Neross: Well at least now I know how to motivate you all into reviewing. I just have to cry. :)

*ahem* Anyway. Thanks to your amazing reviews I was actually able to defeat a bout of writer's block this week in order to finish the newest chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it and I'm very thankful for all of my faithful readers who left me a nice review to keep me motivated during my mental blockage. ^_^

Warning: This Fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!

...

Garrus and the Commander did not meet again in the night for some time. For one reason or another the Commander seemed to have no new aggressions to work out. Her calm could, perhaps, be linked to the easy reunion with Liara. The two of them had always been close. Though there seemed to be nothing sexual in their relationship (despite the rumors Joker unapologetically spread amongst the new crew) it was clear that both women had a deep bond. Clearly one that couldn't be broken by death either as Liara's immediate embrace of the Commander had shown.

It shamed Garrus a bit to know that Liara so easily accepted the Commander's return where he had had so much trouble. Worse it made him feel guilty because he had let his feelings for the commander taint that reunion with his own failures. Where he had blamed her, Liara had easily accepted her. But it was hard to focus on brooding with the Commander in such a good mood. She practically flowed through the corridors so at ease was she. Although she had initially seemed disappointed that the young Asari doctor had refused to join their little adventure, it was clear that the Commander was taking it well. Of course...Garrus was sure there was more to it than that.

They had been reunited with so many from their past on Illium. From Conrad Verner to the Rachni Queen. And Gene had taken all of it with such an easy stride and such flawless handling that Garrus wasn't completely convinced that she wouldn't have made for an excellent politician. Perhaps her constant good mood was because her past finally seemed to have meshed with her present. The Turian simply couldn't tell for sure. But whatever had made her so happy Garrus was simply glad that for once the weight of the galaxy seemed to have lessened upon her shoulders.

In fact, the night they finally collided once more, Garrus caught her in an intimate moment and found himself struck by simply how much he still loved her. He'd questioned his love for her before then. He'd even thought that maybe it had been a simple crush. Until he found her staring with unbound affection at her omnitool display late at night in the Normandy's galley. Her firey eyes seemed close to tears, her lips pulled into the tiniest most nostalgic little smile, her hair a romantic tumble upon her shoulders. There was love in her eyes, somehow he just knew.

He smiled at her as he descended the short flight of stairs that led from the forward batteries and couldn't contain the soft chuckle that spilled from his lips. "That's a nice expression Commander. You should try shooting that look at Joker sometime. He might actually wind up tongue-tied for once." He mused, though the idea of her looking at anyone that way brought an uncomfortable itch to his stomach.

She turned toward him in surprise, a lingering dose of dreamy steam still swirling in her eyes. For a moment he lost his breath until she smiled at him in a lazy and amused way. His breath returned and he took a seat at the table across from her as she shut down her omnitool and turned her attention to him instead. He found he liked the way the blush of affection strayed upon her cheeks. "You're up late Garrus." she began and he waited as he saw the quick change of her smile from content to smug. "Busy ...calibrating?"

He fought back the chuckle in his throat and instead simply shook his head in amusement. "Very funny Commander. What were you reading?" She simply raised her eyebrows a bit in slight surprise when he didn't rise to her bait and leaned her cheek on her hand. "I had a talk with Samara and was suddenly reminded of the woman who raised me."

"The woman who...?" Garrus paused there was something wrong here, he knew that. He thought back to the Commander's file. She was from earth and had been orphaned at a very young age. That meant she couldn't be referring to her mother. Did that mean her foster mother then? Her file hadn't had any mention of a guardian...which was strange for a military record. The Turian cocked his head slightly and leveled her with a curious stare. Was she toying with him again?

She giggled at his confusion and gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "I know what my file says. And I guess, technically I still am something of an orphan. But my mom's sister took me in when I was ten and raised me until I was old enough to enlist. So ...despite the fact that she's my aunt...I think of her as my mother. Samara reminds me a lot of her...strange considering they're almost nothing alike." The bold look of affection returned to the Commander's gaze and Garrus once again found it hard to breath.

More than that the Turian felt the swell of his heart as she stared at him with that pure look of love. And then she let out a tiny laugh, blinked and the lovesick look vanished from her features. He smiled anyway. "You must really love her." She nodded absently and sat up straight so as to fold her hands before her casually. "She was there for me when I needed her. She actually came back to earth for me and abandoned her research on the Citadel in order to help raise me. I gave her such a tough time and she never gave up on me despite the fact that she wasn't that much older than me herself."

