Garrus stood by the Skycar fiddling with his suit as he waited nervously for Shepard to arrive. He had asked for her to meet him so they could spend some time together away from the ship. He had an ulterior motive to for wanting to get her alone, and it could either be the best idea he's ever had or the worst.

There had been a lot on his mind lately, which probably wasn't unique to him, considering what was happening in the galaxy. He could imagine that a lot of people were re-evaluating things in the grim shadow of potential death. One thing that weighed heavily on his mind was his platonic relationship with Shepard. Shepard and Garrus had a strong friendship cemented fairly quickly after their first meeting. Neither of them knew why, but they just seemed to click, fit each other completely. They had been honest with each about things that wore them down, knowing the other wouldn't judge.

When she died, he was devastated. He felt like a part of him had been tore away violently, in truth it had. She was a vital part of him. So, when she turned up on Omega, alive with those bright violet eyes lit up in delight to see her old friend, he knew where his place was. He belonged with her; fighting for her, with her and even occasionally against her. Yes, they had their moments where they butted heads, but it was only because they felt secure enough in their friendship to be honest with each other.

Now he was at a point in his life where he finally could acknowledge the shift in his feelings. If he had to pin point it, he'd say that it was when he saw her again on Palaven. He was sure quite what did it, but it was something the way she fought so strongly for his fellow Turians. Well, that's what he thought at first.

It was only when he was writing his email to invite her out, that he realised that on some level, he had always been in love with her, he just hadn't realised it yet.

Garrus' lack of self-confidence has made him ignore the true depth of his feelings for so long, added was the belief that Shepard had feelings for Kaidan. Then she had grown close to Thane, so he came to accept his place as Shepard's General and confidant. Now they were standing on the precipice of their destruction, he didn't want to die with the regret of never being honest in his unwavering love for her. So, he waited.

"Hey, G-man," Shepard called out.

Garrus looked up quickly to see Shepard strolling towards him. He swallowed quickly as he studied her. She was dressed in a short black dress that showed more skin than he had ever seen before, and her long red hair was down, something he rarely saw. She looked like Shepard, but it was punch in a gut to remind him that she was very much a woman.

"Awww, you made a special effort for me?" he said with a smile. "How many bodies did you leave in your wake?"

"Oh, just a dozen or so." Shepard shrugged as she noticed a Turian C-Sec officer checking her out as he passed her. "So, what are we doing?"

"Something that doesn't involve fighting Reapers."

Shepard scoffed. "I don't think they've conquered the bar yet."

"Mmmm, I've scoped it out already, but if it is my last day alive, I'd like to remember it."

"So?"

"So, I had an idea." Garrus pressed the Skycar panel to open the door, and helped her inside. He could feel his nerves grow as he piloted the Skycar to the Presidium.

"So, where are we going?" asked Shepard as she watched the scenery of the Presidium move passed.

"Somewhere we're not supposed to." Garrus flashed her a mischievous grin.

"Oh," she chuckled. "There's the rebel Turian I know and love."

Garrus felt the blood in his veins heat up when she said love. He hoped that she meant it. "Ever had that one thing you always wanted to do before die, Shepard?"

"Too busy trying to live. What's yours?"

"When I worked at C-Sec, I would look up at the Presidium and think, I want to go up there," he explained, trying to keep his eyes off the tattoo that just peaked out when the hem of her dress slid up her thighs. "There were 137 regulations telling me I couldn't."

So, you got them changed?"

"No. Now I just don't give a damn."

Garrus gently landed the Skycar on a Presidium walkway, quickly turning back to the car after he got out to grab a case and two sniper rifles. "I wanna do something stupid while I still get the chance."

Shepard huffed a laugh as she looked around from their spot in the Presidium. "And there's me thinking we did nothing but stupid things."

"Well, this time we won't be endangering our lives," he chuckled as he chucked a rifle expertly to her with one hand. "We are gonna settle something once and for all."

Garrus shouldn't have expected anything less than Shepard hitting her last shot. He was always in awe of her abilities. She was just a natural soldier and he had learned a lot from her. "You win this one, Shepard," he said with a grin.

