Shepard chewed her lower lip and played with the loose ends of her hair as it hung over her shoulder and not in a bun, and stared at her console, her foot tapping nervously. A knock on her door making her squeal and jump out of her skin, a deep laugh from the other side of the door making her roll her eyes.
"You alright in there, Shepard? You have been locked in there for hours."
Shepard rolled her eyes again and grumbled, unlocking her door and opening it from her console, letting Wrex in.
"What can I do for you, big guy?"
The large Krogan shrugged his shoulders as he watched Shepard fidget in her seat.
"There is a gathering of concerned folk outside your room. None were brave enough to see how you were doing."
Shepard looked at her clock, squinting her eyes as if to see it better.
"How long have I been in here?"
Wrex tilted his head and stared at the ceiling for a second, thinking.
"About 10 hours. I think. Ever since the council told you about Virmier at least."
Shepard hummed quietly, lost in a different thought as Wrex spoke. The flashing of an incoming message making Shepard jump out of her seat and point at the screen and Wrex stared at her with a confused expression.
"What in the quad has you so damn jumpy, Shepard?"
He walked over to the screen and peeked at the message and its sender.
"Oh."
He looked back at Shepard and she was frozen staring at the screen, he laughed silently.
"Want me to read it first?"
Shepard nodded so quickly it looked like her head was about to fall off, nervously running her hands threw the long strands of her hair as she watched Wrex sit in her seat and read over the message. He hummed once or twice, making shepard even more nervous and she started to chew on her nails, pacing back and forth.
"Well, kid."
Wrex spun around in the seat.
"It seems, the turian Mses. wants it done as soon as you are able. Says she has a design for you, since you are human and funny shaped, based off the Tridend colony face paints."
Wrex looked back and watched as Shepard sat down slowly on her bed, staring wide eyed at the wall, her fingers curling in her hair as she took in a deep breath.
"This is really going to happen… Isn't it?"
She looked over at Wrex and he nodded slowly, laughing softly.
"She also says that they can come to you, says she knows how busy specture's can be."
Wrex spins around again and looks at the message, tapping a finger against the screen, finding his place.
"Says here, that if you can meet them, there is a turian curser leaving her station soon, that she can arrange all the right people to be there. If you still want to go through with it. She will send you the location where to meet them if you reply with a yes."
Shepard watched Wrex as he finished reading and spun back around, smirking at her as he got up from his seat and walked over to her, sitting down on the bed as well.
"I'm scared…"
Wrex reached over and grabbed her hands from her hand and gently pat them, making a soft humming sound, and the door opened. They both looked up to Liara, Kaiden and Garrus, standing in the door way, their brows lifting. Shepard laughed as Wrex let go of Shepards hands.
"Stop ease dropping, you nosey bastards. Nothing is happening here, and your commander hasn't gone insane, yet."
Garrus laughed softly, shaking his head as he walked inside the room.
"Don't you need to be sane first, Shepard?"
Wrex roared in laughter as Shepard gasped and placed a hand over her chest.
"Vakarian! Are you implying that I, your commander, have been insane since I met you?"
Garrus lifted his hands up, palms facing the ceiling as he tilted them up and down, grinning.
"Some where along those lines, maybe."
Garrus winked at Shepard and she couldn't stop the laughing that came from her, holding her sides as the three laughed. Liara and Kaiden standing outside the room and looked at one another, shaking their heads as if they would never understand what just happened. Shepard stood up and walked over to her console, staring down at the screen for a moment before looking back over her shoulder at Garrus, smirking slightly before leaning over and typing a few things and hitting send.
She rung her fingers together and looked back at everyone, taking in a deep breath as she stared down at her feet.
"Shepard, you alright? You look nervous."
She looked up and smiled at Liara who had now entered her room, watching her with worried curiosity, and Shepard shook her head slightly.
"I am… Nervous, and excited."
Liara stared at Shepard with confusion, about to open her mouth to speak when Shepards console flashed with a new message and she spun around to look at it. It took a moment for her to turn around again, closing her eyes as she held her hands tightly together against her chest before speaking, her eyes opening as she looked at Wrex.
"9 hours, and we will be able to meet."
Wrex bellowed out a laugh and clapped his hands once before standing up.
"Great news! Try not to stay awake counting the hours. I hear it hurts like a bitch."
Shepard winced and glared at Wrex.
"I did not need to know that."
Wrex laughed again, stopping when a loud cough was heard and they all looked towards Kaiden who was standing in the door way and leaning against the frame.
"What are we all so happy about?"
Shepard rolled her eyes and smiled some, waving her hand and silently telling Wrex to keep his mouth shut.
"Nothing. It will be a surprise."
She smiled up at Garrus and winked at him playfully as she patted Liara and Kaiden on the shoulder as she left her quarters, folding her hands behind her back as she made her way up to the bridge. Garrus, Liara, and Kaiden all turning towards Wrex and he held his hands up.
"Don't look at me. I'm not saying shit."
Wrex walked past them all and got into the elevator before he could get attacked with questions. Waving at them all as the doors closed and they rounded the corner to watch him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9 hours later ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shepard chewed on her thumb nail as she watched the large turian cursor come closer through the Normandy's side window.
"Uh, Commander? Can you stop bouncing please? It's very distracting."
Shepard looked over at Joker and stopped all movement she had going on, her hand dropping to hold onto her hair. She had braided the fiery stands and the length now sat just below her brest.
"Sorry, Joker."
