She was so cute when she got frustrated.

James had mercilessly beat Jane at five games of poker. Each time, she lost whatever he asked for. She had lost mostly the chits she had on her, but now she was broke.

"Alright, Vega, you got me. I got nothing!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say nothing..."

She blushed.

"This is NOT strip poker, Lieutenant!"

James laughed.

"Nah, I wasn't gonna make you strip... yet. How bout some juicy secrets?"

Normally, he wasn't into this kind of thing, but he liked making her blush. Shepard sighed.

"Ok, mister... what do you wanna know...?"

"I'd like to know..."

The lounge room door flew open, and in stepped in Vakarian.

"Garrus! Come help me win back my stuff! Please?"

He laughed.

"You've always sucked at card games, Shepard. Why you continue to play them, I'll never know..."

"Oh, James and I were challenging each other here, but I can't seem to beat him!"

All the joy and warm feeling he had with the Commander slowly started to shrink away.

"I've got a better idea." said Garrus

"Whatcha got in mine, Vakarian?" James tried joking with him, but even he could hear the anger in his voice

"Why don't we play something a bit more... challenging? Sparring, perhaps?"

"But where at, Garrus? Most this ship isn't designed for that?" she asked

"I believe where Lt. Vega here normally perches is a fine place, don't you agree?"

Garrus smugly smiled at James. Oh, it was ON!

"I don't see why not. You and me, right?"

"I think that'd be a great idea, Vega..."

Hearing the Turian say his last name made him want to punch him now, but he figured the Turian wanted payback for the bathroom, and he was only too happy to oblige.

. . .

Esteban stood at a good distance away from the shuttle bay's large open space where Garrus and James both stood. Shepard took a seat on top of the docked Kodiak.

"So, you still ass hurting from the bathroom, Vakarian?"

"I admit, I'm itching to give you a bloody nose, but I'm doing this more for her."

"We'll see about that..."

Shepard called, "FIGHT!"

Vakarian sprung at James and latched onto his waist, which both fell from. He attempted to swing, but Vega caught his hand.

The Turian launched off of him backwards.

James quickly scrambled to his feet as Garrus sprung again.

He dodged him this time at the very last minute, but the Turian's foot caught ahold of his side, and flew into a wall. The steel frame bruised him, but he wasn't going to let it affect him.

James crouched down into a steady position, as Garrus struck again. James caught him from the middle and threw him across the floor.

The Turian must have hit the floor pretty hard, because there was purple blood just barely trickling down his face. James hoped Shepard couldn't see it against the Turian's darker skin; he wasn't finished.

Garrus got up and threw a kick at him. James caught it, but then he was thrown to the ground when the big guy twisted his leg.

James got a nice taste of blood in his mouth. He wondered if he hadn't broke a tooth. He spit out the blood, but more was filling it up.

Which distracted him long enough to get a nice knuckle sandwich to the face. He felt his nose break.

Great, he was getting hungry for fist anyway...

The Turian lunged again, and Vega caught him in the side. He fell to his knees long enough for James to throw in another punch to his chest. Garrus fell to the floor.

He whipped his leg around, and tripped James. He got the wind knocked out of him from his back slamming to the floor, and the Turian was now on top of him. James took another blow to the face.

"That's enough!"

Esteban and Lola yanked Vakarian off of him. James finally got his breath back.

"What's wrong with you two? That was NOT a friendly spar. I don't know what your guy's deal is, but you are BOTH not going onto the next mission. Is that clear?"

Garrus and James looked at each other in hatred, then to her with shame.

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Good. Now let's get you two to the medi-bay. Doctor Chakwas is gonna LOVE patching you two up!"