Authors's notes- It may be a bit before the next smut scene(possibly before Ilos)so if that's the type of thing you're looking for with this story you may have to wait a bit(or maybe not, I'm easily persuaded). Anyway I also wanted to say that all favorites,follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated and any feedback really helps with the writing of this story.

Thoughts of the previous night with Tali flooded the commanders mind as he slowly began to awake from quite possibly the best sleep he'd had for years. Sure it may have started off in way that he wouldn't necessarily agree with but the end result was rather enjoyable. Tali laying right by his side, still fully nude, caused some of the more carnal memories to rush in and he felt a small smile tugging at his lips. He was content to lay here for a while longer than he normally would for many reasons. Feeling her soft skin pressed against his,gazing at her beautiful face, and feeling the slight warmth emitting from her body all filled him with pleasure. He sighed and nestled even closer to Tali intending to make the most out of this experience before something inevitably came along and ruined it. The warmth coming from her flowed through him and brought him a very welcomed sense of comfort.

So Warm, so amazingly warm The commander blissfully thought to himself. Really warm as a matter of fact The commander thought with a slowly growing sense of clarity

Suddenly he felt Tali begin to stir next to him and with a fair bit of excitement he began to speak, eager to give her a warm welcoming to this new day. "Morning sleepy how are you do-" suddenly He heard a very loud noise come from Tali and felt a very strange substance spray across his face. Shocked by the sudden turn of events the commander's face was frozen in its smiling state as the wheels in his mind began to process what exactly just happened.

This isn't some quarian morning ritual is it?
Wait, Quarian...Outside of suit...Very warm body

An extremely croaky voice called out for the commander as his mind, apparently not at it's peak performance in the morning hours, continued to piece together the parts of the puzzle "J-John...Sickbay...please" another noise,one that the commander finally managed to identify as a sneeze, came and with it more mucus came sailing towards the commander. Maybe the idea of being showered in mucus would bring forward a strong sense of disgust but at this moment only one thing dominated the commander's mind, panic or rather extreme panic.

He shot up from the bed and fumbled around as all of the current problems competed for his attention in his mind. Tali was sick, to what degree he didn't know. She was still naked and he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get her back in her suit. How would he even explain how she got sick, or better yet how he stumbled across a sick Tali when he was supposed to be unconscious and alone in his room? He figured the easiest place to start was to get dressed as quickly as possible and searched his room for his clothing. He found his underwear on the far side of the room, His pants near his bed with the zipper nothing but a shred of metal that vaguely represented it's former self, and his shirt...well he assumed that was the shreds of cloth that was scattered around the bed.

Even in this situation he couldn't help but shoot a exasperated glance at Tali and mouth the word "really" Tali shrunk slightly under her gaze and weakly mouthed "sorry". He would have to have serious talk about the destruction of property at some time but now was not that time. He fumbled around to locate the different components of Tali' suit, which infuriatingly were all in perfect condition, and plop them in front of Tali. He quickly told her to "do the suit put on thingy" as he,without thinking, used his bed's sheets to wipe the mucus from his face. Regret instantly hit commander as he noticed that the sheet was far from clean. He prayed to whatever higher power who could hear him that the dampness of the sheets came from sweat. Tali,after slightly giggling at his predicament, was making some progress with putting back on her suit. Sighing in defeat Shepard decided to pick up a few shreds of former-shirt and wiped his face with that. A few more moments passed before Tali, with some futile attempts of assistance from Shepard, was finally back in her full suit. Shepard quickly rushed to the door, expecting it to automatically open as it usually does, before promptly slamming his face into the still closed door.

Tali winced as she pulled up her omi-tool and began to type "S-sorry about that John" she weakly croaked out "should be unlocked now". Shepard sighed in annoyance,mostly towards himself, and turned his head to speak to Tali as the door opened "We are going to have to have a serious talk about your actions last night...you cute little devil"

"And I'd just love to be a third wheel in that conversation" a voice came from in front of Shepard. Shepard mentally screamed as he easily figured out who exactly was talking to him, only one person could speak with so much smugness.

