A/N: Yeah, Garrus buys something for Shepard to say "I love you". After end game.

2/19: Added Legion dancing a robot conga line. May expand this latter, Legion is one of my favorite characters.

Chapter 9

Garrus Buys a Gift

A good majority of the crew was dancing. Legion was even leading a robot conga, and Shepard was yelling politely over the noise at Rita for more drinks. Flux had just recently reopened and Shepard was treating the entire crew in celebration of their victory. Garrus almost did not have to ask Mordin to keep Shepard company while he snuck off to buy her gift. The Salarian just winked at him and grabbed the Commander's attention intending on singing the full version of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Garrus only hoped that Shepard would forgive him for it when he gave her the gift. Finding the place was easy. The Presidium was well lit and there was little traffic. The shop was fairly empty as well, much to Garrus' hopes. And the human female behind the counter was thankfully fully clothed. She smiled at him and greeted as if he was any other customer.

"How may I help you today? I must say, we don't get many Turians in this place."

It was quite understandable. Humans and Turians where not normally very close. Regardless, it was still a little embarrassing to be there. He did not want to wait for the shipping of the item and for it to somehow leak out about what he had bought for the Commander.

"Uh, yes actually. I am looking for a specific outfit."

That got him a raised eyebrow.

"Do you know what you had in mind, sir?"

Garrus took out his data pad and pushed a few buttons before handing it to the clerk. The woman was even more surprised when she saw that it had the size under it as well. He just hoped that they had the outfit in stock.

"And if it is not too much to ask, I would like it to be delivered to the Normandy please. I still have a few things to attend to here on the Citadel and I, uh, don't want my friend to know I was here."

Something caught her attention and she became a bit more wide eyed. She check and double checked the pad before she said anything.

"The Normandy? You don't happen to be Garrus Vakarian, Commander Shepard's friend?"

Oh great, I sure hope they whole galaxy doesn't find out about us before the month is over. At least I can't blame EDI for this one. Garrus coughed politely.

"Uh, Yes." His voice sounded more strained then usual. The clerk must have not noticed it though because she smiled even bigger.

"Commander Shepard was here last month, so we still have her exact measurements on file. And I am sure you would like this gift wrapped in a plain box. Don't want to arouse any curiosity from anyone. We can have it delivered to you specifically, Mr. Vakarian. You're lucky, we just got in this months shipment."

The clerk winked at him and handed back the pad. Garrus was still in shock that he did not realize the clerk had given him a discount until he had left the store. He also had a dreaded feeling that the woman was going to be gossiping about it for the rest of the week.

Mordin was not even half way through the play when he reached Flux. Shepard only gave him a small sigh and a look of "where the hell have you been" before she snuggled up against him as Mordin finished the song. The Salarian gave him a well hidden wink when Shepard had her head turned, answering a crewman's question. Garrus was not sure if he wanted to die from embarrassment or joy.

___

Garrus was not sure how to really give such a gift. He was almost afraid to cross the mess hall full of people. And then he thought, why should he care what others thought of their relationship? None of the crew seemed to mind or even voice any complaints. Joker even said something at the party about him not needed a stick anymore. Garrus had no clue as to what he was talking about, but it did warrant a glare from Shepard. However, Jack was in the elevator with Tali when it hissed open in front of him. The grin on Jack's face was nothing short of mischievous.

"Hey there, Turian. What ya got in the box? It looks to big for chocolate."

She gaze measured the box carefully. Garrus had the sudden urge to add another scar on her skin. The tattoos where intriguing, but she could do well to cover up some. Even if she looked quite sexless. Jack's laughter brought him out of his thoughts.

"Oh my. You didn't! Why bother with clothing when it is just going to end up on the floor? Oh you never cease to amaze me."

Tali beat him to it. She kicked Jack hard in the calf nearly knocking her over. Jack continued to laugh as she walked toward the mess tables. Tali just shook her head.

"Her mouth is just as colorful as her skin. I wonder if she will ever learn when to close it. Good luck, Garrus. Tell Shepard thank you for the drinks earlier. I am not used to drinking so much, but it was a good cause for celebration." Tali was always so nice.

