Good Monday All. Getting towards the end of this tale. I hope you like it and I really do appreciate all the favs, follows, reviews and comments. You make writing fun and worthwhile. Hopefully I've portrayed Castis correctly; but I was trying to balance a father and a good Turian, they aren't mutually exclusive but there would be some differences. I will be tying up all the loose ends, so enjoy and if I've goofed on something don't hesitate to let me know. Cheers.


Healing

Castis

Castis Vakarian sat at his desk, blankly staring at a data pad. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should be working, following up a lead on a black market ring in the lower wards. But his mind would not focus, it only wanted to circle around one thought. Garrus was gone.

Someone had kidnapped his son and taken him off the Citadel. None of his CIs knew anything. Whoever this was had arrived on the station, taken Garrus, and left within ten hours.

Somewhere deep inside, he ached with the knowledge that whoever had orchestrated this had done it to deliberately hurt him. They'd succeeded, he almost couldn't breath he ached so badly at the thought of Garrus out there somewhere alone, no one to back him up. Garrus was brave but he was still just a youngling – not even having gotten his last growth spurt.

His wife Vassita was holed up in his small Citadel apartment with their daughter Solana. The two kids (despite being in Basic, Garrus was still, at heart, a kid) had snuck out to go see the Presidium lake. Castis was sure it had been Solana's idea, Garrus had been here before; but Castis would never say so or lay the blame on his daughter It was a simple, dumb idea, like most kids get, that had backfired.

Somehow the two had realized that someone was trying to capture them. Garrus had managed to get the far enough ahead of the kidnappers that he could hide Solana and lead the thugs away.

She'd waited until she couldn't hear any more pursuit then she'd crawled out of her hiding spot and run to the nearest safe place she could see. A small Turian café. Once Solana had babbled out her tale, the owner called C-Sec instantly.

When he arrived, with back up, he'd been both relieved and pained to see her sitting alone, sobbing in the arms of the café owner. Relieved she was safe, and dismayed that Garrus was not with her.

Regulations be damned, he'd picked up his daughter and used his sub harmonics to soothe her tears, while his people spread out and looked for witnesses. There were few, and the surveillance cameras in that area were old and badly damaged, so hadn't recorded much but a few blurry images. But it caught enough to show Garrus hiding his sister and then running off after, apparently, letting the mercs just get a glimpse of him. He'd been carrying her coat wrapped around something, Castis wasn't sure what it had been.

Garrus might not of been the best Turian in the Hierarchy, but his son didn't lack for smarts or courage. At that thought, his heart constricted again. A son he might never see again.

He thought he was about to go mad with inactivity and worry when his omni-tool signaled.

"Vakarian here." There was no trace of his upset in his voice as he answered.

"Vakarian, it's Executor Esselen, one of my undercover agents just contacted me – your son has come in on the destroyer Relentless and he's been taken to Huerta Hospital. Go see to him. Take however much time you need, Executor out."

"Yes Executor." Castis hadn't even waited for the call to end. He was on his feet headed for the door.

Before he knew it he was outside C-Sec headed for the nearest sky car station.

When he got there he immediately activated his omni-tool.

"Vakarian Household." Came Vassita's voice. Neutral with pain and exhaustion – she'd been keeping her misery hidden except with him – and never really with Solana. Both she and he were afraid that the young girl would get the idea that she was responsible for her brother's disappearance and they would not do that to her.

"Vassie." His voice was gentle when he used her nickname. She didn't much like it – only he could get away with it.

"Castis…" He could hear her faint keen of misery.

"Vassie," He interrupted. "They've found Garrus, he's at Huerta."

"What? How? How is he?" Her sub harmonics exploded with relief, joy, worry, and fear.

"I don't know. I'm taking a car over there now." He told her, keeping an eye on the line for the vehicles. There were a couple of people ahead of him.

"Solana and I will come."

"No, not by yourselves." He cut her off. "I'll call one of the off duty Officers and they'll escort you to Huerta."

"Castis?"

"I'm not taking chances." He told her.

"I'm not helpless, Castis." Now it was Vass the Infiltrator talking, not Vassie his mate.

"I know you're not Vassie, but I was foolish once – I won't be again particularly where you and Solana are concerned."

For a moment they regarded each other and then she gave a short trill of acceptance. He figured she was mostly doing it because of their daughter. She was right, she could very well defend herself; but trying to do so and protect Solana would make them both targets.

"My car's coming up." He hummed a note of reassurance at her and she returned it. "I'll call if I learn anything."

Castis's trip to Huerta was amazingly normal. Nothing or no one jumped out at him or tried to hijack his air car.

When he exited in front of the huge building – he realized suddenly that he had no idea where to go.

He went inside and approached the multi-level information desk. It scanned him and quickly activated a Turian figured VI.

"How may I assist?"

