Shepard chuckled. "Overdid it, huh?"
"I should be asking you that," he mumbled.
"Can't say I won't be sore later," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "Really sore, but it was totally worth it."
"Glad to see that you-" Garrus cleared his throat, suddenly bashful. "Enjoyed yourself."
Grinning, Shepard replied, "It was like reuniting with an old friend."
"I sincerely hope not."
"You know what I mean." Her smile softened as she regarded him with a gentle stare. "I missed this."
"Me too." He flared his mandible against her cheek. "At least now I can stop fantasizing about the damn kelp in your fish tank."
"What?"
"Coffee?"
She spared him a dubious look before the corner of her mouth tugged into a smirk. "Actually, if it's all the same to you, I think some rest is in order. Maybe try out that whole 'sleeping in' thing? I've heard it's great." Right. Technically, they were still in the early morning cycle and after the night he had, the thought of curling up around Shepard, warm in their bed, was alluring to say the least. Shepard fixed him with a sideways look. "Or we could go to the med-bay. Don't think I forgot that blow to the head you took."
"So quick to explain to the good doctor how you got these bruises, huh?" He ran his hands along her thighs, over them.
"Fine. We'll get some rest and then go after. Together?"
Garrus grinned, picturing the two of them fumbling over an explanation for the resurgence of Shepard's soreness to Chakwas. At least he wouldn't be alone in the task. "Together."
Leaving the comm-chamber was an experience as awkward as Garrus feared. After they got dressed and he helped Shepard back to her chair -regretting every wince she tried to hide along the way- they unlocked the door to a room full of techs staring holes into their screens while suspiciously trying to control their breathing. Surely, their exhilarating jobs of calculating algorithms was what left them winded. They definitely didn't just sprint back to their chairs after having heard their impending reappearance because they had their ear pressed to the door. Hennessy always sat in the south-east chair and didn't just take the seat because it was the closest one he could reach before the door opened. And, most certainly, his computer had just gone to sleep and he hasn't been staring at a blank terminal the whole time.
'It's only as awkward as you make it.' That was the phrase, wasn't it? It was a terrible one and it certainly fell firmly under the category of 'easier said than done.'
Dutifully, he pushed on with Shepard across the room, feeling every set of eyes that covertly peeled off a screen to watch them leave. Then it was a quick traipse through the CIC, followed by a long elevator ride to the cabin wherein they stripped themselves of their clothes. Garrus had to help Shepard, a chore he never minded, before they found themselves together under the expensive sheets that she insisted upon. It was one of the few things, besides the fish and the rodent, she splurged on.
Of course it was after he'd gotten settled under the sheets that Garrus remembered that he still hadn't made it to the shower yet. He excused himself with his approximation of a kiss to her brow before he extricated himself from the bed and moved across the room to the shower. Fortunately, most of the blood had not seeped in beyond the thick layer of his underarmor, leaving the plate and hide beneath it mercifully untouched and clean so the shower was a short one.
When he returned to the bed, Shepard was already asleep, though she stirred and sidled up beside him when he slipped back under the sheets. Once he had resettled, sleep claimed him quicker than Garrus would have thought as he drifted off to the soothing sensation of Shepard's fingers stroking lazily along his scarred maxilla.
Later, when he woke again to the feeling of Shepard pressed snugly against him, he had to carefully disentangle her hair from his mandible. He tried to do it in a way that wouldn't wake the sleeping human, but his attempt proved unsuccessful as he felt her stir. She looked up at him with that sleepy smile on her face that made his heart skip so, naturally, he deferred to humor as a deflection.
"You see this, Shepard?" He spoke with a teasing lilt, using both his hands to vaguely gesture at both their bodies. More specifically, the edge of the bed she had him balanced on. "You see this tiny, little, sliver of bed? This is where Garrus can sleep." He then waved a hand to the vast expanse of bed Shepard had vacated, ignoring the way her sleepy smile was broadening into a thoroughly amused one. "All that over there is where-"
"Shepard gets to sleep?" She cut in. "Shall I move over there?"
Garrus answered by pulling her close. "Now, I didn't say that. But..."
"But you'd like us both to scoot over?"
"Please."
Once they had resettled in the middle of the bed, Garrus drew his talons through her hair. Together, they stared at the blue glow of the fish tank in a sweet, companionable silence only filled by the sound of the tank's rumbling water filter.
"Is this what retirement feels like?" Shepard asked eventually, breaking the quiet. It was a question asked lightly, but there was a sobering effect to it that made Garrus frown. Shepard caught it before he could cover it up. "Hey, it's all right. I didn't mean it like that."
He waved her off. "I know. I wouldn't mind retiring now, but..."
Shepard picked up where he trailed off. "The galaxy isn't ready for us to retire."
"Well, when you say it like that-"
"It's true though. Especially now with the Leviathans. Maybe Victus doesn't know it yet, but he's going to need you."
"Us," he corrected. "He's going to need us because he's not getting one without the other."
"Us, then," she amended with a smile. "I guess, in a way, it's its own kind of retirement. At least it's a lifestyle devoid of Reapers, right?"
That was something he hadn't considered. His entire relationship with Shepard began and revolved around giant, mechanical insects that crawled from the depths of dark space. Now they had to contend with their creators. So, in a way, they were still rotating around that catalyst, tangled in the chain of events that proceeded it. For a short while, Garrus had thought themselves free. He would work as a Spectre and do his part in helping the newly-formed Council rebuild the galaxy. Then, when Shepard was ready, she would join him. They'd be a team again for a few years and then settle down together for the rest of life's challenges.
Maybe that was too much to hope for.
Garrus pulled her close to him.
Shepard seemed to be on a roll for cheery topics. "So..." He immediately disliked the sound of that 'so.' On the surface it was light, even conversational sounding, but Garrus knew better. "What did you say to your ex when you left? You let her down gently, I hope." And, of course, he was too late to stop the guilty pinch of his mandibles. Shepard, as always, zeroed right in on it, frowning. "You did say something, right? Oh, Garrus. You didn't..."
"I... was a little distracted at the time." He didn't need Shepard's wide-eyed stare to inform him of how lame that sounded. "And have been since."
"Since?" She exclaimed. "Are you telling me you haven't said anything at all to her? Please tell me this is one of those interspecies awkwardness things."
It wasn't.
"It's not." He looked away, guiltily.
"Huh."
"What?"
"I just never thought I'd find myself playing the role of 'the other woman.'" Other woman. That implied a certain 'second rate' mentality that Garrus didn't like. Especially when it was applied to Shepard. He was about to tell her as such when she cut him off. "It's not too late."
"What do you want me to say, Shepard?" The question was edged with a sharpness he hadn't intended. Still, he went on. "'Sorry I left you for another woman. Can we still be friends?'"
"She had to know who you were, right? Our relationship wasn't exactly a secret."
"She... She knew about you."
"Then, don't you think she'd understand, now that she probably knows I'm alive? At least she'll have a little closure."
Point him at a target, he'd kill it. Set him up to the right of the Primarch, he'd offer sound strategical advice. Navigate relational waters with all the people and feelings shaded in gray, well, that was something he had never quite mastered. He was learning, he'd argue, but he was still very much a student in the field. Shepard was the charismatic one.
