Chapter Seven: Three hours and Seventeen Minutes
Sparks. That was the first thing he heard when he slowly slid back to awareness. There was sparking. The electrical hum and the sputtering of dangerous currents filled the air somewhere to his left, or maybe in front of him? He tried to figure if he was upside down, on his back or side…he felt compressed.
"Please wake up…" he heard a small whisper. It was faint. Airy. It sounded so far away and yet it curled into his mind and pulled him further up towards the surface. "Garrus, please, please wake up." It seemed almost desperate now, but soothing still. He groaned and he heard the gasp and felt it underneath him. Something shifted and he finally realized that his body wasn't suspended in dark haze, it was laying sprawled on the floor and judging by the pain in his back and side – he was pinned down.
"Wha.." his voice gargled and he coughed, pain ran up his spine and over his shoulders as he winced and clenched against it. Something was broke, something was wrong. He tried to open his eyes, but it didn't help – there was darkness there too.
"Garrus," he finally heard again. "You have to wake up…."
And finally he did. He forced himself to listen to the small airy voice. His blue eyes opened and adjusted to the faint hue of red around him. The sparking sound still filled the air and he caught sight of a light fixture hanging dangerously on the far side of the room. Okay – he was on his side. Spacial awareness finally finding him he lifted his head.
"Thank the goddess," it was Liara. He tried to look around to find her, but couldn't force his neck and head to move as fast as his mind was beginning to.
"Liara?" He croaked. Confusion evident as he took in the world around them.
"I'm…" Garrus felt himself move and he jerked his head down to see an arm just to his right. Again he felt himself shift and he realized quiet suddenly that the thing he had felt pressed against him was, in fact, Liara's body. "You have to move," she said, there was pain in her words and he realized quiet suddenly that he was hurting her somehow.
It took great effort for him to maneuver himself enough to push against the large beam that had fallen down on top of him. He grunted and pushed with all his might, feeling as if it would never budge and he mentally groaned in empathy when – in doing so – he had to use his body against the small asari that was pinned beneath him. She cried out in pain as the final push was given and the beam rolled to the side and fell away from him. Immediately he rolled after it, freeing the woman.
She took a ragged breath and he cringed at the sight of her. Blood pooled at the corner of her mouth, her arm instinctually went to her chest as she cradled it delicately there. He let his eyes dip down her form and noticed that nothing else seemed wrong. But her breathing was short and clipped.
"You okay?" he asked as he shifted up onto his knees, the process slow and sluggish. His head throbbed, his stomach twisted.
"I…" she winced as she, too, brought herself up into a sitting position, looking to him with impossibly large blue eyes. "I think so…"
Garrus nodded and looked around them. They were trapped. All around them was the floor from above. The stairs he had thrown them down were rubbish, the trees were smoking and there was the faint smell of burning around them. The damp ground and the humidity in the air gave the distinct indication that the fire security system had done what it was designed to do. He placed one hand on the wet surface in front of him and made to stand.
Only to tumble forward with a loud growl and a painful cry. He looked down to his leg as if to find the source of the pain and cringed at the sight of his mangled spur. It was crushed. His foot seemed to barely be holding on – he was sure had he not been wearing his C-sec armor it would have been.
"Fuck," he gasped and sat down flat on his rear. Eyes shutting as he looked around him.
And suddenly he froze.
"Shepard!" His voice rang out is a desperate and wild roar. Her face flooded into his mind, her last word clinging to his conscious. He wanted to spring up and run to her, but he had no way. "Spirits, please…" he heard himself say as he forced himself back to his knees and crawled towards the rubble around them – trying desperately to find a way to get through it. He was too weak. His head was spinning and he retched twice before he found himself having to lean against the wall of debris – a defeated, panicked, sweaty mess.
Liara's blue gaze found his. He wanted to scream at her to help, but he noticed the way she was clinging to her arm and side that she was probably in a lot of pain. She didn't call out to Shepard, in fact she hadn't really spoken since she had sat up and he wondered if she had injuries he couldn't see.
"Liara…"
She shook her head, "I'm fine."
Again, he forced himself towards her. Coaxing her small frame to lean into his, knowing that sitting up the way she was probably was hurting her. She relaxed her back against the arm he placed behind her, and he heard the shudder fall from her as well as felt it.