Garrus smirked and leaned forward, interested in the past she was sharing with him. He was all too aware of the deja vu he felt sitting at the galley table, listening to Gene talk about her past. He enjoyed the feeling however and simply rolled with it. "So what were you reading?"

She turned a bright shade of red and shot an embarrassed hand up over her mouth. After a moment of fiercely fighting against laughter he settled and she looked back at him over the edge of her hand. "It was a letter from my Aunt that I got about a week before we touched down on Horizon. For the most part she just seems to be mad that I didn't contact her sooner and that at some point I'd have to come home so that she could kill me herself for making her worry so much."

Garrus didn't hold back his laughter then. It sounded like such a normal motherly response. Somehow he had thought that anyone who had raised Gene would have been ...well... a bit more odd. But he smiled even when she gave him a light punch in the arm and grinned. "Laugh it up Vakarian, I'm taking you and the rest of the crew with me when I do finally take that little trip home."

"I think I'd like to see that. Just how old is your aunt anyway if she's 'not that much' older than you?" he asked her, curiosity getting the better of him. Gene sat back and thought about it for a bit. He could practically see her adding up the numbers in her head. "Well...she was twenty two when she adopted me so I guess that would make her forty two now."

The surprise was dull by then but it was there. He should've known there'd be a catch in her story. "Only twelve years older than you then huh? That is impressive."

Gene shot him a look but merely shook her head and grinned. "Yeah...I guess it is. But my Aunt Maria has always done things most people would consider beyond her years. Hell she graduated Harvard with her second doctorate at nineteen. She just kind of...rushes through life, but I guess it doesn't hurt that she's some kind of genius."She smiled with pride when the surprise showed on Garrus' face all too clearly.

"Some kind huh? Are all Shepard's just born gifted or something?" he asked incredulously. Gene laughed and shook her head 'no'. She rubbed a hand through her hair and then leaned on it to stare at him. "Technically Aunt Maria isn't a Shepard. She's a St. George . But it's pretty much just her. I had to work hard to get where I am anyway. But Aunt Maria was born with a photographic memory and a little added dosage of curiosity and dedication. The only other person like that in my family is probably my Grandma Shepard. She's an artist. A pretty good one. But she's become a bit bitter in her old age. And I can count the number of times I've spent with her on one hand. "

"Not the doting sort of grandmother hm? Does it have anything to do with your parent's deaths?"

The second he asked he knew he'd made some sort of mistake, stepped on some sort of open nerve. Her eyes shot open in a mixture of fear, hurt, and something he recognized all to well from his own life...betrayal. Slowly and deliberately she stood and gave him a soft, sad sort of smile. "Yeah...probably. I'll...I'll talk to you later Garrus. Try to get some shut-eye. We're going back to Liara's tomorrow to recruit us an assassin." And with that she swept away before he could utter even the smallest sound of disagreement. He watched her go and felt a growing suspicion grow at the base of his spine.

There was something about the way she acted that reminded him all too much of the night she had used her biotics to throw him into a wall. He had no idea why...but the fear in her eyes had seemed the same. He let out a heavy sigh and did as ordered and got some sleep. But that night his dreams were invaded by her loving expression and his longing to see such a face reserved for him and him alone. And somewhere close to morning he dreamt of her lying beside him, wrapped in his arms, for the first time since Omega.

...

Neross: Well I hope you all enjoyed that. And remember if you didn't you could always tell me why you didn't and I will do my best to correct the problem. ^_^ I work much faster (and work better) when I receive some written encouragement/ constructive criticism from my readers. So leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing won't you? Don't make me cry and beg again! Becuase I swear...I'll do it. I'll break down and sob and scream and pout like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum...and then I'll go play Portal 2 and leave you all hanging...FOR MONTHS. So do yourselves a favor...AND LEAVE ME A REVIEW! :)

P.S. : For those of you who read this shortly after I first posted it. I am SO SORRY. FFN's document manager apparantly took issue with Shepard's Aunt's name for some reason and would literally wipe it from the document every time I typed it out. I don't know why...strange sort of glitch I guess. But I've fixed it now and I hope you all can forgive me for not noticing it earlier. Although I swear it was there when I uploaded the document soo...technically not my fault.

Until next time, keep on rocking out!