A/N: Thank you all very much for the reviews, favs, and follows. They mean a lot to me, and I know I keep repeating this, but they truly drive me to finish more content.

Now, about this and the coming chapters, they do not follow the official timeline or events- the story is AU- and we really start to see that beginning with this chapter. However, some of you have expressed the desire to see our beloved turian taking down the Reapers, and let me say that although *this* particular story will not involve the Reapers at all, I am more than open to branching out a story that goes off from the previous chapter into its own Reaper-storyline. If there are enough people wanting this, I will create a separate story that will definitely stick to the cannon far more than this one ever will. I hope this helps! Oh, and don't forget to send me your ideas for including popular human sayings or traditions or behaviors that you want Garrus to either react to or have to interact with at some point (since I have to rewrite the chapters, anyway)! It'll be a fun way to get everyone involved.

Lastly, I apologize for any mistakes- I know how distracting they can sometimes be. I have no beta and, no matter how many times I edit a chapter, it is my own work and that makes it harder to spot mistakes. I hope this doesn't stop you from enjoying yourselves in our little adventure! Please don't forget to add comments/reviews, PM me, follow, send virtual hugs, or whatever you want.

Chapter 10: Dangerous Lines

The stairs leading up from C-Sec Headquarters seemed like a heavier task than ever, like he was out of shape, which wasn't the case at all. Something made them cumbersome. Or maybe it was just something about that day.

Garrus shook his head indignantly, trying to shake away the memories of the day. He couldn't fathom how the council could so easily dismiss him, and now, to top things off, Executor Palin was on their side, too. He couldn't understand how proof that Saren had hired about a hundred elite mercenaries, bought a giant ship, and managed to piss off the galaxy's most renown information broker, didn't set off any sort of warning with the council. It didn't make sense they were okay about the fact that the man basically had his own private army. Barla Von's information had been irrefutable, even by their standards. Yet it wasn't enough.

Then again, why would they question their favorite, Spectre. If anything, whatever Saren had done for the Council during his Spectre career, had endeared him to the Council. Of course they would coddle him. It was pathetic.

And now. Now the case was officially dismissed, leaving him feeling like somebody had ripped off one his crest horns.

On the plus side, now he had time to make rounds before another case came his way. Maybe he'd try the clinic on an off day, try to finally catch the nurse again. To make sure Banes hadn't dropped by again, of course.

Garrus clicked his tongue, but a bitter taste settled in his mouth despite his best efforts. He tensed when he came to the last step, unsure where to go, what to do the rest of the day.

"Take the rest of the day off," said Garrus mockingly. The Executor may have been trying to be nice to him, but it seemed more like a punishment for nothing having found anything more concrete.

Maybe a stiff drink would do the trick.

"Garrus?"
His eyes focused on a familiar figure not too far away. Shepard was walking past the clinic to where the C-Sec stairs led. To him.

"You okay, big guy?" she asked. "You look like you need a drink." He was taken aback, unable to recall the last time a human read his mood so perfectly. It was also the first time he'd heard her silky voice in a week.

He felt badly that Barla Von's information on Saren had taken his mind so far away from her and everything else, when he had meant to see her after the incident with Banes. Sure, he'd tried once, but ultimately failed. He felt especially guilty because his focus had been fruitless.

"I'll be fine," said Garrus, hoping his words would ring true soon. "I, uh, didn't know you worked today. Doctor Michel mentioned you changed your schedule." He wouldn't admit that her absence had bothered him that first day he went to check in on her. Maybe annoyed would be a better word.

A frown came to her tanned face. "Actually, it was Doctor Michel who changed it. It's my weekend now, but I need to see her. I was just heading there when I spotted you."

Doctor Michel lied? Or had Shepard… but no, she looked just as confused as he first felt when the doctor told him. "I see." She shifted her weight to one leg, and her eyes to his left shoulder, like she was uncomfortable. Or maybe, she was expecting him to say something else. Was he supposed to? Did she feel awkward about his lack of a better answer? But, surely he would have felt awkward, too. Then again, friends didn't feel awkward around each other, surely. Didn't she see him as a friend? He didn't have very many of those- acquaintances, sure- but friendships needed a certain connection as far as he was concerned. And, in truth, he felt a connection with her. Maybe he could get her to see it, too. Though, he wouldn't force it.

