"Once again, I am very sorry."

"It's fine. Really." Shepard laughed nervously. Castis Vakarian had apologized to her at least ten times in the last few minutes and it was starting to make her uncomfortable, especially given the situation.

"That was unprofessional. It will never happen again, I assure you. It's just that… You have to understand, it's my son."

"Oh no, I understand." She kept her eyes on the ground. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it has." Castis cleared his throat as his eyes involuntarily trailed towards his son on the far end of the room. "We didn't part on the best of terms… Which I'm not going to bore you with. I'm sorry again. No one would have chosen me to oversee this if we'd known there is a conflict of interest. My apologies."

"Oh." Shepard laughed nervously. "No. It's, um, it's okay. You don't need to apologize so much."

Now that she knew of the connection, it seemed painfully obvious. She should have seen it; she had Garrus's face memorized and knew every tiniest part of his features by heart. This man was very clearly related. The shape of his mandibles, the incline of his crest, the timbre of his voice, were all so startlingly familiar that she had no idea how she'd missed it. Even the colour of his eyes, so uncommon among turians, was the same.

"I'm sorry. Is this too much?" Castis scrunched his nose. "If you have a pre-existing relationship with my son, I understand. I will step down."

"No, that's—!" Shepard cleared her throat. "No. Thank you for your consideration, but that's not necessary. It's your investigation. I don't think anyone else should take over."

"Well, then." He looked around, his gaze resting on Garrus, who had—probably wisely—been keeping his distance. "We'd better move on. If you'll follow me, Commander, I'll show you to the operations centre."

"Thank you." Shepard smiled politely, letting him take the lead. That smile fell as soon as he turned away.

She grabbed Garrus by the arm and pulled him down to her eye level.

"Tell him," she hissed. "Tell him, tell him, for the love of God tell him."

"I will! I just… I'm waiting for the right time."

"You have to tell him."

"I know. And I will tell him, I promise." Garrus shook himself free of her grasp. "Not here. Not in a public place."

She quickly picked up the pace.

"Do you get delegates from the Council here often?"

Castis looked at her strangely.

"Yes. Most of them don't ask questions, though."

"She's not like most," Garrus muttered to himself. Shepard had no clue if he meant for anyone to hear it or not.

The skycar ride through the city was filled with more of that tense silence. Shepard could almost feel the animosity between the two turians, and she felt like an intruder when she sat between them. She asked a few questions about some architectural solutions she noticed through the window that were alien to her, and either one of them would explain, but other than that, no conversation was really formed.

"So. Garrus."

Garrus stiffened after his father called out his name. Shepard watched him, mildly concerned.

"Yes, sir?"

"Did Citadel Security send you here as a bodyguard to Commander Shepard or an independent overseer?"

"Actually, I, um… I'm not here for work."

"I invited him," Shepard said sharply. For some reason, she found herself irritated. "As my plus one."

"Oh." Castis flared his mandibles. "I'm sorry… Garrus never said anything about this, I had no idea."

"Sorry, sir." Garrus stared at the floor. "It wasn't what I'd planned initially."

"I didn't know you're close with the human ambassador. You're certainly moving up in the world."

Garrus nearly choked on a coughing fit while Shepard hoped to god her enviro-suit's helmet covered the blush that surely coloured her cheeks.

Castis clicked his mandibles, looking at them strangely. Shepard had no idea if he was suspecting anything. She doubted it; the idea was probably too outlandish for him to even consider.

They arrived at the hotel around 2300, which wasn't extremely late but to Shepard felt like very, very late, probably, as she told herself, because of jet lag and not at all the stress of everything around her. Castis referred them to a turian woman who had some role Shepard's translator didn't really understand but who acted more or less as a concierge, and after that he left, most of the tension in the air leaving along with him.

She and Garrus exchanged glances and Shepard could tell he was feeling just as relieved as her. That relief didn't last particularly long.

