***** Author's Note *****

As you likely guessed, this is the end of the Mass Effect 2 portion of this adventure...but there is MUCH more. In fact, the next part of the story is going up *today*!

When you finish here, I hope you'll go check out "Walk Me Home." The next installment in Garrus & Elle's story is short and very sweet and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.

From there...Mass Effect 3 is coming!

I never doubted Shepard. I'm absolutely positive that none of us did. Honestly, I think you'd have to be a total stranger or have your head completely up your ass to doubt the woman who has done the impossible over and over.

From the moment she survived the Batarian raid on Mindior, Shepard has beaten the odds. She was orphaned as a teenager and forced into slavery; I worked on C-Sec long enough to know what happens to most people who come out of a life like that. If they come out at all. Instead of ending up on drugs or on the street, Shepard enlisted. A few years later, she was the only survivor on Akuze. And there's a good damn reason no one else made it, it's not like getting away from a thresher maw is easy! She got us to Ilos, supposed to be impossible, and she defeated a Reaper. And then she died.

Shepard has even defeated death. Why wouldn't I assume that she could take out a Collector base, defeating a species with near mythological reputation in the Traverse? Her talents - as a leader and a solider - don't surprise me anymore. But damn, she makes me proud.

The crew is relieved and proud of themselves, of each other, when we get back safely. There's still a weight over us, knowing we're back with some of us gone forever. But we saved a lot more of us, and we completed the mission on the base without a single loss. It even looks like Kelly is going to pull through, though Chakwas is glad we're headed right for the Citadel.

And once we've determined for sure that the entire crew is safe, secure, and just ready to get some rest, I am headed right for bed with my girl. Fortunately, Shepard is of the same mind; the moment I motion toward the elevator, she's moving in that direction, catching my hand and tugging me with her on the way. It feels impossible that she needs and wants me as badly as I need and want her, but it's there in the way she throws herself against me as soon as we're alone in the elevator.

Shepard gets a grip on my fringe with a still-armored hand and pulls me down to meet her lips. I don't need encouragement to kiss her; I'd do nothing else for the rest of my life if I could. Her urgency surprises and charges me, Shepard shoving her tongue into my mouth and then me into the wall. Her hands move to the latches of my armor, moving through them with desperation, and it sets a blaze charging through my blood. Need for her explodes in me, every touch making me hotter so that we end up stumbling into the hallway and desperately trying to get one another's armor off.

I'm achingly hard by the time we manage to get through the door, but then Shepard gets my codpiece off, and her steel fucking grip on me erection sends me right to my knees. I was holding her, so Shepard comes down with me, and she gasps but doesn't panic. She barely misses a beat in kissing me, and I find myself thrusting into her hand right there on the floor. I don't need more than her body to make his work, so I don't bother slowing or giving up the effort to get to her skin, starting with what's between her legs.

She cries out when I rip right through her BDU's, tearing the seam on her stomach and then yanking down until I get her bare where I want her. We're both still partially armored, panting hard between sloppy kisses, and covered in the stench of Collector ship when I shove into her. "Oh, hard, sir, please," Shepard cries, spine arching and our armored thighs creaking against one another. "I need you hard."

And she'll get whatever she needs from me.

I sit up on my knees and spread her thighs wide, giving me all the access I need. My quad smacks hard and with an incredibly satisfying sound against her ass with each stroke, and Shepard is moaning with each one too. My talons slice through the top half of her BDUs as well, shredding the equipment with care only for her breasts and the look on her face when I grope them. She gasps and grabs my forearm when I wrap one hand around her throat, squeezing harder than usual. Emerald eyes meet mine, and I hold her gaze.

"Give in," I breathe, an softer order than she usually gets. "I have you."

Immediately, her hand releases me, and I take that as my consent. The sound of her choking combined with the noise of our armor and our bodies joining is a fucking symphony. I don't squeeze long enough for her to even turn red, no where near as long as she's without air when she's deep throating my cock, but even just those few seconds get my girl wild. She screams for me, clawing at my waist and thighs, urging me harder and faster with her body, arching her throat into my hand for more and more and more.

She cums just as wildly, an absolute vision shattering there on the floor for me. And that comes more and more and more, too, her body rising to the occasion and meeting all of my demands. I don't hold back, giving in to my base instincts and filling her every time the need arises until there's a puddle of both our fluids on the floor under her and my legs aren't holding me up the same way anymore.

Shepard lets out a husky laugh when I collapse onto my back beside her. "I have never been fucked on a floor before."

"Really? Well that's a shame because you, my love, are fantastic for fucking on a floor."

"I...is that a compliment?"

I laugh and lean over her for another kiss, then test my legs slowly before helping her up. She's a mess, her throat and cheeks red, her hair a disaster, her armor half off with shredding BDUS hanging, cum on her thighs and stomach. "Fuck, you are gorgeous, Elle." I can barely get the words out, my heart is racing so hard and so high up in my chest. She's breathtaking.

"You are ridiculous," she laughs, shoving me away. She then immediately pulls me back. "Now finish getting me naked and then take a shower with me."

We move at a much different pace in the shower, lingering and luxuriating in the hot water, the opportunity to get clean, the feel of one another. Shepard washes me with care from head to toe, massaging my plates in the progress. Anytime she's touching me, and especially when she's naked, I get hard. This is no exception, even when I'm physically and mentally drained. She looks up at me, running a finger down it, and I kiss her while shaking my head. "Ignore it. I wanna wash you. And honestly, you'd be pulling rope at this point anyway."

"Fair enough," she laughs, leaning into me. I can tell she's just as tired, so I return the favor of a good massage from her scalp down but I don't go so slowly that she becomes dead on her feet. At least I don't mean to, but Shepard is wavering by the time I finish. I scoop her into my arms, take her to the sink to get dried off with a fluffy towel, and then carry her naked to bed with me.

