Chapter 2:

Back to the Old Days

My Comments :

Okay. Maybe a two-shot. Thought I'd give a bit of background. I didn't really elaborate much now that I look back on it. And I'm also having a lot of trouble with "A Return With the Reapers". Absolutely no inspiration.

Man, I hope I portrayed them well enough. I've always had a hard time getting Wrex to be in character. I don't know what it is...

The Story :

Shepard shifted nervously as she stepped out of the shuttle. Garrus eyed her with curiosity. It wasn't often the Commander was ever... worried about something so openly. He tossed a glance at the other team member, Grunt, only to see the Krogan was too busy looking around. With a sigh, he followed Shepard down the hallway that led to the Urdnot encampment.

When they reached the entrance and, after Shepard had paused to pat Urz, she turned to look at them. "I need to talk to Wrex," she finally said. "You two go look around. Go together, though."

"What do you expect us to do?" the tank-bred Krogan grunted.

"Go brag about killer a Thresher Maw on foot?" she suggested.

Grunt smirked, giving his signature chuckled before walking away. Garrus sent her another look before doing the same.

Shepard took a deep breath, kneeling down in front of Urz. "What am I going to do, buddy? I can't believe Wrex sent that request."

The Commander thought back. Shortly after returning to the Normandy, and after hearing about the breeding requests for her and Grunt, the woman had asked EDI to figure out who sent the one for her. The next day, the AI had told her. It was Wrex. Of all of the Krogan on the planet, it had been Wrex. How was she supposed to deal with that?

The Varren whined a little.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Putting it off isn't going to help." Shepard sighed, standing up again. "This is gonna be a hell of a conversation."

Urz whined again.

The Commander spotted Wrex long before he noticed she was there. He was arguing with another official, on some matter involving clan hostilities from what she could gather. Not really that surprising. After the Urdnot Chief used a well-placed headbutt on his adversary, the other Krogan stormed off, nearly pushing Shepard off the stairs. Wrex grunted in annoyance before eying the guard who had righted her.

"Hey, Wrex," Shepard started, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole ordeal as she stepped forward. No need to make this more awkward.

"You okay, Shepard?"

"I'm not weak, Wrex. You know that. It was just a push; better than being charged at."

The Krogan laughed before returning to his throne. "Fair enough. What brings you here today, Shepard? I heard you defeated a Thresher Maw. Come here to brag?"

The Commander managed a light chuckle. "Not this time, Wrex."

"Hm?" Wrex eyed her curiously. "And you and that Salarian got the information you needed."

"Yeah."

"So what brings you here?"

Shepard felt her heart rate elevate again. Wow. Still not prepared.

"Actually, it's about something EDI told me about." If Wrex was worried, he didn't show it. "She mentioned there were quite a few breeding requests for Grunt." Her eyes locked straight onto Wrex's. "And one for me."

Now the Krogan seemed a little shaken. Obviously, he hadn't expected her to find out. Noticing the curious gazes of the guards he raised a dismissive hand.

"Leave us."

The guards glanced at each other before doing so hesitantly. Wrex turned back to Shepard.

"EDI told me it was you," she said before he could say anything.

Wrex grunted, moving off the throne and stepping forward to look over the camp. Grunt and Garrus were off shooting Pyjacks. The Krogan there seemed amused by their enthusiasm.

"Wasn't expecting you to find out," he finally admitted, not turning to her.

"But why me, Wrex?" Shepard questioned. "It's not as if we could actually..." she paused, crinkling her eyes and nose, "breed."

"Shepard."

"Wrex."

The Krogan sighed, turning to her. "I," he paused, finding it difficult to let go of his usual gruff exterior, "I admire you, Shepard." He ignored her raised eyebrow. "If felt... strange not seeing you for so long." With a growl he turned away again. "Dammit, Shepard! Krogan don't do this romance stuff." Sighing, he leaned down, grabbed a piece of rubble, and began turning it around in his hands. "I don't expect you to accept," he said after another moment. "I just thought I could hold onto this strange hope if that breeding request didn't get a response."

"Hope?"

"I'd want to try, Shepard," he admitted, finally turning back to her. "But you're too busy saving the galaxy's ass again."

