Twenty-Nine: Color

She'd been so happy to see him.

When Garrus dropped his helmet, Mara felt her heart leap and she completely ignored her squadmates. She ran at him, practically toppling him over in a tight embrace. He played along and caught her, lifting her a foot from the ground.

But it didn't take long before a battle started. Mara wondered how Garrus was surviving alone when so many mercenaries wanted his head. He could handle himself, but against three organizations at once?

Even Archangel couldn't surpass those odds.

Eventually, he lost. A high-powered rocket to the neck made sure of that.

Joker, watching from the cameras Cerberus had installed in every squadmate's earpiece, saw what Mara wouldn't remember. She flew across the room, through the opening where the window used to be, and drove her omni-tool through the windshield of the gunship. Her jump from the gunship back to the window was impossible, but she made it, and without a glance to the mercenaries around her, she scrambled back to Garrus.

The blue on the light steel floors was striking. Alien blood was so foreign—Joker often found himself expecting them to bleed red like humans. Turian blood was just… shocking.

Or perhaps that just because it was this turian.

Mara's words were choked and rapid. Joker almost couldn't understand them. Somehow, he did. He contacted Doctor Chakwas—she readied the med bay. He sent out as many crew members as he could—they streamed out of the Normandy like ants.

Mara tottered back onto the ship and dropped like a ragdoll. She missed the copilot's seat completely and thudded to the floor.

Joker's body shot out of his chair before his brain caught up, and he was beside her. She slouched like a teenager and trembled like an addict. When she spoke, it was rough and hushed, but emotionless.

"He's going to die."

Joker's mouth felt dry and unusable. "Ah, Mars… y'know Garrus. He's a tough guy."

"He took a rocket from a gunship that was just below military grade."

"He's still alive."

"Is he?" Mara turned her head, but not her eyes. She was intensely focused on the blue flickering of EDI's console. The shade was too similar to turian blood, and she closed her eyes. She saw Garrus stumble backwards and fall, but after that was just blank.

Joker reached over and cupped her shoulder in his hand. She tensed.

"What, no touching all of a sudden?"

That was the unforeseen breaking point. Her face contorted, and for once, she looked ugly. She shot her hand out and grasped his shirt, pulling herself into his arms. She nearly forced him into a hug, and he settled his arms on her back and let her cry.

A soft blinking from Joker's omni-tool made him glance down.

[Chakwas, K] He'll be alright.

Joker let out his relief as a slow breath that stirred the blonde flyaways resting beneath his chin. Garrus would be alright… and that meant Mara would too.


A.N.: Happy Saturday! There isn't much to say about this chapter, other than how much I enjoyed writing it. It's very sad, but we all know that Garrus will be okay, and plus, Shoker hugs cure pretty much anything. My next chapter will definitely be a little calmer - Mara's finally letting herself take some down time - and I'm looking forward to writing it. There are new updates on my profile page, so feel free to take a quick look over there and check it out!
-Gairi