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After several hours, Saren finally found the willpower to tear himself away long enough for her to use the shower. He didn't know what had come over him. Turians naturally had a lot of sexual stamina, but this was just ridiculous. His hormones raged like a teenager's and he couldn't get enough. And while Shepard had a lot of stamina herself, it was obvious their incessant mating was taking a toll on her wounds. He could have most certainly gone for hours longer but decided it best to give her time to recuperate. Glancing at the bathroom door he felt himself rise to attention again.
He shook away the thoughts that began to form in his head. It would be best to leave before his body determined that he must have her in there as well. Since his typical exit was located where she showered, he decided to sneak out the official way. At least her quarters were located on the top floor, so there would be very little chance of anyone seeing him leaving through her door.
When the elevator door opened to the crew deck, he nearly ran into Garrus. Eyes wide, both parties stared at one another, unmoving. How… convenient, Saren thought bitterly. He could tell by the way Garrus's mandibles twitched, that his agitation was growing by the second. And that's when Saren felt his back hit hard against the inside of the elevator. He hadn't seen it coming and he was astounded by the younger turian's speed and the way in which the blow to his gut caught him unawares. Before he could right himself, clawed fingers wrapped tightly around his throat.
"What do you think you are doing Vakarian?" Saren snarled.
"I should ask you the same thing, Arterius," Garrus snapped back.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Garrus tightened his grip around the other turian's neck in warning. "I smell her blood on you. Don't think that after all this time fighting by her side that I wouldn't recognize that scent."
Saren shoved his hand away angrily, rubbing at the tough skin where claws had punctured. "We had sex. Though, I don't see how it's any of your business," he spat. The other turian's mouth hung open in disbelief. It was a scent he should have been able to pick up, especially being this close. Though, it was likely he simply didn't want to acknowledge it. The poor boy had denial written all over his face.
"I warned you..." Garrus growled.
Saren winced, the underlying accusations creeping under his plates a bit too easily. Despite this, he chose to remain cool and a mocking chuckle rose up from his chest. "Vakarian. I'm shocked that you would assume such a thing. I assure you, she was very willing." He took a moment to savor the discontented look on the younger turian's face. "Now if you'll excuse me…" Pushing by Garrus, who remained unmoving, he continued on to his destination.
How could this be? Garrus wondered. There's no way Shepard would—with him… Would she? He had to make sure she was alright. There was no way he'd be able to concentrate on calibrations until he knew for sure she was unharmed.
Taking the elevator to the top floor, he inputted the code to her quarters and stepped inside. The room smelled potently of human and turian. The scent of sex mixed with her blood invaded his nostrils and it enraged him.
Suddenly the door to the cabin's private bathroom slid open, revealing a very unclothed Shepard, running a towel over her hair. She was about to step out until she realized the turian standing before her was not the one she'd anticipated. They both stood frozen, unsure of how to react. And that's when he noticed the wounds that marked her body. Acknowledging the way his eyes narrowed at the marks, she draped the towel over her front to cover the majority of what had drawn his attention.
"Did you just come here to gawk?" she asked irritably.
"What did he do to you?" he demanded, ignoring her question.
"He who?"
"Don't play dumb, Shepard. I know you were with Saren. And don't think I didn't see those cuts you're trying to hide."
"So?" She lifted her chin in challenge.
His gaze was drawn to the bite mark on her shoulder, and for some reason that affected him more than the bloody wounds that covered her. "I'll kill him," he growled.
"You'll do no such thing," she snarled back.
"Why shouldn't I?" He narrowed his eyes, searching her features.
"Because I wanted it."
Her words stung more than they should have. They had never been romantically involved, though he occasionally had his fleeting moments of curiosity. Their friendship had always amounted to more than that, anyway. But now he was feeling regret and jealousy stir within him. Someone else was aiming to claim her and he didn't want to lose what they had. It meant too much.
"Why Saren?"
She shrugged. "I donno, it just happened… It seemed like we were a lot alike."
