Chapter Four: Tolerance

It was unsettling, all this rock surrounding him. Garrus found it amusing that he was perfectly fine with the enclosed quarters of transports and ships that could malfunction and crash in a fiery heap. But something about being under the surface of the planet with thousands of tons of stone that could come crumbling down around him just didn't sit right with the turian.

The ground had begun to shake as they snaked their way through the tunnels, Shepard, Wrex and himself. By the time they finally reached the controls to release Dr. T'Soni from her imprisonment, the need to see the sky again had all of them scrambling to find the quickest way to it. And Saren's mercenaries certainly hadn't made that process any easier.

"You know, a nice quiet stroll through the ruins of Therum would have been much more to my liking, Shepard," said Garrus, peering out from cover to send a bullet through the neck of a geth unit that had been encroaching on the commander's position. The machine dropped, and he fell back behind the crate to reload. Only the Krogan was left now, and Wrex was wearing that one down with unbridled enthusiasm.

"If you were wanting a walk in the park, I'm sure C-sec would have been happy to assign you to the Presidium." John was trying to make a dash for the elevator controls, but another quake was making it difficult. They heard Wrex grunt, and the two Krogan toppled over in a heap of armor and testosterone. Once everyone regained their footing, their companion stood victoriously, beating his chest in triumph. Shepard was talking to Joker as he punched some buttons on the computer, and Dr. T'Soni was saying something to them all, but it was lost to Garrus as the lift shook its way to the surface.

Spirits, don't let me die in this place, he thought, and as soon as he did, the elevator stopped and their way out was before them. He could hear the Normandy's engines humming outside over the roar of the cavern as it began to collapse behind them.

"Move it!" he heard Shepard yell. The asari doctor stumbled in front of Garrus, and he barely had time to lift her back to her feet as his team mates rushed past. He kept his fingers wrapped around her wrist, forcing her to keep pace as they emerged from the dust into the sunlight. They were going to have to make a jump to the ship to avoid falling with the unstable scaffolding, and Garrus said as much when he released her. Dr. T'Soni put on a short burst of speed and launched herself rather ungracefully to the Normandy's docking ramp a split second before Garrus did the same. The crash of metal and rock behind him was the only proof he needed that they had barely made it in time.

"My research!" she cried, and this time it was Wrex who had to peel her from the floor. The Krogan lifted her over his shoulder before she had a chance to run carelessly back in the direction they had come from. The ramp was beginning to close, and Shepard had already made his way to the arms locker.

"It was either that or your life," the Spectre told her casually. Once the shuttle bay way sealed and the Normandy headed away from the dig site, Wrex put the doctor down and began to examine his own armor.

"Yes," she replied, struggling to find her footing as she finally took a good look at the human. "I suppose you're right. Thank you, Commander Shepard."

She was young, by Asari standards, Garrus decided. Liara T'Soni's features were soft, and slightly plump, without the haunted look in her eyes that marked others of her kind who had survived enough centuries to know what horrors a long life exposed them to. She had obviously been very sheltered as a child, but her rumored expertise on the Protheans spoke of a wealthy upbringing that gave her the best possible education. In this fact alone, she reminded Garrus of his own sister, who had always preferred books to guns.

Guilt churned his gut at the thought. It had been a while since he had checked in with his family. Certainly they had heard by now that he was on the Normandy. As the group led Dr. T'Soni to the comm room for mission debrief, Garrus decided that it was high time to make a call home.

X

"I can't believe I hadn't thought of this earlier," Karen Chakwas said as she looked at the data pad Jane had given her. "We've had Garrus and Tali on board for nearly a week now. Knowing what levo-based foods are safe for them to eat will greatly increase their dietary intake."

"I'm just glad they agreed to have the allergy tests done. I'll talk to the procurement officer about getting enough lab supplies to have the rest of the…"

Jane's sentence was cut off by the sound of the med bay doors opening, and the two women turned in unison just as an asari walked in. John had briefly mentioned that she would likely be joining the crew after their mission to Therum, and it looked as if he had been correct in his assumption. The shore team had barely been back two hours, and it appeared that she had already been directed to the med bay. The woman was exhausted, that was clear, but she was also nervous and hesitant to approach.

If there was one race in the galaxy that Jane absolutely loathed, it was the asari. Their haughty don't hate me because I'm beautiful attitude made even the most conceited of human beauty queens look downright humble by comparison. But her problem wasn't just that they were all stunningly gorgeous. The asari were brilliant, and as far as Jane could tell, they had pretty much manipulated the entire galaxy to suit their needs.

"You must be Dr. T'Soni," Chakwas said, rising from her seat to usher the newcomer. She hadn't missed the way Jane had stiffened when the alien had entered the room, and fluidly took control of the situation. "The commander asked me to allow you access to the tech lab."

"Yes, he mentioned that it was quiet and out of the way. I wouldn't want to be a bother…"

"Oh, nonsense. If Commander Shepard considered you bothersome, he wouldn't have come for you in the first place."

