Parental Possession Problems
Garrus sat atop the Mako rover in the garage section of the ship. The Turian was very pleased, so much so that his mandibles were tilted in such a way to show a full grin, if Turians were able to do such a thing. All maintenance problems were taken care of and Tali had just stopped by to visit him before getting back to her duties in engineering. All in all, it looked like the day's work was done and it was only halfway through the day.
"Now all what is left to do is just look forward to when a certain Quarian will be off duty..." Garrus muttered to himself, a faraway look in his eyes. Garrus wasn't exactly the most bubbly type, but his mood was at such an apex that he nearly wanted everyone else to share in the good mood. Of course, he had to rethink if he really did want everyone to bask in that glow when he noticed Wrex walk by. The Krogan was wearing a longer scowl than usual. Hesitating a bit, the Turian decided it was probably best to at least attempt to do the right thing.
"Wrex, are you all right?" Garrus asked.
"Not really." Wrex grumped.
"Anything I can help with?"
"You know what...maybe you can. You're a C-Sec officer, so you'd probably know what to do." Wrex stated thoughtfully. Garrus immediately balked.
"Whoa now, don't tell me anymore. I don't want you to get arrested, but I also want to watch out for myself. If I don't know what you did, illegal or otherwise, we're both good." Garrus stated quickly.
"It's not what I did." Wrex defended.
"Then what is it?"
"It's who I did..."
"What!?" Garrus cried.
"Yeah, that's what I said too..." Wrex mumbled.
"You didn't remember?"
"Even worse, it seems it has produced an offspring." Wrex stated, shaking his head discouragingly.
"But I thought most Krogan were sterile. You included." Garrus offered.
"Again, that's what I thought too..."
"Well, look at it this way. At least you have another Krogan in existence."
"It's not another Krogan." Wrex stated quietly. Garrus furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused.
"...What?"
"...It's the product of an Asari melding..."
"HOLY CRAP! YOU SEDUCED LIARA!?"
"Excuse me...but are you two talking about me?" Liara's voice suddenly interrupted. The two soldiers turned their heads to look at the bewildered Asari.
"Is something wrong?" Liara asked curiously. Garrus immediately leaped off the Mako and rushed to her.
"Okay, Dr. T'soni, just stay calm." Garrus blathered. Wrex meanwhile looked like he was about to panic or blow a fuse.
"...W-what? I don't understand..." Liara said.
"I know it must have been traumatizing, but don't try to repress it. Just stay calm, we'll get it all taken care of the next time we run into a proper medical and psychiatric facility." Garrus continued.
"...But...what's wrong with me? What was traumatizing?" Liara asked timidly.
"Garrus, you idiot! It's not Liara who's knocked up!" Wrex shouted. Garrus immediately clammed up.
"...Whoops..."
"...Knocked...up...?" the Asari scientist whimpered. Garrus became frantic again.
"Er...everything I just told you...forget about it." the Turian ordered.
"Has someone been physically abused? That's what you mean by 'knocked up,' right? We should probably get medical attention for them." Liara offered.
"Oh gods...I feel a massive headache coming on..." Wrex growled with frustration, rubbing his head. Garrus caught the drift.
"Um, no Liara, that is not what 'knocked up' means. Nevermind Wrex and I, just get going back to the medical lab." Garrus sputtered, hurrying the Asari along.
"Then what does it mean?" Liara asked as she was pushed towards the elevator. Garrus hit the activation button.
"Go ask Chief Williams." the Turian called before turning back to Wrex.
"Well, who is it?" Garrus asked when things calmed down.
"Aleena." Wrex answered.
"Aleena? But I thought nothing happened between you two." Garrus stated. Wrex threw his claws to the air. Clearly, that was something he had also thought but was recently proven wrong.
"So did I. Maybe something happened back at that bar when we both really got hammered."
"In more ways than one as it would so appear." Garrus muttered.
"Don't remind me."
"So what exactly is the specifics of the problem?" the Turian asked.
"All I know is that I got a message a couple of hours ago from the extranet. It was from Aleena. She said that she needs someone to watch 'the little one,' as she called it, and that I was the only one who was proper for the job since I was 'responsible.'" Wrex explained.
"I take it she's not going to take 'no' for an answer."
"Knowing her, no. She even told me where to meet her..." Wrex announced. Garrus immediately lit up.
"Well, there you go. You couldn't make the destination and there's nothing you can do." Garrus offered.
"That tin can excuse wouldn't fly past her. Besides, it's exactly where we're going right now, the Citadel." Wrex groaned.
"Oh my, talk about rotten luck." Garrus winced.