"I think…I think some ribs are broken," she confessed.
Garrus looked at her sideways – he had done this. "I'm sorry."
The asari looked at him confused, "You have no reason to be."
The memory of him pulling her and throwing her down the stairs came back to him, his body slamming against hers as they landed before he had been knocked out, he rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. He knew she was right – but he didn't feel any less guilty by the fact that it had been his body that did the damage. His choices.
"Do you think…" she would cut into his thoughts, and he stiffened at her words. She shook her head – and he was aware that the pain in her voice was not from her physical injuries.
"I don't know…" he answered so she didn't have to ask the question.
He wanted to call out for Shepard again, so he did.
And again, and again and again over the course of the next – hour? Two?
All he was aware of was it was too long to be sitting here – too long. He shook his head, where was help? He tried desperately to get his omni-tool to connect to someone, something, anything. Liara's omni-tool module had been smashed to pieces under her skin. The swollen wrist and evidence of it shortening beneath the surface was almost beautiful, had it not looked incredibly painful. Asari, even marred, had an allure that should have him quivering. But it didn't.
All he could think of was Shepard. Shepard who had …. he felt a slow keen build deep inside of him. He tried stubbornly to push it down, but it vibrated and intensified as his mind threaded through memories of the woman who had become one of his dearest friends. The sad chorus found its way up and to his mandibles as they flared and slapped against his jaw. He cleared his throat, trying to stop them. Ran a hand over his face and shook his head, but still they were there. Glaring at him, demanding he begin to mourn – but he was a Turian. Stubborn. He wouldn't allow it.
Liara's little blue hand came out of no where and she grabbed his large taloned one desperately, "I know…" her airy voice filled the air, but then it steeled as she spoke further, "But don't think like that. It's been only a few hours. She…. she's probably just unconscious."
That was the last thing Liara said to him. He had nodded to her and the two of them sat there, hand in hand. According to his visor it was ten o'clock at night– he realized it had lost most of its function other than telling temperature and time. He would have to fix it, upgrade it. Probably add some medical diagnosing type mods to it for field medic purposes. He would never be caught again without the ability to help someone.
From the moment he first noticed the clock to the first sounds of footsteps it had been three hours and seventeen minutes.
How long he had been unconscious before that and how long it had taken him to realize that his visor had some functionality was lost to him. Still, he decided, it had taken too long.
He heard familiar voices somewhere in the distance, Shepard's name filled the air and he gulped thickly when nothing but silence answered their calls. Finally, he heard Liara call out. Painfully so, he knew, but still loud enough for someone close to shift their direction and bark out a 'I heard someone over here'.
They watched as a large chunk of concrete was pulled back and away, three people stood there huffing and puffing as they had been the ones to tackle the piece to edge it and shift it to find the two huddled forms. He noticed first, Kaidan – his brown eyes wide as he looked in at the two of them, immediately filling with dread as he didn't see who Garrus knew he was looking for. But before he could ask, before anyone could say anything Anderson threw himself into the makeshift opening and asked gruffly, "Shepard?"
Liara's grip tightened around his hand so hard he was shocked by the strength. To him, she was so young and small, but there was something dangerous about the hidden strength there. He shook his head at Anderson before realizing he couldn't look into that man's eyes without grief and guilt flooding into him. His gaze dropped; his shoulders sagged.
"I see," came the gruff reply and he looked up when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, "On your feet, solider," Anderson would tell him, and Liara squeaked about his leg. "Alright –"Anderson maneuvered himself to lift Garrus' shoulder and helped him stand. Kaidan had come further into the small alcove, and it was a tight fit with all four of them. After he helped Liara stand, making sure she was able to walk, he went to Garrus' other side and the two humans helped the large Turian limp out of the opening.
Alenko, to his credit, was in soldier mode. But the Turian could feel his biotics shifting just beneath his skin. He could hear the pounding of a heart and knew it was breaking. "Kaidan…" he tried, but his voice fell against his lips and the human looked at him and shook his head once.
Not here. Not now.
The message was clear.
