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Love, Luck, and Laughter,
Roarkshop

After the short trip to Aeia to help Jacob out with something, that turned out to be an emotional roller-coaster in and of itself, Jacob, Garrus, and Shepard loaded themselves back onto the Normandy. Jacob was silent the whole trip back and excused himself into the Armory immediately upon returning.

"Poor guy," she said watching him go.

"Yeah. You think I should..." Garrus pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the Armory.

"Nah," she said patting him on the shoulder. "Give him some time. He'll work it out."

"Commander," Kelly Chambers said, "You have a new message on your private terminal, but I'm not sure that it's for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she headed for her console.

"It's addressed to Jane Doe."

Garrus saw Shepard bristle, regardless that she quickly played it off and rolled her neck out as she typed something into her terminal. He heard her heartbeat speeding up, heard the armor of her gauntlets creak under the pressure she was putting on the desk. Otherwise, she seemed completely unaffected. If Garrus didn't know better, he'd say nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

But he did know better.

"Yup. Wrong Jane Doe," she said with a laugh, clicking it closed. "Thanks anyway, Kelly."

"Y-yes, Commander."

She loaded herself onto the elevator and Garrus followed her. She went to push the button for her quarters, but pressed the floor for the crew deck instead.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, why?" She looked at him and cocked her head to the side.

"You're heartbeat is out of control."

"I'll never get used to that, you being able to hear my heartbeat from three feet away."

"What was in that message?"

"I don't really know, wasn't for me so I deleted it. Can't imagine how many Jane Doe's there are in the galaxy."

"But you're not a Jane Doe."

"Not anymore," she said. She waved a hand dismissively. "Regardless it wasn't for me so it's nothing to worry about."

"Then why are you so worried, Shepard?"

She swallowed as she thought, before laughing and looking at her feet.

"Well you know... getting a message for a Jane Doe, I don't know. Thought maybe it was more demons coming back to haunt me. Guess it just got my adrenaline going."

He exhaled through his nose as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out. She didn't follow him, but waited for the doors to close. He put a hand across the opening to make sure they didn't.

"You aren't coming?"

"Nah," she said, trying her best to look care-free. "Think I'm going to shower first, I've got sand and muck all over me." She laughed and dusted off her pants before hitting the button for her quarters.

"So you only came to the crew deck to make sure I didn't follow you upstairs?"

She laughed. "What, am I thirteen now? No I just feel gross so I'm going to shower first. I'll get something later."

"I'll be here," he said with a stern exhale, watching the doors to the elevator slide shut.

Almost dazed, he went to the Battery without even acknowledging the greetings of the people around him, a million thoughts running through his head. Had that really just happened? It had never happened before, so could he be sure that's what it was? No. He knew her to well. It had to be. But, why? She had never had the need in the past. Why would she do it?

He wasn't sure what was making him so angry; the fact that she had done it, right to his face, or the fact that it hurt him so much.

"Hey, Garrus," Tali said following him into the Battery and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

"Tali," he said turning to look at her. "Shepard just lied to me."

Shepard put her hands over her face. She felt like crap. She had never lied to Garrus before. Hell, she couldn't remember the last time she lied to anyone. She scrambled into her chambers and brought the message back up on her private terminal. It was, indeed, for her. And it was from the Tenth Street Red's.

"If it isn't little Jane Doe, all grown up and still on our shit list. We thought we lost a great opportunity when you died a few years back, but it appears you were just under the radar. How wonderful for us. Remember that thing we wanted help with when you first became a specter? Do you remember how you screwed us? Do you, also, remember how we told you that The Red's weren't a good enemy to have? Well the past is catching up with you, Jane. And it's only a matter of time before you pay your dues. The Tenth Street Red's are coming for you. You're going to have to face your demons soon.

Remember: You brought this on yourself.

The Red's."