"I'm looking for a Garrus Vakarian. I was told he was brought in from the Destroyer Relentless."

There was a pause as the VI ran through the files.

"There is no Vakarian under that name, sir."

His heart sunk. Was this some kind of cruel joke on someone's part. He knew it wasn't Esselen – she wasn't that kind. Before he could worry himself about it.

"Vakarian." Came a voice and he whirled. Striding towards him was a C-Sec officer he dimly recognized. Though not his mismatched armor – definitely not C-Sec.

"Yes?"

"This way." The Officer pointed towards a nearby bank of elevators.

"Have a good cycle, sir." The VI said as it faded back into a colored pattern. Castis had to jog to catch up to the man before he got to the elevators.

"Who are you?" Castis stopped in front the other man, blocking his way into the elevators.

"Officer Teskal Neest." The man went around him to signal a car. He glanced around once and then lowered his voice.

"I found your boy."

"Garrus?" Castis almost couldn't choke his name out.

"Yes." Neest hurried him into the elevator and closed the doors. Then pushed the button for the right floor.

"Where did you find him? How is he?" Castis demanded.

"Long Wall, the Alliance's old Relay 314 Space Station." Neest told him.

"What? How?" Castis mind was in a whirl. "What has the Alliance to do with my son?"

"Nothing. It's just where he ended up." Neest explained.

Castis was puzzled but the elevator stopped and Neest showed him out. They were on what looked to be a recovery floor. It was quiet except for the sounds of medical machines. Neest led the way down the hallway to a room midway from the nurse's station.

Neest paused and stopped him at the door. "He's in there. Be prepared he was pretty badly beaten, bones broken, plates cracked." Here he looked away for a moment. "They had a Varren control collar on him, Castis. Electrodes imbedded in his throat, rendering him voiceless."

Castis about choked at that. "Spirits, no."

"It's been removed and was deactivated on Long Wall." Neest sighed. "His voice is coming back but it's still thin. But he's feeling terribly shamed because he got taken. He feels he failed you and his mother."

"Spirits no. How could he? He saved his sister." Castis protested at that.

"That isn't exactly what you've instilled in him, Castis." Teskal was stern. "He thinks he has to be the perfect Turian. At that age none of us are."

"I..I.." Castis couldn't seem to say anything to that.

"Go see him and be his father not C-Sec." Teskal ordered. "I'll be down the hall.

With that he turned and stalked away.

Castis watched him go in confusion then turned and straightening up walked into the room.

The room was dimly lit, and he heard the sounds of several medical monitors beyond the curtains surrounding the only bed that was occupied. He could dimly see a silhouette through the curtains as he pushed them aside and stepped in.

Garrus lay quietly in the bed, propped up by specialty pillows to accommodate his cowl and yet undeveloped fringe.

After his eyes adjusted, Castis went cold at his core as he saw what Teskal had been talking about. Garrus was badly battered. He could see cracks radiating through several plates. One or two had plate casts to heal breaks. His boy's chest and neck were bandaged, indicating surgery had been performed.

The skin between his plates, all over his visible body, was dark almost black from bruising and scabs. His fingers were barely visible beneath bandages, wrappings, casts, and IV lines.

"Spirits." Castis breathed out. He was barely audible but somehow Garrus heard him and he started awake. Hurting himself and letting out a whispery groan.

"No, easy, Garrus don't." Castis stepped quickly over to the bed, to put a hand on his son's shoulder. He winced when he realized that there wasn't a place that wasn't bandaged or bruised.

Garrus's eyes fluttered open and he peered up at his dad. Finally recognition came with a thin whine of shame. Neest's words came back to him and he wanted to voice his own shame.

"Father." His voice was so faint and hoarse with pain. "I..I'm sorry..I."

"Garrus." Instantly he was bending his head to touch his forehead to his sons. "No shame, you did nothing wrong." He let go of his rigid control of his sub harmonics and let his fear, worry, happiness, and affection flow over Garrus.

Garrus pushed back against his forehead as best he could and hummed relief and exhaustion back at his father.

Minutes passed while the two remained in contact. Castis, instinctively, modulating his sub harmonics to a healing frequency. Though not as effective as modern medicine, still the ancient Turians had learned that certain sub harmonic frequencies could help with injuries and distress. It was something still used by parents and certain natural healers.

Garrus's sub harmonics became choppy and Castis realized that this position was painful for his son and he slowly, reluctantly stepped back; but he did not stop his sub harmonics.

"Fa…" Garrus began again as he wearily sank into the pillows.

"Shush, Garrus. Just rest and heal. Your mother will be here soon." He saw a worried look come into his son's eyes and heard a faint note of fear.

"Solana's with her and she's okay." Castis told him, guessing that's what he was worried about. "You did good, son. You protected your sister."

With a faint relieved trill, Garrus closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.

