Hello there! So let's continue with the feels, shall we?
All copyright belongs to Bioware; I'm just taking a spin through their universe.
Chapter 36
It was a novel experience, kissing a human. She was so much shorter for one thing, but he could not seem to find it in himself to mind bending down. Her lips were so soft and pliable and so, so warm! He let his fingers tangle briefly in that thick hair. It was softer than he had expected—she was softer than expected. He could feel her pressed up against his armor, molded to him. Even now, Shepard was continuing to surprise him. Garrus Vakarian had to say, he did not mind.
He did mind however the pounding that was suddenly coming from the door. The pair broke apart, Shepard's head whipping to look at the door and then back at him. Garrus saw, just for a moment, an expression of bemusement, embarrassment and excitement that made him want to kiss her again. But then Commander Shepard was back in place. She stepped back, holding a finger to her lips. "Commander Shepard, you are supposed to be in my medbay," said Dr. Chakwas loudly through the comm. "Kindly remove yourself from your quarters or I will be forced to override this door and restrict you under my authority…"
The door slid open and Shepard walked outside, not looking at Chakwas but with slightly red cheeks and an unsteady stride. Chakwas turned to berate her until she realized Garrus was attempting to sneak out behind her. He stood up a bit straighter and cleared his throat. Chakwas would have sworn that if he were human, he would be blushing. As it was, he hurried past her, heading for his own quarters and avoiding eye contact. The good doctor raised an eyebrow and followed her patient to the medbay.
Shepard lay there, hours later, the IV replacing the fluids her body needed and flushing her system with medicines. She knew she needed to sleep; Dr. Chakwas had said if she was not asleep when she came back in an hour she would have to give her something. Her body, and her mind, needed rest. But right now, with Ashley's soft snores filling the medbay and the gentle whirring of the machines around her, Shepard could feel her mind start to drift. She knew she should be thinking about all of the horrible things that she had experienced that day. But instead the thought that lingered in her head was 'What the hell were you thinking?' and 'When can we do that again?' This was quickly followed by feelings of panic and guilt, worrying about what could possibly come of this, how inappropriate it was, and how great it felt. And what would her dad have thought?
She shook her head at that. She would never know what he would have thought. He was gone, and had been for many years. It was time she let him go. Garrus had not killed her father. Instead he had defended her life, over and over again.
Did she love him? She didn't think so. Not yet. 'Not yet?' she thought, her sleepy mind pondering this thought. If they lived to have a future, she could think more about the possible evolution of that statement.
When Garrus came in a few minutes later to check on her, he found the commander sound asleep in her bed. Her black hair was spread out across the pillow, her face smooth of her worry lines and scowl. He knew enough to know that she was paler than normal, after all the energy she had used to save his life. After a few moments, he moved forward. Hesitantly, one hand reached out to brush an errant lock away from her face. One corner of her mouth lifted briefly in a smile before settling back into sleep. Garrus chuckled softly and turned to leave her in peace, not noticing the half-open eyes of Ashley Williams.
Shepard walked down the hallway to the Council Chambers, her hair pulled back tightly, her pistol on her hip and a customary scowl on her face. Her team followed behind her, even Ashley Williams, who insisted that the eighteen hour trip back to the Citadel had done her some good.
They had almost reached the door when a young and rather frightened looking ensign hurried up to Shepard, clutching a datapad in one hand. "Commander Shepard?" he asked, his eyes darting to the red N7 emblazoned on her armor.
She raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" she asked, somewhat less than welcoming but still polite.
He swallowed and saluted. "Ensign Kevin Sanderson, ma'am," he introduced himself. "I have a message sent through Alliance brass. It is urgent…"
"Ensign, I am about to go speak to the Citadel Council on a matter that I can ensure you is much more urgent than whatever wild goose chase the Alliance needs me to follow now," said Shepard shortly.
