Blood Ties

Garrus sat in his office going over some reports from his officers. They were fairly standard in regards to the security of New Tokyo. His mandibles flared a bit showing his annoyance. Not at the fact that his people reported incorrectly, but at the fact that the reports mentioned nothing about Jorum Talid. He had hoped his contacts on the Citadel had something but the worst part of it was that he had heard nothing from them since their last contact. Garrus leaned forward in his chair and folded his talons in front of him, thinking. Could Jorum be trying to ensure that he isn't found? No, that likely was not what he was trying to do. Garrus had figured that Jorum might be trying to find ways to silence people to cover up his involvement in the attack on Watson. The word of a lone Batarian would be good in a court case but not good enough for a conviction. Garrus turned his chair towards the window that looked out towards New Hiroshima. He had a very good view of their home. As much as Garrus wanted to implicate Jorum Talid, he couldn't bludgeon through this. He thought back to the first Normandy and when he and Shia'va were hunting Saren. Garrus had stopped her to ask her a question.

-Garrus had been pacing for the past twenty minutes. The question was eating away at him. The whole mission was taking way too long and Saren was getting closer to the Conduit and closer to getting away. Why was Shepard just not going after him? He caught sight of the Commander and stopped her. "Commander, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course, Garrus, what's on your mind?" Shepard stood with her hands behind her back as she had done before.

"You asked me why I left C-Sec. It had always seemed that every time I rose through the ranks, I was saddled with more and more responsibility and along with that, more and more red tape." He shook his head. "It shouldn't matter how I take down a suspect but that I take him down. I got tired of the rules."

Shia'va tilted her head slightly. "Garrus, I have a feeling this is more than a question. Speak what's on your mind."

"Saren isn't going to play by our rules. Why not just take him down and bring him back to the Council?" Garrus asked.

Shia'va saw where this question was going. "The rules are normally there for a reason, whether we like them or not. But I don't have to lower myself to Saren's level to get the job done. We do it right, not fast. The fast way can usually lead to Saren really getting away with it. Do it right, and Saren will catch himself in his own traps. Do it right, and even he can't get away from the evidence. And doing it right prevents innocent people from getting hurt.

Garrus' mandibles flexed a bit. "I see what you mean, Commander. I guess I have something to think about."

Shepard nodded to Garrus and headed back up to the CIC.-

Shia'va had been right. Saren had done things the fast way, not the right way. And in this, he couldn't go after Jorum the way he would have if he was still a part of C-Sec. This had to be done the right way, or his own family could be in even greater danger. Garrus' intercom snapped him from his thoughts. He turned his chair and pressed the button. "Yes, Miss Aleina?"

A pleasant Asari voice could be heard on the other end. "Mr. Vakarian, there is a Turian here claiming to be your father. He wishes to speak with you."

Garrus blinked a bit. He and his father hadn't talked in nearly twelve years. The last time they spoke, it ended in an argument where his father had, for all intents and purposes, disowned his own son, or at least the Turian equivalent of disowning a child. Maybe his father came to apologize? That was unlikely, but maybe a small hope of a possibility. "Send him in, Miss Aleina." The door to Garrus' office opened and his father walked in with the young Asari escorting him. She asked if there was anything else she could do. "That'll be all. Thank you." Garrus stood up and walked over towards his father. Might as well try and be civil, but he had to wonder how long that would last. "It's been a long time, father."

The elder Vakarian looked at the large office. "You've done rather well for yourself, Garrus. A well-established firm, quite popular in this city."

Garrus remained cautiously optimistic, so far, so good. "It's taken about ten years to get to where we are now. We have plenty of contracts. It helps to raise my family."

"It's an interesting choice to work on a more human dominated world, Garrus. But I can see there are a few more of the Council races here, as well." The elder Vakarian was up to something, but he was tap dancing around the edges of the conversation.

Garrus got a feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn't a good one. "It's been almost twelve years, father. Twelve years since you pushed me out of your life and the life of the rest of the family. And you come to Watson to try and make nice? What are you up to, father?"

"Things change, Garrus." His father started to say but he was interrupted.

"Bullshit. You condemned my bonding to Shepard, and then outright called my children abominations when I told you I had two daughters." The memory of what his father said was causing Garrus to boil. "You effectively told me to not even bother coming back to Palavan with my family because it would shame our clan." He slammed his fist on desk.

His father pointed a talon at him. "You were the one that turned your back on our clan, Garrus. You spat in the face of everything our family stood for. And it all started when you joined that human on that ridiculous hunt for Saren Arcturus."

Garrus stood up out of his chair. "That's my lifemate you're speaking about!" His mandibles flaring wildly as he was nearing his breaking point. "And if it wasn't for Shia'va, we would all be indoctrinated servants of the Reapers or worse, dead! And that 'human' has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. And those children, my children, that she carried for nine months? They mean more to me than any clan on Palavan."

