Sorry that these updates are always taking so long. I've been dealing with a lot of crap in my personal life, so it's been difficult for me to stay focused on writing. Anyway, I want to thank Genesis Vakarian and AmyNChan for all their reviews- both of them reviewed every chapter!

I want to rant for a moment: on Kai Leng and his role in the game. Specifically, how he utterly fails as an effective adversary for Shepard. First off, he has no business in a Mass Effect game. He's more like a lame player character from an old tabletop Shadowrun campaign from the early 1990s. He also fails as a threat to Shepard, who clearly outclasses him in every way. He's a total push-over the two times you actually fight him, the only danger is due to a gunship in the first instance and a whole squad of Cerberus troops backing him in the latter.

The game has to resort to 'cutscene incompetence' with Shepard, so that the Commander suddenly becomes markedly slower and less aggressive. Shepard just half-heartedly takes shots at him and jogs after him in their first run-in, only to later turn their BACK to Kai Leng while talking to TiM on Thessia. This is the supposed to be the same person who tackled a person through a third-story window and shrugged the fall off, only to later get into a fist-fight with with a ten foot tall alien monster! While Kai Leng is this swaggering douchebag who tries to back-stab people, only to then run off when he fails, then brags about what a badass his is... now that he's safely out of Shepard's reach. Come on!

People didn't cheer his death because it's some great achievement, we cheered because we'd finally rid ourselves of a nuisance.

MASS EFFECT
HOME AND FAMILY

Chapter 08:
"The Enforcer"

"It's my ass on the line! ...Inspector."

Garrus Vakarian and Jane Shepard were seated on the couch, intently watching the flat-screen mounted on the wall, as the third installment in the 'Dirty Harry' films played.

Following three years on the events of the last film, the San Francisco Police Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callaghan found himself in the middle of another ordeal. This time around, the sun-drenched city found itself under threat from a small band of insurgents. While the first had shown a city in which crime had been enabled to run rampant, thanks to bureaucratic impotence, the second film had show the opposing side of the argument- sanctioned vigilantism. In both instances, Harry was trapped in the middle.

Fore the Inspector's third outing, the winding streets of San Francisco was being terrorized by a small band or reactionaries. And this time, the gruff Officer amusingly found himself being forced to embrace 'political correctness'... in the form of a female partner, Inspector Kate Moore. However, far less funny was when the terrorists fatally wounded Inspector DiGeorgio... The pudgy, older Officer was one of the few people that Harry felt any kind of connection with- to the degree that the he actually counted the man as a friend, and his death made him the third partner he'd lost.

The Turian folded his arms across his lap as he relaxed, exhaling. His own past experiences made him sympathetic to the loss of a trusted colleague and friend, and the resulting frustration and outrage that drove the human Inspector. As with Scorpio in the first film, Garrus found himself running the motley band of criminals through his own internal psych test.

This time around, in a nice bit of juxtaposition with the first, the lead villain "Bobby" fell firmly into the realm of psychopathy, rather than the sociopathy of Scorpio. Johnny been the spearhead behind all the mayhem. The madman was aided by his fellow insurgents: four males (Lalo, Tex, Karl and Henry) and two females (Wanda and Miki). Amusingly, it seemed the 'cause' that had brought them all together meant little to Bobby, who appeared to be using it as an excuse for his own gains.

The raid on the munitions store- that had resulted in DiGeorgio being fatally wounded- had landed the group with a sizable stock of military-grade weaponry. The 'score' included ample numbers their time's equivalent of the 'assault rifle', the M16 (which fired chemically-propelled rounds, fed from 'clips'), as well as a number of single-use weapons that fired a rocket-propelled explosive- called a LAW Rocket. Heavily armed, the terrorists now threatened the entire city. But Inspector Callaghan had no intention of allowing them to go unchallenged, and was aided by his rookie partner, Inspector Moor.

Having worked both in and against multiple teams, Garrus knew that everyone filled a particular role. In the case of Henry, he was the explosives expert. And like most perps who didn't stick around, he was a coward at heart, and in a chance encounter- he ran from the Inspectors. Henry lead the two Officers in a chase across the streats, allies, and rooftops of San Francisco, until Harry finally managed to catch up and 'cuff' the man- in one of the halls used by the humans for religious reflection, no less!

