Inspired by Train's "Hey Soul Sister"

Hey Soul Sister

Silence. It was a beautiful sound, broken only by the soft gurgles of the fishtank on the wall. Not that the occupants of the tank much cared as to what the occupants of the main room were up to.

Currently those occupants were tangled in the luxurious sheets that Cerberus had provided for the bed. It was hard to tell where Turian ended and where human began they were so twined together, a mess of limbs and cotton and fringe.

Garrus, for his part simply gazed at where Shepard's elegant fingers were tracing patterns on his chest, her touch feather light. What had happened wasn't exactly sex, but it certainly hadn't been simply blowing off steam either. Either way, it had been simply mind blowing.

For the longest time afterwards the pair had simply lain there, panting and laughing. It wasn't that what had happened was funny, it was more of a hysterical laugh…one that just happens for no reason. Garrus had continued to trace his talons oh so gently over Shepard's soft curves – he could never get over how soft and pink she was – while Shepard allowed her hands to glide over his plates.

Shepard paused in her patterns, her sparkling blue eyes meeting Garrus's. "You know, there's something I never figured out."

Only half listening, Garrus gently began to thread his talons through the mess that had become Shepard's straight mahogany locks. He gave a non committal hum as she continued.

"Do you remember all that time ago, when we stole the first Normandy?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Afterwards you and I were talking and something I said made you laugh…said that you would tell me what was so funny."

Now the Turian paused in his quest to untangle his commander's – mate? Girlfriend? What was she now? That was for later – hair to lock eyes with her. To her credit, Shepard was good. Not even death could stop her from remembering something that far back. "Shepa – Erin. Are you sure that you really want to know?"

Raising an eyebrow playfully, Erin reached around to the soft hide beneath his fringe, her fingers delicately forming little circles there. "Considering what just happened, I'm almost sure I have a right to know."

A tremor shot down Garrus's spine and for several moments he couldn't quite get his mouth to work properly. After aligning and realigning his mandibles he finally managed a few words. "Well, if you keep doing that I can't tell you now can I?"

She laughed, but stopped all the same, still keeping her hand near the fringe, her fingers just ghosting near the edges. Mentally Garrus made a note that while she didn't look it, the commander could be the biggest tease this side of the galaxy.

He shifted so that he was propped up more comfortably, taking the opportunity to snake his arm around Shepard's waist as he did so. "You told me that the right guy for you was out there, but you just hadn't met him yet. Remember that?"

Even before she had finished nodding the Turian kept going. "Well, right before I'd met you I had gone on one of the worst dates of my life. Absolutely horrible. And the day I met you I was telling one of my old co-workers that I was waiting for the right woman to come along…I just hadn't met her yet."

The commander seemed slightly stunned, her jaw dropping open a little bit. Gently, Garrus put a talon beneath it and snapped it closed as he went on, searching her face for some sign. "You used the same words as me…it was like you knew."

For the longest time the pair simply stared at each other. At long last Shepard pulled herself a little tighter against the Turian's warm body. "I guess we're just stuck with each other then."

"Yeah…" He trailed off, a twinge of sadness piercing the Turian's happy bubble. As much as he loved Shepard and as much as they had shared in the past hour there was a large part of him that believed this wouldn't last beyond the relay. Soon they would suit up and head into the Collector base and there was no telling who they would lose. Even if by some miracle they all lived the odds of this relationship continuing were incredibly low.

A soft giggle roused the Turian from his musings. Shepard had laid her head against his chest, right over his heart, but now she gazed up at him. "You purr."

Blinking, Garrus would have blushed if he had the capability. He knew he made a noise that humans considered to be a purr, but he hadn't counted on the commander noticing. "Are you okay with that?"

Slowly, Shepard raised herself so that her forehead brushed against his, her ocean blue eyes closed blissfully. "Absolutely. Besides, I happen to find the sound of your voice very…alluring."

Nuzzling back, Garrus sighed contentedly. "I could get used to this…"

The words were out before he could really stop himself. Momentarily Garrus wondered if there was enough time for him to sprint to the door to escape, damn the fact he was bare-ass naked and he didn't care who saw him. However, nothing could have prepared him for Shepard's reply.

"You should."

Abruptly pulling back, he gazed wide eyed at Erin, who was almost sitting in his lap at this point. Still mentally reeling, Garrus sputtered for words. "I-I'm sorry, what?"

A look of worry flitted across Shepard's face. "Unless you don't want…?"

The question trailed off and it occurred to Garrus that Shepard was still giving him the option to leave her. As if that could ever happen! Shaking his head, he still felt like he was openly gawking at Shepard. "No, no, no, of course I want to!"

Across from him Shepard chewed her bottom lip. "Because if you're not sure we can just pretend this didn't happen and…"

"Shepard." Garrus was stern as he pulled her close so she was properly sitting in his lap, sheets still twined around the pair. "You don't understand. I want to be here. I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to. I'm just…what about the crew? What about the council?"

Erin laughed, her vanilla scent wafting around the pair and mixing with Garrus's Turian musk. "Damn the crew and damn the council. They don't have a say in who I date."

Blinking his ice blue eyes in surprise, Garrus reached over to wind his talons into her hair, tracing them gently over her cheek first. "Are you sure? We both know…"

"That I could find someone closer to home, yes, we've been over this. What you don't seem to understand is that at this point, leaving you is not an option for me. I like you Garrus. I don't care if you're Quarian or Hanar or Turian."

Gently, Shepard raised a hand to trace the cobalt blue tattoos that adorned Garrus's face. She didn't even flinch when she trailed into the rough scarring on the right side. "You remember so long ago that I promised to tell you why I picked you…I picked you because somehow, I knew you were special. I know that you were so much more than anyone else I'd ever met. I chose Garrus Vakarian over a thousand other people because deep down, before I even knew it, I knew that you were it for me. You were the best I was ever going to find."

Garrus felt his breath hitch in his throat and his heart do an awkward stutter-step before he could speak again. Slowly he slid a hand down Shepard's arm. "I'm not so good at this relationship stuff."

"Ask me how little I care." Shepard's voice was light with laughter, despite the serious topic.

"People aren't going to like this."

"Hang 'em. They don't have to."

The Turian couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "You know, I'm still not convinced I didn't die on Omega."

Tilting her head inquisitively, Shepard pouted a little. "Oh really? Why?"

It took everything for the ex-vigilante not to laugh. She didn't know. She honestly didn't know? "I lived through a missile to the face, my best friend returns from the dead and takes me on a wild mission across the galaxy and I win over the most incredible woman in the universe? That sounds like heaven to me."

Shepard laughed, a free and light sound that filled the loft completely. "How do you think I feel? I return from the dead, discover my best friend is alive and he feels the same way about me? I think Cerberus just left me dead and we're in the same little bit of heaven."

Pulling her closer for another nuzzle, Garrus's voice was husky. "Shepard, I can't even begin to explain how much you being here…with me…how much this means to me."

"Try."

Her plea was soft and gentile. Garrus lifted his eyes to meet hers and in an instant got lost in all the reasons why he was there…why he loved her. The way she laughed, smiled, fired a rifle, fought, swore, and triumphed.

"You are…my bond mate."

Pressing her forehead to his, Shepard closed her eyes and skimmed her nose against his.

"I love you too."