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Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Interlude

The Citadel

As John Shepard stepped into the Dark Star Lounge, he was immediately met by a series of voices calling out to him. He looked up and smiled as he spotted the corner of the lounge that had been taken over by the Normandy crew. The ship and crew might be different, but some things never changed. With a small wave, he moved over to the bar, picking himself up a drink before heading over to one of the tables to begin making the rounds.

Checking in with each small group of crew members, John moved from table to table. Eventually, he caught sight of where Jane and Garrus stood off to the side, their heads together as they chatted and laughed quietly. Garrus said something, causing Jane to chuckle and lightly punch his shoulder, to which Garrus replied, smiling, with something that made her shake her head and roll her eyes. It was good to see those two getting along well again. They'd always been fast friends.

He watched as Jane grinned up at Garrus, and John had to sigh. He could see the signs, Jane had always been easy to read. But she was barking up the wrong tree and hopefully Garrus would let her down easy.

Stepping up to them, he clapped Garrus on the shoulder, causing them both to look over at him.

"Shepard, good to see you." The turian stated, nodding his head in greeting.

"Hey you two, having a good time?" John asked, but before they could reply, he continued, "Mind if I borrow Garrus for a moment?" Jane shrugged, taking a sip of her drink before moving to sit at a table nearby, joining the conversation there. John led Garrus a short ways away.

"So? What did you learn? Were you able to track her?" He asked quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to overheard them. Garrus shifted awkwardly at that, taking a sip of his drink before looking down, clearly uncomfortable.

"Er, yes and no." Garrus replied, glancing away as he lifted a hand up to rub his neck. "I was able to follow her to the Presidium, but lost her soon afterwards. I'm sorry I wasn't able to learn anything to help." He said quietly as he shifted from foot to foot with a nervous look. John sighed, taking a sip of his own drink and wincing as it burned.

"It's okay, thanks for giving it your best effort. I know it probably wasn't easy, but I appreciate that you tried." Garrus only seemed to look more uncomfortable at that, and John paused to examine his best friend. Something seemed off about him, but he supposed he might feel bad that he hadn't been able to keep up with Jane. John almost rolled his eyes, but did his best to restrain himself. The rivalry between the two of them had always been a tad ridiculous. At least it was a friendly one. "Anyway, let's just have a good time tonight, we can talk more about it later. How about I buy you another drink as thanks for your effort?" At that, Garrus grinned widely, holding up his current drink.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Jane has to buy all my drinks tonight, so I'm set. Thanks, though." The turian drawled, clearly amused. John did roll his eyes at that.

"Jesus, are you guys still doing that? You two are ridiculous." When they made their way back to the crew, Jane was hurrying over from the bar, a new drink for herself in one hand and a bright green drink in the other. She nearly slammed it down in front of Grunt, who eyed it with interest. John's eyes went wide as he hurried over to join them.

"Whoa, whoa there, what are you giving him? I don't know if it's a good idea for him to have anything too strong to drink, he's still young." John stated as he arrived, causing Jane to scoff as she fell back into her chair, nearly sloshing her drink in the process.

"Oh, come on, John. Don't be a buzzkill. Of course he can have a drink, he's a goddamn krogan. He was born being able to hold his liquor, ryncol is like a way of life for them. Let the kid have a good time." Jane replied before tossing back half her drink and leaning back in her chair, clearly unconcerned. John glared at her before snatching up the drink.

"Jane, he was born like a week ago. It's too soon for him to drink things like this. Sorry Grunt, maybe when you're older."

"Aww man, that's not fair." Grunt grumbled, snatching halfheartedly at the drink as John pulled it out of his reach.

"I'll go get you something more appropriate. Hold on a moment." John stated as he moved back toward the bar, completely missing as Jane surreptitiously passed the rest of her drink to the grinning krogan. As John made his way back to the group, he put a more suitable soft drink down in front of a disgruntled looking Grunt before sitting down next to Joker.

"Surprised to see you here, Joker. Pleased, though." John stated as he took a sip of his drinking.

"Ugh, I regret it already. I should be back on the ship making sure EDI isn't messing with it while I'm gone." John couldn't help but shoot Joker an amused look.

"Seriously, I don't think EDI is going to do anything to the ship."

"That's what it wants us to think." Joker glared at him, pulling up his omni-tool. "I swear to god, machine, if there is so much as a hair out of place on my baby when I get back-"

"Being a nonorganic structure, the Normandy is incapable of growing hair, fur, or any other keratin structures, Mr. Moreau." Came EDI's reply through his com, causing Joker to growl and John to chuckle.

