So chapter 11! A bit bland this one, my apologies, writers block is a pain in the ass... Thank you for the wonderful R&R's keep them coming!

*

Chakwas uneasily looked to the shut door and the unconscious Commander as she sighing followed Mordin out of the med lab heading for the elevator.

"Should we really leave them alone like that? Shepard perhaps but Garrus-"

Mordin stopping, whirled around and met the doctor's startled eyes with his brightly grinning ones.

"No need. EDI is watching him for more then health signs. I am intrigued! The research on the field of Turian and human interactions through more then friend bindings. A very unknown topic seeing the hate still lives in many of both races hearts. To gain knowledge as it happens step by step! Truly a wondrous thing to be part-"

The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed in the mess hall making a few heads turn and watch the two doctors with open wonder.

Tears streaked her face as the stress and emotions were too much for the doctor to bear. Mordin having taken a stumbling step back lifted his left hand to his cheek were his colored flesh took on a faint imprint of Chakwas hand. Bewilderment was within his wide eyes as Chakwas clenching her hands into tight fists, glared up at the salarian.

"How dare you! How dare you treat this like some lab experiment!" she yelled uncaring of anyone who heard.

"Doctor-"

"No! No more Mordin! You are taking this too far! They are living, I mean fuck!" throwing her arms into the air Chakwas taking a rapid step back from the doctor paced a few more before growling and facing Mordin once again, jabbed a thin finger into his upper chest as their eyes met. "The Commander has helped us out and saved our lives countless times. Her own choices are her own, and they are not to be studied by you like she is some lab rat! Nor Garrus! Leave them be!"

Her shoulders shaking with repressed sobs, Chakwas shoved passed Mordin who turning watched her with sad eyes, hand still to his cheek as the imprint faded. Hearing the elevator door open and shut, the salarian lowering his hand focused his gaze on the few soldiers who sitting at the main mess table diverted their gazes to their food or other means to avoid his own.

Looking to the med lab's shut door, Mordin kept replaying Chakwas's words in his head. Maybe he had taken it a bit too far. Rubbing the back of his neck the salarian turning headed for the elevator with his mind already calculating the new input of adding the ideas of human and turian emotions into the equation.

*

Shepard's eyes flicked open as her drugged mind tried to awaken and register where she was. The faint hum of the ship filled her ears as did the soft beeping of the medical devices littering the walls around her.

The med lab…

Realizing where she resided, Shepard remembered the blurred visions before blacking out. Saving Tali from the Geth, becoming ill and all seemed blurred and distant. Sitting up with her temples thrumming to the beeping of the devices, Shepard rubbing her sore eyes felt the bruise in her bare inner arm and saw the small bruise left from a injection.

Just what had happened to her?

Shaking her head, the woman throwing the blanket off of her form swung her legs over the gurney's edge testing her feet gingerly on the cool metallic floor.

Flinching to the dull ache in her legs, Shepard rising and with a slight stagger regained her balance and composure while turning her sharp gaze to the silent console near the med lab doorway. Minus the armor missing from her right arm, she was still fully armored with only her weapons missing.

"EDI report; why am I here?"

Her voice cracked but it relieved the Commander hearing there was sound in her words then just a broken whisper. The orb of blue light flickered to life filling the room with the AI's gentle glow.

"Commander Shepard was confined to the Med Lab after having an allergic reaction to turian saliva that was in the blood stream. By orders of Doctor Mordin you and Garrus Vakarian were to remain here in separate rooms medicated and recovering, although he had shown no ill effects like you had."

Hearing the AI's voice Shepard rubbing her eyes once more still feeling groggy looked to the side door leading to the back room devices and gurneys. "Doctor Mordin also wanted me to inform you that if you were to awaken before he came to check in on you, to try and avoid the turian for now. His pressing concern of the displays that Vakarian has shown makes him uneasy of you two being left alone."

Hearing this Shepard's eyes growing hard and cold turned and gave her full glare to the AI no matter how pointless it was to glare at a machine.

"To stay away; you mean avoid. What displays has my friend shown that concerns the good doctor?" her voice ran deep in her throat, the anger from being groggy and aching temples grew more so with agitation of Mordin's odd behavior.

"His reports mention of turian mating displays; he has only seen in research their full display being performed to females of their race not any other. What concerned him was that Vakarian had bitten your neck, to a turian the neck is the most sacred place seeing it is the softest part on their body and to expose it is a true sign of trust and dedi- I am sorry Commander; his records are suddenly blocked from my core."

A dark bitter smile crossed her lips as she crossing her arms over her chest eyed the AI. "Blocked… something is going on here and I do not approve in the least." Going to the main lab desk where her missing arm piece resided, reached out and began mounting it onto her arm once more when the AI chimed in once more.

"If it pleases the Commander; five hours two minutes and fifty three seconds ago Doctor Chakwas struck Doctor Mordin and proceeded to yell at him for her dislike in his proceedings."

That alone made Shepard look at the AI with bewildered eyes. "Chakwas; the old doctor from SSV Normandy struck someone?" it was hard to grasp her mind around as the AI blinking responded.