"Separate hotel rooms…" She wrinkled her nose. Falling asleep without the soothing white noise Garrus's purring provided? Not an inviting prospect. She could understand that if they were away, but it felt wrong to be so close to him and not sleep together. She'd gotten used to his presence in her bed, to falling asleep in his arms and feeling his soft nuzzles on her back. "I suppose this makes sense…"

She was starting to wonder if taking her boyfriend with her on a diplomatic mission where they weren't supposed to be seen as a couple had been such a great idea after all.

Shepard sighed.

She slipped out of the uncomfortable environmental suit and stretched out. She walked up to the window and looked outside. Garrus had been right; turian cities were unlike anything she knew. From his description, she had been expecting everything to be monochromatic, but the street outside was as bright and colorful as in any metropolis on Earth. Despite that, everything around her still felt inherently alien. She could recognize buildings and streets, but even those things were executed in a way she was unfamiliar with.

This is my life now, she realized. This was probably far from the last alien planet she would visit.

A knocking on the door interrupted that thought.

She opened it.

"You didn't ask who it is," Garrus said flatly as he unceremoniously walked into the room and fell face first onto her bed. "Could have been an assassin or a robber."

She tilted her head, with some concern watching him just lie there and moan quietly.

"You okay?"

Garrus rolled over. He didn't seem okay at all.

"I had no idea my father would be here." He grabbed his head. "Especially in charge. I mean, I knew he was investigating this, but I never assumed…" He sat up. "Damn it. Sorry. I just got you into this whole mess."

"I thought we've been over this. Your problems are my problems." Shepard smiled weakly. "I don't mind." She sat down next to him. "In all honesty, a little family drama is nothing compared to most of our other problems."

"No offense, but you have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's a low blow."

"Yeah." Garrus scratched his forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm like this. I… Damn it. I thought this trip would be a chance to relax, but I haven't been this pent up in months."

"If that's the problem..." Shepard placed her hand on his thigh. "I'm pretty sure I could help you relax."

"Wow." Garrus looked at her almost immediately. "Straightforward. Hm. Honestly, I think you've already done enough. It would feel just a bit too much like taking advantage of you."

"Hey. No." Shepard softly stroked his cheek. "No, Garrus, that's not…" She kissed his nose, making him flutter his mandibles lightly. "I'm here. I'll always be here for you. Because I love you." Her next kiss was placed square on his mouth plates; just a small, chaste peck, tame enough to give him an opportunity to stop her. She wasn't sure what state of mind he was in at the moment yet.

"Shepard…" Garrus smiled, a low rumbling sound building up in his larynx. He ran his hand through her hair, feeling the alien texture on his fingertips. His hand lingered on Shepard's cheek and their eyes met briefly before he closed the distance between them completely, kissing her with a passion and urgency she could barely match, momentarily taken off guard. It took her about a second to decide to move it along, kissing him back hard and fast as she straddled him.

"I love you too," Garrus whispered into her ear when they parted.

Shepard took off his visor. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed their foreheads together. She shut her eyes, relishing in the soft vibration his purring brought onto her body.

She kissed him again.

Shepard yawned.

She'd woken up to find her arms closed around Garrus's cowl and his head resting on her chest, which was already a nice morning in her book. The fact that she was lying on a comfortable hotel bed also helped.

She shifted slightly, careful not to disturb Garrus too much. She brought up her omnitool. 8AM. In a 28 hour system, that was early in the morning.

"You awake?" She asked quietly.

"Mhm," he purred in agreement. "I didn't want to move. You make a good pillow."

She chuckled softly.

"Wish I could say the same about you." She patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, get off. I need my meds."

"Chafing?"

"Yup." Shepard sighed. "That."

She rummaged through her bag in search of the salve she'd packed as a precaution as soon as she'd decided to invite Garrus with her on this trip.

Garrus moved his hand up her arm, eventually resting on her shoulder.

"Is it bad?" he asked softly.

Even though they were much more careful about this stuff now, every spontaneous encounter of a more fast-paced nature still meant the dreaded chafing. Even now Shepard could easily see reddish burns along her body in all the places that had been in contact with moving turian plates last night.

"Not that bad today, actually." She smiled up at him. "I really think I'm ready to meet your parents today."