"Jesus," she said sitting back in her chair with her hand on her forehead. How did they find her after all this time? Just when she thought all her dirty laundry had been aired out in front of the whole traverse, The Red's had to resurface? They had managed to keep their names out of the news report on her past that had aired those years ago, probably had someone on the payroll still. She thought for sure they wanted no part of her any longer. She thought they were going to leave her alone for good once they realized she wasn't going to be their puppet. She wasn't afraid of them then because her secrets were well kept. But she was afraid of them now. If the details came to the surface about Gideon and Carmine, god, what would her crew think of her? What would Garrus think?

Shit, she thought. Stop panicking. What's the worst that could happen? No one would think any less of you. Just get your shit together and act like nothing happened.

After all, what could a bunch of street thugs do to her now?

She didn't go down for dinner that night. She didn't want to chance it. Garrus knew her too well for her to be able to fool him for long. She would let herself calm and hopefully by the time they got to Tuchanka in the morning, she would have her shit together.

Until then it was a sleepless night for her.

It was a sleepless night for him.

Garrus tossed and turned in the Battery, infuriated. What could she possibly gain by lying to him? What could she possibly want to keep from him? He knew just about everything about her...

...Didn't he?

What did it even matter? He wasn't her father, she could have secrets if she wanted. If it was something she felt wasn't any of his business that was her choice. They never signed a contract that said she had to tell him every little thing about her if she didn't want to.

Well then, spirits be damned, why was he so pissed?

He couldn't stand it anymore. His anger and curiosity quickly got the best of him, overrunning his respect for her privacy. The last time he had sat around trying to figure her out, she descended into madness and he had almost lost her again. That alone convinced him he was making the right call. He got up out of bed and made his way to the Battery's terminal, easily hacking his way into hers, dodging his way around EDI's security protocols. It would at least be a day or two before the AI noticed it and told Shepard about it. Hopefully by then he could figure out what the hell do to.

He read the message but didn't understand it. He didn't know what the Tenth Street Red's were, or why a threat from them would rattle Shepard. This couldn't be the first idle threat she had received in her life. She should know anyone that tried to hurt her would have her own personal army to deal with. Garrus alone would rip someone apart with his bare hands if they caused her any real harm.

Though, Shepard wasn't exactly easily shaken. If it got under her skin, it was something he should take seriously. And if he was going to take it seriously, he was going to have to figure out why she had lied to him about it.

"This is such a bad idea," he said to himself, tromping to the elevator.

When he got to her door he noticed the green of the access panel, which made him feel a little better. She wasn't so shaken that she was hiding from him again. He tried to listen for her through the door to try and figure out if she was awake or not. He stood as still as he could and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, trying to hear something. Anything.

"Son of a bitch," she said. It was so feint behind the door he barely heard it, but he heard it. That's what was important.

When he opened the door and stepped in, she was cleaning one of her boots, sitting on the floor next to her bed.

"Garrus?" She said from the floor. "What are you doing up? It's almost 0300."

"I could say the same to you," he said.

"Well, I'm obviously cleaning my boots," she said with a sarcastic grin.

"I tried to let it go, Shepard. I really did. But I can't anymore. I need to know," he said as he approached her, standing at the top of the stairs.

She cocked her head to the side. "Know what?"

"Why did you lie to me?"

"I...you..."

"Don't even try," he said, holding a hand up. "You've never lied to me before, it was easy to catch."

She sighed and let her hands fall to the ground between her legs. "I should have known better," she said with a laugh.

"Yes, you should have."

"I'm sorry, Garrus. I just..." She stood, leaving her boots on the floor. "The message was for me. But it's... It's a part of my past that I thought I had buried forever. I'm just not ready for that conversation."

"I don't understand," he said, not wanting to let on how much he knew. He closed the gap between them and looked down at her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know, big guy," She said with a sigh. "If I was going to talk to anyone about it, it would be you. You should know that by now. But I'm just... I really don't want to talk about it. With anyone. Not yet."

He exhaled through his nose. If she didn't want to talk about it, that was that. He wasn't going to force her. Raising his hands in that way he always did, he took her by the shoulders.

"I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to if, and only if, you answer a question."

"Shoot."

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

She smiled up at him. "No, Garrus. Nothing like that."