"Yes; I have the discussion recorded in my memory banks; it will be one moment."

A few seconds passed by before the com link within the Med Lab opened up to the sounds of the mess hall earlier.

"Should we really leave them alone like that? Shepard perhaps but Garrus-"

"No need. EDI is watching him for more then health signs. I am intrigued! The research on the field of Turian and human interactions through more then friend bindings. A very unknown topic seeing the hate still lives in many of both races hearts. To gain knowledge as it happens step by step! Truly a wondrous thing to be part-"

Shepard's eyelids were the only thing that flinched when she heard the contact of flesh to flesh.

"How dare you! How dare you treat this like some lab experiment!"

"Doctor-"

"No! No more Mordin! You are taking this too far! They are living, I mean fuck! The Commander has helped us out and saved our lives countless times. Her own choices are her own, and they are not to be studied by you like she is some lab rat! Nor Garrus! Leave them be!"

"That is the recording of the entire incident. Since then Doctor Mordin and Doctor Chakwas have remained on separate levels clearly avoiding each other."

Shepard stood there for only a few moments more, gathering up her thoughts coming to the conclusion of seeing a certain salarian and getting some answers. "That will be all." She spoke heading for the door.

"As you wish Commander; logging you out."

The woman stopped as the doors hissed open, looking over her shoulder at the small side entry way. Feet locked in place Shepard with a heavy breath passing her lips turned on her heel and with the doors closing shut behind her, the Commander headed for the door that contained her friend.

*

Garrus laid awake on the gurney though eyes were shut. He had heard the Commander's angry words and the words the AI had shared with her knowledge before it had been blocked of from her core as well as through her recordings.

It felt strange within his chest being spoken of in such a manner reminding him all to well just how alien the human race was; how alien Shepard herself was. Opening his eyes, Garrus lifting his left claw up and into his vision, the turian wondered just how alien he was to her. Her skin was soft, his made of plates, and her hands were long and with many fingers while he had three with large claws upon them. She could express emotion so easily with her facial muscles while the only thing that could move to show any emotion was his eyes.

Clenching his claws into a loose fist, Garrus lowered them back onto his belly as he heard the med bay door open and soon after hiss shut. No doubt she had left to confront Mordin about-

Hearing the door open to the small side room, Garrus pulled his gaze from the ceiling turned his head on the pillow and silver blue eyes met blue eyes as Shepard stood there hand on the door's controls.

The anger and agitation he saw in her eyes seemed to recede as they scanned his body, falling for a few prolonged seconds on the thick cast still upon his leg before looking back at his eyes, a smile playing on her lips making the turian wonder what she was smiling at.

"Shepard?"

His voice spoke her name softly, uncertain of what it was she was in the room, no doubt finding out why she had such a reaction she would no longer be as close as she had allowed only a day before. Even if so, the turian smiled bitterly within himself. Even if she would never allow him to get that close ever again he at least had the memories of that one night where his restless soul had found peace even if not for as long as he would have hoped. To simply have held her as he had, was more then the turian could have ever hoped for.

Leaning against the doorframe the small beep emitting from the doorway being blocked, Shepard smirking watched the turian with amused eyes.

"Why is it every time you get involved I get even further into the interest of that salarian doctor? He no doubt thinks me insane as a human being." She spoke the words dripping with her anger towards Mordin, the woman pushing off of the door frame entered the room as the door shutting, began to pace back and forth, hands clasped tightly at the small of her back.

Garrus grunting sat up, still in his full armor yet the right arm bare, swung his legs over the edge of the gurney and watched her pace. He was very uneasy of the whole thing… if only he had never bit her then maybe this… maybe nothing would have gone through the doctor's mind.

That was one thing that concerned the turian most of all; why did he bite Shepard? It was a sacred gesture to his people. To his people that very symbolic motion was a promise; a promise very few ever broke.

His mind fell blank as he watching her stop lift her left hand up and began to rub slowly on the neck wound concealed beneath her under armor.

"Garrus… we need to talk. Maybe not right now but soon we need to discuss and figure out what exactly is going on here." With those words spoken in a strained voice, Shepard who not even looking at him, turned stiffly on her heel and left him sitting there, mandibles twitching with true worry deep in his gaze long past the door shutting.

"Shepard?"

*

Shepard's face burned a vivid crimson as she made a swift get away from the Turian's room. She could not help it, hearing EDI's findings on Mordin's reports, how Chakwas spoke about them, that one night she had slept in his arms and the times even before that.

Leaving the med bay, the woman taking a single side step away from the door, leaned against the cold humming wall where upon closing her eyes with her mind deep in thought.

It was all to clear and yet she still felt uncertainty in trying to see where it will go…

Opening her eyes, Shepard looked forward with distant eyes as she finally allowed the words to whisper so faintly in the back of her skull with disbelief still trying to eat at each word.

'I am falling for a Turian…'

Lifting her hand up, she touched the tender spot of her neck timidly, some how in some way this bite Garrus had given her meant more then she ever had thought.

