Hey All, Happy 2018. I hope you had a good one. Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, this one wasn't quite coming out the way I wanted. If you've got complaints or criticisms don't hesitate to let me know. I'm willing to listen. So take care and enjoy.

Chapter 21 – Untangling the Threads

Shepard

Shepard awoke slowly. She was a little stiff; but this was the longest undisturbed sleep she'd had in months. She just wished Joker would stop revving the engines on the cat.

After a moment, she stopped to examine that thought. Cats didn't have engines - that she knew of. However she could hear and feel what seemed to be a cat. A very big Cat! Wait a damn minute. With that she took very careful stock of where she was. She was lying down. Last she remembered she'd been sitting up. There was something very big, very warm, and very solid, that was purring faintly behind her.

Damn it all – it had to be Vakarian. They might have been bond mates before; but she didn't even know the man now. She didn't know whether to be shocked or titillated. But she settled for 'pissed as hell'. How dare he presume… Then she took further stock of her situation.

She was still in her clothes, even to her boots. Well, at least, that probably meant no hanky panky or whatever Turians got up to. She was also laying on top the blankets that covered Vakarian. Now she had to wonder exactly what had gone on.

She was still angry; but it was more about how and why she ended up in his bed than that something intimate had occurred.

His long arm was loosely draped over her waist, his hand half curled up beside her. She was a bit shaken to realize that her hand had crept into his and her fingers were wrapped around his central finger. Maybe she consciously didn't know him; but some part of her did seem to remember him. Carefully she let go and slowly pulled her hand free. The faintest of whines came from behind her. Oh, he hadn't liked that.

She assumed he must be awake; but when she carefully shifted so she was facing him it was obvious that he was still deeply asleep.

Without giving it much thought she reached up and tapped the end of her finger on his lower nose plate to wake him up. What she got was an instantaneous view of all his teeth and a snarl both audible and sub harmonic, as he jerked his head back. Then abruptly he took her in and blinked – the snarl cutting off instantly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his left arm begin to lower from where he'd raised it, talons extended.

She realized then what she'd done.

"Commander?" He coughed a couple of times to clear his throat. "I…I'm sorry…I..I..didn't mean…" He wouldn't meet her eyes. He might not be able to blush but she could tell that he was deeply ashamed.

"No Vakarian, I'm sorry. I was stupid and forgot, like an idiot, that I was waking up a combat soldier and a predator. You only reacted instinctively." She was calm, even though she was realizing now just how close she'd come to getting thrown off the bed or possibly even hurt.

"That…."He still wouldn't look her in the eyes.

"Hey, I've cold cocked a couple of fellow marines in my day when they startled me awake, this is no different." She smiled softly," so don't be so hard on yourself. I'm the one who was stupid." Though inwardly she wondered why she'd hadn't given a second thought to waking him up that way.

After several long moments of staring fixedly at the blanket between them, he finally looked up and nodded slightly. Then he stretched his neck slightly as if trying to ease it.

"You hurt?"

"Just pulled my neck." He told her, rubbing it with his left hand.

"Sorry."

"It's minor." He assured her, but the way he kept rubbing it said otherwise. She figured he must of strained it when he'd jerked awake.

With that she sat up in the bed and then carefully got down. She heard, but didn't acknowledge, the faintest whine of unhappiness from him as she did.

"Just how did I end up in your bed, Vakarian?" She looked around for her cane and found it leaning against his bed.

"I woke up and you were sleeping in the chair next to the bed." He told her.

"And?" She slowly stretched out her legs to warm them up.

"You started having a nightmare.."

"Nightmare?" She froze at that. Normally her nightmares didn't show on the 'surface' so to speak.

"Yeah." He was still rubbing his neck. "Then you snapped over into sleep walking."

"Sleepwalking?" She'd only done that once or twice that she knew of. It's why she no longer slept commando and why her door was always locked at night now. She really didn't want to give the crew a peep show.

"Did…I?" She was hesitant to ask.

"No, you didn't. I just recognized the signs." He told her. "I was afraid that you'd start wandering so I got you to settle down on the bed with me so you wouldn't. After a little bit, you quieted and went back to sleep."

"Did I say anything, do anything?"