"And we're not?"
She regarded him with knitted brows. "That's an odd question. Of course we are. You're the best friend I've ever had in this messed up galaxy."
"Right…" he mumbled, looking away in frustration. He felt the softness of her hand grazed the still-tender scar on his face, directing him to look at her.
"Nobody is ever going to replace you Garrus. No matter what, we'll always be Shepard and Vakarian."
Her words seemed to relax him a bit, though feelings he couldn't seem to digest continued to eat at the back of his mind. "Well, I suppose I can live with that," he said, a teasing tone in his voice. The hand that had rested on his face was replaced with a brief kiss from her lips and his mandibles fluttered in approval.
"So uh…" he paused to chuckle bashfully. "You need any help dressing those wounds?"
She smirked up at him. "I think I can manage."
"You sure? All this time hanging around you has provided me with quite the field dressing skills."
"Get out of here," she said with a laugh, smacking his shoulder playfully.
Suddenly a female voice sounded over the comm system. "Commander, you have an important message from a Liara T'Soni," the yeoman informed her.
"Thanks Samantha," she responded.
"I'll let you get back to work. Besides, I have some things that are just begging to be calibrated," he rumbled with a grin.
Shepard ducked behind a metal crate and shook away the light-headedness that followed her swift movement. That one almost hit. Popping another head sink into her assault rifle, she peeked around the side of her cover and shot five rounds into the man's chest and another three into the trooper beside him. While Liara held the last centurion in stasis, Saren emptied his heat sink into the shield's narrow peephole.
"Cortez," Shepard called through her comm. "It's clear. We're ready for pickup!"
"Right away, mam," he responded.
"Let's get this thing to the landing zone," the Commander ordered her squad, motioning toward the stasis pod.
The three of them combined was just enough to carry the heavy pod to the pickup point just as the shuttle swooped in for landing. Shepard glanced at Liara who seemed to be slightly struggling with her corner of the pod.
"How ya doing, Liara?"
"Fine," she managed through a strained voice. "Just can't get a good gri-"
Suddenly the metal case slipped from her fingers and went crashing to the ground. There was a bit of stilled silence immediately following, none of them certain of how to react. That's when Shepard saw it; a familiar outline in the top of the case. Reaching down into the front of her armor she drew out the amulet that the High Priestess of Thessia had given her. Holding it in the palm of her gloved hand, she examined it to confirm her speculations. Slipping the chain from her neck she placed the amulet into the shallow slot. It fit perfectly.
Within moments the pod clicked and hissed as if air was being released from its long-endured containment. Everyone jumped back, not knowing what to expect. Then it opened, revealing a being that very closely resembled… a Prothean. It gasped as lungs became accustomed to the drastic change in air quality. Four sets of eyes fluttered until they sprung open, processing new images with vision that hadn't been used for nearly 50,000 years. Then, without warning, the being shot up from the pod and to his feet with surprising agility for one contained for so long. It gazed out at the landscape that lay out before it, with a mixture of what seemed like curiosity and indifference.
"I'm Commander Shepard," she said, taking a step towards the stranger. "You got a name?"
The being's golden eyes tore from the view to study her. It stared for a few brief moments before reaching out and grabbing her shoulders. She had no time to react before images began flooding through her mind; images she had seen numerous times after interacting with the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. Then, the images were sharply cut off. Hands that had once gripped her shoulders with determination were no longer present. One primarily-synthetic arm held her tightly against an armored body. When her sight finally readjusted, she realized that Saren was now holding her away from the being, almost protectively. His other arm was outstretched, wielding a firearm that was steadily aimed at the offending entity.
"Don't touch her," Saren warned.
Then it spoke, its voice clearly male. "Don't worry yourself, turian. I did not harm your mate." He paused to consider them thoughtfully. "I never thought I would see the day when the bird people and cave-painters would have such relations. This concept is curious."
"Are you Prothean?" Liara asked curiously.
"Yes," he responded matter-of-factly, glancing at her. "It is also good to see the asari have finally advanced in this cycle."
