Chapter 29: Surprises

"You awake Boyscout?" Jack asked, slamming her first against Rah's hospital room door.

It had been a week since she and Shepard had first visited. Since then Rah had been cleared from the ICU and was placed in a normal room until he was done with physical therapy and was cleared from the hospital. Jack had stopped by one time when he was in a therapy session, and couldn't hold in her laughter at the look of astonishment on his therapist's face when Jack walked in on Rah doing upside down one handed push ups. Rah had been telling her since her first visit that he was ready to go, but the hospital had rules against discharging him after only a few days out of major surgery.

Since her first, Jack had gone to see Rah every day around lunch time, bringing "real food" each time. To Jack, it seemed that her days revolved around going to see him and Sanders. When she wasn't with either person, she was bored out of her mind but didn't feel like starting more bar fights than she had already.

"You know it." Jack heard Rah grunt in reply to her. Jack took off her sunglasses and opened the door.

When she stepped in, she was greeted by the sight of Rah going pull ups in the center of his room from a bar that hadn't been there the day before. By the way his body glistened in sweat and his arms looked strained, he'd been at it for a while.

"How long have you been at that?" Jack snorted, placing her bag of fast food on Rah's bed.

"Since five." Rah grunted, finishing one more before dropping to the ground.

"I'm itching to go and blow a hole in a merc's head so much that I almost killed one of the nurses." Rah told her, catching his breath. "Had to spend and hour after you left yesterday to get C-Sec out of my face."

"I'd've paid to see that." Jack chuckled and tossed him a towel the was laying on his bed.

"Yeah well, I'm going stir crazy, not much that can be done." Rah replied wiping himself off. "What'd ya bring?"

"Ramon." Jack replied, almost embarrassed. The few times she'd tried to cook, it hadn't ended well. The food had been burned and didn't look appetizing at all. Rah had dismissed her thoughts, greedily eating it anyway. Since then, she had decided on bringing some take out, only this time she forgot until she was almost to the hospital.

"Spicy buffalo?" Rah asked, sitting on the bed and she next to him.

"Yeah, figured you'd like the hot stuff." Jack replied, pulling out a couple of containers and forks.

"You know my stomach well." Rah chuckled, opening the one that she'd given him and dug in.

The two of them ate in silence. They sat shoulder to shoulder, but didn't feel the need to talk, just be next to one another. Jack broke the silence when she noticed a data pad partially hidden in a half closed drawer in the nightstand in his room.

"What's that?" Jack asked around a mouth of the noodles, pointing to the pad with her fork.

"My new orders." Rah replied, his shoulders slumped. "You won't like them."

"Oh?" Jack asked, not buying it.

Rah didn't respond, he pulled the data pad out and gave it to her. Jack knew that he had to be breaking a hundred different rules in the Alliance, but it seemed that the N7 didn't much care about them.

Jack read over the contents of the data pad and then put it down.

"You're being promoted?" Jack asked, looking to him with both shock and worry. It never really came to mind that he'd soon be taken away from her, but she always thought he'd be able to come back to her.

"To General." Rah grunted, clearly not happy about it. "Hackett's putting me in change of a project inside the N7s and also giving me a bunch of techies for the project."

"You know what it's about? Or where you'll be?" Jack asked, trying to hold back the feeling of her home being taken away from her. She'd never admit it to anyone, but the place she felt most at home was anywhere that Rah was.

"Not a fucking clue." Rah replied. "Hackett's an asshole and won't tell me until he can do it in person." Rah scowled at the food in his hands. "Soon as I'm discharged from this place, I'm to go to Arcturus Station for my full orders."

Jack shrunk at this. She was still wishing that she could have stayed with Rah, but going with Sanders and Rah's promotion would keep her from doing that.

"So how are things going with Sanders?' Rah asked, his voice forced into one that was lighter. Jack was grateful that he turned the conversation away from both her thoughts and Rah's new orders.

