Hello my freaky little darlings. Happy Halloween dears. I just got back from trick or treating with my son who was dressed as a small Joker in the Cerberus uniform. I hope you are all having a wonderful and safe night. Thank you for the wonderful reviews from the last chapter. You guys make me smile like this ^.^
I know this chapter is short but I have a lot going on at school right now that I feel a little bogged down. You will get along real chapter next time, I promise. But for now let me know what you think. I also have question for you all. Would you rather I write the lyrics of parts of the songs Jane sings or would you rather me leave it how I have been doing it?
Disclaimer: None of this I own... Well maybe Jane, a little.. But nothing else really.
There was something about the smell of the armory that made Garrus feel at home. Sure it had a little mix of different smells that was due in part to Jacob, but there was still that undertone of metal, gun oil and heat sinks that made him to think of Palaven as he looked over the new rifle selections that John had brought to the ship.
It had been quite a while since he upgraded from his trusted Mantis but after everything he had been through with that rifle it was starting to show its mileage and at the moment he would rather keep it as a memento than lose it to overuse. And what better time to shop from the selection than when John was on Illium acquiring the newest member to the team.
He was looking over the specs of two different rifle mods when EDI's voice echoed over the com in the room. "Mr. Taylor, the shore party has returned." Garrus looked up and over towards the human he had forgotten about. Jacob looked up from whatever it was he was doing and gave a small nod. "On my way."
Garrus watched as the human left the room, assuming that Jacob was charged with escorting the new member to the debriefing room. His guess was confirmed a few minutes later when he returned with a drell following with his hands clasped behind his back, large eyes studying everything. Behind the men followed Jane and Jack, the away team for this mission.
"This is the armory as you can see. Where all weapons are kept as well as the different selections that you can choose from if you wish to upgrade." Jacob explained to the drell who gave a small nod of understanding before they disappeared into the hallway outside of the debriefing room. Behind him the girls paused to remove their weapons all the while whispering to each other. As the doors shut Garrus turned to cross his arms and look the girls over.
"Having fun?" He flashed a small smile as Jane looked to him with a smile of her own. She placed a hand on her hip as her eyes moved to the door the men had disappeared behind. Her smile turning into a large grin.
"You could say that... A lovely time, out and about. Wind in my hair, visiting the locals. You know, the usual." A scuff was heard from the side and they both move their attention to Jack as she unstrapped her assault rifle and put it away. Her gaze moved up to both of them before she raised her hands in defence.
"I like killing ass fucks as much as the next girl but walking across a bridge, with no railing, at fucking who knows how high, makes me much rather stay home..." She gave a small snort as she raised a thumb to point towards Jane. "Wonder girl here just about danced on the edge 'letting the wind get in her hair.' And they call me the crazy one."
Jane laughed as she raised her shoulder and looked to Garrus who was giving her a weary look. "I can't help it. There is a sort of peace in the wind. Makes me almost wish I was a biotic so I could lift myself." She laughed once more as Jack shook her head. The tattooed woman then leaned slightly to give the redhead a small punch in the arm.
"You heading down to the mess now?" Jane looked over to shake her head with a small smile. Turning she began to walk backwards so she could still talk to Jack as she moved towards the door that lead to the debriefing room and lab.
"I was requested by Mordin to help with something he has going on in the lab. John pulled me away before I could get there but now I have free time." She raised her shoulders in an 'oh well' shrug that Jack laughed at. The bald woman turned and began to move towards the exit.
"Suit yourself, Hot Top. Have fun.." With that Jack was out of the room. As Jane moved past Garrus she reached out and placed a hand on his arm, a way to let him know she was moving behind him. Looking up he offered another smile which she returned. As she was about to disappear behind the door he called out to her.
"So 'hot top' huh?" She paused to lean her head back through the door with a small smile. She pointed to her hair and raised a shoulder. "You know, red like fire. Fire is hot..."
He put his weapon down and his subharmonics sang a sound of amusement. "Fire is hot? You don't say..." Her cheeks tinted a small shade of red as she stuck out her tongue for a second. With that she turned and let the doors shut behind her.
It only took him a few more minutes to select the rifle that felt right in his hands after adding his chosen mods. As he was putting away his new weapon, the doors opened to admit John, Jacob and the drell. John gave him a grin as he held a hand out to him.