"But ma'am, it's from Earth, Cleon said…"
"Cleon?" Shepard shook her head. "I don't have time for his usual whining and demands to be set loose on society again. When it's safe, he and the family can leave the base. You can tell him to sit his ass down and I'll deal with him later."
"But Commander!"
Shepard had already pushed through the doors, her mind occupied with Reapers and galactic destruction with no room to worry about Cleon's feelings getting hurt. Nate was safe. She could deal with everything else if she knew he was safe.
Ambassador Udina greeted them first, still oozing self-confidence and an oily manner. He actually smiled at Shepard, though it left her feeling like she needed a shower. "Good work, Commander. You've put the Alliance in a good position," he congratulated her. "Now the Council will have to listen to us."
"Udina is correct," said the asari councilor, sweeping in behind Shepard at that moment, flanked by the other councilors. Tevos nodded at the Spectre. "If Saren attempts to attack the Citadel, as you believe he will, our fleets will be ready for him."
"We have patrols at all the relays. He won't be getting through," said Sparatus confidently, even as he eyed Shepard's rather ragtag team with disdain.
"A blockade?" Shepard scoffed. "Are you serious? That's not enough! He has gone through the Mu Relay to the planet Ilos. He is searching for the Conduit. It is how he plans to return the Reapers to the galaxy. Defending the Citadel is important but it's not going to stop him, not by a long shot."
"Commander, the Mu Relay is located deep within the Terminus Systems," said Valern patiently. "To send a Council fleet after Saren, based on information you've learned about in a vision, is hardly logical."
"You've done your job, Shepard," said Udina suddenly. She turned to him, her eyes wide. "Saren has been exposed as the traitor he is, you took away his army and forced him to flee to the Terminus Systems. We've won."
Shepard was deadly silent for a moment. "Have you people listened to a fucking word I've said?" she finally asked through gritted teeth. "We have to go to Ilos! The Reapers are real! We've seen one, Sovereign. It's not a flagship, it is a living entity and its whole kind is intent on destroying our civilization like they did the Protheans. Tevos," she walked closer to the asari councilor. "Meld with my mind. You will be able to see these visions are real!"
"It's true, Councilor," said Liara very quietly. "I have helped Commander Shepard process these visions. They are accurate and frightening."
"Forgive me if I do not take the word of a daughter of a traitor," spat Sparatus. Ashley and Tali bristled beside Liara but remained quiet. Garrus watched Shepard intently, waiting to take his cue from her.
"What you have seen you may believe to be true, Commander, but that does not make it so without concrete evidence," said Tevos firmly. "Ambassador Udina, can you explain this to the Commander?"
Udina was now scowling at Shepard, as if she were a five year old child embarrassed by her poor behavior. "You are just a solider, Shepard. You cannot understand the political ramifications here," he said sharply. "Humanity has gained much here. Don't spoil it, or you may become more of a liability than an asset."
"You rat faced bastard," hissed Ashley. "How could you sell us out?"
"Quiet, Williams," ordered Shepard, her face deadly pale with rage.
"We won't risk you destroying everything the Alliance has worked to build," continued Udina, straightening up and facing Shepard with something like glee. "We've locked down the Normandy's systems. For now, you and your team are grounded."
"How dare you?" said Shepard, her fists tightly clenched. "I am a Council Spectre. I could override your commands and…"
"You will do no such thing, Commander," said Valern firmly. "I'm sorry, but this is the best path for now. By order of the Council, you are confined to the Citadel and the Normandy will remain in Alliance custody. It's time for you to rest and recover. Virmire was—difficult."
"You can go now, Shepard. The Council and I can handle the situation from here." Udina turned to face the councilors, dismissing Shepard and her crew.
But Shepard wasn't one for being ignored. Blue tinges of her biotics flickered up and down her arms as she stepped nose to nose with the piece of slime who claimed to represent humanity's best interests. "If you think I am going to stop, then you don't know me at all," she whispered, deadly quiet. "The Reapers are coming. Keep getting in my way and I might have to remove you."
