Ok, Dear Readers. The schedule of posting every wednesday and saturday is still on. Here's some steamy bits... ;)

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Chapter 8

Back on Earth, two days passed in a blur. Sheppard's leg was free, and the doctor was trying to get her to stay a few more days. Shepard was done with hospitals. She felt like her whole world was bathed in that red light, and she had to struggle to keep her head out of the water.

'Doc, please. I'm going to an Alliance base, there will be a medical facility there. I'm fine. Please let me go.' She pleaded.

'Sheppard, your scans still show that your leg needs rest. There's still trace inflammation in the affected joints. You need to gain back at least 5 kilos of healthy weight; your fit body didn't have enough reserves for the ordeal you went through. You need rest.'

'I promise to be off my feet, minimum walking and a lot of eating.' Please, let me go and disappear. She couldn't wait to raid her apartment in Abbotsford and go to her real home, a small cottage near Lake Bear. There she could disappear and forget the world.

'Doc, she won't change her mind. I'll make sure she won't hurt herself and get her back to good health.' Garrus, looking pointedly to Shepard, tried to reason with the two of them.

'Doctor Aoife, I'll personally oversee that.' Liara affirmed.

'Alright, we don't have too many patients, but the extra bed could be useful... And you are well enough to leave. I'll update the system, and you'll have your leave this morning. I expect you will follow the full guidelines of your treatment until the end- all medicines, diet and scans. I will hold all three of you responsible if anything happens to the Commander. Do we have an understanding?' The incredulous doctor looked at them with a suspicious eye, her voice hinted she wanted to appease but still knowing everything would be all right.

Shepard managed a triumphant smile. 'Thank you, doc.'

The doctor left and closed the three accomplices in the room. They looked at each other and knowing mischievous looks crossed their faces.

'Alright, I'm free. What now? Has Hackett given you any instructions, Liara?

'What? How? You knew?'

'Liara, you're not the only one who can gather intelligence around here.' She gave her an appeasing smile. 'I'm not mad. I would have done the same in his place. But now I'm ok enough, and I'm know he wants to see me.'

'Yes, he asked if Garrus and I could get you to the Luna base. The Normandy is being repaired at their dry dock.'

'Alright then, let's go.'

oO0~0Oo

As they flew by, they could see that some of the biosphere domes on the moon's surface were gone, there was only rubble left. The trio arrived at the Luna base in the last quarter of the day cycle. The shuttle Garrus had used to get to earth delivered them safely on the terraformed moon. Much of it was still intact; most of the civilian fuel mining plants were functioning at full speed and the military base was eerily untouched. Perhaps it was because most of it was underground and only the very top showed outside, like an iceberg.

Shepard was apprehensive about meeting her crewmates. Her process of makeshift compartmentalization of her feelings was working, but now it was going to be put to test. They touched down at the dock and were welcomed by the very affectionate Cortez and Traynor.

'Commander, you are alive! I couldn't believe the report!' Traynor saluted but was still fidgeting in excitement.

'Commander, it's so good to see you' Cortez also saluted.

'Yes, thank you for your concern, Traynor, Cortez.' Shepard saluted in kind. Warming her eyes to them, she laced ties on her motions to keep herself from breaking down. It would only get harder the more crewmembers she met. And there was still Joker, he would be the toughest one.

'How are the repairs of the Normandy?'

'The rough landing dented her a little but nothing that a couple of weeks on dry dock won't fix' Cortez informed.

'Yes. Also, Tali, I and an appointed group are trying to get Edi back. The ship really needs her to be at its full potential.' Traynor had a sad cast on her face.

'Is she really gone?' Shepard asked.

'It all indicates that yes, she is. We speculate the Crucible was an anti-AI weapon and rightfully so erased all AI in the galaxy, which actually makes sense in a way.'

'Makes a lot of sense, billions of years of civilizations fighting the Reapers they would definitely go straight to the core, which is irrefutably AI.' Cortez chimed in.

'Do what you can Traynor, please do what you can to bring her back.' Maybe if what I did could be undone? No, I still traded the life of others to keep my own.

'I will, Commander, I will.' Traynor's face couldn't hide her grief. She and Edi had had good moments together.

With her cane in hand Shepard said her goodbyes and set her path to Command Office. She passed through all bureaucracies and after what seemed like kilometres of corridors, they finally arrived. Admiral Hackett was oddly dressed in black fatigues; she had never seen him without his officer's blue before.

