In the cab on the way to the Ilium Transport Station, Shepard and Garrus made small talk. Miranda was quiet; Linda knew she was worried about her sister, Oriana.
"You look different today Shepard," Garrus said.
"It must be the visor; I picked it up the last time we were on Omega. It's similar to the one you wear," she replied.
The appearance of an Eclipse gun ship put a temporary end to the conversation. Miranda landed the cab behind cover; everyone climbed out and did a quick weapons check.
Linda looked at Garrus with a twinkle in her eye and asked, "So, Garrus. Does my visor make me as sexy as yours makes you?"
Garrus considered her for a moment; "Sexy? Sure. As sexy as me? No way!"
Shepard laughed; she saw Miranda scowling at them. "C'mon Sexy," she said as she affectionately bumped her armor-clad shoulder against his. "Let's go rescue the damsel in distress." With that, she turned and walked to meet the approaching Eclipse leader.
Garrus saw the subtle change come over her and knew that she was now 'Commander' Shepard. Even as he cleared his mind for combat, Garrus filed one thought away for further contemplation later: Does Shepard really think I'm sexy?
####
Several hours later, Oriana and her family were safe and Miranda had talked to her sister briefly. Shepard practically had to order her to do so, but Miranda seemed glad that she had. Once back on the Normandy, Shepard had been summoned to Miranda's office.
"Shepard, I want to thank you for helping me rescue Oriana; it means a lot to me," Miranda said.
"I'm happy to help Miranda. You're a part of my team; that means that we help each other."
"Speaking of the team," Miranda continued, "I feel it necessary to let you know that I think that your conversation with Garrus was entirely inappropriate."
"Inappropriate? Miranda, you have a lot of nerve. Garrus is my friend – my best friend. We go back a long way. I know you haven't had a lot of close friends, but that is what friends do; they joke, they tease."
"This mission is serious, Shepard" Miranda insisted.
"Yes, the mission is. Every single moment is not. You have to find time to relax, blow off steam, have some fun or you burn out and that doesn't help anyone – or the mission."
Miranda fixed Linda with a cool look and said "Sexy?"
Linda laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, Garrus is a very attractive man."
"I'll take your word for it Shepard."
"Miranda, you have expressed your concerns about my friendship with Garrus; consider them noted. However, do not expect the relationship to change." At least not in the way you're thinking, Linda thought to herself.
"On that note, take some advice from your commander. You have forced yourself to live in isolation too long Miranda; it isn't good for you, and it isn't good for the mission. You need to learn to trust, to let someone be your friend. I know that isn't what you want to hear after Niket betrayed you, but everyone is not like Niket. What about Jacob? I know you two were friends at one time. I don't know what happened between you…" Miranda started to speak, but Linda held up one hand to stop her. "I don't want to know; it's none of my business."
"Shepard," Miranda began.
"I'm not telling you to sleep with him Miranda; just let your guard down a little and let him be your friend. You made sure that he found out that his father was still alive so obviously you still have some feelings for him. Jacob is a good man, just give him a chance. If you decide to sleep with him later…." Shepard smiled.
"I'll think about it Shepard" Miranda said.
"That's all I am asking. I'll let you get back to work now."
####
Shepard's next stop was in the armory to talk to Jacob.
"Commander," Jacob said, coming to attention.
"At ease, Jacob. I'm just interested in talking for a bit. There are a couple of items that we need to discuss. First, I think there has been a misunderstanding between us. I think our last conversation left you with the impression that I was hitting on you. That was most definitely not the case. I like you Jacob; you are a good man and a good soldier, I'm glad to have you on my team. However, I am not interested in you in that way."
"Thanks for clearing that up Commander; that could have been awkward. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, I want to talk to you about Miranda; I know you two were close at one time. She is going through a really tough time right now. I won't give you the details; she can give you those if she chooses. She is too hard-headed to admit it, but she really needs a friend right now."
"Are you ordering me to talk to her Commander?" Jacob asked.
"Of course not. I am simply telling you, one team member to another, about someone we both care about; someone that is hurting. What you do with that information is up to you. I'll talk to you later Jacob."
"Commander," Jacob stood at attention again.
Shepard shook her head as she walked out. Jacob stared at the door, lost in thought.
####
Shepard made a quick stop to speak to Rupert in the mess hall, and then was off to the main battery to see Garrus. His visit to Shepard's cabin after Horizon had marked a turning point in their relationship. The two of them now spent every evening side-by-side on her couch eating and talking.
"Hey, you!" Shepard said as she entered the battery. "I am finally finished with Miranda. Are you still planning on coming up to the cabin tonight?"
"Of course. I had almost given up on you though."