"How about I just leave you two to it, then." He stated as he stood up again, completely unnoticed by Joker, who was entirely focused on growling a reply into his com. Looking up, he saw Jane back at the bar, receiving yet another glass of ryncol. John hurried to intercept her as she made her way back toward Grunt, and snatched the glass out of her hand.

"Hey!" She yelped, glaring up at him without the decency to look abashed. From the flush to her cheeks, he could tell she'd had a few drinks already, so he really probably should set realistic expectations for her decision making ability.

"Jane, how many times do I-" At that moment, John looked up to see a pissed off looking Jack all but stomping into the lounge, her ever present sneer plastered upon her face. While the room didn't exactly go quiet at her entrance, John still got the impression that everyone had dropped their conversations to marvel at the unexpected appearance.

"Jack!" Jane called out cheerfully, snatching the glass of ryncol back out of John's hand, "Good of you to join us! Here, have a drink!" With that, she took a few steps forward, holding the glass of green liquid out to Jack, who stared at her as though waiting for the punch line of the joke to fall. Jane met her gaze with a heavy lidded smile, not quite a challenge.

In a flash, Jack snatched the glass out of her hand and downed it with nothing more than a shake of her head. Jane grinned at her without a word.

"You're okay, Shepard. Still a fucking bitch, but hey. I can respect that." With that, the two of them made their way back to the bar to order another round, and John didn't know whether to feel amazed, exasperated, or exhausted. Maybe some mixture of the three.

After a moment, Jane turned her head to meet his eye, flashing him a small smile before turning back to clap Jack on the back, causing the other woman to glare and shove her off, only succeeding in making Jane laugh before gesturing to the barkeeper. John couldn't help but laugh, wondering if this was Jane's apology to him for her behavior toward Jack recently.

He eventually found his way back to one of the tables the crew had taken over.

"Shepard." Came Miranda's stiff greeting before she took a small, careful sip from a drink of her own.

"Miranda." He returned, taking a moment to lean back in his chair. "Zaeed." He added after a moment, taking in the man sitting on Miranda's other side.

"Shepard." Was the reply, and John couldn't help but appreciate the silence that followed. As much as he loved his crew, his sister in particular, he really could use a few moments of peace and calm where he didn't feel like he had to run around putting out fires.

"So Lawson, I hear you're a pretty good shot." Zaeed piped up, breaking the silence, causing Miranda to roll her eyes without even glancing up at him.

"Ah, here we go…" She muttered, rolling her eyes and taking a more substantial swig from her drink.

"If you ever bother leaving that cave of yours-" The other man started offhandedly, glancing down into his nearly empty glass, causing Miranda to mutter quietly "...You're one to talk…". He took the last sip of his drink before continuing, "- we should head over to the shooting range and see if you can put your money where your mouth is." Miranda took an exaggerated, disdainful sigh before putting her own glass down and turning to glare at the older man.

"Look, Massani, I'm flattered, but not interested." She stated flatly, her lips a hair away from a sneer. Zaeed stared at her, perplexed for a moment, his eyes slightly glazed and face ruddy enough to match the empty glasses scattering his end of the table. After a moment, he snorted, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, missy. Bints like you ain't my type, so don't get your hopes up. I like my women with half the class and twice the charm, sorry to disappoint." He thumbed his nose, raising a challenging eyebrow at her. "No, I was just sitting here thinking that you might actually be the sort of broad worth having a halfway decent conversation with, but pardon me if I was wrong." Miranda stared at him as though she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at, the words dying on her tongue. She looked as though she weren't entirely sure if she were being complimented or not. Which, John decided, was fair, as he wasn't sure either.

Just behind him, John caught a snippet of another conversation.

"EDI, it would be a lot easier to trust you if I could at least look you in the eyes… Not whatever that hologram is that you pretend is your face." John turned his head slightly to see Joker speaking into his com, his voice slower with the effects of the alcohol, omni-tool lighting up his arm as he leaned forward, leaning his chin into his other hand, resting his elbow upon the table.

"If you feel the need to look me in the eye, you are welcome to address any of the Normandy's security cameras, as they are one of the many ways I am able to observe and monitor movement aboard the ship. However, I fail to see how this would improve your ability to trust in my abilities and programing, Mr. Moreau."

"Ugh, you just don't get it…"

Turning all the way around in his seat with an amused smile, John perused the scene before him as his heart started to fill with affection. He'd struggled at first, given the strange situation he'd found himself upon waking on the research station and then having to grapple with the ramifications of being brought back from the dead. He was still struggling with the nightmares, and just putting on his helmet required deep breathing to prevent anxiety. But as he watched the antics of his crew, a crew he'd never asked for and hadn't known what to think of at first, he couldn't help but feel hopeful. It was a good group of men and women, full of potential. He could work with this.