'Hello Shepard. Garrus, Liara.' Hackett stood up, greeted the group and showed them the chairs in front of his desk so they could sit.

'How are you, soldier?' He went back to his desk with too many screens and digital readers strewn all over it.

'Never better, Admiral.' Sheppard gave a big fake smile. 'But honestly, I'm healing, and in a few days I'll be able to go back to active duty. The good doctor gave me a thorough treatment plan, and I'll be brand new in no time.'

Hackett looked at Liara and Garrus, and they looked back with an exasperated look. 'Well Commander, no matter if you are injured or not, I'm placing you on leave for 60 days.'

'What? You've got to be kidding me!' Thank you...

Hackett raised an eyebrow.

'I'm sorry. Why, Admiral?

'You are one of my best soldiers, and you and Major Alenko are Humanity's only SPECTRES. I need you to set your life in order for the chaos that is to come with all the worlds' structures in tatters as they are. You need time to level your bearings, and I know you still have family you haven't heard about yet. Do know that your father is safe, and he's here at the base.'

'Thank you, and I understand, Admiral. I'll go to the Normandy and pack up my essentials.'

'Yes. But first I need your full report on the last battle. Garrus, I have spoken with Primarch Victus, and he requested you contact him. Your assistance was and is invaluable. The Alliance and I would request, if you'll accept, for you to keep your work with us and help us bridge relations with the Turian military.'

'Thank you, Admiral, I'll take that into consideration. I'll also submit a report on the last assignment.'

'Thank you, Garrus.'

'Liara, we have intell that your base is intact and has survived the attacks unscathed. Feron has sent for you, there is a small ship waiting for you at the docks. The Alliance and I personally appreciate all the effort and support you provided the Alliance and the Human race, especially you as an assari civilian. There is no rush for your departure, in fact you can stay as long as you like. Your presence has been of great value, and I'm sure it always will be.'

'Thank you, Admiral. I will go to the Normandy and update the databases. The ship's communicator is of great value. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave. See you later, Shepard. Admiral, Garrus.' Liara left.

'Shepard, I need to speak privately with you'

'I'll go too. My report will be in the system in 30 minutes, Admiral. See you at the Normandy, Shepard.' Garrus left.

Now alone with Shepard, Hackett looked more pointedly at the soldier in front of him. He was worried by what he saw; she looked like death, but he kept the concern out of his voice.

'Ok soldier, start from the beginning.'

'We arrived on Earth and coordinated a final push with Anderson. I took Garrus and Major Alenko as support while we escorted the cannons into position. We took down the reaper in the vicinity, and the Normandy came to pick up the nonessential troops in case this mission failed.'

Shepard took a deep breath. I can do this. 'We made the last couple hundred metres on foot and were caught in a peripheral explosion. I managed to survive and make my way into the Beam.'

Hackett was listening with intense quiet, as if absorbing every single detail Sheppard related to him. 'What happened at the Beam?'

'The Beam felt like I was yanked from the ground by an extremely powerful G force. It dropped me in a chamber full of bodies.' The memory soured in Shepard's stomach. Nothing in the world could have prepared her to see and smell that many bodies piled up like pebbles on a beach. But she continued.

'Anderson managed to reach the beam too, but arrived at a different chamber. We kept radio contact, and I managed to cross the chamber and get into a console deck. The Illusive Man was there, I don't know how, he had Anderson under gun point. I managed to neutralize him, but he shot Anderson first. That was when you contacted me informing me the Crucible wasn't doing anything. A console took me to an open area at the citadel, and there I activated a console that fired the Crucible.' He doesn't need to know the Illusive Man was right, doesn't need to know about the other choices... 'I don't know how I came back to Earth. I believe the console activated a secondary Beam that took me back, since I was found next to the ground Beam structure in London.'

'Shepard, what you have done for Humanity and the Galaxy cannot be quantified.'

'Thank you, Admiral.'

The Admiral's praise felt like sandpaper inside her. She was being praised for something she did not deserve. She didn't do her best. I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve to be alive.

'Anderson... We are organizing multi-species scout troops to evaluate the Citadel and gauge the damage. The Keepers are still operational and have already cleaned up a lot of the bodies. We will never know how many lost their lives in there but as far as we know, only a portion of the station's population survived the battle. Most are being evacuated. We still have no idea where in the Citadel the bodies from earth were taken.'

