***Author's Note***

Thank you to Gamer072196! Such a bro :)

And to Onion who let me use her caterpillar :)

Chapter 15 - Misunderstandings

Marie folded a blanket around Thane as he slept. For silent and stealthy killer he sure does squirm a lot in his sleep.

As the blankets wrapped around his shoulders he burrowed further into the warm folds, the top of his head just poking out at the top. Haha, sleepy caterpillar. She then left the room and went into the Mess where she was met by a slightly panicked Garrus. Hell, the whole crew was in a mild state of panic, what with the commander, Tali and Mordin missing.

They had left nearly ten hours ago to attend an admiral meeting on the Migrant fleet. Now their comms were out and the fleet refused to divulge any information.

"We should go on a full frontal assault!" Miranda had decided during a squad meeting. "Take back the commander by force!"

Thane had shaken his head. "No, it will only antagonize them."

"I agree. We'll wait until the morning, if they still aren't back then we'll take matters into our own hands." Garrus nodded and gestured at the hologram of the Migrant fleet EDI had provided.

"And I refuse to take orders from the likes of you!" Miranda slammed her hands onto the desk.

Garrus and Thane glared at the operative and Jack and Grunt began cracking their knuckles. The room had suddenly split into two sides. Jacob and Miranda on one and the rest on the other. Marie stood in the middle. "Miranda!" Nine pairs of eyes turned to the engineer.

"What are you even doing in here!?"

Marie crossed her arms. "I was invited." She gestured at Garrus. "Garrus is the first officer, it's his decision."

Garrus nodded. "And I am so pulling rank."

"Hey, Garrus." She took a bowl of ramen and sat beside the turian who had datapads and holograms spread before him, filled with information on the Migrant fleet. His head was in his hands as he glared at the pointless scraps of data. "Garrus?"

He jumped and looked up at her. "Oh..hey, Marie. Sorry, I was just..."

"Panicking?" she spooned a mouthful of noodles into her mouth.

"Ha, yeah." He looked at her as she ate. "How do you stay so calm?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, I guess I'm just hanging all my hope on Shepard's skills."

"Mmm? He causes destruction wherever we goes." He grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Spirits, when we saved Jack from her prison we nigh on blew it up!"

Marie laughed. "Yeah, I heard. But hey, Shepard will be fine. Have faith."

EDI's voice echoed over the comm. "Commander Shepard is aboard. Officer Vakarian does not stand relieved."

Garrus sighed in relief before standing suddenly. "Wait. Did she say I do not stand relieved?"

Marie shrugged and the elevator opened.

Tali ran out her hands wringing themselves, droplets of blood fell down her visor and onto her suit. "Garrus! Garrus, help!"

A few crew members exited the elevator, a half conscious Shepard suspended between them. Mordin fluttered around them, administering medigel and painkillers to the commander. Garrus let out a pained whine before rushing the crew and scooping the commander into his arms. His blonde air was matted with blood and fell loose from his shoulders. And then they disappeared into the medbay and the windows became tinted.

Tali was shaking and breathing heavily when she sat beside a shocked Marie. "What happened, Tali?"

A small sniff escaped the quarian. "The admirals...they sent us to reclaim The Alarei...my father's ship. They accused me of helping him rebuild the geth that had taken the ship. Shepard stepped in front of a prime and..." She waved her hand at the medbay. "The fleet...the admirals..." Her shoulders began to shake and Marie took her into a tight hug. "Exile."

"Tali! It's okay! You still have a ship, a home!" She rubbed circles into her back. "Come on. I'll cheer you up...Earth style." She stood and led Tali away from the Mess by the hand.

Hours later, Tali and Marie were comfortably drunk in Kasumi's bar. Kasumi herself had joined in with the comforting girl talk along with Jack and Samara.

"Come on! The fuckers can't exile you for that!" Jack roared in indignation.

Tali hiccupped around her straw. "Apparently they can."

"Do not fret Tali'Zorah. Your father was a good man, kind. He was doing this for a chance to get back onto your home planet. Do not let this colour your memory of him." Samara said sagely as she mixed a purple drink.

"Besides, you still have family." Kasumi flew her arms wide in her drunken state and gestured to the whole of the ship. "We won't let you be alone!" She giggled and draped an arm around Marie who smiled and nodded.

"Shepard tried his best." Tali muttered. "He stood in the meeting with the Admirals after the Alarei. He was this close to fainting," She made a small sign with a finger and thumb, "and he didn't reveal what my father did." She sighed and leant forward onto the bar. "It was all a big misunderstanding. I don't know how to repay Shepard..." Another sip through her straw. Emergency induction port.