Shepard frowned thinking. A relationship had never been out of the question. Other than the small 'fling' she'd had with Kaidan, who she'd definitely given up on at this point, she'd just never had the time to pursue it on her end. She'd told herself that a relationship was always a possibility... but with Wrex? Who would actually accept it?

Finally, the Commander sighed. "I wouldn't say I don't have any time," she admitted. "But what would your people say if they found out?"

Wrex's face was expressionless as he studied everything but her eyes. "Screw them," he muttered. "I'm their leader." After another moment he managed to look her in the eyes. "Shepard are you saying-?"

"I'd be willing to try?" The Commander shrugged. "As crazy as it sounds, yeah, I'd be willing to try."

The leader of the Krogan seemed surprised for a moment before finally letting loose a chuckle, which evolved into a full blown laugh. "You're definitely the craziest Human I've ever met Shepard."

Shepard smiled lightly, feeling a lot less nervous than when she came up. "Eh. I guess I have to be."

Wrex smiled, reaching into his armor and pulling something out. "Here."

"Hm?" Shepard grabbed the offered item. It was a golden bracelet interlaced with a few red colored gems that matched his head plate and lighter red ones that matched her hair. "What's this?"

"A sign of courting from the old times. Before the Genophage. I had it made to fit your tiny wrists."

Shepard managed a glance at him. "My wrists aren't that small."

Wrex laughed, grabbing the bracelet and snapping it onto her right wrist. "Everything about you is small to a Krogan," he chuckled, smirking at her.

"Hey!" she grumbled with a smile.

Wrex turned moving back to his throne. "You should get going. Garrus and the tank-bred are starting to get curious."

Shepard nodded, a slight frown moving onto her face. "Wrex-"

"I expect you to come back," he added. "Soon."

The Commander smiled brightly at him. "Of course." She turned, patting Urz's head on her way down.

"Hey, Shepard!"

"Hm?" she hummed, turning around. "What is it?"

"Take that Varren with you, will ya? He's a little menace without you to follow!"

Shepard laughed, glancing at her large pet. "Whatever you say, Wrex!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

The Commander shook her head, still smiling as she headed back towards the shuttle. Grunt and Garrus joined her a few moments later.

"What was that about?" Garrus asked, climbing into the shuttle. He froze when he spotted the inside.

"Nothing really. I just needed to talk to Wrex."

Grunt followed his Turian friend inside. "About what?" he asked, freezing as well.

Shepard pat Urz's head as she looked up. "Will you guys sit down? I want to get back to the ship and make a bed for Urz."

"You're taking a Varren?" Grunt asked, sliding into a seat across from Shepard.

"Yeah. Wrex told me too. Said Urz was being a menace."

Garrus shook his head, taking the spot next to Grunt. "Don't you have a Space Hamster or something?"

"I think Urz and Cynders will get along just fine," she muttered, rubbing a spot just under her Varren's chin that made his back leg twitch.

~ Break ~

Shepard waved at the surprised crew as she made her way through the CIC, Urz at her heels. She hadn't stopped by her cabin yet and really had to talk to the man who had become her older brother, Joker.

"Joker!"

The pilot lifted his hand in a wave, typing a few more things into his console. "One second, Commander."

Shepard leaned against he entryway frame, raising an eyebrow. Urz sat next to her, tail wagging back and forth.

Finally, Joker turned around. "So what brings you here, Comm-" he froze. "Is that a Varren?"

"Yes. This is Urz. He started following me around a couple times planet-side ago. Wrex told me to take him."

"Alright. Just, uh, don't let him eat me, okay?"

"All data suggests that the Varren would not do something that would upset Commander Shepard."

"Stupid ship cancer," Joker muttered before looking back up. "So what brings you up here, Commander?"

Shepard sighed. "Remember that promise we made a little while ago? Before the SR-1 got destroyed?"

Joker flinched. He usually remembered it as the 'day he let Shepard get spaced', but she was back now, so he had to focus on that.

"Yeah. You're my little sister now. Anything big happens we let the other know." He eyed her curiously. "So what happened?"

Shepard moved to the co-pilot's chair, sighing. "This," she finally said, lifting up the bracelet.

"You got a gift? What's the huge deal about that?"

