the same hurt he had when he found out that Solana and his father were missing on Palaven.
She couldn't take the abuse on her mate anymore, and quickly stood up and jeered a finger at Solana, " Stop it! If anyone is to take the blame for it, blame me. Now leave him out of it. I was the one who dragged him away! We were fighting the Reapers, and if he wasn't there, we may not be here today!For that I'm sorry. Now leave him out of it!"
After all of her yelling she was heated. Her pale skin turning red with rage at Solana for her assault on Garrus.
She looked around to see the entire room of Turians staring at her.
" Commander, I think it would be best for us to leave the room and have a discussion."
She looks down at the voice to see Vibos start to get up.
Vibos points to his daughter, " You will stay and finish your meal."
With that, Solana became irritated at her father but obeyed.
As they left the room, Shepard took one last look at the youngest Vakarian. As they exited, she only watched them from her chair with her arms crossed in anger.
As they walked into the eldest Vakarian's room, he turned around and quickly let his plates and mandibles slack to finally show his true emotions. " I'm sorry about Solana, Commander. She still doesn't understand the gravity of the threats you had faced at the time of their mother's death."
Shepard could finally breathe normally and calmed down enough to talk as she held Garrus at the end of the bed. He was about ready to break down and keen over his sister's words. " Councillor, it's fine, but he is a different story."
" Well, we can finish this conversation at other time. I think you two should head back to your room and cool down. As I always say, calmer heads always prevail. When I return tonight we can continue."
" Thank you Councillor, and please call me Laura."
As Shepard had led Garrus toward the door to their room, just next door, Vibos had stopped her. " Thank you for keeping him safe. I can see why he has taken a liking to you. It may not be what may be acceptable yet in our society, but please know I hold no ill will towards you. and please call me Vibos."
" Vibos, thank you."
She finally shut the door and went over to Garrus, who had started to keen.
" Garrus, I'm so sorry. Lets go to bed and you'll feel better when you wake up."
As she joined Garrus in the small bed, she laid his head across her chest and gently pet his fringe, something he always enjoyed her doing as it calmed him down.
Soon she felt the Turian asleep on her and decided to join him in an effort to at least feel a little better in preparation for hopefully, a better talk.
