.

Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Chapter 2

Omega, Present Day

Garrus did his best to keep his mind focused as he took aim at and shot each merc in turn, but it was impossible.

She was here. Here, not just on Omega, but here of all places. She was coming, he was going to see her. After two years.

The thoughts kept repeating through his head over and over again as he heard gunfire echoing from the floor below. By the time the sounds of the struggle faded, he wasn't sure if the rapid fire pace of his heart was for her or due to the extended use of stims. He felt sudden nerves itching up his spine as he heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs and toward him, but he tried to force himself to focus on the last remaining mercs below.

The door opened, and he twisted his head just enough to see absolutely no one standing in the doorway. He only had a moment of confusion, however, before Jane fizzled back into view, deactivating her omni-tool. She took a hesitant step into the room, her pistol drawn, and moments later was followed by two men Garrus didn't recognize.

"Archangel?" She called out, her voice just as hesitant as her slow step forward, and she slowly lowered her weapon. Garrus realized, all of a sudden, that she had no idea who he was. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry, but it didn't honestly matter at this point. Who was he to turn away a saving angel, an eleventh hour savior?

He held a finger up to signal her to wait, returning his sights to the final man cowering behind a pillar below. Lifting his rifle up, he waited until he poked his head out before pulling the trigger. The crack! rang through the building before everything fell to silence.

Sighing, he felt the tension in his shoulders loosen ever so slightly before turning to stand. With some small consternation, he felt a quiver in his legs as he tried to push himself up, necessitating the use of his rifle to push his aching body up to a standing position. Even then, he felt himself stagger ever so slightly before turning to face the three humans standing across the room from him.

Not trusting his legs entirely, he took a slow step over toward a nearby chair, but as his eyes fell on her, it was nearly impossible to look away. The hallucination, or dream or whatever it had been that he'd seen earlier had been exactly as he'd remembered her from years before. But the Jane that stood before him now had obviously weathered the time in between in a more realistic fashion. His eyes were first drawn to her hair, longer now and swept up into a ponytail, though still with wisps dangling into her eyes and curling around her ears to frame her face. But it shown its usual glossy red that had so entranced him the first time they'd met.

There were other differences, as well, including a new scar that bisected one eyebrow that left him wondering vaguely at the story behind it. Her armor seemed much more substantial than what she'd worn back on the Normandy with many intersecting plates, and it seemed to hug and define her body in new and interesting ways.

As Garrus came to a rest against the chair, his eyes finally rested upon hers, and he felt an old bitter-sweet longing at the familiar color. And yet, they were so different he almost didn't recognize them. Back upon the Normandy, her gaze had felt like silk wrapped steel. But as she stared him down now, it was as if the silk had all been worn away, leaving behind nothing but cold, hard steel.

Leaning back, he finally pulled the helmet off his head and propped a foot up as the three humans took a step closer.

"Jane. It's been a while." He forced himself to bring his eyes to meet hers again, but he could feel anxiety building. He didn't know what to expect from her, dreading the moment anger would creep upon her face. Or perhaps even worse, apathy. He couldn't forget how they'd left things or the way she'd last looked at him back then.

As Jane's eyes darted across his face, her expression seemed to slacken and her mouth popped open slightly for a moment as though she was having trouble processing what it was she was seeing. It suddenly became one of surprise, followed by the widening of her eyes. A huge smile broke across her face and he almost died from relief, the bottom falling out of his stomach.

"Garrus!" She cried out, throwing her arms out happily as she took a step closer, "What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice." He almost didn't recognize his own voice as it left him leadenly, "I see you've picked up some interesting new skills yourself." He paused for a moment before adding, "Though I'll admit, your little disappearing act messed a little with my faith in my own sanity." That caused her to let loose a bark of amused laughter.

"So! That explains why you took a shot at me. You nailed me real good." She grinned at him as she rolled her shoulder, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes that almost made him pause.

"Oh, er, concussive round only." He replied awkwardly, but after a moment, he smirked back at her slightly. "No harm, no foul." She cocked an eyebrow as she crossed her arms, leaning her weight to one side.

"Uh-huh."

"If I wanted to do more than take your shields down, I'd have done it." He all but purred back at her, and a shocked voice in the back of his head screamed what was that?! Her smile seemed to widen, her eyes ever so slightly hooded.

Garrus' smile faded as he couldn't help but wonder at her being here at all. There was still a small part of him that wondered if he'd finally lost it, if he was hallucinating this entire exchange. She seemed to notice the shift in his expression, because her smile also faded to be replaced by a look of concern.