Liara fell behind, he hated that. He wanted to make sure she got to safety first. He strained his head to look over his shoulder to try and find her. But he didn't see her, what he did see was a shift of movement on the far side of the room. Garrus stopped walking, the two men trying to help him forward, but he shouldered them off of him and turned completely. Temporarily forgetting the pain that came with baring weight on a broken limb as he shuffled towards the movement. Liara had come to stand a bit in front of him, eyeing him curiously and worriedly before turning to look in the direction he was looking.
Garrus would remember this moment for the rest of his life. The way the room seemed to fold in on itself – the wreckage shifted in his mind; it became minute in comparison to the slow emerging of the woman he had all but began to grieve for. She was struggling up some barricade, it looked like the platform that had the console on it, when she stood it was on shaky, but determined feet. Her entire body seemed to radiate with a glow, it immitted from around her, swirled into the air and even though there was blood splattered against her temple and he could see that she was using only one eye to see – she was magnificent. And she was alive.
A few seconds ticked by as his eyes dipped down her form, taking note that her left arm didn't seem like it belonged on her body anymore. It hung dangerously and he knew that it was not attached. Her armor was holding it there. She shifted forward, almost falling but catching herself as he finally heard someone find their voice.
"Shepard!" He didn't know who it was. It didn't sound human, it wasn't him, it didn't sound feminine or masculine – but it filled the air with hope and relief and terror.
She limped a little more just as one of the soldiers that had come to help them all came forward to grab her to steady her. Shepard, leaned heavily on the man and said something too quiet for him to hear and the solider chuckled, shaking his head as he shifted to bare more of her body.
When she brought her gaze back up to meet with the foursome staring in quiet disbelief it was one of the happiest moments of his life. He whispered her name so soft he was sure it was subvocals that did it. Her green eyes looked into his soul and she gave the smallest of smiles before the first words to come from her fluttered across the room, "Nice save, Vakarian." Her chin nudged towards Liara and a little laugh fell from the asari.
"If you consider him nearly pinning me to death as a save," the asari quipped, but the humor was laced with sweet relief.
"You liked it," Garrus grunted as his body finally caught up with him and he nearly fell down from the pain. Anderson easily shouldered his weight.
Shepard's laughed filled the air, cutting and clear like a bell – no like the wind – as sharp as a storm but as comforting as rain. "Ow…" she grimaced…" Don't make me laugh; I think everything is broken."
Both Garrus and Liara chuckled in agreeance as they were all helped, guided, and evacuated from the building.
The room was quiet around him. He had never been so thankful for it. The last few days a whirlwind of surgeries, doctors, medicines, shifting rooms and visitors had worn him out and had his patience thin. It was normally narrow to begin with, so he had started to feel apprehensive and biting his tongue more and more when people were invading his space. Not that any part of this room was his.
He glared down at his leg.
Garrus had been right about his spur being severely mangled. It had been absolutely shattered and it had taken three different corrective surgeries to adjust and fix the bone and cartilage. According the the doctors, he would have full functionality – but there would be pain associated with it for the rest of his life. One of the doctors mentioned a limp. He didn't care. It was just a leg. Hell they could chop it off and give him a new one if they had to.
He just wanted out of here. He wanted back on the Normandy. A pang of homesickness hit him that surprised him. It was specifically tied to that ship. He wanted back in cargo bay, tinkering with the Mako. He frowned deep at the thought. The Mako hadn't survived. But it had been salvaged and was deemed an important artifact of the War on Sovereign...the Attack on the Citadel. It would be encased and put on display in some museum somewhere and though he hated that it was out of commission, he was thankful that the human's had a strange sense of idol worship and she would be admired for many years to come.
She still deserved better. He mentally kicked.
The Turian in him wanted to bolt. He was not required to stay here. Not really. Sure they told him he would be back on his feet quicker if he did. Constant medical care would mean one week in the bed vs three months healing on his own. Three months would keep him off the Normandy. So he decided to stay.
Liara had not needed to be admitted. As much pain as she was in, it was two ribs and a sprained wrist. Nothing can be done about ribs, they would heal on their own and with the medi-gel treatments and some powerfully advanced something or another, Liara's pain was instantly taken away as they were set and her chest was wrapped. Her arm was wrapped as well and she had smiled fondly at the delicate touch of the salarian doctor that had helped her. Garrus was glad she hadn't sustained worse injuries.