"I will, Tali. And I hope we get to bring you back to the Flotilla soon. I'm sure Kal is anxious to see you again."

Tali felt him alone in the elevator waving as the doors hissed closed. Why do things like that always happen to me.

Garrus was happy he opted to hide the box behind his back because Shepard was waiting for him when the door opened. She was fully dressed this time and Garrus did not know weather to be upset or not. Before the door could even close, she had her arms around his neck and was kissing his mandibles. He almost lost his balance and she let go of him.

"I'm glad you came tonight. We haven't had much time to talk."

It was not like he was getting much of a chance to say anything these days. She noticed that he had his hands behind his back.

"What do you have behind you?"

Garrus decided to act a little shy. Shepard saw through it and played along. She leapt for it and he tried to evade her. Eventually he lost, but not before she made a comment that his "reach" needed some working on. They both knew he let her win, but they where not going to ruin their fun.

"It's a gift for, well, I guess both of us. I hope you like it. I am never sure what to get you. Especially when I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Shepard, I love you."

She gave him a very curious look and opened the box. Her eyes grew twice their normal size as she lifted it up. She said nothing for quite some time. Garrus was starting to get scared.

"You don't like it." It was more of a statement than a question. It snapped her out of her trance.

"No. Very much the opposite. It is beautiful, and must have been very expensive."

"Oh." She had not said anything about his last comment. He was starting to feel a little sick inside. She giggled.

"Oh, Garrus. It is just a very strange gift to give someone who you just told that you want to spend the rest of your life with and love. And yes, Garrus, I love you too."

It was very sincere and his heart swelled with joy. There was no doubt about it. And he was really needing to figure out this weird human culture thing.

"Uh, what does one normally give then?"

Shepard smiled. It was going to be a lot of work but she was very patient.

"Well, I am no expert on Turian culture. But if I'm not mistaken, are you asking me to marry you?"

Oh, I wasn't sure how you asked that question in human culture. All he could do was nod. Shepard smiled warmly and placed a hand over his.

"I would love to." She whispered in his ear right before she manage to distract him from any other thought.

___

Shepard left a wake of destruction in her path. Franticly going through nearly her entire wardrobe to find the perfect look. Mordin had invited the crew to a showing of Gilbert and Sullivan that was showing on the Presidium. Man seriously likes that play way too much. At least he isn't perform it. They where actually going to see the play in it's original format so to speak. A good part of the actors where not human, but at least they would not be singing Mordin's version. Shepard was not sure how many times she could take it without wanting to claw her ears off.

That was not why she so was frantic. It was the first time that Garrus had agreed to publicly spend time with her. Yes the rest of the crew was going, but they where mostly coupled up for the event. She could not seem to find the right thing. One was much to tight, another to short. It was a disaster. Too casual, too formal, and god, too revealing. It was like her closet was mocking her. She wanted to rip it out of the ship and shove it out an airlock. Finally she found a middle ground and hoped that it would not be anything less than barely noticeable. The dark red fabric clung to her skin as she fidgeted trying to get it to look just right.

The door hissed making her jump. She heard Garrus make a sound that suspiciously sounded like a gasp mixed with a gulp, almost strangling sounding. Shepard wondered if she had chosen the wrong thing until she turned and looked into Garrus' eyes. His normally piercing gaze looked more hungry than usual. We better go before we never leave this room.

"Do you like it? I wasn't sure what to wear. But it looks like this will have to do. We better hurry or we will be late."

She grinned hoping that he did not notice her nervousness. Grabbing the shawl that matched in color and fabric she wrapped her shoulders and guided him to the elevator, glad that the ride down was very short.

___

Garrus found Shepard in the mist of looked like a battle with her clothing. He winced, it was going to be a hassle to clean up later. But the way she looked tonight, he did not care how much trouble it was.

Somehow she had gotten her hair to do some type of waving effect and she had put some light markings around her eyes. The dress made him want to sweep her up and lay her in bed. It was dark red and was tight around her bodice and slowly tapering outward down to her knees.

He was not quite sure what she had said to him, but allowed her to lead him to the elevator. He was not sure he could have made it on his own as dazed as he was. One thing was for sure, he was not going to be paying much attention to the play tonight. And he frankly did not care who noticed.