I'm starting to think about why I stopped writing this. It was actually to start a new writing project. I think it was worth it, but like this one, it stopped. Also, I have a spotify playlist for Security. If anyone is curious, I can make it public.

Hey guys! Thank you so, so much for all of the reviews! They make me so thrilled, you have no idea. Please keep them coming!

This is the part that you have all been waiting for...I hope I did it justice.

Cheers!

xoxo

THR

Chapter 7

Your name was Garrus Vakarian and you couldn't help but sigh loudly in relief when you got the elevator going again. You weren't sure if you had restarted the its internal systems or if it had fixed itself by getting power from a generator, but you weren't one to argue. There were more important things on your mind that had to be deciphered.

After reconsidering the events of the past five minutes, you tried to think of a logical reason behind an unexpected elevator shutdown.

The first unusual thing about the situation was the shaking that had occurred before the lights went out. If you hadn't known better, you would say that someone had set off a bomb. The quavers had not been that heavy, though, and C-Sec security levels were too high to allow that to happen now. There had to be a better explanation for it, and you had to find out before anything else questionable happened.

Because you had no access to a window or an outside environment, there was no indication of anything detrimental going on. For a split second, pulling out your unused Carnifax seemed like a decent idea. You decided against it, though; if you walked in on Shepard like that and spirits forbid something happened, you wouldn't know what you would do.

Shepard.

You hadn't said her name in a long time, and as the elevator ascended again you said it to yourself. It was a perfect two syllables, something short and admirable.

"Shepard."

Her name came out as almost a purr, and the smile it gave you quickly turned to a grimace.

What if she wasn't in any condition to see you? You realized that you had already gone over this in your mind, but you were a cautious turian.

Your thoughts were interrupted momentarily, and the elevator doors spread open.

In a matter of seconds, you realized what had caused your technical difficulties.

The first thing you noticed about the expansive penthouse in front of you was not the stark white finishes. It wasn't the modern interior or untouched furniture.

It was the woman on her knees twenty feet away from you, who was just as shattered as the glass that was on the floor. She was in her armor, which was just like how you remembered: a shiny purple color and well maintained. Her attire was more than just bizarre; she had never worn her armor off duty when they had been on the Normandy.

As you took a step closer, you could see details that were even more gut wrenching for you to witness. Glass had stabbed her in the face, and blood mixed with salty tears. Never before had you seen Shepard cry.

Human crying had a distinct oddness about it, but hers didn't seem to fit into that category. It was passionate and longing, almost as if she was looking for someone, anyone, to come and find her. It was a cry for help.

As you stared at the scene in front of you, you had the urge to fall to your own knees. The one woman who had led everyone was dying on the inside. She had relinquished all control.

She was no longer Commander Shepard.

She was Liz Shepard, the Earthborn woman who was supposed to do great things. Those things were done now, though. Now she was nothing more than a mass of stardust.

The first words that came out of your mouth were the same ones that you had said in the elevator. Although your voice was shaky and strained, you managed to make it sound stronger than it had ever been before.

"Shepard."

She didn't look up at first. This made you take a step back instead of advancing. The way her own body pulsated made you want to leave her alone.

Was she going to attack you? Reject you? Kill you?

However, in an unexpected turn of events, she did something you hadn't expected her to do.

She stood up.

Her brown eyes pierced your black and blue ones, and you watched her as she attempted to regain her composure. That was one thing she had always been good at.

Tears were still rolling down her cheeks and glass still stuck out of her skin, which had retained its cream-like hue.

"G-Garrus…god dammit, it's you, Garrus…I thought you didn't make it."

Your name slid off of her tongue like warm butter and her eyes looked so eager. If you were better at reading human emotions, you would have even dared to say that they looked happy.

There was a lack of time to analyze emotions in the next few seconds. Her legs moved faster than ever before while charging towards you and you braced for impact. She was by no means a tiny human; in their standard measurements she was about six feet and three inches in height. From what you could understand, this was rather large for a female.