EDI popped up again. "In ancient Krogan culture, a bracelet embedded with gemstones the color of each mate's head plates were made with a metal matching the female's eyes. They were made as signs of an intent to marry."

"Intent to marry?" Joker muttered, for the first time glad EDI was there. "So that means..." His head shot up so fast Shepard was worried he might've broken something. "You got asked out by a Krogan and accepted?!"

"Yeah. It was Wrex actually." Shepard sighed. "He sent me a breeding request. Didn't expect me to find out, actually. But we both decided to try it out."

Joker leaned back, whistling. "That's pretty impressive, Shepard." He smirked, eyes flashing with happiness. If anyone could make her happy, it was Wrex. The guy may have been abrasive, but he was kind. "You know, Commander, I'll always prefer Wrex to Zaeed and Jacob." Joker laughed. "Zaeed's got that whole 'I'd betray you for money' thing and Jacob's Cerberus."

"Really, Joker. I didn't know," Shepard replied sarcastically, glad her 'brother' had taken it well.

"Oh. But if he hurts you I'll let EDI into the weapons systems and let her rain down hell on his camp."

Shepard laughed. "Thanks, Joker." Her eyes narrowed as she paused. "Didn't realize you'd let EDI into any systems at all," she added as an afterthought, standing and starting towards the elevator.

"Only for my sister!" he called back, watching her and Urz leave. He smiled to himself after she left, turning back to his console. In all honesty, he was worried about the backlash she might receive from the crew, but Shepard could handle it.

Besides, he knew for a fact that Grunt, – due to this relationship including his species' leader – Garrus, and Tali would have her back. In the back of his mind Joker remembered how at one point Shepard mentioned she felt like Grunt was her son. It was somehow fitting. Her dating a Krogan and having one that felt like a kid just seemed to make sense.

Regardless, Joker would have her back. He always did. And always would.

~ Break ~

Shepard sat cross-legged on her bed, looking over a few datapads on her lap. Curled up behind her, Urz was snoring peacefully. She sighed loudly. Nothing in the datapads was ever really helpful. Why did Miranda insist on them? Shepard lifted her hand and pulled out her ponytail, allowing the long red hair to spill out behind her. As she lowered her hand to the datapads again, a flash of gold caught her eye. The bracelet.

Most people get jewelery and wear it on special occasions. Especially if you're in the military and would get in trouble if your superiors found out. Regardless, Shepard wore the bracelet every day and only took it off to shower. She would always wear her armor over it. From what she could tell, it was like a Krogan engagement ring because apparently, Krogan didn't 'date'. They found someone they liked and proposed. So even if this was meant as a 'courting' gift – as Wrex had called it, trying to mind Human cultures on dating – it was still special to her.

Shepard leaned back, feeling Urz shift under her for a moment before falling back asleep. Honestly, she still wasn't sure if what she felt for the Krogan was love. There was definitely admiration and respect for everything he'd done, but was it to the point of love? She'd told Wrex that she'd try the relationship, and he'd even messaged her at one point saying to take it slow so her feelings would be real. Something about Krogan not liking fake feelings or something. She couldn't remember right now. Anyway, she still couldn't figure out if it was love or not. And that's what was bothering her.

With a groan, Shepard stood, walking over to her terminal. On the bed, Urz yawned, looked at her, yawned again, then laid back down and fell asleep. For a Varren, he was surprisingly cuddly. Maybe he just wanted a break from fighting in the pit.

"Hey, EDI? Can you see if Tali has a few minutes?"

"Of course, Shepard."

Right now, the Commander was just going to be Shepard and she was going to have some girl talk. And there was no way in hell she was having this talk with Miranda or Samara. Nothing against them really, just that she felt more comfortable talking to someone who could just be her friend and not someone who brought her back to life or was currently obligated to follow her because of some ancient code.

"Tali'Zorah vas Neema is on her way up."

"Thanks, EDI." Honestly, Shepard didn't mind the AI, either. She was pretty cool for an artificial person. When everyone else was busy, EDI was a great companion. Would be nicer if they could talk face to face though. It was weird talking to a glowing blue orb.

The door opened as Shepard thought, hand absentmindedly rubbing an unfinished model of Sovereign. A loud growl from the bed snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Urz! She's a friend. You've met her before." The Varren immediately stopped growling, lowering his head and going back to sleep. "Sorry, Tali."