He nodded, satisfied. If she didn't think the threat was anything serious, that was good enough for him. "Fine. Then you don't have to tell me about it." He smiled and put a finger under her chin. "But don't think I will forget about this, Bug. I will make you tell me some day."

"Said the half-naked man in my bedroom," she said with that wicked smirk of hers.

Garrus looked down and realized that he had left in such a flurry he had forgotten to put a shirt on. He laughed and let go of her chin.

"Well," he said, turning to look at her sideways. "You're welcome."

Shepard was excited to see Wrex as they tromped onto the dirt ball planet he resided on now, though seeing him was an added bonus to why they were there; to get Grunt to stop throwing his head into things.

The guards stopped them from approaching the Chief, and Shepard exhaled through her nose, sinking into her hip.

"You must wait until summoned," the guard said. "He is in talks."

"In...talks..." Garrus said. "Such a way with words."

"I think he'd want to see me," she tried to explain.

"He is in talks!" the guard shouted.

"Shepard!" Wrex called out, suddenly ignoring whoever he was talking to.

"Excuse me," Shepard said with a grin as she squeezed passed the guards. "Wrex!"

"Shepard, my friend!" he took her forearm in his hand and she returned the gesture. Garrus spared a moment to think that it was oddly sentimental for the krogan. "You look good for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void couldn't hold you," he said.

"Yeah and you look good for ugly," she said patting the side of his face. They laughed before Wrex turned his attention to Garrus.

"Good to see you, beak-face," he said, shaking Garrus' hand.

"Hello, Battle-Turtle," he said by way of greeting. "It's been a while. Please don't head-butt me again."

They all laughed.

"I should have known that if Shepard was alive you'd be riding her coattails to glory."

"Why does everyone say that?" Garrus scoffed.

"Look at you," Wrex continued. "You even have a decent scar on you! You might even trick a woman into thinking your worthy with that kind of mark on your face."

"Well I'm glad I at least have a shot with some krogan women. Though, if they look anything like you it might give me nightmares."

"You should be so lucky," he teased, turning back to Shepard. "How's the Normandy?"

"Disintegrated in a Collector attack. I got all spaced and shit."

"Well, you look good. Ahhh the benefits of a redundant nervous system, right?"

"Yyeeahh," She said rubbing the back of her neck. "Humans don't have that."

"Oh. It must have been painful, then."

"Not as painful as the ass whooping you're about to get," she said smiling.

"But look at you. You're here and you have a strong new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown, killing it with big guns... good times."

"Yeah, we certainly were awesome."

"Some of us more than others," Garrus teased.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Worthless," Wrex shot back.

They kept on laughing as Wrex told them about the revolutionary new directions he was taking his people. The green krogan, Uvenk, kept interrupting with negativity, and Garrus wondered why Wrex hadn't eaten him yet.

"But enough about all that," he said waving a hand. "Surely you didn't come here just to remember how good looking I am."

"Tempting though it was," Shepard said laughing, pointing a thumb at Grunt. "I need you to fix my new krogan."

Grunt scoffed. "You don't own me, Shepard."

"He was grown by Okeer in a tube-"

"Tank," he corrected.

"Right. A tank, and now he's breaking important windows with his face."

"Which is also why we can't have nice things," Garrus added.

"Okeer is a very old name," Wrex rumbled. "A very hated name."

"He is dead," Grunt said.

"Of course he is," Wrex said waving a dismissive hand at Shepard. "You're with Shepard. How could he be alive?"

"Hey!" She protested. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Things do have a way of dying in your presence, Commander," Garrus added.

"You wanna be next, Flat-face?"

"Adorable," Wrex interrupted. "But he needs the rite."

"The whaaa?"

"So you know what's wrong with him?" Garrus asked.

"There's nothing wrong with him. He's becoming a full adult."

"Adolescence? Really? Can't we just... take him to Omega and buy him a few dances?"

Shepard face-palmed.

"I don't care what turians call it. Krogan undergo the rite of passage."