"Fine. I uh, I just got accepted into the Alliance. Sanders says that I'll be given all the details about the job tomorrow." Jack replied, still feeling nervous. Rah looked to her with a grin that light her up, chasing away the fears that she had.

"Glad to hear it!" Rah grinned and wrapped an arm around her. Jack had to keep herself from melting into his side.

"Didn't think they'd pull you into the Alliance, but I'm not going to say anything long as you're fine with it." Rah grinned to her. "Wonder where they'll put you." Rah had an odd gleam to his eyes that Jack couldn't name.

"Some dream of yours to be dating an Alliance girl?" Jack chuckled and then froze. Neither of them had spoken anything about them and any sort of relationship. They both knew they were close, but nothing had actually been said.

"Oh so we're dating now?" Rah asked, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Were you going to tell me, or was this just going to be one of those things I don't know?"

"Asshole." Jack laughed, shoving him playfully. Jack couldn't describe the immense weight that he'd just taken off her shoulders. "So you're ok with it?"

"Only if I'm the guy in the relationship." Rah chuckled, nugging her playfully. "Besides, makes sense that I'd have a girlfriend that's almost as crazy as I am." Rah looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "More attractive that's for sure."

Jack turned her face away from him, both to hide a massive grin and the slight coloring that rushed to her face.

The two ate in silence until they were both done. When they were, Rah pulled up his omni-tool.

"There's something I think you should see." Rah spoke, his voice and eyes far away. After a minute of him saying nothing, his omni-tool pulled open a large window. Jack couldn't see what exactly was on it, but it looked something akin to a dossier.

"I've seen mine, it's only right that you see yours too." Rah told her, turning the device so that she could read what was there.

Jack gasped at reading the dossier. The picture there, was of a three year old, innocent, version of her. The young girl smiled up at the person holding the camera without a care in the world.

Jack devoured the contents of the dossier. Everything from early medical records, date of birth, eye and hair color, was there. Even her real name, and the names of both her parents.

"Where-where did you get this." Jack asked, in awe of what she saw.

"I wish I could tell you." Rah sighed, wrapping his arm around her again. This time, Jack had no problems leaning into him.

Jack couldn't believe it. She saw the names of her parents, and even her own name. For the longest time, she had nothing really to call her own. Now, she had two things. A name and a man that she was sure loved her just as much as she loved him.

"Jennifer Jacqueline Eisenhower." Jack read aloud. "Sounds….. Weird."

"Try finding out you were Robert Carmine after only knowing being called Subject Two your entire life" Rah replied with a chuckle. "You'll always be Jack Naught in my book." Rah told her and pulled her into a kiss.

"Thank you." Jack whispered, when they parted. "But this life isn't mine. Not since I was taken, not since I found myself."

"Fair enough." Rah smiled to her. "Figured you'd want to know, I sure as hell did. Cost me an entire ship to find out who I was after I escaped."

"You had an entire ship?" Jack asked, pulling away and skepticism on her face.

"Yeah, turns out that war is in my blood. My father, and his entire family have been marines dating back to the early twentieth century. My mom's family were soldiers and conquers since man could talk." Rah told her, evading the question.

"Tell me about the ship." Jack growled to him. She grabbed his shoulders, and in one swift move, forced him onto his back, with her straddling his hips.

"Since you put it that way." Rah chuckled. "I was picked up by scavengers two days after the riot. They pulled me onto their ship to be a slave. I snapped, killed them all but the pilot. I forced the pilot to take me to Ilium, and then sold the ship for information and a trip to Eden Prime."

"Good enough." Jack mumbled, bending down to bring their lips together.


"Kate." Garrus asked, panting for breath.

"Yeah?" Shepard asked, equally worn out.

"The Normandy is going to be done in two days." Garrus spoke, his breathing becoming more even, while hers struggled to catch up. "I was thinking, would you like to go somewhere with me?"

Shepard looked to her mate, and arched an eyebrow. "That's a question? As long as I'm with you Garrus, I'll go anywhere."