"Garrus...how are you doing this morning?" Shepard asked without any real interest on how the Turian in front of him was currently doing. He really just wanted to avoid any questions about why exactly he was leaving his quarters early in the morning with a very weak in the legs Tali.

"Oh I was doing fine, maybe a little bored, but still fine" Garrus responded normally before his voice took an almost sinister tone "but as luck would have it I've found something really interesting to take my mind off the boredom"

"I'd love to hear all about it Garrus, but later. Right now I need to get Tali to the sick-bay" Shepard tried to inch him and Tali by Garrus, fully hoping that would be the end of the conversation

"Oh really?" Garrus asked with mock surprise "and how exactly did she end up sick? suit seems perfectly fine to me" he began to follow the two as they made their way to the sick bay "I'm no expert but I heard that those suits keep out all pathogens so the only way she could have gotten infected by something is if there was a rip or..."

Shepard continued to make his way to the sick-bay trying his best to ignore the conversation turned investigation. He would notice Tali groan occasionally, from annoyance or sickness he couldn't tell

"or her suit must have come off" Garrus stated plainly "But what exactly would require taking her suit off?" he leaned in slightly and whispered to Shepard as if he was secretly plotting "any ideas commander...or do you prefer to be called John now?"

Shepard tensed up at the usage of his first name and from the relentless questions from Garrus "A-as your superior officer I won't stand for such Abuse from a subordinate, c-cease your questioning"

Either pretending to not notice the commander's order or simply not caring Garrus continued "And Tali you seem to have some serious trouble walking...are you really that sick or did something else happen?"

"I said cease you're questioning Vakarian" Shepard tried to sound as threatening and controlling as he could but it came out as nervous and almost pleading

Surprisingly enough Garrus seemed to relent "Okay boss I understand, this is all very serious, no time for my questioning" He moved to help the commander with getting Tali to Dr. Chakwas. Taken aback by Garrus's sudden compliance the commander sighed and muttered a "thanks" before finishing the short trip between his cabin and the sick-bay. The door to the sick-bay opened to reveal a fairly surprised Dr. Chakwas.

"Commander what's going on? Are you suffering some effects from the mind meld?" the doctor asked as soon as they entered the room

Mind meld? The commander thought for a second before jumping to the conclusion that everyone else must have thought that his sudden collapse was caused by the mind meld rather than the sickly Quarian in his arms

"err no I'm here because of Tali, she seems to be sick." He cleared his throat and muttered "for reasons unknown" before he finished his sentence "and I need you to look after her for a bit, make sure she's alright" The commander hoped that the sudden surprise of 3 people barging into her quarters would keep the doctor from asking about the details.

"I...I understand commander just set her on that bed over there and I'll do my best...although I have no idea what exactly I'm treating here" The doctor responded, much to Shepard's appreciation. He never loved just how much she focused on her job until now as it avoided alot of questions that he'd rather not answer.

Shepard sighed in relief and set Tali on the bed "You'll be fine, you're in capable hands now" Shepard attempted to reassure Tali. He rubbed her hand in a supportive manner and spoke "Hope you feel better soon Tali" Unnoticed to the Doctor or Garrus he winked and mouthed "so I can get you sick again". He felt Tali tense up a bit before she eased up again and spoke "I'll make sure to get better soon John, and I expect you to get me sick again as soon as I do"she said in a seductive tone

Panic surged through the commander again as he suffered a slight mental breakdown from what Tali just said.

Why would she say that out loud? Does she not know what subtlety is? Why would you do this to me?

He heard a mocking laugh come from behind him "Oh is that so?" Garrus quipped, finding seemingly endless joy in the commander's suffering.

The commander's whole body stiffened up and he slowly turned around and spoke, calmly and slowly almost like a robot "Dr. Chakwas I trust you'll be able to take care of her without any further assistance from me, I should go"

He walked calmly, if slightly hurried, and excited the sick-bay. He continued to walk toward's his cabin, ignoring when Kaidan asked him how he was doing, and after what felt like an eterntity of walking entered his cabin and sat down on his bed.