"Is that a threat?" he growled, puffing up his chest.
Eyes narrowed, she stepped back, forcing her biotics to quiet. Deciding to not even dignify that with a response, she turned and stormed out of chambers, slamming the door open. Garrus paused by the turian councilor. "She's more of a promises kind of woman," he said lightly. "Threats aren't really her style." Sparatus practically squawked with outrage but Garrus was already following the commander, closing the door behind him.
Shepard wandered through the markets of the Citadel, her stormy countenance keeping all of the curious away. Her team had tried to follow, ranting and yelling behind her. Shepard had finally turned around, stopping them in their tracks. They halted, falling silent at the pure fury on her face. "I know that you are angry. So am I," said Shepard, biting the words as she said them. "But right now, I need to think. Alone. I'll see you back at the ship—if we're still allowed on it."
With that, she had turned and left, seeking some solace and running from her panic that she saw reflected on their faces.
It had been a few hours since she had left her squad behind. She had not been able to go to the theatre district, her normal haunt. She had enough of her own drama to deal with without watching something on the stage. The bars had not caught her attention. The petty dealings of the merchants had only irritated her further. And so she found herself back at the Presidium, leaning against the railing, staring at the water and waiting. She wasn't quite sure what for, but all she could do was wait. For Saren, for the Reapers, for the end the Council had doomed them to. She was feeling gloomy to say the least.
Her omnitool pinged suddenly, using a channel reserved for high priority messages. She sighed and lifted her arm, pulling up the message.
Her body went completely cold and she wanted to vomit.
Commander Shepard, it read. You were warned. The more time you waste, the less time your little family has. The Shadow Broker sees a unique opportunity with you. If these Reapers are coming, then the Broker's knowledge and your military capabilities and political connections would be invaluable. The Spectres have long worked with the Broker, even Saren did until he went off the deep end. If the Broker needs you to take care of a few things, how does that hurt in the grand scheme of things?
We felt some motivation might be needed. Your son, his father, his 'mother' have been removed from the Alliance facility. Our sources say that you are currently on the Citadel and the rumor is you've been locked down. You should have listened to the Ensign we sent you. You would have been able to get off station. Now it's going to be a little harder. But consider this a test from the Broker: remind him how important it is to have your connections, your skill as part of his brokerage. You've disappointed him. I think you would agree it would be terrible if your family was to suffer because of it.
You have twenty-four hours to reach Earth. Use these coordinates. When you show up, we'll discuss which one of your family members will stay in the Broker's custody while you go about the galaxy. Every 6 hours you're late, one of them will disappear. I'd hate for it to be Nate. He has such a sweet smile.
See you soon.
Socrates Welch
Her vision had first gone black. Now it was red.
Patrons in the café behind her suddenly stood up, backing away from the blue ball of fire that was suddenly erupting by the lake. Several other biotics flared at the presence of danger but Shepard ignored all of them as she headed for the only person she thought could possibly help in that moment. As she ran, she sent an urgent message to her team. Anderson's office. Now.
Shepard thanked whatever gods were listening that Roran had not yet returned to the Citadel. He was on assignment on Earth but was detouring back to California to get on the ground. After two solid minutes of cursing, intermixed with gruff apologies, Shepard cut him off on her communicator, huffing now as she took the stairs three at a time to get to Anderson's. "I need you to verify that they are actually missing," she said, letting cold logic take over. "This could just be a threat to make me vulnerable. But we're also going to treat it like they're serious. The Normandy is grounded right now, but I'll figure that out. They didn't make me a Spectre for my looks."
Roran chuckled darkly at that but sobered quickly. "Keep your head, Rin," he said. "I'll be on the ground in an hour. I'll check at the Alliance facility and report back. If they took our family, they will pay for it."
