Homesick - The Vines

"Grunt, would you be so kind as to give Shepard and I a moment alone?"

The krogan gave the turian and the human a confused glance before exiting the shuttle to head for the showers.

Garrus was looking into Shepard's eyes the whole time, his gaze steady and cold. "Would you care to explain what the hell just happened?"

Shepard was an exceedingly brave woman. In her lifetime, she had fought countless enemies of every size and race. But she had never seen a turian this angry, and she had to admit, she was scared.

"Garrus." Her voice was shaking. "I didn't want you to make a decision you'd regret."

"The only thing I regret is not being able to kill the son of a bitch who murdered my entire goddamn team."

"You didn't hear what he had to say, Garrus. He's wrought by guilt after what happened."

"I'm wrought by guilt and you didn't give me any mercy! If you truly valued me, Shepard, you would have let me do what I wanted to instead of holding me back."

"You would have been wrought with guilt just like he is for the rest of your life if I didn't stop you!"

"I have those ten lives hanging over my head for the rest of my life now knowing that I lost the chance to seek revenge for them! Why does he deserve to live when he deemed that they deserved to die?"

"You think I don't understand what it's like to want revenge for someone that I care about?" She stood up and looked down on him. "Garrus, it's not up to you to decide if someone deserves to die or not. Decisions in life aren't that easy. I've dedicated my life to preserving as many lives as I can, whether the people are evil or not. The ones that I shoot are the ones that shoot me first."

"Don't be so puritanical, Shepard. He stabbed me in the back; it's the same as him shooting me first."

"Stop being such a stubborn bastard, Garrus!" Now Shepard was the one who was terrifyingly angry. "I've been in your boots before. I've been in a situation where someone I loved dearly died when she shouldn't have. I sought my revenge. But to this day I still feel guilty for the way that I slaughtered those people.

"To the wicked, Garrus, a life in prison is often worse than death; because it means that they're kept alive to sit and fester in their own guilt until it utterly destroys them. That's the life Sidonis will get."

Garrus stood up and they stared each other down for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, he was the one who backed down, and he turned away to exit the shuttle. "Take someone else on your ground crew to get Tali. I need to be alone."

"I'm your Commander; you're on the ground crew if I say that you are!"

Shepard watched him leave and slam the door behind him, leaving her sitting alone in the shuttle. She cursed loudly before slamming herself down into a seat, her face in her hands. Her emotions were clouding her judgment as a commander, and she was losing a crew member as a result.

She needed an old friend. Someone she could trust. Someone she could be entirely honest with, and who could provide her with guidance as a Commander, as well as in her personal matters.

She needed Tali.

Although he argued, Shepard directed Kal'Reegar to stay back and provide supporting fire. There was something in his tone of voice that betrayed his emotions, and Shepard knew that his feelings were more than just respect for Tali. The thought made her smile; he seemed like a good man, a strong man, just what her Tali needed; and because of that she wouldn't let him risk his life.

She pulled her ground team aside momentarily. "Zaeed, Kasumi. What do you think is the best route to that Colossus?"

"I've seen you fight, Shepard," Zaeed growled. "You do best jumping through cover, regardless of how many guddamn enemies are in front of you. Take the direct attack, take the middle route."

She nodded at him. "Good idea, Massani. I'm going to take the most direct; I want you two to watch my six. Kasumi, anything you see with shields, use overload on it immediately. Zaeed, anything gets too close behind me, use concussive shot. Don't even think about touching that Colossus until we're right up its ass. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kasumi made a mock salute before loading her pistol.

"Move out!"

Shepard ran forward, immediately taking out two geth troopers with her Tempest. Geth started to flow in from her left and right, so she directed Zaeed and Kasumi to aim at their respective directions. She threw supporting biotics into the groups of geth and switched to her Carnifex to shoot down anything in front of her, staying in cover as frequently as she could to avoid the shots from the Colossus.

Kasumi was getting swarmed, so Shepard dove out to cover to her right, sending a biotic Singularity to trap four geth so she could summarily execute them with headshots. Turning around she saw a Geth Hunter invisible behind Zaeed, so she used pull to send him helplessly into the air and directed Zaeed to use a concussive shot on him, sending him flying from the battlefield.

The commander and her crew slowly advanced through the waves of geth, Zaeed hanging back slightly to snipe. When they finally reached the Colossus, Shepard pulled out her particle rifle to pick away at its shields and armour while she directed Kasumi and Zaeed to focus on the geth troops that surrounded it. She couldn't help but let out a quiet 'yes' when the Colossus finally fell.

Seeing Tali sent a wave of relief through her. Her friend was alive and well, and willing to come back on the Normandy with her. When Kal arrived, alive but injured, Shepard knew that Tali felt a similar sense of relief.

"Listen, Tali, I'm ecstatic to get back on the Normandy with you, but I think you should... brief Kal before we go." Shepard winked at her. "We'll be waiting outside to make sure no geth are still floating around."

Shepard turned back briefly before leaving to catch a beautiful image. Tali and Kal were facing each other, holding each others' hands with their helmets touched as they exchanged whispers.