"Ha ha. Very funny," Garrus said dryly. "Need I remind you we're here on a diplomatic mission?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Garrus, honey, I love that you're doing this, but I think at this point it's fairly obvious the diplomatic stuff is just a cover. And not even a very good one." She looked at him. "Besides, I wasn't joking; you're telling your father about us today."

Shepard absently hummed something as she applied a generous layer of the ointment to her thighs and stomach. Garrus watched her in silence with his legs tucked under his chin.

"How bad do you think it would be if people saw us coming out of the same room in the morning?"

"Hard to tell," Garrus answered honestly. "But I don't expect it could be great."

Shepard sighed.

"How much longer do you think this will keep on?" She stared at the floor. "I hate that we have to hide our relationship from the public."

"Me too." Garrus moved closer to her. "But I don't want to do anything to jeopardize your career. You know it's still all very fresh, the war and everything. We just have to wait." He cleared his throat. "That being said, it's probably best we don't tell my fathe—"

"You're telling your parents. Both of them."

Garrus sighed. "I hate arguing with you."

"I'm right."

"I know you are." He crossed his arms. "I hate that."

"Oh, hey." She kissed him on the cheek. "We should get one of those king sized beds once we get back."

"Definitely," Garrus agreed. "This was really nice."

"And I didn't fall off."

"Okay, it's not my fault you thrash about in your sleep. I don't think a bigger bed's gonna fix that."

Shepard glared at him.

"Get out."

Garrus laughed, and she pushed him out of the room.

Shepard wasn't sure what to make of Primarch Fedorian.

He hadn't been especially friendly when they'd met earlier that day. Then again, turians rarely were. Castis claimed it had to do with that war they never got to finish. She was somewhat inclined to agree; humans could be like that too, and the ambiguous end of the First Contact War sometimes felt like an unfinished chapter to some people.

On a more personal note and much to her horror, she found herself actually getting along with Castis Vakarian. He was no-nonsense and seemed to understand her political moves—something she sometimes wished to god Garrus could do. Castis understood following proper protocol and procedure as much as she did. It was nice to finally meet someone professional like that.

Shepard had just decided that she liked him when she remembered that the man had no idea she was sleeping with his son.

She was pretty sure that information was going to affect their relationship.

She didn't see Garrus until late in the afternoon that day. That was actually good for some part, because as long as he wasn't around, she felt comfortable around his father. Things only got complicated when they were both involved - but now that they were, her previous uneasiness was back.

The level of that uneasiness skyrocketed around the time Castis said they needed to make a slight detour because he had something to take care of at home. He quickly explained that it was related to the case, of course, but it didn't really matter. Garrus looked like he was about to burst. Shepard wasn't feeling any better.

Almost immediately after they'd gone inside, Castis excused himself, somewhat dryly told them to make themselves welcome, and quickly walked away.

Which left Shepard alone with Garrus. In his family home.

She took off the helmet of her environmental suit. Garrus only glanced at her, but other than that, he kept his distance, leaning on the wall behind himself. He looked extremely uncomfortable with the situation.

Silence.

Shepard cleared her throat.

"So this is your home," she said innocently.

"No. Home is with you. Our apartment on the Citadel." Garrus had his arms folded across his chest. He was looking straight ahead. "This is just my parents' house. I didn't even grow up here."

Shepard looked around, but they were alone. She gently touched his forearm.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Honestly? No." He stared at the floor. "I'm not even close to okay. I've been away for too long… I kind of feel like the bad guy. I haven't come home in years, only out of spite…" He rubbed his forehead. "And now I'm supposed to tell him about us? How? I have no clue how to bring this up. What do I say?"

"Garrus, I have no idea how people talk to their parents. You're really asking the wrong person here."

"I'm asking the only person here," he pointed out.

She sighed as she moved away to take a similar stance as his, a few meters away.

Castis returned to apologize not much later, though he didn't seem to plan on staying around for too long.

"I'm sorry, Commander. Things aren't usually… like this." He vaguely gestured around. "This investigation was my private project for the most part; I still haven't sent all the files to HQ."