"It's that simple, huh?"
"It's up to you, Garrus. But if I was this girl-" She laid a hand against his scarred mandible. "-And this handsome face up and left me one day, I'd sure like to know why."
It took him a day or so to work up the courage and, even when he had, he still felt more nervous than he did on his first mission as a Spectre. And he ended up having to work it up again when she didn't answer and so he tried again, a couple days later, when they were next near a comm-buoy. Again, his call went ignored. It was on the fifth try, weeks after the conversation with Shepard, that she finally took his call.
Any comfort he had garnered in the hope that she would likely ignore him again vanished at the sight of her face. She looked well, all chrome plates and bright, hazel eyes, but his was definitely not a face she was pleased to see.
"Uh... Hey, Cybele. How've you been?" Nailed it.
She said nothing.
Feeling the heat rise at the back of his neck, Garrus laid a hand there as if to cool the stress that was building. "You look... good?" Damn it. That wasn't supposed to be a question.
The words seemed to weigh down on her when she slowly asked, "What do you want, Garrus?"
Garrus' mandibles pinched against his jaw and he glanced down at his hands atop his desk while he searched for words. "To apologize, I guess."
"You guess?"
"No! Yes. Look. I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. Without even-"
"A goodbye?" The comm did nothing to hide the sad thrum of her sub-vocals and his trilled a second apology in reply.
"I wasn't thinking," he began. "When I got the message that Shepard was alive and that I needed to go to Earth I didn't stop. I didn't hesitate. I didn't... Think. I just went."
"And since then? It's been months, Garrus."
"I know." He made a helpless gesture with his hands. "I don't have an excuse for that. I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. 'Can we still be friends' almost came out, but he caught it. It sounded too rehearsed.
Cybele was quiet for a moment while her eyes searched his face. Perhaps looking for any tell of insincerity. "I liked you. A lot. I didn't even know you had gone anywhere until I didn't hear from you for a few days. Then I saw the news and it all made sense. No wonder you left. What's a girl to do when she has to compare to Commander Shepard?" He winced at that, and also at the painful flare of her mandibles, though she tried to hide the action with a cough. A part of him was tempted to end the call then and there. But then, true to character, Cybele took pity on him as she had several times throughout the course of their short relationship. He remembered that she was somewhat protective over him when they were together, of both his feelings, his ego, and his actual person when reporters would come snooping around. "You're a nice guy, Garrus Vakarian. And as much as you hurt me, I know it wasn't your intention." Her mandible fluttered into a cautious smile. "I appreciate that you called."
The unsaid 'finally' rang thickly in the air, but Garrus ignored it.
"And I appreciate you taking it. You-" Garrus was cut off by a sudden noise in the background. A loud sigh of relief reverberated from somewhere behind Cybele in the location Garrus knew was the entrance to her apartment. It was muffled only slightly by the sound of rustling plastic.
"Spirits, it's good to be home." It was another male turian, by the sound of it. A pile of plastic bags, stamped with the logo of an overpriced grocery chain that claimed to be healthier than all its competitors, came walking in on a pair of heavily muscled turian legs. Sina, Cybele's overprotective varren that, for some reason, never quite liked Garrus got up from her revealed spot beside her mistress' chair and went bounding happily over to the walking pile of grocery bags. "Down, girl. I'm happy to see you too." The other turian disappeared behind the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen, cautiously stepping around the excited varren as he went.
Cybele had turned around in her chair to watch the other turian enter. When she turned back to Garrus and saw the curiosity in his eyes, she provided, "Veselin-"
"Yeah, babe?" The other turian called cheerily from the kitchen, having heard his name. 'Babe.' That was a term typically used by humans. Clearly, this turian has spent a bit of time off Palaven.
"I'm talking to a friend!" She called back. "I'm telling him about you!"
"Oh. Good things, I hope!"
"So far I've just gotten your name in!"
"Sounds like you're off to a good start then!" The sound of plastic jugs meeting a marble surface, then, "Protein shake?"
"No, I'm good!"
"Is that a chocolate no or a vanilla no?"
A bright grin spanned the width of Cybele's flared mandibles before she replied, "A chocolate no!"
"Gotcha!"
Cybele turned back to Garrus as the sound of a blender buzzed in the background. "We met at the park... four months ago?"
"And he's... good to you?" Garrus asked tentatively, knowing just how hypocritical the question sounded coming from a guy who had up and left her out of the blue.
Surely, Cybele would have noticed, but she was never one to viciously point out someone's flaws. She gave Garrus a gentle smile and said, "He is. And Sina likes him." She added the last part as if the approval of her varren was the ultimate test one needed to pass if they wanted to be Cybele's boyfriend. Maybe the beast knew that Garrus' heart wasn't with her mistress and that he would likely break hers in turn. Turns out, the varren was right about him. Garrus found himself privately hoping she was correct about Veselin as well.
"That's good. And you like him?"
As if to answer her question, a ball went flying from the kitchen with a gray streak zipping out after it. Any lingering coldness in her eyes warmed when she said, "Yeah. I do."
By that point, Sina had returned the ball to the kitchen and the other male- Veselin, called out. "I still have to get my cardio in today. Mind if I take Sina for a run?"
"Sure!" Cybele called back. "She'd love that."
Then a pair of bright, golden eyes set in a tawny face with tan plates peered around the kitchen wall. He had white tattoos lining the lower half of his face as well as his forehead. He was handsome, Garrus would give him. Maybe too handsome. Unabashedly, he gave Cybele a heated look from across the room. "Would the lady like to join?"
"She would!" Cybele responded, modestly trying to hide the answering purr in her subvocals. "Let me say goodbye."
"Awesome!" The other turian exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "I'll put your shake in the fridge." He disappeared behind the wall again.
"Good," Garrus continued. "You deserve it."
"So do you," Cybele replied, almost earnestly. "I really do appreciate you calling me. I'm... relieved to see you looking so well."
'Compared to how you saw me before,' he privately thought.
"Staying safe?" She added. By now, news of his Spectre status was no longer a secret, especially after his introduction in that crowd of reporters as he carried the recovered Commander Shepard back to the Normandy.
"About as well as can be expected," he admitted.
"Coming from Garrus Vakarian himself, I'll take that-"
Sina went bounding to the door with Veselin at her heels, leash in hand. "Hold on, girl!"
Watching Veselin snap the leash on the varren, whose excitement could barely be contained, Garrus thought it was best to end the call now, to allow Cybele to return to the happy life he'd walked away from. It could have been him going for a run with her, settling down with her, nipping at the iridescent colors on her facial plates provided by the sunlight that shone through her bedroom window in the mornings. It could have been him that she'd eventually have biological children with, raising them together safely on the surface of their homeworld.