"You okay?" He couldn't help but chuckle bemusedly at her question. He was anything but okay, and he forced himself not to look at the row of bodies along the wall.

"I've been better. But I'll be okay if we can get out of here." She seemed a little mollified by his answer, but then her brows knit.

"I'll admit, I'm surprised you let yourself end up in a situation like this. What happened? How on Earth did you piss off all these mercs?"

"It wasn't easy, I reeeally had to work at it. I'm amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me." He couldn't keep the sour twist out of his voice, though he tried to hide it behind sarcasm as best he could. The last thing he wanted to do was relive the entire story right here. Just the thought of rehashing it all made him start feeling ill.

"And since when did you start calling yourself Archangel? That's quite a moniker." Her smile was back, and her voice had a slight tease to it. He felt a flush of embarrassment start to spread across his face.

"It's just a name the locals gave me for… all my good deeds." His eyes flicked away and he coughed to hide his hesitation and mild discomfort before adding, "I don't mind it, but please, it's, uh, just Garrus to you."

"While this is very cute, if you two haven't noticed, there's an army of mercs out there and we're about to be sitting ducks." One of the men standing behind Jane growled, the large scar maring his face pulled up in a sneer, "So how about you finish up whatever the fuck this is-" He rolled his eyes as he gestured between Garrus and Jane, "and we can get back to shooting people."

Garrus took a moment to examine the older man before glancing back to Jane, a brow plate raised, and she shrugged her shoulders, sobering.

"Okay, to business, then." Jane announced, taking a step forward as Garrus shifted his weight off of the chair to stand. "We managed to get here, but getting out is another story."

"Exactly." The two of them walked over toward the window, Garrus trying to keep himself from limping as his joints protested the movement, "That bridge has saved my life… Funneling all those wittless idiots into scope. But it works both ways." They stood, shoulder to shoulder, looking down upon the bridge, and Garrus felt a flicker of nostalgia. He let his eyes wander down to her only to find her looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"There were enough of them holed up over there that it would be a slaughter if we tried to force our way back over that bridge." Jane murmured as she looked back out over the bridge, the barest hint of movement visible at the far end.

"Yeah."

"We can't just sit here and wait for them to come to us." The other one of Jane's companions called out from where he stood. Garrus turned to see the darker skinned man, the one with the oddly familiar symbol emblazoned upon his chest, and nodded curtly before diving into battle planning.

It was so odd, so weirdly familiar and yet completely new to sit there planning with her. In a way, it was as if nothing had changed, as though they were back on the Normandy and they'd never parted ways. And yet, they had changed, both clearly having come a long way since then. They weren't just soldiers following orders under their commander, but two independent forces coming together to solve a problem. It caused a little dissonance in his mind, leaving Garrus feeling confused and disoriented. Or perhaps that was the trauma and sleep deprivation, it was hard to say.

After a moment of consideration, Jane turned to face him and her eyes seemed to drill into him. They flicked to the covered bodies along the wall, and he forced himself to hold her gaze when it returned to him. Something in her expression changed and Garrus found himself only able to guess at its meaning.

"How'd you let yourself get into this position, Garrus?" Her voice was softer, leveled not to carry to the other two just behind her, and he finally tore his eyes away from her as his throat threatened to seize up.

"My feelings got in the way of my better judgment. It's a long story." Looking back at her, she seemed steadfast in her desire for an answer, and he sighed. There was no way he could talk about it here, but he had to throw her a bone. "I'll tell you what. You get me out of here alive, I'll tell you the whole damn thing." She opened her mouth to respond, but he darted in to add, "Under one condition." Her mouth snapped shut, her eyebrow lifting as she waited. "You tell me the story of how you ended up on Omega, of all places, sneaking in here looking for Archangel."

"Deal. Though, you aren't going to believe most of it until we get back to the ship."

"If you're involved, I'd be disappointed if it weren't at least a little outrageous."

Watching her work had been more entertaining and mesmerizing than ever, but then again it might have been his extreme exhaustion that made it so difficult to focus on the task at hand. He watched as she flawlessly shifted between taking out mechs at long distance with her sniper rifle to activating her tactical cloaking program and jumping into the fray for close range combat. It seemed like her close range skills had dramatically increased, which was saying something, as they'd always been impressive. But he knew he'd gotten better, too, as he watched his number slowly catching up in his display, now reconnected with Jane's.

-Kill Count-

[GV: 230]

[JS: 231]

But the number continued to fluctuate as the fight dragged on, all the way up until they finally reached another lull. They regrouped and discussed the next step until there was a sudden, far off sound of an explosion. A siren started up, causing Garrus to wince as the pounding in his head intensified.