The Quarian laughed. "Never actually got to meet him, though I'd heard you brought a Varren back." Her body posture suggested she was relaxed, maybe even happy. "You didn't bring me up here to help you with your models again, did you?" she teased.

"That was one time! I'd never seen that type of ship before!"

"You were trying to put one of the wings on the bottom."

"I thought that was the side!"

Tali laughed happily, putting a hand on her hip. "Right. So what did you call me up here for?"

Shepard sighed, gesturing towards the couch before heading there herself. After they had both sat down, she finally said, "I need some help."

"Help?"

"R...shi... h...p..."

"You'll have to speak up, Shepard."

"I need relationship help," she finally managed.

Tali just stared at her. "You have someone you like?! Why didn't I know about this sooner?!" The Quarian surged forward, grabbing both of Shepard's hands in her own. "Who?"

"Not like, Tali. Dating. I've only told Joker because it would be... hard if everyone knew." Shepard's eyes fell.

"Hard? Who is it, Shepard?" No response. "I can't help you if you don't tell me who, Shep."

"Wrex."

"Wrex?"

The Commander nodded. "Wrex."

"You asked out Wrex?"

"No! He asked me! Sent me that breeding request!" Shepard pulled her hands back and buried her face in them. "He gave me the bracelet as a symbol," she said through her hands.

"Keelah, Shepard. This is gorgeous," the Quarian muttered, fingering the metal.

"Mhmm," Shepard hummed in agreement. "But..."

"Are you wondering if you like him?"

"How'd you know?"

Tali looked away for a moment, probably blushing under the mask in embarrassment. "I watch a lot of romance vids," she admitted before turning back to Shepard. "How long have you been worrying about this?"

"Since I got back from Tuchanka."

"And that's all you've been able to think about?"

"Yeah."

"Keelah, Shepard. There's your answer!"

"Huh?" The Commander tilted her head in curiosity. "What is?"

"If you're so worried about this, then you like him!" Tali called out, surging forward again and wrapping her arms around Shepard. "You're dating the guy you like! I'm so jealous!"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You could just talk to Garrus you know?"

"Oh no! Not a chance!"

Both girls laughed loudly, earning a glare from Urz.

"Thanks, Tali. I owe you one."

"What are friends for? Come on, let's go see was Kasumi has for Dextro drinks." Tali stood, dragging her Commander with her.

"Quite a bit actually, Tali," Kasumi said, decloaking next to the door.

Both girls jumped. "Kasumi?!"

"I thought your Varren was going to sell me out. Looks like I'll have to be careful." She smiled at the others. "C'mon. We can have a girls' night."

~ Break ~

Shepard yawned loudly as she made her way onto Illium. She was nearly positive most of the crew would be annoyed that she'd come alone, but after helping Miranda with her issue, she'd gotten a message from Liara. And besides, why would she want to deal with anyone after that mission went south. She didn't like it when missions didn't go as planned. The Asari wanted to meet up with her alone. Shepard had no idea why, though. And why alone? Would bringing Garrus or Tali make a difference? They both knew her pretty well. Hell, if the Commander had been worried about those two she'd have brought Joker.

Immediately after Shepard stepped through the office door, it closed and locked behind her. "Well. Talk about being serious about that alone thing, Liara. Usually even you're not this secretive." She walked up to the desk, taking a seat across from it. "What's wrong?"

Liara shifted in her seat uneasily. "Some strange information crossed my desk, Shepard."

"Oh? I know there are a lot of rumors about me. Let people think what they want to, Liara."

The information broker quickly typed a few commands into her terminal. "You see, Shepard. This one might not be about you."

"Might not be? Then why'd you want to talk to me?"

"Because the data heavily implies it is about you."

Shepard hummed lightly, leaning back in her chair. Despite her relaxed posture, Liara could tell by the woman's eyes that she wanted to know what was going on.

"It's about a Krogan."

"Is this about Grunt? Hey, I see him like my own kid, nothing else."

"No, but that is definitely interesting," Liara admitted with a small shrug. "This is about our old teammate, Wrex."

Shepard visibly tensed for a moment before appearing relaxed again. Her eyes shot to her friend's. "Oh?" she managed, attempting to sound calm. "What about him?"

