It didn't take long for the rest of the crew to join them in Kasumi's lounge. It took even less time for the lot of them to get uproariously drunk. Smiles, brilliant with relief and victory, beamed at him from every corner of the room. His mandibles ached, he must be grinning as foolishly. They couldn't seem to get close enough, even in this small room. Elbows and knees jarred with exuberance, shoulders bumped, hands clasped warmly. There was a comfort in their close presence. They were reassuring themselves that not a single one was lost, that they were still whole.

Garrus felt wonder at this communal feeling. It was like they weren't separate people, but one organism. At the same time they were definitely separate people, and the many different perspectives, opinions and prejudices, loves, fears, hopes, despairs. But all part of something greater. Isolated, but integrated. Garrus wondered if the geth had something similar, His eye was drawn to Legion, who was in a quiet conversation with Tali, felt amazed when she didn't back away when the geth put his hand on her shoulder. His internal existential diatribe was broken off when Shepard made her appearance, door sliding open on her grim face.

She stepped into the sudden tense hush. Every face turned to her with dread. She stalked to the couch, stood rigidly at his side. He looked up at her. Garrus was just about to ask what was the matter when she dropped heavily into his lap, stern expression breaking into one of pure fierce joy. Stunned, the crew erupted into laughs and cheers, catcalling vulgarly. She planted a kiss on his cheek and shouted, "What's a woman gotta do around here to get a drink?! Save the goddamn galaxy?!"

Now they were complete. She was part of them as they were part of her. She traded shot for shot with Zaeed, her face taking on a flush as the alcohol took effect. Garrus laughed at her antics as she leapt from couch to couch re-enacting that final jump. This was an entirely new side to her, he'd never seen her just cut loose like this. This marvelous complex woman always found ways to surprise and delight him. He loved a mystery, and she was nothing but. He could spend a lifetime trying to unravel her, and not a moment of it would be wasted.

He nursed his drinks at first, not wanting the booze to rob him of this. Just watching them all, just watching her, feeling connected to every soul here. It was precious and beautiful and everyone was well aware of it. The cacophony of their mirth rose and fell in waves, and it was during one of the low tides that someone started singing. It was low and soft, his gaze swept around and found it coming from...Jack. Jack of all people. Her voice was sweetly pure and light, "Tis the last rose of summer...left blooming alone..."

Shepard froze as she listened intently, her head cocked to one side. Garrus watched her eyes fill with tears as she opened her mouth to join in, rising in harmony. Zaeed broke in, his rough voice floating below theirs, not quite on key but it didn't matter. Soon all the humans joined in. It must be a popular song. Not knowing the words but hearing the melody, Garrus rumbled a hum in accompaniment, soon followed by everyone who didn't know the words, except Legion who was incredibly still, his whole body conveying intense listening. Shepard's face shone with her approval, Jack blushed from where she sat as the song rose around her, taken up by her companions, but she didn't falter.

Garrus tilted his head back and listened to the words. There was sorrow and mercy and faith in there and it pulled at him mightily. A wonderful gestalt occurred as the group shared in the understanding that they stood together in this feeling, that they were more than the desolate singular people that they used to be. A queer feeling stole over him and his eyes shot open, They were more. More than they used to be.

Tears streamed down Shepard's face as she took in his astonishment. This feeling was almost eldritch. He trembled as the song ended and the feeling faded. Shepard went to Jack and pulled her into an embrace, gave her a chaste kiss on her lips. Garrus watched the biotic flush deeply red and felt amusement that she could be disarmed so completely, as hard a shell as she had.

Zaeed's coarse voice broke the awe-filled silence, "I got one!"

It startled them into a laugh. He stood and start clapping in time with his words, which rose and fell over them, "Well, a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair...And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share..."

Garrus laughed as the story of the song unfolded, clapped in time with everyone else. Soon, they were all standing, pounding their feet, Garrus gaped to see Massani do a jig, the man held his hand out to Kasumi, who curtsied and spun into his arms. They danced in the small space deftly, feet flashing as the crew laughed and cheered around them. All the while, Zaeed ground out his song not missing a beat, voice rising to a roar at the finish, "...Lad, I don't know where you've been, but I see you've won first priiize!"

The loudest cheer yet shook the deck beneath their feet, fresh drinks passed around. There were shouts for another, all their gazes swung to Miranda, who stood with a smirk on her face, "Garrus. I know you got one."

He ducked his head in embarrassment, the people all around him shouting encouragement. Shepard smiled at him, silently urging him on with her eyes. He cleared his throat nervously, "I, uh, I don't think I'm drunk enough for that..."