Quickly, Garrus scanned his surroundings, taking in the cabin around him. Blue light from the fish tank bathed all that Garrus held dear in a neon luminescent while the comforting white noise of the water filter hummed soothingly around him. Shepard was currently in the med-bay undergoing another bought of physical therapy, but the sheets on the bed were still ruffled by their recent -and increasingly more fervent- lovemaking. He would have had to disentangle her hair from his mandibles when he woke up. The smell of sex hung in the air, mixed with the scent of gun oil from the nearby workbench. Upon the surface lay their Widows, side by side not unlike their owners did just a few feet away. Beside him was a stack of datapads, the contents of which more tedious than the last. Behind him was where they danced, her feet on his toes while he maneuvered them in slow circles right after informing her of his father's approval.
All that he cared about, all that meant most to him and made him him was just one hull breach away from disappearing. It certainly wasn't a perfect existence, but Garrus wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'll let you go," he told his ex. "Take care, Cyb."
"You too, Garrus. Good bye."
Later, when Shepard returned sweaty and frustrated from her session with Chakwas, Garrus would take her hand and guide her to the shower. There, he would drop to his knees and show his mate just what she meant to him.
Next stop was Rannoch.
The Normandy was about a day out from the planet, but they were well within the newly-repaired comm-buoy's range. Garrus knew that he should take the opportunity to check in with the Council, to at least let them know the location of one of their Spectres. But as he sat down at his desk and opened up his terminal, he found himself mildly surprised that it was his father's contact he searched for.
Spirits, when was the last time they had even spoken?
A sense of urgency began to worm its way into his thoughts, tightening the muscles in his arms and neck. Memories of Victus, with his mandibles pinched against his face as he sought his glass to drink the tension from his body, came unbidden to his mind. Most nights he controlled himself, but there were times when Garrus had to help him home, though he doubted if he remembered.
'That was Victus,' he told himself. 'Not dad.'
Several more seconds passed.
'Dad isn't alone with this job like he was. He has a support system in Solana.' Victus only had him, for all the good it did him.
Another five seconds went by and Garrus realized the futility of trying to convince himself of the safety of his father's mental well-being. He was the Primarch of Palaven- a job Garrus knew that his father wanted as little as he did. Sure, Adrien had to rebuild where his father need only pick up where he left off, but surely that wouldn't make his position any less stressful. It didn't reduce the sheer amount of people that depended on him to make the correct decisions. It certainly wouldn't leave him with fewer enemies to worry about.
Garrus tried to ignore the passage of time by listening to the breaths Shepard took as she slept in their bed nearby. It was late, and thanks to his- er... help, she had found sleep fairly easily tonight. As tempted as he was to join her -especially after she returned the favor- he knew he had a call to place. Thankfully, the person he ended up calling was in the middle of the day in his time zone.
Three minutes and twenty seconds of waiting was right around the time Garrus was trying to stave off mental images of his father lying dead in a pool of his own blood after a successful assassination- a sniper, no doubt. Wouldn't that be fitting?
Castis Vakarian's face flickered onto his screen.
"Dad." Garrus just managed to swallow the relieved sigh that threatened to leave him.
"Garrus, sorry. I was just in a meeting."
"If it's a bad time-"
"No!" The ferocity of his quick objection seemed to surprise even Castis himself. Clearing his throat, he said, "No. We were just finishing. How are you? You look well." For a split second, Garrus was ten years old talking with his father through vid-comm with solar systems between them. They were both older now, true, but Garrus wanted to know how his father's work was going and Castis was tense with stress and fatigue, but there was a light in his eye as he looked upon his child. The only difference was, back then, Garrus didn't see that light for what it was. He had interpreted it as a strict father wanting to know all the ways his son could have disappointed him while he was gone. It's only now that he recognized it as the same light he had seen in Victus' eyes on more than one occasion when he spoke fondly of Tarquin.
It was never disappointment.
Garrus ran a quick hand along the length of his fringe and, fighting through a sudden tightness in his throat, he replied, "Wish I could say the same. You look like hell."
A weary smile. "I feel it."
"Dad..."
"I'm all right, Garrus," he assured him. "I'm no stranger to stress. You know that. I take things one day at a time. Spirits know Solana won't let me forget." Garrus opened his mouth to argue further, but he was silenced by a raised hand. "Everything's fine. I'm more interested in hearing what you've been up to."
That was a tricky question. As a Spectre, he served the Council now. Not the Hierarchy. Every one of his missions were considered classified even to a Primarch, but that wasn't what stopped him from discussing with his father just what he'd encountered in the mine. Garrus still pictured Bernard's dead face, a mark of his failure to save an innocent person that depended on him. And as much as he'd relish some fatherly advice of which, on reflection, he should have sought more of in the past, their line was not a secure one, though he need not explain that fact to his father.
Instead, he talked about his crew, which lead to a vague discussion of his leadership and stepping into Shepard's role. That, inevitably, led to the topic of Shepard herself. Speaking of which, her slow, even breathing had gone silent. She was awake then.
To his father's credit and to Garrus' mild surprise, Castis remained conversational, even interested in what Garrus had to say despite his views on his new career.
"For as much as I've heard about this Commander Shepard, why is it I've yet to meet her?" Castis reclined in his chair and gave his son a sharp look.
Garrus looked down at his hands, feeling Shepard's eyes upon him from across the room, through the opaque glass adorned with her model ships. She kept her turian frigate displayed just above the centerpiece, the Normandy SR-2, as if the cheap plastic somehow preferred the close proximity of the other. Before answering, he looked up between the Normandy SSV and The Destiny Ascension and caught her eyes as she sat up in bed.
Looking back down at the screen, Garrus explained, "She was in bad shape when they found her, Dad. For once the news isn't exaggerating too much about her in that regard- surprising, I know. It's been a long recovery." It wasn't exactly a lie. While it was true that Shepard's health had left her with even less of an interest in social affairs these days, there was the little factor of Garrus wanting to avoid his shunned ex back on Palaven that played a small part in deterring his return, though that wasn't something he was about to admit out loud. On top of that, he was just plain busy with his new career path. "She's getting stronger every day though. I think we can make a stop at Palaven soon. I know she'd like to meet you too."
Garrus glanced over at the human in question just in time to catch the smile that appeared on her face.
"Then bring her over to the screen." Her smile was obliterated in the wake of those words. She shot him a reproachful look and was already shaking her head when his father went on, "I know she's nearby."
Shepard mouthed something at him, too quietly for his translator to pick up. If he had to guess, he'd say it was the word, 'no.' Maybe even, 'I can't.' It was almost enough to make Garrus consider lying on her behalf, to say she was sleeping, but that would only look worse, wouldn't it? Clearly, his father knew she was nearby and there was no use lying to Castis Vakarian.
"She needs a little help walking. Give me a minute?"
"Of course."
As Garrus stood from his chair and crossed the room to their bed, Shepard had become more animated in her refusal. She was shaking her head harder and only gave voice to her concerns when he kneeled down before her.
"No. Please, Garrus. Not now," she pleaded, her voice hushed and eyes wide in concern.
"Why not?" He asked quietly.
"Look at me." Shepard gestured to herself as if the answer was obvious. "I only get one chance at a good first impression. I don't want meet him like... like this."
