Inspired by Sara Bareilles' "Many The Miles"
More fluff. I've hit sort of a block and it's mostly from being exhausted. I think the next chapter will be a little fluffy, but more on track. This also happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time. ^_^
Many The Miles
Tuchanka was nothing like Illium or the Citadel, but as Shepard leaned casually against the cool slabs of stone, she could definitely see why the Krogan were attatched. The complete devastation and nuclear winter seemed to be the type of environment that Krogan thrived off of…a challenge on top of the genophage.
"Shepard."
Finally glancing at the Krogan seated beside her, Shepard smiled wryly. Urdnot Wrex hadn't changed in the two years apart, aside from his clan status. As chief, he now oversaw the area that Shepard had seen, and even more aside from that. With a shake of her head, Shepard quirked an eyebrow upwards.
"Wrex. Seems like the years have been treating you well."
Rumbling appreciatively, Wrex gave Shepard a quick once over with his bright crimson eyes. "Could say the same for you. Returning from the dead? I should have known."
"Well, you know me. Too many things I hadn't gotten around to doing." With a wink, Shepard seated herself on the 'arm' of Wrex's chair. It was really a bunch of rubble and stone slabs, but it made for an impressive throne of sorts. Eyeing the Krogan, she gave him a gentle nudge. "Sure I can't convince you to come with me?"
The great rust-colored Krogan released a booming laugh before shaking his head. "No Shepard. Someone needs to keep these fools in line."
With a sorrowful smile, Erin returned her gaze to the Urdnot camp. "Yeah, I know…worth a shot though. With you back on the crew it'd be just like old times again."
Both warriors fell silent, gazing out across the terrain. Down near the food stores, Tali and Garrus were having a friendly competition about which one of them could kill the most Pyjacks. The Turian had opted to use his sniper rifle while Tali took over the heavy cannon that the Urdnot had installed. From where they stood, it looked as though Garrus was winning, but the pair seemed to be enjoying themselves.
"Looks like the whelp finally did some growing up." The Krogan's deep voice roused Shepard from her thoughts. Wrex continued on. "Kid blamed himself for your death you know. Real torn up about it. Worse than you after Virmire."
Erin couldn't help but flinch. After Virmire she had been…well, she'd been pretty messed up. That hadn't been the first time she'd lost a crew member, not by a long shot, but there had been something about Ashley that was different. Perhaps it had been the fact that she'd known the woman for such a short amount of time or what they'd gone through together, but the soldier had been part of her crew. They were like family.
Not only that, but she had never known that Garrus blamed himself. After their little fight in the first few weeks, they had been talking more, that was for certain, but neither of them wanted to breach the topic of her death or the time he'd spent without her. To hear Wrex saying that Garrus had blamed himself made Shepard feel only more than a little guilty.
Either oblivious or tastefully ignoring Shepard's reaction, Wrex rumbled on. "But now you're here and he's in tow. Along with the rest of your new crew…trust you to step in a mess for each of them. Just like you did for each of us, huh Shepard?"
The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, a sparkle glittering in her ocean blue eyes. "It was the least I could do for you then…why not now? I got your family armor back, I helped Tali on her Pilgrimage, and of course we tried to take in Dr. Saleon for Garrus. This crew deserves the same respect and treatment. If that means adding a new member to your clan or finding a lost Salarian so be it."
Beside her the Krogan laughed, a booming noise that echoed off the stone walls and rubble. With a mighty shake of his head, Wrex fixed his crimson eyes on his old comrade. "Shepard, you truly are something else. You do all of this with so little and yet from that you have made so much."
Holding her hands up, Erin couldn't help but smile at her Krogan friend. "No no, I just do what I can with what I've got wherever I end up. For now, that's with Cerberus," She snarled as she mentioned the human-centric organization, "But at least I've got Garrus and Tali with me. Especially Garrus. I couldn't do this without him."
Down below, Garrus and Tali seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves as they sniped the little creatures that would otherwise be terrorizing the food stores. The mighty Krogan chief inclined his head a little so as to better observe Shepard. She gazed down on the pair like a proud parent, but at the same time her gaze was fixed on only one of the two below. Be it consciously or not, Shepard's gaze was consistently drawn back to Garrus, not matter how far it roved in the meantime. For someone who had watched the pair interact aboard the first Normandy, it was an odd role reversal. Niether one had been aware of it, but when Shepard wasn't watching, Garrus would constantly keep his gaze fixed on the commander as if she had a gravity of her own. Now she gazed upon him as if this would be the last time she would see the Turian, seeming to drink in every little detail about him even from afar.
It was a look Wrex had seen before, when the young Krogans first visited the camps. Every once in a while, a male would see a child and just know it was his. He would look upon that child with the same look that Shepard now gave to Garrus. A look of unconditional love. If he hadn't known Shepard better, Wrex might have taken the human commander as a complete sap for the way she gazed at the Turian, but he knew better. He knew that while they gazed at each other and remained friends, there was much more. Everyone knew it but them and to the Krogan, that was amusing.
His deep chuckle seemed to startle Erin from her daze, her blue eyes fixed on the great Krogan sitting behind her. "What is so funny?"
Waving a hand nonchalantly, Wrex smirked. "Only you, Shepard. Only you would go do something like this."
"Yeah, well, those Collectors and Reapers aren't going to kill themselves, as much as I would like them to." Her tone was light and happy. Wrex's true meaning had sailed clean over her head, making a slight whistling sound as it did so.
Still, Wrex had to admit it was a pleasant change for the Commander to be enjoying herself. Not that she hadn't when they'd worked together before, but she had always been on edge with that human biotic dogging her steps. Even back then, she had run to Garrus for an escape from the attention.
To a Krogan, the human was a puzzle. Shepard was strong, far stronger than any other humans Wrex had encountered before, but she didn't wish to use it if she didn't have to. She loved battle, but she loved to sit quietly and think about the stars as they passed. She could go from serene to full out battle fury in seconds, and would just as soon shoot you as she would help you solve a problem. This was a woman who would ask you to get something within a few yards of her, but then cross a galaxy on her own to retrieve a friend.
Rising, Wrex gazed at the human beside him. "You have traveled many miles. Stay here and rest for a time. The Urdnot clan would be welcome to your presence."
As he offered, Tali and Garrus approached. Hovering just over her shoulder, Garrus gave a thoughtful little hum. The brunette offered the pair a little smile before returning her gaze back to Wrex. "I would love to Wrex, but my mission is too important. Just as yours is much too important for you to leave, mine is too big for me to stay. There are still more members of my crew that need my assistance. We need to leave tonight so that we can reach the Migrant Fleet by morning."
There was a quick handshake, a nod to the crew members, and then the Normandy crew moved out. As they went, Urdnot Wrex took this opportunity to watch his former crew. They laughed and talked just as they always had. Tali gave Garrus a gentle shove, probably because he was bragging about winning their little shooting contest, while Shepard simply smiled serenely.
Erin Shepard should have been a Krogan, of that Wrex was certain. But as it stood, she was human and always would be. Still, Wrex admitted begrudgingly, for a human like her to fall for a Turian like Garrus well…
She hadn't done too bad.