"I don't doubt that. Keep me posted." Shepard ended the call as she reached the office, her team already gathered outside. The questions came fast and furious but Garrus' voice rang out over the rest.
"What's going on, Shepard?" he asked.
Her lips got tighter. "Inside," she replied, gesturing everyone in. Anderson was already waiting for them, that trustworthy face grim.
"Shepard. I heard about the Normandy. What can I do?" he asked.
"You can help me get my ship back—so I can go after my son." There was a deadly quiet in Anderson's cramped office.
"What happened to Nate?" asked Garrus, his voice suddenly a deep growl.
She had to smile at the defensive tone. "The Shadow Broker's puppet has done what he threatened to all along. He's kidnapped Nate and his family to force me into a partnership. If I don't meet Socrates at a specified location in less than 24 hours, I might lose one of them." Her voice was devoid of emotion, because that was the only way she was going to get through this.
"So how do we get to him?" asked Tali, her voice fiercer than Shepard had heard it before.
"Well, with the Normandy grounded, we're going to have to be a little more creative," said Ashley, her eyes filling with a devilish light that made Shepard wonder briefly what her childhood had been like. That kind of energy would have been dangerous in a five year old.
"I think that's why you're here, in my office," said Anderson, his voice still cool, his fingers rubbing his chin as he thought. Shepard loved that he had taken this in stride, not looked shocked at her revelation of a son.
Shepard looked around at all of them. Anderson stood behind his desk, as solid as the Normandy's hull. Liara and Tali stood on her left, Liara lost in thought as she ran through a dozen plans and just as quickly discarded them, while Tali's helmet was tilted, absentmindedly wringing her hands. Ashley stood just beside Anderson, her back ramrod straight in her anger. Garrus leaned back against the wall, half in shadow. He watched her, waiting. His stance was not casual, but entirely purposeful. It said, I know we're about to do something highly illegal. When do we get started?
"My Spectre authority has not been suspended, I'm just grounded," she began. "Technically, as long as I am in pursuit of a Council mission, I can basically do whatever the hell I want, or at least I will be able to justify it later. And whatever has happened to Nate, as much as I want to see him safe, I know Saren is heading to Ilos and searching for the Conduit. I know my duty but…"
"You are not going to like this," said Anderson quietly, moving closer. "But you need to go after Saren. I've read the reports. With your knowledge, this Cipher, and the visions, you're the only one who can piece this together. And you're the only one who both believes in the Reapers and is capable of stopping Saren."
Shepard closed her eyes, wishing she could deny the truth of his words. "I can't just let him take my son," she said quietly.
"We won't. We're going to go after them—without you." Shepard's head shot up at that, horrified.
"If I don't show up, they will kill them!" she said loudly, her voice breaking.
"Do you trust me?" asked Anderson bluntly. Swallowing tightly, Shepard nodded. "We're going to get the Normandy back online and contact your mother, see what she can do. Then we're heading to Earth. I'll take two of your squad with me and we will take care of your family. You and the rest of your team take the Normandy and head to Ilos."
Shepard ground her teeth, tears of frustration in her eyes with ripples of blue fire occasionally running up and down her arms. "It's not ideal, Shepard, but it's the right thing to do," said Garrus quietly. "We'll take care of Nate and the rest of your family. You need to go after Saren."
"Surely if we asked the Council, explained the situation," started Tali.
"They won't release the Normandy," said Ashley bitterly. "Who knows what the Broker holds over them? We're going to have to do this alone."
"So how do we get the Normandy out of lockdown?" asked Liara. "If the Council won't release it…"
"Then we steal her. And I've got the best chance at immunity." Shepard straightened up. "It's going to have to be me."
Things will start to speed up now! My goal is to finish this fic by the end of May, but who knows if that's realistic! We'll just see what Shepard gets up to between now and then. And yes, I plan on writing a sequel based on the events of ME2, never fear. Reviews, comments, and suggestions are always appreciated! Take a moment to help support a budding writer!