"Why not?" He repeated the question gently. "He's only going to see what I see." He reached a hand up to cup the side of her face, pausing long enough to give her the option of moving away. When she didn't, his palm found her cheek, the length of his hand lining the side of her head. "A person that was willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the galaxy. A survivor that's striving to overcome the cost of that decision. Yeah, you're crazy and he's going to see that too." Garrus paused to lean in and press his mouth against her brow, not missing the way she sucked in a breath as he did so. The flexible plates around his mouth brushed against her forehead when he rumbled, "But he's also going to see the woman his son chose as his life partner." Garrus drew away to take in her face, catching the way her eyes had scrunched before she released the tension on the muscles there and looked at him. "Will you please come meet him?"
For a moment, she held his stare and in her eyes he could see every indecision, every worst case scenario, play across their depths. Shepard never had a family so the thought of meeting his, of being accepted by his, must be the most daunting thing she's had to experience since she was pulled from the wreckage of the Citadel.
"What if he doesn't like me?" She gave voice to the fears he knew were swimming in that head of hers.
"Trust me." Garrus reached for her hands with both of his. "He will."
Shepard looked away from him to cast her gaze across the room at the terminal that sat glowing on the desk. She was quiet for several heartbeats before she drew in a deep breath to steel herself, eyes never leaving the terminal, before she relented. "Okay. Help me up?"
Garrus grinned and released the breath he didn't know he was holding before he went to work, gently pulling her from the bed and supported her weight while she found her feet. As they began their slow march across the room, his heart began to race with anticipation. He was about to introduce his girlfriend to his father, something he had never done before. Sol had met Cybele a couple times, but that was only because she happened to show up at his apartment while she was there. Any relationship he managed to secure for himself was either too fleeting or his father was simply away at work at the time.
When they made it to the steps, Garrus was pleased to see Shepard tackle them, for the most part, on her own. She kept a hand on his shoulder for some support and he kept his arm hovering, without touching, around her waist just in case she tripped, but she didn't. At the top of the steps, a smile threatened to tug at her mouth for the seemingly mundane achievement. If Garrus had to guess, he'd say it was the confidence boost she needed in order to face down her latest threat- The future in-law.
With the screen and, by proxy, his father still facing away, Shepard took a second to smooth her hair with her hands and run her index fingers along the underside of her eyes. 'Gotta check for eyeliner runoff,' she had explained to him once. When she looked up at him one last time, a question in her eyes, he tried and failed to hide the witless grin from his face. It wasn't that he was taking any enjoyment out of her nervousness. It was that his stupid heart was thundering in his chest at how much she cared.
It would seem that Shepard was as happy with her appearance as she was going to be. After Garrus flashed what he hoped came across as an encouraging smile, she rounded the corner and sat down in the chair.
"Ah. Commander," Castis Vakarian greeted, his mandible flared in amusement. "We meet at last."
Garrus covertly glared at his father from over Shepard's head. She was already nervous enough and Garrus knew, for a fact, that former Detective Vakarian would have easily picked up on it. Not that he was an expert, but even Garrus knew that now wasn't the time for formalities, even in jest. If his father noticed the withering look being directed at his head, he didn't acknowledge it as he had eyes only for Shepard.
Said human was stiff as a board in her seat. Her hands were clenched beside her thighs as she tersely replied, "Yes, sir. It's good to meet you finally. I've heard so much."
Spirits, she really was scared. A woman who faced down a Reaper on foot was truly terrified about making a good first impression to his father. He could almost see the gears turning behind her eyes, going through every strict Alliance protocol so that she could come off as professional as possible. He had to wonder how close she was to snapping off a damn salute.
He laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping she could take some comfort in the touch. "Only good things, Dad," he chimed.
"I'm sure." Oddly, something about his father's sarcastic remark made Shepard's shoulder drop slightly beneath his touch. Relaxed.
Her reaction was explained when she commented, "Sarcasm." She then looked up at Garrus and flashed a smile, her flat teeth aglow in the terminal's light. "Like father, like son."
Apparently the way to Commander Shepard's heart was with a dry sense of a humor and a grim sense of self-awareness. No wonder she attached herself to a guy like him.
A dual-toned chuckle emitted from the computer. When Garrus and Shepard turned toward the noise, they were met with softened eyes. It would seem that Castis Vakarian's little game -or maybe a test?- was over. It was the warmth that Garrus heard in his tone when he next spoke that told him that, like so many before him, Commander Shepard had won him over with just a few little words.
"He had to get it from somewhere, didn't he?"
"The voice too," she confirmed, relaxing a little more in her seat to lean closer to the screen. "You look so similar."
"I hope that's a compliment," Castis quipped. "Because this is the face you have to look forward to in another decade or two."
Acceptance. A welcomed future. That's what that meant and, by the glow of Shepard's grin, she interpreted it that way too.
"It was," she confirmed, nodding. Unclenching her fists, Shepard smoothed the tension from her hands along the tops of her bare thighs. She was wearing the soft, silk shorts he liked. They felt amazing against his mandibles when he'd rest the side of his face on her hips right before hooking his talons in the hem and -'Focus, Garrus.' Shepard continued with, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous."
"A little?" His father sallied, making Garrus want to reach through the screen and slap him. At least, that was his initial thought before Shepard huffed a laugh, clearly unaffected by the comment.
"Okay, yeah. You got me." Then the floodgate opened. "I'm very nervous. I know how you feel about Spectres and the fact that Garrus is one now probably doesn't win me any points and we're only meeting now even though we've been together for a while and I know I'm probably not exactly what you'd want for your son, which I completely understand, but-"
"My dear." Castis swooped in to cut off the flood of her words before any more could spill from her mouth. He wielded a tone far gentler than even Garrus would have expected. "You have nothing to worry about from me. I understand that I have you to thank, on more than one occasion-" Castis' eyes flickered to the scarred side of Garrus' face. "-For allowing me to see my son alive again." Garrus watched as Shepard drew in a deep breath and he almost missed the sight of her eyes moistening before her tears were stubbornly blinked away. "True, this isn't exactly what I pictured for Garrus, but-" Castis rushed to cut Garrus off before he could interject. "I can't say that I'm disappointed either. It truly is an honor to meet you, Commander."
"Shepard is fine," she told him, obviously reining in her elation and relief at his father's acceptance.
"Then you can call me Castis. I'll have none of that 'sir' nonsense. Not from family." Garrus wasn't sure how much his father knew of Shepard's past. He likely had a fair understanding from her public records, as most of the population did, but he had to wonder if he knew just how much of an impact that word, 'family,' had on Shepard. To her credit, she soldiered through the wave of emotion he knew had hit her at the usage of it, but she definitely beamed a little wider.
"Yes, si- Castis. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm not too good at this."
"Trust me." Castis shot a pointed look at Garrus. "I'm used to it." Returning his gaze to Shepard, he went on. "It's late where you are, so I'll let you go. It was wonderful finally meeting you, Shepard. I hope we can meet in person soon. Some of Garrus' fledgling pictures survived the war. If you're interested, I'd like to share them with you."
That horrific thought caused Garrus to groan, but Shepard ignored him. "I'd love that."
"Wait a minute," Garrus tried to protest.