"Since we're done with the Collectors, I was wondering…" Garrus spoke, nervousness coating his voice. "If you wanted to… Go and meet my mother."

"Garrus." Shepard replied, her breath finally returning to normal. She forced him onto his back and straddled him. "I would like nothing more than to meet the goddess that must been your mother."

Garrus' mandibles flared in a smiled. Shepard could see the hungry look to his eyes. She growled when she felt him beginning to emerge from his plates.

"But I won't do it if I can walk tomorrow." Shepard told him, her voice heavy and full of desire.

Garrus growled and rolled her onto her back. She screamed out in pleasure when he thrust into her in one quick motion. It seemed that her lover would do his best to follow the order She'd given him. Shepard knew that he would without a doubt make her entire body jelly by the time he was done with her now.


Rah,

I need a favor.

Kat

Rah read over the message on his omni-tool with confusion. Sure Shepard had known that he was getting out of the hell hole that was the hospital, but what could she possibly need so soon. Rah shot back a message asking where to meet.

My hotel lobby. Be there in ten. Was Shepard's response.

Rah groaned, but made his way there anyways. He needed to get off the Citadel soon and head to Arcturus, but if Shepard needed his help with something then Hackett could wait.

Just as normal, Rah arrived at the hotel that Shepard was staying at a couple minutes early. Sure enough, she was already waiting for him.

"What's up Sarge?" Rah asked, taking note of a nervous look on Shepard's face. "Something wrong?"

"No." Shepard replied, walking to and then past him. "Come on, I need you to help me with something."

Rah was confused, but followed Shepard anyway. She lead him into a skycar and Rah followed her in without question.

"What's going on Sarge? Is something wrong?" Rah asked, on his guard when Shepard still had a nervous look to her face.

"I need to know, who did your ink?" Shepard asked.

"That's all?" Rah asked, confused. "It's a friend of mine from basic, she's got a shop here on the Citadel. What's going on?"

Shepard took a calming breath. "I want to get some ink." She told him evenly. Rah grinned to her and gave the car the location to take them to. it was a shop in one of the lower wards, but that's where most of the business for ink was on the station.

"What were you going to get?" Rah asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"A surprise." Shepard replied, a sly smile on her features. "For Garrus."

"Luck bastard." Rah chuckled. "And here we thought that the kat would never find someone else to tame her."

Shepard gave him a look that told him to shut up. He did, but he didn't keep his massive, shit eating, grin from showing.

The rest of the short ride was spent in silence, though Rah was hard pressed to keep it that way. When the car finally stopped, Rah got out, but noticed the hesitant look on Shepard.

"This the place?" Shepard asked, not liking the look of the dirty storefront.

"It's better on the inside. She just keeps it looking like this to ward off anyone not sure that they really want the ink." Rah replied. Shepard still looked hesitant, but Rah grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car.

"It'll be fine." Rah told her. He continued keeping his hand on her arm and pulled her into the shop with him.

"May I help you?" A pleasant Asari spoke from the counter in the front, not bothering to look up from her terminal.

"Looking for Sweet!" Rah replied, yelling towards the back of the shop.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't have anyone here by that name." The Asari replied.

"Oh I know you damn well do." Rah replied, a grin on his face.

"You better have a damn good reason for coming back here Kenny!" A gruff voice yelled out from the back of the room.

"Kenny?" Shepard asked, him.

"Sweet thinks I look like a Kenny." Rah shrugged before yelling back. "You damn well know I do you butt ugly piece of shit!" Rah yelled, a laugh in his voice. Rah grinned at seeing the appalled look on the Asari's features.

Out from the back of the shop, a gruff looking woman emerged. Just as Rah remembered, the woman still had more ink than even Jack had, a dozen different piercings on her face alone, and shortly cut hair dyed to an obnoxious shade of neon pink. She was a few inches shorter than Rah, but an inch taller than Shepard. She had a build that most men envied her for having.