His mandibles twitched at the anticipation of his new mission. He needed a drink. And to not see another stupid turian, asari, or salarian face right now or else he'd just keep fuming over the Council's inaction. Maybe a good-natured bout of words with Shepard would take his mind off Saren, and start

"Well, I better g—"

"Listen, Shepard: I've, uh, had a bit of a rough day and," he admitted, surprising even himself, "I remember some dainty human making a drinking bet that I could really go for right about now."

Shepard laughed, her cheeks pushing the bottom of her eyes in such a happy manner. "Ha-ha." She bit her bottom lip. Garrus didn't like how her look quickened his blood. "Get rid of the dainty part and you're on."

"You're right, maybe dainty was the wrong word. Feeble?"

She pouted her lips and gave him a snarky glare. He thoroughly enjoyed how easy she was to bait.

"Angry?" Garrus suggested, keeping his mandibles tight to his jaw for effect. "Yeah, that's it. What is that human expression? I nailed you."

Shepard's eyes widened and she suddenly looked like she might choke. "It! Nailed it. The other one means something completely different. Either way, you're on, Vakarian." She beamed at him for a second before shaking her head. "I'm kidding. Kidding about that other part."

She laughed shakily and her entire face reddened. Garrus felt like he had missed a good joke if it made her that nervous. "I'm thinking confusing would have been a better word choice for you."

She smiled at him again. "Don't worry about it. Maybe I'll explain it to you after we've both had a few drinks."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I said maybe."

"And I said I'd hold you to it."

"Alright, Vakarian, it's on." She stepped to the side to allow Garrus to join her. "Oh, but first I have to talk to Doctor Michel. Do you mind?"

"No," Garru answered quickly, straightening his back when they got to the clinic's front entrance. "Would you like me to, uh, I'll wait outside." Well, so much for not feeling awkward- though this was admittedly a different kind.

"O-kay." She turned from him, activated the door to the clinic and stepped inside.

On the other side, a second's glance was all he needed to spot a gunman wielding a weapon in one hand, and pointing a finger at Dr. Michel's face.

Garrus stepped in with the nurse just before the doors closed, grabbed Shepard's arm and pulled her down with him, pressing her against the wall with the length of his arm across her shoulders. She unconsciously reached to pull his arm off her, but he barely felt her tug. He was too in the moment.

His visor detected at least two other humans in the clinic. This had the potential to get ugly fast.

Military and C-Sec training took over him, automatically. "Either don't move or get out," he ordered, jerking his chin toward Doctor Michel and a thug. He heard her gasp, and wished he could chastise her for taking too long to notice something was wrong— he didn't even want to imagine what could have happened to her had they not bumped into each other. "Understand?" His voice barely loud enough for her to hear.

Shepard nodded quickly, and shot her eyes to the unfolding scene. He promptly set his visor to record, and with a single emergency tug of his C-Sec-issued omni-tool, he was now in the process of sending his coordinates as was protocol when requesting backup. He never usually requested backup unless he was in truly sticky situations, but he had at least two civilians and a busy sector outside. Despite his nature, he just couldn't risk it.

"Listen to me carefully," Garrus whispered, "if you see me go down, I want you to get out as fast as you can and run down to C-Sec. And stay away from this damned clinic once and for all."

He didn't wait for a response. Garrus took out his pistol, activating it as he crouched around the nurse and headed straight for the cover of the partition as swiftly and quietly as he could.

"I already told you, I don't know where she is!"

"Did you hand her over to Garrus? Did you tell him?" He sensed movement on the opposite wall, but his visor didn't indicate any hostiles moving closer to him. He would have looked to see what the movement was, but it was faster to assume it was a keeper. He had more pressing thoughts. Like, how had he come up?

There were a total of three perps. Two were on the farthest side of the clinic, where the nurse's desk sat. It made his plates itch to think she could have been sitting there, right now, had the doctor not changed her schedule. Maybe the doctor knew this was coming, but these men didn't wear the same uniform that Bane's krogan merc had. No, theirs were a higher quality. Something didn't add up.

