CHAPTER 6

Author Note: I swear Garrus takes this away from me every time!

I stared at the email a thousandth time. I'd received one such email before as well. True, at the time I'd been so pissed I'd put my fist through the ship wall. Kelly had nearly screamed. Now seated in my office, my assistant biting her lip, poised for flight, I didn't know what I should throw.

Not only did it incense me beyond reason for the lack of courtesy, but I had no idea how to feel. When I did; I wanted to shoot stuff. "Laila?"

My assistant jerked then stood her ground. "Uh…yes, Ma'am?"

"Did they manage to salvage the Armax Arena?"

Thrown by my question, he checked her data bad before nodding. "I think it's scheduled to open in two weeks."

"Find the manager. I need it tonight." Standing from my chair, I activated my Omnitool. No way I was doing anything on email. "Kaiden?"

"Sh…Jane?" Dark eyes widen, the man rubbed the back of his neck, obviously not expecting my call. Good. "How are you?"

"Great. You want to meet up tonight?"

He stared, a little open mouthed. "Uh…yeah. Are you sure?"

I frowned at him. "Why would I call you if I'm not? Meet me at 8 sharp at the Armax Arena."

"The what!?" His stare turned to a bug-eyed panic. "Bu...but why?"

I grinned widely at him. "What's the matter Specter? Scared?"

He floundered for a moment before hardening his beautiful jaw. "I'll see you there."

Laila watched me grin manically as I gathered papers, signed data pads. "Uh…Councilor Shepard."

I looked up at her and marginally restrained my crazy grin. "Yeah?"

"I…uh…had the impression he wanted a date." She gingerly spoke obviously expecting me to go off like a rocket.

He had. His exact words had been to talk and start fresh. More than that he was willing to overlook any past issues we might have had. Well I might have had a few he still didn't know about. It was just as well. Miranda and Liara hadn't shut up about how I had left him at the swearing-in party. How I hadn't called him back after making my escape with Garrus. Girl talk aside, it was time to figure this out one way or another.

"This is how I date," I grunted and picked up my next report. The light-speed engines were making scouting difficult but we'd managed to send aid to as many human colonies as we could reach. There was a few more mating requests, one insistence that I needed a consort. My reply was as eloquent as I could be with two words.

I glanced at the clock and settled down to finish as much paperwork as I could in two hours. I couldn't wait to see Kaiden now.

###

When I got home it was nearly midnight. My door opened and then I froze on the threshold. The lights were on. Someone else was here. My rifle was still in my hand and I leveled it before stepping inside cautiously, my heart beat hammering, my adrenaline high. I did not need this after the night I'd had.

Garrus walked into the living room from the kitchen and froze.

"Garrus!?"

Slack jawed he stared at the barrel of the riffle in his face. "Spirits Jane! Is that…"

Jerking my rifle down, I smacked my hand on the door panel to seal it behind me before stalking into my living room, depositing duffel and riffle as I went. "Are you out of your mind!"

Garrus' blue eyes slid over me, his visor flickering as he probably took stock of my injuries, my vitals.

"Are you reading me!?"

Startled at the pitch of my voice, he blinked before meeting my gaze with a frown. "You're hurt. Is he dead?"

"Stop reading me! Take that thing off!" I almost reached out to snatch at his visor, but Garrus had already yanked it off, his mandibles arcing open as he growled low at me.

"Jane…"

"How the hell did you get in here?"

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Did you just hack my door!?"

"Did you just engage a Specter!?"

For a moment, we stood there, both in each other's faces, both furious with each other. And then I realized Garrus was in his Councilor garb. He probably came straight here. Which meant he'd been worried about me. Taking a step away from him, I closed my eyes and willed my adrenaline to come down. To calm the fire Kaiden had lit in my blood. "He's not dead." I glowered at him before kicking my boots off and walking around the island to my kitchen and pouring myself a glass of water. "Way to give me no credit."

"You strong armed the Armax manager to open the Arena for you. You invited Kaiden down there to beat down his ass, not exactly sound judgement Jane. What the hell did you want me to think?"

I downed every last drop of water before turning to face him where he stood behind me in the little kitchen. Damn maybe he was too big. "We talked, okay?"

"No it's not okay." Something exploded into color around me when Garrus stepped closer. The kitchen really was too small. My back hit the fridge behind me and my breath seemed to stall somewhere beneath my sternum. "Laila was beside herself. People were asking what you're up to." He wasn't angry. He wasn't even pushing. What the hell was up with my skin! It seemed to warm the closer her came. "You're a councilor now Jane, you can't do this anymore."