"You look like you want to escape," her airy voice came to him and he grimanced at how obvious it must seem. He looked at her and shrugged.
"I was just thinking about you," he admitted and waved a hand at an open chair he reserved for people he wanted around. "About your injuries."
"Or lack thereof," she told him as she relaxed down into the seat he had offered.
"I just…keep thinking about how…you sounded," and it was true. She had sounded so pitiful when he had regain consciousness. So much pain and fear laced her words, but her calm had been evident even against the chaos around them at the time.
"I see," Liara turned blue eyes to her wrist and then up to his casted leg before tracing over his body to land on his gaze. "You know you saved my life, Garrus."
He scoffed at that.
"You did," she would tell him. Sitting up straighter and scooting closer to the edge of the seat, "I never lost consciousness…"
Garrus's attention snapped to her eyes then, brow plates shifting curiously.
"The entire floor fell from beneath where we had been standing, you had grabbed me and we tumbled down the stairs – I would have hit the concrete hard – " she paused and he watched as she seemed to slip into the memory, "But you had your hand behind my head and your body was around my own. I…didn't realize how nimble Turians were." He chuckled, but she continued, "You called her name," he swallowed, "And then I saw it…from just over your shoulder the beam snapping and bending and falling towards us. It slammed into you so hard, Garrus," she paled, "I heard you grunt, felt you go limp but your body still held me as we tumbled and the building shifted and piled around us."
It was weird hearing about it. Truth be told, he was kind of glad he had been knocked out. Even if it had broken one of his fringes and had left him with a concussion and headache for the first three days.
It seemed, however, that Liara needed to speak, so he didn't say anything, just blinked at her as she gathered herself back in and smiled softly, "You were out for a while, my body hurt, my arm felt like it was going to fall off, it was hard to breath, but I just…I just wanted you to wake up. I was so worried…" her hand reached out and caught his, bringing it to the edge of the bed. "You've no idea how glad I am that you did wake up, Garrus."
He gave her hand a little squeeze, "Turians are a tough brood, T'Soni, a building falling down isn't going to change that."
She grinned and chuckled softly, "I am glad that Shepard is alive too."
Garrus' mandibles shifted and he watched as Liara watched them do so. He could swear he saw a smirk fall onto her features before it schooled back down to her normally calm demeanor. Until her brow raised as she eyed him for his response, "I am too," he replied lamely.
"Indeed," she would say and squeeze his hand once before releasing it, "Lieutenant Alenko wanted to speak with you about some things, I told him I would ask you if you wanted to deal with matters here or wait until we were back on the Normandy."
"We?" He looked at her curiously.
"Yes, I…" she smiled softly, "...it seems the Normandy is the only place I find myself wanting to be. Only place I should be. And with the Reapers…"
He nodded, "I understand."
No more words needed to be exchanged on the topic. The danger was still out there. The real threat. It was both disturbing and adrenaline producing. It also terrified him. They had just won a battle in a longer war that no one seemed to believe existed. Shepard knew what was coming. He knew what was coming. Liara, Tali – but the Alliance and the Council seemed to believe it was Saren acting alone. The Rouge Spectre finally put down and justice served. It wasn't true. But no one was listening.
"How is Shepard?" He asked her. He hadn't been able to see her since they both had been admitted.
"Healing," she laughed softly, "Exactly like you, ready to be out of here. Tired of the beds and doctors. Keeps mumbling something about wanting to be back home on the ship."
Garrus grinned at that, "At least its not just me."
"She may be by later," Liara said as she stood up, "Told me to warn you not to do anything stupid and to rest so she can come. The doctors haven't let anyone come around you because you seem to be a flight risk. Don't want anyone to 'spring you' – as they said…" she hummed at that, "I am going to go find Anderson and make sure that we are allowed back onto the Normandy. I, do not think it will be a problem," she smiled to him, "He seems to believe Shepard – he knows what is coming."
That was actually quite a comforting thought. "Alright, Liara, Ill see you later."
"Goodbye, Garrus."
Another hour or so passes before the Lieutenant showed up at his door. He cleared his throat, knocking on the doorframe before strolling just inside the threshold.