"You know, I meant to talk to you when you got up here," I laugh, collapsing onto the mattress with Shepard on my chest. "I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, to thank you for trusting me with so much, and then I was going to fuck you. Gotta say, I think I like your plan more."

She giggles, snuggling against me and burying her face in my throat while I bring the blankets up around us. Monster comes too, happily making a place for himself against Shepard's feet - his favorite place to sleep. "I just couldn't help myself," she admits. "You saved my ass when you pulled me onto the ship. Being alive and grateful makes me horny."

I laugh and drop my hand to her ass, giving it a squeeze. "I have zero complaints when you're horny, kid." I shift my hand to her hair and drag my fingers down her scalp lightly. "I am proud of you though, baby. I need you to know that. It's an honor to serve with you."

"Thank you," she whispers, tightening her arm around me. "I'm proud of you, too. You got most of the crew through that ship for me. No one else down there could have done it as well." She tilts her head to look up at me. "I'm honored to serve with you, not just lead you. You know that, right?"

I nod and kiss her softly. "I know. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, you have to start freaking out about meeting my mom."

She groans loudly and buries her head in my throat again, making both of us laugh. I wrap both arms around her, soaking in the feel of her soft skin and warm body, her breath against me. We conquered something massive today, and tomorrow, we start figuring out how to conquer the rest. All of I know is that nothing will stop this woman and nothing could keep me from being on her six. We're going to get through this.

"I love you, Garrus," she murmurs, voice heavy with sleep.

I smile so wide it threatens to split my new wounds. And I don't care. "I love you too, Shepard. More than I could ever say."

I will never know what I've done to deserve a blessing like waking up with someone like Shepard beside me. I'm not good, I've done nothing of note, and I've accepted all that. Spirits know my father has a list of ways I've dishonored our family, our people, Palaven. And yet for some reason, the universe and whatever forces control it have seen fit to give me not just any mate but this exceptional woman. One who can walk into hell, take down impossible enemies, and come right back out.

The soldier who is going to lead us to save the galaxy from an unimaginable foe and horrible fate is naked and sound asleep in bed beside me - our bed. Guard down, peace surrounding her, her body perfectly warm and soft. She loves me. She wants me so badly she fucked me on the floor last night. She trusts me enough to hand over leadership during her mission, and even more to fall asleep beside me, to be completely vulnerable and exposed to me when I'm inside her For all the dreams I've ever had of my future, I imagined that being blessed this way was out of my reach.

Armed and ready - as always - I press myself against Shepard's warm back and run my hand slowly down her while rolling my hips into her ass. I run my tongue along the back of her neck and nip over the reconstructed N7 tattoo on her shoulder blade. Her hand is resting in front of her, until it joins mine on her hip and squeezes my fingers. She wakes, rolling her ass back into my hips and the erection I woke up with. "Good morning," she murmurs with a smile in her voice.

"Mmm, it's about to be," I tease, nipping her ear sharply. Shepard jumps, then moans and turns her head to ask for a kiss that I happily deliver. Her mouth is especially warm first thing in the morning, and I shamelessly indulge in it as often as possible. I have different plans this morning though, a different need. And Shepard knows exactly what that need is when I show her the bottle of lube in my hand.

Her face lights up, some of the anxiety about pain still in her eyes but its overwhelmed with excitement and lust now. "Ooh, early morning anal. Lucky me."

"Spirits, you are perfect," I laugh, then lean in to kiss her hard once more. I cup her ass, squeezing, and tell her, "I want this up in the air for me. On your knees." She squeaks softly when I slap my hand down hard, reveling in the bounce of flesh, and then quickly rolls to her stomach and gets on all fours. There's no hesitation, no questioning this. Just submission. All for me.

I can't resist the opportunity to taste her, getting between her legs and using the length of my tongue to dip inside her. She grows wet in a rush, grinding against me and moaning while I slick up my dick and fingers. She barely resists at all now when I start to work one finger and then two inside her ass while alternating between flicking my tongue over her clit and fucking her with it. She's much more eager to take her pleasure now, all fears of the taboo and even the pain gone from her mind.

"Such a slut," I tease, growling with a need I cannot contain or control. She shudders at the words, then jumps when I nip the back of her thigh before sitting up. Shepard assumes her position without being told, pressing her face low into the pillows and keeping her ass up. I love how much she's learned, how much she'll do to please me, but I won't hold back from pushing her for more. "Spread your cheeks for me, beautiful."

She moans softly but doesn't hesitate, bringing her hands back and blessing me further with a perfect few of that tight, pink hole. Confident she's been stretched effectively by my fingers because I'm never going to cause her more pain than I absolutely must, I square my hips behind her and press the thick head of my cock against that hole.

"Breathe," I warn. As she exhales, I push inside her. Shepard pushes back out at the same time, her body welcoming me. I think I could take her ass everyday and still be stunned by how tight, how hot she is. It's dizzying, and I constantly have to fight for control. And it's worth it for the way she cries out, the way her spine arches, the way her skin flushes while I work steadily into her. "That's my girl," I purr, closing my eyes and running my talons down her spine. I stroke lazily, long and slow. It still makes both of us pant, but I won't waste an opportunity to take my time.

I bend forward, aligning over her back, and pull her arms toward the head of the bed under my hands. She keeps her ass up and I keep stroking into her, licking and nipping her neck and shoulder and jaw wherever I can reach. Our bodies move in perfect sync, Shepard grinding against me like we're dancing while getting her ass fucked deeply. "Oh, Garrus," she whispers, leaning her head against mine. "You make me feel..."

I press my mouth to her cheek when she trails off in a moan. "I know, baby, I feel it too. Made for me. All mine."

"Yours, yes," she pants.

"Mmm, yeah. And because your mine..." I drag one hand down the front of her body and then hook my arm around her hip to reach her clit, barely crazing her. "I want to make you feel as good as possible. I want to show you off, too. I think you need another cock in you soon, hmm?" Shepard gasps and stiffens for barely a second before leaning into me again. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? My cockstarved girl getting as much as she can handle, maybe even a third for your mouth. What do you think, baby, can you handle all that?"

