The Normandy was eerily empty. All the Cerberus personnel had gone, only Joker and EDI remained to operate the frigate. Not that EDI couldn't have handled the ship on her own, every function was under her control now. Joker stayed because he couldn't stand to leave his beloved ship again. Garrus prayed the Alliance was kind to him, though judging from the sly looks he occasionally saw on Jeff's face, he had some kind of plan in the works.

One other person opted to stay until Earth, Kasumi was around here somewhere. Probably digging through Miranda's old office for treasures or maybe she was just down there in the lounge with that grey box and its ghost for her only company. She'd said she had some business Earth-side, probably the larcenous kind. Garrus just found it easier not to ask.

Shepard was at the galaxy map, her face a mix of worry and frustration. Garrus put his hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him, sighing. He rumbled into her ear, "What has you all worked up?"

"I'm trying to think like the Reapers. I keep having to remind myself that they're not...really conscious of resources or capturing strategic positions. That it won't matter what the path of least resistance is, they'll just overwhelm us with numbers." She blew an errant strand of hair out of her face and rubbed her eyes. "I think they'll just work their way to the center from the edges, swallowing every world in their path. It's so ridiculously simple, like they've never encountered an actual threat before, which they might not have."

She slumped over the map again, pointing at various clusters, "And once they gain these key systems, the mass relay system will spit them out over the whole galaxy in a matter of weeks. And I won't be able to do anything about it!"

Shepard slammed her fists down on the rail, he rubbed her shoulders soothingly, "You have done something about it. You've sent them all off to prepare their people for the Reapers. You can be sure I'll do the same when I go to Palaven."

"Maybe we should have gone pirate, I think I could do more if I was out here and not playing houseguest of the Alliance military."

"You don't mean that. You need the credibility only the governments can give you to really get them to listen. We'll just bide our time until they let slip your leash, which you know they'll do once they realize how deep the shit they're in is." He nipped her ear and was rewarded with a laugh. He loved to hear her laugh. "So you'll play nice and allay their suspicions like a good little marine and we'll be ready out here."

"You know me too well, Garrus. So..." She turned a sly grin on him, looking at him out of the corner of her eye, "Thought about what you want to do on Earth for the day before-?"

"I might have a few things in mind..." He put his arms around her, dropping his voice into a lower register, delighted by the shiver that ran through her body.

"I bet you do, Vakarian." She chuffed, squeezing his arms where they encircled her. "I have a few things to take care of planetside, won't take but an hour or so, but then I'm all yours for the day."

He wanted to tell her that he wanted her to be all his forever, but it wasn't the time, wouldn't be right. "Pick up something nice to wear, something formal."

When she turned a questioning gaze on him, he forestalled her by putting his finger over her mouth, "And before you fire up that big ol' brain of yours, I want it to be a surprise, so try not to think on it too much."

She quirked her brow at him, "Have it your way, Garrus. How formal are we talking? Dress blues?"

"Nothing so military, just something nice. You know how much I love it when you wear a dress."

"You mean, you love how easy access they are." He gasped at her in mock shock, hand clutching at his chest.

"Madam, you wound me." He loomed toward her, until his face was inches from hers. Before he could continue what was certain to be his wittiest repartee ever, she leaned her head forward until their foreheads touched. He closed his eyes at the intense rush of emotion that flooded him. Suddenly he didn't want to let her go to Earth, knew he couldn't stop her, wanted to steal her away to some far off place where not even the Reapers could find her. He ached for it to be so simple.

The moment passed and Garrus felt ashamed that he'd break faith so easily. The galaxy needed her, she needed the galaxy, would spend every breath to protect it. As he would to protect her long enough so she could do it. "Shepard...Jane, I-"

He couldn't continue and from the look in her eyes, she understood. She always understood. She kissed him on his nose ridge and smiled softly, "We'll be planetside in an hour, you might want to go pack. I have to, as well, not that I have much to pack. All the Cerberus uniforms are trashed already, I wonder who'll take the fish? My armor, hmm, I wonder if they'll let me keep that."

"Hmmm, no uniforms, no armor, what's left? That lacy black number with the-" He ducked away from her before she could slap him, a blush rising in her cheeks. He laughed at her, "Alright alright, I'm going."