Marie patted her on the shoulder. "Maybe just saying thanks will be enough?"

Tali laughed. "Yeah, thanks Shepard." She raised her glass and looked toward nothing in particular. "Ke'lah Selai!"

"Ke'lah Selai!"

Then the five of them fell about laughing.

The door opened behind them and they looked around to see Shepard strut into the room sporting a large bandage around his head, Garrus strolled behind him with a hand on the small of his back to keep him steady. "Is there anything left to drink?"

Tali leapt up and flung her arms around him and he grinned as he rested his arms around her waist. Then Garrus wrapped his long arms around the two of them.

Jack barked out a laugh and again the room was filled with loud girlish laughter. And the pouring of more drinks clinked in glasses.

The door opened once more and a visibly irritated Thane entered. His eyes were slightly puffy from a too long sleep and he scowled at the group who had awoken him. Everyone gestured for him to sit with them and he shrugged and joined the small party.

News spread quickly on the ship and soon enough the majority of the crew and squad were in the Mess playing card games and drinking the meager supply of ships liquor.

Thane knew Marie was in the training area, he just didn't know where.

She had upgraded her tactical cloak along with the incendiary ammo supplies, concussive rounds, the hacking mods and the warping effects on the Omni-tools of those who used them. Because of this, however, the cloaking devices on hers and Kasumi's armors now shielded them from life sign detectors and had little shimmer when they moved.

Kasumi made a point of popping up out of no where even more than usual and Marie used it to her advantage during training. It was maddening.

"Siha? Are you ready to spar?" He brought up his Omni-tool and scanned the area. Nothing. "We will not have enough time if you carry on hiding..." A giggle echoed around the room and he knew she was doing it on purpose, hacking into the speakers and distorting the effect. She would make a good infiltrator.

He sighed and decided to sit in the middle of the sparring ring and began to meditate. As he settled and became in tune with everything around him, he became aware of the small movements she made as she moved around the room. A slight rustle of clothing, the tiniest clink of a chain being moved, a small gasp when her foot hit the ground a tad too loud. He smirked as he imagined her face, her sense of victory as she crept up behind him. She thinks she has won.

He spun quickly in his seat and caught her hand as she brought it down to clip his shoulder. Her cloak gave out and revealed her startled face. "No fair!"

He chuckled as he brought her to the ground for the fifth time that day. "You're getting better. You just have to learn not to breath so loud."

She pouted at him before grinning wickedly. A flash erupted from her Omni-tool as she released her drone, Mike. The orange and green ball buzzed around him before pushing him of its master. And then he was below her as she straddled his stomach. His mouth fell open. "That's cheating."

"All's fair in love and war." She quoted. "So..." She sat beside him as he stayed lay on the mat. "What's Tuchanka like?"

They were a day out from the ruined planet of the krogan and Thane could tell she was excited about visiting her first alien planet. She'll be disappointed.

"It's a wasteland." She frowned. "Dessert and ruins, very warm and infested with creatures called Pyjacks and Varren." She smiled a small smile then.

"I guess you'll like the heat, then? And the sand?"

"Yes, Garrus will enjoy the change in temperature aswell I suppose. Turian's don't appreciate the cold and damp as much as drell." He leant on his elbows and looked up at her, she was biting her lip and had a far away look on her face. "Marie?" She blinked and looked down at him.

"There are desserts on Earth. The Sahara, you'd like it." She took a breath. "I've been thinking about going home."

Thane frowned as his stomach felt as though it had been filled with stones. She wants to leave? On the one hand he could understand it, a suicide mission with near strangers on a strange ship after one hundred and seventy years asleep. But then, he didn't want her to leave. It was selfish of him, but he had found another siha. He didn't want to lose this feeling again. Most people are lucky to meet only one.

"I suppose you could ask Shepard to fly by Earth if that is what you want." He hated those words and as he looked at her he could see the flicker of a multitude of emotions over her face.

She frowned at him. "Would he not come with me?" She wants to stay on earth with Shepard!? Why? He felt the pink of his cheeks and neck darken with jealousy.

"Why don't you just ask him?" He bit out and she glared at him.

"What's wrong with you?" She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you asking Shepard to stay on earth with you?" She smirked and he suddenly felt very irritated. "This is not funny, Marie. Shepard can not stay on earth."