"Sorry – that took longer than I expected. I haven't even had a chance to get out of my armor yet. Give me ten minutes to get changed and then come on up."
"Will do, Shepard. Unless you think you might need a hand with the armor?" he asked teasingly.
Shepard cocked her eyebrow at him and said, "Careful - I just might take you up on that offer." Then she grinned, saying, "See you in ten!" as she headed for the elevator.
Garrus sat on the nearby crate, several thoughts crowding through his mind. Way to go Vakarian. What were you thinking? Do you really want to cross that line? He thought about his relationship with Shepard and the changes that it had undergone recently. I've never thought of humans as particularly attractive. However, Shepard is different; I've always found her attractive. Am I interested in taking this relationship further? Definitely! I think she's attracted to me too, but I don't want to scare her off. I have no idea how to proceed with an interspecies romance. Maybe I better do some research...
####
When Garrus entered Shepard's cabin, she grabbed his hand and practically drug him to the sitting area.
"I have a surprise for you," she said, pointing to a container on the table. Curious, Garrus opened it.
"Shepard, how…." The look on his face was priceless.
"I asked Rupert to lay in a supply of turian food while we were on Ilium. He said that he got a wide variety and a few recipes. I hope you approve of his choices," she said, sounding slightly worried.
"Are you kidding? I haven't had authentic turian food in ages. At this point, even Brussels Sprouts would be wonderful."
"Glad to hear it. C'mon – sit down and eat. I'm starving!" Shepard said grabbing her food.
Garrus enjoyed watching Shepard eat. She didn't try to be dainty like some women he had known. She ate with all of the gusto of any man he had ever met. At times like this, when she was exceptionally hungry, it would have taken a braver man than he to interrupt her meal.
"Thanks, Shepard – the food means a lot to me. Rupert's version may not exactly be home-cooking, but it's wonderful nonetheless."
"I'm glad you like it Garrus; nothing is too good for my favorite turian," she replied laying her head on his shoulder briefly. "Rupert said for you to let him know if you have any special recipes that you would like for him to make. He knows how dangerous this mission is and is eager to do what he can to make things better for the crew."
"What about you? Do you have any special requests for our resident chef?" Garrus asked.
"Nah. I was a spacer kid; I've lived on starships most of my life. Mess hall food is home-cooking to me."
Once Shepard had taken the edge off of her appetite, she filled Garrus in on her conversations with Miranda and Jacob. She carefully left out the part where she told Miranda that he is an attractive man.
"Wait," Garrus interrupted. "I'm your best friend? Really?"
"Absolutely," Shepard said, looking at him seriously. "I am more comfortable with you than I have ever been with anyone else my entire life. I trust you completely. I can, and do, talk to you about everything."
"Thanks Shepard. I'm flattered – I feel the same way about you." Garrus reached out and stroked her cheek lightly.
Before things could get too serious, he pulled a small box out of his pocket. "I have a little surprise for you too. We're thinking alike again," he grinned. "I asked Rupert if he knew of any special food that you might like. He didn't know of any certain food, but he recommended this…" Garrus took the top off of the box.
Shepard's eyes got big. "Garrus – is that chocolate?"
"Not just any chocolate," he replied, "dark chocolate."
"Oh, you wonderful man – I could kiss you!" Shepard removed a piece of chocolate from the box reverently. She inhaled its fragrance and then bit into it carefully. She closed her eyes and sighed in pure bliss as the chocolate melted in her mouth.
"Shepard," Garrus exclaimed "after watching you, I think I need a cold shower. I've never seen anyone turn food into such an erotic experience."
"Garrus – this isn't food; this is dark chocolate. It is an erotic experience – or as close as you can get without actual sex being involved." She arched her eyebrow at him. "Thank you." She took his face gently in her hands. "I am going to kiss you," she said and leaning forward, kissed him tenderly on the fringe. Pulling back, she asked curiously, "Do turians kiss?"
In response, Garrus leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "You could say that this is a turian kiss," he said.
"You mean – we have been kissing and I didn't even know it?" Shepard scowled at him; Garrus just grinned.
"What else have we been doing that I don't know about?" she asked.
Garrus put one arm around Linda and pulled her against him. "Trust me, Shepard," he growled, "if we do anything else, I promise – you will know." He heard her breathing quicken and saw her pupils dilate.
Pushing her gently away, Garrus caressed Shepard's cheek one more time. "I think I should leave now," he said. "That cold shower can't wait forever. Good night Shepard."
"Good night Garrus," Shepard said, her voice sounding rough.
Shepard stared briefly at the closed door, then stripped out of her shipsuit and headed for the shower herself.