For a long time he just stood by his son's bed, letting his sub harmonics surround Garrus. Encouraging healing and strength; and letting his pride flow over his son.

He hadn't paid any attention to the time when.
"Castis?" Came a rich voice that he recognized as Vassita.

He turned as she stepped through the curtains. Her face and her sub harmonics instantly registering her pain when she saw her son's battered body.

"Oh Garrus." She let go with a whine at his condition, and Castis put his arm around her to comfort her.

"Are you his parents?" Came a soft voice that made them both spin around. Castis instinctively went for his pistol and he could feel Vassita shifting to an attack position.

A pale blue Asari in a doctor's outfit stood in an opening in the curtains. She held up her hands to reassure them.

"Peace. I'm Doctor T'Seena."

"I..I'm sorry Doctor." Castis took his hand off his gun.

"Understandable. Officer Neest explained to me what happened." Here she looked at Garrus and Castis could feel that faint crawly electrical field that happened when a biotic was upset or angry.

"You have every right to be both upset and defensive." She went on.

"My apologies also, Doctor." Vassita looked at her son. "How is he?"

T'Seena sighed at that. "Your son has been very badly beaten. Along with the injuries that are visible, he has two broken ribs. We had to operate to stabilize them and to keep them from rubbing against his lungs. A couple of vertebrae are badly strained. One arm is broken and several fingers have been broken. And he has innumerable bruises and cuts."

Vassita let out a sub harmonic wail at that.

"He will recover Tome Vakarian." T'Seena assured her. "It will take some time and physical therapy but he is both young and strong."

"What of his voices?" That was Castis.

"They are healing." Came the prompt answer. "Fortunately the collar was not on him that long and whoever installed it, at least, knew what they were doing."

"A control collar?" Vassita hissed at that. "Who would do such a thing to a youngster."

"A coward." T'Seena's voice went hard.

The doctor spent time with them and with Garrus. Showing them what she had done and was doing for their boy, and how they could help.

Some time later, Castis left Vassie sitting by Garrus's bedside and went to look for Officer Neest who, surprisingly, Vassie had left Solana with. He trusted her feelings on that, she'd always had the ability to see into another person's heart. He couldn't explain it; but he knew it worked.

He found the other man, sitting in a lounge area with Solana curled up, sleeping beside him. Her favorite stuffed toy held tightly in her arms.

At the sound of footsteps, Neest straightened up, his hand settling on the butt of his gun.

Castis waved him off and picked up Solana, who only muttered and snuggled against him without waking, he sat down opposite the other man.

Castis settled his small daughter, he thought she was going to take more after her compact mother, against him and then looked up. Neest was quietly watching him.

"I..we thank you for rescuing Garrus." Castis told him.

Neest waved off his gratitude. "In truth it wasn't actually me that did it."

"Who then? I want to thank them." Castis was startled.

Here Neest rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "I didn't managed to get her name but it was an Alliance cadet…er I think they call them Privates."

"A HUMAN?" Castis didn't quite squawk but it was close.

"Yes a human." Neest gave him a cool look. "She helped him escape and was trying to get him up to the Alliance levels when I ran across them. Another private was the one who deactivated the collar."

Castis wasn't sure he believed that. Most of the humans he'd run across on the Citadel, few that there were, weren't particularly fond of his species. He couldn't think of one who would go out of their way to help a Turian. He decided to deal with this later.

"I need to keep Garrus safe while I find out who did this and bring him to justice." Casts changed the subject.

"Well Alliance said that when she found him some giant Turian was beating on him."

"Giant?" Castis's gizzard knotted at that. It couldn't be him.

"Did she find out his name?"

"Goelle, no…that's not it." Neest was obviously trying to remember.

"You mean." Castis voice had gone artic. "..Gojin?"

"That's it." Then Neest saw his face and heard the barely contained anger in his sub harmonics. "You know him."

Castis fought to keep his rage out of his sub harmonics to keep from waking Solana. "Enforcer, does not care who he works for or what he does. Usually used to make people pay up." Here he let out one bark of sub harmonics rage that made Solana whimper and shift. He soothed her, burying his rage.

"And he targets children!" Castis added in an angry whisper.

Neest's growl of rage echoed his.

"I tried to get him but he just fled the Citadel." Castis was still angry about that; but to find that Gojin had gone after his children in retaliation. For a few moments he seriously considered not living by the rules that governed his life and work; but then he realized that if he did that he would become no better than Gojin himself.

"When you go hunting, let me know." Neest stood up. "From the sounds of it – you'll need someone at your back."

Castis looked up at the man, now seeing the scars and a weariness to him. He didn't look like a man who was a 'good' Turian; but he also looked strong
and determined..

"I will."

With a sharp nod Neest took his leave and Castis rose and with his sleeping daughter went to join his mate and his son.