Shepard met Garrus for lunch. It was something she'd started doing with just him and her. She mentioned that Thane had acted strangely and then disappeared.

"Well, he's still on the ship. Unless he blew himself out an air lock. I think we'd know if that happened." Garrus was trying to make a joke. He thought it was funny, anyway.

Shepard glared at him. "That's not helping."

"What do you want me to do, Shepard?" he looked at her.

"I don't want you to do anything, but listen." She offered a week smile.

"Maybe drell males go through 'that time of the month'. You know, the week where you don't want to do anything but kill stuff?" He smiled, joking again.

"I don't think so." Her tone was not appreciative.

"Aw, hell, Commander. Maybe the guy just wanted to cuddle. He's sensitive, so it pissed him off and now he's pouting. I can't blame him. You're soft and squishy." he teased.

Shepard scooped up some mashed potatoes on her spoon and went to take a bite, but flicked it onto Garrus instead. It landed with a splat across his surprised face. Shepard smiled.

"Commander?" he attempted to wipe the food off with one claw and only managed to smear it around. "Was that really necessary?"

Shepard burst out in a laugh so hard it forced tears from her eyes. Grabbed her sides trying to contain the pain there from laughing so hard. She almost fell off her chair. It was Garrus' turn to look annoyed. He grabbed a towel and cleaned off his face. He waited patiently for Shepard to stop laughing. Eventually she did, but she still had a smirk on her face.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Shepard, but next time let's do it at someone else's expense." He casually got a spoonful of nutrient paste, they needed to get more supplies, and flicked it at the commander. It made contact with a splat on her forehead.

Shepard glared at him with paste dripping between her eyes. The turian was laughing so hard his mandibles were twitching. She thew her try at him, food first. Now she was laughing again. Garrus, still laughing, launched his bowl at her face. She ducked. The bowl hit the wall next to the entrance to the med-bay and shattered.

"Food fight!" Shepard shouted when she popped back up.

They both ran for the kitchen. Rupert, shocked at what had just happened, stood there for a second until he realized there was a large turian running toward him. He ran, shouting, and found cover in the crew quarters. He could hear the smashing of plates and the twang of silver ware hitting the floor.

Food was everywhere. Everywhere. In her hair, down her shirt, in his armor, on the windows of the med-bay (Dr. Chakwas was cowering under her desk), the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Rupert had a job to do.

"Well, Commander," Garrus teased, "I guess we need to pick up some supplies." His mandibles spread in a wide smile. A spaghetti noodle was looped over one of them. It made Shepard giggle to watch it dangle there.

"Yes, I suppose we do." She looked around and then at Garrus and herself. "We should really clean up."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. We shouldn't make Rupert do this." he shook his head.

They started the long process of cleaning the kitchen. Most of it had to be thrown out. Broken dinnerware, glasses...

"Maybe we should get plastic." Garrus suggested. "In case this happens again." He gave Shepard a look.

"Ha, ha. No, this can never happen again. Look at this mess... " She swept a hand around the room. "It was fun, though." She smiled at him.

"Rupert can get the rest of this." Garrus was eyeing the food matter stuck in her hair. "We should get cleaned up ourselves. I've got applesauce in places it should never be." He gave her a suggestive look. She shook her head and smiled at him.

Shepard headed to the women's common showers, no need to drag the mess up to her cabin. Garrus went to the mens. He removed his armor and washed that out first, then lathered up his body. He couldn't help thinking that Shepard was doing the same thing down the hall. He tried to imagine where the soap bubbles might wonder to... His erection was poking it's way out of hiding. It needed washed anyway, he thought. The job required both hands, but he had plenty of soap.

Shepard peeled her wet, food covered clothes from her body and dumped them down he laundry shoot. She turned on the tap and did her best to work the braid out before getting under the cleansing stream. It took a long time to get all the food out of her hair. She'd barely gotten started on the half of it when she heard a loud, rumbling sound. She thought the ship was under attack. Panicking she grabbed a towel and ran out into the hall. There was another rumble, but the ship wasn't shaking.

"EDI" she hailed

"Yes, Commander."

"Where is that sound coming from?"

"Please specify." said EDI

"The low rumbling that sounds like we're being fired on." Shepard demanded

"The low frequency noise is coming from the male common shower room." EDI informed her.

"Garrus might be hurt." She thought and ran to the the shower room. The door wan't locked.

Garrus had just finished what he'd been doing when Shepard burst into the showers looking like she thought the ship was exploding. He was sitting on the floor 'red handed'. The shock could not have been more apparent on his features. He scrambled for a towel.

"Sh... Shepard!" He tried to gain some composure.

Shepard was bright red and trying to cover her eyes and her face with one hand, holding up her towel with the other.

"I, uh. I'm sorry... I heard a... noise... and I thought...I.. " she was stammering.

"I never knew you wanted me so badly, Commander." He teased, offering an awkward smile.

"I should go." She said it, but she couldn't move. She couldn't look either. Why wouln't her feet move?

Garrus slowly approached her. She was still covering her face with one hand, her eyes tightly shut. He carefully put a taloned had on her shoulder and turned her to face him. Her long red hair hung in wet strands around her athletic form. He tilted her chin up. She opened her eyes. He grinned at her. She smiled back, the blush still in her cheeks. He took her free hand with his and led her into the shower room. He closed and, this time locked, the doors. He let his towel fall to the floor. He was still fully aroused and let her towel puddle around her feet. She was beautiful. We went to her, taking her in his arms. She kissed him and nuzzled her forehead to his.

"It's been so many years, Garrus." She said "I wanted you from the beginning."

They fell back into the spray of water. It ran in rivets over his plates and down her body. He licked the droplets from her nipples. Lifting her up, he followed a trial of water down her stomach to her belly button and over the tiny swell of her belly. He stood and held her against the wall to taste the sweetness inside her. His long, tapered tongue skillfully exploring those depths. She moaned at his touch. Her hips wiggled in his talons. He let her slide down the wet wall, dragging his tongue over her body as she slid. He ran one talon over her ribs, drawing out a ribbon of blood. He licked the wound, tasting the metallic bitterness.

He positioned himself beneath her, letting her slip over him. He used her own weight to enter her fully. She wraps her legs around his waist. The long moan that left her lips like a song. His own groans, growling his desire. He moved within her slow and powerful, but gentle. His talons scratched the skin on her back. She dug her fingers into his neck and shoulders. She came over and over for him. The sweet musk of her sent mixed with his filling the room. Her cries echoing off the tiled walls. His growls matching her intensity. He climaxes in time with with her. He bites her shoulder, marking her. As the tension ebbs away they collapse to the floor. They close their eyes and press their foreheads together. He marks her with his sent. She is his.

Garrus opened is eyes. His talons were sticky with his own juices. He relaxed on the floor and let the water wash it away. It took several towels to dry him and his armor off. He dressed and went back to the forward battery. He passed Rupert on his way. The doctor was staring at him through the window.

"Sorry, Rupert."

The old man just smiled, "It's my job."

Garrus nodded and continued to his cot. He needed a nap.