As for the other members of the group: the two males, identified as "Tex" and "Karl", didn't say much, striking the Turian as being hired muscle. However, the man named "Lalo" always seemed nervous and emotional at any given time. At one point, he was clearly frightened of Bobby, which wasn't surprising, given how violent the man was- seemingly at the drop of a hat.

The violence in the city soon began to further escalate- leaving Callaghan and Moore caught between the crime and bureaucracy. Ultimately, the villains kidnapped the 'Mayor'- a post now more commonly referred to as the "City Administrator". The remaining terrorists hulled up in the derelict island prison of "Alcatraz" and issued their demands- extorting money in exchange for Mayor.

Garrus had taken note of the mannerisms and actions of Bobby Maxwell. The man was a tinderbox of violence and rage, seemingly without regard to even those he was working with. While in contrast to the Scorpio Killer- who practically reveled in his actions- Maxwell was calm and expressionless in his acts of brutality. One of the defining traits of a psychopath was often a marked lack of empathy toward others. And yet, because they had no regard for others, they could be quite masterful when it came to using people for their own ends, pretending like they gave a damn about you.

They disarmed others with fake smiles, and as Shepard had put it, "even a Shark has a smile". It had taken the human woman a moment to explain the metaphor to the Turian, until she eventually likened it to the way a Varen's large mouth of sharp teeth made it look like it was grinning at you.

Unsurprisingly, Callaghan and Moore chose to take the terrorist group head-on, resulting in a run-and-gun shootout across the rugged grounds and crumbling halls of the concrete prison. For Bobby, as his meticulous plans fell apart around him and he found himself alone. No longer surrounded by loyal followers and working from a plan, his calm ruthless persona gave way to raw panic- suddenly fearful as he found himself facing Dirty Harry in the climax of the film...

"Jane," Garrus began calmly, from his vantage point on the couch. "I'd like to know what your take on the movie is, including you feelings regarding the character of the female Police Officer?"

Shepard nodded. "Well, for starters... We have to put the story in the context of the time it was made, and remember that gender views were radically different from what they are now. First off, a hundred and ten years ago, women didn't serve direct combat roles in the military... North America had taken part in four large-scale global conflicts before the first movie was released, and the closest that most women usually came to the front-lines was as a nurse- or a medic, as they're modernly known."

The redhead brushed a hand through her hair. "Looking at the character of Officer Moore, decked out in her high-heels and dress... Well, she just looks out of place, especially at first, and she was made an Inspector for the wrong reasons- to meet a quota." Jane added, referring to the mandate given to the SFPD, in one of the funnier scenes in the movie. "And yet, in spite of that, Moore did turn out to have the skill and the instinct needed in a Police Inspector."

With that, Shepard stretched and announced that she was going to start a pot of coffee brewing, before leaving the Turian alone on the couch as she headed to the kitchen.

...o.o.o...

Location: Sakeris Station (Non-Orbiter Vessel)...

Status: Geo-stationary... Lagrange Point between Palavan and Menae...

Solana Vakarian gripped the bars to either side of her with her talons, taking a slow deliberate breath, before she exhaled took a step forward...

Suddenly, the female Turian was bombarded with a rush of sensations- chiefly in her left leg, from the 'knee', downward. Following her near miss during her and her father's escape from Palavan, she'd been fitted with a fairly state-of-the-art prosthetic. And so now, she was undergoing the process of learning how to walk- except this time, sans half of her left leg. Though, she realized that her simply being alive to bemoan her predicament made her one of the "lucky" ones.

Her nervous system was overwhelmed by the 'throbbing' feeling that it was registering from the still largely untested artificial limb, and it took all she had not to fall... again. Solana was determined to get the hang of walking in her condition, if for- for no other reason- than to avoid the sympathetic coddling sure to come from her older brother and her father.

She tensed up, trying to maintain her hold on the guide bars...

Growing up, Solana had had a fairly typical brother-sister relationship with her brother. Physically speaking, Garrus largely took after their father, while she generally resembled their mother- with both her flesh and plates being a lighter range of grays. Though, interestingly, her older brother had inherited more of their mother's curves- mainly in his hips and the way his waist tapered. She, on the other hand, took after their tall, slender father, and was almost as tall as Garrus.