"That's alright." Shepard tried to pretend this wasn't one of the most uncomfortable situations she'd ever been in. "Actually…" She smiled. "He might not act like it, but Garrus here is actually a very accomplished officer over at Citadel Security. I'm sure he could be of assistance."

Garrus stiffened. "I mean… As long as Commander Shepard doesn't mind…"

"I really don't." She raised her eyebrows, giving him the most meaningful look she could get away with without arousing suspicion from a turian less versed in reading human expressions.

"Well…"

Castis nodded at him.

"Good. You can help me."

Garrus clenched his mandibles. "Sure," he said simply. He followed his father to the other room, feeling Shepard's eyes on himself as he left.

He closed the door behind himself. Why he did that he didn't know, but it felt like the right move.

"Here. I need these files digitized." Castis motioned around. "If you take the ones on that side of the table, we should be done in a few minutes. It's all the same format."

Garrus nodded his head without a word.

He methodically made his way through the closest stack, inputting the data into the computer line after line, and placing the documents aside once he was done with them.

It was so like his father to work on real paper. He'd always done it, especially when he got particularly invested in a case. Garrus could remember always having physical printouts scattered around the apartment when he was a kid. Hardly anyone else used non-digital media for work, but his father didn't let that change his ways. He always said he preferred to be able to join the dots by hand, whatever the hell that meant.

For a longer while, the only sound that could be heard between them was the flipping of pages, and Garrus tensed unwittingly.

This silence was unnerving after he'd gotten used to living with a human. Humans didn't like silence. Even Shepard, generally quieter than was average for her species, either talked or left the TV on in the background most of the time. Sometimes he'd catch her humming something—a cute little unsteady sound—though she always denied it later. Humans seemed to always find ways to fill a silence, and with time he had started to do the same.

It's too damn quiet. Garrus took in a breath. Besides, might never get a better time. There was no way to tell when they'd be alone again.

"Hey, um… Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I need to tell you something." He took a deep breath. The faster I get this over with, the better. "Shepard and I are dating."

"What?" Castis wrinkled his nose, immediately looking in his direction.

"We're in a relationship," Garrus said quickly. "Have been for over a year."

There was a short silence as his father blinked repeatedly, looking around without a word. He clicked his mandibles.

"And you're telling me this now, why? What are you hoping to achieve? Do you want my blessing or… I don't know, my approval? What do you want, Garrus?"

Now it was Garrus's turn to have to look for words.

"I… don't know what I want," he realized.

"Then what are you doing?" His father folded his arms across his chest.

"I just… I wanted to tell you about it. About me." Garrus nervously cracked his knuckles, happy to focus on his hands rather than the conversation he didn't feel comfortable in. "I don't think I've been that great at letting you know me. That's my fault, that's on me. And I… I want to change that. We could talk more."

"I'd… like that." Castis nodded his head reluctantly. "And why the sudden change of heart?"

"Shepard kind of bullied me into talking to you."

"Of course she did."

"I knew you'd like her." Garrus exhaled slowly. "And… It doesn't bother you that she's… Well. Human?"

"Honestly, son, I don't see the appeal." Castis sighed. He seemed tired. "But to be frank, I gave up on the idea of you settling down with a turian girl when you first got deployed in Citadel space. If this is what works for you, who am I to judge? She's a respectable person with a high social standing and impressive track record. You finding a mate who has a high military rank and a good-paying job? That's more than I'd ever hoped for."

"Thanks, dad." Garrus cleared his throat, as his voice had started to tremble. "This… means a lot."

"So you were looking for my approval."

"I wasn't looking for it, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it." He smiled shyly. "Shepard's a good person. I love her. I thought you should know that, because… it's an important part of who I am." Garrus wrinkled his nose. Jane had told him to patch things up with his father and instead he'd ended up talking about her all the time.

"Wait." Castis looked up. "When you say you've been together for a year, you mean Palaven year? Garrus, when the hell did this begin?!"

"I don't think you want to hear that."

"Was it during or after the war?!"