"The fuck do you want you piece of shit?" The woman growled when she was only feet from Rah, but she wasn't stopping.

"The same thing I want every time Sweet." Rah replied, and was enveloped into the arms of the woman. "Just not for me this time."

"Glad to see you again brother." The woman replied, squeezing him tightly. "Been a while."

"It has sis, it has." Rah chuckled, returning the embrace and even bending back to lift the woman off her feet.

Rah could feel both the astonished look on the Asari's face and Shepard's look of curiosity on him.

"Sarge." Rah spoke when her and the woman separated. "This is Sweet. She was in my boot camp squad, and in the squad I was part of until I was pulled into yours."

"Who the fuck is this?" Sweet asked, looking over Shepard. "Some tramp you picked up? Got her whipped maybe?" Rah could see the joke in Sweet's eyes even though her voice didn't say anything of the sorts.

"This is Commander Katherine Shepard." Rah told sweet, and an eyebrow rose on Sweet's face. "She was my old CO, is an N7, and is the first human Spectre." Rah told her as if in casual conversation.

"And I'm not his." Shepard scowled to Sweet.

"I know you're not." Sweet scoffed. "Rob's more into ones that are scrawny, inked all over, and nearly as fucked up as he is." Sweet sending a joking look to Rah.

Rah couldn't help but stick out his tongue at his friend. She had come by once when Jack was just leaving, and caught the two of them still entangled with each other. Rah got all kinds of flack from his old friend, but he could handle it.

"Sarge here wants a surprise for her guy." Rah told her, then glanced at the awe struck Asari. "Maybe we should talk somewhere else?"

"Fine." Sweet grunted, leading them to a room with a myriad of various images and sets of inks and colors around. "So what do you want?" Sweet asked, going over to a drawer and pulling out a pair of gloves.

"This." Shepard replied, pulling up a few images for Sweet.

"You want a sleeping Turian?" Sweet asked, confusion in her voice.

"His markings." Shepard replied, like embarrassed teen around her first crush. Rah never thought it possible for Shepard to even knew that being embarrassed was, let alone show it.

"Got any more images?" Sweet asked, her voice critical and calculating. "Need to see all of it to do it right."

"You've done this before?' Shepard asked, but pulled up a few more pictures of Garrus' face.

"Honey, you ain't the first human to like those spiky bastards." Sweet told her, a smirk on her face. "Not bad in bed either."

"You want the glowy ink Sarge?" Rah asked, figuring that it'd make it more of a surprise than the ink being just plain there.

"I do actually." Shepard replied, sounding a bit nervous. "Can you do it?" she asked Sweet.

"Who the fuck do you think put all his names on?" Sweet replied with a grin and gestured to Rah. "Fucker hasn't come here without me needing to add another in a while."

"If I have anything to say, you'll never do it again." Rah chuckled, knowing that Sweet meant well.

"You ready hon?" Sweet asked Shepard, who laid back in the chair in the center of the room. She nodded and closed her eyes. "Light her up Rob."

"This'll hurt Sarge." Rah told Shepard, knowing what facial tattoos were like, even more so when they could light up. He placed a hand onto Shepard's shoulder and powered up his biotics, letting them flow over Shepard.

Sweet leaned over Shepard's face and set to work.


Garrus sighed in exhaustion when he opened the door to the room he and Shepard had been in for nearly two weeks now.

His day started out colder than the others had with waking up later than normal, Shepard was gone. She'd left him a message saying that she was going to spend the day with Rah, and that she'd see him in the room later.

Garrus had been more than fine with it. Rah was to be getting out of the hospital today and that man was like a brother to Shepard. For her to not spend time with a sibling when they could, Garrus knew all too well what could happen.

Shortly after he'd got up, Joker sent him a message, claiming that the Normandy was done a day ahead of time, but the cannons were all screwed up.

Garrus was livid, but overall it gave him something to do other than wandering around a station that he'd been on for too long already.