"You asked if we'd won." He smiled faintly. "When I told you yes, you said 'about damn time' and went back to sleep."

"Thank you. I..I'm sorry, I haven't done that much."

He waved off her apology. "It's nothing major. I'd be surprised if you weren't doing it given everything."

She realized that he must have experience with her and her sleepwalking. Part of her wanted to ask and part of her didn't. It all hinged on the big question of their bond.

With her usual tact she decided to face it head on. "I'll probably regret this; but we need to talk about the elephant in the room."

She hadn't been around a lot of Turians but the look on his face was easily deciphered – complete confusion.

He glanced around uncertainly. "The Elcor in the room?"

Realizing that his translator had given him an equivalent, and a strange one at that. She started laughing.

He still looked puzzled and she caught the slightest edge of frustration from his sub harmonics.

"Means the subject that we are both aware of and aren't talking about – this bond!" She explained.

Instantly he locked down his sub harmonics and his face took on the 'stony' look as she called it when a Turian was keeping their face expressionless.

"Yes?"

"Relax Vakarian, I only want to know a few things about this bond." Inwardly she was surprised to find that she didn't like the 'vulnerable' look on his face.

"What do you want to know, Commander?" The closed up look on his face eased slightly.

"You say we have a bond?"

He nodded in answer.

"Just what does that entail?"

"Ah…"He seemed to search for the answer. "It's like humans being a couple."

"A friends with benefits couple or a serious couple?"

That question made him go quiet as he thought over his answer. The delay told her a lot. Whatever he said, he was taking this bond a lot more serious than she'd thought he did. Then she remembered the foul wound on his shoulder from the Otak. While Victus hadn't out and out said it – it was implied that the deeper the bond the worse the reaction to the drug.

"It's more than a friends with benefits couple." He said finally, hesitantly.

"It's a serious relationship then?" She decided to test him.

Again, he seemed to go inside himself to answer that question.

Finally he nodded again, as if not trusting himself to speak.

He looked so distressed, and she was sure she could feel his sub harmonics signaling dismay that she took pity on him.

"It's alright to tell me the truth, Vakarian." She said softly. "I'm not going to attack." That startled a small laugh out of him.

"I'm not so sure of that. Remember, I've seen your weapon's locker."

Now it was her turn to chuckle. "Well, a girl's got to accessorize with the right gun."

"And a pistol, and a shotgun, and a grenade launcher, and the Cain…" Both of them began to laugh at that. Even she realized that she had an excessive amount of weapons. Gathered, so she'd found out, from various battlefields and enemies.

Oddly it felt good to laugh about something like that. The new crew had been rather 'Alliance' in their behavior. Well, except for Joker and even he had toned it down when Alenko or Corso were around. There were going to be a few changes when she got back to the Normandy. She was tired of this 'by the books' attitude that seemed to have infected the ship. 'By the books' would have gotten them nowhere during the Reaper War.

But back to the subject being avoided. "So if we're a serious couple why haven't you made a move on me?" She could hear any number of past female friends doing a face/palm over her bluntness.

He was obviously startled by that. "You don't remember me, Shepard. Making a move on you would be unfair and amount to taking advantage of you." He shook his head. "No!"

"So, you don't like me?"

That got, what she thought was, a cross between a startled and angry reaction.

"You ar…were my bond mate!" With that he turned away to sit on the edge of the bed. She was about to retort angrily when she realized that there might be a misunderstanding based on species between them. She thought bond mate sounded lame, he acted as if it explained everything.

"Explain that to me, please? I get the feeling I'm missing something." She took a soft tone with him.

After a moment of silence, he let out a sigh.

"You don't take a bond mate, lightly, Shepard. It's a serious commitment." His voice was quiet but she could 'feel' a shakiness in his sub harmonics.

"So you do like me?"

He gave a bitter laugh. "If I weren't so weak I can hardly sit up and you remembered more I'd show you exactly how much I like you."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" She didn't feel threatened by his comment, just slightly but oddly excited.

"A promise." He said. "I know better than to threaten Commander Shepard."

About then his strength seemed to give out and he began to slump. She moved quickly to the other side and got her hands on his shoulders before he could slip off the bed.