"I…" Garrus looked away.

"Oh. Oh, spirits help me." Castis hid his face in his hands. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't thinking!" Garrus felt his throat tighten. "I mean… I meant to kill her, I really did, but I…" He didn't finish that thought. "I tried my best to do the right thing. It's just… It was all so messy and I… I don't know. I fell in love and it was all in the wrong place at the wrong time… And then it all just escalated, and I… I don't know."

Castis sighed. He slumped down onto the chair. After a moment's thought, he looked up.

"So I'm guessing the whole turian soldier falls in love with a human officer thing, that was you two?"

Garrus massaged his neck nervously.

"...Yes, sir."

"I should have known." Castis clicked his mandibles. He tapped his talon on the table, thinking in silence. Garrus waited patiently. "Hm… I'm getting old. The evidence was all there. Of course it was you." He shook his head. The timbre of his subvocals had dropped slightly, no longer confrontational. "That's… Hm. I, um… I'm not sure what this means for the politics of it all." He paused. "Garrus, this is a new species. What you're doing is very risky business."

"Dad. I don't want to hear that."

"I'm just saying this is all uncharted territory. You need to be delicate in a situation like this."

"I know." Garrus swiped his foot on the floor. "We're, um, not really telling people. For this exact reason."

"Good... Good." Castis nodded absently. "That's probably smart." He narrowed his eyes. "But you told me?"

Garrus decided lying wasn't a great idea.

"Yes, sir. But, um, in all fairness, she told me to talk to you," he said honestly.

"I'll have to thank her. Committed is a good look on you, Garrus."

"Well, yeah, I…" He massaged his neck nervously. "I… Yeah. Thanks, dad."

"You've got nothing to thank me for." Castis sighed. "Damn it! It's just like you to complicate stuff, you know, Garrus? Of all the species out there, a human? And of all the humans to fall in love with…" He hid his face in his hands. "Fuck." Slowly, he looked up at his son. "I don't think the fates like you very much."

"Yeah." Garrus exhaled, barely amused. "I noticed."

Castis stood up.

"Well, then, we really should get to work. I wish I'd known earlier that the people I was investigating had tried to kill my son's mate."

"Girlfriend," Garrus corrected automatically.

"Huh?"

"Girlfriend. It's a human word I've been using to describe our relationship." He'd only consciously called her his mate once, and it hadn't been his finest moment. "I… They have a lot more terms for romantic partners. But I've been adjusting."

Castis narrowed his eyes, looking at him critically.

"...You've grown up a lot since I last saw you."

"Well, I…" Garrus flared his mandibles. He didn't know what to say. "Well."

Castis put a hand on his son's cowl.

"I'm proud of you, Garrus."

Garrus looked up.

"Yeah," he managed to whisper with a shaky voice. It felt like his very soul had been touched by some benevolent spirit. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard those words from his father. Not that there had been many occasions… After all, he had been the one to shut him out, he'd been the one to start putting more distance between them.

Damn. Am I the bad guy here? He didn't like that thought.

Castis slowly breathed out.

"Can I talk to her?"

Garrus felt something warm swell up in his chest when he recognized the timbre of his father's subvocals. He'd never heard anyone speak to him like that. This was someone asking about his mate and the fact that his father recognized Shepard as such, even if subconsciously, made him almost stutter.

"Y— Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah. I'll go get her."

Garrus did all he could not to sigh with relief after he'd left the room.

That went… really well. Far better than he could have hoped. It didn't seem like his father particularly approved of a human mate, but he did seem to approve of Shepard, and that was more than enough.

"Shepard?"

He looked around. The hall was empty. He clicked his mandibles, uncertain how to proceed.

He checked the washroom, but it was empty.

"Oh." Of course. He reached out to the closed door at the end of the hall.

Garrus hesitated. He had no idea if he had the stomach for this.

He took his hand back.

I've been away for so long… Garrus felt a knot in his throat and swallowed with some difficulty.

He pushed the door.

"Mom?"

He froze, standing completely still, staring at the bizarre image in front of him.