"Garrus…." Shepard's face suddenly turned serious. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Oh?" The look on her face worried him. He could sense some guilt coming from her, and he wasn't sure why. "Is there something wrong, Shepard?"

'After we helped Liara defeat the Shadow broker..." Shepard put down the rifle and moved towards the edge of the walkway. "…I was going through the Dossiers and something in yours bothered me."

An uneasy feeling gripped Garrus as he wondered what it could be in that dossier to bother her so much. "What is it, Shepard?"

"The dossier made it seem like I was preventing you from reaching your full potential." Shepard shrugged as she crossed her arms, sighing deeply as she watched the Skycars wiz passed under the walkway.

Garrus reached out to her, taking her hand and pulling her close to him as they were face to face. "And what is my full potential?"

"Garrus you're an incredible leader, respected and knowledgeable. You could be so much more than a Alliance Commander's resident Turian."

It pained him to see the fear in her eyes. She felt like she was holding him back, but it couldn't be further from the truth. But he knew there was more to it; something she didn't want to say. "That's not just that is it?"

Shepard huffed out a breath as she thought back to Castis Vakarian's message. "I had a message from your father. He was angry that you were with me again, and he accused me of deliberately holding you back, because you might become something bigger, more important than me." A tear started to fall down her cheek when the guilt got too much.

"Don't listen to anything he says," he told her, as he moved his hands to caress each side of her face. His gloved thumb wiped away the tear, unable to bear seeing it. "Did it ever occur to that Human brain of yours that I like being your resident Turian?"

"Can you honestly say that being with me is better than being anywhere else?" Shepard let herself go when Garrus closed the gap between them so their bodies were touching. They had been close but this was different. This was the kind of closeness that only came with time and the way he looked at her was different. She let her hands caress the clothed skin of his arms, stopping to cover the hands that held her. "If you tell me that you are where you want to be, I'll believe you."

"Katherine…." That was the first time he ever used her first name. He'd always known what it was but he just called her what everyone else did. "I am where I want to be. I need to be here, because here is with you."

"Am I really that important?" she asked, a little tremble in her voice. She never wanted him to feel like he was beholden to her. If he wanted to go, it would hurt but she wouldn't stop him.

"Katherine, I love you. I've always loved you." There it was. The full truth of his reason for finding a way back to Shepard every time. "Shepard and Vakarian is meant to be. Also, who else is going pull your ass from the fire?"

Shepard laughed through the tears that once again slipped down her face. "Why did you never say anything?"

"I was content enough to be someone you could rely on." Garrus cursed the fabric of his gloves and suit as he kept the warmth of her touch from his skin. "You had Kaidan, then Thane. I never thought I'd be an option."

"Garrus, I wish I had known….I.."

"I can handle it if you don't feel the same, but I just didn't want to die without it being said."

It felt like an eternity had passed as they stood looking at each other. There was so much to say, so many packed away feelings to drag out of the cargo bay to be sorted through. They had a bond that many could only hope for. They would die for each other, walk into hell for each if they had to, and they'd do it without complaint or hesitation. Now they had to navigate through this new stage of their relationship.

"You know, when you tell a girl you love her, you wrap your arms around her and kiss her like you mean it," Shepard teased.

Garrus did as she said, wrapping his arms around her as it were the only way to keep her safe. He had never kissed before but he had seen the Human movies and often wondered what it would be like. "I'm not very good at this kind of thing."

"I already love you, Garrus. So well done you," she said with a laugh as she melted into his embrace. He felt like safety. "Now kiss me."

"Aye Aye, Ma'am," he purred as before he pressed his mouth to hers gently, enjoying the feeling of her soft lips.

It was completely foreign to him, but he quickly understand why so many sung the praises of kissing. It felt so intimate, probably the most intimate thing he had ever done. Her lips gently massaged the tips of his mouth, giving him an entirely new sensation. His mouth tingled as her warm tongue teased the edges, trying to tempt his mouth open. He decided to put into practice what he has seen in the vids, gently caressing her tongue with his own. She moaned against his mouth when a hand strayed down her back to knead the flesh of backside, awed at how her body seemed to fit his alien hands.

"Wow. For a first timer, you really know how to make a girl's knees weak?" Shepard said as she pulled away, her lips trembling from Garrus' tender kiss. "That ass grab was really something," she chuckled.