"Kaidan," he greeted and nodded for him to come in. The human male looked around the room slowly, taking it in as most solider's tended to do before looking at him and down to his cast.
"How are you feeling?" he questioned before looking to him and catching his gaze.
"A little stir crazy," Garrus shrugged.
He nodded and sat down beside him in the chair that Liara had occupied earlier. Garrus looked him over, almost sizing him up, but really he was just concerned. There was a stiffness to the man's shoulders that normally was not there. His lips were pressed in a thin line, brows deep and worried and he seemed to be ready to spring into action versus relaxing into the seat he had taken.
"Something on your mind, Kaidan?" He asked the human.
In response, Kaidan nodded and perched his elbows on his thighs, leaning his chin on clasped hands as he sighed heavily, "I wanted to thank you."
Garrus shook his head, not really knowing what he would be thanking him about or that he needed to even do so.
"Shepard is…" the human began, curiously Garrus' brow plates shifted and expanded as he waited, "Strong, capable and undoubtedly one of the best leaders that has even been wrapped in an Alliance uniform." He stopped and he sighed, "But she is still human and I know that she survived a lot of the last few battles in no short part because of you."
Garrus felt a bit of pride well inside him somewhere. It wasn't praise he was being given, but thanks. Still, he felt honored that the man thought that he had anything to do with Shepard's continued existence. Truth was, he would have gladly lay his own life down to ensure it continued.
"The team she assembled," Kaidan went on, "I had my doubts – I am no xenophobe, but I definitely was wary when she brought a Turian and a Krogan on board," he dipped his head slightly and shook it, "My apologies if that is offensive, I just have heard the bad blood between the two species is old and deep. Far more instilled than the fragile alliance of my own and your's."
He nodded in understanding. "It was a strange little mix."
Kaidan chuckled, "Asari, Turian, Quarian, human and Krogan – but we did it. Its over."
Garrus frowned and looked at him fully then, no longer allowing his gaze to lazily drift as the man spoke. "Its not over."
The human looked up and straightened, sitting back against the chair as he lifted a hand, "The Reapers, yes.." but he didn't say more on the subject and it felt almost as if the topic was being dismissed.
The turian bristled slightly at that, "The Reapers are coming, Kaidan."
He was answered with a nod and a shrug, "We will see."
Garrus didn't like that answer. It was obvious. It should have been obvious to any member of the Normandy crew that that was what was on the horizon. Right there. Ready to spring at them, pounce, maul and destroy, "You know Shepard won't stop trying to get people to prepare for that."
Alenko shook his head, "There really isn't much that can be done about it."
He growled low, so low it didn't register in the human's ears, "Everything we do from here on out should be to prepare for it."
The human sighed, "They are sending us to deal with the lingering Geth in the systems first. That kind of ….problem…" he added, it seemed for peace sake, "Will be dealt with accordingly."
He sounded like a fucking protocol. A direct order lingered somewhere in the Lieutenant's words. A realization dawned on the Turian that made his blood boil and his skin crawl. His muscles vibrated against his plates as he eyed the man who was, in essence, Shepard's mate. He was putting his job first. He was following orders, following commands. He would ignore all the signs if he were told to. And he was, wasn't he. "The Alliance and the Council want to cover it all up, don't they?"
Kaidan looked at him, shaking his head once, "They want the geth dealt with."
He watched as the human stood and pinched the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes tight and Garrus found himself hoping he was fighting a migraine. A big one. One that would leave him a curled mess in his bunk. Guilt ripped through Garrus at the thought – warring with the anger that bubbled just beneath the surface.
"I'll be on the Normandy in two days," Garrus bit out, "We will begin preparations then."
Dismissed.
Kaidan Alenko eyed him warily, he was an Alliance Solider first and foremost. His loyalty was not to Shepard. And that meant Garrus was no longer comfortable with his company. Just like that. He frowned at the decision that was made within him. It felt like instinct. To be the guard to her. To be flanking her. To be at her six – even when she wasn't physically present.
The human didn't say anything else as he left the room. Most likely sensing the distress coming from the bed's occupant and more importantly, seeing the anger rippling through his eyes. Garrus tried to not find comfort in the fact that Kaidan knew hew was upset. But failed at it.