"Garrus," she gasps, her body tightening around me. "I'll take whatever you tell me to, sir."

A smile erupts over my mouth. "Good girl. You know I'll take good care of you, right? Always?"

"Always," she agrees. "I trust you. I want you. Want more of you."

"Anything you want from me, Elle, you can have. Anything." I kiss her one more and then sit up, not wanting to miss the few when I take her harder, faster. It almost seems impossible that she can take all of me, her body so much smaller, but she handles whatever I have every time. More, she makes me feel more than I knew was possible. She rocks my entire world, and I want to worship her in a way I've never felt about another person or deity. Right now, that worship comes in the form of making her fall apart for me.

She's soaking wet, making a hard and rapid massage of her clit feel even dirtier than usual. Shepard throws her head back and cries out my name while l work her body, and the tremors that start rocking through her make it almost impossible for me to hold out. Her permission to use her with other men is fresh in my mind too, the mental image of Shepard completely filled and perfectly debased the thing that finally drags me over a sharp edge and into an intense orgasm. Shepard doesn't need more than that to explode, her screams piercing through the haze of my orgasm so I know to keep going. I refuse to let her down.

When Shepard's legs shake hard and threaten to collapse, I hold her hips, carefully pull out, and then roll to my side so that we end up in the same position we were in when I woke her up. This time, we're both panting and hot and shaking a little. I'm still just as eager to touch every inch of her, and can't stop myself from sliding my hands everywhere I can reach. Shepard arches into all my touches, neither of us doing much to gentle the other, but Shepard breaks first and rolls over to kiss me, climbing on top of me.

"Come here," I moan between kisses, tugging her hips and encouraging her to climb further up me. "I wanna taste you."

Shepard whimpers and doesn't resist, kneeling on either side of my head. I tug her down to me, but she doesn't need anymore encouragement to ride my face. Her scent and taste surround me, nearly overwhelming me, and I lap eagerly while she rocks her hips against me. She whispers my name over and over, grabbing my fringe with one hand and the headboard with another. I can't see much of her but shit it's an incredible view.

"Please, sir," she cries, head falling forward. "Make me cum."

I growl against her and grip her ass, holding her still and lashing her clit with my tongue relentlessly. I can feel my hips surging up off the bed with need even while there's nothing I need more than her orgasm.
That burst of her flavor on my tongue, the way I know she'll say my name. I can feel it coming, and I only work harder to earn it, my talons breaking her skin lightly.

"Commander."

Joker's voice in the room startles both of us, Shepard actually yelping. My surprise lasts half a second though, and then I'm just pissed off.

"No," I growl when she tries to get away, instead rolling her so that I can pin her hips. I'm still in between her thighs, and I dive right back in, ignoring her half-hearted efforts to shove me away.

"I...oh! Joker...Joker, what?" she manages somehow. I can't help a smile, and she sees it on my face when I look up at her. She looks like she wants to smack or scold me until I take her clit lightly between my mouth plates and work it softly with my tongue. "Joker!" she snaps when he doesn't answer.

"What are you two doing?" he asks slowly, playfully.

"Joker, I swear to God, oh..." She trails off when I slip a finger inside her.

Joker makes a dramatically disgusted noise. "Hackett is on the comms for you. I'm assuming that you want to have him hold? And since I haven't heard Vakarian yet, I'm assuming he's - "

"EDI, privacy mode!" A beep confirms we're alone, and then Shepard throws her head back on a scream. "Garrus, please! Like that, right now, oh...oh God!"

Shepard explodes for me, her body nearly levitating for a second and her biotics sparking wildly. I hang on for the ride, not letting up until she's collapsed against the mattress and pushing me away, begging for me to relent.

"No more!" she pleads, rolling away from me as soon as I give her the space. "Garrus! There's a - " She stumbles when she gets to her feet, legs shaky, and has to catch herself on the closet door. "Damn it. There's an admiral on a call, Garrus!"

"And I'm sure he's still there now," I respond, propping up on one elbow. She gives me a dark look while tugging on a pair of sweatpants, breasts bouncing fantastically. "I will not apologize for making you cum like that. Or for being in love with you."

"Don't be cute," she snaps. It would concern me if she weren't also smiling. She yanks on a tank top, no bra, and then rakes her fingers through hair to pull it up on her way to her desk. I lay back, choosing to listen from here and while naked. I hear Shepard take a deep breath and clear her throat, and then the lights shift to make the hologram of Admiral Hackett visible. "Sir."

"Shepard. I hear congratulations are in order."

I frown. He sounds anything but congratulatory. He actually sounds nervous. I don't know Hackett well, but I know enough to know that's odd. Shepard can hear it too, I'm sure. I've got 'super senses' as she would say, but she's intuitive as hell.

"Thank you, sir. My team did an incredible job. I wasn't expecting to here from you, though."

"I am honestly sorry that you have to, Commander."

I lift my head and can see Shepard swallow hard from here. "This is about BATARIAN PLANET WITH RELAY, isn't it?"

That gets me on my feet, and I quickly start yanking on clothes while they talk.

"They're threatening war over what happened," Hackett tells her. "And Batarians have never given us reason to believe that they give hollow threats, even though we know they just needed an excuse."

"And I gave them that excuse," Shepard mutters.

"Stop," I command, cutting quickly across the room and into their conversation. I don't care if Hackett doesn't want me here; I can see that Shepard needs me by the look on her face. I pull her into my chest and press my mouth into her hair. "You did what you had to do. If you hadn't, the Reapers would already be here and we'd probably be dead."

"And I agree with Vakarian," Hackett chimes in. He shakes his head slowly and looks down. "But...they are calling what you did a warcrime, and Alliance leadership is already unhappy that you're serving with Cerberus."