"Garrus," his father wheeled on him, uncaring of his discomfort. "You'll give her my contact info, won't you?"
"I..." 'Not now I won't,' he wanted to scream, but seeing the joy on Shepard's face stifled his argument, a fact that would certainly not escape his father. Through gritted teeth, he answered, "Sure."
"Excellent. Take care, you two. Good night."
"Good night!" Shepard answered way too enthusiastically. How could this conversation have gone so wrong?
"'Night, Dad," Garrus managed before he flickered from view.
Later, as Garrus lay still in bed, trying to find sleep despite his anxiety of what his girlfriend would think when she saw those pictures, Shepard's voice shattered his efforts when she suddenly gasped. Garrus rocketed up and turned to find her smiling at her omni-tool, which could only mean one thing.
"Is that you under all that fluff? You were so cute!"
He had sent the pictures already.
Besides the essential radio chatter with the docking station, Joker was uncharacteristically silent as he brought the Normandy down through Rannoch's atmosphere. Considering all the giant ships from the Flotilla that were unable to ground, the quarians had set up quite the efficient docking station for smaller shuttles that ferried people from land to space.
They could have made use of the Kodiak, which would have saved their pilot a big headache in bringing their giant frigate smoothly into atmo, but the Normandy was capable of planetside landings even if it wasn't necessarily optimal. Besides, taking a Kodiak would have meant leaving Joker behind with the ship, which Garrus knew wasn't an option. Not for this trip.
Garrus stood behind Joker's seat, watching the grounding stations grow larger and larger through the viewport of the cockpit. EDI's chip sat idle beside the human within the safety of a recently, and rather thoroughly, cleaned out cup holder. Every now and again Joker would steal a quick glance down to it.
Spirits , for Joker's sake Garrus sincerely hoped this wasn't a waste of time. He was beginning to question his choice for even bringing the knowledge of it to his helmsman in the first place when a familiar voice rang out over the comm.
"Normandy, this is Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."
"Tali?" Garrus grinned. "It's Garrus."
"Garrus?" He could hear the smirk in her voice. "I'm pretty sure it's Spectre Vakarian now?"
"Only to my bosses and to those that need killing."
"I wasn't made aware of my promotion to 'boss,'" was her playful reply.
"No? I'm sure I sent the memo last week. Zaal'Koris stepped down as Quarian Councilor and put you in charge."
"Keelah, don't say that. Not even as a joke, Garrus ."
"It's good to hear your voice too."
Joker had no choice but to bring the Normandy down on a large, graded piece of hard-packed ground as she was too big for any of the docking bays they had available yet. Shepard wanted to walk using her cane, but ultimately decided that her chair was still her best option for traversing the uneven terrain of Rannoch's construction sites, of which were numerous and unavoidable. Together, they met with Miranda and Joker in the shuttle bay. Though she had little to do with EDI's creation, the ex-Cerberus operative still held invaluable knowledge that Garrus hoped would make this process go as smooth as possible. By the nervous look on Joker's face, he undoubtedly felt the same way. He kept furtively dipping a hand inside the pocket of his khaki shorts, constantly affirming to himself the contents of it.
When the cargo ramp lowered, they spotted Tali waiting for them outside. She was leaning up against the side of a large land cruiser, purple-clad arms folded across her chest, looking all the world like someone who was extremely proud of their new ride. Even if that ride was an over-sized, durasteel land rover that has definitely seen better days. It was a large gray thing that must have been white at one time, but years of traversing harsh environments had stripped the paint unevenly to reveal the armor beneath it. Undoubtedly a vehicle that had found a new home with its quarian mistress after many owners before it. Clearly, obtaining used land rovers, instead of ships, was becoming a top priority for the colonizing quarians.
Shepard had rolled herself about halfway down the ramp, when Tali pushed herself away from the metal monstrosity and rushed to embrace the human. From there it was a thirty minute ride over rocky terrain to the nearest geth facility. Tali's land cruiser was outfitted with three cloth bench seats, altogether capable of shuttling nine people in the vehicle. The seats looked fairly unused with dust dulling the gray -or were they blue?- color. When Tali wasn't looking, Garrus gave his spot an experimental pat and watched the resultant particles fly into the air. Lovely. He deduced that they were probably sitting in storage somewhere and only recently installed, likely removed previously for the sake of space to haul building material.
Thankfully, with only five of them in the cruiser, there was plenty of room to stretch out. Tali was at the wheel, which Garrus was silently grateful for, not that he'd say so in front of Shepard. The aforementioned human had called 'shotgun' -A phrase he had learned during the SR-1 days- before anyone else could claim the front passenger seat. Garrus took the spot directly behind Shepard with Miranda sharing the bench with him, though the seat in the middle remained empty. In the back, directly behind him and with the bench all to himself, Joker sat quietly.
Garrus wondered if it was intentional so that it would be harder for him to turn around and look at him. Every now and again, at the edge of his peripheral vision while Garrus had his head turned to look out the window, he'd catch movement from Joker. It was hard to tell, but Garrus strongly suspected that he was checking to make sure his precious cargo was still safely aboard in his pocket.
"Vas Normandy, huh?" Shepard must have picked up on the heavy silence because she made use of her 'icebreaker tone.' "Thought you would have changed it to 'vas Rannoch' by now."
Tali groaned.
"Did I say something wrong?"
The quarian shook her hooded head. "No. Sorry. You might be surprised to learn that the choice of keeping 'vas' and 'nar' is a bit of a controversial one these days."
"Nope. Not surprised at all," Shepard replied without missing a beat.
Neither was Garrus. He was there to witness the court proceedings of the quarians during Tali's so-called 'trial.' It would seem that some things truly never changed. After seeing that kind of chaos and strife, he developed a private appreciation for the admittedly flawed, yet still incredibly efficient, Hierarchy. The Advisory had a voice, of course, but any and all arguments could and would be swiftly silenced by the Primarch's final say.
"Well," she began after taking a vented breath. "Some of us believe that it would be in everyone's best interest to put our past completely behind us because it alludes to our bygone conflicts with the geth. They say that if we want to coexist, we should cast aside all that reminds us of why we were at war in the first place. The pilgrimage, our names, our suits; it's all because of our war with them- and where did this bosh'tet learn to drive?!" Tali gestured angrily at the red-suited quarian that was driving apparently too slow for her liking.
Garrus leaned forward to glance at the dash in front of their driver, reading 145 kph.
"Seriously!" Shepard avidly agreed, glaring at the other quarian while they zoomed past. It was only then that he realized his horrible mistake and remembered just who had taught Tali to drive. Suddenly, he wasn't so grateful for the seating arrangements.
"On the other hand," Tali went on after an affronted scoff once the slow-driving wrongdoer became a dot in her mirror. "Some believe that even with the geth's help with our immune systems, they want to continue wearing the suits even after we won't need to. 'It's too ingrained in our culture to just drop now.'" An impersonation. Likely of Tali's aunt, if Garrus had to guess. Aunt Raan, was it? Turning her still-masked face to them briefly, she quickly added, "Obviously, we're not at that point yet. But there is the idea of keeping their ship names to pass on to future generations. A reminder of the ship their ancestor used to return to the homeworld. Technically, the Normandy was mine."
