AN: Sorry that this chapter is a little short(er than some), but I promise that tomorrow's update will be much longer. Also, be sure to read the note at the end, its got an important question.

Sister Complex

Chapter 14

Garrus' shift was crawling by, minute by minute, second by second, but it felt like time was standing still for all he noticed. After the events of the night before, he'd gone back to the Main Battery and, obviously being unable to fall asleep, had promptly pulled up the extranet and done various searches on humans, in particular their biology and sexual practices. It had been... educational.

And now, of course, he couldn't get the images out of his head. The idea of her writhing beneath him, gasping and moaning his name, the smell of her arousal and sweat... Spirits, how was he supposed to make it to the end of his shift? He leaned forward onto his console, resting his forehead in his hands. He closed his eyes and her green ones, half lidded in pleasure, gazed back at him and he groaned. He could feel his plates shift, just from the thought of her. He looked up when he heard the door open behind him.

"You have no idea how badly I-" Turning around, he froze as he recognized the other resident Shepard. He swallowed and nodded to his friend and CO. "Commander."

"Got time to talk, Garrus?" After a curt nod, John came over to stand next to him, and it might have been Garrus' imagination, but he looked particularly tense. Did he know already? He shifted his lower armor a little, very happy he wasn't in his civvies.

"Of course, Shepard. Is something wrong?"

"We should talk, I think. I know I've been somewhat distant lately, and I apologize. Everything's been... a little overwhelming." John's shoulders seemed slumped, but he was clearly trying to keep up appearances.

"You know we're all here for you, Shepard, for whatever you need." John smiled at that, though it looked somewhat forced.

"I know. That has to do with why I'm here, actually." He turned to face Garrus, all seriousness again. "I heard about your outing with Jane yesterday." And there it was. A block of ice landed in Garrus' stomach and started burning through him like acid. He swallowed and shifted his eyes to the side, rubbing the back of his neck.

"About that... I-"

"I really appreciate you hanging out with her. Ever since my death and meeting up with her again on Earth, I've been having an issue reaching out and spending time with her, and I'm glad I have a friend like you that can keep an eye on her when I can't." Garrus' eyes widened, not sure if he understood what he was hearing. Did he not actually know what had happened?

"Excuse me?"

"You and she went shooting, right? I don't know if I think target practice on the Presidium was exactly a smart idea, but it sounds exactly like the kind of activity she tends to enjoy." Garrus just stared at his friend as he continued. "I hope shes not angry at me about the whole over protectiveness thing, but its an old habit from when we were younger, you know what I mean? Mom and Dad always impressed on me how important it was to keep her safe, and she used to get into so much trouble, especially with the worst scum bags in high school. But she's 31 years old and not only an adult, but a very accomplished solider." His smile was back, and full of bitterness now, and Garrus felt a horrible pang of guilt. "I know I don't need to protect her from anything, and even though I know no one here would intentionally hurt her, emotionally or physically, old habits die hard." He took a deep breath, and unknowingly drove the guilt in further by adding "Anyway, its good to know I have at least one friend whom I can trust not to go messing around with her. Helps me relax, and god knows I need some of that." He chuckled and Garrus felt like dropping dead on the spot. He was, officially, the worst friend in the galaxy.

"Shepard, there's something I should probably tell-" John slapped the turian's shoulder, chuckling.

"I should go. I've distracted you enough with my yammering, and I've got a few more stops to make before lunch. We should reach the delegation from the Migrant Fleet by this evening, so be ready." Garrus sighed, noticing the Commander perk up at the mention of the quarians, and nodded. John patted his shoulder again before leaving Garrus to his self loathing. The absolute worst friend.

After a few more minutes of trying to get some work done, Garrus gave up. He went over to his personal effects, grabbed up his bottle of soap (his was generally a bit rougher than the stuff humans seemed to use), and left the Main Battery. Maybe after a cold shower he might be able to focus a bit on the work at hand. Handling this situation with the Shepard siblings was something that called for a clear head, and no thanks to Jane, his head had been anything but clear for some time now. He entered the men's room, and as soon as he heard the click of the doors closing, he popped the seals on his chest armor. He eased the heavy armor pieces to the floor, pulled off his undershirt, and was adding his gloves to the pile when the door opened.

"I thought that was your spiky ass I saw slinking in here..." Because his morning couldn't be any less under his control, there stood Jane, leaning against the door frame and feigning interest in her finger nails with her half smirk.

AN: So, the next chapter is very Mature rated, and I want to know if any of you want me to change this story to M rating, or would you rather I keep it as is, and just put a warning on the next chapter's note? Its up to you all, so let me know what you think. Thanks!

AN2: Okay, so after getting a few responses already, I'd like to make something clear: I've already written the chapter, and it IS M rated. I just want to know if you think I should change the rating of the entire story to reflect this. I'm not really sure about the etiquette is regarding this, since I've seen it done a few ways. Thanks again all! :P