Hello Readers. Thank you to everyone that has been reading, and thank you so much to those reviewers who have been reviewing every chapter! Seriously, it means a lot.

Now here are responses to a review and PM that I thought would be good to address to everyone:

Is this Shepard the default Jane Shepard?Because to be honest, I avoided your previous fic because of that strange name you gave you Shep.

LOL. Yes, this Shepard is the default 'Jane Shepard'. I wanted to see the reception difference between stories if I switched up the name. Jane just seems like such a boring name for someone so amazingly vital in the galaxy. I'm thinking about having a vote on names for the next story at the end of this one; which is still pretty far out, so don't worry.

Just wondering because I see it in a lot of other stories, aren't Shepard and Garrus's bodies incompatible because they can be allergic to eachother? You know, dextro and levo and all that? And on another note – is it okay to make requests of a character? Like say…if I wanted to see a little bit more aggressive or angry Garrus?

First and foremost, while the Mass Effect game did mention (through Mordin) that there could be allergic reactions, I personally believe that it is an exaggeration. The food part I understand, and it makes sense for a variety of different (metabolic) reasons. But as far as them having sex, they're travelling in space! And it's the 22nd century. No one can sit here and tell me that soldiers don't go through all kinds of immunizations and/or receive implants or take detox pills or SOMETHING to prevent illness on board the Normandy. I just think it's a little silly that they don't have preventative measures given their advances in technology.

Secondly, it is perfectly fine to make requests, I just can't always guarantee that it will be fulfilled. I can assure you however, you will be seeing a much more aggressive Garrus soon. I've been trying to save it for when Shep dies. Obviously, it will be devastating for him, both mentally and personality wise; but I'll see what I can do in the meantime.

And on that note, I am very interested in this "mass effect kink meme" that I keep hearing about, but I don't have a livejournal or whatever place it originates; plus I'm just downright lazy. So PMs are always welcome if someone wants to make a story request.

Now enjoy the chapter! (It's extremely fluffy)

.vVv.

A bright light seared through a single closed eyelid, waking the sleeper beneath. Garrus slowly opened the eye to a purple screen, shining blue and white alternately in alarm. 5:55 am. He impatiently clicked off the visor, and swung the device onto the bedside table. Why does he always forget to take it off? He pays for it every morning. Already stretching the free arm, he attempted to move his other arm to follow suit when he realized something warm was holding it in place. He rolled his head toward the warm body sleepily, inadvertently tangling his mandible in a few strands of dark hair. They smelled of…fruit. Human fruit.

Mmmm.

He closed his eyes and sniffed again, then again. Finally he took one long breath, savoring the tangy scent, before he gently pushed his nose into the source of the hairs. He rubbed and nuzzled into a warm, soft, fruit-smelling scalp. Alternately sniffing and mumbling to himself, he adjusted his body as close to his companion's as he could get, taking care not wake its sleeping form. Alas, the slightest movement caused a rippling effect in the bed, waking the woman next to him. A tiny noise escaped her lips as she breathed in deeply and turned her body to face him, all the while stretching. Garrus positioned his chin above her head, flicking his mandible in thought.

She's…cute. He blinked a few times, picking apart what he had just mentally confirmed. Can Shepard even be called cute? As if in reply to him, Shepard moved in his arms once more, curving her face upward. Her nose was now in the crook of Garrus's neck, nostrils gently blowing air on his hot skin. He wrapped both arms around her tightly after the gesture, showing her his acknowledgement of her nuzzle. It was a sentimental motion, whether she was awake or not. Turians always showed their lovers signs of their feelings, and nuzzling faces was among the best signals. It showed the understanding of one's vulnerability, and proved to the one receiving the nuzzle that they were trusted enough to have the lover's face in such close proximity. Garrus sighed contentedly and rubbed small circles into her back with his talons. He wondered if human culture had the same loving gestures that Turians did. It didn't matter now, he felt as if he had the rest of his life to find out with her.

As if in response, Shepard peeled her eyes open reluctantly, but was instantly comfortable after feeling her lover's talons gently scratching her back. She felt like she woke up in heaven. The bed was wonderfully warm and comfortable, and she had a muscular man to use as a body pillow. What more could be asked for? She giggled and curled her lips into a puckered smile, kissing the curve of her Turian's neck. His skin twitched slightly at her touch, but she felt him stretch his neck as an invitation for more. She kissed again, then pecked a few more times. The kisses were light and soft, instigating a low rumbling vibration from deep within his chest. Shepard pressed her palm against the source of the vibration, listening and feeling Garrus's vocal satisfaction.