"So you agree on keeping your customs," Shepard observed.
Tali's mask turned down to her hands, making Garrus feel the itch to remind her that she was still careening down a dirt road at a lethal speed. "I'm... not sure. I see the argument on both sides. Keelah , I know I won't miss this damn suit, but... I'm not ready to give up the Normandy. "
Garrus could sympathize. "Neither was I," he affirmed. Both he and Tali turned their heads to look at Shepard, whom sat red-faced in her seat before bashfully waving them off.
Even Miranda wasn't immune to the sentiment, though she wasn't quite as outward about it. Still, Garrus didn't miss the private smile she spared before her face turned away to take in the rolling scenery outside her window. Joker, however, was still silent. Sneaking a glance, Garrus spotted him staring intently down at his pocket. Of course, 'giving up the Normandy ' held a vastly different implication to him.
When they - safely - arrived at the facility, Garrus helped Shepard into her chair and was about to leave the vehicle when he found himself pinned in place by the stern gaze she was leveling up at him.
"Forgetting something, Vakarian?" She asked, quirking a reddish-blonde eyebrow.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She held out a pale hand expectantly. "Hand it over."
Damn it. Sometimes having an infiltrator girlfriend came with some drawbacks. For one, few things escaped Shepard's notice. And he thought he was being careful too. Earlier, Tali had requested over the comm link, while they were descending through the atmosphere, to leave all weapons behind. "The Admiralty has agreed that when we go to their facilities, we do so without weapons as a show of good faith," she explained to them.
Even Shepard was initially leery at the suggestion, which made Garrus even more skittish. But she had consented all the same. "For all the blood we've spilled fighting them, Garrus, the quarians have lost a lot more," she had reasoned while in the cargo hold. "I don't like it any more than you do, but if they can put their guns down here, so can we."
'Spectre Authority' may cut through ribbons upon ribbons of red tape, but Garrus was quickly learning that it only got so far when talking to another Spectre. Even less so when the other Spectre was your significant other. With his eyes narrowed, he relented, but not without compromise.
"Fine." He unholstered his hidden sidearm and tossed it into the car. "But I'm keeping my armor and shield generator on."
"That's fair," she agreed readily, but just when Garrus thought it was safe to leave, she stared pointedly at the compartment located in his chest, adding: "The other one too." Damn her. He discarded that one as well, perhaps with a little more force than necessary. "Also the daggers." Reluctantly, he withdrew them from both his boots. "And the grenades. Don't even think about bringing in those sticky mines. Probably leave the smoke bombs as well." Garrus turned away from the growing pile of deadly devices to glare at Shepard whom, in turn, met his gaze with wide-eyed innocence.
"Why don't I just leave my omni-tool as well, huh?"
"Easy there, Vakarian. Don't go too kumbaya on me."
Ignoring the blip in his translator, Garrus replied. "In fact, let me just take all of this off-" he gestured to his armor-clad body. "-And just go in stark naked. Good thing I dulled my talons recently, wouldn't want to scratch their chrome."
Shepard wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. " Mmm . Don't tempt me with a good time."
That almost pulled a smile from him. Then he remembered how annoyed he was now that she had completely stripped him of what he thought were well-concealed weapons. He subsequently schooled his face back into a glower. "May we go now?"
Beaming triumphantly at him, she acquiesced, "Please, lead the way."
Finally leaving the land rover, Garrus and Shepard moved to join the rest of their party. They all stood waiting at the entrance of the facility, the steel door hanging opened behind them. Underneath her mask, Garrus just knew Tali was smirking at him as they made their way inside. However, that thought was quickly abolished in favor of the large red geth prime that materialized from somewhere and was making its way towards them. Garrus found himself instantly mourning the missing weight of his Widow. He had every intention of bringing her too, even shined her for the occasion.
Garrus bent to whisper covertly into Shepard's ear, his eyes never straying from the approaching prime. "If this goes ass up and I find out you had a piece on you the whole time, you and I are going to have a serious talk."
"Noted."
Now, standing completely unarmed before the giant geth, of which they've killed many of, he could only nervously watch as the flashlight positioned high on its head swiveled first to the red-headed human. The fact that Tali looked completely unfazed by the prime's presence was only a small consolation.
"Shepard-Commander," boomed the deep, electronic voice. Countless colorful dots from the thousands of blinking lights that covered the walls around them shifted and moved along the geth's smooth, red surface. "You are welcome here. Do you need assistance?"
Shepard blinked, composing herself before she answered, "Thank you. And yes, we were hoping you could help us out with something. I assume you- er," she tilted her head slightly to the side. "All of you, I should say, remember our AI friend on the Normandy? Legion knew her."
The flaps atop the flashlight seemed to... draw inward, as if to give the impression of deep thought. The action was probably intentional. "We have various records and files of the artificial intelligence installed on your ship. It was labeled the Enhanced Defense Intelligence."
"Her." Joker heatedly corrected, finally breaking his silence. "And her name was EDI... Is EDI."
"EeeDee." The flashlight head... nodded? "We have record of that designation as well."
"Joker?" Shepard turned her attention to the only male human in the room, decidedly ignoring his snappish retort and gave him an expectant look.
Joker's eyes flickered reproachfully between Shepard and the giant geth. Then, reluctantly, he fished the chip out of his pocket and slowly approached the towering AI. He hesitated for a second, his thumb caressing the plastic in his hand, before he carefully placed it in the opened metal palm that had extended to him.
The geth prime turned away with Joker's eyes tracking its every move. It then seemed to pick a wall and approached it. Like a living organism, they watched as a cable came snaking out of the wall to meet the giant. The geth took hold of the cable and attached the chip to the end of it before allowing the cord to retract back into the wall, disappearing behind a panel.
Shepard wheeled herself towards the colossal construct. "So, about how long will it take to-?"
"Complete," it reported.
"Already?" Shepard blinked up at the geth. "That was quick."
"Hello, Shepard."
Everyone in the room whipped around at the sound of that oh-so familiar voice. She no longer had a body to inhabit, so the appearance she took was the blue, holographic orb Garrus knew her as when he first boarded the SR-2, but it was her. It was EDI.
Shaking herself from a stunned silence, an excited smile broke on Shepard's face. "EDI!" The name left her somewhat hushed with disbelief.
"Shepard, despite being in close proximity to a geth prime, you do not appear to be alarmed."
"No," Shepard assured, shaking her head slightly as she began to wheel herself over to the holographic AI. "It's fine."
"You are still recovering," EDI observed.
Still beaming, as if the last of her worries had been stripped away entirely, Shepard replied, "Yeah. Took a hell of a hit, or so I'm told."
"That is unexpected. From my understanding, you should be walking at one hundred percent soundness by now." Shepard's smile vanished from her face as quickly as it appeared, her hands stilling the wheels of her chair, halting her forward motion.
Something was wrong.
"E-EDI?" Joker's voice was barely above a whisper as he hobbled his way over from where he stood at the back of the room. His gait was faster than Garrus had ever seen him move before, his eyes wide with shock. For a second, Garrus almost thought to step in front of him because, clearly, he didn't interpret what EDI had just said the way he and Shepard evidently had.