Mordin.

He had the answers she sought, pushing off of the wall, Shepard began to walk with a steady pace right for the elevator. Not only did she want answers of his chosen actions but answers into what was going on. Her own emotions and thoughts being such a mess already maybe the good old doctor could clear some things up for her be it the nice way or the way she preferred at that given moment due to her agitation towards him.

Normally she felt to find all good and right within each flaw and mishap that had taken place, yet he made this personal and she planned on reminding him just how she took personal intrusions.

*

"Mordin."

The salarian looked up from his lab yet instead of doing what Shepard expected, the doctor smiled at her, eyes bright as he with a small vial in his hands walked around his desk and faced her with only a few feet between them.

"Ah it is good to see you up Commander. Interesting findings, a solution to allergy reactions from Dextro and Levo-Amino acids."

"Enough Mordin. EDI told me what you were doing and I heard the recording fight between you and Chakwas. Now tell me…" taking a few steps closer to cut the space in half between them, Shepard narrowing her gaze, bore her glare into his large eyes. "… Just what the hell is going on here that I am missing?"

Mordin standing there holding the small vial, sighed and cupping the vial with both hands, looked at her with a solemn expression.

"Turian; Garrus Vakarian; male; has been showing mating rituals but to a human; not female turian. Why; is my question. Began to research; found no true successful bonding between human and turian thus wanted to study you two seeing bond of friendship, bonding of emotions run deeper then any other human, turian bonding found in past records."

Nodding to the side indicating her wound, Mordin looked back at her with full attention. "The bite on neck; a great symbolic motion to turian culture; different from clan to clan, but still symbolic. Meaning I have misread his movements around you. Never once did he view as just friend; but more."

Turning his back to the Commander, Mordin setting the vial down on his lab picked up a journal pad before facing her fully once more, offering the journal to her.

Taking the flickering pad into her left hand, Shepard eyeing him looked down at it. Eyes going wide only briefly as with her right hand, began to scan through the much gathered data.

All based on turian anatomy, physiology, culture, beliefs, ways of life.

"I have compiled this information to share with you when complete. Though unfinished perhaps this may help. You may not know it fully yet; mere words cannot prepare you for it. That bite and his show of animalistic behavior proves, this turian has bonded with you. Wanted or not; you are bonded."

She heard his words as she stared at a Turian's chest plating, so like his that night. Smooth yet extremely rough to human flesh.

"Commander Shepard."

Looking up at him, drawing the journal down to her left hip, Shepard felt uneasy by seeing his expression as he reaching behind himself without needing to double check where his hand went, grasped the vial and offered it to her.

"No known records of a full binding between human and turian can be found; from researching bindings off of reports of female turians; this may help counteract some of the effects. Untested still so unsure of it working or making it worse."

Hearing this as she wearily took the vial, the woman eyed the salarian. "What is it that is going to happen? What has happened Mordin?"

That was when the doctor's eyes lit and a smile crept onto his face before turning his back to her and set to work on his lab once again.

"No harm shall befall you as long as you read the notes. Interesting this will be to watch unfold."

She knew her glare was not helping nor getting any more useful information from this doctor was impossible, and with a very agitated sigh passing her lips, Shepard gripping the vial tightly in hand as the journal resided in the other. "I shall let you get back to work." Was all she spoke before turning and headed out of the lab with Mordin humming a too cheery of a tune behind her as the door shut.

*

You honor me by allowing my presence to accompany you on this mission."

Bowing her head in respect to the Asari they had just recruited and left in the thankfully now cleaned up observatory, Shepard made her way towards the elevator. Her head ached from the running around the shipping docks of Illium trying to convince the Justicar to join their cause.

It had shaken her mostly when she had found Liara T'Soni there, it shook her more so when the woman acted so cold towards her and then refused out right to go anywhere while in the pursuit of the Shadow Broker.

A heavy sigh passed her lips as she lifted her hand to the com in her ear. "Joker; I am taking shore leave, any crew that have also left please inform them they have at least three hours before needing to return and depart from this planet. I need to just clear my head." She spoke sourly, not meaning to yet uncaring that she had, removed her hand from the com as she entered the elevator.

As the door hissed shut she leaning against the metal wall, closed her eyes and tried to force back the dull ache in her skull.

Slowly but surly her team was growing and soon… very soon they would face the Collector's base.

At this moment though Shepard did not care. She wanted to just forget all the bloody stresses piling deeper onto her body and mind. Not only the collectors but ever since Chakwas little outburst in the mess hall, rumors began to arise about her and Garrus. Granted they were small and hardly believable some of the things said, but the shear fact they were arising was getting to her.

"K Commander, have fun."

Hearing Joker's response through the com Shepard exiting the elevator and headed for the main doorway out of the Normandy. The Commander hoping to find some get away time at the Eternity Bar on Illium.

*

So apologies on this chapter being a wee bit slow, just trying to cover much detail and ground as I can so the story is not simply rushed to the next thing, hope you still liked it, R&R please!