Neross: Alright how about we just skip past my excuses and skip right on to the end shall we? Because that's what this is my loyal readers. The End. The last chapter. After this there will be no more. So…let's get to it shall we?
Warning: This fanfiction may contain violence, strong language, adult situations, and sexual situations. Enjoy!
…
Perhaps it was fate that led him to her but Garrus honestly believed it was just instinct. They'd entered what the humans called the Local Cluster only hours ago. But Shepard hadn't been on deck to see it since the arrival. As they inched closer to the human home-world the tension upon the ship became palpable and each person began to look to Gene for some sort of sign or guidance. However, she was nowhere to be found.
Somehow Garrus wasn't surprised. She was about to be put on trial for something she couldn't have avoided. Couldn't have stopped. And something she had tried her hardest to come to terms with. Everyone else thought she was dealing with it well. Regretful but affirmed in her actions. The Turian weapon specialist knew her well enough to know it was just an act.
That didn't mean he wasn't surprised when he found her waiting for him in his quarters, sitting upon the edge of his work counsel, facing the door with her nose pointed at her shoes. And god help him she was wearing a dress. He felt like stroking away the uncertainty in her eyes…and dragging her down to the gym for one last good fight.
But there wasn't time. Spirits help him there was never enough time in this screwed up universe. So he simply went to her and did exactly what he wanted, and what she needed. He wrapped her in his arms and traced the mark on her neck with a gentle nibble and a stroke of his thumb.
She let out a sound like a sob mixed with a sigh and held him to her rubbing her face into his shoulder. She ran her hands and mouth over his face, his fringe, and his neck, as if trying to remember every part of him. Her guilt poured from her. He felt it in the way her muscles tensed and how her body refused to simply accept him. In this moment, she seemed to want to hold on to everything that was him.
He pulled back and placed his forehead against hers, holding her face in her hands to make her stay still. "Gene…"
"Don't say it. God…please. Don't say anything. I don't know what's worse. Thinking that I'll be convicted and this will be the last time I'll get to see you. Or thinking, for even a moment, that it's what I deserve for what I've done."
"Shepard you did all you could. If you hadn't the Reapers-"
"They're coming anyway! Did I really do anything by simply delaying them? And how long do you think they'll be stuck out in dark-space? God was it really worth sacrificing so many lives?"
"Gene …look at me."
She did and he noticed the dull embers of blue flame flickering helplessly against her despair and shame. "Do you really think sitting here and mulling over your guilt will make their sacrifice worth it? If you really think it was the wrong course to take than make it up to them. Defeat the Reapers, stop their cycle of destruction, and save the universe…again. Make every life lost in that explosion something those cheap pieces of space-metal will never forget."
He paused for a moment and simply stared at him, and then grinned, her eyes sparkling full of melted flame and lightning. "Sounds kinda tough…" she muttered her lips twisting in something of a wicked smile. "I might need some help getting all that done."
He grinned and bent to lay a gentle bite upon a small white mark upon her shoulder before he took her hand and cupped her cheek. "I'll be here."
….
Neross: Thanks for reading everybody, and now, the surprise I promised all of you. A quick preview of two upcoming fics I've got coming in the next couple of months.
The first is called Cultural Studies and is a prequel to Fighting Urges. It takes place in the Mass Effect Universe some twenty years before the events of Mass Effect 1 and is heavily centered around Maria St. George, Jaxus Vikil, and their misadventures upon the Citadel. Enjoy this little preview my faithful readers.
…
"A Krogan. Damnit. Why did it have to be a Krogan?" Jaxus muttered, finally catching sight of red-hair amongst a mass of multi-colored muscle. He didn't know whether to take it as a bad or a good sign that the enormous brutes were smiling down at the petite human encircled by them. "Bad. It's gotta be bad considering it's her." he told himself. He pushed his way through the writhing throng of dancers and desperately made his way toward Maria and her dangerous entourage.
As he neared them he nearly tripped over himself in shock as he picked up the tail end of whatever Maria had been droning on about. "-just think that it might be easier if male humans worked that way. I could never understand all the mixed signals and subtext when I was in school. I didn't even know what it meant when you stuck a tie in the door-lock until I accidentally walked in on my college roommate consummating her relationship with her Applied Physics tutor."
"You think it'd be better for males to kill each over females?"
"I dunno Wrex, I think that might just toughen up some of these softer aliens. Just think if you caught two Volus fighting it out over an Asari."
"Ha! That I'd pay to see."
"You two are truly juvenile."
"No! No! Really I think the only reason humanity's population has grown at the rate it has is because our system of courtship is so outdated, formal, and convoluted. If males simply fought over females or, even, the other way around well? Just think! The population might triple over night."
"Or halve itself. You ever see two Krogan beat each other to death over a fertile female. Entertaining sure, but not very effective at raising our numbers."
"And that's the other thing! This Genophage, it lowers birth-rates correct?"
"Of course it does. Haven't you read any history other than your own?"
"Oh I have! But each race has it's own take on the matter and since there are no human books on the subject I've had to-"
Jaxus wrapped a hand around Maria's mouth and glared down at the human who continued to mutter past his hand for a few seconds before she finally stopped to look up at him. He noticed, rather furiously, that her pupils were dilated and her face was flushed nearly as red as her hair. "Damnit Maria. I was only gone for five minutes. How did you manage all of ….THIS, in five minutes?" the C-SEC officer snarled flaring his mandibles in his frustration and anger.