"True enough," she replied softly, twisting her fingers together as the medical doctor led the way to the secluded room past the triage area. Jane watched them go, wondering if T'Soni's shyness was an act or if it was genuine. It was a far cry from the behavior she had seen in most others of the blue primadonnas. Shaking her head, she decided to head to the cargo bay to speak with the procurement officer. At the very least, it would be something to take her mind off the confusing mannerisms of the newest crew member.

X

"I knew he wouldn't understand," Garrus said to the screen in front of him. "It doesn't matter that I'm helping track down a barefaced criminal. All he sees is that I had to take a leave of absence from C-Sec to do it."

"Oh, Gar. That's just how he is," his sister, Solana replied, trying to comfort him. "Once you make your mark in history, he'll forgive you."

"Very funny, Sol."

"I'm serious. This business Commander Shepard has with Saren? It's going to be huge once you guys get to the bottom of it."

"I just want to do what's right."

"You are doing what's right. And even if Dad doesn't see that now, someday he will. And can we talk about something else? I really hate being stuck in the middle of your fights."

Garrus' mandibles twitched in a smirk. He knew that once his call was over that Solana would be grilled by their father, but if anyone could put the Vakarian patriarch at ease about his mission on the Normandy, she could. "Fair enough," he replied, leaning against the wall more comfortably with the comm screen in his lap. "How's Mom?"

"Busy, as usual. Planning to drag Dad and I along to some state function tonight since I'll be leaving for the Citadel tomorrow. Pestering me about when I'll find a nice boy and settle down to give her grandchildren."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"I deflected that particular duty to you. You know, since you're older."

Garrus chuckled at his sister just as the door to the crew quarters opened. "That's even less likely," he replied, listening to the light step indicating his bunk-mate had returned from whatever it was that had kept her busy all day.

"I'll look into your options while I'm on the Citadel," teased Solana. "That way when you get back from chasing traitors around the galaxy I can set you up."

"Who says I don't already have options?" he joked back, watching as Jane rounded the corner of his bed and lean against the frame. She had something in her hand, and he barely caught the glint in her eye before she tossed it to him. The same quick reflexes that made him a good fighter helped him catch it, and it smelled like heaven. He gestured into the vid for Solana to hold up a minute and turned his attention to the human in front of him.

Spirits, but she was beautiful. Their conversation from two days earlier rang in his head every time he was around Jane Shepard, but the longing was still there. They had settled into an immediate and comfortable friendship in spite of their mutual desire, but she was the first and last thought of every day since they had met. The flirting, teasing and playfulness made it bearable, and Garrus couldn't think of a single woman outside of his own family that he had been able to form such a strong attachment to. It was strange, and a bit frightening, but regardless of what role Jane would play in his life, he was glad for it.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"Yep."

Garrus held the … fruit? … up to his mouth and inhaled deeply. Then, without waiting another moment, bit into it. It was tangy, and juicy, and he instantly decided that Jane couldn't have picked a better thing for him to test his levo-tolerance on. Sparing her a glance, she had partially closed her lids while she watched, but he could still tell that her pupils had dilated beneath her lashes. An idea came to Garrus as he took a second bite and didn't hesitate to put it into action.

"Oh, Spirits!" he choked out, gasping as if he were short of breath. "Dammit! That burns!"

"Garrus!" shouted both Jane and Solana, and the human's look of sheer panic caused his heart to race in truth. He couldn't stop the laugh from building up as she rushed towards him, and Jane was on to his prank by the time she reached his side.

"Goddammit, Vakarian!" she exclaimed, grabbing the pillow out from behind his back and pelting him with it.

"Okay, okay! I yield," he said between buffets. Jane stopped her assault and threw the pillow at him one last time for good measure. She stood there for a moment, chest heaving as she got her emotions in check, one hand on her hip, the other rubbing her forehead.

"It's a good thing you're cute," she said before turning on her heel and marching out of the room. Chuckling, Garrus picked the comm unit up from where it had slid off his lap and looked back at his sister's wide-eyed gaze.

"How long have you two been…?" she asked.

"We haven't."

"You're kidding? With that kind of chemistry? If she were turian, I'd have to say it's…"

"Don't say it, Sol. I don't even want to contemplate what that would mean. Dad would kill me."

"No," Solana said matter-of-factually. "He'd disown you. Mom would kill you."

"You're probably right," he admitted, taking another bite of the intoxicatingly delicious fruit that Jane had brought him. With nothing else to talk about at the moment, Garrus said his farewells to his sister and finished his snack. His mind wandered to what she had nearly said and wondered if the humans even had any kind of bond like it, then shook the thought out of his mind in frustration. It had been the longest three days of his life, and it would be at least twice again that many before Jane left for her new assignment on the Citadel.

After that? Well, either the desire would fade with distance and he'd have an unexpected friend and confidante. Or he'd be spending his downtime contemplating ways to coax her into bed the next time they met and risk one or both of them getting hurt as an end result. But if Solana was right…

Spirits, Vakarian, he thought to himself. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?

A/N: Not much to say here other than ... Thank you! To all of you who have given this story a comment, a follow, or a favorite as I'm getting it off the ground, I am very grateful. Much more to come. We have an entire trilogy to cover.