"You're still as stubborn as ever, Garrus. I came here to tell you that the clan elders are willing to forgive everything you've done and reinstate your name into our family again. Provided you leave everything here behind and dissolve your bonding to Commander Shepard." His father said flatly.

Garrus couldn't believe it. He was about to say something when his intercom came to life again. "Mr. Vakarian, your lifemate and children are here to see you." The Asari announced.

Garrus closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. At least this would be the highlight of his day. And it was about to save him from completely losing his temper with his father. "Send them in."

The door opened and Mikazuki and Kiyoko ran in and embraced their father tight. "Chichi!" The two girls leaning up and giving their father a kiss on the mandibles.

Shia'va walked in and saw Garrus' father. She now understood why Garrus sounded so strained over the intercom. She walked over to Garrus and put her hand on his back. "Garrus, is everything alright?"

Garrus looked at his father. His eyes narrowed a bit. "Yes, my father was just leaving."

Kiyoko looked at the elder Vakarian. He looked down at her with a semi-disgusted look on his face. His attempts at hiding it were poor. She looked up at her father and saw his face. This man was making her father very upset and that bothered her. "Anata wa, Turian o nokosu hitsuyō ga arimasu. Anata wa akiraka ni watashitachi no kazoku ni taisuru bujokuda hitoda (You should leave, Turian. You're obviously someone who is an insult to our family.)." She narrowed her eyes more. "To watashi mo mikadzuki mode wa, yori watashitachi no chichi o konran sa seru yō ni naru (And neither myself nor Mikazuki will let you upset our father more.)."

Garrus looked down at Kiyoko. He actually smiled at her though she knew better than to mouth off to her elders. But still, he was proud of her for standing up for him even though she was cursing at his father in Japanese.

Mikazuki looked at her younger sister. She actually did see the look on Garrus' father's face but knew better than to say anything.

Shia'va looked down at Kiyoko. "Kiyoko Vakarian suru ni wa, burei anata no chōrō yori mo yoku shitte iru. Watashi wa anata yori mo sugurete oshiete kimashita (Kiyoko Vakarian, you know better than to disrespect your elders. I have taught you better than that.)."

Kiyoko lowered her head. She knew her mother was right. And she got yelled at. "Hai, okāsan. Gomen'nasai. (Yes, mother. I'm sorry.)" That didn't change the fact that Kiyoko didn't like this Turian. "Welcome to New Tokyo, grandfather."

It was taking everything Garrus' father had not to call these children abominations again. What made it worse, in his eyes, was that these children were speaking in a human tongue. He looked back at Garrus who now had his arm wrapped around Shia'va's waist. "Think about what I said, Garrus." The elder Vakarian turned and left Garrus' office.

Shia'va looked at Garrus as he watched his father leave. She knew that look. "Garrus, talk to me."

He shook his head. "Not right now. Not in front of the girls."

Shia'va had seen Kiyoko and Mikazuki off to bed while Garrus was looking over some old files. He had been quiet since he got home. But Shia'va knew it was more than that. He was seething. Over the years Garrus had learned how to control being hot headed. He learned what to let slide and what not to. He didn't want his children to see him get upset over things he couldn't control. Shia'va walked over to Garrus and took the datapad from him, tossing it to the chair next to them. She sat in his lap and looked him straight in the eyes. "Garrus, please talk to me. You're seething and I can tell. What happened that has you so upset? Why was your father there?"

Garrus' mandibles flexed a bit. "He thinks he can just walk into my own office and start demanding things of me. Come into my home…" He had to be careful how he said things. He didn't want anything to come out wrong. But he was so pissed off that his father had the gall. "My father came to see me to tell me the clan would welcome me back."

Shia'va tilted her head. "Garrus, that's wonderful!" Shia'va was starting to smile but not before he raised his talon.

"But only under the condition that I leave you and our children. That I dissolve our bond." He shook his head. "Over my dead body, Shia. I will not give up the three best things in my life. The three things that went very right in my life."

It was the last thing Garrus said that made Shia'va remember their night together on the Normandy before the assault on the Collector Base.

-Garrus stood in Shepard's room. He was trying so hard to make this right. And he felt he was only making it worse. "Shepard, so many things have gone wrong in my life. Omega, my team. Losing you two years ago. For once I just want this one thing to go right. I just…"

Shia'va reached out and touched the side of his face that was scarred. He leaned his head forward as both of them touched their heads together.-

Shia'va leaned into Garrus and rested her head on his shoulder. She kissed his neck. "Garrus, I want you to do what makes you happy. You know I'll support whatever decision you make."

"What makes me happy, Shia, is being here with you and our two beautiful children. My father can go and get spaced for everything he's said about all of you. I will not give any of you up, even for the clans. I would rather be the most hated Turian this side of Palavan." Garrus held Shia'va tight. Garrus wasn't sure why his father wanted him to come back to the clan so badly. But Jorum Talid was going to have to wait. This "assault" on his family was going to take priority.

A/N: I thought this chapter and the next couple or few would be a nice touch. To see Garrus' side of the family in this. And the turmoil it could cause.