He needed to know that he was Shepard's man through and through. Not the Alliances, not C-Sec's or the Councils or even Turian Command's. Garrus Vakarian was Commander Shepard's to lead. And he would follow.
He should have known that she would have slipt into the room after he had fallen asleep. The combination of meds, quiet and comfort against the pillows had lulled him into an easy sleep. It wasn't quite peaceful, since every hour or so someone came into check on him – honestly, for a place that claims rest is the most important thing about healing – they didn't let anyone sleep at all.
When Garrus woke this time, feeling the presence of someone near him and the soft pressure of hands along his fringe he frowned and tried to shrink away from the touch. Touching a Turian's fringe was…. not proper. He growled low, annoyed.
"Oh shut up," came the reply and he immediately complied.
His eyes focusing out into the room before cutting sharply towards her. She was standing beside him, close enough that he couldn't crane his head far enough to see her face, but he was able to take a whiff of her from his angle. She smelt…. off. He knew it was the medicine coursing through her – the new fibers of synthetics that had been used, metal bones that had replaced lost ones. Her arm was in an odd-looking cast, metal seemed to be jammed into her shoulder and he winced at the slight evidence of dried blood against the probes. It looked like a torture device.
He didnt say anything though because her feather soft touches on his broken fringe had him glued in a silent…. trance? He…he didn't know what he felt...except the sudden urge to just exist.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly, her hand slipping down, fingertips tracing the underside and he struggled to keep from sighing and shifting into the touch. He had not felt that kind of affectionate demonstration since his mother in his childhood and he knew that Shepard didn't know what any of it meant. Still, he felt a soft groan escape him, it was not heady or needful – just content. And he felt her fingers still against the area before she pressed them tentatively deeper into the contact.
Garrus body reacted on its own. A physical one that he was unable to quail as his chin dipped and he opened up his neck for her, his mandibles wide and then shifting in a strange vibrating shift downward to caress his jawline. He could feel her eyes on him, and he closed his so he couldn't see. Again her fingers pressed and her hand shifted downward to the spans of his neck he had just revealed. It was tender there, he knew. Almost human like skin that was normally hidden by his large shoulder plates and sturdy collarbones. He felt her entire hand splay against it, felt her breathing grow slightly shallow before she ran her thumb over the pulse point that was on the back of his neck instead of the side like humans. He shuddered against the feeling, and she gasped at the vibrations that found their way to her fingertips.
Her hand left.
And he was so cold. Cold and …. he frowned, sitting up straight and angling his head to look up to her. Eyes wide and curious as she was looking at her hand and then seemed to force herself to collection. When her green gaze met his, there was only a small lingering question in them but neither one of them wanted her to ask it. So, she didn't.
Instead, she shifted back and sat in the chair.
He eyed her, trying to ignore the way his body was returning to a normal shift, his plates adjusting, his pulse calming. "Shepard," he would say and was surprised to find his voice did not waver or crack like he feared. "It…doesn't hurt."
The answer had not been needed, but he wanted to change the strange feeling around them. It was unfamiliar and he didn't get it. He hated the uncertainty and the questions that flooded his brain.
"I'm glad for that," she said, "It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you on the tower," she admitted, "I knew your blood was blue," Shepard frowned, "I always loved that color – now I can't bring myself to ever wanting to see it again."
Garrus looked at her and tilted his head, "All you wear is blue…"
She chuckled, "True." He grinned and she returned it, "I hear you want to stay on the Normandy."
"I am going to stay, yes," he corrected with an air of authority that – even though was genuine – meant little in the grand scheme of things.
"I'm happy to hear that," Shepard smiled, "I was worried you would want to stay here and go back to C-Sec now that Saren is…handled."
Garrus shook his head, absentmindedly bringing his fingers up to touch the spot on the back of his neck where she had just explored, "No my place is with you…" He almost blanched at his words before adding quickly, "…the Normandy, with the crew. The Reapers are out there – I wouldn't be able to focus on anything else knowing I abandoned that fight."