"I swear, don't remind me. I'm about to have a migraine that would've made the late Alenko shrug off his as a minor headache." Wrex snapped. Garrus meanwhile thought carefully.
"Hmmm...the problem is that the law is in her favor. You could request a paternity test, but if you're both certain the child is yours, then it's probably no use. You could place the child in foster care, but that would have to be within the consent of both parents, not to mention a ton of paperwork. There's no easy way out of this one. The easiest one is to just take it into your own care." Garrus stated.
"But the child is going to be an Asari!" Wrex cried.
"That is irrelevant. The child will have parts of your genetic makeup. Although it is technically an Asari, it is also a Krogan. At least, that's what common sense would dictate. I'm kind of surprised more Krogan haven't done this thing, intermingling with Asari. At least part of their genetic heritage would pass on...provided they could somehow woo an Asari. No offense, I just really can't see an Asari easily falling for a Krogan..." Garrus muttered.
"Ugh..." was all what Wrex could grunt.
"Either the Krogan would have to do some serious courtship and get really lucky...or get the Asari drunk enough..." Garrus thought aloud absentmindedly. Only two seconds later did he realize what he just said. To make matters worse, he found himself looking at a very pissed off Wrex.
"Oh crap, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-ack!"
"You idiot, how many times do I have to tell you not to remind me!?" Wrex growled, a heavy claw roughly clamped around Garrus' throat.
"What are you two idiots doing?" another voice interrupted. Wrex and Garrus both glanced to the side to find Ashley Williams glaring at them, her hands at her hips. The look she had on her face seemed very reminiscent of a stern mother catching two quarrelsome children. Wrex sighed and let Garrus go. The Turian immediately started heaving in air.
"Nothing you need to know about, Williams." Wrex grumped. Ashley just raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? I was just getting back from lunch when Liara came up to me and asked what 'knocked up' meant. She also stated it had something to do with you two, and when I come down here, I find you two getting a little physical." Ashley stated skeptically.
"Its...well...uh..." Garrus gasped, still trying to get as much air as he needed before he noticed Wrex glaring at him again. The Turian immediately shut up.
"Wrex, don't be mean. What did you do?" Ashley asked firmly.
"Apparently, I did Aleena without even recalling and it seems like I now have an Asari/Krogan child who is going to be calling me 'daddy' as soon as we land on the Citadel." Wrex growled. Ashley's eyes bulged out before her mouth dropped.
"...Wow...Wrex...I-I don't know what to say..." Ashley sputtered.
"Don't remind him!" Garrus rasped. Before anyone else could say anything, Tali showed up, much to Wrex's further growing agitation.
"Hey all! Garrus...are you all right? What happened?" the Quarian asked worriedly. By now, Garrus had just about worked off the effects of a Krogan stranglehold.
"I'll be all right. It's Wrex we should be worried about." Garrus announced.
"Wrex? Why, what happened to you?" Tali asked, still holding concern.
"Look, I'd really rather to not have the whole ship knowing-"
"He's a father now." Ashley interrupted.
"Grrrrr!"
"But, I thought Krogan were sterile." Tali said.
"It's half Asari." Garrus explained.
"...Liara!?" Tali cried in alarm.
"I swear, I'm this close to blowing a fuse!" Wrex growled, though no one seemed to pay attention.
"No, Aleena." Ashley corrected.
"Oh, that makes more sense." Tali agreed.
"Well Wrex, I really hope you're not thinking about going off and ditching this child. You are, after all, the father." Ashley stated.
"Yes, life is precious, especially among Krogan. Quarians who are restricted to only one child per couple also know this painfully." Tali added.
"Look, I really don't need to be reminded of all of this." the extremely agitated Krogan stated, just nano-meters from falling off the proverbial edge.
"It's okay Wrex, if you're not good with children, I'm sure Tali, myself, Dr. Chakwas and even Liara could help out a bit, at least while you're on the ship." Ashley offered. Tali nodded in agreement.
"There, it's not the end of the galaxy now anymore, is it?" Garrus stated nervously. Wrex furrowed his brow in thought. That was immediately shattered by yet another newcomer.
"I heard my name again. Are you sure all of you are not hiding something from me?" Liara asked, showing up yet again. She was immediately bombarded on the latest events in Wrex's life, who so happened to be turning into a brilliant shade of red.
"Wrex, calm down, it's going to be all right." Garrus stated. He immediately found Wrex's claws clamped around his neck again as he was raised to the air.