Kasumi thrust a shot glass full of turian brandy into his hand, her eyes twinkling with mischief under her hood, cajoling, "The man says he's thirsty!"

With chagrin, Garrus downed the glass, quickly followed by two more. Thus girded, the turian stood and looked over their expectant faces and felt a warm flush of affection for them all. Haltingly, he started singing. The tone grew stronger as he grew more confident. He closed his eyes and pictured his mother walking through the house where he'd grown up, her hands flitting as they skillfully did mundane tasks. Before the disease had taken away her voice, this song was one that she always loved, sang as she worked. Garrus swayed with the song's rhythms, turian rhythms, matching his heartbeat.

He felt a hand slide into his own and looked down to see Shepard's enthralled face, her eyes shining brightly. He pulled her into a tight hug, felt her shiver as his voice reverberated through his sternum into hers. He thanked the spirits for this, for all of this and for not abandoning him as he'd feared so long ago. He ended the song with a flourish, ducking his head at the roar of praise that assaulted him.

He sat, pulling Shepard into his lap. The crew called for another, then another until everyone had sung something, songs of home or bawdy ballads or what have you. Surprisingly, the dirtiest one came from Samara and they all crowed as she moved suggestively with the scandalous lyrics. He felt a touch of shock at her outrageous behavior, she was normally so severe. Garrus was well into his cups by the time they'd exhausted their repertoire, awareness fogged by brandy, he was content to sit and let their revelry wash over him.

The impromptu party settled into a calmer mien, softer voices punctuated the air as they all leaned on each other. Drinks spilled, stories were told over and over again. Joker's hat made the rounds. Presently, it was perched awkwardly on his fringe and he looked down into Shepard's dancing green eyes, "Whaddya think? Is it me?"

"I'm resisting the urge to jump you right now." She growled seductively, making his pulse jump. Her sitting on his crotch, while exceedingly pleasant, was fast becoming a source of concern as he felt his lower plates loosen slightly. She shifted, her wicked smile saying she knew exactly what she was doing to him. He almost groaned as she ground her buttocks onto him mercilessly.

He rumbled in her ear, "Maybe we should take this upstairs, or we might end up giving everyone a show."

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood, carrying her with him to the door, urgency burning away the fog of inebriation. He turned back as a sarcastic voice called, "Hey, Romeo, can I have my hat back?"

So much for a quiet withdrawal. Shepard grabbed the offending article off his head and threw it hard at the pilot's head with a snarl. Laughter chased them all the way to the elevator. Her hands began working the skin under his fringe and he panted with barely suppressed lust. Once in the elevator, his hands found their way under her shirt, gliding over that skin, so strangely soft still. He relished the feel of it under his calloused hands.

Shepard dipped her hands under the waistband of his pants, pulling them down and he inhaled sharply as they touched his emerging member. It shot out almost painfully fast, twitching in her palms and he groaned as she slid from base to tip and back again. He was fast losing control. He pulled her shirt over her head and turned her around roughly, pinning her to the wall. Garrus unsnapped her bra with practiced ease, briefly recalling how this particular device used to daunt him. He reached around her and her breasts filled his palms. He felt their fullness, pinching and squeezing the nipples, pulling them slightly.

She moaned, a sound that seemed to roll down all the way down into his cock. Which he ground against her ass as she bowed her back in that deliciously flexible way. Those pants of hers had to go and Garrus reached a hand down to unbutton them and slowly pull the zipper down. She was shaking in her need now, the scent of her arousal filling the small lift. His head swam as he drunk it in, sliding his fingers down to her molten core, cock spasming uncontrollably as he felt how fucking wet she was already. With a powerful yank, he pulled her pants down and off her feet, discarding them to the side. She was clad only in her panties now, a lacy black affair that begged to be ripped off.

He resisted with difficulty, running a single talon under the edge of it, hand ghosting over her curvaceous rump. He knelt and turned her around by her hips so she was facing him again. Her eyes glittered wantonly down at him. His face was inches from her juicy center and his tongue came out to flick her panty covered mound just once, teasing her mercilessly. She whimpered and fisted her hands in her hair. He focused his stare on her eyes, throwing every ounce of intensity he possessed into it. She trembled above him, he ran his thumbs under the edge of her underwear, rubbing little circles into her hip bones. His voice rolled out of him, smoothly, despite the hammering of his heart, "Tell me you want me."

She bucked her hips at the feeling of his hot breath on her sensitive bud. She panted, "I want you, Garrus."