The petite woman only smiled at him in a sloppy sort of way and gesture with the light-blue drink in her hand he hadn't seen as he'd crossed the floor. "Jaxus! There you are! I ordered a drink while I was waiting for you and these lovely gentleman came in and I absolutely HAD to hear about this Salarian Breeding Contract they'd read about on the extranet that-"
"Stop…just…stop talking for five seconds. How much have you had to drink?" he asked, this time speaking a tad more slow, hoping to get her to understand. Her lips took a downturn and she shot her blue eyes to the floor to gaze at her shoes in what Jaxus assumed was a guilty expression. "Well this is just my second and I swear the first was something familiar….ish."
Jaxus eyed the drink, took it from her, sniffed it, and then winced. "Damnit Maria, have you been drinking Asari cocktails?"
She let out a small titter of amusement and snatched back her drink, knocking it back before he could take it from her again. Two of the Krogan broke out laughing, the third simply chuckled and shook his head. The ruddy Turian glared at his charge as she handed the empty glass back to him and grinned victoriously. "It kind of tastes like raspberries…a favorite of mine I'll admit. No alcoholic after-taste either which is nice. Although the way it makes my whole mind light up in warmth is truly just…amazing. You know, I'd try a Turian drink next if I weren't aware of the fact that it would kill me."
The oldest of the three Krogan, a badly scarred red individual with a wicked smile and a nasty looking piece on his hip, grinned and patted Maria encouragingly on the shoulder. "You got some guts for someone so small, human. You and the Turian dating or something?"
Maria laughed and shook out her already wild hair, like a bird ruffling it's feathers, she tugged on a strand and looked absolutely dazed. "Oh goodness no! He's just my bodyguard." she stopped for a moment and then made a strange, strained sound with her lips that dissolved into a giggle fit. Then she leaned in closer to the Red Krogan and told him in a staged whisper, "He guards my body."
All three Krogan burst out laughing, although the red one she addressed spared Jaxus a momentary look of sympathy in-between his deep breaths of humor. Jaxus grabbed Maria by the collar of her shirt and then through all propriety out the window when she stumbled back and grinned up at him like a child. He knelt down, grabbed her around her knees and swung her up and over his shoulder. "Alright, clearly somebody's had enough fun for one night. We're leaving."
Maria, only managed a strangled sort of sound and for a moment the Turian wondered if he'd somehow hurt her when he heard her moan….loudly.
He could still hear the laughter of the three Krogan in his mind long after he'd beat his hasty retreat from the club. Thankfully for him, Maria had at last shut her mouth.
…
Neross: Alright so there's your little preview of Cultural Studies. Up next is a preview of another upcoming fix of mine entitled Hummingbird's Suicide. This fic is a Dragon Age fanfiction that takes place Before, During, and After Dragon Age Origins and Awakening. The main character is my F!Surana Warden as well as Zevran Arainai and Nathaniel Howe. Have a look and enjoy.
…
Tearanae felt a great deal of pain those first few days she spent outside of the tower, marching toward Ostagar. In the tower she had slept often, wandering about the fade like a lost waif called to the sea. Her studies were done in quiet solitude. So often it was that her practice hours were down swiftly and alone with only an older mage as tutor; down in the bowels of the tower where the target dummies and baths were housed.
She had kept herself fit only by running the halls of the tower at night, when none save the templars could see. In truth she would have loved to have been a rogue. And there were many times when she'd try to sneak about in shadows or pick a lock only to fail spectacularly. Cullen had found it to be an endearing trait of hers. Jowan, however, had called such activities a distraction from her studies.
She did not care what the human said however. He did not have her talent, nor her experience. She was ready for her harrowing long before the First Enchanter ever called her to that secluded place.
Still her nightly runs had not prepared her for the endless march of the open road. Her days spent sleeping upon a soft bed in the tower were gone as she traveled with Duncan to the south. But it was not all bad and Tearanae found that she much preferred the freedom and the subtle warmth of a good meal and hardy blanket than the comforts of the tower. On the road she slept with stars overhead and birds singing lullabies to ease her fevered nightmares.
Here the sun shone upon her skin and gave it warmth. Here she did not feel a constant gaze upon her, nor the feel of harsh stone beneath her feet. Here she was free to roam and romp and run and live however she deemed to. Well, to an extent at any rate. She was ever mindful of her new guardian, and the new task set before her. But as the days went on the elf found it entirely too entertaining to simply test the limits of what Duncan would tolerate in her new-found freedom.
He allowed her much, even smiled when she asked if he could lend her a sword so she might test it's weight. In the end she found she only annoyed him when she dallied from their set route and destination. After learning this she did her best to avoid doing so again. After all she owed much to Duncan and had no real intent on angering him.
After awhile she grew found of the man and even asked him to teach her something about swordplay. He found it an odd request, since her staff was fine and she was more than adept at wielding it, but still he relented in the end. He showed her simple movements, practices he could teach to her that would encourage her skill to grow. To be honest, she was terrible in the beginning. Each stroke felt awkward and lumbering, and even by the time they arrived at Ostagar she had hardly improved.
It was simply enough that he had allowed this, had given her something to use in battle that was not reliant upon magic. For the first time Tearanae reveled in the feel of her aching muscles and tired limbs. For the first time she was glad for the strain on not her mind and spirit, but on her physical body. It was exhilarating.
…..
Neross: Okay my loyal readers. I'm afraid that's the end. There is no more…for now. Give me enough time with ME3 and I may write a sequel. We'll see. For now this is the end. I ask only that you continue to let me know how you honestly feel about my writing and any mistakes you feel I might have made. To be honest I'm a little ashamed of how long this took me, as I had originally intended to finish this much sooner. Ah, but that's life. In any case my lovely readers it has been a wonderful time hearing from you and receiving such amazing feed-back. Please check back in with me soon, you may find I have a few new surprises for you.
Until next time, Keep on Rocking Out!