Shepard tenses but straightens, facing her admiral again. "What are we doing next? What do you need me to do?"

My stomach turns when Hackett doesn't even look at her. "Why do I get the feeling we aren't going to like this answer?"

He takes a visible breath. "Commander, you are being charged with a war crime and treason by the Alliance. Given your service record, you will be permitted to turn yourself in on Earth, but you are expected to do so - "

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Shepard barely reacts to my explosion, her shoulders falling low. "Treason?!"

"I'm being stripped of my rank and court martialed, right?" she asks, voice softly.

Hackett nods but rage courses hot through me. "No, you're not. The Alliance wants you, they can come out here and try to get you."

"Garrus, stop," she breathes, shaking her head and not looking at me. "We both know I have to do this."

"Like hell you do! Shepard, they have nothing - "

"Three hundred thousand people died because of me!" she shouts, glaring up at me with wet eyes. "I know exactly what I did, and if I have to pay for that crime to keep Earth out of a war - to keep the galaxy out of a war that we cannot afford right now - that's what I'll do."

I release her roughly, terrified that I'll hurt her by accident with the way I'm shaking, and then turn away. I can't...I can't accept this. How can she?

"I am doing what I can for you, Shepard," Hackett says. "Anderson and I have made it clear that your mission cannot be interrupted, so we've given you this much time."

"I have to come now then?" she asks.

Pain surges through my chest, and I press my hand against my carapace to try and keep it from ripping right through me. Monster meows softly up at me, confused and concerned, but I can't risk touching him right now.

"Actually...I have a plan to buy you a little more time and to make sure that, should the worst happen and you be found guilty, the Alliance cannot keep you on Earth or even in jail."

That catches my attention. At least enough for me to turn around and look again.

"The Turian Hierarchy would never allow the...mate of one of it's citizens to be held in a prison and kept separated from their mate. If you and Vakarian are married before you turn yourself in, you will need to wait for trial and stand trial, but you could be freed after. Released into Hierarchy custody at least."

Shepard's green eyes flash to me, and I'm almost grateful when they flash away again because I have no idea what to say. "How long could I stall before coming in?"

"I can give you two weeks at most if you are in Council space that entire time."

Shepard nods. "We're heading for the Citadel now anyway. Thank you for letting me know and for all your help, Admiral. I'll keep you updated."

"For whatever it's worth, I am sorry."

I scoff, and Shepard gives me a dark look before ending the call. As soon as it's gone, she plants her hands on the desk like she needs it to keep from collapsing. I'm doing the same with the wall behind me.

This can't be happening.

"What about the Council?" I ask. "You're a Spectre, they can defend you, say that it was a Council - "

"Garrus. You know that's not a real option."

"Why the hell not?" I demand. "What is the real option then, you go to Earth - to prison - for Spirits only know how long until they decide whether or not to charge you?"

"I have a responsibility to the Alliance, and if I don't go back, we could end up at war with the Batarians."

"Shepard! The Reapers are coming, you know this," I press, hearing the pleading in my own voice and my legs instinctively move me toward her. "We can't afford for you to be grounded, to be out of the battle."

She shakes her head, taking a breath. "The crew will have to keep working on readying the galaxy. You can - "

"Yeah, me. What about me, Shepard? You're just gonna leave me, just like that? Again?"

Shepard blinks, then takes a step back from me, wearing an expression like I just smacked her. And I know that I might as well have, but right now, I can't really care very much that it hurt. She's leaving me, and even with the thought, I can barely breathe.

My hand wraps around her dog tags, and I collapse into her desk chair, my body threatening to quit while the scars on my heart crack right back open into fresh wounds. "Tell me I can come with you," I beg her, not looking because I know what the answer will be.

"You know I can't do that. Court martial...they aren't going to let me have anyone around, have contact...nothing."

"Please, Shepard. After all this...how can it be so easy for you to leave me?" My voice cracks around the words. "You promised. You said you..." Something hot and foreign erupts in my chest, and before I even realize my hand is around it, a framed holopic of Shepard and I is cracking into pieces. I drop them to the floor like she's doing with me.

There's a suffocating silence until I hear the door opening, then closing.

She's left me.

"ETA to the Citadel?"

"Two hours." Joker turns in his chair to look up at me. "You talk to him yet?"

I shake my head. "Have you?"

"He..." Joker takes a breath and pulls his hat off. It's nearly enough to make me panic; I thought that thing was permanently attached to his head. "Last night, he was in the bar. Kasumi was down there; she called me and Jack. He never had a drink, but...he wanted it. More than I've seen him want it."

My chest seizes, pain and fear taking my breath away. Garrus was wrong. He said some horrible things, things that I did not deserve. But am I just being stubborn in not approaching him first? If he needs me, if he needs help, I should be there for him.

That will be impossible while I'm in an Alliance prison.

"So, you're really doing it, huh? Going to jail?"

He knows the answer. I told the whole team the same day I found out. It was their right to know. I asked them all to stay until I came up with a timeline, a plan for what they should each do, and everyone agreed except for Zaeed, who is leaving as soon as we get to the Citadel. And that's fine with me. Samara also said that she may have to leave; she can't continue to follow me if I'm technically a criminal. That one, I understand. I'm just glad she's not going to kill me.

No one is happy; Tali has cried twice in two days, and Jack cursed me out. But none of them reacted like Garrus did. Granted, none of them has a relationship with me like Garrus does. None of them has been abandoned by me before. Still, I'm not entirely in the wrong, and that stubborn ass Turian hasn't even bothered to try apologizing.

And now he's going to drink? No. Hell no. I'm not letting him go down like that.

I whirl around and head out of the cockpit, ignoring Joker's calls from behind me. "EDI, where is he?"

"Your quarters," the AI answers. I jump into the elevator and smack the button. I can't help running through the contents of the minibar in my head. I don't want Garrus near a drink and alone after what Joker just told me. Garrus has always seemed so in control...