"I have to make my girl happy." He pressed his crest against her forehead as his thumb gently stroked her jawline. "You wanna be a one Turian kind of woman?"

Shepard reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "The most important question is, where does a Human and Turian go to show how much they love each other."

Garrus quickly lifted her up in his arms, making her gasp but there was a giggle behind it. "I have some ideas about that."

It took the crew a grand total of 2 hours before they all knew that Shepard and Garrus were now a couple. Not that they advertised their new relationship, as it was Joker who sent the rumor mill going after they returned to the ship when Joker noticed a moment between his friends that was certainly not in the realm of a purely platonic relationship. Not that Joker wasn't happy about it, he was, but the opportunity for gold plated gossip was just too much of opportunity to pass up. The crew were happy about too, although they never said anything to either Shepard or Garrus, it was just something that was happening now, and that was that.

Garrus stayed in her cabin for the night after their trip to the Presidium. They both managed to carve out some downtime and they used it to get better acquainted on a more physical level and a deeper emotional one. They talked, watched movies, made love and just enjoyed being together. At some point during the third film, Shepard fell asleep in his arms, probably falling into a deeper sleep than she had in a long time.

There was something nagging at Garrus, it came in the way of his father. He had been furious with his father for sending the message he did to Shepard, but he hid his anger to avoid Shepard feeling more guilt over his decision to join her crew again. Garrus knew his father was worried but he had no right to attack Shepard over his choices. He had things to say to his father, and he needed to say them.

He carefully moved, detangling himself from his Human lover. He didn't want to wake her; she looked so at peace, finally getting some decent sleep for a change. He lumbered wearily across the cabin to Shepard's private terminal that he now had access to should he need it. He could feel the bile in his chest, a ball of resentment threatening to come out.

To:

From:

Subject: Shepard

If you have something you want to say, then say it to me, dad. You know very well it was my choice to return to Shepard, and my choice only.

If you knew what she was doing, how hard she was working to save everyone, you might understand why I need to be here with her. I'm not just a Turian that the Alliance make use of, I'm practically second in command of this ship, while I help Victus with the platoons.

I'm not just some waster, jumping from one thing to another to avoid any sort of responsibility. I have plenty of responsibility, and the woman I love is the one I take very seriously.

Now back off!

It was a relief to finally let it out, to fight back against the judgement that his father had chucked at him for years. He was fed up with feeling like he wasn't enough Turian for his father to proud of. When his mother was ill, Castis constantly berated Garrus for not being there enough, not contributing enough. When Garrus left C-Sec to work for Shepard, Castis was once again in his carapace for not following what a good Turian does.

Well, Garrus could finally say that he was glad he wasn't a "good" Turian. If he had been the perfect Turian, did everything society said he should, get married and have kids, he wouldn't be on an Alliance vessel now, surrounded by friends and people, Humans that respected him and accepted his leadership. He wouldn't be in the cabin of a Commander that he had admired, and learned from for many years. A woman whom he loved and adored, and for some bizarre reason, loved and adored him just as much.

A sound from the sleeping Human caught Garrus' attention, so he left the desk and padded back to the bed, eager to climb in beside his girlfriend again, so he could wrap her up in his arms.

"Garrus?" Shepard moaned as she felt him climb back into bed.

"Sorry, didn't meant to wake you." Garrus could see Shepard looking at him, the dim blue light of the fish tank making her eyes glow. His heart thumped as he studied her. She was on her back, with a forearm resting on her forehead and her hair was splayed out over her pillow, her eyes half closed from sleepiness, but she looked beautiful. "Do you know just how beautiful you look right now?"

Shepard chuckled sleepily. "That must all those orgasms that Archangel gave me."

"Archangel wants to know if you'd like another one," Garrus purred as he pulled back the covers, his hands massaging her thigh.

"Maybe," she teased. "But I just need reminding, how much does Archangel love me again?"

Garrus moved quickly, pinning her hands above her head but he was careful not to put his full weight on her. He loved the warmth of her skin, the feel of her breasts against his chest. He could never be surer that he was exactly where he wanted to be.

"Archangel loves you very much."