"Does this have a name?" Her soft, groggy voice airily floated to his ears, awakening his senses further and drawing his eyes open once more.

"Does what have a name?"

"This grumbling…growling that you do sometimes."

Garrus chuckled lightly and pulled her body closer to his chest, increasing the tempo of his sub vocal vibration for her to feel.

"I don't think there's a name for it. I guess I do it when something feels nice, or if I'm happy. I don't really pay attention to it."

Shepard gave a soft hum in reply while she continued to press her palm on his chest. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she spoke again.

"So touching foreheads together…that's a sign for love?"

Garrus tensed his muscles for a moment before loosening them when he felt Shepard's palm on his torso again. She hadn't brought up the subject since the night they had first slept on the Normandy together. He had been on the ship under her command for roughly a month now. Almost every day was spent either calibrating various aspects of the ship, researching the enemy, or taking part in some hazardous mission. The nights however, made every long and tiring day worth while. Shepard invited him to her room, some nights crawling next to him with a basic need for a body, and other nights grasping his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist with a demand for his love. Each time, he gave her exactly what she wanted, secretly sating his own desire for the woman at the same time.

It almost didn't surprise him that she brought it up today, of all mornings. Their previous night of love making had hit an all time high. It was lustful, yet romantic. Rough, yet comforting. When they had finished their bout of ecstasy, they curled up in the bed sheets, holding the other as if they would never let go. Shepard had fallen asleep in his arms not before sweetly kissing up and down his neck. Garrus had laid awake next to her for quite some time, caressing her cheek and drawing her closer to his chest, willingly accepting the warm surge of love blossoming for her in his heart.

He knew she felt the same way, and he knew that when she asked her question this morning, she wanted to hear a certain answer. This was how women were. Even Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, woman who surprised them all, could be amusingly predictable at times. Even though she had asked about the meaning of 'forehead touching', what she really wanted to ask was "Do you love me".

And the answer was yes. Spirits, I can't believe this is real. The answer had always been yes. No other woman had ever made Garrus do the things he did for her, or feel the way he did about her. Besides always watching her back, holding her six on the battlefield, he watched her emotions. Hell, what else was he going to spend his time doing on the ship between missions? Even when they were on missions, there was always at least a few minutes of downtime, and Garrus took full advantage of every chance he got to study his Commander's movements and mannerisms.

At first it had all been so alien to him. They had met with a drunken one night stand, then parted the next morning without so much as a thought. Neither had imagined they would ever meet again; but Garrus wasn't one to forget so easily. He wondered if she would remember him if they were to meet again. To his surprise, they did meet once more, both parties remembering the other very well. She had invited him onto her crew, to which he gladly accepted, and thus began his slow spiral into becoming enamored. The ship was Turian, but her commanding style was one he had never seen before. A mixture of Human, Turian, and something else. Perhaps some personification of mercy or compassion. Whatever the combination, it suited her well, and gained the respect of all personnel on the ship, especially Garrus.

She started taking him along with her on each assignment, cycling through the crew with the third member, but always making sure Garrus was present. They worked well together, and suddenly her human mannerisms weren't so alien; the way she slipped on her armor, the way she held her gun, the way she trotted lazily when there wasn't a sign of danger. He began to see her as beautiful, the way one would look upon a person of the same species.

Yes, Garrus Vakarian was in love with Commander Shepard. Which was exactly why he wasn't going to give in that easily. He knew what she wanted to hear, and Spirits be damned if he didn't want to give it to her. But that wasn't how he worked. He loved her, which meant he loved everything about her, including the way she huffed impatiently and demanded what she wanted when it wasn't given to her.

"…Yes, touching foreheads is a sign for love." He flared his mandibles out in amusement when he felt her squirm and breathe in his encircled arms. Her trademark huff could be heard, exemplifying her stubborn nature.

"So why did you do it to me?"

Garrus closed his eyes lazily and ran his talons through her hair. "Why did I do what, Commander?"

"Why did you touch your forehead to mine?"