"Too far!" Uvenk spat. "Your clan may rule but this thing is not krogan!" He stormed off as Wrex mumbled under his breath about him being an idiot.

"So, Grunt. Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?" Wrex asked.

"You'll let a tank bred join your clan, Wrex?"

"Only because he's with you, Shepard."

Shepard smiled. Even Wrex, as cold as he was, trusted her without question, took what she said at face value, wouldn't dare question her motives. She had finally realized that Kaidan was the exception.

"After all," he continued. "We killed thousands like him on Virmire. Not quite as big, but many. His disposition is what it is. That's just him being a krogan."

"Well kiddo," Shepard said to Grunt. "This is your choice. What is it you want?"

The krogan seemed like he deeply considered it, but for all Garrus knew he was just trying to remember if he had eaten 5 times or 6 that morning.

"Yes," Grunt said. "My blood demands this."

"Good boy," Wrex said smiling.

Shepard promised to come back by after they did whatever the hell they had to do, and Wrex said he would be there and that they'd be welcome. By the time they reached the shaman, Uvenk was already starting to cause an issue.

"My krant stands against him," he bellowed. "He has no one."

"My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly," said the Shaman. "Grunt who is your krant? Allies willing to kill and die on your behalf."

"That would be us," Shepard said, putting up a fist. "Name our target and it will die."

"Great..." Garrus mumbled.

"Spoken well. Most aliens – and some krogan – do not understand our ways. I believe this human does."

"Aliens don't know strength! My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt is a lie-"

Shepard plunged her forehead into the hard plate on Uvenks head, the krogan faltered.

"You... You dare!" He spat.

"BAHAHAA," the shaman roared. "I like this human. She gets it!"

Uvenk made an idle threat, shoulder checking Shepard on his way out as the shaman started leading Grunt away. As soon as they were out of hearing distance Shepard put a hand on her forehead.

"Agh... Sonofabitch."

"You know, Shepard," Garrus said, turning her by her shoulders and analyzing her head for a wound. "You really should think before you do things."

"What fun is that?" she said wincing, one eye open. "I, for one, will never be able to say I missed out on something because I was too busy thinking about it."

"Yes," he chided. "Very wise. Who would want to miss out on a concussion?"

"A fun concussion," she corrected.

Satisfied that she hadn't done any permanent damage, Garrus tapped her on the back of the head as he passed her.

"Jesus-Rollerblading-Christ" Shepard wailed, diving into cover.

Garrus was just as shocked when the thresher maw charged up from the ground, but for the life

of him he couldn't stop laughing. Her unique curses never ceased to entertain him.

"Yes! More killing," Grunt shouted.

Shepard hit Garrus' legs as she fell into the cover he was behind and he helped her stand.

"Been a while, huh Garrus?" she said, smiling that mischievous smile of hers.

He cocked his rifle. "Just like old times, Shepard."

She laughed.

They were whittling it down slowly, but Garrus could tell Shepard was getting antsy.

"How long are we supposed to just outrun this thing?" she asked angrily.

"The thing said five minutes."

"Well, hell," she said, whipping out her missile launcher. "We all know I don't have that kind of patience."

"Shepard you don't have time," Garrus protested. "We're not in the Mako, we don't have the

same protection we did last time."

"Bullshit, I'll roll back once I've gotten the shot off."

As soon as the maw dove back into the ground she rolled and flicked up the targeting system.

Once it came back up, she locked on it, and it started arming itself. The maw reeled back, ready to spit another stream of acid at her. But she didn't move. It was almost ready.

"Stubborn human," Garrus cursed. He pressed his back against the cover and reached out with

his arm. Just as the missile exited the barrel, Garrus grabbed her by the throat and pulled, bringing her

across him and around just as the acid grazed the elbow of his armor. Using the momentum, he

slammed her into the wall, his other hand pushing into it beside her head as he shielded her from the blast. The thresher wailed and screamed in agony from the rocket to the face, and Grunt charged it, taking the opportunity to empty his clip into its head.

Garrus and Shepard didn't move, they were panting, looking at each other. With her hands braced up against the metal, she swallowed nervously and he felt the movement of her throat against his palm.

