Heyooo! Update time! I am now in the possession of Mass Effect 3! I'm not halfway through the game and it's already made me cry three times and laugh countless more. SUCH an amazing game. This is just filler between 2 and 3, just letting everyone know. Also, the return of Caius! Anyone remember him from chapter 1? It only took another 53 chapters for him to return. More chapters to come, I promise. As always, remember to leave a comment and suggest songs for me! I will do my best to use them.
Inspired by Sara Bareilles' song, Bluebird.
Bluebird
A month passed. Garrus spent most of his time on the Citadel helping out his old friend Caius and generally trying to get in contact with Shepard. However, it was increasingly difficult due to her position and eventually he couldn't get through at all. Despite trying to keep busy with preparing for the Reapers, Garrus found himself a little more than depressed. It was as though Shepard was gone all over again…the Turian didn't know how long he would be able to keep himself sane this time around.
"Hey." Caius' voice startled Garrus from his thoughts as his friend sat beside him on the balcony.
Offering a small Turian smile in return, Garrus set aside the data pad in front of him. "Sorry, I was distracted. Didn't think you'd be back so early."
With a shrug, Caius stared out at the wards below. "Yeah, neither did I. You go up to the hospital today?"
Unconsciously, Garrus' talon flew to the bandages on his face. "Yeah. They say it's all healing fine…I should be able to take the bandage off in another month or two. Depends on how things look."
Silence fell between the pair for a long time. Garrus shifted, a little uncomfortable in the quiet atmosphere. Since returning he hadn't told Caius about what he had gone through or where he had been…both Turians had been too busy to really catch up and even then, neither one wanted to really breach the topic.
Apparently the same thought had been on Caius' mind, since he turned to his friend with a sigh. "Garrus, what happened out there? The last I heard from you was almost two years ago, after Commander Shepard's funeral…then nothing. Honestly everyone thought you were dead. Then you show up out of nowhere and need a place to stay. Where were you?"
"It's…." Garrus closed his ice blue eyes and heaved a sigh. "It's kind of a long story. I don't know where to start."
Standing, Caius stretched. "How about the part where you vanished after Shepard's funeral? You start, I'll bring us something to drink."
As his friend moved for the kitchen, Garrus turned to look at him. "Ah, nothing for me…I kind of gave up drinking."
The look that Caius gave Garrus was one of confusion and astonishment. Garrus couldn't help but chuckle. "That's…that's part of the story. I guess I sort of had a revelation after Shepard's funeral…"
And so it all came out. Garrus spoke for almost an hour, describing his work on Omega as the vigilante Archangel, Shepard's miraculous return to life thanks to Cerberus, his rescue from Omega, Shepard's new mission, and ultimately their new relationship. To his credit, Caius sat and listened, partly astounded, partly amazed.
When Garrus finished, Caius set aside his empty glass. "So you're telling me that you, Garrus Vakarian, are Commander Shepard's bond mate?"
"Something like that." Mumbled Garrus, his gaze focused on the wards outside. "Honestly with Shepard in hot water with the Alliance and the Reapers coming I'm not sure where we stand…But she said she would come back and get me when the time to fight came, so I'm trying to be ready."
Casting his eyes across the various data pads on the desk, Caius fluttered his mandibles. "So that's what you've been doing…"
At last standing, the Turian sniper stretched. "Yeah…Shep's going to need all the help she can get. It's the least I can do for her. But the more I think about it, the more clear it's becoming…"
Confused, Caius stared at Garrus as he moved to the window, the lights from outside flickering across his friend's cobalt blue tattoos. His voice was low as he went on. "I need to go back to Palaven and talk with my father."
It seemed that today was a day for surprises. Caius rose, his eyes wide. "Garrus, are you serious? I understand you and your father haven't…"
"Seen eye to eye, I know." Finished Garrus, his blue eyes hard. "But he's still got sway with the Primarch and I need that sort of support for when the Reapers come. We need to be ready."
With a cautious step towards his friend, Caius nodded. "Okay, but what about you and Commander Shepard? I doubt your father will be so thrilled to help if he knows you're in a relationship with a human…even if that human is the famous Commander Shepard."