I need a breath for courage before walking inside, scared of what I'll find. What actually awaits me is worse than anything I could have imagined.

Garrus is cleaning out his side of the closet, packing the bag he brought from Omega.

"Oh, God." I fall into the wall, the ship rocking suddenly. Or maybe that's just me. "You're really...you're going?"

He stands and turns to me, hands flexing. I don't know if that's a need to touch me the way it would have been two days ago or to break something. "We're almost at the Citadel, and you're taking the Normandy to Earth so...had to pack."

Oh. Right.

"Okay."

"Is it?" He gives a dry, pained laugh and then turns back to the closet, now shoving things into his bag much less neatly. "I'll be out of your way in a second."

I take a breath and approach the couch, letting myself fall onto it. My pillow is still here from all the no-sleep I got on it last night. "They're your quarters, too."

"Again, you're taking the Normandy to Earth. And since I'm not coming...I have to get out."

He's right. I'm taking his home, the place we've called home - our home - for months. I'm throwing them all out, forcing my crew with no homes to find something else and even my crew with somewhere else to go to leave this home. I'm kicking Garrus out of the home I asked him to share with me.

I move to rub my face, but a glint on my hand catches my eye. My ring. My beautiful, perfect ring that my beautiful, broken love put on my finger right in this room. In our home.

"We got engaged here," I mutter, turning the ring slowly and watching the light dance around it. "I don't know what they'll do with the Normandy when I..." I'm not ready to say it. I'm losing home, too. An orphan again. And I may be even more alone than I realize...but I'll never know if I don't ask.

When I look up, Garrus is watching me. His shoulders are low, his mandibles pulled tight to his face. I take a breath and steel myself for whatever might come.

"I understand if you don't want me to go with you...if you don't want me to meet your mom." I swallow, the lump in my throat making that hard. My face burns with unshed tears. "If you want the ring back, I can - "

My voice cracks, and it opens the damn, tears flooding my cheeks in an instant.

"Shepard - "

"I'm scared," I blurt out. I didn't know I was going to say it, but now I can't stop. "I'm so scared, Garrus, about what will happen to me on Earth and what will happen to the crew and about not being ready for the Reapers. And I'm terrified that I'll lose you for this. I don't want that. I have to do this, but I can't do it without you even if I'm..."

I lose the words, and sobs wrack my chest.

"Hush." Strong arms scoop me up and into a hard chest before Garrus sits back down on the couch with me on his lap, in his arms. He hushes me softly, rubbing my back and letting me get all the tears out without so much as another word. I don't bother to try speaking, letting the fear I've been trying to hold back take over me.

Treason and war crimes. I'm being charged with actual crimes, including the murder of hundreds of thousands of people and being disloyal to my own people. To the Alliance that I've fought and died for. I have to go to jail, I could be stripped of my rank, I could end up on the streets with nothing and no one. No one, because Garrus is leaving.

"I can't do this alone," I cry, my own voice barely recognizable.

Garrus's arms tighten around me. "I'm such a fool. I...I'm so sorry I've made you do it alone this far, so sorry." He starts to rock me softly, carding his hand through my hair. When he bends his head to press his forehead against the side of my head, another horrible sob bursts from me. "All I could see was you leaving. I was selfish, I didn't...Spirits. I'm sorry. You are not alone, Shepard. I'll never leave you alone."

I manage to shake my head, trying to catch my breath. "You're scared too."

"Terrified," he whispers. "But that's no excuse."

"I don't want to leave you. How could you think that?"

He just shakes his head and holds me even closer, his mouth against my head when he whispers, "You didn't talk to me, didn't consider it. You made the choice like it was obvious and easy. It felt like being back in my apartment, you walking out on me. It felt like you dying again, Shepard, like...like losing you. And I can't lose you, I can't."

His voice cracks, and he buries his face in my shoulder, chest trembling with his breaths. He's breathing rapidly now, like he's right back in those places again, and I wrap my arms around him. Garrus wasn't the only one being inconsiderate and selfish.

"I shouldn't have made it sound so obvious, so easy. And I shouldn't have made the decision alone." I press my forehead against his head, and Garrus shifts until we're nose-to-nose. "I should have at least talked with you about it. I'm sorry."

"Fuck, I hate fighting with you. I missed you." His talons threaten to break through my shirt, he's holding me so tightly.

I shake my head. "We have to stop running away when we fight. We need to talk and not days later. Promise me we'll talk it out, fight it through next time."

Blue eyes blink up at me. "Does that mean I'm going to get more opportunities to get mad and upset with you?"

"I'm sure there will be plenty in a lifetime," I laugh, the sound easing some of the pain in my chest. I grow serious again quickly, we both do, and I lean against him. "Are you okay?"

"I...no. I can't be okay with this. I'm losing you." That last bit is whispered. "Shepard, what if they try to keep you from me?"

Hackett's warning about that, his plan, rings through my mind. I can see the exact moment that Garrus remembers it too, his head snapping up and his eyes searching mine. The Turian Hierarchy won't let the Alliance keep us apart no matter what I'm charged with if...

"Do you - "

"Would you - "

We both laugh when we realize the other started talking at the same time, and Garrus lifts a hand to dry my tears gently. "I never wanted to wait anyway, baby," he breathes. "Whenever you're ready...I want to marry you."

"You would marry a traitor and a war criminal? Someone with no rank, no nothing?"

"Stop. Look at me." It's a firm, direct order, and my eyes snap to his on command. "You don't talk about yourself like that, you hear me? I don't give a fuck what the Alliance or the Batarians say, I don't care if the rest of the galaxy says it." He presses his hand to my chest. "I know you. I know your heart, I know who you are. And I know it will be an honor to spend my life as your partner, your mate."

"I'm not a traitor." It comes out weak and pathetic, a whimper, and more tears follow it.