I gawked up at him. "Are you serious right now? This is you talking?"

"It's YOU talking," Garrus snapped, his eyes flickering darker. My head tilted back when he came to tower over me. "When you didn't let me shoot Harkin."

I needed my anger, but the words sounded petulant when I threw them at him. "You headbutted him!"

"You headbutted a Krogan!" Garrus snapped then drew a deep, calming breath through his nose and for a moment, I felt him almost lean into me. But he seemed to realize where we'd gotten. This wasn't the cargo hold, or the main battery. We couldn't spar and relieve any tension here. Here. The tension had to be dealt with. "It was stupid just the same," he reminded me, gentler this time and my breath seemed to sigh out of me when he lifted a hand and touched the bruise on my temple. "Does he need a medic? Dammit Jane, I don't want you in any trouble."

More in control of myself, I swatted his hand away with a huff. "We worked things out. I'm not in trouble."

"You are." He reached out and held both my shoulders, peering down into my face. "When you invite your ex-boyfriend to a shooting match. It's trouble."

I grit my teeth and took a deep breath. "He's fine. I'm fine. Go home." Wrenching myself out of his grasp, I turned to walk away when I heard the door open.

"Garrus?" Liara called out. "Did you find her?"

Head snapping around, I looked at Garrus incredulously. He called Liara.

"I swear that woman needs a collar…wait. Is that a RIFLE!?"

Miranda's voice was the icing on the cake as my brain imploded. Now Garrus is a smart guy. His eyes widened marginally as he held up his hands. "I can explain."

"Are you KIDDING me right now?"

Liara and Miranda paused in the entrance to the living room. "Oh oh."

"OH OH!?" I spun on them. "Are you three for real!?" The fury was turning to panic as I realized what this was. Oh god, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Then two more voices joined in. "What the fuck cheerleader; I thought you said she'd be in tears."

I watched with growing dread as Jack came to prop her elbow on Miranda's shoulder and Joker waved from behind. "Whoa, Garrus is not wearing his visor. Someone take a picture!"

Slowly, dangerously I turned back to the Turian tattle tale. He only smiled tremulously and shrugged.

It was an intervention. And I really wanted to be in tears, instead I threw my head back and laughed myself into a stupor.

Ten minutes later, I called Kaiden and he brought the rest of the party. Just like old times.

It was almost morning and my mind was switching between what was available of my motley crew sprawled in my living room and the party we'd thrown before hitting the Reapers. The surreal haze of dream and reality gave me a headache, so I opened my window and climbed out onto the balcony. The Citadel lights were still sparse and separated, but at least the air didn't smell like dead bodies and ash anymore.

"Was that really necessary?"

Leaning my arms on the railing, I didn't bother turning to him. "I could ask you the same thing."

My Turian friend leaned his elbows on the railing beside me and rumbled thoughtfully deep in his chest. Turning my head, I peered at him as the artificial light in the presidium emulated an early dawn. "You know you're not alone Jane."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "You know if it were anyone else but you giving me this lecture, I'd be admonished. But we both know, you'd have done the same, Archangel."

He sighed deeply. "Oh I'm not a very good Turian, remember?"

"Not from where I'm standing."

Startled blue eyes snapped to me and held.

I bit my tongue. Dammit. Shouldn't have had that last beer. "I…Kaiden and I…"

"You're done." He said softly, his eyes flickering over my face. "I see that."

A taut, waiting part of me I hadn't known seemed to sigh and relax. I hadn't even known it mattered what he thought.

"You know," Garrus purred in his best vigilante, bad ass voice, "if you needed a work out, you should have invited me to the Arena."

I quirked an eyebrow, my mouth twisting into a smirk. "Oh yeah. It would have looked a lot less scandalous when I sept your ass across the arena floors."

"Presumptuous human. Very presumptuous. You remember who I am?" He winked.

"You remember who I am?" Shoving his shoulder, I laughed then winced as my arm protested. "Commander bruised Shepard apparently." Rubbing my shoulder I sighed. "Damn but I'm getting old and boring Vakarian."

"We can only hope," Garrus purred, his hand taking me by the bruised arm, talons slowly rubbing into the sore muscle. "Come inside Jane. I brought medigel."

Settling into his side, I let him guide me back inside. "Who brings medigel to an intervention?"

"I do. Whenever I come to see you."

"Smart ass."

"Oh yeah." He winked. "My ass is very smart."

Groaning, I let him lead me to the kitchen counter. "That's not how that human saying goes."

But you know, his ass WAS pretty damn smart. And I was just realizing that.

TO BE CONTINUED...