Since they were little, Garrus had always struggled to keep his naturally rebellious nature in-check, so as to be a 'proper' Turian, being the more emotional and impulsive of the Vakarian children. In contrast, Solana tended to be more reserved of the siblings (at least until she could get a read on the situation), though she'd always had a rather sharp wit, especially when it came to dealing with her brother.

Solana exhaled and, still gripping the bars, lifted her left leg up off the ground, then cautiously planted the 'heel' on the ground. Thanks to the support bars, she could move without putting the bulk of her weight on the prosthetic she was still coming to grips with. The female Turian slid both hands across the smooth bars, her upper body following as she leaned forward...

This was it, the point where she would lift her right leg up, and in so doing, see if she was finally able to start depending on the prosthetic...

Truthfully, the previous times she'd reached this point, her rehabilitation had faltered- along with her body- as she'd let out a hiss and unceremoniously toppled forward. Though, thankfully, that had only happened the first time. After that, she'd managed to get enough control so that her next few falls had been limited to just her knees buckling under her.

...She grunted as her right foot left the floor, briefly seeing white in her field of vision, before it finally came to rest alongside the other foot. It had required a major exertion on her part simply not to end up falling on her face. And yet, as she'd learned in previous physical therapy sessions, that any success- no matter how minute- was still a success. She'd learned to take these little victories where she could.

...o.o.o...

"Every day, for the past ten years, Loretta there's been giving me a large black coffee. Today, she gives me a large black coffee, only it has sugar in it- a lotta sugar... So, I came back to complain. Now, you boys put those guns down." Harry Callaghan instructed, the aforementioned cup still in-hand.

Garrus and Jane watched, enthralled as the scene played out.

The criminals in question responded to the command in a far less measured way than the lone Police Inspector had addressed them in. "Well, we're not just gonna let you walk out of here." He replied, the faintest hint of a smirk on his face. When the lead crook questioned him as to what he meant by 'we', Harry wordless reached inside his jacket- still holding the coffee- and calmly drew his iconic revolver. "Smith and Wesson... and me." He proclaimed, as he brandished the powerful weapon. Whether from shock, amusement, or uncertainty, the crooks shared a nervous glance and chuckle.

Harry remained deathly silent, before breaking the silence again and upping the stakes with his next declaration to the men: "Go ahead, make my day." Confronted with such a challenge, the three men all turned their guns on the Inspector, only to be gunned down effortlessly by the man!

Garrus glanced over to Jane, noting that the human woman was sporting a bright smile on her face, a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. She was currently dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of shorts, the bandages on her arms and legs having been removed and replaced with fresh ones. They both noted that the blood stains were almost nonexistent, similar to progress of her skin grafts.

The Turian reflected on the vid playing on the large screen. One of the first things he'd noted was the change in Harry's appearance... The man who played him was seven years older, and this was reflected in the character. The man's hair, once full and brown, was thinner and (mostly) gray, and the masculine lines of his face had deepened and his features become more weathered and pronounced. The Inspector had aged visibly in the years since his last on-screen outing... Yet, he was just as dangerous as he was in his first appearance, over a decade prior. The fact that he'd effortlessly taken out the robbers- without spilling any 'coffee', no less- proved this. Between his skill with a gun, his gravelly voice, and steely-eyed glare, the man was pretty damned intimidating- by any standard!

And a quick glance showed that the grinning redhead beside him on the couch was reveling in this!

"Glad to see you're enjoying this so much, Jane." Garrus commented. "You wouldn't happen to have a thing for the Inspector in these vids, now would you?" He teased.

The human woman just smirked. "Hmm, let me think... A genuine tough guy, deadly precise with a gun, piercing eyes and a deep voice." Shepard recounted with a smile. "Sure, I guess so... But what I just described... sounds like someone else I know. But who?" She asked teasingly.

. . .o.o.o. . .

A string of murders, the first in San Francisco- all with a common theme- had brought Inspector Harry Callaghan to the small community. Unlike the large developed metropolitan scenery of San Francisco, San Paul was a quiet Seaside community. Another difference from his native turf, was the the citizen's reactions to Harry- ranging from apathetic, to outright hostile.

The first killing established the modus operandi of the killer: two bullets, fired at close range- first in the groin, then the head. And yet, in spite of the brutality of the kill, a justification was given: that of a victim repaying their victimizers. And soon, a second murder- a man sitting on the San Paulo Beach- was carried out, the same way, creating a link to the first, and pulling Harry into the case again. He was just one man, and the Chief of Police was uncooperative, repeatedly trying to get rid of him.