"…Because…I wanted to." He took his time with the words, enjoying her impatient wriggling at his answers.

Joker's voice interrupted their slow talk with the day's schedule and wake up call. 6:00 am. With wide eyes, Shepard pushed out of Garrus's arms and launched herself over his now sprawled body. She rolled quite clumsily onto the cold floor then stood lightly and began combing her hair with her fingers on her way to the bathroom.

"Your mandibles must have taken quite the rough up last night from my hair. There are kinks in it that you wouldn't believe!" He heard her exclaim to him through the sound of running water. Garrus laughed and rubbed his face with his hands, waking himself as best he could before leaving the warmth of the messy bed sheets. He looked around in proud amusement at their clothes in two neat piles where they had left them the night before. It gave him a comforting and redeeming feeling. He was here, in her room, listening to the sounds of her morning ritual. If he had to stay in this room with her forever, he would be fine with that. He stepped into the bathroom, joining Shepard's body in the view of the mirror. They both looked at their reflections, gathering how they looked next to one another. Their bodies were so different; and yet, it seemed perfectly fine. Shepard smiled through her toothbrush at him, and Garrus returned it with an outward flick of his mandibles and a rub of her arm with his fingers. He walked over to the toilet and began relieving himself. He heard a surprised shriek followed by laughter, then a playful smack on his buttocks. He could get used to this.

.vVv.

"Will you tell me now why he was staring at you like that?" Garrus questioned as he lifted his new box of weaponry from the Cashier's counter. After breakfast on the Normandy, Shepard dismissed the crew for approximately 6 hours of shore leave for resupply of stock. Joker had docked them overnight at a small outpost station just off of the Citadel. Food was cheaper here, there was less traffic, and the guns were better. In fact, the only time Shepard ever shopped for any type of weaponry was when she was docked at this station, Vox-2. It was one of 4 outposts placed strategically around the Citadel to warn of intruding enemy vessels. Since all they really had to watch out for were Mercenaries and the occasional "lost" Vorcha vessels, the stations had declined a bit, slacking in their guard and gaining lenience with passersby who traded goods. People had begun to set up shop, and one by one, all 4 outposts were converted to semi-guarded "mini malls" so to speak.

Garrus took a seat at a bench and opened his box of items like a child on Christmas. His hand reached in and resurfaced with two new heat sinks in hand. Putting one in his pistol, the newly bought upgraded heat sink clicked into place with a light hiss and pop – the trademark sound of the glue seams pushing air through its rivets as it locked in place. He looked at Shepard with a corny flare of absolute satisfaction, to which Shepard couldn't help but laugh at.

"Having fun with your new toys?" She reached for the other heat sink, handling the cool metal block with delicate fingers.

"Shepard, don't dodge the question again. You said you would tell me after we bought our stuff."

Grabbing the heat sink from her, he placed it back in the box and rested his hands on his knees, awaiting her answer. Shepard sighed exasperatedly and slumped forward. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about. She had known this talk had to happen sooner or later. Of course, she had simply wanted to avoid it altogether. But her encounter with Kaiden Alenko that morning in the mess hall was more than enough reason for her to go through with this discussion with Garrus.

Forcing herself not to think about the reaction Vakarian would have, she pushed the words out of her mouth with much effort.

"Alenko heard us having sex." Her eyes squeezed shut in reaction to hearing the words with her own ears, as if she couldn't believe what she had just said. If it was that bad to her own mind, she could only imagine how bad it sounded for the Turian. But when she slowly peeked her eyes back open to look at him, his only reaction was a lazy blink and a miniscule motion of rubbing his neck with a hand.

"Ah…that's it, Shepard? Is this some human thing where if you hear a couple having sex, it's offensive..?"

Shepard opened her mouth, then closed it again to think a bit more before answering. Normally, hearing someone have sex is something that you would tease them about. Chakwas had taken advantage of that opportunity many a time aboard the Normandy. But the offensive bit, that only happened when jealousy reared its head. She hadn't actually realized that Alenko might have been jealous when she saw him.

She kissed the Turian male softly on his mandible before grabbing her jacket and leaving the small room. He still had to put his clothes back on, and she needed to alert the crew of their surprise shore leave. She exited through her doorway and rounded the corner, only to bump right into an unexpected crew member, Kaiden. She really should have expected to see him immediately due to the proximity of his station to the Captain's quarters. But she was shocked nonetheless. She gulped and addressed the lieutenant as she would any other day.