He chortled to himself all the way down to the battery, where his duffle was already packed and waiting. His weapons lay in their cases, he ran his hand over the Black Widow's case affectionately. Probably wouldn't be prudent to wander around on Earth fully armed and armored, so he put on some civvies, and read over the message he'd received from...an old friend on Earth. A friend he'd been in contact with since they'd gotten into range.

'Operation successful. Event is go. Type in your old C-Sec badge number into the number 12 kiosk at JS, 1800 hrs. Car will be waiting to take you at 1600 hrs. Good Luck. As per your first request, meet me at the place as soon as you can. Ping my OT. -Anderson.' Garrus sent a reply heavily laced with gratitude. The man had been reticent at first to help, but Garrus used his powers of persuasion on him, techniques that he'd learned from Shepard. He could only hope the first part of his plan would go off without a hitch, too. It was by far the more awkward part.

"Do you know how hard it is to get an exhumation order for a person who isn't dead?" Anderson fixed him with a wry grin, watching the workers as they dug into the soft ground. He passed Garrus a flask, it was the same rotgut they'd shared on this very spot almost 3 years ago. The turian winced at the bitter flavor. "Good thing Hackett was around to sign the order, otherwise..."

"It's not like there's even a body in there. We're not disturbing anything, really." Garrus passed the flask back, looking at his chronometer doubtfullly. Shepard must still be running errands, she hadn't messaged him yet.

"Still, puttering about in cemeteries is bad juju. Whatever's in there better be important." It was half-hearted protest, the man had already given in.

"It is. To Shepard." Whether or not she was currently aware of its existence. It was enough that he said it was, Garrus knew. Anderson was a man who was haunted by his past and trying to make good. Shepard figured largely into the bad part, and the turian was sure that Anderson was happy to finally correct this one travesty, this memorial to a woman who was definitely alive and kicking ass. "I appreciate this, Admiral."

"Oh, you heard about my promotion. I gave Udina the councilorship, he wanted it more anyway. The man is welcome to it." Anderson snorted in derision. Like he had so long ago, the human kicked off his shoes and socks and fisted his toes in the grass, "It's good to be home."

"Are you going to be Shepard's watchdog?" Garrus glanced sidelong at the man, who grunted assent. Good, she needed as many allies as she could get here, among the military who resented her for taking up with Cerberus.

"The military is a jealous mistress. It won't forgive or forget easily that Shepard turned her back on us. The whole truth is inconsequential as far as the brass on Earth are concerned."

The casket was lifted out and place to the side of the hole, Garrus approached it hastily. A crowbar was thrust into his hand and he wedged it under the lid. With a grunt, he popped the hermetic seal. A hiss escaped the box as air rushed into the vacuum inside. This casket was never designed to hold a corpse that would gently moulder over time and rejoin the earth around it, it was a time capsule holding the memories of the person that was supposed to be in it.

He pushed the lid back fully and waved away the cloud of dirt that puffed up in his face. There lay the objects her crew had lovingly place in the ground instead of her body. An SR-1 cap from Joker, Tali had placed one of Ashley's books in here, one whose pages were dogeared to the point of disintegration, Wrex's ancient thresher maw tooth dagger, its blade almost fossilized with age. Liara placed a holo of them all, grinning like fools and Garrus ran his talon over Ashley's face, he remembered when they took this, right before Virmire and felt a squeeze in his chest. Shepard took the holo, stating her reasons at the time as documenting a historical trip. Garrus remembered wondering at the time if it was actually possible for Shepard to be sentimental...and now, well, now he knew better. There was a spray of flowers in there, probably from Kaiden, they were wilted but preserved by the airtight casket. He picked them up and inhaled their scent, realizing that the smell was the same as the scent of shampoo she always used.

Lastly, he picked up what he'd put in here on that rainy day. It seemed so small and unassuming in his hand. The OSD flashed sunlight in his eyes. It seemed undamaged, which was a huge relief. Anderson looked over his shoulder curiously, "An OSD? I'm going to have to see what's on it, for security, you understand."