"CALM DOWN!? I DID NOT KNOW I WAS A FATHER UNTIL TWO HOURS AGO AND I'M ABOUT TO BE ACUTELY REMINDED OF THAT IN ANOTHER THIRTY MINUTES AND YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM!? YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM WHEN THERE'S GOING TO BE A MINIARTURE ME AND ALEENA RUNNING AROUND ON THE NORMANDY!?" Wrex screamed.
"Keelah, Wrex, put him down!" Tali shouted.
"P-please?" Garrus gasped. He immediately found himself on the floor.
"I'm sure this is very traumatic for you Wrex, but you must find a way to calm your emotions." Liara said.
"You got any ideas?" Wrex demanded. Garrus immediately activated his omni-tool.
"Here, perhaps Lieutenant Von Seraph might have a few tips. I have his number." Garrus offered, telling the device to send out the message. Wrex just sulked as he was convinced this wouldn't help at all. They all heard the line open up on the other end. They were a little shocked to hear continual, dull booms coming from the device. Suddenly, they heard the lieutenant's voice.
"...What? Who the heck is calling me!?" Von Seraph, the usually stoic counselor, sounded very agitated.
"Uh, sorry Lieutenant. We just have a little problem and thought perhaps you could help." Garrus stated apologetically.
"Problem!? Garrus, I'm in the middle of a special forces mission! Do you hear all that gunfire in the background!? That's the sound of a mission going wrong! I will get a hold of you when I am not being shot at!" Lucas yelled before the line went dead. That being said, they all stood in uncomfortable silence.
"Fat lot of good that did me." Wrex grumbled, his claws crossed in front of his chest. They suddenly heard someone clear their throat. They all turned in the proper direction. It was Commander Shepard. The Commander, glancing at the bewildered faces in front of him, stopped and took in a deep breath. He also popped two of the tranquilizer pills he had been prescribed.
"I'm only going to ask this...do I want to know?" Shepard asked carefully.
"NO." everyone else answered in unison.
"Okay...everyone, we've landed on the Citadel. Feel free to take shore leave." Shepard announced before going back on his way. No one breathed a sigh of relief. Wrex meanwhile had turned a vicious shade of purple.
Garrus and Wrex waited at the designated area. Both were really rather nervous, but showed it in different ways. Garrus was rather on edge because he wanted to make sure the Krogan remained as calm as possible, as much as he doubted that was even a option anymore. Wrex was agitated for obvious reasons. Garrus just fidgeted. Wrex simply sulked, his scowl the longest anyone had ever seen it.
"See her anywhere?" Garrus asked.
"Nope." Wrex grumbled. Suddenly, they heard someone behind him. Garrus felt a chill race up his spine. Wrex sighed heavily.
"Wrex...a pleasure to see you again." Aleena smiled.
"You as well...I guess." Wrex answered. Garrus decided he would stay out of this one.
"Well, here you go. Keep an eye on him for the next three weeks." Aleena stated simply, handing Wrex a large bundle of cloth wrappings. Before Wrex could say anything, the little one's face popped out of the cloth. Garrus and Wrex were not quite sure on how to react.
"But...it's..." Garrus sputtered.
"Aleena...are you sure..."
"Yep...he's yours." Aleena told Wrex.
"But...it's...a Varren!" Garrus cried.
Sure enough, under all that cloth wrapping, was a Varren, barely older than a pup. The little animal let out a small bark before staring at Wrex again, who was holding the creature out at arm's length. Wrex knew he needed an explanation on this one. Garrus especially wanted an explanation because at least common sense would say that an Asari and Krogan does not a Varren make.
"He's yours because this is the little guy that helped me escape that exploding space station. If it weren't for you Wrex, I would not have adopted this little guy. So take care of him for the next three weeks and then I'll take him off your hands." Aleena stated before simply walking off. This left Wrex and Garrus staring in utter bewilderment.
"This was...rather...unexpected." Garrus said. Wrex just grunted, staring at the Varren.
"You okay, Wrex?" Garrus asked.
Wrex did have a strange look in his eye. Little did the Turian know, the Krogan was going through a bunch of emotions. Foremost was bitter relief that it wasn't really his child, but at the same time, it was a disappointment. A part of Wrex had honestly hoped that there was another Krogan in the galaxy, even if it were only going to be a half Korgan. Then again, this creature was the closest he had ever gotten, and perhaps ever will, to becoming a father. Even in the calloused Krogan battlemaster, this nearly hit a special place of attachment. That's when he realized he felt something else. Wrex felt a stream of water hitting his foot.
"Oh...oh gosh. That thing just urinated all of y-"
"I am so taking this thing to the pound." Wrex growled.