A quick flutter of his mandibles gave Garrus a sort of smirking look. "He doesn't have to know. But I need his support…Shepard needs his support. I already booked a shuttle to take me there tomorrow."
Still shaking his head, Caius crossed his arms over his chest. "You really do care for her, don't you? Shepard, I mean."
If it were possible for Turians to blush, Garrus probably would have been doing so in a spectacular fashion. Silently thanking the Spirits that he couldn't, Garrus shrugged. "She's…she's been everything I've never found in a mate before. I'll follow her to hell and back."
Thoughtful for a moment, Garrus turned to face his friend. "Caius, I can't thank you enough…for everything. I was wondering if you could do one more thing for me after I leave."
"Sure." Caius shrugged casually, still a bit shocked by his friend's tale. "What do you need?"
Scooping up a data pad, Garrus flipped through a couple of files before he seemed satisfied. "I haven't been able to get any sort of communication to Shepard lately, but I need to tell her I'm going to Palaven. Can you ask Counselor Anderson to give her that message from me?"
Opening his mouth to make a smart remark, Caius stopped short upon meeting Garrus' eyes. The two had been friends since their first days in C-Sec, and yet in all his years of knowing the blue eyed Turian, Caius had never seen such a look in his eyes. There was something different about him now…a sort of determination tempered by some other emotion that couldn't be named.
With a soft click, Caius shut his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. Of course I will."
Erin Shepard lay on her bed in the tiny apartment that had been assigned to her. Truth be told, she knew she had gotten off lucky with just house arrest and being removed from active duty for killing 300,000 Batarians. Still, it drove her nuts to know that her ship and her crew were out there doing important things and here she was, stuck inside.
Well, not always inside. The Alliance had agreed that as long as Shepard stayed on base and was accompanied by a young marine by the name of James Vega, the Spectre could leave her place. Still, that didn't leave a lot of freedom…although she did get to go work out with the marines to stay in fighting shape.
What really bothered Shepard was the fact that they had cut her off from the extranet, so that mean no contact with any of her old crew….including Garrus. Being separated from the Turian had nearly driven the usually stable Shepard to a state of half-insane restlessness, but eventually she managed.
Staring out the window, Shepard sighed heavily. As much as she had come to dislike the apartment, she enjoyed the bed. It was set into the wall, a wide window giving a view to the cityscape below. Right now it was dark, a few visible stars shining feebly above the bright city lights. While it wasn't nearly as nice as the one on the Normandy, Shepard admitted that she would have to make do. It certainly wasn't as big, but since she didn't need to share with Garrus right now, it worked out all right.
A knock on the door startled the brunette upright, her hair wild. Quickly shrugging on a sweatshirt, Shepard could hardly imagine who needed her at this late an hour. Blinking in the bright lights, she opened the door. "Vega, this better be damn important if you're-"
She stopped mid-sentence, ocean blue eyes wide. Anderson stood at her door, looking slightly amused at the disheveled Spectre before him. "Shepard."
"Anderson!" Erin stepped aside as Anderson entered the apartment, hastily trying to smooth her unruly hair. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't expect…"
Chuckling, he held up a hand. "I know this isn't the best time for a visit. But I just got a message from a friend of yours on the Citadel…wanted to get it to you as soon as possible."
Abruptly nervous, Shepard pulled her sweatshirt closer around her slim frame while racking her brain as to why someone would need to contact her so urgently. "What's the message?"
A knowing smile graced Anderson's face momentarily. "It's from Garrus Vakarian. He wanted to let you know that he's going to Palaven. He had Udina pass the message to me, since you're…"
"A bit out of contact, yeah." Muttered Shepard, now distracted. "Thanks…"
Upon seeing that Shepard wasn't in a mood to discuss this message further, Anderson excused himself. Once more in the darkened apartment, Shepard curled back into bed, her knees pulled to her chest. Garrus was going back to Palaven…she could only hope that he would be safe there if the Reapers attacked. Gazing out the window, Shepard allowed her eyes to lock onto the brightest star in the sky. Planet side it was so hard to see them with all the light pollution, while aboard the Normandy they could see billions of them.
Unconsciously, Erin's hand curled around the dog tags she had refused to take off, despite being removed from active duty and the little ring that hung beside them. "Be safe out there Garrus."