Garrus could hardly be resentful now, after all he'd asked the man to do for him and nodded, putting everything else in a crate he'd brought for the purpose. He was a bit reluctant to show this very personal part of Shepard's past with anyone, but if it had to be anyone, Anderson was a good choice. Would keep its contents secret. The turian gestured for Anderson to join him under a nearby tree. The two men sat in the shade and Garrus plugged the data into his omnitool and queued the vid.

Garrus watched the Admiral's face as it took in the stage, the people of Mindoir and the young girl's family as they watched her play her music on the piano. It grew tight and pained when Anderson saw the timestamp in the corner. When it finished, he said in hushed tones, "Christ, a day before the slavers attacked. As if I needed another reason to eat a bullet."

The human rubbed his eyes and Garrus reached out to squeeze the man's arm, trying to bring him some comfort. Anderson turned to him, his voice a harsh croak, "Tell me she's okay."

"She's okay, David. Still writing music, so much music." The Admiral sighed deeply at Garrus' words, running his hands over his short hair.

"Well...I'm, huh, glad. As inadequate a word as that is. Something went right, finally. Ironic that it happens at the end of all things." Anderson took a deep quaff of his liquor then stood abruptly, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Don't know how much time we have, but Hackett believes her and I'll push, too. Maybe we'll actually be prepared for this fight."

Just then Garrus got a ping from Shepard, telling him she was ready. He sent a reply that he'd be at the base soon and turned to Anderson, "I gotta go. Thank you for this, David. Thank you for everything."

The human waved him off dismissively, "No. This is the least I could do, for my sins. I wish I could be there tonight to see her face."

Garrus laughed, "It'll be a sight I'm sure."

He changed into his best set of civvies in the aircar ride back to the base and sat there in nervous silence. He was nervous, very nervous. This was technically their first official outing...together. He prayed to whatever spirits might be in the vicinity that he could pull off tonight. Ruining Shepard's last day of freedom would probably put a damper on any tentative and fragile hopes he had for a future with her. It was a lot of pressure and he shifted apprehensively, clasped his hands in his lap. His only consolation lay in the knowledge that he'd bent all of his considerable concentration on planning this whole thing, he hoped it was enough.

As the aircar pulled up to the entrance of the HQ, he took a deep breath and stepped out into the bright sun. Garrus squinted, looking for Shepard's familiar shape. His eyes latched onto a petite woman who seemed to be all curves and he realized with a start that it was Shepard. His jaw dropped as he took her in. She was wearing a silvery blue dress that clung to every dip and swell of her body, accentuating it in all the right places. It fell in a soft asymmetrical sweep almost all the way to the floor. One toned shoulder was exposed, as were her graceful collarbones. She wore a wide brimmed black hat into which her hair must be pinned, there were only a few strands left out to trail enticingly around her face and down the long pale expanse of neck. Skintight black gloves covered her arms up to the elbow, and sparkly jewelry winked at him from her ears, throat and wrists. The whole effect had his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

She walked toward him, the sway of her hips making his mouth dry. She stopped a couple feet away from him and tilted her face to look at him from underneath her hat. A smile bowed her rouged lips and she said, "Looking good, Garrus. I don't think I've ever seen you in a...suit before. Black is definitely you."

He laughed nervously and took her hand in both of his, swallowing, "You are absolutely stunning, Jane. I am stunned, literally."

She blushed prettily, giving a little spin, "You like it? It was a rush job-"

He resisted picking her up and finding somewhere private to show her just how beautiful she looked, "This is a rush job? I feel like I should be hiding you from Kasumi. She might try to sell you to one of her art dealing fences."

Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to two men who were obviously soldiers, and very obviously watching them. Shepard glanced to where he was looking and sighed, "My security detail. I'm not technically on Earth as yet. And we're kind of stuck with them if we're going to leave the base."

Garrus was affronted that her leaders didn't trust her word and growled low in his throat, ceasing when he saw the men tense. He smiled an apology to Shepard, who was eyeing him up and down with approval. She turned toward the car and he dropped into step beside her, "So what's on the agenda, Garrus?"