His cock throbbed between his legs and he pulled her soaked panties to the side, breathing in her scent deeply. He hitched her thighs up so they rested on his shoulders and delved into her with his tongue, lapping at the juices that ran freely from her. He felt her jerking spasmodically above him as he wrapped the flexible tip of his tongue around that little bundle of nerves and pulled ever so gently. Her salty sweet essences dripped down his chin and onto his chest, he felt annointed by it. He pushed a finger into her, feeling the muscles tighten on it. His hips bucked involuntarily at the thought of those muscles clenching around his shaft. Her cries grew shrill as she reached her climax and he grinned lasciviously into her thigh, nuzzling the soft flesh there, nipping gently. He took one last long taste of her, thrusting his tongue as far into her slick wet channel as it would go, before regretfully pulling away.

Her feet never touched the ground as he rose, using his strength to resettle her around his waist, her long legs resting on his hips. He crushed her against the wall, rolling his hips so that his cock rubbed between them, becoming slick with her juices. He leaned his face close to hers, "Do you know how fucking good you taste?"

His vulgar words drew another moan from her lips. She was almost incoherent with desire, her eyelids fluttering over her hugely dilated pupils. Garrus pressed his mouth to hers, thrusting his tongue past her lips to tangle with hers. He explored her mouth with abandon, rasping over her palate, her molars and reaching all the way back to feel the back of her throat. Shock coursed through him as her lips closed around his tongue and she began to suck on it, her cheeks hollowing slightly with the action. The sensation was unfamiliar, but highly erotic and he pushed his tongue in and out of her mouth, eyes almost crossing at the pleasure in the feeling. His mind imagined her lips wrapped around another part of his anatomy and he groaned into her mouth, provoking a groan in return.

He shifted his hips so his cock was positioned at her entrance. Garrus pulled his face away from hers so he could watch her expression as he slowly pushed himself into her tight depths. Her face went slack as he filled her, the last couple of inches he slammed into her, her eyelids fluttering in shock. She pointed behind them, at the open door of the lift. She panted out, "Bed."

Without pulling out, he strode into her cabin, her legs still securely latched around his waist. He lowered them onto the bed, her beneath him and he paused to look down at her. Her hair was spread across the pillow in soft waves, glowing like fire in the dim light. He ran his thumb over her cheek, following the faded scars from her resurrection. Her lips curled into a rueful smile as she realized what he was looking at. Garrus then realized that she was a bit self conscious about them and he smiled lovingly down at her, "You're beautiful, Jane."

She gave a hitching breath and pulled him down on top of her, kissing all along his scarred mandible, her eyes closed with the intensity of her emotions. Garrus moved gently in her, making her moan softly into his cowl. His heart raced as she ran her fingernails along his ribs and he picked up his pace. His first release rolled over him almost immediately and he sighed as his seed left him in spurts, his thrusts never slackening. The engorged tip of his cock was like a hard ball of nerves as it felt every ridge and silken surface in her.

He leaned back on his heels and pulled her legs up to his shoulders. Shepard was biting her knuckle as he pumped into her, her breasts jiggling with every thrust. Her skin shone with sweat, flushed with heat. He reached down to her hips and pulled her to him time with his thrusts, which were reaching a fevered pitch. Shepard wailed and her back arched as she came around him, internal muscles squeezing and twitching. It almost threw him over the edge again but he held on desperately, trying to draw this out forever. He forced himself to slow, fondling her calf muscles, nipping her heels, licking the backs of her knees. Her waist was a marvel of taut flesh and muscle and he ran his hands over her flesh greedily, humming in approval which drew a moan of ecstasy from her. He loved the way she arched into every touch, how responsively she moved to meet him as he pounded into her with increasing speed.

Garrus spread her legs widely beneath him, gaping in naked rapaciousness as her heels almost touched opposite sides of the bed. He looked down to where they were joined and watched his blue phallus disappear into her deeply pink flesh and felt his balls churn within his carapace with the need to cum. He managed to last a few more seconds, pumping away wildly before giving in. A rush of white hot ecstasy enveloped him and he felt her writhe under him, caught in her own release as he flooded her womb. The walls of her passage milked him and he whimpered with every surge.

The stress and havoc of the day caught up to him then and he collapsed atop her, utterly exhausted and completely sated. Dimly he heard her whispering in his aural canal, but for the life of him he couldn't comprehend it. She held him in her arms gently, legs clasped loosely around his waist. His face was buried in her hair and she crooned to him, voice soft and lilting. He couldn't seem to make himself move and the last thought to cross his mind was how much he loved her, how he should tell her now that they had won some time. Sleep robbed him of the words though and he sank into the darkness silently.