"Not to stay, Thane!" She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and laughed a small laugh. He felt the tension leave his shoulders. "I want to ask for his help."

"Ah, I thought you wished to leave." He released a sigh of relief. A misunderstanding, that is all.

"No," She looked down at her pant leg and began picking at the fabric there. "I want to go to England...see something..."

"Ask him. We will all come with you, siha." He patted her leg and left his hand there and she smiled at him.

Shepard had gone again. Barely healed and he was off with Mordin and Grunt, helping again with personal issues.

Garrus huffed through his nose when the shuttle lifted away from the ground and left the squad behind. They had all decided to be planet side in case Shepard required assistance. We're not having another Alarei incident.

Wrex was more than welcoming, clapping Garrus and Tali on the shoulders as he helped them set up a very temporary camp behind his 'throne'. "A strange day when I accept a turian and a salarian into my camp!" The krogan laughed. "a drell, an asari, a quarian and so many humans! Heheh! If Uvenk hadn't already foamed at the mouth about the Grunt then he'd have a field day!" He clapped Garrus on the shoulder once more and went away to do his duties. Garrus sighed in relief and went about ensuring everyone had what they needed.

As their camp took shape, the sun came around and beat down upon them. No messages had come from Shepard barring a few to Garrus personally.

Hey Garrus,

Thought I'd let you know we're okay. We'll probably be back come morning...you know how it is.

Anyway, I'm not dead or anything. Don't send out a search party.

S x

He frowned at the small x at the end of the message. What does that mean? It's not his first initial...

He turned at a small sigh.

Thane was stood just behind him with his face tilted up to the light of the sun, a small tilt of his lips and his eyes were shut. His arms hung loose at his sides as he embraced the welcome dry heat. Garrus felt the heat on his fringe and smiled, tilting his head to allow it to reach his neck.

Marie was looking at them with a smile on her face as she tied her hair back and removed her jacket, a small top revealed her arms and shoulders to the sun and she sat and rolled her pant legs up and reclined against a rock. The other females began to follow suit, Jack going as far to removed the strap from her breasts and relaxed with her arms behind her head. Tali huffed gently, the white static noise from her filter making people look up at her. She was too warm, but there was simply nothing they could do about it. Garrus frowned, thinking of ideas that could make her more comfortable in the heat, when she flicked a small button on her suit and sighed in relief when a cooling system kicked in. The turian smirked. Crafty little Pyjacks.

A card game began and Garrus sat between Samara and Jacob. The human male in a vest much like Marie's but with the Cerberus logo emblazoned onto it. Zaeed grunted as a flick of dark hair hit him in the face as Kasumi lowered her hood and embraced the sun. Garrus looked over to Marie and Thane who were in quiet conversation on a rock in the sun, the drell had stripped his leathers from his chest and his scales glistened in the light.

After a few hours, armor was piled high in one corner of their makeshift camp and everyone sat in their under suits. Light shorts and flashes of underwear as everyone waited for Shepard. Packs were opened and water was drank, food was eaten and guns were cleaned of the dusty sand that piled up everywhere.

Yo,

First mission was a success (kinda).

Second mission seems to be a trial for Grunt, missing your sniper already!

Apparently, nights are freezing here so keep warm! Do you have anything you can burn?

S x

There was that x again. Maybe it is his first initial and I've just been wrong all this time. Shows how much I even know Shepard. He sulked for a while and sure enough a steady chill began to settle over the camp. The krogan began to settle for the night and the squad began to redress into their undersuits and the lightest parts of their armor.

A krogan walked over to them and deposited a large amount of wood, a mere hand out from the krogan's great fire beside the pit they used for fighting Varren. Apparently, the Urdnot clan would stay above ground most of the night as they awaited the return of Shepard and their hopeful new clan member. The wood was dropped at Garrus' feet and the krogan let out a small chuckle as the group smiled at him gratefully.

"Did anybody bring a flamethrower?"

"The incendiary ammo is back on the shuttle." Jacob declared and crossed his arms with a sneer.

"Oh, great! Now what do we do?" Miranda gestured to Garrus. "First Officer?"

Marie laughed and a glowing ball erupted from her Omni-tool. The incinerate engulfed the wood and the cozy warmth washed over them, warding of the slow creeping chill. Garrus sighed in relief and sent a wink at Marie. Miranda huffed and sat as close to the fire as she could dare.

"All we need now is marshmallow." Marie sighed and prodded at the fire with a slightly burnt hunk of wood.