"No, you're not. You're not a traitor, you're not a criminal. We know you, Shepard, your crew - the people who were there...we know. Okay?" He nuzzles my cheek. "I know you're having trouble believing that right now, so just trust us. Trust me. You can do that, can't you?"

I nod and swallow. "Yeah. I trust you."

"That's my girl." He bumps me with his forehead and whispers, "Hey? You wanna marry me in two weeks?"

"Garrus." A laugh, the sound bringing relief, escapes me. "I wanna marry you right now."

"Even after I threw a fit and broke things being selfish?"

This time, I pull him to meet my eyes. "We have a lifetime ahead of us. We're both going to make mistakes. We're going to have fights. We just have to deal with that as it comes, but I'm not leaving you. I mean that as much now as I did the first time I said it. Okay?"

"Okay. And I promise I'll work on not running away when I get mad. Maybe on my temper as a whole."

I laugh. "Yeah, maybe." He smirks and leans forward, catching my lips in a kiss. I push him away when he tries to deepen it. "No, no, you have to keep packing. Now not only are we going to meet your mom, but we have to tell your family that we're getting married."

He smiles brightly. "We're getting married."

It's not often that I get to see Shepard nervous. She had some anxiety going into the Collector base, sure, but that wasn't like this. Now, walking through the Citadel toward Huerta Memorial where my mom is, Shepard is jittery as hell. I didn't even know she had nervous tics before now. It's almost adorable. I'd probably tease her about it if I wasn't feeling so fragile about us right now.

Chakwas told me once, when I first went to her about my depression, that she wondered if I didn't have PTSD about Shepard dying. She encouraged me to talk to Kelly Chambers about it, but at the time, that was absolutely never going to happen. And now, with Kelly unconscious and in Huerta herself with Thane by her side, I probably lost my chance. I can't help but wonder if Chakwas is right, though. I got even the thought of Shepard leaving, of losing her again, in my head, and I could barely breathe. Panic is the only way I can think of to describe what I was feeling.

Part of it might also be that she's my bondmate, and a Turian is not supposed to lose their bondmate - especially not before the bond is complete. A piece of my soul went with her and left me for two years. I know that I'm not quite the same as I was before, and Shepard knows it too. While I don't have a good option for someone to talk to about PTSD, I have my parents and my oldest brother for bonding. Especially my dad who has to face the reality of his bondmate dying everyday. Maybe he could help me figure it out.

I want to get better. I don't want to panic - ever - and certainly not when it means fighting with Shepard like that. I don't want her to have to deal with that for the rest of our lives. And for some reason, this woman is still interested in spending her life with me. Temper and trauma and all.

I pull her against my side, releasing her hand to put my arm around her shoulder. "Do you have any idea how grateful I am for you?" I murmur, holding her close. "What the fuck are you doing with a mess like me, Shepard?"

"You stop that," she replies, leaning on me heavily and looking up at me. "If I'm not allowed to talk badly about myself, neither are you. Deal?"

"Definitely not," I tease. She pokes my side and laughs when it makes me jump, but I get her back with a sharp swat on her ass.

"Garrus!" She blushes, trying to hide her smile, and looking around as though she's been scandalized. "There are people around to see you spanking me, you know."

"We both know you kind of like it when people watch." I have to dodge her swat, but Shepard is fast, and she nearly trips me. "Oh, you wanna play?" I give her a dark look, and Shepard spins to run, forgetting all about the people. I snag her around the waist and lift her right off the ground, her back against my chest. "You're gonna get spanked," I growl into her throat.

"Could I just get kissed instead?" she asks, pouting adorably.

"Mmm. We both know I can't deny you a damn thing."

I put her down, and Shepard spins around, yanking me down by the carapace to kiss me full on the mouth. Now she really isn't thinking about whoever might see, holding my face between her hands and leaning up on her toes to reach me. I keep my hands safely on her hips, keeping my wits about me at least enough not to grope her on the Citadel. Still, when her tongue sweeps across my bottom plate, a growl escapes me. Shepard smiles against my mouth, well aware of what she does to me.

"Wow, do we have to pay for this show?"

Shepard tenses at the taunt from nearby, but I know that voice in an instant. I'd know it anywhere, no matter how long it's been since I last heard it. My big brother will always be familiar.

I look over Shepard's head and find him leaning on a metal planter and smoking a cigarette with a big, shit-eating grin on his smug face. "Dex."

"Pup."

I pull Shepard with me, noting that she's tense again, and I squeeze her hand once before releasing her to hug my brother. I'm taller than him now, broader too, but something about hugging Dex always makes me feel small in the best way.

Our foreheads meet, and I draw in his scent, closing my eyes briefly. We stay there for longer than usual, and I'm not sure if Dex knows that I need it or if he's taking comfort from me, too. I don't care; he's my big brother.

When we part, Dex takes a hold of my fringe and pulls my head back so that he can examine my throat and then the rest of me. It's a traditional move, the way we signal to each other which of us is dominant. With family and loved ones, it's also a way to show that you care for the other person. Dex grins. "You look good, Pup. You're getting too tall for this, though."

"Getting?" I laugh and roll my eyes at him. "I'm over thirty, I stopped growing years ago."

"Not enough years apparently." He releases my head and slaps my shoulder. "Good to see you, Garrus."

"You, too." I turn to Shepard, finding her a couple feet behind me. She's a little flushed, hands tucked deep into the pockets of her hoodie, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come here, my love." Her face brightens instantly, surprise sparking like she wasn't sure I would be the same around family as I am when we're alone. I'm happy to help assuage those fears. She comes to my side, and I wrap an arm around her, planting my hand possessively on her waist. "Shepard, this is my oldest brother, General Dextius Vakarian. Dex...Commander Shepard."

It's always weird to introduce people with titles, but some of my Turian military training has stuck. Dex smirks like he knows I hate it.

"Commander, it's an honor," he says, putting a hand out between them. Shepard grabs his forearm instead, offering respect. "And a pleasure. Solana hasn't shut up about you."