Her weight shifted onto you when you collided, and the impact brought you both to the ground. Glass scratched both of your faces and you leaned in to kiss her. You were careful as usual, but her force overwhelmed you. She had, after all, managed to knock you over. That had been a first.

Her red blood smeared over your face, and you held her in an embrace once you recovered. You pulled her close and kept her safe just like you had so many times before. Iron, you thought. She smelled like iron and starkness, which was something you weren't used to. It wasn't right, just like how these circumstances were, but you couldn't give a shit right now. When the two of you locked hands, it was as if not even the entire galaxy could come between you.

And, as far as the two of you were concerned, it wouldn't.

Your name was Commander Liz Shepard and never before had you felt so much relief.

You said his name so many times while you were in Garrus' grasp and inhaled sharply just to let his scent overtake your body. You were getting hot in your armor, but being in it made it feel like the days back on the Normandy again. When you closed your eyes, you were still in your cabin. He was holding you for the first time and nobody was going to stop you. For a second, it all seemed like a dream. Why now? you thought. It was a just question considering the circumstances; not a single person, not even your boyfriend, had decided to visit you until now. It was soon clear in your mind that these people hadn't even known what happened. They didn't even know any of it. Not even Garrus knew. The heartache, the entrapment, the injuries, the mind games…

Your thoughts paused. The way he started picking glass out of your skin hurt, but it showed how he was still concerned about you.

Of course he's still concerned about you, you idiot. Why would he be here? you told yourself. You ignored these statements in your head and instead focused on trying to act mentally stable for your long lost boyfriend. That is, if he was still your boyfriend. You had made a promise to him before heading for that goddamned beam, and if anyone knew that you would always keep your word, it would be Garrus.

Before you could get in a word, he brushed his free hand across your hair to pull out your tight bun. He must have remembered how you liked that.

Scarlet hair fell just below your own shoulders and he began to speak in that voice that you had been longing to hear for the longest time. The vids you had played over and over again on your omni-tool would never compare to hearing the real thing in person.

"Shepard, I know." he whispered while flicking a shard of crimson tinted glass into the pile across the room. "Good to know that I'm not the only one that's been screwed over by some bastards on the Citadel."

You bit down on your lip, wondering what he was talking about.

"Shep—Liz." he said while correcting himself. "Come on, sit up. You need to get out of that armor."

You did as he said as if he was your admiral; he had total control over you for once. Insubordination on his part was impossible. He would be your boss for now. He was capable of guiding you.

Your self-inflicted biotic blast made your legs turn to jelly. Being in a hot turian's arms wasn't helping the matter, either; you were still wondering how you had managed to run to him so fast.

Instead of continuing to think, you just acted. As he led you to your stairs, he offered an inquisitive look, and for some reason you were both acting on instinct. That in and of itself was beautiful, mystifying even.

"You've got a bathroom up here, don't you?"

You nodded and continued to be silent. You wanted to take him in all over again. Every curve of his body had to be relearned, and you had some studying to do.

His scars still had not healed, and he had aged a slight bit since the last time you had seen him. His physique was no different, though. You knew that under all of that armor, he was toned and his waist was still thin and flexible. A mischievous smile crept onto your face when you thought of him that way, but you repressed it.

As your feet moved blindly up the stairs, the two of your remained silent until you reached the top.

"There isn't anyone in here, is there?" he asked. "It's not every day that an elevator shuts down on you because of a spontaneous biotic explosion. Well, unless Jack lives here with you. Which I don't think she does."

You chuckled and looked up at him, your sanity slowly starting to return temporarily. You had forgotten about the dog tags and the scratches on the suit.

For once in a year you could say that you were more than just okay.

You were great, even if that mood was only temporary.

"L2s can still do a hell of a lot of damage, Vakarian." you teased. His smile was reassuring, and the final thing he said to you before you began to take your armor off stuck with you for a long time.

"You're still a mystery." he said. "You're too grey, and you remember what I said about that. I might not know what to do with grey, but I think you're an exception."