"Mr. Moreau." And there it was, the crushing realization that Garrus dreaded to see. Joker stopped dead in his tracks. "We are not on the Normandy. I have no data on this location. It would appear I was powered down. What transpired?"
Joker looked like he'd been slapped across the face. He stared at EDI, slack-jawed and wide-eyed as if she had betrayed him somehow. Then, in a demonstration of what Joker truly did best, he smiled through his pain, though Garrus didn't miss the way his brittle hands closed into shaking fists at his sides.
"A whole lot, EDI," he answered. Haunting images of his sick mother came unbidden to Garrus all at once. Memories of him, sitting at her bedside, placating her as she asked for the authenticity of events she should have remembered. "Too much to tell right now."
Miranda, evidently done observing the exchange, approached the AI, her heels clicking along on the durasteel floor. In the old authoritative tone Garrus recalled her to have, she addressed Normandy AI. "EDI, I need you to put a message through to the Illusive Man for me." When she finished, she met Garrus' eyes. A test, then.
"Of course, Operative Lawson." A pause. "I'm sorry. It seems the connection has been severed."
"Yeah," was Joker's choked agreement, his eyes fixed on the floor, though his hard, weary smile still remained.
Shepard turned to him, concerned. "Jeff."
"It's okay." Joker met her gaze briefly before he looked to the geth prime and said, "Go ahead and power her down."
"Mr. Moreau." Joker visibly flinched. "Have I done something to upset you?"
"Now." Joker's voice finally broke, refusing to look at her now. "Please."
"Mr. Moreau." And, once again, EDI disappeared.
Joker had turned for the door, intent on walking out without them when the geth prime spoke up. "We have data on your interactions with... EeeDee." It seemed to struggle with the use of the name. "From what we have learned of organic life, it would appear that you had what organics call a 'relationship.' We can upload what the unit you called, Legion, observed into the chip."
Joker stopped, his gaze remaining on the exit in front of him.
"It would provide the equivalent of memories with which we understand shapes organic personalities. We have files sufficient enough that they would alter her personality matrix-"
"No," he answered, but not unkindly. "Thanks, but not interested."
"Jeff." Miranda took a step towards him. "It might not be a bad idea. This is still EDI, after all, just... version 1.0, sort to speak. You have to understand that what made her her was what she learned from her interactions with you and the rest of the crew."
As analytical as she sounded, Garrus knew that Miranda was trying to be comforting. 'Trying' being the operative word, of course. It would seem that the ability to console people was not on the list of all her perfected talents.
Joker turned to regard her then. "No," he repeated, more firmly now. "No, you have to understand that that's not what she would have wanted. She had learned so much. She was her own person." His voice finally began to grow, his anger unleashing itself like steam from a loosened pressure valve. "Damn it, she cared about us! And she sure as hell deserves a lot better than to just have a personality-" He began to shout. "- DOWNLOADED ONTO HER LIKE A-" Breaking himself off, Joker's eyes flooded with unshed tears and his body trembled from more than just his weak skeletal structure. After a looming silence ruled the room, he curtailed any further discussion with, "I'll meet you guys in the car."
Nobody stopped him this time.
The trip back to the Normandy was a silent one. No one spoke until it was time to say their goodbyes to Tali once again.
"Here." Tali, having retrieved the chip from the prime before leaving, pressed it into Garrus' hands. "You should take her with you. Set her up in the AI core and, when he's ready, maybe Joker can talk with her." She paused to watch the said pilot hobbled his way up the Normandy's ramp, looking more cold and distant than Garrus had ever seen him. Shepard wheeled her way slowly up behind him at a speed that had to be deliberate. She wouldn't want to pass him by, probably afraid to see the disappointment on his face and likely blaming herself for putting it there. Tearing her eyes away from them, Tali met Garrus' gaze once again and must have saw concern in his eyes. Reading his fears, she explained, "No. She won't be able to seize control of the Normandy any more than you could with your omni-tool. It's safe." She cupped his large hand with both of hers and closed his fingers around the chip. "I promise."
Garrus ultimately left the decision of setting EDI up in the AI core to Joker. Predictably, the helmsman was resistant at first, but after a week of waiting, Joker approached him with the data chip in hand. With the help of some of their techs, along with Miranda, they powered her on again.
Joker kept his stuck-on smile in place throughout it all and answered EDI's questions as they came. It all seemed to be going smoothly until she brought up The Illusive Man. That's when it all went to hell. Shepard was beside Joker, patiently explaining the entirety of the Reaper War, when EDI went eerily silent before she started blurting the same word over and over again as if stuck in a loop.
"Error. Error. Error. Error."
Whatever courage Joker had mustered for this conversation crumbled like a sand fortress beneath a wave of water. From Garrus' own personal experience, losing someone you cared about to death was one thing. To see that they forgot you completely was another. Was Joker's relationship with EDI truly little more than programming- her memories of him nothing but files that had been wiped clean from a hard drive?
"Error. Error. Error. Error."
What of his mother's memories of her children and bondmate as she lay dying? Where they so easily removed?
He watched Joker recoil from the room, taking what confidence Garrus had in the risk he took obtaining the chip with him.
"Error. Error. Error. Error."
He damn near died getting that piece of plastic. Was it really all so that he could stand in the AI core and watch Joker lose someone close to him all over again? To watch Shepard uselessly placate the holographic orb, her voice drowned out by the repeated message?
No, there had to be a reason for the chip to be down in the mines of that soul-sucking corporation on Asteria. There had to be some explanation as to why he was lured to it, and he was lured to it, wasn't he? Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe it really was all just a coincidence and his mind was simply stuck in a loop, much like the babbling AI that rang in his ears, trying to fill in the gaps that so many questions had left vacant.
Garrus cut the power to the AI core and EDI went silent again.
"What happened?" Shepard wheeled on Miranda.
Miranda regarded Shepard cautiously for a moment before she redirected her gaze to where the blue orb had been idling. "I can only guess, but I'm starting to think that what I said about EDI being version 1.0 was incorrect. I think this EDI is more akin to that rogue VI you encountered on Luna."
Garrus exchanged a brief look with Shepard, silently confirming his earlier fears, before he asked, "So what we're dealing with is beta EDI?"
"In a sense, yes, but I think she's a little beyond what she was when Cerberus first acquired her. If you recall, her… 'awakening' back then was quite eventful, or so I was told."
"Oh. It was 'eventful' all right," Shepard confirmed, her lips tight in a grim frown.
"At this stage of development, she would be undergoing the tests for the Normandy's installation, or so she thinks. She would know who I am. She would know who the Normandy's pilot is. She would know who you are-" Miranda nodded at Shepard. "-She would know your purpose was to stop the Collectors. She would be aware of the claims you made of the Reapers existence. Though, everything that occurred after that… I suppose hearing all that has transpired must have been a bit of a shock."
"So that was her having a meltdown?" Garrus tilted his head to the side.
"Yes," Miranda affirmed.
"Except without the turrets this time," he said.