Shepard laughs. "I knew there was a reason I liked her. And please, just Shepard."

"Then it's just Dex." They smile at one another, then release hands, and Shepard is just a tiny bit less tense when she looks up at me. She knows from what I've told her, though, that this was how I expected Dex to react. I'm his baby brother; he's always supported me almost blindly, even when he also needed to kick my ass back in the right direction. She won't relax until she's met the most important member of my family, and I won't relax until I see her either.

"How's Mom?" I ask, always anxious to spit the question out. I never know what to expect from the answer.

Dex's wide smile is not what I expected. "You need to see her for yourself. Come on." He leads us inside, Shepard holding my hand and tight to my side again. "Solana and Dad are upstairs. Pia is here, too, and Cas is with us."

"Yeah? He's starting school soon, right?"

"Next month, man."

"Shit."

"Exactly."

My oldest nephew is fifteen and starting military school. Apparently, I've gotten old as hell.

We get into the elevator, Dex obviously familiar with the route to Mom's room after two weeks, and I pull Shepard to lean on me. Dex looks her over subtly and then offers a sweet smile. Much sweeter than what I'm used to from him, and it makes me suspicious instantly.

"You know, Shepard, I assumed Solana was exaggerating when she told me how beautiful you are. Turns out she didn't say enough."

Shepard's cheeks heat instantly, and I playfully tug her behind me. "Flirting with my girl already, Dex, really? Stand down." Dex throws his head back with a laugh, and Shepard graces me with that sweet giggle. I narrow my eyes at her and tease, "And you. Don't blush at my brother. That's just for me." She rolls her eyes and pops up on her toes to kiss my cheek. "That's just for me, too."

"You hope," she quips. Dex laughs again and catches my eye to give an approving nod. It makes my heart skip, especially considering the news we have to give them.

And thinking about that news makes me wonder who else might be here.

"Ephram around?"

"No," Dex answers while we head out of the elevator, giving me a look. "You haven't seen him in years either. Don't go into it with assumptions and grudges, please."

"Did you say the same to him?"

"You know I did."

"And what was his response?" Dex's silence tells me everything I need to know about that. It would take a lot more than a few years apart to fix my relationship with my other brother. Most of the rift between us is my father's fault, but we were always too different to ever get along. I count my blessings that he's not here now to stress Shepard out further.

Dex leads us down a hallway, and then stops outside a room, motioning for us to enter ahead of him. My heart is racing with excitement and anxiety about seeing my mom with no idea what to expect, but when I start inside, Shepard pulls out of my hand. I turn back to her quickly, and she smiles up at me. "You should go in alone first. You deserve a reunion with your mom."

"I'm getting a reunion with my mom, baby, and I want you with me. You're my family, too, right?"

Her smile grows, and she takes a breath. "Right."

"Right," Dex chimes in playfully. I shove him aside, and he laughs before deciding to snag Shepard's hand and just march in the room ahead of me, dragging her along. "Look who I found groping each other in front of the hospital!"

Solana's squeal greets us first, and she charges right into Shepard for a hug. My eyes are drawn immediately to the bed in the middle of the room, but I'm struck by what I find there. My mom looks better than she has in years. Her pearl-colored plates are bright and healthy instead of pale and dry, her golden eyes are gleaming, and she's sitting up all on her own. She looks healthy, strong. She looks like someone who is going to live.

"Mom," I manage to croak out, my heart in my throat.

"Garrus." She cocks her head at me. "You did a very stupid thing, boy."

My head falls, shame for leaving my family in the dark and disappearing overcoming me. "Yes, ma'am."

"Are you okay?"

I look back up at her, then glance at Shepard. "Yes, ma'am."

"Come here." My mom opens her arms, and I feel like a little kid again, rushing to her. I sit on her bed and lean into her, letting our foreheads join. It's an instant balm to my soul; it makes this - her - real. She closes her eyes and breathes slowly, bringing her hands to my face. When she feels the bandage still covering the left side, she pulls back a little and turns my head for a better look. "Oh, my boy. You've been through so much." Her thumbs sweep under my eyes, and she searches my gaze. I can tell that she sees more damage than just what's on my face, and even while feeling exposed, I feel safe. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too, Mom. I'm really sorry."

"None of that now. It's behind us." She bumps her forehead to mine again, then releases me. "Introduce me."

I turn back to find Shepard, who has evidently just been introduced to Pia and Cas. I hold a hand out to her, and Shepard obeys, coming to my side and to stand in front of my mother, the matriarch of the Vakarian clan. "Mom, this is Commander Shepard. Shepard...my mom, Cae Vakarian."

"Shepard." My mom extends her hands and motions for Shepard to sit beside her, so I get up to make room. Shepard is anxious, I can tell, but she doesn't hesitate, and she lets my mom hold both of her hands. "I know we're not supposed to thank you for the other thing, but I have to thank you for bringing my boy home and keeping him safe. For making his heart whole. That was...I wasn't sure that would happen for him."

"I..." Shepard blushes and flounders a little; I can feel heat rising up my throat as well. "I just love him," she says finally with a shrug. "Not sure I deserve to be thanked for that."

My mom positively beams at Shepard, then pulls her into a hug. Shepard's breathing hitches, emotion and surprise, I'm sure. My own breathing gets a little harder when I watch the two most important people in my life hug.

"Son." My dad's hand lands on my shoulder, drawing my attention away from them.

"Hey, Dad." I greet him with a hug for the first time in what feels like forever. It's okay that we're not quite at the level of forehead bumping yet; we're making progress when I thought that was impossible. I turn, looking for Solana now that Shepard has been introduced, only to have my little sister fly right into my arms. "Baby Sol."

"Hi," she breathes, hugging me tight and then nuzzling my forehead affectionately. "I swear I couldn't breathe until I knew you were back through that relay."

"You doubted us?" I scoff playfully at her and punch her jaw gently. "You should know better."

