They had done everything. Worked through despair and death, moving from planet to planet, horror show to horror show, saving lives and piecing together the dark matter puzzle Saren and his flagship Reaper, Sovereign. They finally had filled in the shatter, broken pieces of her visions, the message she would later learn was from the Protheans crying for help and a savior from the world-consuming force known as the Reapers. They had the proof, the final coordinations, the final stage for their battle against a man trying to spearhead the universe's fiery death, and they would finally get the chance to end the confusion and fear.

Everyone was too ambitious, from the moment they had finished.

The Council hated her ranting, her truth. They wanted her silence. Udina, the bastard that he was, wanted them to like him. Like a desperate child looking to join the popular table, he did their bidding like a lap dog. Locking the Normandy into her dock, locking up her systems, he had grounded her at the apex of their wars, silencing her voice and cries for help.

The Citadel was a loud place, but at that moment, Shepard could hear nothing but the silence. The dead silence that would come as Saren, the geth, Sovereign, and the other Reapers would bring upon the galaxy as they harvested them and rid them of their existences. Crowds moved through, their noise announcing their sizes for her, and all she could imagine was the empty walkways, the stench of blood and decomposing bodies, of the blaring cries of the Reapers as they called out their kills, their success in wiping out the universe.

She was lost in the swarm of nosie, the cacophany soon to be silenced by their leader's foolish naievity.

A glass was placed before her, the clink of glass on hard crystal, the slosh of the alcohol within the glass prison. Her eyes came to Garrus as he took the seat next to her with his own liquid courage. While his was the normal amber, hers was a cherry red. A smile found itself on her one hard set lips.

"A 'Cherry Bomb'. Smells weird." Garrus commented as Shepard took the glass, taping a sip through the included straw.

"I like cherries. They're sweet. Unlike the snack version, an alcoholic cherry bomb uses cherry vodka to make it sweeter instead of sugar."

"Which one is better?"

Shepard smirked. "The one that gets me drunk quicker. Though the snack one uses vodka too... not enough though."

Garrus gave a chuckle, raising her drink toward hers, the glasses meeting for the sharp but exciting collision of sounds.

"To your weird drink choices, Shepard."

She paused, looking at him. Her cheeks unknowingly took a pink hue. "To you, Garrus... for caring for me."

They drank, and talked away the silence, the noise of their scene coming back to her. Something about this calmed her, made her realize something.

If she were to be stuck here and awaiting her demise, she would want it to be with Garrus. Without him... everything was silent. No one heard her, and she would not hear them. They only saw her eyes, their haunting glaze. She could see, but her ears were forever her best sense. Mindoir, Akuze... she survived with some burns, and some amazing abilities added to her body.

She could hear his subharmonics, his second voice. He was happy.

She was happy with her turian.

"Garrus... this is really great."

"Really?" he honestly sounded surprised, "I didn't think you'd be alone while we sit and wait."

"Really?"

"I assumed Kaidan would be here for you."

Shepard looked to her glass, her eyes reflection sorrow, her reflection showing her pain. Kaidan took her rejection... roughly.

"No one from the crew showed. I assumed Kaidan went to the Sha'ira. Liara probably to Councilor Tevos. I just... I've been here in the silence."

Garrus looked around the bar for a moment, sighing and lifting his glass to her.

"Then I'll be here for you.I don't have anywhere to go, besides... spending time with you is nice."

"Sweettalker." Shepard murmured, throwing back the rest of her drink, "now the real question: who's picking up the tab?"

His mandibles flickered. She caught him red handed in the lie he hadn't even told her yet. He hid his face in failure behind his glass.

"I put it in your name."

"Remind me to pay you more so you can afford to pay for more of these drink dates, Garrus."

He raised his glass to her again. "As long as my boss doesn't mind the, uh.. dates changing locations sometimes."

"I don't think she'd mind it at all."