This is not good, this is totally not good. Shepard thought as soon as he confirmed he was alone, dropping his calm and collected facade. He had no idea why Tali would reveal their night time activities when the implications behind them were less than pleasant. It wasn't that he minded the crew knowing about his relationship with Tali but he wasn't sure that he could even call what they had a relationship. He was genuinely worried about Tali, what would everyone think of her when they figured out what she did? He wanted to at least take things slowly, figure out where they stood and even come up with a falsified beginning to their relationship, one that didn't involve drugging and raping preferably. She had ruined that however, for reason's he would probably never understand and unless he came up with something fast everyone would know the truth behind last night.

In the middle of his musing the door to his cabin opened and a very smug tone filled his room "Now seem's like a more appropriate time for my questions"

The commander groaned because of the Turian in-front of him and because of his own foolishness for not locking his door. "Is it normal in the Turian military for subordinates to barge into their commander's quarters unannounced Vakarian?"

"No but it's perfectly normal for a friend to come and check on his friend" Garrus retorted before grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down in-front of Shepard "And it's even more common for a friend to ask his friend about all of the details of an...interesting night"

The commander couldn't help but slightly smirk. It was true he considered Garrus to be a friend and he was never the overly strict type when it came to military procedures but he still couldn't give him the exact details, it would be to dangerous for Tali. He would have to play it cool, act like he played the part of a suave and seducing commander who got his hands on a naive Quarian girl eager for excitement. He was sure that he would come off as a total scumbag to some but this was bigger than his reputation, this was for her

He let his smirk grow and let in a bit of smugness seep into his own voice before speaking "Why's that? Looking for some tips on how to score some exotic flavors?"

Garrus rolled his eyes "oh please commander we both know you didn't take the lead last night so you can drop the suave act"

"Oh is that so? And how exactly would you know I didn't just put the moves on Tali? Maybe you're just a bit jealous because you only have finesse in sniping" Shepard practically looked down on Garrus as he spoke "I on the other hand happen to have a wide set of skills"

"Shame dancing isn't in that set of skills" Garrus replied without missing a beat

If there was one thing Shepard was defensive about it was his dancing skills, the whole galaxy be damn the "Shepard Shuffle" was a technique not to be trifled with. Garrus noticed Shepard tense up at the mentioning of his dancing and quickly changed the conversation back to it's intended course.

"But that's beside the point, I know you didn't take the lead because I told Tali to stop hiding her feelings and get on with actually doing something with them."

Shepard was slightly taken aback by the sudden confession from Garrus and it showed in his word's "W-what?"

Garrus shrugged his shoulder's "Shepard you're about the densest person I know so I told Tali that subtle hints about her affection wouldn't be enough, told her to take a more direct route"

Shepard felt slightly annoyed but at the same time relieved. Now that he knew Garrus had played a part in last night he would have one less person to hide it from. Still he wouldn't just let him off the hook for instructing Tali to force herself on him

"Direct route? Couldn't you have picked something a little less Direct than rape?" Shepard asked vehemently

The smug smirk quickly faded from Garrus's face and his eyes slightly widened "She did what?"

huh? why is he acting like...
he did know right?

Shepard quickly realized from Garrus's reaction that he did not in fact know about the exact details of Tali's "more direct route"

"You...you didn't tell her to do that did you"

Garrus was exasperated "Spirits Shepard are you serious?"he shot up from his chair "Why the hell would I tell her to rape you?"

Shepard also got up from the sitting position on his bed "I don't know you said you told her to be more direct and-"

"A simple confession is what I had in mind!" Garrus quietly shouted

"Well she technically confessed her feelings to me..."

"Shepard this isn't a joke...are you...are you all right?" Garrus asked with genuine concern for Shepard. Sure he was a smug and condescending bastard but when it came down to it he really was a true friend and Shepard greatly appreciated that.

"I'm fine no, lasting damage done" Shepard rubbed his neck, he really wasn't sure if he should say the next thing that was on his mind "and I...kinda...enjoyed it"

Garrus stared at Shepard with an extremely confused face "You what?"