"Good morning LT. Ready for breakfast?"

He stood before her, motionless and tired. He had the look in his eye that gave away that he had stayed up all night. Shepard inwardly cringed as she remembered all of the sounds that must have emanated through the cracks of her door seal. Damn Turian and his stupid, sexy, wonderful body. She locked her eyes with Kaiden and almost fell to the floor when she heard what came out of his mouth next.

"I can't believe you would do anything like that with a Turian."

Kaiden visibly shrunk and put his fist to his mouth after saying those damning words. He bit the flesh on his hand and squinted, waiting for his Commander's onslaught.

It never came. Shepard simply stood before him, eyes closed, hands folded behind her back. When too much time had passed, she finally turned and walked toward the Command deck, bypassing the mess table and her breakfast.

She shook her head and leaned back against the bench, slumping.

She only does that when she's upset. Garrus moved closer to her, his eyes searching and scanning her face for any sign that would give away what she was feeling. He found only the faint gleam of regret, and his thoughts were confirmed with her next sentence.

"Garrus…I think we should tone our relationship down. If it bothered one person, I can think of a couple of others that it would bother as well." She sighed deeply and grasped his hand. Her fingers were heavy and rested lifelessly on his palm.

Garrus didn't understand, couldn't understand. Was she ending things with him? Over someone finding out that they fucked eachother? His body followed the suit of his commander and slouched next to her. Reeling his mind for an answer that he couldn't find, he growled angrily at the situation. On Turian ships, sex was an expected affair. That and fighting. In fact, it was made known to any and all soldiers that if they had any sort of sexual urge, to relieve themselves of it through any means necessary. It cleared the soldiers' minds and readied them for battle. Of course, sex with Shepard was much more than just a stress-reliever. He looked at the woman as if she was his, and he reveled in the fact that the same emotion was always reflected in her eyes towards him as well. This thought was not one that was easily acquired with most Turians, and it took a while for Garrus to even admit it to himself. These feelings and emotions were sparked through his love of a human, and amplified by her return of love towards him.

He was simply incapable of understanding why they were having this conversation. So he decided to voice his thoughts in the easiest way possible.

"Shepard, I am literally incapable of understanding what's going on here." He stared at her, hoping to make her realize that if she really was trying to break up with him, he won't just let it happen without a fight. He watched in utter confusion as her mouth curved into a lopsided smile and she breathed out a few wisps of a chuckle. Her hands were no longer heavy feeling, and they flew up to his face, resting on either of his mandibles.

"I'm not breaking up with you, Vakarian. Jeeze, how thick headed are you?" Her luscious lips mockingly kissed his mouth. Garrus was furious. She inadvertently made him feel all of these stupid emotions, only to tell him she was just kidding. He breathed in as deep as he could, and blew as much air into her face as he could muster. Shepard's face broke free from him and she whipped her hands back. When he realized the expression on her face was anything but happy, he knew he had gotten proper payback. So he sat patiently, folding his hands in his lap. She would explain her cruel joke sooner or later, he would just have to wait.

Her mouth huffed and Garrus watched as the woman crossed her arms and legs in frustration.

"Okay Garrus. Of course I'm not breaking up with you. But I can see that it's tough for you to understand this situation. Kaiden is jealous. And if he is upset about it, then soon everyone will know and also be upset about it. Not only that, but our mission is bigger than just our tiny crew. Saren must be stopped, and we can't do that when we're openly having sex and boasting about our relationship."

"But it's not like we're running around telling everyone that we're together."

"No, but we might as well be if we keep displaying public affections. So I think we should just keep it a secret for now okay? We should refrain from touching eachother all the time, and we definitely can't have impromptu sex scenes in the elevator."

"That was one time, Shepard. This morning."

She watched in mild amusement as the Turian next to her crossed his arms and turned away from her.

"So we won't display our relationship in public…is that an order?"

Shepard smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes it is, Vakarian."

.vVv.