He heard the men follow them, saw another vehicle pull up behind theirs. Well, at least they wouldn't have to put up with the guards crowding them in the car, "I was thinking...dinner and a show."

She beamed a smile at him, "Oooh. How traditional."

"You know me, a real stickler for protocol." He chuckled at her expression of incredulity, opening the door for her to get in. He slid in after her, using his omnitool to program the aircar's VI to take them to a restaurant near the turian consulate out in the city. An extranet search he'd done earlier gave him the name of a place that did gourmet dextro and levo food, very nice according to the reviews.

Once the aircar was on its way, he leaned back and turned to Shepard, who was looking out the window, so elegant in that shimmering dress that he just wanted to enjoy the sight like it was a painting or some rare sculpture. Her bare shoulder begged him to stroke it, and he did, running his fingers lightly over the smooth skin. She shivered and closed her eyes and he slid closer to her, putting his arm on the headrest behind her. His other hand found hers in the folds of her gown, squeezing it lightly. Without shifting, she said with a grin, "What's in the box?"

He looked to the crate he'd brought from the cemetery and replied, "Oh, a present. You don't get to open it til after dinner, though."

"Aw. I got you something, too, but you don't get to open it til tonight." She was all mischief as she turned to him, leaning back so she wouldn't hit him with the brim of her hat.

He tilted his head roguishly, "Oh, that sounds promising. Is this present Shepard-shaped?"

She laughed throatily, putting one of her hands on his chest. He wondered if she could feel his rapidly beating heart. "Maybe...or maybe not."

"Oooh, a mystery." They arrived then at the restaurant and he stepped out, reaching in a hand to assist her to do the same. He reached back in for the box, which he tucked under one arm. People on the street stared at them. More and more of the humans stopped to stare at the strange couple. Garrus wasn't picking up a hostile vibe, but to be safe they waited for their two buddies to pull up before entering the establishment.

The human host looked down his nose at them, taking in his scars dubiously, brows peaked in a question, "Name?"

"Quintus. Reservations for two."

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Quintus. Right this way." They were led to a small table with a nice view of the skyline. Garrus flushed inside his plates under Shepard's smirk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Quintus?" Her voice lilted with amusement, her brows raised sardonically.

"Ahahaha. Well, I thought it would be better not to use our real names. And I was too lazy to think up two." He waved the matter away with a hand, embarrassment making him duck his head.

She wasn't letting him off the hook that easily though, "So, when did we get married?"

"Spring last year." He played along, grinning foolishly.

"Where?" She rested her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she teased him.

"Palaven." He mirrored her stance.

"Was it a big wedding?"

"Huge."

They broke off as the waiter showed up to take their order. Garrus looked around and saw their chaperones at an adjacent table, sitting woodenly. He saluted them with a wine glass sardonically, taking a sip. Shepard chuckled at the startled expressions on the men's faces, "Don't tease the natives. The marines are just following orders."

"How many turian-human couples can they have seen anyway, right?" He drawled, dropping her a slow wink.

"A couple? Is that what we are?" Her eyes were wide, innocent and guileless and he struggled with a nagging doubt that struck him then. She must know how he felt, right?

He swallowed down a sudden lump in his throat, "I'd, uh, like to think we are...if you-if you want-"

She interjected, hands hiding the lower half of her face, and he had trouble deciphering the odd flicker in her jade gaze. "Tell me more about our wedding. What's spring on Palaven like?"

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, anxiously, "It's beautiful. The sun rays shimmer as they glide through the foggy atmosphere, it shines brightly off the silver leaves on the trees in the orchard, dazzling the eye if you're not careful. There's moss that grows over the ground on our estate, soft and spongy, perfect for laying on. For cloud gazing or star watching. The climate is mild, not blazing and humid like in the summer. At night, the moons fill the sky, and the sound of the wild creatures fills the evening with song."

Her eyes were half-lidded as she listened to him and he continued softly, enraptured by the fantasy, "So many people were there, at our wedding. Everyone we love, my mother made your gown, gave you her wristlet to wear and my heart nearly stopped when I saw you, you were so beautiful. My father gave you an embrace and welcomed you to our family. The service was short. And the reception went on for two days. I'd never seen Massani so drunk, we found him under a table asleep on the third day. We left the party early and spent the third night together in the sacred grove behind my parent's house, where we slept in peace until dawn."