"This is Garrus. He is one of the best snipers I've ever seen and handles the main battery on most occasions." He tilted his head towards the drell as he now spoke to Garrus. "This is our newest team member, Thane Krios."
For a few moments they seemed to be studying each other. It was Garrus who moved first to hold out his hand. As Krios took the offered hand and shook it, John seemed to relax slightly at their side. He was about to say something as a smile rose to his lip when singing reached their ears. All the men turned to look towards the hallway that led to the lab. John gave a sigh and held out his hand.
"That would be my sister, Jane. You will have to excuse her singing, she tends to do it... well she does it pretty much all the time. You might as well meet her and Dr. Solus." Thane gave a small nod as he turned to follow John. Garrus, now with nothing to do, decided that he might as well follow. Thane spoke as they moved towards the door, the singing becoming more clear and a little louder. "At least the sound is pleasant to the ear. I once heard a woman singing at a bar that held a strong comparison to an elcor."
John laughed as they made their way down the small hall. The door opened and he moved in and stepped to the side to allow in Garrus and Thane. As the two stepped in they were greeted with an odd sight.
Dr. Solus stood at the counter holding up some sort of liquid filled tube as he hummed along with the song that could be heard playing from the open omni-tool on the table. Jane stood with her back towards them, bent over the table, studying whatever was in the petri dish in front of her. Her hips swayed slightly to the beat as she sang, oblivious to the men who just entered the room.
A sly grin grew on John's face as he slowly crept towards her. Garrus looked over to Thane who seemed to be watching him with an inquisitive gaze. Garrus's eyes moved back to John just in time to see him grab Jane's waist and give a small yell. Garrus bit back a grin as he watched Jane jump up. John seemed ready for her reaction as she spun with a punch aimed straight for his jaw. His hand caught her fist just a few inches from his large grin.
A small growl echoed from her as she pulled her fist away. "Damn it, John, don't do that..." He chuckled as he moved to lean on the table facing them as she turned back to look at the dish. "But you make such a tempting target when you are in the zone. I can't help it." He raised his shoulders as he looked down to what she was doing with curiosity. "What are you working on?"
It was Mordin that spoke in Jane's place as she wrote down a few notes. "Appears a case of scale itch has made an appearance amongst the crew. Quite an interesting turn for a mostly human crew from Cerberus. Working on treatment and detecting where it spurred from in effort to prevent future recurrences." Mordin spoke without looking away from the tubes. Garrus couldn't help but shudder slightly at the thought of the illness. It was never something that he enjoyed to hear about. He could feel the drell shift slightly beside him. Apparently he had the same feeling on the itch.
John turned his head to look down at his sister with narrowed eyes. It took a moment for her to turn her head to look at him. There was a second before she stood straight again and placed her hands on her hips. "What?" He tilted his head to the side in a knowing way. Jane rolled her eyes as she turned to lean against the table with him. "It wasn't me, ass. I've kept my pants on, thank you very much. If you want my guess I think I would be having a chat with your yeoman."
John sighed and shook his head before pushing away from the table and moving over to the drell. Holding his hand out to indicate the science pair he smiled to him. "Thane, this is Dr. Mordin Solus and my sister Jane Nash."
Thane stepped forward and gave a small bow of his head in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you both." Jane turned fully to face him with a smile. She held out a hand to him which he took lightly and shook. "I watched how you took out those guards. It was quite skillful if I must say."
Thane's gaze seemed to be interested as his head tilted to the side slightly. "I have spent many years honing my body to be the perfect weapon. If I could not dispose of a few guards at that close of a range then I would have wasted most of my life."
Jane smiled as she pulled her hand back to put it on her hip. "If you ever find a spare moment I wouldn't mind a one on one session. I might learn a few things..." John stepped in to pull Jane back slightly. He gave Thane a small smile as he then turned to look at Jane. "You will have to excuse my sister. She is skilled in most hand to hand styles and things herself amazing." She raised an elbow to hit him slightly in the side. Her eyes narrowed at him before she pulled out of his grasp.
"I'm not a child, Rex. I can look out for myself." Thane looked the girl in front of him over and gave a small nod. His gaze then turned to John with another tilt of his head. "Do not fear, Commander. I know how to spar properly. I will refrain from doing harm to her, if she wishes to learn." Jane gave a small nod and was about to speak once more when she was interrupted from a voice behind her.