Jane had explained that the transition from one decade to another had seen periods of great social and political upheaval. The superficial conformity of the 1950s had given way to a cultural revolution in the early 1960s- from the assassination of the US President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the country entering an unpopular war two years later, then the assassinations of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 (within two months of each other).

The people, as a whole, grew angry and divided- in the face of a war and a rising crime rate- and this was reflected in how the 1970s played out. There had been yet another significant cultural shift during the end of the 70s and the the start of the 1980s. While the first half of the century had been marked by three large-scale wars, followed by two decades of smaller conflicts amidst civil unrest. By the 1980s, many people were disillusioned and cynical, faced with a system they no longer trusted. And in spite of all their patriotic jingoism and the chest-thumping, the traditional figures of authority had lost face.

Being the 4th entry in the series of films, the story was surprisingly daring- with the case that the Harry Callaghan character was investigating taking him out of his home city, into a smaller and more isolated community, with him as the outsider. Unlike the previous three outings, the Inspector had no personal stake in the case. In fact, Harry was facing so many threats within the city, that he had been effectively sent away to allow the heat on him to let up. And yet, as was ultimately the case, trouble has a way of following the man, regardless of where he happened to be located.

And of course, if all the mayhem following him around weren't enough, the Inspector had acquired an even more powerful handgun this time around!

. . .o.o.o. . .

From the start of the film, the identity of the killer was clear- a blonde-haired woman with steely blue eyes, named Jennifer Spencer. The true mystery was her motive in all of this- why was she killing these men, and with such brutality? Gradually, a story of depravity and violence emerged as the body-count grew, and a common link between between the victims...

The first two were losers, scum, with no redeeming qualities. While the third had made something of himself in the following years. He was a successful businessman now, he was "respectable". Yet, when confronted, he'd pleaded pathetically for his life, just as the others. He begged, tried to bribe her, and ultimately made a failed grab for a gun, only to end up with a .38cal slug in his groin, and a second in his head! The local Chief of Police, a pudgy red-faced man, was apoplectic, as he tried to cope with the string of brutal murders in his small jurisdiction.

But Jennifer's work was only half-finished: Six would pay with their lives. Wilburn, Kruger, and Tyrone were dead, while three yet remained: Ray Parkins, Mick, and... The woman they'd brutalized was back, for more than just revenge. Not just to take their lives, but to 'violate' them as they had done to her. Ray was a vulgar harpy of a woman, and Mick a vicious (and likely impotent) psychopath. Ironically, Harry ended up crossing paths with Jennifer, and a chemistry formed between them.

Garrus continued to watch as the story unfolded before him. Unlike the more black-and-white morality of the previous three films, this was much more gray. The "victims" of the film, from what he'd seen of them in the past and (the then) present, were scum... In the first film, Scorpio's murders were the result of a disturbed mind. In the second film, the vigilantes genuinely believed their actions were ultimately justified. And in the third film, the criminals saw themselves as "revolutionaries". However, this time around, even Harry was having a difficult time cracking the case...

Effectively on his own, he was trudging through the dragnet of possible leads- something to link the suspects, and figure out a motive that would lead him to the killer. Unlike the previous three entries in the series, this was a revenge story at its core- with Harry caught up in the middle of it. Garrus rubbed his chin as he considered the implications of the story... To begin, some people would argue that what Jennifer was doing was justifiable, especially when considering the heinousness of what was done to her. And yet, her actions went in the face of the very idea of law...

Regardless of whatever flaws, the rule of law existed as a bulwark to protect society from falling into anarchy. And yet... The Turian wasn't sure if he wouldn't have done something along the lines of what Jennifer had done, had something similar happened to him, or Spirits forbid, to Shepard...

Garrus had lived both sides of the coin: first as the lawman, and then as the vigilante. If not for Jane's intervention, stopping him from killing Sidonis. He'd spent a year of his life looking through scope of a rifle, taking the lives of those he (and much of society) would deem "guilty". The power one felt when they held others in their cross-hairs... As he thought of the red-haired human woman he'd fallen in love with, he feared that he would go to any length- do anything for her.

If you knew there were people out there, people who had ruined your life, still alive and free, and that no one was doing anything about it... Could you, would you be willing to pick up a gun and take things into your own hands? It was a difficult question, and the film gave no clear-cut answers.