"It's in our history books at school that getting through the Omega 4 Relay is impossible," Cas - barely recognizable - informs me from his father's side. He's staring at Shepard wide-eyed and in awe. "It's impossible."

I motion to Shepard and note, "Yeah, well, this one thinks that word is a challenge. And I was there too, Cas, thanks." He laughs and comes to me, letting me hug him, bump his forehead, and examine him. "Shit, you got tall."

"Mom says I look just like you when you were my age," he informs me, grinning proudly.

"Nah, you got your dad's goofy face genes," I tease, shoving him away from me by the face. My nephew laughs, but he doesn't need to know that he actually looks exactly the way I did at fifteen. Just as tall, too. If my past is any indication, he has some good times ahead of him at military school. I laugh at the thought and turn to his mom. "You got trouble on your hands."

"We're used to it after you," she replies. "You get over here and hug me, pain in my ass."

I go to Pia eagerly, wrapping her in a big hug that lifts her feet off the floor. Pia was like another mom to me when I was growing up since she and Dex are so much older than me. She's always been more than a bond-sister; I told this woman all my secrets when I was a teenager. She was actually the first person I came out to, and I never would have been able to come out publicly without her.

"Missed you, Pup," she murmurs when our foreheads are joined. "Glad you brought at least half your face home."

"Yeah, I do what I can." I go back to my mom after I release her, while Shepard is greeting my dad. She catches my eye, and I know she's wondering if it's time to tell them.

"What's wrong?" my mom asks, reading it on one or both of us.

My father sighs. "I have a feeling this has something to do with the Alliance."

I catch Shepard's eye and nod, letting her start and decide what to say. She tells them everything, recapping the mission on Aratoht, a lot of which they know from my dad, and now the bullshit charges being leveled. My mom takes my hand when Shepard explains what she's doing, that she's turning herself in to face the charges.

"But you're not guilty," Cas protests.

"No, but sometimes the honorable thing to do is hard," my father replies, his hand on Shepard's shoulder. "The timing is a challenge, though. The Reapers will not be pleased at all the work you've done to stall them."

"The Reapers are coming, hard and fast. We need to prepare," Shepard agrees. "I'm counting on Palaven and the Turians, on Garrus. The Alliance, the Council..." She shakes her head and sighs. "They're useless."

"But what if they find you guilty?" Solana demands, her voice higher than usual with stress. "What happens to you then?"

Shepard looks at me, something like fear in her eyes. This part is on me, and I swallow hard.

"Well...we sort of have a plan. We were going to wait until after the Reapers were taken care of but, uh...well, we need to make sure the Alliance can't keep her on Earth forever. I would need the Hierarchy to help me get her out legally, so...we're not waiting anymore." I can't help smiling up at Shepard, whether or not I'm afraid of my family's reaction. "We're getting married in the next two weeks."

Solana's supersonic squeal makes me wince, but her arms flying around my neck from behind makes me laugh. Her reaction sets the tone, surprise but excitement, from my siblings and nephew. But my mother and father remain stoic, and that makes it hard to breathe.

I squeeze my mom's hand. "I have to be with her, Mom. I want to be. I love her."

"I know, boy." She looks up at my father, and they have a silent conversation. "We just found out that I'm being released as of tomorrow, so we're going home to Palaven." She grins at me, eyes lighting up. "And I guess this means we're going home to plan a wedding."

"I...wait, really? You're..." I look up at my father. "You're going to let us get married at home, with your blessing?"

"Would you marry her anyway? Even if we didn't give our blessing?" my father counters.

"You're damn right," I answer with no hesitation. "We were planning to do it right here on the Citadel if we had to."

"But we don't want to," Shepard interjects, giving me a hard look. She gave me a lecture before we left the ship and after turning me down for sex about being patient with my family, especially my father.

I take a breath. "No, we don't want to. We want a ceremony combining our traditions, on Palaven, with family." I squeeze my moms hand. "It would mean a lot to me to get your blessing. But you know that nothing will keep me from my life with Shepard."

My mom smiles brightly. "Good answer. Let's go home and get you two married then."

Solana scream-squeals again, and this time the cheer is joined by Dex and Pia. I hear Shepard laugh, but all I can do is gawk at my parents for a moment, wondering if there's a catch or a punchline.

"We want you to be happy," my mom breathes, holding my face again. "And if there is one thing I can already see, it's that she makes you happy. She makes you better. I can't think of a better match; I don't think we could have dreamed one up."

"For a time, we couldn't dream that you were ever actually going to get here," my father adds. When my mom gives him a look, he quickly says, "I don't mean that as an attack. I worried about you; we both did." He looks down at Shepard and smiles. "She is good for you. You're good together. I have my concerns about you two making a life together work, but I'm your father. I'll always worry."

"And we'll always support you," Mom chimes in. She brightens even more and laughs softly. "I think I might even venture to bet that I'll have a few more years to support you now. Oh." Her eyes grow wet. "I get to see my boy get married."

I pull my mom into a hug and look up at Shepard. All of this, my mom's health and me even being here, is thanks to her. I hope she can see my gratitude, but I'll make sure she knows about it for the rest of our lives.

We defeated the Collectors. We've stopped the Reaper invasion twice, and we've put a dent in their plans. We have a lot of work ahead of us, getting prepared for the invasion that will come. But right now, we have something else ahead of us. Shepard is facing her personal hell, and what's coming isn't going to be easy - especially for the part of it that we're apart. But I'm going to keep focused on the fact that it won't be forever. Within the next two weeks, she'll become my wife. When she's done with the Alliance, we'll be back in battle together.

And then my wife and I, together with our team, are going to defeat the Reapers.

***** Author's Note *****

Thank you all so, so much for reading this far. I hope you continue to enjoy as Garrus & Elle continue their journey. I'm floored every week by how many of you read and comment. I want nothing more than to do you proud with the rest of this story.

Please go read the first chapter of "Walk Me Home" to see where they go next!