He became aware that he wasn't talking about fictitious Quintus and his bride any more, but the secret longing in his heart couched in a lie. Shepard reached her hand out to cover his, her mouth moving as she tried to say something, anything, finally she whispered, "It sounded lovely. I must have loved it."

He looked deep into her eyes then, filling them with his yearning for her, " I know. No promises, Jane. Just hope."

"Just hope." She echoed, and he saw the shadows lift from her eyes and a sad smile that grew brighter the longer it was on her face until she blazed with joy, "It's enough."

Garrus nodded, and silence fell between them as their food arrived. He picked up his spearing utensil and plucked a purplish cube of meat off his plate, popping it into his mouth and chewing the tasty morsel with relish. He hummed in approval. Shepard was using some kind of pronged tool to eat her meal, which largely consisted of long whitish tubes in a red sauce. He watched in fascination as she twirled the tubes deftly about the prongs and lifted the saucy mass to her lips, which opened then closed around the food, pulling it off the ends neatly. She made an appreciative noise and he laughed at her gleeful countenance. She chewed and swallowed managing thickly, "You know how long it's been since I've had spaghetti? Or anything that wasn't nutrient paste?"

"I remember you seemed to be able to find apples pretty readily." He chortled.

"Lucky for me that day was also the day when I filled Gardner's galley order. Those apples begged me to buy them, they were so ripe." She sighed deeply as she ate another mouthful of spaghetti, as he knew it was called now, "And then I went and blew three of them up. You know, I never was fortunate enough to find more and I checked, oh yes I did, every time we were on the Citadel."

He patted her arm in consolation, "I'm sorry you had to blow them up to prove a point."

She laughed heartily, "It was worth it just to see the looks on your faces. Wiped the smug smirk right off Thane's face."

"Oh and when you pulled out that Viper, I just about crapped myself." He laughed with her, drawing curious looks from around them. "That's one of my favorite stories now."

They enjoyed the meal together, sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting in silence, comfortable with each other. When the plates had been cleared away, he asked her, "Are you ready for your present now?"

She clapped her hands like a child when he put the box on the table before her, slowly taking the lid off and peering inside. Garrus watched puzzlement flit across her features, followed by stunned amazement. She lifted the holo of them all out of the box, and held her breath as she looked at it. He noted with a pang of sorrow how her fingers ghosted over Ashley's smiling face, like his had not one hour before. One by one she pulled the items out and placed them on the surface of the table. She touched each one reverently, "Where did you find these?"

"Once upon a time, there was a box. And in this box, her friends put things that were a part of her, even though they couldn't find her body to put it to rest on her people's homeworld." Garrus watched realization dawn on her face, hoping this truth wouldn't be too painful for her. He spoke each name as she touched them.

"Wrex." She touched the knife, felt a sharp ridge with her thumb.

"Tali." She flipped through the book idly, breathing in its musky old smell.

"Liara." The frozen faces looked up at her, a moment in time stolen and preserved.

"Joker." The cap was dusty, well-worn and was probably the only one of its kind any more.

"Kaiden." The flowers' scent was strong still and she smiled as she touched the petals.

Shepard looked at him questioningly and he smiled softly, mandibles stretching away from his face, "And yes, I put something in there, but I'll give it to you later tonight."

She seemed close to tears, eyes shining too brightly and he pushed his chair closer to her, unmindful of the intense stares that were thrown their way. Garrus pushed his mouthplates against her shoulder, rumbling a hum of comfort, willing her to not cry. Not his strong Shepard, and not in front of these strangers. She straightened her back and smiled at him gratefully, dabbed discreetly at the corners of her eyes with a napkin.

She filled the box with those precious memories again, her gaze lingering on them where they lay on the bottom of the crate. Garrus stood, settling the bill with a flick of his credit chip over the sensor plate on their table. He took the box under one arm and offered his hand to Shepard, marvelling again at how lovely she was. He led her a winding path through the other diners, past their incredulous and disapproving stares, to where the aircar waited for them.