"No, I swear! I would tell you if I knew anything! Please!"

"Fist's turian friend is gonna have a fit if we don't come back with her." Saren. Now it was beginning to make sense. "You think I'm gonna risk my skin for a stupid quarian? Tell me where she is or you're gonna pay for what he'll do to us."

Garrus could not only hear the leader on the other side of the partition speak, but he could smell him as well. He could smell fear, and something more feral. Over by the nurse's desk, the two men had stopped rustling some datapads and holo-files, and had promptly turned their attention to the doctor and the other man. Something new mixed in the air, and he didn't like it one bit.

"What's it gonna be Doc?" His tone was filled with a finality Garrus could no longer ignore. And to top it all off, the other two men activated their own guns.

He whirled around the partition and set his sight on the head of the leader's head.

But behind them, by the nurse's desk, was none other than the nurse herself. He spotted her mass of hairs as she jumped on the back of one of the men nearby, catching the attention of everybody in the room. Her omni-tool unfolding itself into an omni-blade, and for a second the merc and woman atop him struggled before Garrus instinctively aimed at that man's head and shot. A single bullet ran in and out of his skull, causing the human male to collapse instantaneously.

His friend beside him yanked Shepard upwards, but was unable to hold her hostage because Garrus forced a bullet into his chest and second through his temples.

Dr. Michel was not as lucky; the last perp had grabbed hold of the doctor and held at gunpoint. The doctor coughed at the tight hold the man had one her neck and her eyes welled with tears. Nothing was going as planned.

"Stop or I'll shoot," the man warned. Garrus' aim had already returned to the man, and he refused to waver, giving the human male nothing but a cold stare. "I- I mean it. Look don't try to scare me, turian, I got the upper hand here." He nudged the tip of the gun under the sobbing woman's jaw.

"Just tell me who Fist is working for," said Garrus, his voice as calm as the lake on the Presidium.

He already knew the answer: it was Saren. This tidbit of information was given freely by Barla Von- whether for his years of loyalty, or because of Saren's lack thereof. But Garrus wanted to keep the other man busy, catch him off guard, so he asked anyway. If he could hear Garrus' subharmonics, the human would have crapped his pants by now.

"I ain't telling you shit!" the man spat. "Now drop your gun or your pretty girlfriend's gonna get hurt!"

Garrus' eyes inadvertently flickered to Shepard, something that remained as one of his worst memories throughout his life. The human male must have had a sharper mind than Garrus at that moment, because he caught the turian's gaze and his gun immediate turned in the direction of the nurse. That was it— he had put Shepard in danger. And he'd known it the second he did it.

It felt like someone had dropped a huge boulder in Garrus' stomach, and his acids were working overtime to digest it. A wave of anger flowed through him like he hadn't felt since he caught wind of his dad's private life at the Citadel before retiring back to Palaven. Only this time, it felt more primal, somehow more personal, and out of his control.

And out of his control it was.

With one step and a savage growl, Garrus had reached the foe, and connected a very hard, very fast, taloned fist with the man's jaw whilst the human was still looking at the nurse. The doctor ducked when the man felt the harsh impact, and crawled to the safety of a corner near the operating room. After accidentally releasing the doctor, the human automatically hit Garrus' brow plate with the butt of his gun.

But Garrus hadn't earned one of the top ranks in hand-to-hand combat in during his time with the turian military for nothing; so Garrus didn't even flinch. Instead, Garrus gave the man an uppercut that sent him over the opening of the metal partition of the clinic. But the man recovered quickly, and had his gun aimed at the turian before he even got up.

That's when the first bullet hit the human on his chest, and another on the head. The man's gun fired nonetheless, but it only sent the metal shaving to ricochet, and end somewhere inside the opposite wall. The keepers would have a hard time finding that.

A bullet was always faster than a fist. That Garrus had followed his instinct instead of his brain worried him. He not only endangered the nurse's life, but played with it by trying to get into a fistfight with her would-be assailant. A mistake that he'd still regret years later.