Her green eyes shifted along his features for along moment after his words and he could swear he felt the heat of a blush begin to form. She just stared at him…he swallowed. She blinked. Finally, her lips parted, and she spoke, "The Alliance doesn't want to believe they are real."
He nodded, "Alenko made that clear, even though his words were not."
She stilled, only her eyes shifted down and he caught the slight sniff that seemed strangly intimate, "I know."
Garrus wasn't sure what she knew, but it was profound he could assess. He also didn't think it appropriate to ask or inquire on that particular topic any further. And so he didn't.
"Liara is going to be on board?" He asked, changing the topic.
And just like that Shepard's smile broke over her features, "Yes, I am thankful and excited about that. She knows so much about everything. Honestly, without her, we would stand no chance."
Garrus couldn't agree more.
"Speaking of Liara…."
He raised a brow at her, eyeing her curiously.
"Is there something going on between the two of you?"
He blinked.
Then stared.
Then blinked again.
What?
"I'm sorry!" She fumbled, so unlike her, "None of my business, got it, clear."
And then he laughed. A loud and barking laughter that didn't fit the scene and made him blush against his mandibles with a slight shake of his head, "Shepard," he released the name into the air, "Forgive me," he chuckled, "There is nothing going on between T'Soni and me," he smiled and chuckled a bit more, "She is just a friend."
Something inside of him became fully aware that the little smile that turned on the corner of her lips was a private affair between herself and her own thoughts. He had just bared witness to it. Still, she schooled her features, "I was just curious, you…you seemed to be getting along quiet well and – when you jumped after her…"
"Jealous I didn't jump for you, then?" He quipped, surprising even himself.
He was gifted a flush of pink against her cheeks as she chuckled, "No, no..."
Garrus grinned, "She's a tiny little thing, Shepard," he would say, "I felt the need to make sure she wasn't killed in action. Humans don't understand the length of the Asari's lifetime. She is very young. Barely old enough to be considered an adult – equivalent to maybe twenty years in humans? I …." He trailed off not really knowing what more to say.
Shepard nodded, "So just being the hero we both know you are."
He laughed at that, "I'd prefer Rebel Officer…"
"Hero you are, none-the-less," she would say softly, bringing her hand out to grab his own and they locked gazes with soft smiles.
The rest of their exchange went pleasantly. As it normally did. They both mentioned the Mako, and she was excited when he told her about the museum. They vowed that when things settled, and it was open they would go together to pay their respects. It would be years before that were even a possibility, but still – it was nice to imagine. They spoke about Saren, the Reapers, the crew. Wrex wouldn't be joining them on the Normandy, he had a bounty to collect and would most likely fall off grid after that. Garrus was saddened by that; he had grown to respect the Krogan. They spoke about the Alliance, Anderson and when the subject of Kaidan was softly talked over, he understood how fragile it was between the two humans. She had hope. She dared that she even loved the biotic, but there was a cloud of something that neither could pinpoint, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. He had squeezed her hand and assured her that everything was supposed to be exactly as it was and it would all play out exactly as it should.
He was glad when she took comfort in that.
By the time she left, the nursing staff had been by seven times. Seven hours had flown by. It reminded him of all the times they had lost themselves in conversation on board the Normandy and he was excited that soon they would both be back to work.
She left him with a gently kiss on his forehead, again she was so oblivious to the implications of that act that he had to school himself and remind himself of how very human and naïve she was. The great Commander Shepard knew so little about his culture. Perhaps it was something he would begin to school her on. Subtly. It was only fitting that the woman would have these types of knowledges – he told himself – it was purely educational for the Commander to have a better understanding. For the sake of their brood's alliance, of course.
When the nurse came in to tell him he should get some rest, Garrus smiled at her and nodded. "They were wrong about you," she had hummed as she checked the machine and then looked him up and down, "Said you were sour and kind of an ass."
Garrus chuckled, "I am."
The nurse's brow raised, and she went to his leg to adjust the elevation, "Could have fooled me."
"Just in a good mood, is all."
"Oh?" She questioned, without really questioning.
"Get to go home in forty-eight hours….well…. forty-one now." He grinned and settled back into his pillows. Ready to sleep and heal so he had nothing standing in his way from going home.
Hey ya'll!
Okay, that wraps up the First Game. Onto the Second.
:)