"The reports say he's dating a Human, Shepard. And dating isn't even a part of Krogan culture anymore." She sighed, grabbing a datapad from the side of her desk. "It also stated that he gave this particular Human a bracelet that symbolizes an intent to marry to this Human."

"Really?" the Commander questioned, easily maneuvering her right hand away from Liara's view.

Liara's lips quirked into a smirk at the action. "I saw it when you walked in, Shepard. So it's true then? You're dating Wrex?"

"Well..." Shepard frowned a moment before nodding with conviction. "Yes. I am. He asked me on my last visit to Tuchanka. I agreed to try."

The Asari nodded, standing so quickly her chair nearly fell over. Her eyes held a strange emotion – disappointment – as she walked over to her friend and pulled her into a hug. "I'm happy for you, Shepard."

"That makes four people then," Shepard said with a laugh, hugging her friend back.

Liara leaned back. "Four?"

"You, Tali, Joker, and Kasumi."

"Joker? And Kasumi?"

Shepard laughed. "Joker's like my brother. And Kasumi was listening in."

Liara nodded, humming. "We need to catch up sometime, Shepard. Let me see the new Normandy at some point, hm?"

"As long as you don't mind Urz or Cinders."

"Who?"

"Cinders is my Space Hamster." This earned a nod from Liara. "And Urz is my Varren."

"Your... Varren?"

"He follows me throughout the ship. He used to follow me on Tuchanka, but Wrex told me to just take him on board the Normandy. Said he was a menace. Urz actually gets along with the crew pretty well. I think Mordin just wants to run tests on him though. And whenever Zaeed gives the little guy a command, Urz tries to eat his arm." Shepard shrugged, eyes calm. "Kind of their own fault though. He listens to me."

Liara laughed, her shoulders shaking. "Then we definitely need to catch up, Shepard."

"Maybe next time. We're supposed to finish stocking up and then we're heading to the Flotilla."

"The Flotilla?" Liara's eyes seemed to gleam with interest.

"Yeah. Tali needs help with something."

"You can tell me all about it later."

"Of course, Liara." Shepard smiled, standing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make sure none of the loading crew try to shoot Urz. They tend to think he's a stowaway."

Liara laughed, waving at Shepard until she left. With a smile, Liara sat back down and began typing. Wrex, huh? In truth, she had entertained the thought of them being together a few times after hearing his words on the Commander when he got drunk shortly after they'd found out she'd died. One hell of party that had been.

~ Break ~

Shepard collapsed into her usual seat in the Mess Hall. Urz sat at her feet, glaring at anyone who walked past. Every once in awhile the woman dropped a piece of food for her pet, who gladly lapped it up. In all honesty though, Shepard hadn't been planning on playing politician when she boarded the Flotilla with Tali and Garrus. She hated playing politician. Today was no exception.

"Shepard," Tali's voice was quiet as she sat across from her, a small container of food before her. "Thank you."

"I'm glad to help," the Commander replied. It wasn't a lie, but she was exhausted. She smiled, looking up. "Did they give you back your title?"

"No. I asked to keep my new one for now."

Shepard blinked a few times in confusion, Urz taking the opportunity to steal something from her tray. "You're still Tali'Zorah vas Normandy?"

"Yeah. I want to stay here. At least until we defeat the Collectors. Besides," she adds with a light tone, "it seems to fit." She stood back up. "Anyway, I'm going back to Engineering. There's a few things I need to check."

"Alright. See you later, Tali." Shepard waved lightly as she turned back to her tray. She grumbled a little as she realized what Urz had done. "Dammit, Urz. I was hungry," she muttered, moving onto something else the Varren hadn't gone after.

"Hey, Shepard," Garrus said, siting across from her. "You look tired."

"I am," she admitted. Garrus was a good friend, so she felt no qualms sharing the truth with him. "I hate having to act like a politician."

"But you managed to keep Tali's dad out of it. She was really happy."

"Hm," Shepard hummed, taking another bite. "What's up?" she asked after swallowing. "Usually when you notice I'm tired you take my food and tell me to go sleep."

"I had a question for you. It was about something Tali mention back on the Flotilla."

