EDI's station in Shepard's room was nearly blown to bits when the A.I. suddenly appeared in her quarters. The emergency gun that she kept in her bed side table was pointed at the blue glowing orb in the strong grip of one quick turian hand.

"Pardon my intrusion," EDI said with mild amusement at the threat of gun, "But the sensors are no longer picking up any sign of Reapers in the area. Joker is preparing the ship to disembark from the astroid. I am returning environmental conditions to normal."

"Thank you, EDI." Shepard groaned.

She'd never been so sore or so tired. Beside her Garrus returned the pistol to the dewar and cuddled next to her. It was odd for her to have both of them there. One of them hugging her hips, the other holding her hands and nuzzling her. She knew as soon as she tried to move the raw flesh of her thighs would simply scream at her. At the time her mind was always on other things, but the morning after was brutal. The cream just wasn't going to do the job against the aggravation of two. When she mentioned something about the cream, they both eagerly offered to help apply it. While she would lavish feeling their hands on her, it would only lead to more discomfort. So she sweetly declined with a smile. She gave both her boys a kiss and climbed between them toward the foot of the bed and headed for the solitude of the shower room. She locked the door behind her just in case either of them got any ideas. She needed a break!

The warm water stung, but it was a cleansing feeling. The droplets ran in rivets over her skin, tickling the places they'd touched her. It brought back memories of the experiences to her and it made her knees weak. She caught herself against the tiled wall and slid helplessly to the floor. Nothing had ever done anything like that to her before.

In the bed Garrus and Nihlus looked at each other a little uncomfortably for a few seconds. Without her between them it wasn't the most natural thing in the world to share they bed. Getting out on their own sides at precisely the same time the two went about dressing as if the other was not in the room. Nihlus turned off the radiator and tucked it into the closet. Garrus left Sonya a quick note on her personal console and left. Nihlus sat on the sofa and waited. Garrus out ranked him now that the Spectres had pretty much been dissolved since the destruction of the Citadel. Shepard had made him Commander, after all. He felt awkward not being a free agent and having to answer to anyone save himself and maybe the Council. Having his bosses also he his bond mates was a weirdness he'd considered, but hadn't really appreciated the full gravity of what it would be like after the fact. He was still mulling over the situation when Sonya emerged from the shower room in nothing but a towel and some cream rubbed between her thighs. She had a roll of first aid gauze and medical tape in her free hand.

"Need any help with that?" He nodded to the gauze, feeling guilty for being so abrasive to her tender skin.

"Yeah, actually. It's easier with another pair of hands."

She grinned and handed him the items. Sitting on the sofa adjacent to his, she opened the towel and spread her legs to begin wrapping the gauze. For a few moments he wasn't thinking about the gauze or the tape. Seeing her like that, open to him and still blushed, he couldn't help but desire to be with her. As tired as he was, the want would always be there.

"Nihlus... the gauze." She reminded him with a flattered, but slightly annoyed tone.

He handed her the gauze and she started wrapping up her thigh. The first few layers hued red with traces of her blood. The made him feel guilty again and the fire that had begun to build once more died quickly. He averted his eyes from her form, only looking where she pointed for tape or a finger in aid. After each leg was properly dressed, she nuzzled him in thanks and left the towel covered cushions to put on her uniform. His eyes followed her nude form and the gentle sway of her hips as she crossed the room. He admired the firmness of her midsection and the curve of her ass when she bent to read the message Garrus had left her. The orange glow from the console lit her smile with it's light. Apparently the turian Commander had left her something humorous to read. It made him jealous that comedy came so easily to the other. He could make her laugh, but not like Garrus could. He supposed it was the commander's place in her life to be the funny one. He wondered what he gave her that Garrus did or could not. As his eyes drifted over her, his gaze fell on the bandages and a thought occurred to him. He had never gotten her the fish, but he could give her this.

He crossed the room and waited for her to look up at him, half dressed and looking ever so sexy. He took her face in his hands and gently presses his forehead to hers. Mandibles spread in a grin, he left her standing there in silence, wondering what the hell he was thinking. She was smiling.

Garrus stiffened a little when he spotted Nihlus exiting the elevator onto the command deck. It would take some getting used to knowing certain intimacies about the former Spectre. Though nothing about the way the turian when about his duties spoke of being a former anything. In his heart he was still a Spectre, and would remain so as long as his body would tolerate it. As wholly as he had believed that to be who Nihlus Kryik was to the core, recent events had shown him otherwise. Nihlus was a complicated man. The Spectre, as intense as he was, had been only the surface of him. Deeper than that was the man that only Sonya had known. The softer, sensitive persona that liked to hold his mate close and breath her breath on his face. It was impressive that two extremes of hard and soft existed within one being. As Nihlus neared him behind the cockpit he could clearly see the steel glint had returned to his eyes. Private life was just that. This was work. There was a very definitive line.

"When will we be ready to make the jump?" Kryik asked.

He didn't care who answered. He wasn't about to bow to any command other than Shepard's, maybe. He'd decided that on the way down. Lovers, bond mates, superior officer, it didn't matter. He was here on his own, just as if he were a Spectre. He'd functioned in that manner for too long to submit now.

"In about fifteen minutes, uh... sir." Joker told him, unsure of how to address the turian.

"Good, keep me informed."

He walked away to examine the Galaxy Map.

"I hate that guy." Joker said. "I don't see what the Captain ever saw in him."

"He's not as bad as you might think." Garrus told him.

"I think I liked you better when you had a stick up your ass. Shouldn't you two be at each other's throats for some kind of primal rights to her or something?"

"Do you really think that would be productive in the current state of the galaxy?" Garrus pointed out.

"No. But it would be fun to watch. Ya know? Entertainment! Something that has been put on the back burner since the shit hit the fan." Joker grumbled.

"Take it up with the Captain." Garrus replied and left the helm.

He passed Shepard on the way. She nodded and proceeded as professionally as ever. She was a little like Nihlus that way, but more willing to laugh and make playful banter. She would stay at the helm until after the jump. One more stop to hide before meeting the ship that would escort them to the base. The Reapers were closer this time. Too close. They would have to use a different route out and a new one when they returned. The Council, as much as he hated them, was the only thing holding all the species together. If they were lost then the galaxy would be no better off than when the Protheans tried to cling to exitance.

Garrus never really was one for standing around and looking over the shoulders of those doing the work, so he kept busy doing what repairs he could and assisting with regular maintenance in engineering. Kryik and Shepard organized, ordered, and planed. That's what they were good at, even better at implementation. He could plan, but his tended to lean to heavily on one point or another. That mistake on Omega would haunt him for the rest of his life. His men were avenged, but that didn't make it right. Nothing would make it right. Everyone had their demons. That was one of his.