She looked back out the window and chewed the inside of her lip, watching as a docking tunnel came out and latched on to the Normandy's haul.
"Want to remind me what we are doing here? Instead of investigating Virmier I mean."
Shepard waited patiently for a moment before looking at Joker.
"Because I need this."
Shepard began walking away from Shepard, smiling at Garrus as he was making his way towards her and stood with her in front of the airlock doors.
"Shepard. Going to tell us what we are doing here yet?"
Shepard laughed and shook her head.
"You all are so nosey."
Shepard smiled up at him and reached up, gently touching his arm for a second before the airlock doors chimed and opened. Shepard smiled wide as an older turian women stood in the door way, and rushed over to her, the turian female opening her arms and wrapping them tightly around Shepard.
"Little Lizzie. It is good to see you."
Garrus watched the interaction, his mandibles flaring out in surprise at how gentle the females voice was.
"I am sorry I have not stayed in proper contact with you, Ma'am."
The elder turian made a slightly annoyed clicking sound and peered down at Shepard, holding her shoulder firm.
"Now what have I told you about that. Even though he is gone, you still have to call me that!"
Shepard laughed nervously, looking at the floor.
"Sorry, mama Kryik."
Garrus felt his jaw drop, staring wide eyed.
"Now, come with me dear. We do not have long. I was barely able to put this together on such short notice."
The turian, Nihlus's mother, wrapped her arm around Shepards shoulder and started to pull her along.
"Joker! I'll be back in maybe 1 hour!"
Shepard called over her shoulder just as the airlock door closed and Garrus stared wide eyed and glanced over at Joker to see he had the same expression on his face.
Garrus tapped away at the terminal next to the mako, checking the time every ten minutes. A small groan leaving his throat as he rubbed his hands across his face.
"Time will not magically move forwards even if you wish it."
Garrus looked over at Wrex as the old krogan walked over to him, a smirk on his face.
"How can you be so calm? Someone close to you is doing something no one knows about!"
Wrex laughed hard and loud for a split moment before looking at Garrus.
"Who says I don't know?"
Garrus stared wide eyed at Wrex, his mandibles flexing as he clenched his jaw, looking back at the terminal.
"Be calm, boy. She will be returned safe and, mostly, unharmed."
Garrus grumbled under his breath as he looked at Wrex again.
"What do you mean "mostly?"
Wrex laughed again, shaking his head.
"You saw the necklace, you know parts of her history. You figure it out."
Wrex waved a hand at Garrus and began to walk away from him, the both of them looking up as the Normandy's VI chimed out that the commander had returned to the ship and Wrex grinned, turning around as he looked at Garrus.
"Why not go up and see for yourself?"
Garrus's brow plate lifted as he walked away from the terminal and jumped into the elevator, hitting the button more then once as if it would go faster. He did not need to go far, loud gasping and murmurs heard behind the panel to the mess as he climbed out of the elevator. He quickly rounds the corner, stopping in his stride as he stares at Shepard and his eyes widened as his mandibles flared so far, they hurt.
"Will you stop touching it? It still hurts!"
She laughed as Tali touched Shepards face, gasping before clapping her hands and giggling softly. When Shepard caught sight of Garrus, she looked at him full on and he could not help the low purr that left his throat as he saw her face. Her tanned skin was now stained with bright white paint, it's design altered slightly to fit her face better, but there was no mistaking the elegant curves of the turian colony paint now staining her face.
"I take it you approve?"
Garrus shook his head and walked towards her, reaching out and gently ran his thumb along the paint lining her jaw. He noticed the edges were red with irritation and he took her hand, pulling her with him as he pulled her to the med bay and sat her down on one of the bed. She tried to protest but shut up when she saw the serious look in his eyes, gathering up some medi-gel and started to apply it to the fresh paint.
"I am sure you were told to put gel on it as soon as you got back on board…"
Shepard stared up at Garrus as he put some medi-gel on his fingers and began to gently run his fingers along her skin.
"I was. But I was attacked as soon as I came on board. It was a little had to move."
Garrus hummed quietly in his subvocals as he listened to her, focusing on applying the gel. He started at her jaw line, the paint starting below the corner of her lips in a small point and gradually became thicker, ending at her hair line. When he finished with the other side of her jaw, he moved on to her forehead, tracing the pointed oval shape on her forehead and across her brow as the pain reached out across her forehead just above her eye brows and came back down to hug just under her eyes much like a white mascara.
Shepard watched the seriousness in Garrus's eyes as he applied the gel, smiling up at him as she waited patiently for him to finish. When he was almost done, he took extra care when placing small amounts of medi-gel on her lower lip, his hand remaining still on her lip for a moment longer then she thought he meant to and smiled up at him, placing her hands on his arms.
"Garrus?'
His eyes snapped up towards her, his mandibles twitching slightly.
"Does it look bad?"
She stared up at him with concern as he hadn't spoken much since seeing, and his mandibles flared wide as he gaped at her, shaking his head as he moved his hands and gently cupped her shoulders, pulling her towards him and held her eyes his chest.
"Of course not, nothing could ever look bad on you."
Shepard laughed softly as she rested against his chest, closing her eyes a moment before leaning back and stared up at him, smiling brightly.
"Ready to bring hell to Virmier?"
Garrus laughed and grinned, nodding at her as he gently nuzzled his head against her hair.
"Always ready when you are, Shepard."
He closed his eyes and breathed in her sent. She smelt like cinnamon.