I'm sorry... were're still stuck on this scene... longer chapter though and I promise it will pick up and not be so repetitive next chapter
One again I don't own squat... =(
AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
That was the final straw for Shepard. She had to find out what was wrong with him. She might not have been ready to trust him with her heart just yet, but he was her only true friend in this screwed up galaxy.
So against her better judgment, she decided to go down and have a talk with partner in crime. No Shepard without Vakarian she had once said and right now Vakarian was out of commission until he talked to her and followed the good doctor's orders.
She nodded to Chakwas as she passed the medical bay windows, and only hesitated for a split second before she stepped into the forward battery.
"Shepard, need me for something?" He asked without turning around.
At least he spoke to me...
"You got a minute?" She asked already knowing the answer.
"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."
"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."
This is getting really old really fast… Bet I could get answers quicker out of Grunt at this point.
The thought both saddened and angered her. Here he was supposed to be her friend, her confidant, and her other half. At least she felt like he was the better piece of her, the part that made her complete. Not that she could tell him that.
He'd probably be on the first boat back to Palivan… Well second boat…
The thought crossed her mind as she leaned against the bulkhead; crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, she let out a frustrated sigh. As much as she wanted to tell him, she knew that she would scare him off. Or worse he would feel the same way. If he felt the same way she would eventually lose him, and she did not think she would ever recover from Garrus Vakarian if that were to happen. They were not even in that kind of relationship, but she knew she would never be as close or feel the same about anyone else.
One thing she was sure of, however, was that Garrus would never abandon her or this mission. Maybe after the mission he would haul tail and leave her but not a second before. However, she was not quite ready to test that theory.
"I'll let you get back to work."
She smirked at his sigh of relief.
Not this time buster… You will talk to me today… If not as my friend then as my subordinate…
She hated thinking about Garrus as a subordinate, but throughout her military career she had learned that sometimes you have to throw your weight as well as your rank and title around to get results.
If only it worked on Udina…
She stopped herself from letting out a frustrated sign. Now was not to the time to go off on that pain in her ass.
If anything she may have been the Commander but they all worked as equal parts of a team, and if Chakwas and EDI was right about his eating and sleeping habits, and they usually were, Garrus was putting the team at risk.
"After you answer a couple of questions."
At that Garrus spun around and stared at her in shock as she leaned back against the bulkhead; arms crossed, never breaking eye contact.
Is he really that shocked that I have questions?... That I wouldn't notice something was wrong and out of place… Come on Garrus I thought you knew me better than that…
He audibly snapped his mouth shut, causing Shepard to cringe slightly. If he had noticed her quick flinch he did not voice it. Instead he shuffled his feet, rubbed the back of his neck, and looked as if he was attempting, and failing miserably, to look at ease.
"Go ahead Shepard; what do you need to know?"
The tension in Shepard's shoulders relaxed slightly.
At least he's looking at me now… though he still looks like he could bolt at any second…
Without even realizing it Jane moved between him and the door. It was a subconscious move she had honed over her many years of service and apparently dying and being rebuilt by Cerberus had not damped her instincts. It was a subtle move she used when dealing with criminals waiting for an opening to run (she really hated it when they ran, it usually ended up with her having to shoot them) but it was also a move she often used when dealing with traumatized and scarred victims, like Talitha.
Don't get to close or crowd them… might make them do something you'll both regret… but don't allow them the opportunity to run… if they get away they're both a danger to themselves, you, and to others… there is no worse situation then having to shoot an innocent that no longer has control of their body, mind, or actions…
Lessons from Dr. Cochran's Recovery and Treatment of Former Hostages class at the academy came flooding back. It was one of the few theory classes that she had found most helpful when on missions as well as with handling some of her crew.
"Well to start with, when was the last time you ate?"
She really did not mean to snap but between frustration and lack of answers as well as her worry for his health and well-being, she was not in the mood to play.
Seeing him drawing a blank Shepard turn toward EDI's terminal, "EDI," She barked, "When was the last time Officer Vakarian ate?"
As EDI's blue holographic orb materialized she noticed Garrus cringe.
Ok maybe I am being a little harsh… Don't want to send him into a panic attack…
"Eighteen hours, forty-one minutes, and six-"
Garrus cut her off. "I had a plasmid sandwich just last night!"
What the hell is a plasmid sandwich? … It doesn't even sound healthy… or appetizing…
"There is no reason to yell Officer Vakarian. I can assure you that my auditory microphones are in top working order. I believe that the Commander wished to know when the last time you ate a nutritious satisfying me-"
"EDI! There was nothing wrong with my-"
Before the two could really start bickering, Shepard cut them both off with a "Thank you EDI."