"An inquiry for you. Rex. Not a name that the Commander is listed as going by. Not a title or birth name. Called in a mocking manner. Do not quite understand." Jane paused and laughed slightly as she turned to look at the salarian behind her. She shook her head.
"It's a nickname of sort. Rex is an overly common name for an earth pet that is used as a guard. It's my way of calling John overprotective. Human's use nicknames on many occasions, sometimes to tease but on most occasion humans just establish nicknames for people that are close to them. Especially if they are in a relationship with each other."
Mordin nodded slightly as it was clear he was in deep thought. After a few seconds he took a large breath and looked to her once more. "Nicknames for loved ones I have heard. Not understanding a few. Deer, animal sometimes slaughtered for game. Babe, baby animal that lingers and consumes food in the same location that it relieves itself. Baby, human offspring. Is it common to wish that your significant other be your own spawn?"
Garrus couldn't fight the smile that spread across his face. He noticed how John raised his fist to cover his chuckle while even the drell's lips twitched in a small smile. Jane sighed as she seemed to be in thought. Then she gave a small nod.
"It's not that people wish to marry or be in a relationship with their child. Baby is used to call someone that you love unconditionally. Someone that you couldn't live without, or at least feel as though you couldn't. It's someone that you want to take care of and protect." She gave a small laugh as she raised her shoulders. "It's something that started long, long ago. I'm not sure who was the first to call their significant other 'baby' but it's something that seemed to stick in the human language."
John chuckled as he moved over to place a hand on Jane's shoulder with a small shake of his head. "And with that I think I will take my leave." His gaze turned to Thane and gave him a small nod. "I have a few things to take care of up here." His eyes moved to Garrus, slightly pleading. "Garrus would you be able to show him around the rest of the ship and to life support?"
Garrus gave a small nod as he looked over towards the drell. "Of course, there is nothing else going on right now." John gave a small nod as he gave everyone a smile before he moved towards the exit. Jane made a small sigh as she turned back towards Thane and flashed him a smile.
"I'm just down the hall from you. If you have any questions or have free time don't hesitate to visit me." Another smile was flashed as Thane gave her a small nod of thanks. A weird feeling began to build inside of Garrus. It felt a little like being protective but there was something else. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind as he led the drell out of the room and towards the elevator.
A silence hung between them at first as the elevator slowly began to creep down a floor. After a few minutes Thane spoke, his gaze set on the wall in front of him. "The Commanders sister is quite interesting, is she not? Very open and friendly..."
Garrus turned his head slightly so that he could look the drell over. Deep black orbs turned to gaze at him. Garrus didn't know what was going on but he was starting to feel as though he was being rubbed the wrong way. Something inside of him was telling him to keep the drell away from Jane. He labeled it as his dedication to John and having his back when he wasn't around. He gave a small nod.
"She is very friendly to most people. I have meet very few people who see people like she does, just as people without prejudice. It's always interesting to have conversations with her." The drell gave a small nod as the doors opened.
"I will have to do just that." He looked back towards Garrus as he stepped out. "Which way is the life support?" Garrus pointed over towards the door with the large human writing beside it. The drell gave a small nod of thanks before looking around the floor. Garrus stepped out and started to point out areas as he talked. "The medical bay is right there, next to the mess. You will find the CO Miss Lawson in that room over there. Towards the back is the main battery where you can find me." He turned and began to point out the rooms. "The restrooms are on either side of the hallway with the crew quarters opposite of you."
Thane moved into the hallway and looked either direction before turning to look back towards Garrus. "And where might Miss Nash's quarters be?" Garrus's mandibles twitched slightly as he looked down the hall.
"Jane's room is right down the hall at the very end." He wanted to add that she wasn't in there most of the time or that she liked to be alone but those were lies. But still he wanted to say something to keep the drell from being interested in his best friends sister.
The green man turned his dark orbs down the hall to study the door before giving Garrus a small nod. "I believe I will retire for now to meditate. Thank you once more for the small tour of the ship." He gave one last nod before moving to disappear into life support. Garrus watched him go and came to the conclusion that he did not fully trust this assassin. He was going to have to keep a sharp eye on him, especially around Jane.