Maybe her adversity to love was misguided. Caring about another being that much looked beautiful and fulfilling.

A long sigh escaped her lips. She cared about Garrus that much. But right now, he didn't even want to be on her ground team, never mind feeling the same way about her.

Tali and Shepard stayed up talking until the small hours of the morning. Everything that had happened up until that point was discussed; Shepard's regeneration on Freedom's Progress and the resulting revelation of the cell (resulting in a loud Keelah! from Tali), the threat of the Collectors, building the team, and the absolute pressure Shepard felt from the whole situation.

Tali also filled Shepard in on her life since the SR-1. She explained her warm welcome back onto the flotilla (the Admiralty Board thrilled with her contributions from her Pilgrimage), her continual search for geth parts to send to her father to assist in his research, and finally her missions to Freedom's Progress and Haestrom.

"Tell me, Shepard... how did you know... about Kal?"

Shepard smiled wryly. "I could hear in his voice that his feelings for you ran deeper than respect. I'm happy for you, Tali." Her smile changed from wry to warm. "But you have to give me the whole story."

"Two years is a long time, Shepard. Since my Pilgrimage, I grew up and found myself desiring companionship beyond my family and friends. Kal came into my life organically: he was assigned to my ship when we were on a salvage run. He impressed me with his skills on the field, and with the way he carried himself." She laughed faintly. "I guess I impressed him too."

"How could you not?"

Tali blushed under her helmet. "On the way to Haestrom we... joined suits. I was sick for the first three days on the planet, but it was so worth it. Then the geth started to take out his whole team, and he worked incredibly hard to protect me. I was so relieved to see him alive, Shepard. He understands that me being on the Normandy is more important than anything, and he has his own duties to the flotilla, but we'll see each other soon.

"What about you, Shepard? Surrounded by all sorts of good looking men on this ship, one of them must stand out to you."

Shepard laughed at how straight forward her friend was. "I've never had much of a love life, Tali."

"What do you mean, you bosh'tet? Suitors must be lining up out the door for a woman like you."

"I've always been more focused on my career."

"I can understand that, Shepard, and what a career that you have! But don't you wish at the end of a long day that you could curl up into someone's arms and forget about your worries?"

Shepard took a pregnant pause. An image of her and Garrus lying together on her bed, sleeping peacefully without any nightmares of Sovereign taking her friends away from her, invaded her mind. "Yes," she whispered. "I do. For the first time in my life, I do. With one person." She swallowed. "One person who is currently so mad at me he requested not to be on my ground team to get you."

"Keelah!" Tali cried, her fingers covering the bottom of her mask. "It's Garrus!"

Shepard flashed a wide-eyed look. "How did you know?"

"I know you, Shepard. You'd only care that much about someone you trust. And from what you've told me, he's the only one on the ship that you trust completely."

The relief at finally having someone in on her secret felt incredible. "Tali, I feel like I've been holding a torch for him ever since we picked him up on Omega. He's been keeping me steady through this entire storm. After every mission, he's been the one I've been able to go and talk to. He's my best friend. But I stopped him from killing Sidonis, and he resents me for it."

"Shepard... Listen. Life's not short for you, not anymore, but that doesn't mean life isn't short for him. We're on a suicide mission. There's a chance he couldn't make it out of this. Do you want to live the rest of your days with regret at your inaction? You need to talk to him and let him know how you feel. What's the worst that could happen? He could be a complete bosh'tet and not realize what an amazing woman you are, and you remain friends. But at least the air would be clear! Otherwise, how will you ever know if he feels the same?"

Shepard laughed. "Do you always give such inspirational speeches?"

"I gave one to Garrus at your funeral. I've never seen him as lost as he looked that day. But you being back in action with him at your side, it gives him purpose. I can see it in his face. You need each other."

Shepard stood up, feeling a renewed sense of vigor. "You're right Tali. You're absolutely right. I need to talk to him. Now."

Tali gently put her hand on Shepard's shoulder and eased her back into her seat. "If it wasn't 0215 hours, I'd agree with you that it's the best thing to do. But for now, I have a plan, and I think things will turn out even better."

A/N: I just wanted to tell a brief Mass Effect-related story, since we're all Mass Effect fans here.

I started my second trilogy playthrough (I've played ME1 ~6 times, but only through ME2 and ME3 once. Blasphemy, I know) in September and last night I finished ME3. Playing through the ending again (saying goodbye to Garrus; Wrex's words of inspiration; Javik's words of hope) brought me to the verge of tears because I've become so close with each of the characters. I constantly marvel at the beauty of the universe that Bioware has created for us, and even though I just played through the series I'm so excited to play through it again (as Broshep this time!). And again. And again. So this is a big ass THANK YOU to Bioware for making the best universe I've ever seen in a game, or in any fiction.

Although there's a lot more to my Woods series, I can't wait to continue fleshing out my ideas in fic form as a small tribute to what BW has created. I 3 Mass Effect.

I'd also like to add a big ass THANK YOU to everyone who has been reading and keeping up with my little story here. I won't reveal anything but I have a lot of really great ideas for the future and I hope that it's been as enjoyable for you to read it as it has been for me to write it.