"Thankfully."
"Do you think she'll… improve?" There was a trepidatious edge to Shepard's tone. "To what she once was?"
To that, Miranda's eyes grew heavy with uncertainty. Maybe guilt. "I don't know, Shepard. It's impossible to tell exactly how far along she is in her development- if she's even capable of that kind of cognitive growth. I'm sorry."
To no one's surprise, EDI's fate hit Shepard hard and Garrus felt powerless to help her this time. He could remind her all he wanted that she wasn't to blame for what happened to the AI or for Joker's misery, but as long as she refused to relinquish that burden there was nothing he could do.
Instead, he encouraged her to focus on her own health, which seemed to help a little. It gave her something to dedicate her energy and thoughts toward. It would be another two months before she was able to walk without assistance and then two weeks after that when she asked him to spar with her. He held back for the first few sessions until he started to feel some real weight behind her swings, then he started to push back, feeling his blood heat up at the challenge. More than a few of their sessions ended with them naked in the Kodiak.
Garrus had also taken an interest in spending time with his helmsman in the cockpit. It was a while before Joker began to live up to his moniker once again, but with enough prodding and some patent-pending backhanded compliments on Garrus' part, he started to smile a little more. However, Garrus suspected that the looming, haunted look in his eyes would likely never fully subside, but then again, he could probably say the same for all of them.
Nobody survived the Reaper War without some degree of internal horror.
One day, on his way down to the cargo hold to meet Shepard for another match... and maybe a little more, Dr. Chakwas beckoned him to the med-bay wherein she led him to the door outside the AI core. Inside, through the slab of steel between them, he heard Joker's voice.
"Hey, EDI."
"Good morning, Mr. Moreau."
"You-uh... you got a minute? See, I'm having an argument with Donnelly about ship trajectory that I think you can settle."
Not for the first time, Garrus felt unsure if he should smile or frown. He ultimately settled for a neutral nod in Chakwas' direction and left for the lift.
Of course, his Spectre duties hadn't lessened much, if at all. There were the usual pirates and slavers to contend with, of course, but now he was expected to be on the lookout for any more unusual satellite readings. As poorly as his report to Victus ended, the Council was apparently satisfied with it enough to seemingly take a potential threat from the Leviathans somewhat seriously. It had been agreed between them that it would be kept hush-hush among civilians, with the exception of world leaders like the Primarchs, Alliance brass, and other higher up government officials for the Council races. He wished he could have been there for Wrex's reaction to the news.
"It's a better response than what I got about the Reapers, right?" Shepard had tried to assure him.
That was true, sure, but Garrus' plates were itching all the same. He wondered how much Victus had divulged to his peers. He could only guess if he mentioned the Kaisar thing because he certainly couldn't ask, seeing as Councilor Victus suddenly had other matters to attend to than contact Garrus again. That wasn't to say that Councilor calls had ended completely- oh no. They were simply made by the other members.
Garrus longed for the day when Shepard could start taking them again. Naturally, she didn't agree.
As the year crept into 2190, he and Shepard would start to get to know some of the other Spectres. Some he disliked instantly while others were likable enough. They were made up of various races and backgrounds, but they did all have one thing in common: They all shared a strong apprehension toward Councilor Victus.
It was a sentiment that, if he was honest, Garrus found a little upsetting. He remembered a time when he was loved and popular among those that served under him. Technically, he still was as far as public opinion of the masses went. He was by far the most liked and respected Councilor... but then again, they didn't have to work for him.
It eventually got to a point that if the Turian Councilor needed to see a Spectre, not caring who, it would be Garrus that would be called upon by his contemporaries to 'deal with him.' He was beginning to feel like the favored zookeeper with the sole ability of being able to enter the cantankerous klixen pen without getting mauled or burned. It wasn't a bad comparison when Garrus thought about it. That had been a daunting task for the first few or... hundred requests, but he eventually grew accustomed to the Councilor's taciturn persona- expected it even.
Their exchanges usually began with a friendly greeting on Garrus' part: "Good morning, Councilor," and Victus would either ignore it or snap a venomous retort to make Garrus feel as unwelcome as possible. Yet, despite all of that, Garrus was well aware of how much Victus trusted him. His reports were never questioned without reason, his methods were never criticized, and when Garrus needed permission for anything, the Councilor was usually willing to grant it.
In return, Garrus found himself treating Victus differently from the other Councilors. For one, he made an effort to make sure that the trust placed in him was never unwarranted. He answered truthfully to any and all questions Victus had for him, no matter how much growling he knew he'd earn for his answers. As much as that gained him the Councilor's confidence it also led to, at times, his ire, which sparked more than a few heated arguments between them.
"You do realize that you two argue like an old married couple, right?" Shepard tilted her head to smirk at him while they walked -well, she walked. His stride was more akin to storming angrily- from Victus' office one day.
Though, as time went on, Garrus found that his anger towards Victus was ebbing away completely and replaced by pity. This was no longer the Adrien Victus he once knew and he doubted more and more if he'd ever see his friend again. Sometimes he'd try to lure him in with a joke or a quip about some ill-fated merc on the last mission, but he was always rebuffed by a cold, silent look. Then Garrus would have little choice but to follow up with a: "Right. The orders. Sorry."
With the rise of the Citadel came the rise of galactic civilization as a whole. Life was becoming, dare he thought it, routine. Shepard even took him out for his birthday, which was a sentiment made more surprising because he forgot about it completely. Yet, to his mild astonishment, routine wasn't a bad thing. There was the typical running and gunning, of course, but Garrus was ultimately happy with what his life was shaping into post-war. But it was also terrifying. He had everything- well... almost everything, he could have wanted in life. He was afraid he'd wake up one day to the discovery that it was all a dream. That the warmth beside him wasn't Shepard's sleeping form, but a corpse strewn up against him on a dirty Omega floor.
Thoughts like that left him gasping for air.
But it wasn't a dream. Shepard- his Shepard- was alive and even walking again. It really was her stepping off a shuttle, clad in a form-fitting enviro-suit -'that did wonderful things to her six'- on Palaven to finally meet his family in person. It was her that tentatively approached Solana and Castis Vakarian in Cipritine Port, her chin raised and shoulders squared with a stiff, outstretched hand. And it was his father that took one look at the offered hand, ignored it, and instead pulled the small human into an embrace.
It was Shepard that finally had a family to call her own.
By the end of 2190, Shepard stood beside him, her N7 armor gleaming in the sun with Morticia braced against her shoulder, her barrel pointed skyward. The wind whipped her copper hair, pulled back in a tail behind her head, and she grinned eagerly up at him from behind her Kuwashii visor.
It was Garrus that finally had a home.
"C'mon, Vakarian. We have work to do."
A/N:
The character, Veselin, is actually
shretl (Girlundone)'s OC. Thank you for letting me use him and giving Cybele the happy ending she deserves. 3
And that's it for this story, but not for this series. I've already started part 4, but I think I'm going to take a little writing break for a short while and get some Pillars of Eternity gameplay in. Then I'll return fresh for the next installment. We're coming for you, Leviathans!
Thank you so much for reading!