He noticed then that he was growling.

Grunt started hooting and hollering in the background and they both snapped out of it, laughing

awkwardly.

"You okay?" he asked, clearing his throat. "You know, besides being stupid?"

"Yeah..." she said laughing. "Fine."

Garrus released her throat and pulled away from her with a nod.

"I. AM. KROGAN." Grunt shouted with fists in the air, kicking the corpse of the thresher maw.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Garrus teased, putting an arm around Shepard as they

walked toward him.

"You can't help causing trouble, can you, Shepard?" Wrex said, more entertained than anything else. "No one's taken down a maw since my turn in the rite. Next you'll tell me he's a quint and craps

dark matter." He sighed. "Guess that's what it takes to replace me."

They all laughed.

"Sorry we had to kill your court jester, or whatever the hell he was."

"In reality you did me a favor, Shepard. I couldn't kill him while he was still clan leader, but his dishonor, and death, will bring Clan Gatatog to unite with Urdnot, making us stronger still."

"Well," she said rocking back on her heels. "You're welcome then."

He laughed, then turned to Grunt, giving him an appraising eye.

"You are Urdnot Grunt. Welcome."

Grunt pounded his fists together excitedly and Shepard dismissed him back to the ship, telling

him to send out the Professor. Shepard asked Wrex about the salarian they needed to find quickly

before saying goodbye to him. They shook hands and he wrapped her in a hug which, again, was unusually sentimental for him.

"Don't be a stranger, Shepard. You're always welcome here."

"Same goes for you and the Normandy, Wrex," She said as she turned to follow Grunt back to

the ship.

"Well, Ugly," Wrex said to Garrus, shaking his hand.

"It was so nice of you to let us come see your dirt pile," he replied, returning the gesture.

Wrex laughed.

"Hey, uh, Wrex," Garrus said rubbing the back of his neck. The krogan shifted uncomfortably. It was the first time Garrus had called him by his name, so he knew it was going to be a serious question. "Do you remember anything about The Tenth Street Red's?"

"The What-street-Whats?" he said confused.

"Shepard got a pretty serious sounding threat from a group called The Tenth Street Red's, called her Jane Doe so I think they knew her back on Earth. She won't talk to me about it, but at the time it seemed like it shook her up."

"Now that you mention it," the Chief said, rubbing his chin as he thought. "We had gone back to the Citadel for... something. Supplies I think. There was a human outside of Chora's Den." He waved his hand dismissively. "I don't remember his name, I didn't much care at the time. He threatened to reveal something about her past if she didn't break one of his gang out of prison with her new found power as a spectre."

"What? I don't remember this."

"Right, you weren't there. You were still nursing a bullet wound like a baby vorcha. It was me and... and the dead one."

"Williams?"

"Yeah that's it. Williams."

"Okay, what happened?"

"Well, you know Shepard," Wrex said with a laugh. "She went to the turian guarding the prisoner and warned him of the jailbreak so he could increase the guard force."

Garrus laughed.

"She had said something to him about not being their puppet anymore, and the human threatened her, saying they would remember it, blah blah blah. I don't remember much of the conversation it seemed unimportant at the time." He exhaled eying the turian. "Shepard is a worthy foe and must get death threats left and right. Doesn't seem like something like that would cause concern."

"That's what I thought," Garrus said looking in the direction she had left in. "But if it's enough to get her upset, I figure I had better take it seriously."

"Good instincts," Wrex said nodding. "But I doubt they can dish out anything Shepard can't handle."

"That's a good point," Garrus conceded.

"Still," Wrex Grabbed Garrus' forearm and pulled him in close, threateningly. Garrus' mandibles opened, responding to the threat unconsciously. "If you let anything happen to her I will find you, and eat you, Vakarian."

Garrus stirred. His instinct to protect himself faded as he realized this was just how Wrex showed concern.

"Don't worry, Wrex," he said putting a hand on the krogan's shoulder. "I'll figure it out."

"See that you do. Turian is gross."