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- - - - - Chapter 2 : Garrus - - - - -

The skylight in the commanding officer's quarters, so often filled with stars, now held the vibrant red of Illium's setting sun. Its light sparkled though the fishtank, causing the darting fish inside to throw reflections around the cabin with their every motion.

Shepard sat at her desk with her feet propped up beside her monitor, hands folded over her stomach. Her eyes were glazed, distant, studying the model of the SSV Normandy SR-1, but not truly seeing the model itself. Her eyes were focused on the past, on the original Normandy, beautiful and in her prime. Shepard would have trusted each member of the crew with her life. But, in the end, did any of that matter? She was alone in her death. No one was beside her as she was swallowed by the darkness of space.

Yet, because of those called Cerberus, the organization she hated, she was here. Alive. And with so much time lost to her. Lost to the Reaper fleet. The weight on her shoulders was suffocating. She was drowning in it. But, did she really have a right to reach out to someone for comfort? Was this her burden alone? She hated to call herself desperate, but it was probably the truth. If she reached out to someone, would she only drag them down with her? Liara. Garrus.

The click of his talons was audible on the metal floor of the cabin. In three strides he was beside her, but her mind didn't register that he had returned until she felt his hand on her cheek, turning her face to his, away from the Normandy, away from memories.

"Don't do that. It scares me."

"Do what, Garrus?" She managed a weak smile, her eyes losing a fraction of their glazed look.

He frowned as well as a Turian could manage. His sky-blue eyes bore into her's, as if he was trying to pull her back into the present. "Get lost in your thoughts, Shepard. Sometimes I worry that if you keep doing that, you won't be able to come back."

She blinked at him. "What makes you think that's what I was doing?"

"Because you have four unread messages at your terminal, all of which have arrived since I left you sitting in this chair in the same position you're in now." He didn't wait for a response from her, which was a good thing, because she didn't know what sort of response to give. "Do you want me to tell you about Liara? Or would you rather I not?"

Shepard swung her feet off the edge of her desk, and Garrus sat where they had been, his back against the glass of the display case, his arms crossed over his chest. Shepard noticed. In her experience with him, Garrus crossed his arms just like that whenever something bothered him in the extreme. Her eyes flicked up to his face to be met and caught by piercing eyes of sky-blue. Eyes that could look straight through her. Eyes that made judgment calls on everything they focused on, and they were looking straight at her. Judging her? Analyzing her? Eyes that could either accept her of reject her. She looked away.

"I want you to tell me."

"Even if you don't like what you hear?"

"This isn't about liking it or not. I made a choice and I need to hear the consequences."

"Liara T'soni, even now, still cares about you. After talking with you, it's obvious that she brushed you off because she didn't want either of you to be distracted from what needed to be done."

Shepard didn't find a voice to reply with for more than a minute. When she did, she murmured softly, almost to herself, "God... Liara... How was I supposed to know...?" She covered her face with her hand, massaging the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "What else did she say, Garrus?"

The Turian considered his options, left mandible flicking in thought. Tell her everything or leave things out? Which would burden her less? That was why he hadn't wanted her to come along in the first place.

"She's going after the Shadow Broker partially for your sake. Liara was the one who gave your body to Cerberus."

Blunt. Too the point. Too much so. Like he had physically hit her. She recoiled, disbelieving. Where was his tact? Sitting still was suddenly painful for her. She stood, clamping her hands behind her back. Pacing. A caged varren came to mind.

Garrus sat on the edge of her desk, watching the confused thoughts swirl around Shepard in a haze. She would tell him when she wanted more. He only regretted that there hadn't been a more gentle way to tell her. As Shepard paced, he studied her expression. Garrus saw each confused thought addressed, answered and dismissed, or unanswered and categorized. This was how she processed information; he had seen it enough times to fully understand it. The immaculate mask of the galaxy's savior must not be allowed to crack. If that happened, everyone would see her weakness, rather than the occasional slip around those she trusted. Garrus understood it, but had always disliked her need for it.

"What reason did she give you for turning me over to Cerberus?" She shot, her brow furrowed.

"Apparently, she took your body from the Shadow Broker, who planned on selling you to the Collectors. She gave you to Cerberus because she knew you were still needed, and because she didn't want to lose you. Cerberus told Liara they could bring you back."

"And she believed them. She always was naive." A softness crept into her eyes as she spoke.

"They told her the truth, Shepard."

She stopped pacing. Shepard stood facing the fishtank, the reflected sunlight dazzling her vision. Again, she didn't hear him move. His arms were around her waist, holding her close, pressing her back to the armor covering his chest.

"For what it's worth, Shepard, I'm glad she gave you that second chance at life."

"Garrus..."

He leaned forward slightly, nuzzling his face against her hair, inhaling her scent. Sweet, spice, and a slight tang of metal. Distinct. Unique. This human woman. Many people, himself included, believed her to be the only thing keeping the Reaper fleet at bay, their only savior, their only protector. Was she a shield, a weapon, an icon, a steadfast leader in the face of extinction of all life? Or was she mortal, prone to weakness, poor choices, and misgivings like everyone else?

She wasn't only a comrade to him anymore. He had found himself caring for her with a depth he still couldn't fully understand. But, it was doubtful she felt the same way toward him.

As if Shepard sensed his thought, she turned in his hold, her hands on either side of his face. She kissed him gently, her eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Beautiful. Not in a Turian sense. Maybe not in a human sense either. She was beautiful to him because she was Shepard. His talons curled through her hair, the sensation similar to the feel of silk or water. His other arm wrapped around her, almost worried she would vanish and he would be left holding air and memory.

Why had she chosen him? The thought circled in his mind, finding neither escape nor comfortable explanation. Was he merely a token of the life she had lost? A substitute for Liara? Was she simply grasping for the broken pieces of her life from before, ans he was one of the few her hand managed to catch? If he asked for an answer, would it add yet another burden to these small shoulders?

"No..." she whispered, her mouth millimeters from his, "...you aren't a substitute for Liara. Don't even think that, Garrus."

"What makes you think that's what I was doing?" he rumbled, sending vibrations through her chest.

"Nothing particularly observant on my part, unlike you. I could just tell. Woman's instincts." The corner of her mouth crept into a smile. "You've had my back since the beginning, Garrus. You're a better sniper than I'll ever be. You've got guts, an honest streak, and you're as noble as hell. Not to mention that I... love... 'blowing off steam' with you. I care about you because of who you are, not because of how I know you or when I met you."

Relief. Answers he had been to critical of to consider as possibilities rolled off her tongue and rang with truth. His concerns were dissipated by a few simple words from her. Garrus supposed that in itself showed the influence she had over him. But, he didn't mind.

"I'm here if you need me, Shepard."

"I know you are, Garrus. I need you."

- - - - - Chapter 2 : Garrus : End - - - - -

A/N: There will be one more chapter to this fic. ^^ If you don't count that 2,000-plus-handwritten-page Yu-Gi-Oh fic I wrote back in middle school, this is my first multi-chapter fic. I loved writing Garrus in this chapter. I want to write more about him. =3 Also, Shepard's last line in this fic is actually something I said while playing ME2 the first time. XD; (Is that the kind of thing I should admit?)

Completely random A/N: Why in the heck did TIM tell Shepard that Liara was an agent for the Shadow Broker?! He completely -knew- that she wasn't! TIM = Liarface scumbag! I swear, he was -trying- to cut out Shepard's old supports. *growls*

Anyway, please look forward to the next chapter, and reviews are always, always read and appreciated. Thank you so much for reading! =D