Garrus' visor assured him the man's vitals were gone. After doing a quick overview of the scene, his eyes settled back on Shepard. She'd picked herself up and other than a few bloodsplatters on her face and clothes, she looked… Fine. Her body heartbeat was a little too fast for a healthy human, but she probably still had adrenaline coursing through her. She was fine.

And completely, unforgivably senseless!

"Doctor Chakwas," the nurse said, walking past Garrus. "Are you alright?" The nurse helped the doctor up and held her steady by her elbows.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." After a moment, the doctor left the nurse's side and walked to Garrus, who had begun to assess the scene with his omni-tool.

Shepard had done a great job at distracting him from the woes of the Council, but now he needed to distract himself from her. Otherwise, his anger might get the better of him.

"Oh, Garrus, I don't know what would have 'appened if you had not come to visit!"

The blood in his body was still boiling, his plates were eager to get out of his armor. And his chest… his chest was begging to scream at that stupid, stubborn human nurse.

He had to calm himself.

"Actually, doctor Michel, it was Shepard who came to see you. I was in the area. Please stay where you are, I don't want anything accidentally tampered."

He barely heard the clinic's door hiss open. A human and turian officers had hailed his backup request. Garrus grimaced at the situation: C-Sec Headquarters was a minute away, yet it had taken them this long to get to the scene.

"What's the situation?" Officer Lang asked as he and his partner set away their weapons at the sight of Garrus firmly in control.

Garrus went over what had transpired with the two officers, and sent them both the footage his visor had captured. Then, Officer Lang, a decent guy of an easy-going nature, he was one of the good guys unlike some of the hardcore human officers hell-bent on standing out, made his way to take statements from Dr. Charkwas and Shepard. The other officer left to do a quick examination of the bodies, but she returned quickly.

"You took them out clean," said the officer, her subharmonics inviting, "thought I shouldn't be surprised."

"We do what we have to," Garrus replied drily, for he was still fuming over Shepard's stupidity.

"Yet some of us do more than others. You, for example" she offered. Only then did Garrus stop looking at his omni-tool to look at the other officer. He knew her, just couldn't remember her name. Asla, maybe. Her plates were a stark white, and her green clan markings matched her eyes. Garrus seemed to remember her having a docile but ablefirm disposition— the epitome of what turians her rank should be. And with her last comment in combination with her subharmonics, he wondered briefly if what that asari officer said about her liking Garrus might be true after all. "Should I call forensics over now?"

"Do it. And have them send me a copy of whatever is in the perps' omni-tools." On his command, she sent for the forensics team to come, but returned her attention to her fellow turian. "You know once Perusi gets her hands on the footage, you'll be the talk of Headquarters for at least a week."

"I think it's more likely I get written up for not waiting long enough for backup." If Garrus wasn't still angry about Shepard, he would have made some sort of joke about how he wouldn't expect any less, but he'd said all he could manage. It was a lousy, unfounded joke.

One that the other turian laughed at anyway. He turned from her and swept his eyes over the scene, not looking for anything in particular, but to have something to look at whilst he calmed down.

"You know… Garrus?" The turian officer stepped beside him, and stared at the wall just like he was now. "Everyone knows you did all you could; whatever that Spectre is up to, and does, is no fault on you."

Garrus looked at the other turian askance, to find that she was gazing up to him expectantly. What was he supposed to say? Thanks? All he wanted to do was forget that he failed. But since apparently everybody, including the dead perps, and their brother knew about his investigation, they all must know about his failure too.

"Really."

"Everyone thinks so." She then stepped into his field of vision. "I know I do."

Garrus didn't know how to react to her blatancy. It's not like he was new at this sort of thing— he'd had enough experiences and capacity to learn the ropes, as humans liked saying. But it was all still an awkward business to him. And he wasn't exactly interested in the female before him. Not that she was lacking in anything; she was pretty and a good worker, reminded him of that hand-to-hand recon back on his last military tour. But he didn't find her alluring. Maybe if he wasn't so stressed or busy. Or enraged.

"I appreciate it," he said honestly.

Behind them, he heard Shepard telling Lang her account on everything.

"That was very, very courageous," Land said when she finished, "but you could've gotten hurt."

Gotten hurt?" GOTTEN KILLED!