The Normandy's crew was anything but energetic after they returned from the surface of Feros. The mission was a success by the book, though the lines of morality were crossed multiple times. Shepard's ground crew was a mess, and she considered it a failure for the most part. Garrus's chest piece was in shambles, leaving his torso bare and revealing gashes in his thick hide left from multiple almost direct hits from Singularities. Both of Shepard's heavy pistols were in pieces while her thigh plate was half hanging off of her body, blood pooling and hardening around the opening. Her omni tool was smashed, clamping its metal fittings and trapping her flesh underneath. Liara T'soni sat in the corner of the cargo hold, clutching her arms with bloody hands and crying through gnashed teeth. Her voice echoed through the beams of the large bay and hung heavy around the three broken figures. Silently, they shed themselves of everything they could and made their way to the medical room.

As Dr. Chakwas sealed the gashes in Vakarian's chest, Shepard paced back and forth across the room in deep thought. Joker had patched a message through the speakers while she was applying a layer of medi gel to her burnt thigh. Now, as she took step after step all around the small med bay, her thoughts travelled to Admiral Kahoku. The message was from Admiral Hackett of the Fifth Fleet. He informed her that the mutilated body in alliance uniform they found on Binthu was indeed Admiral Kahoku. Hackett explained quickly in the brief message that Cerberus was behind it, and after alliance personnel completed their autopsy, they found he had been experimented upon through the use of genetic tissue by needle injection.

Shepard had slammed her fist against a metal tray, crashing it down onto the hard floor. The message was infuriating, and not only because it reminded them of Kahoku's tragic death; but because the message also mentioned Cerberus. Of every encounter she and Garrus had with them, none of them were ever on good terms. What made it worse was that there was barely anything Shepard could do about it. Cerberus might be a morally wrong private sector, but they were hardly the real enemy here. They had bigger fish to fry, regardless of how nasty Cerberus came across as.

"They'll get what's coming to them one day, Commander. Just try to relax for now." Chakwas mumbled half to Garrus and half to Shepard while she closed the Turian's wounds.

"I know, doctor. But it doesn't change the fact that I have this…feeling. It doesn't feel right. This message sent something ominous down my spine. I need to do something about Cerberus but I can't right now. Not with how things are playing out with Saren."

Garrus cleared his throat and tried speaking in an attempt to take his mind off of the searing pain that a new needle in his flesh was providing him. "We shouldn't forget about Cerberus completely, but now is not the time to confront them. Saren is the biggest problem anyone has. It was only made even more prevalent with what Benezia said to us…"

Shepard sat next to him and lowered her head in mourning for the Asari. Liara had taken her mother's passing very hard, no matter the previous actions of the twisted woman before her death.

"You're all done Garrus. Just don't peel off the gauze fabric, it'll ruin the medi gel seal and unnecessarily expose the stitching to the air. Shouldn't hurt though. If you feel any more pain, come back to me and I'll have a look."

.vVv.

After the two left the med bay, they walked slowly to the crew quarters, talking about the day's events. They discussed strategy when they exited the elevator, spoke of formation improvements when they passed the mess table and by the time they reached the corner of the bay where the Captain's door was, they had replaced words with kisses while Garrus had his commander pinned to the wall.

He couldn't help himself. Garrus realized that it had become increasingly difficult to avoid contact with her completely, and when they did get to a place where they were alone, his body made it clear what was on his mind the whole time. He needed to touch her, to feel her tight muscles with his fingers, to have her wrap her small arms around his neck, to place his palms on her butt and grab as much of the muscle as his greedy hands wanted. Every time their faces came together was a burst of electricity in his heart that sent lightning bolts to each nerve ending in his body. The missions were terrible, but she made him feel alive after each one. Today wasn't any different, except for the fact that he didn't want to wait to grope and kiss her until they were behind her room door.

Feverish hands moved and slid all over cold armor as the two hot bodies intertwined their limbs around each other. He couldn't get enough of her and made it apparent by pushing himself into her even further, overloading her with sensory pleasures all over her body. Tongue in her mouth, arm around her waist, fingers between her thighs; it was all too much for either of them to handle. Each breathy gasp from Shepard made Garrus ache with want.

"Garrus…we can't…publicly…need to get…into the room first…" The Turian's onslaught deterred Shepard from properly getting her point across as he forced her to say her protest in between kisses. He paused his attack to lean his forehead against hers. He rubbed her arms gently before reminding her what kind of Turian he was.

"Sorry, Commander…I thought you would have known by now that I'm not very good at following orders."