Strike one "Officer Vakarian"...
She mentally held up a finger
"Next question," she did not bother addressing Garrus at all this time; she instead turned all of her attention to EDI's terminal. "When was the last time Officer Vakarian slept?"
"Thirty-two hours, fourteen minutes, thirteen-"
Strike two...
Garrus cut EDI off again outraged. "I nap here and there all the time!"
"Officer Vakarian, the amount of time needed for a turian to descend into a deep sleep-"
This is getting us nowhere…
"Thank you EDI." Jane let out a tired sigh. "One last question, when was the last time Garrus Vakarian willingly had a conversation with me?"
Strike three… You're out…
EDI was quiet, and with a less authoritative than normal, "logging you out Shepard," her soft blue globe disappeared from the battery; for witch Jane was especially grateful for.
She just stood there, waiting patiently for Garrus to gather his thoughts and give her an answer.
He looked miserable. He looked like he had lost his best friend, or like someone had killed his dog or something.
Do they have dogs on Palivan? …
Her stance softened as she watched him shuffle his feet. Jane had always thought it was ironic that her bad ass sniper got so nervous. She found it quite endearing actually that her steadfast "give them hell" vigilantly had a soft side.
It was one of the many things she loved about him.
"I'm sorry Shepard. It's just that I... I..." He trailed off.
He stuttered and she felt her heart break.
Here he is apologizing to me… I should be the one apologizing… I should have spoken to him sooner… I should have…
Jane knew she could not blame herself anymore then she could blame Garrus. She did not even know what was wrong and yet just seeing how miserable he was and she knew there was no way he wanted to feel the way he did.
Whatever is wrong must be bad… that or he doesn't see a way out or anyway to fix it…
She knew he had problems. Hell, everyone on this boat had problems, and not just your run of the mill problems either. Not to mention the people themselves. It was a known fact that all of them should be admitted to the loony bin, that's probably why the Illusive Man put Kelly on board with them. It seemed Shepard attracted bonafide crazy people.
She mentally ran down the list.
Ashley the Xenophobe… Kaidan's childhood and implants… Joker's legs… and his loss of the Normandy… Liara's indoctrinated mother… Wrex… well all Krogan have that problem… Thane's illness, the loss of his wife, and son issues… Samara's daughter… Miranda's father and sister… Jacob's father…
For a second there Jane was almost glad she did not have parents or kids, almost.
Mordan's guilt… I'm assuming he feels guilty because of the genophage… Tali's treason charges… Zaeed… Not going there… Jack… And I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole…
This was not to say she should not be admitted to the crazy hospital too, not by a long shot. Between losing her team on her Akuze, dying, and being brought back to life by a terrorist organization, OH, and having to save the entire galaxy made her screwed up childhood, her trust issues, her relationship issues, and Udina issues look like a walk in the park.
And then there was Garrus
Garrus had had his share of hardships; that was a fact she knew and knew well. He had on several occasions he had stressed that he was not a good Turian, whatever that meant, as well as it could be assumed that he and his father were not on good speaking terms. Jane knew his mother was deathly ill and that there were not any know cures at this time. She also knew he had a sister and that she was taking his mother's health hard, especially without her brother around. Leaving C-Sec with her in her hunt for Saren had strained his family ties even more, especially with his father. She could only imagine what pain her death had caused him. And as for being on Omega, Lord, she did not even pretend to understand the pain he went through when he lost his team. Shepard had lost her own team on Akuze, but that had been circumstance and not because of a betrayal. To add insult to injury there was the rocked to the face, new implants, and her not giving him a shot at Sidonis…
Oh…
It had not even been a week since that screwed up situation, and they had not exactly talked about it either.
Well he can't stay mad at me forever…
She softened even more. He did not deserve her being an ass when he had went through so much. It seemed almost natural now that she thought about it. She had gone through something similar. The loss of appetite, the lack of sleep (though she still did not sleep as much as she should what with Prothean visions as well as being spaced nightmares).
Guess dying will do that too you…
Throwing yourself into your work to forget.
"Hey…"
Her movement startled him out of his morbid thoughts. As she stepped up to him, she gently placed a hand on his scarred cheek.
"Garrus," she said softly, "talk to me. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."
Don't Forget to Review PLEASE! Reviews make me happy and write new chapters quicker!
I know it's not moving fast but it will start picking up next chapter... I just felt that these first 3 chapters were a necessary evil. Just to give my Shepard some background and how everyone is feeling.