Shepard was sitting on the bed, holding his mother's hand more tenderly than he'd expect from her — and even more incredibly, his mother didn't seem to mind having this strange alien by her side.

"Garrus, hi." Shepard's voice was a hushed one, not a whisper but almost.

"Hi…" He cleared his throat. "I'm… Mom, is everything okay?"

"Yes, it's all fine." His mother nodded her head at Shepard. "Jane and I were just talking. Why didn't you tell me you had such a lovely mate? She's an absolute sweetheart."

Shepard smiled weakly. "You're flattering me, Mrs Vakarian."

"Oh, honey, it's just mom to you."

"I… No, I couldn't." Shepard shook her head, her eyes wide. "I really couldn't, I— Ma'am. I can do ma'am."

Garrus took a few uneasy steps towards them.

"The poor thing lost her entire family," his mother said quietly. Her hand found its way to Shepard's cheek and Shepard didn't flinch. "But you'll be alright now. You'll have this one to look after you. Right, Garrus?"

"Of course." Garrus sat down next to Shepard. He grabbed his mother's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't come by more often. I'm…"

Shepard moved away so they could be closer and he sent her a grateful look.

"Mom, I—" His voice got stuck in his throat, only a broken hum coming out.

"Oh, honey…" She rested her forehead on his, her subvocals humming with an unvoiced love and Garrus found himself unconsciously tuning in to her timbre to match, to share this silent declaration of love. They stayed connected like that for a longer while, sharing this simple melody that was their affection for each other.

When he finally found the heart to move away, Shepard was gone. He didn't know when she'd left the room, but he was immensely grateful for this respect of his privacy.

He cleared his throat.

"Is, uh... is Solana here?"

"She's off-planet somewhere. In the colonies from what I've heard." His mother sighed. "It's almost as hard to get her to call as you."

"I'm so sorry." His subvocals deviated from their shared timbre, falling slightly into the deeper hum of sadness. "I'm sorry for leaving. I know Dad didn't want me to go and I should have listened to him, but I didn't want to. I wanted to… rebel, I guess? I don't know." He sighed. "It sounds so stupid when I think about it now. I pushed you all away because I was angry at Dad. That's not fair. I'm sorry. I… I guess it really took a complete outsider to call me out on it. But I'm here now. I'm here and I want things to get better. I'll call more often. I'll visit. I promise, I…"

"I like her."

"Huh?" Garrus looked up, surprised and slightly lost.

"Your mate. I like her. She's very polite, and surprisingly smart for such a small thing." She clicked her mandibles. "I've never seen anything like her before."

Garrus nodded; that made sense. He probably owed his mother an explanation for coming home with an alien girlfriend of a completely new, unknown species.

"Shepard's a human. They're a new sapient race we've only gotten into contact with a year or so ago. I've actually been working with a lot of her people. They're very resourceful for their physical shortcomings."

"It's a big world out there."

"Sure is," Garrus nodded. "Big and vast and surprising, and so, so wonderful."

"I missed you."

Garrus whimpered. "I know. I was so stupid. I never should have left."

"Garrus… Don't be hard on yourself. You can't change the past. Besides, if you hadn't left, you wouldn't have met Jane, now would you?"

He hesitated. "I guess you're right. I just… I mean, yes. I love her. More than anything. But I just…" He swallowed. "I missed you."

She placed her hand on his cheek, purring softly.

"I'm just happy you're happy. You deserve it. If this human is who makes you happy, then I will love her with all my heart." She paused, her thumb tracing along his colony markings. Her mandibles twitched along with her nose as she gently stroked her son's cheek. Her eyes glistened with the reflection of the nightlight. "...Look at you," she whispered. "Look at you. All grown up."

Garrus sniffed, unable to form a coherent thought. In the end, she just held him without a word passing between them for a long while.

Eventually, she cleared her throat.

"So how did the two of you meet?"

Garrus froze. He'd never prepared himself for answering that question and all of a sudden it hit him there was no easy way to say without making himself look like the bad guy.

He hesitated.

"Well, I didn't shoot her…"