Hey guys!

I decided to write another chapter, I had some ideas for this one. I am kinda straying away from the Mass Effect plotline a bit. Post Mass Effect 1, pre Mass Effect 2 territory. So much freedom, ya know?

Also, before you guys go nuts after this chapter, I am very well read into the mythology of vampires. I do believe vampires can have tattoos, seeming they can have piercings. Plus, all authors write their vampires a bit differently. So there. :P

Anyone who also reads "The Guardian", I am sorry for the delay in recent posts, I am starting the next chapter tonight. Thanks for the understanding. (:

I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to rate and review and PM me if you have anything to say. (:

Thanks!

Time went by quickly once Garrus and Juliet started their work on Omega. At first, it was them trying to raise awareness of the Reapers. Then, it was their warnings being ignored. Then they were pissed off, then they wanted to get someone's attention. Juliet was no stranger to having to control her mind, to control her temper, her strength, her thirst. She was able to control every ounce of anger she felt when she thought of Shepard's death. She was able to keep herself together, and to make sure she wasn't giving herself away. Being with Garrus, though, she felt herself slipping into a rage. She could feel herself wanting revenge from whoever it was that killed him. She was slipping into the anger alongside her turian friend, who only got more desperate to make changes to the pit of a place they now called home. It wasn't long before they lost sight of the reason they'd originally ventured to Omega.

It was never civilians that they attacked and it was never anyone innocent. Juliet hated it there on Omega. Freedom seemed too perfect for her. Aria thought she owned the place, and let everyone make their own rules unless it involved pissing her off. Only then would she step in. Juliet couldn't stand how lawless the place was. After a year and six months, she'd learnt that being an illegal species made her humble. She often laughed at herself when she thought of herself as such, but it was true. She'd lived in the shadows for quite some time. People here didn't care if they were caught being idiots. If she were to be caught in the open, she'd be killed.

This was the exact reason she and Archangel were sitting in silence in the highest level of their base, resting up for the night before their assault on the Blue Suns' base the next day. The rest of their team were enjoying their downtime for the night. It was simple for Juliet to sit up all night, but Garrus felt it was his job to sit with her. He'd done so every night. She was starting to worry about him.

She looked over at him, clearing her throat.

"You should sleep."
"I'll sleep later."

She looked behind her, being sure the team was still downstairs. She looked back to him sternly.

"We have a big day tomorrow, don't you think you should rest?"
"I'm fine, Juliet."

She shook her head.

"Stubborn turians."

He laughed at her lightly, looking out the window at the base.

"Are you ready for it?" he asked.
"I'm more worried about the team."
"They're ready."
"Are you?"

He folded his arms, nodding as he looked back to her.

"It needs to be done. Their work needs to be put to an end."
"You really think an assault on their base will put an end to what they're doing? You're smarter than that."
"We have to try." She sighed as she shook her head, shrugging off her jacket to reveal the tank top she wore underneath. Garrus was surprised to see the space of her back covered with ink when she turned around. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling the fabric down slightly. He recognized the symbol she'd branded herself with. The wings of the black tattoo spreading from one shoulder to the other. He shook his head at her. "What is this?"

She didn't fight to pull away, letting him look at the tattoo. After a moment of him looking, she stepped away, turning back to him with a look on her face that Garrus couldn't read. She shrugged.

"I guess you're a symbol of good to me too."

He sighed as she ran her finger over the matching symbol on the front of his armor. He could tell she was conflicted, though he didn't know what was on her mind. He stepped back, looking out of the window once again.

"You've got Archangel's symbol on you… How are you going to talk your way out of working with me now?"

She smirked slightly, folding her arms as she joined him in looking out over the base.

"I never denied it in the first place… Plus, who sees it when I'm in armor anyways?"
"You're insane."

She smiled, hearing the faint laughter of their team downstairs.

"Go get some sleep Garrus." she said.
"No. I'm fine."

She turned to him now, shaking her head.

"If you're not going to take yourself to bed, I'll drag you."

He laughed, reluctantly walking to the door.

"Fine. I'll leave you alone."

She watched him leave, taking a deep breath after the door was shut. She rubbed her face, wishing he hadn't seen the tattoo. She owed him her life though, letting her escape the Citadel with him when she was being chased down. A tattoo for him was something she was glad to have gotten. She sighed, leaning against the wall as she kept a look-out over the base for the night.