'What will happen with/to it?' Shepard relaxed, the list of people she was actually obligated to relay the facts was almost over. Now, she had only to face her father.

'The leaders don't know it yet. Some want it operational and some want it destroyed. I honestly don't want any part in the discussion, and I'm going to leave it to the politicians.'

'That is a healthy way to look at it.'

'I have too much on my plate already.'

'Is there something else you need me to do?'

'Yes, tell me what really happened up there. You are holding something back from me.'

Shepard was startled. He couldn't know anything. He was fishing. 'No, sir, there is nothing else.'

Hackett took his time analysing the soldier in front of him. The battle was over, and whatever happened up there saved trillions. If there was ever a time to let something go, that was the time.

'Alright, soldier. I'll see you in 60 days. Your orders are to get well and come back to active duty. Are we understood?'

'Yes, sir.' Shepard stood up and saluted. The relief spreading through her was palpable.

Shepard left the Admiral's office and walked to the Normandy. She was tired, the day was demanding on her healing body. Pushing forward, passing through the metallic white corridors and grated floors of the station, she passed by her fellow Alliance colleagues. While most just looked, others saluted, and a few came to compliment her. Even though she was polite with every one of them, with each compliment her paces got lengthier and faster. She needed to get out of there.

She managed to enter the ship mostly undetected and went straight to her quarters. Her fish seemed well cared for, and with the tank VI they needed zero exterior interference and she could leave them there. Her hamster on the other hand needed to come with her. The little guy was a true survivor. There were a couple footlockers there for her to pack her personal things. She passed by those, let her cane fall on the floor and sat on her bed. Lying back and looking up through the glass roof, she didn't find the stars that often lulled her to sleep. The place felt like it wasn't hers anymore.

Her body gave up on her, and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep after almost two weeks of restless nights.

oO0~0Oo

'You're awake.'

Garrus felt her stir and spoke with a soft resonant voice to welcome her into consciousness. In the dimly lit bedroom, the only light source was the large wall sized fish tank. The dim, soft blue cast was comforting. He had moved her to her side of the bed and covered her with the thermal coverlet. He was hugging her from behind, cocooning her in his warmth. He knew how much she loved it when he did that.

Her heart swelled with her love for him. But the cracks in it created by her selfish act to make it ache and gave her a feeling of desperation, but she tried to swallow it down. I'll be home soon.

He was wearing just his sleep boxers. His alien physique was intriguing. His skin was thick and slightly reflective because of microscopic particles of metal mixed in between the strands of tissue. The texture was soft and velvety and a little dry, but thicker and more resistant than human skin. He had small bulges weaved on the top of his shoulders, arms, and especially around his neck where they met in a vee cascading down his chest. Much like as if he always wore a wide and impressive looking livery collar. He had a small tapered waist that flared into wide hips and strong legs, all wrapped in that delicious skin Sheppard loved to caress.

'Hello, Garrus,' Sheppard pushed back to fill the small gap between their bodies. She noticed she was still clothed minus her shoes. He was always a gentleman with her.

He hugged her closer and pressed his nose in her loose curly hair, breathing her in. 'Mmmm... I missed that smell. Promise me you'll never leave me without it?'

Shepard's heart tightened. She had no idea what she was going to do with her life now. She was empty of reasons to even function properly. But she could never hurt him. I don't want to hurt you.

'Mmmm, I love when you hold me like this.' I'm going to enjoy this moment, it can be my last one with him.

'I know...' He spoke in a heavily suggestive voice. She always melted when he spoke like that.

'And you know how much I love when you talk like that...' Sheppard caught his hand and brought his well cared index finger to her lips and started rubbing it as if it was a tube of lipstick, feeling the texture of it on the soft flesh of her mouth.

'Joan...' His voice was a whisper on her ear, laden with desire. 'You are still recuperating, Joan, we can wait.' He tried to wheel his lust back in. His palms and feet soles were extremely sensitive, one of the many reasons why turians only took off their gloves in private.

He felt her smiling on his finger, and she seductively darted her tongue out, licked the top pad of his very sensitive finger pad and then gave it a little bite. She loved the sounds he made when he wanted her. His voice was enough to get her body started.

'Joan...' He breathed on her neck, and then gave it tiny nibbles and little licks on her ear lobes. He adored her skin, it was so much incredibly softer than his own, and much more fragrant. He rasped his upper lip on her neck, and it was her turn to purr.