"Oh?" Shepard raked her brain for what he was talking about.

"Something about you wanting to get back and send a message to your, erm, fiance?"

The Commander spit out her food, coughing wildly. Next to her, Urz tilted his head in confusion.

"W-what?"

"I was confused. It seemed like she didn't want me to hear, but..."

"So not a fiance," Shepard grumbled. "I am merely trying out a relationship," she growled under her breath.

"Huh?" Garrus managed, mandibles pressed tightly to his face.

Shepard sighed. "I'm in a relationship with someone," she explained, raising her arm and gesturing towards the bracelet; which at this point she realized she couldn't take off on her own. "We both decided to try it together a little while ago. I haven't really told that many people because I doubt we'll be well received around the galaxy. Sure, he say he can keep things on his home safe, but I still want to feel safe traveling," she finished with a nod, sure she'd said everything that needed to be said.

"Who are we talking about?" Garrus questioned, a similar flicker of disappointment appearing in his eyes.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Who?"

"Wrex."

The Turian tilted his head in confusion, mandibles going slack. "Wrex." Suddenly, his mandibles twitched in realization. "The day you brought Urz on board!"

"Mhmm." Shepard nodded. "He said not to worry about the Krogan; he'd take care of that. But I want don't want to be treated as an outcast just because of who I happen to be with." She sighed. "Anyway, that's the story. Not my fiance." The Commander stood, placing the tray of food on the ground so Urz could finish it off.

Finally, Garrus' mandibles widened in a smile. "As long as you're happy, Shepard." He stood as well. "I'll be in the Main Battery if you need me."

"Calibrations?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, turning towards his room. "Something like that."

Shepard waved a few times before picking up the empty tray and handing it over to Gardner. Urz barked a thank you at him, which was returned with a smile, before following his master into the elevator.

~ Break ~

Shepard managed to opened her eyes again, the memories still rushing through her head. This was the fourth time she's awoken and was fully lucid; she'd been keeping track. Beside her, in a makeshift bed, Wrex was sleeping peacefully. A machine at her side noted her alertness and stopped pumping chemicals into her system. Her implants also took notice and stopped their exercising of her muscles.

With a slight wince, Shepard stretched. It definitely didn't hurt as much as it had the first time, but after saying that one word, her voice had stopped working. Communication now happened with everyone physically talking and the Commander 'speaking' via Omni-Tool.

Yawning, the woman looked around the room. A few things here and there reminded her of all of the people who were happy to see her back.

A specially modded Black Widow rifle; a present and challenge from Garrus.

A photo of a two-story home on an unfamiliar planet; a gift and promise from Tali – she really wanted Shepard to visit.

A collection of audio poetry through the species; a gift from Liara.

A few plushies of the Normandy crew – even one of her; a gift from a very teary Joker and his girlfriend, EDI.

A beautiful, rare flower found only on a Batarian colony in the outskirts of the galaxy; a gift from Aria.

Movement beside her caught the Commander's attention. She glanced to the side and noticed Wrex stirring.

S: I see you're finally awake.

The Krogan's Omni-Tool beeped and he opened it, eyes seeming annoyed before he read the sender. His eyes shot up. "Shepard! About time you woke up!"

Shepard frowned. S: Was I out that long?

"Twelve hours."

S: That's pretty normal for Humans. Especially ones in recovery. Shepard raised an eyebrow.

Wrex shrugged. "What are you always saying about not being completely Human?"

S: If I were a normal Human, I'd be dead?

"Yeah, that. So start acting like a Krogan and get out of bed!" He laughed, clapping his hands together as he stood, facing the door and stretching.

Shepard made a face before swiping her Omni-Tool over the machines, turning them off, and swinging her legs over the side.

S: Fine.

Shepard was already on her feet and leaning heavily against the wall by the time Wrex spun around. He immediately shot to where she was, ready to steady her, but not helping just yet. She smiled at him as she managed to stand on her own.

"Ha! Maybe you are a Krogan!"

S: Gotta keep up with you.

Shepard smirked at him as she replied, her eyes sparkling brightly.

Sure, she wasn't planning on just sitting back and accepting the fact someone told her she might never stand again. Not when she had a Krogan to follow. However, she was definitely going to accept the fact that he was there, and not going anywhere.