"Courageous?" The female turian went past Garrus and faced the nurse. "That was beyond stupid; you not only endangered yourself, but thanks to you Officer Vakarian or your boss could have gotten killed." While Garrus agreed on the first, seeing the turian female tower over the nurse and rebuke her caused him a different type of ire. He suppressed a low growl that threatened to come out.

"Take it easy, Viria," her human partner said.

But the turian female would have none of that. "And you have an omni-blade? I don't know what colony you came from, but you need a permit to own one on the Citadel. Civilians can't just—

Well this was going to be interesting. Most of Garrus' anger disappeared in an instant; his energy focused on figuring ways to get Shepard out of the world of trouble she would soon find herself in.

"What colony I'm from? You say that like an insult. Even if I was a colony kid, I at least know I was brought up with more manners than you apparently.Here's my damned permit," the nurse said, bringing to life her omni-tool. She procured the omni-tool modifications licensing agreement, showing that it was an Alliance-issued omni-blade on her name, and approved by the Citadel human embassy.

Definitely interesting.

Garrus was not one to snoop on a trusted friend's C-Sec file, but this was tempting. It was rare to find a civilian with an approved omni-tool.

The turian female hastily scanned the nurse's license. "Why does a civilian have an omni-blade installed?" she asked the nurse.

"I have a verifiable permit, that's all you need to know. If you have a problem with that, you can waste your superior's time and bring it to them." Although the nurse was shorter and had a less imposing build than most turian females, Garrus saw the female officer withdraw ever so slightly, that anyone might have missed it. "What do you think, Garrus?"

"It's Officer Vakarian," the turian female broke in.

"Maybe to you," Shepard said as a wicked grin appeared on her bloodied face. She looked pretty damned happy about the stiffening female turian before her. "Garrus?" the nurse purred. Her chin jutted out, and her earthen eyes never left the taller female.

In truth, it was a nonissue. Everybody was allowed an omni-blade mod provided they had the proper clearance. Which, evidently, she did. And if she didn't… While he wasn't in the habit of abusing his position, he might've had to find a way to get the nurse out of trouble under the table.

"You're fine, Shepard," replied Garrus, his angered completely dissolved during the exchange between the two females. At least for the time being. Had anyone else used his first name like she had, as a means of getting her way, Garrus would have called them out on it. He liked the way she sounded out the syllables in his name— not that he had paid a lot of thought to it, but it was… different hearing his name without any subharmonic decryptions behind it. Besides, he'd be lying if watching the nurse give somebody else apart from him a verbal ass kicking hadn't been entertaining. But he would still have to give Shepard a talking-to. "Lang, Viria, make sure everything is ready for forensics."

"Sir," said Lang, dismissing himself, with his partner in tow.

Garrus waited until the two other officers were out of earshot before speaking again. "Shepard. Doctor Michel. Tell me about this quarian the mercs were after."

At once, the doctor followed his order. "Like 'ave already told the officer, the little quarian came in with a shot wound and was interested in meeting the Shadowbroker. I set 'er up with Fist and Arin walked 'er to meet him. I don't understand why Fist sent his men."

"Shepard?"

"I, uh, pointed the way," the nurse looked at the floor, his shoulders, and everywhere else but Garrus' eyes, "she, um, she said I didn't have to come along. She said to just point the way. So I did." Garrus had the inkling there was something she was keeping from him. His visor showed him her heart was beating faster than when the fight ended just some minutes ago.

"Any idea why Fist's mercs showed up then?"

"Nope."

"Really."

"Maybe she got lost. Or changed her mind."

"I doubt she would have changed 'er mind," the doctor put in, "she said she wanted to exchange information for a place to 'ide. I suppose it is easy to get lost, too many doors. She could 'ave taken the wrong turn."

"Yeah," Shepard quickly agreed. "Prob'ly did." The nurse scratched her ear a little. Something about her didn't seem right, and Garrus didn't need his visor tell him her body was showing all sorts of biological signs she was lying.

"Hmm. Do you have any idea what the information was about?"

"I dunno," was all Shepard said, diverting her eyes to door, looking far too much like she was considering an escape.