"What the hell was that?" Demanded one of Jane's associates, and Garrus felt dread settle in his chest as he realized what it must mean.

"Damn it," Garrus breathed as he pulled up his omni-tool, "They've breached the lower level." Rubbing his forehead, he continued, "Well, they had to use their brains eventually." He looked up at Jane to find her shifting her weight. "Jane, you guys will need to get down there to handle them. I can keep the bridge clear for a little while longer." Jane's lips pursed at the suggestion, her eyes narrowing in displeasure.

"I'm not leaving you here to possibly die alone, not now that I've found you."

"We don't have a lot of options left, unless you want to get swarmed from below?" She glared at him for a moment before sighing and turning to the other two.

"Fine. Jacob, you remain here with Garrus. Keep him alive." Jane's words snapped like a whip, and the other man stood at attention with a tight nod.

"You sure?" Garrus questioned, trying to fight the urge to argue with her, "Who knows what you'll find down there." He had no idea how she and the other two ended up stuck here with him, but it was hard to fight the guilt that they were in this situation with him. He tried to remember that that wasn't his fault, but after suffering so many losses recently, it was like his brain had fast tracked guilt to the front of his mind.

"I'm sure." Jane stated, her voice firm with finality, and Garrus nodded his thanks.

"Okay, thank you. Radio if you need directions. Good luck." She waved to the older man to follow and the two of them hurried down the stairs. Garrus watched her for a moment, but just as he was about to turn away, their eyes met as she paused before descending the stairs. Something charged passed between them, her gaze heated and heavy with some emotion he couldn't identify, her lips tight and nearly turned down in a frown. There was an intensity there that made his breath catch, but in a flash it was over as she turned her head and hurried down the stairs and out of sight.

Something seemed different between them, there was something there that hadn't been before. If he'd had more functioning brain power and less exhaustion, he might have tried to piece it together. But it hardly seemed to be the time or place.

More mercs made their way across the bridge, keeping him and the darker skinned human, Jacob, on their feet. He didn't know what to think about Jacob, particularly because they didn't exchange more than a few words as a whole, but the symbol emblazoned on his suit's chest made Garrus nervous. He couldn't place where he remembered it from, but something about it made him anxious.

What had Jane gotten herself into? Neither Jacob nor the older man were dressed as though they were Alliance, and he knew perfectly well that the Alliance didn't send their soldiers anywhere near Omega. He found himself praying to the Spirits that she hadn't gotten herself mixed up in any sort of mercenary or gang trouble, particularly because he knew some of her pre-Alliance history.

It didn't take Jane long to get the blast doors closed below, and when she stood before Garrus again, it was splattered in the blood of the Blood Pack's leader, Garm. She smirked as she came to a stop just before him and holstered her pistol, and he felt a burst of renewed energy at the sight of her. Glancing down at Garm's body, he felt himself smile, too.

"This day just gets better and better." He muttered as he checked his heat sink before looking up to see Jane shifting her weight to one side as she crossed her arms.

"Glad to see you haven't changed." Jane muttered as she grinned at him. Garrus wasn't sure if it was his utter exhaustion that cracked away at his inhibitions, or if it was whatever had changed in their dynamic, but he found himself taking a step closer so that he was right before her, in her space. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he saw them widen just a hair as she looked up at him. He wasn't even sure who was piloting his body anymore, honestly.

"I can't say the same about you, necessarily. You looked damn good out there." His voice was low, rasping over the words, his mandibles flicking.. Jane seemed surprised for a moment before lowering her eyelids just enough to glance up at him through her lashes.

"Is that so, Big Guy?" She purred back at him, and all of a sudden, he seemed to process what he was saying. Flushing, he took half a step backwards as he began to panic and looked away as he cleared his throat, attempting to backtrack.

"I, uh, that is to say… Your combat skills have improved a lot, you've clearly… Learned a thing or two the past few years…" Garrus stumbled through the words like a drunkard through an obstacle course before trailing off as Jane began to laugh.

"Uh-huh." She raised an eyebrow as she smirked slyly up at him, clearly amused.

"Oh gag me with a fucking spoon. If you two would stop fucking flirting, maybe we could focus on getting out of this mess." Jane's grizzled companion snorted and sneered as he turned to look out the window, rolling his eyes. Despite the slightly heightened color creeping up her pale cheeks, Jane barked a short, amused laugh as she held Garrus' eyes for half a heartbeat longer before turning to face the older man.

