A/N: From now on these ficlets will be based in and around the events of ME2. I've not actually finished it myself, so major spoilers are unlikely, but if you haven't even started I'd advise against reading further.

Shepard stood outside the door to the main battery, contemplating if this was really such a good idea. Eventually she reasoned she'd stood there long enough for the crew members in the Mess to notice and decided to bite the bullet.

The doors swished open in front of her and she stepped in to see her old friend turn and regard her curiously. "Garrus, can we talk?" She asked.

"Of course." He replied as he turned back to the display in front of her. "What's on your mind?"

Shepard walked over to lean on the railing and, once the doors had shut behind her, couldn't resist the urge to hang her head in defeat. She didn't notice Garrus looking at her with concern.

"He is a fool." The Turian sniffed, not looking up from his console.

She sighed. "No, he's not." She straightened and turned to face him side-on. "He's entirely justified in reacting the way he did."

"The man should be loyal to those who have proved themselves worthy. I don't like the thought of a Universe where that choice is the Alliance and not you."

"If none of this had happened, if he and I had stumbled across a meant-to-be-dead crewmember on a backwater planet I would have acted in exactly the same way."

Garrus growled. "No, you would not!" He said, turning to her fully. "You are many things, Shepard, but you are not cruel. What he said to you was designed purposely to hit you where you'd feel it most. He accused a good soldier of betraying the cause, and a good woman of betraying him."

Shepard felt the side of her mouth quirk up for the first time since she'd found herself back in Kaidan's arms a few short hours ago. "I could have said more to stop him."

"Now that I can't argue with." He said, almost smiling as he looked back down at his work.

Shepard sensed it was her time to leave, but she couldn't quite bring herself to stand upright again. "I told Kelly that I still love him."

"Just now?" Garrus asked and she nodded the affirmative. "Then you are a fool, also."

She snorted at this. "Am I really? Do tell why."

"Two reasons seem alarmingly obvious. One, that you still love him after he walked off and left you stranded, wounded after a battle. And two, that you shared a personal story with the biggest gossip on this damn ship."

Shepard grinned, standing up and placing a hand on his arm. "Thank you Garrus."

"For what?" He asked as she shook her head and walked to the door. "I told you the truth. He is a fool. I would not have acted the same, given the opportunity."

Shepard kept walking, but his meaning piqued her curiosity. Interested, she intended to file that one away to contemplate later when with a jolt the feeling of muscled Human arms around her came back and shoved the thought right out of her head. She cursed, kicking the bulkhead as she passed. He'd left her behind but made sure she wouldn't forget him easily. If she ever saw him again her boot was going to be hitting something decidedly different to a part of her ship.