Juliet wasn't sure how the fight had gone wrong. The infiltration of the Blue Suns' base was almost foreseen, as if they had predicted Archangel's team would come. Maybe the leader's paranoia had finally given him the upper hand against Archangel. Either way, they were in deep shit now. The Blue Suns had the team of four on their knees with their hands behind their heads, waiting for Tarak to get there. They had their guns trained on them intently. Juliet glanced over to where her rifle lay on the ground, then to Garrus. He gave her a calm look. She nodded ever so slightly in return.

The door of the base whooshed open to reveal a fuming Tarak. His anger quickly faded at the sight of Archangel on his knees in surrender.

"Well well." he said, folding his arms, his goons still pointing their guns at the small team. "Look at this."

He took a cheap hit to Garrus, making him recoil. Juliet did her best to keep her anger down as she watched him shift back into the position he'd been in on his knees.

"Still scared, Tarak?" Garrus smirked.
"I'm not scared of some vigilantes playing hero."
"Then why are we here?"
"You think I'm letting you walk? Even you should know better than that Archangel. Get up." The goons grabbed Garrus by the armor, forcing him up to his feet. The batarian tilted his head slightly. "Ya know… You would have been a great recruit."
"Too bad."
"We're going to kill you, Archangel. You and your team."
"Try it."

The batarian stepped back slightly, trying to read Garrus' facial expression before nodding to one of his mercs, who raised his gun at the turian next to Juliet and pulled the trigger. Juliet's jaw dropped in horror, letting out a small whimper as she looked away from the now limp body in front of her. She saw Garrus stiffen. He expected the batarian to be bluffing. Tarak nodded at another goon, who pointed his gun at Juliet now. Before she could do anything, Garrus stepped in front of her, disarming the man quickly.

Juliet leapt up to her feet, running for her rifle before she was grabbed. She heard a gun shot, but she didn't search for the source. She kicked at the merc who had a hold of her, grabbing her before reaching for her rifle and turning to Tarak. She felt her stomach drop at the sight of Garrus on his knees again. Tarak had a gun pressed to his temple angrily.

"What's it gonna be?" he asked, eyeing the merc she held captive.
"You tell me." she replied.
"This doesn't have to be messy."
"Of course it does." she barked, looking at the now dead squad she and Garrus had taken with them. "Those were my men."
"Your men? So you give the orders, huh?"

She glanced at Garrus before nodding.

"Of course."
"How about you let my team mate go."
"Let mine go."

The batarian laughed slightly.

"I can't do that."
"Seeing you showed no mercy to my men, I should show no mercy to you."

She shoving the merc to her knees, pointing the gun at her head now. Tarak shifted his weight slightly.

"Let her go." he demanded.
"Give me Archangel and you can have her."

The batarian didn't back down.

"I should at least know a name of the leader behind Archangel's work."

Juliet smirked.

"Molly." she said.
"What?"
"Molly Hayes." The batarian didn't seem satisfied with her answer, gripping his gun tighter. "Listen, if you don't let him go in the next five seconds, I am going to shoot your friend, and snap your neck."

Tarak laughed, making Juliet smile with him. She let him have his moment before she pulled the trigger. His smile faded quickly. Juliet was behind him in less than a second, her hands on the sides of his head. Garrus was at his feet as quickly as he could get there, holding his hands out to stop her.

"No!"

She held still, the batarian struggling underneath her.

"What?!" she hissed.
"Leave him."
"Are you crazy?!"
"He's nothing. Let's just go."
"He's nothing but dead."
"Let go of him Molly, it's an order."

She glared at him for a moment before letting the batarian go. He slumped to the floor, sitting still before moving to the now limp merc. Juliet looked to Garrus, who watched Tarak.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly.
"He has information we need." he replied before walking over to the batarian. "Remember my mercy the next time you get the chance to kill me."

Juliet followed Garrus to the door, not looking at the bodies of their fallen squad mates. Juliet looked back to Tarak, who now held the dead merc in his arms. He had taken the helmet off to reveal the face of a female. Something inside of Juliet came undone at the sight of the mercenary. He looked up to them as he cradled the dead woman in his arms.

"The next time I get the chance to kill you, Archangel, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." he growled.

Juliet looked back to Garrus, who turned away before she could see his face. The ride back to their own base was a silent one.