As the film's story progressed, it weaved a narrative, one in which no one involved could be viewed as being totally innocent. Perhaps one of the oddest things about this, was that Inspector Callaghan had no personal stake in the case- it was, as so many others had pointed out- outside his jurisdiction... And yet, he remained undeterred in his investigation, treating it the same as he would a crime committed within his own jurisdiction. He literally had nothing to lose by walking away from the case.

Yet while staying, he could very well lose his life at this rate...

Not that he wasn't prepared. The Inspector unveiled a new weapon- even more powerful than his iconic Smith & Wesson M-29 Revolver. Callaghan had come into the possession of an AMP Auto-Mag Model 180: an obscenely powerful semi-automatic handgun, chambered for seven-round .44cal clips!

Garrus couldn't help but admire the man's composure under pressure. He'd had more guns pointed at him in a single day then most would in a lifetime. And while Callaghan focused on Mick, Jennifer went after Ray- the disgusting woman unapologetic for her actions, right to the end. Unlike Tyrone, Ray had faced her imminent death with grim resignation and defiance, opting to swill an alcoholic beverage and cast an insult at the woman who held her life in her hand...

Unlike the first three (male) victims, the second round fired had hit Ray in the sternum (piercing her human "bosom")- as opposed to the groin, in the case of the males Shepard had remarked that such a wound was significant to mammalian females- such as humans (and Asari)- who breastfed their yound. The shot was a gender-specific attack!

Things came to a head when Mick went after Callaghan. Along with his two flunkies, he attacked and beat up the man, throwing him into the harbor (to drown), while he then went after Jennifer. However, the Inspector survived and re-armed himself with his monstrous 44 Auto Mag.

Mick was obsessed with exerting himself over Jennifer, as if to prove to himself that he was capable of such a thing, and had taken her captive. And yet, Jennifer had refused to meekly accept her fate at his hands, fighting back... Until Harry Callaghan appeared, the human's tall figure back-lit intimidatingly in the dim light, the fully-loaded Auto-Mag in his hand. He effortlessly dispatched the others, leaving only himself and Mick standing, locked in a standoff.

Callaghan seamlessly repeated his line from the start of the film, daring Mick to "make his day." And with that challenge issued, Mick took the bait- and Callaghan shot him- ending the conflict...

. . .o.o.o. . .

Later that night...

Captain Jane Shepard looked over the list of names on the data-pad. "I'm serious about this, Garrus," she began intently. "I'm ready and willing to adopt." She explained.

The two of them were seated at the large rectangular glass-topped dining table, next to the kitchen, and had finished eater not long ago. Though the human woman had wasted little time- the dishes still on the table- as she activated her omni-tool and brought up the list.

The Turian regarded her for a moment. "Are you sure about this?" He began, taking a drink from the tall narrow glass in his hand. "Jane, this would mean taking on all the responsibilities that would come with caring for a Turian child, and that means a dextro-based child." Garrus added.

The redhead nodded. "Garrus, please, I have some experience in cross-species relations..." She replied with a sly smile. "And no, before you respond, I'm not just talking about the two of us in the bedroom." Shepard went on, still smiling. "Christ, we've been together for over three years now... Plus we've been sharing the same fridge in the kitchen since we moved in together, and as is pretty obvious, neither one of us has once ever dropped dead from anaphylaxis."

Garrus seemed to relax slightly in response to her reasoning. "The way I see it," she continued, leaning back in the chair. "It's no different from me asking you to take on all the responsibilities that come with raising a human child, which- as you know- means raising a levo-based child." She replied with a calm but determined expression. "So then... what about you?"

The Turian nodded after a moment. "If you're prepared for this, Jane, then I am prepared to go through with the adoption process as well." He replied determinedly. "I have no problem with being a 'father' to a human... Because all that matters is that they're our children."

Shepard smiled. "Good, as I would have no problem being a mother to a Turian." The human woman replied gently as she went on. "I'd like to adopt a boy and a girl." She paused. "And I was thinking that maybe we could name the boy after my dad, and the girl after your mom."

. . .o.o.o. . .

"You're saying that Captain Shepard is willing to to not just take on the responsibilities of raising one of our kind, but she wishes to name the female- regardless of species- after Tosanna?"