"Well putting the whole rape thing aside, which I do not approve of, it was...nice"

Garrus continued to stare at Shepard with the same face "Shepard...did she...mind-break you?"

The term "mind-break" made Shepard's sense of pride take a heavy blow and he quickly jumped to his own defense "Absolutely not! I'll have you know that once I broke from my bindings I took full control of the situation!"

"Took full contr- What?" Garrus asked in disbelief "Shepard she probably wanted you to-" he quickly raised his hands and did air quotations "take full control of the situation"

The logic behind that statement made Shepard second guess himself for a second but he would not falter. Mind-break or not he cared about Tali. "I can assure you I wanted it just as bad as she did Tali"

"If you wanted it than it's not rape Shepard"

"I... I just didn't like the way it started off but I wanted it too"

"And how exactly did it start off? How exactly did she manage to get you in such a compromising position?"

oh this is going to be fun to explain "she...put me to sleep"

Garrus narrowed his eyes "put you to sleep?"

Shepard took a big breath "she...drugged me"

A full minute passed as both men stood there staring at each other, the atmosphere was heavy and the silence was oppressive.

Garrus sighed before breaking the silence "I understand"

Shepard was surprised to find his friend could be so understanding "you do?"

"Of course Stockholm Syndrome is a very serious mental condition, I shouldn't make fun of you for it"

Any admiration for his friend's understanding quickly vanished from Shepard's mind "Thank you for your understanding and support Garrus" Shepard sarcastically said.

Garrus smirked "If you want to have an extremely unhealthy relationship that's your business but..." Garrus dropped the smirk and spoke and a sincere tone, one full of support "if you ever do need help I'm here for you Shepard"

Shepard grinned at Garrus's promise of support "Well that's good to hear because actually I could use some a little assistance"

"Well that didn't take long"

"I like to make sure people hold up their promises ASAP, now I need some help coming up with a story for last night"

Garrus seemed confused for a little before realization hit him "Ah I understand,Don't suppose it would be a good idea to tell everyone you got dominated by a tiny Quarian"

Shepard hated the fact that Garrus still insisted on the fact that he was broken by Tali, and even more so hated the fact that there may be a tiny shred of truth behind that claim. "Details about last night don't matter Garrus" Shepard said to steer the conversation away from damaging his pride

"Well unless you forgot Shepard I wasn't the one to come out with a noticeable limp from your cabin. You're gonna need to talk to Tali about making up a story"

"How helpful of you Garrus" Shepard said with a slight amount of venom in his voice

"Shepard do you honestly think it would be a good idea to come up with a story for last night without any input from the other person involved? You need to go talk to Tali before it's too late"

Shepard was confused by Garrus's last statement "Too late, too late for what?"

"Too late to stop Tali from informing all of the other woman on the ship of her latest conquest" Garrus spoke with increasing urgency "And need I remind you Dr. T'soni made her residence right behind the sick-bay?"

"She...she wouldn't do that would she?" Shepard said with a slight amount of worry in his voice

Thoughts of what Tali nearly did to Shiala from Ferros came up in Garrus's mind "Shepard trust me, she will do exactly that. Now that she has you she is going to want to let everyone know it, and I don't think she's going to be as much as a stickler for details as you."

Shepard could just imagine how a conversation between Tali and Liara would play out, and he preferred to leave it as i figment of imagination. Rushing towards the door of his cabin he thanked Garrus for his insight

He practically sprinted to the sick-bay, hoping that the short amount of time he spent talking to Garrus wasn't enough time for Tali to do anything drastic

The door to the sick-bay opened to reveal Tali, still on the bed, talking excitedly to Liara who must have heard the commotion for earlier and came out of curiosity. Dr Chakwas was currently at her desk, apparently to busy with her work to take any particular notice to the conversation happening in the same room as her. Once Shepard entered however Tali and Liara's conversation came to a halt and both turned to face him. Liara had a almost shell-shocked face and While her face-plate concealed her facial expression the tone of her voice conveyed Tali's emotions perfectly.

"John we were just talking about you" Tali spoke in the same haunting tone as last night. "or rather about us"