"Don't be jealous, Zaeed, simply because you're not getting any action." Jane drawled as she stepped toward the window as well, checking the state of her heat sink. Zaeed just grumbled, side eyeing Jane with an almost amused huff. Garrus took a moment to steady himself after the unsettling exchange. "Anyway, only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out." Jane suggested as she turned and looked over her shoulder at Garrus, who nodded.

"I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't fought before." Garrus nearly growled, and for the first time that day, he finally felt like he was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He had been so sure he was going to die, but then everything had been turned on its head. Jane always seemed to have that effect on his life. He couldn't even process the hopeful feelings, not in his state.

"Agreed." Zaeed added, which Jane seemed to take into consideration before turning and starting toward the door, her two companions following.

"Besides," Garrus started, turning to follow, "He won't be expecting us to meet him head-on-" He cut off as a sudden, familiar sound permeated the room. Whipping around quickly, his heart jumped into his throat as the hulking form of the airship loomed just outside the window, its guns trained on him.

"Look out!" Someone yelled as they all flung themselves into cover, and moments later the rattatatatat of the airship's main guns cut through the air, destroying everything in its wake.

"Damn it!" Garrus cursed as he took a moment to glance out from cover, "I thought I took that thing out already!" Jane took advantage of the break in fire to roll into cover beside him.

"They fixed it, but not completely." She murmured, a self satisfied glint in her eyes, "I made sure of that." Garrus paused, staring at her for a moment as he wondered what that could possibly mean. Before he could ask, he heard telltale footsteps upon the window sill.

"They're sending in troops!" Zaeed yelled from where he crouched, and the room erupted into chaos. Shot after shot, bodies dropped around them. Occasionally, the gunship would rear its ugly head, sending them all diving for cover again. To Garrus' shock, though not entirely unappreciated, the gunship sprayed the room with rounds indiscriminately, often taking out a few unsuspecting Blue Suns mercs before they could realize what was happening.

All the while, Jane did her best to remain close by him, and Garrus wasn't sorry for it. His last stim had long since begun to wear off, leaving his body feeling heavier and more sluggish than ever. His eyes felt leaden and sore, and he didn't know if she suspected how compromised he was, but he was grateful for her presence none-the-less.

Garrus nearly jumped out of his plates as his visor pinged and he pulled up his omni-tool to see that one of his motion detectors had been tripped.

"They're rappelling down the side wall. Ground floor!" He grunted to Jane as he lined up his next shot, attempting to take out a merc between the eyes, but missing and catching him in the neck instead.

"Shit." Jane growled before hesitating for a moment, glancing at him and then the door. "Zaeed!" She bellowed at the older man, "With me! We're going to mop up the ground floor!" With that, she darted out of the room, Zaeed hurrying after her. Within moments, Garrus felt an amused grin spread over his face as he heard the sounds of gunfire and the screams of faceless, nameless mercs from below.

The minutes ticked by at the unreliable pace they generally set during firefights, some seeming quicker than others. As necessary as he knew it had been to send a team to protect the stairs, he found himself counting the seconds until her return.

"They're sending in more backup." Garrus looked up from his scope to see Jane's other companion, Jacob, duck into cover nearby.

"Gottcha." Garrus murmured as he returned his focus to his scope, watching as more Blue Suns clambered through the window. He felt a familiar jolt of excitement course through him as he noticed a recognizable face amongst them. "Jentha…" Without hesitation, he lined up his shot and took it. He watched in satisfaction as the Blue Suns commander caught the bullet in the shoulder, sending her flying back and crashing to the floor with a spray of blood.

"Nice shot!" Jacob exclaimed, flashing Garrus a quick smile, which he returned before taking aim again. It didn't take long for them to mop up the stragglers, and Jacob finally decided it was safe to leave cover to check over the bodies and check for any survivors. Garrus pulled out his assault rifle before standing and slowly scanning the room for signs of movement.

"Well, that was easy enough." Jane announced as she opened the door and stepped inside, causing Garrus to snap around. Too late, he heard the sound of the gunship behind him, which seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Archangel!" Tarak's electronically magnified voice roared over the speakers, and Garrus spun to find himself nearly face to face with the gunship's turrets.

"Garrus! Get down!" Jane screamed as she and Zaeed flung themselves into cover just as the gunship opened fire. Garrus tried to make it to cover, but felt the hammer blows of the rounds colliding with his armor before he could do so much as take a step. Pain erupted where shots found soft spots around his arms and one even grazed his neck before he fell to the ground, pulling himself into cover. He hissed in pain as he leaned back against the low planter. Groaning, he tried to shift so he could look back around at the gunship, or as much as his sore and battered body would allow. Dread welled up in him as he saw it begin to lower, its rocket launcher coming into view.