Garrus nodded, sitting at the metal and glass-topped dining room table. The kitchen counter and the sliding glass backdoor were visible behind him. The Turian was at his portable computer, talking with his father on Palaven- via the newly deployed com-buoy systems. "Yes... provided that the male child- also, regardless of species- is named after her father: Steven."

"Jane's talked about her dad a few times. He was an Officer in the Alliance, and he likely would have gained his own command on a respectable ship in the fleet, if not for the fact that he'd become stricken with a terminal illness that ultimately took his life." Garrus recounted.

His father nodded sympathetically. "Not every soldier dies on the battlefield, or the bridge of a ship." Gaelon replied. "But it doesn't detract from everything that he accomplished."

His son nodded. "Based on what Jane's said, he seemed like a honorable man, and I got the impression that they were close." Garrus replied thoughtfully. "And, she says she inherited her red hair from him." The scarred Turian recounted. "Anyway, Dad, I think she wants the names to serve as a, um, tribute to our late lost parents- to mom, and to her father."

Gaelon Vakarian nodded. "That would make sense," the elder Turian began."It's hardly an exclusively human practice- Solana was named after her maternal grandmother, and your mother and I considered naming you after your uncle for a while." He added. "But to the point... I consider it an honor that she wants to name my future granddaughter after Tosanna."

Garrus smiled. "Jane'll love to hear that." He replied. "So anyway, Dad, how is Solana doing?"

"Considering the damage... Your sister is doing very well." His father answered. "Her natural nervous system seems to be accepting the input from the prosthesis, and she's gradually learning to walk with it. Though I'm sure she'd prefer to tell you herself, so try and act surprised when she does."

"That's great." The younger Turian replied. "And don't worry, I will."

. . .o.o.o. . .

Interestingly, there was a fifth installment in the 'Dirty Harry' film franchise, following a five year gap after the release of "Sudden Impact". This film, entitled "The Deadpool", depicted the aging Inspector investigating a string of celebrity killings- only months from retirement...

The story was strange and simple, and it was a week note for the series to end on, leaving the franchise without a proper conclusion. It wasn't until several decades later, when holographic technology became sophisticated enough to allow the creation of a computer-generated, near photo-realistic film to serve as a proper sendoff to the series. The film, "Harry Callaghan: RIP", depicted the now-retired Callaghan in the year 1993, as he ended being drawn into the gang wars in Las Angeles.

That night...

Jane and Garrus were seated on the floor of the living room, as the human and the Turian went about checking the former's still-healing injuries and changing the bandages. The discarded wrapping sported markedly less blood stains than previous instances- a sign that her skin grafts were taking.

"Now that we've settled on the names of the children," Shepard spoke as she went about wrapping her right arm with fresh bandages. "that just leaves us to work out the matter of the family name."

Garrus looked up, as he finished applying fresh bandages to her left leg. "The kids, or you?" He asked as he went on to begin wrapping up her right leg.

"Both." Jane replied simply, as she began wrapping her left arm. "I mean, I'll be registered with both the Alliance and the Hierarchy..." She paused. "The way I see it, it makes the most sense for me to keep using my family name professionally, as a Captain." The woman went on. "But since I am marrying in to your family, I can be 'Jane Vakarian' in our private lives."

The Turian didn't respond right away, silently rolling over the idea of her with his family name in his head a few times. "Jane... taking on my family's name, you'd be recognized in the archives of Palavan as as a member of the Vakarian, and my mate." He explained, his tone slightly emotional.

Shepard smiled at him. "I told you I was in this for the long haul, didn't I?" The redhead countered as she finished wrapping up her arm. "I'd like nothing more than for us to be formally married, or bonded, or whatever you wanna call it." She replied. "Shepard is about to retire. I'm ready to just be Jane now, and I want be more than just a soldier... like a wife and a mother?"

Garrus smiled. "You are amazing, Jane." He replied, leaning in the kiss her. "I couldn't imagine a more perfect person to share my life with than you." The Turian added.

"It's the same for me." She replied, resting her forehead against his. "All these years... You, Garrus, you were person that I was waiting for, to make my life complete."

(- End of Chapter 08 -)

This chapter turned out to be a lot of fun, very fluffy and lots of character building. The lighter tone of this story has allowed me to explore the more fun side of Shakarian, and how cute they are together.

Anyway, the next chapter will be the setup for the Palaven arc, which I'm looking forward to.