With her help he collapsed back down on the bed and she threw the covers over him. He was exhausted she could tell; obviously still very, very weak from everything.

"Jakan's going to be pissed at you." She told him as she straightened the covers.

"What has Garrus done now?" Came Chakwas voice.

They looked up. Chakwas and Victus were walking in the door.

From the looks of them they'd been having a conversation. Shepard didn't know whether to worry about that or not.

"Just overdoing it." Shepard decided not to tell them everything as they came over to the bed.

"Nothing new." Chakwas smiled as she pulled her scanner and ran it briefly over the Turian.

"You're still very weak, Garrus, and you need to take it easy." She told him.

"Yes Doc." He sighed then looked to Victus. "Primarch, is there trouble?"

"Doctor, I think perhaps you should explain." Victus said. That got the other two's attention.

Quickly Chakwas outlined what she thought Renfield might get up to. From demanding Shepard - to being stupid enough to try to storm the Turian embassy.

"Damn, that idiot." Shepard swore then looked at Chakwas. "I guess this means we go back to Huerta."

"No." Victus spoke up, startling the others.

"Primarch, they could threaten maybe even cause harm to some of your people." Shepard knew what she had to do. "I can't let that happen because of me."

"And I swore to let no harm come to you, Commander." He was the Primarch now and not Victus. "I can't release you until I'm sure you'll be safe."

"Vakarian?" She looked to Garrus, who looked sad but resigned; but before he could open his mouth.

"It's out of his hands now, Commander." Victus told her. "After all you've done for the galaxy, for Palaven, I'd be failing as a Turian leader and a man to keep you safe. If it means I have to contend with this Renfield then so be it."

From the look on his face it was obvious that none of them was going to convince him.

"Then you should at least get the non-combatants away from here if worse comes to worse." Shepard knew stubborn when she saw it. Victus reminded her a lot of Hackett in that way.

"All ready started." He told her.

"Smart ass." She mumbled under her breath and was startled when he gave her a Turian grin. Damn, he was quick on the uptake.

"There's something else you all need to know, actually to hear." Chakwas spoke up but her eyes were on Garrus.

"Something else Renfield is planning on doing?" Shepard asked, already tired of the Admiral's antics.

"No, something he already did!" With that she activated a file on her omni-tool and played a recording of Renfield and Alenko.

As one, three heads turned to look at Vakarian who was staring fixedly at his hands. He had gone silent under their combined stares, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"I knew there was more to the tale of the Otak than you were telling me, Vakarian." Victus stared at the younger man.

"You mean Renfield's threatening to take the Normandy away from me is why you took that damn drug?" Shepard was pissed.

Garrus nodded, still not looking up. "Doc, you should have told me in private." He said mournfully.

"If I had, you would have tried to run away, Garrus. I know you." Chakwas was firm.

"So he took the ship away." Shepard snapped. "What of it? It wouldn't kill me."

He still wouldn't meet her eyes but he glanced briefly at Chakwas, who sighed and nodded.

"He was also afraid that the Alliance would imprison you, Shepard."

"Imprison me?"

"They've done it before. You spent six months under guard on Earth then." Chakwas told her.

"I did?" Then certain incidents in what she knew now were altered files began to finally make sense. "When I was on earth right before the Reapers hit." Chakwas nodded.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything, Vakarian?" Shepard demanded of him. "I'm not afraid of some jumped up Admiral."

It was Victus who spoke up. "A bond mate is expected to do anything they can to protect their partner, Commander." Victus told her looking sadly at the younger man. "Even if it costs them everything."

Before anything more could be said, Jakan came in. He was startled at the crowd but quickly chased them out so he could tend to Vakarian.

Outside in the main room. Shepard turned to Victus.

"Primarch, if you want me to leave – just tell me. I'll understand."

"If it comes to that I will, Commander; but for now we'll take whatever precautions we can." With that he excused himself leaving the two women. Shepard turned to the older woman.

"Doctor, do you know why I was imprisoned?"

"Yes, some of it. Garrus knows more that's why he did what he did. He doesn't trust the Alliance."

"Then tell me what you do know until I can talk to him again."

"Okay. Let's go back to your room. I need to scan you anyway."