She turned on her back and swiped her hair up and out of the way, giving him now free access to her whole body, and he took full advantage of that. He caressed her cheek and lowered to kiss her lips. Her hand went up his arm, scratching little trails with her nails to pull him closer to her.

Giving part of his weight to her, he placed his thigh flush between her legs, and she instinctively wrapped hers around his waist, locking him in and allowing her to stoke her fire on his thigh. His hand travelled down and ventured under her shirt, pushing her bra to the side and finding the peaks of her breasts... She was so soft, but so strong... so delicate. Garrus rolled and pinched those peaks, his sensitive hand revelling on her full breasts.

'Garrus... ahh...' She stopped kissing him and pushed back long enough to get rid of her shirt and bra. Once she was free, she went back to kissing him with a vengeance. His hand was on her ribcage, pressing her closer, his thumb caressing the side of her breast while his whole body caressed hers.

His tongue was penetrating her mouth, her lips a cushion of sweet flesh for him to feast on. She nibbled and sucked on his phallic tongue, her tongue caressing him and igniting her, making her hungry and needing.

Garrus went to her breasts and she caught his hand to suckle on his sensitive finger. He worshiped her breasts with his lips, trapping her peaks in the inverted vee of his mouth while rubbing them with his warm soft tongue. At each special pull he gave her, she suckled him harder. His sex felt each suck, each lick. Her other hand found it, and she began to rub it from outside his boxers.

He went lower, the smell of her arousal coming through her denim. Freeing his hand, he made quick work of removing her pants and undergarments, being careful with her injured leg. From her calves, he caressed the sensitive skin on the insides of her knees and rubbed his face slowly on the inside of her thighs until he reached her bare sex. Sheppard was breathing heavily. Her eyes glazed with lust, she invitingly widened her legs and looked intently at him.

He loved that part of her body. Softly nuzzling her, he parted her lips with his tongue and a needful moan escaped her. Her head back, body arching, she was clawing the sheet. She knew what was coming and her body trembled in expectation.

His velvety smooth, cylindrical tongue teased her entrance. She felt every lick, his tongue was making circles on her clit and rubbing it thoroughly. At each pass, he would penetrate her more and more. Her sex was wet and hungry for him, craving his presence. He tortured her little by little until he entered her fully and with the top of his nose, started to caress the peak of her sex.

Over and over again, in a crescendo of desire, Shepard felt him inside and out, possessing her until she crested under his loving touch. Waves of desire flooded her body and she let go of the sheets to caress his face.

She urged him up to surge above her and before he could poise himself at her entrance, she pushed him back to the bed and climbed on top of him. She was so relieved to be out of her leg cast that she ignored the pain and shifted the brunt of her weight in to her right leg and left arm. Straddling one of his legs, keeping herself ready to receive him, she looked at him and smiled. He knew what was coming, something he had only experienced with her.

Sheppard caressed his thighs, teasing with the tips of her fingers until she reached his phallus. It was swollen to its full capacity. It was a perfect variation of a human's. Thick and long, it had a bulgy crest on its length all the way to the top, mimicking his arms and chest. Sheppard loved it and pointedly lowered her lips to it. Coyly licking its tip, it was now Garrus' turn to hold himself to the bed. She licked and kissed him until he was thrashing.

'Joan...'

She sealed her lips around him and sucked him as best as her mouth would allow. The sounds coming out of him were maddening. She kept going until he caressed her head and made her look at him. She crawled up his body and he turned her back to the bed. Looking into her eyes, he searched her entrance and slowly worked his slick sex inside her, taking full appreciation of each sigh and moan coming from her from his possession.

Once he was completely in, he knew to give her time to adjust, then, began to rock inside her. Her arms were cradling him to her body, one of her legs anchored on his waist, and as he surged inside her, he was in heaven. Shepard felt full to the brim, every little piece of her touched by him, caressing her, sparking waves after waves of pleasure only found when giving yourself fully to the person you love.

He touched his forehead to hers and looking into her eyes, he saw her love for him, how he completed her, and a moment before she came, her guard lowered and he saw a shadow in her eyes, a haunting void that was too quickly masked by her blissful face calling out his name. He remembered he had seen this shadow before.

He kept his pace and shortly after, he poured himself inside her. The blissful waves taking over his body, she lovingly cradled him to her until his storm was over. Garrus loved how tender she was with him, so completely different from the turian females. Spirits, this woman has all of me.

oO0~0Oo