"Prothean?" Saren asked, lowering his weapon slightly. "Then you know of the beacons?"
"Our people left beacons to assist future cycles in the fight against annihilation."
"You mean the Reapers?" Shepard questioned him.
"Precisely."
Despite the lack of threat the Prothean seemed to pose, Shepard noticed that Saren still had his arm wrapped tightly around her. She gave him a slight nudge, prompting her release. Leaving the warmth of his hold she gingerly approached the Prothean.
"The Reapers are already here," she informed him.
"The Reapers have already begun their destruction in this cycle? Then it may be too late…" He turned his yellow eyes to gaze thoughtfully over the landscape. "Nevertheless, I will fight with you."
"You will?"
"Yes. The machines wiped out my people. I will see them destroyed, or die trying."
"Then I'm glad to have you on our team…" she trailed off, waiting for him to provide her with a name.
"My people once called me Javik. Now… I am their vengeance."
When the shuttle pulled into the hangar bay, James immediately came running to see what they had found on the planet below. When Javik exited, the Lieutenant was amazed to learn they had brought back a real live Prothean.
"Daaaamn, Commander. Only your crazy ass would manage to bring back a caveman!" he told her with a nudge.
"Your people lived in caves human, not mine," Javik said irritably.
James threw his hands up defensively. "Chill dude. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Well," Shepard said with a sigh, eager to interrupt. "I suppose we should find a place for you to stay."
"The contaminants in this vessel are strong. I would prefer a place with abundant water so that I may cleanse myself," said the Prothean.
"Okay…" Shepard arched a brow.
"Shepard, I'd like to take care of it if I may," Liara offered. "There are so many things I'd like to learn about our new friend."
"I am not your friend," Javik corrected. "I am merely here to exact vengeance for my people."
"At least he's friendly," James muttered, crossing his arms over his bulky chest.
Shepard smirked. "He's all yours."
"You two go on ahead. I'm sure you'd like to spend some time alone," the asari said, glancing from Shepard to Saren.
The Commander jumped back at Liara's bold assumption. A nervous chuckle escaped her lips and she waved her hand dismissively. "No— we're not—" She dared a glance at Saren who glared back.
"No sense in denying it human, if even the asari can sense your overactive pheromones," Javik interjected.
Shepard watched as Saren walked away from the awkward conversation before making a last-minute decision to follow after.
James simply scratched his head in wonderment. After a few moments of pondering he shook his head with a laugh, making his own conclusion about the Commander and the turian. "Nah."
The two of them rode the elevator up in silence, neither one knowing what to say. If felt like one of those awkward mornings-after when you're unsure if the other person is in regret of the previous night's events. The quiet was almost deafening. It was only broken by the sound of the elevator coming to a halt and the swish of the door.
Saren was about to step out of the uncomfortable space when he felt a tug at his arm.
"Wait." The word that came from her lips sounded more like an order than a request. It was all he needed. Spinning around he moved toward her swiftly. And when their bodies collided he didn't stop until he had her against the back wall. She felt so good against him. Her scent was intoxicating. It brought back all of the tantalizing thoughts he'd barely managed to suppress while spending the day at her six. But there was one thing he had to know…
"Why do you hide this from the others?" he asked, his hot breath fanning against her neck.
"I don't see why they need to know."
"Are you ashamed?"
"No," she said, straightening her back. "Why should I be?"
"Because it's wrong," he growled, darting his tongue out to lick at her neck. "Deliciously wrong."
She shivered and felt her knees weaken. "That's just how I like it," she rasped.
Mandibles flared in satisfaction, he began unclasping his armor as she followed suit. Once the last scrap of under armor lay haphazardly on the elevator floor he grasped her rear and scooted her up the wall. Guiding her legs to wrap securely around his narrow waist he spared not time in filling her with his length. They ignored the elevator door that hung open at the top floor, continuing to lose themselves in their pleasure. As growls and mewls filled the small space, they were too far gone to care.