The rest of the humans sighed and so began full-blown talk about favourite past times that involved large fires and the burning of various foods over them. Normally meltable food. The aliens looked at each other and shrugged. What the hell is marshmallow?

A deep rumbling shook the ground and the krogan around the Urdnot camp let out deep laughing cheers. Whatever it was, it was good. But Marie couldn't find the will to care or go out and investigate as she normally would have.

It was freezing. The squad had retreated into the few tents that they had erected. Garrus, Jack, Tali and Samara in one, Miranda, Jacob, Kasumi and Zaeed in another. Miranda refused to camp with 'aliens' and Jacob wanted to stay with her, Jack refused to sleep with Miranda so Garrus had hastily assigned people to tents. This arrangement had left Thane and herself to a tent of their own.

It was good because it meant Thane could have his Kepral's medication without the awkward situation of others watching. However, it also meant that their tent was the coldest...and getting colder.

Marie was sure she could handle the cold but Thane was shivering slightly against the chill. Their conversation often interrupted by a particularly violent shudder. His body simply wasn't built to handle the cold and Marie suspected that if he had missions on colder planets he would mod his armor to deal with it accordingly. She wondered if Garrus was having a similar problem, but then he had his heavy armor with him.

She sighed and flickered an incinerate into life, but with nothing left to burn she simply held the ball of controlled fire in the air. It took a lot of concentration but it was worth it when she saw Thane grin as the heat washed over him. She let it go when her Omni-tool beeped a warning and over heated. And the cold returned.

"Thane?"

"M-mm?"

"I don't know what to do."

He shook his head and held his fingers beneath his armpits. The blanket around his shoulders fell away and she hastily pulled it back up.

Her warm fingers on his neck made him sigh, the pink of his cheeks were pale as his blood was working furiously to keep him warm. His eyes flickered open and he looked up at her with deep black eyes, a frown on his lips. He opened the blanket to her and she smiled as she sat beside him and draped it around her, her own shivers died down a bit at the extra layer of warmth.

His fingers were tingling with the cold as she sat beside him and he brought his knees up to his chest. Hoping to catch a bit of warmth against him.

She pressed her thigh against his and the warmth it brought made him smile at the small relief. He turned his head to look at her, her eyes drooping with sleep and she grinned at him. Her arm lifted and revealed her side to him. "Get in." She leant against the side of the cot, her head leaning against one of the dusty pillows.

He furrowed his brow. I'm already in...the thought made him pull his half of the blanket tighter against himself. "W-what do you m-mean?" His teeth chattered and he hated it.

She rolled her tired eyes and pulled his arm. Suddenly, he was flush against her side, her arm wrapped snuggly against his neck and his head resting on her chest. She wrapped a leg over his and the warmth it brought him made him laugh lightly. "You're so warm..." He muttered.

"Hot bloodied mammal, right here." She shifted and pulled him with her to lay on the cot together.

Buried beneath the blanket and her as a source of heat, he felt himself becoming tired. He nuzzled his nose against the skin of her neck and she moaned irritably.

"Your nose is cold."

Shepard strolled through engineering. His heavy boots stamping on the metal floor as he went. The smell of soldering and the chatter of the engineers filled the corridors, interrupted every now and again by Jack telling everyone to "Shut the fuck up before I blow a hole in the ship." She definitely was not a morning person.

He rounded a corner to find Marie and Tali laughing as Ken and Gabby shouted abuses at one another.

"Marie." His deep voice made her jump as she turned away from fixing his acid burnt armor. A memoir from the Thresher Maw on Tuchanka. Memories of Akuze. He grimaced at the memory and beat it back with a stick. Probably the one from Garrus' arse. He grinned then and looked down at Marie. "Tell me why I had to hear from first Kelly and then Thane that you require my help." She had mentioned earth to him before but had seemed to forget about it the more involved she got with the ship.

"I, uh...I thought that-"

"You thought I'd be too busy?" He crossed his arms and frowned down at her, his scars glowed gently.

"Well, to put it so bluntly yeah. I thought you'd be too busy to help me." She frowned right back at him and he sighed.

"Sorry, I'm a bit irritable today." He gestured at his armor and her features softened.

"Yeah, I read your file."

"You read my file? How'd you get that?"

Tali laughed and rested her hands on the desk. "She is very good with tech, Shepard."

"I see." He smiled. "So, what is it that you want to do?"

"I want to go to Earth." She took a breath. "I want to see my family."

Hope you enjoyed!

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-Sophus x