He was more than looking forward to getting back into their room and crashing until Shepard returned. Garrus noticed something off when he entered the room. Other than the trash from last night being gone, everything was the same as when Garrus left. Garrus didn't know what it was, but something just felt off.

As silent as he could, he crept around the large room, search for anything that might have caused this feeling. He found nothing, and the only place left to look, was in the separate room that had the bed.

With caution, Garrus opened the door the the room, half expecting something to blow up in his face. The door opened, and the odd feeling intensified to the point of being able to name it now. He'd only really felt it while in combat with Shepard dashing around the battlefield. It was that of her biotics being active and swirling around her.

Garrus' mandibles slackened and his jaw hit his cowl at the sight before him.

Shepard, with a sultry and seductive smile that made his plates shift, was laying on the bed. She was laying on her side so as to give him a full view of her near naked form. The only clothing she wore, were the lace undergarments that she'd bought just for him to see her in. Garrus' mind briefly thought of some of the models for Fornax that would sometimes posse like this. Shepard however, put them all to same, making them all look like nothing more than amateurs. Her biotics were active and the dark energy swirled sensually around her. Garrus didn't know how, but Shepard managed to make the azure energy swirl around her and caress her figure.

When Garrus' eyes finally turned to soak in her face, his heart stopped. Her smile was seductive and inviting, and her eyes sparkled to him, ordering him to home and ravage her. What was on her face, made him nearly pass out.

"Kate." Garrus stammered, his throat dry and scratchy. "What-what's..." Garrus couldn't manage to get the words out that he wanted.

"Don't like it?" Shepard pouted and her biotics died. Garrus was stunned to see that the glowing Vakarian markings that had been on her face faded with the energy.

"What did you do Kate?" Garrus asked, walking towards the bed, his knees now week. "Why..." Shepard cut him off.

"You told me that you would die to see me with your markings." She smiled to him, her voice full of love. "I'd like that to not happen. For now, until they can be there for all to see, they're just for you."

Garrus sat down on the bed, the weight of his armor making the frame creak in protest. His taloned hand came up to her face, tracing where the markings had been just moments before. Shepard grinned to him and lit up in her azure glow once more. The markings returned, and Garrus couldn't believe his eyes.

To him, Shepard looked even more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. Garrus had never thought that a Turian's facial markings could have worked on a human, but whoever it was that gave Shepard these, knew how to prove that idea otherwise. The lines were a shortened and more stylised version of Garrus' just like they would be if she were a female Turian.

"I never would have thought that a Turian would agree to this." Garrus muttered, more to himself than the Shepard.

"It wasn't a Turian Garrus." Shepard replied, bringing her own hand to trace along his scared mandible.

"Asari?" Garrus asked, not knowing what other race would be able to do this miracle.

"Human." Shepard replied, stunning Garrus.

"What kind of human would be able to do that, or even know that they should like like this?" Garrus asked, not believing it.

"One who's a friend to Rah." Shepard replied, Garrus growled possessively when a red blush came to her features, just under his talons. "She's had customers that were the lovers of Turians, of both genders. Both human and Asari. And she's done all of Rah's ink."

"Woman is an artist." Garrus replied. He had taken the time to appreciate the man's tattoos and all of them were made with as much love and care as one would show their husband or wife in the night.

"So you like them?" Shepard asked, her voice hesitant.

Garrus didn't reply with words, he simply brought them together in a long, slow, passionate kiss.

"I meant what I said Kate." Garrus told her, his voice husky when they parted. "Now, I just have one more thing to look forward to."

Shepard grinned to him and Garrus heard a soft click. His breastplate fell into his lap, Shepard's not so subtle way of telling him just what she wanted. Him being able to smell it on her only made is rush to be free of his armor that much faster.


A/N: So, when I say that it'll be a week until I can get the next chapter out, I really mean that my next day of classes will have all but one of them canceled, leaving me nothing else to do save for all of my papers and then this.

Anyways, thank you all so so much for continuing to read. I hope you all enjoyed, and will stick around for the foreseeable future.

Until next time!