"This ends now!" Tarak's frenzied voice cracked as it hollered at them.

Garrus had always thought his life was supposed to flash before his eyes at the end. He was supposed to think about everything he'd failed to accomplish, all the goals he'd never achieved. He was supposed to remember the good times with joy and the bad times with sorrow. He was supposed to see the faces of his loved ones, and hope that they wouldn't mourn him too much…

But his mind was devoid of thoughts, just blind, silent panic as the launcher fired directly at him. He shifted and his eyes met hers. Jane's face was awash with horror and the heartbreaking countenance of anticipated loss. Her green eyes, wild as she jerked forward, her hand outstretched toward him-

"GARRUS!"

Mind blowing, fiery pain.

Sweet oblivion.

Illium, 1.25 Years Ago

"Hmm, now that is interesting. I wouldn't have thought Jaliza's tastes tended in that direction. That might be useful." Jane chuckled as she lounged back in her chair, lifting her drink to sip from the straw before settling it back onto the table beside her. She sat by herself at an outdoor table at a quiet cafe in one of the trendy neighborhoods in Nos Astra, gazing out over a beautiful view of the city as the sun began to set.

"I only deal in useful information, I thought you'd figured that out by now, Shep." Replied an amused, disembodied voice from nearby, but Jane's eyes remained on the view before her as she smirked, leaning one elbow against an arm rest with an apparent lack of concern. With her free hand, she fiddled with a credit chit.

"So you do. That's why I come to you, afterall. Anything else I might find useful for this mission before I head out?" Jane put the chit down to take another sip of her drink before picking it up again, spinning it deftly between two fingers.

"If someone were interested in breaking into her complex, I might recommend they take a look at the electrical panel near the east facing security door. A… previous visitor… may have installed a well disguised backdoor entrance hack, just in case another visit was warranted. Just sayin'." Jane glanced back at the alleyway nearby, an eyebrow raised in wry amusement. "What? A good thief always leaves a backdoor open."

"Touché. Well, that definitely will be useful for my mission. Thank you, Kasumi. I think this should more than cover your fee." With a flick of her wrist, Jane sent the credit chit flying back toward the alleyway. Before it could hit the ground, the air fizzled and a hand appeared out of nowhere to grab it.

"Lovely doing business with you, as usual, Shep. How's that tactical cloak holding up? No issues?" The hooded woman asked with a grin as she returned Jane's casual wave, stuffing the credit chit into a back pocket.

"Of course, works as well as the day you sold it to me. Really impressive tech, honestly."

"Good. Well, I need to be off. We have a job off-world. Wish me luck!"

"Like you need it." Jane scoffed, standing up and brushing imaginary dust from her pants before reaching over to grab her sweatshirt off a nearby chair. "Hope it goes well, maybe I'll see you when you get back."

"Sure thing. Later, Shep." With that, Kasumi fizzled out of view, leaving not even the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Color me impressed, Shepard. Jaliza T'mira wasn't an easy target, and with her out of the way, her cartel should fall into disarray. Not bad, not bad at all." Tela Vasir skimmed through notes on her datapad before she tossed it to Jane, who sat across from her on a couch in the asari's living room. "You know, I had my reservations at first, honestly, what with you being a human and all. But you're okay. Hot headed, of course, but hey. You're only human." Vasir smirked, and Jane rolled her eyes but couldn't stop her own smile from playing across her lips.

"Thaaanks. So, is that it then, for the Diathean tasks? Or do you have more seemingly impossible jobs for me before I prove myself? Because I can keep this up all year, if you need me to, but something tells me the council would like me to get on with it." Jane tried to keep the sarcasm from dripping too excessively, but such was the nature of their friendship, if you could call it that.

"I've already forwarded them my report and recommendation that you be instated as a full Spectre. So, welcome aboard, I suppose. Officially, that is." Vasir stood and offered Jane her hand, which she took in a firm shake.

"Thank you."

"I'm marginally sure you won't get yourself killed the moment you step foot undercover with Cerberus, but that said… You're going to need a way in. What do you have laid out so far?" Vasir reached for a bottle nearby to pour herself a drink.

"Not much yet, but I have the makings of a plan. I have a contact here on Illium who happens to be an information broker, she and I go back aways." Jane smiled as she stood, placing her glass back upon the table as she reminisced for a moment. There was no way to think back on her days aboard the Normandy without a bittersweet taste flooding her senses.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, let me set up a meeting with her in the morning, and I'll get back to you when I have a plan formulated."