John deadpanned as he watched Jane nearly fall off her seat laughing as Ken and Gabby fought to keep Jenkins from clambering up onto one of the tables, his shirt already half way off. The poor kid was already three sheets to the wind, and seemed to have decided dancing like an asari stripper was the best course of action.

John sighed and took a sip. Full of potential, this lot…

Garrus had to admit, he was having a good evening. It was the first time since joining the Normandy SR2 that he felt like he was truly part of the crew, not just along for the ride. A lot of the Cerberus crew seemed to be opening up and feeling more comfortable around him, allowing for good conversation and company.

He was also probably still riding the high of earlier that afternoon, to be perfectly honest. He felt like he hadn't stopped smiling since his lunch with Jane. Looking around the room, his eyes landed upon her where she sat, lounging beside Kasumi, drinks in hand as they chatted animatedly. He couldn't say he was particularly surprised by the friendship, but it was amusing to see Jane engaging in what could possibly be classified as 'girl talk'. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Jane giggle prior to Kasumi joining the crew.

As though sensing his eyes on them, the thief looked up, grinning as she spotted him. She elbowed Jane, who looked up to see him as well. With a small smile, she brought her drink to her lips with a wink in his direction, causing heat to inch up his neck. Kasumi leaned over to whisper something in her ear, causing Jane to throw her head back as she laughed. After a moment, she leaned in to reply, her smile huge and her cheeks ever so slightly flushed.

Garrus forced himself to look away as he felt a flush creeping up his neck. Thank the spirits it wasn't as noticeable in turians as it was in humans. He wasn't sure how they handled the embarrassment of being so easily readable. Then again, he hadn't always thought of humans as easy to read.

Deciding he needed another drink, he quickly retrieved one, happily putting it on Jane's tab for once, before finding a seat beside Jacob at a table.

"Hey Vakarian, I'd ask what you're drinking, but I doubt I'd understand it. Plus, I have a dextro allergy, so it'd probably kill me." Jacob laughed before gesturing for Garrus to take the seat beside him. They chatted for a few minutes, their drinks slowly disappearing before Garrus suddenly felt a presence at his elbow. Turning, he found Mordin lowering himself into the seat beside him.

"Dr. Solus, wasn't sure if you'd be joining us. Glad you did." Jacob welcomed him with a small salute of his drink. "Can I get you something from the bar…?" Mordin shook his head sharply, a half smile on his face.

"No, thank you. Not a big drinker. Hinders the mind. Dulls the senses. Always interesting to study the effects in others, though." With that, he turned to examine Garrus, his large eyes flicking across his features with increasing interest.

"Is that so?" Garrus raised a brow plate, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, disliking the sudden attention.

"Yes. Been wanting to speak with you, actually. Medical matters. Tonight simply confirmed suspicions." Mordin leaned back into his seat after a moment, his face somewhat self satisfactory.

"I… see…" Garrus shifted to shoot Jacob a confused look, who simply shrugged, a small amused smile on his face as he took another sip of his drink.

"Different species display different signs of sexual attraction. Many are interestingly similar." Mordin lifted a finger to his lips in contemplation as he nodded to himself, "Aware mission is dangerous. Different species react differently to stress."

"Err, I suppose so…" Garrus lifted a finger to idly scratch at his bandage before taking a sip of his drink, a sinking sensation settling in as to where the doctor was going with the conversation. Mordin nodded, glancing across the room quickly before looking back to Garrus, his smile widening.

"Sexual activity normal stress release for humans and turians." Garrus choked, nearly spitting his drink out for the second time that day. "Still, recommend caution. Warn of chafing. Will also speak with Shepard, Jane Shepard, that is, later." Mordin continued, seemingly unaware of Garrus' discomfort.

"I- I'm not sure what you're getting at." Though, of course, he knew exactly what Mordin was getting at, and as he caught Jacob hiding his smirk by taking another swig of his drink, Garrus wished he could melt into his chair in mortification.

"Eye dilation, shift in voice moderation, increased heart rate, shift in body language and mirroring. Simply put, hormones. Quite simple, really. Come see me later. She may require analgesic." Mordin blinked his large eyes, his face completely neutral he continued to verbally murder Garrus. "Chafing."

"Oh my god…" Jacob muttered, trying and failing to hide his incredulous grin behind a fist, his eyes wide as he nodded his head in feigned interest at the doctor's words.

"Would also warn that humans are levo-amino based. Ingesting of tissue could provoke allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock possible. When you come by later, can test for sensitivity if you wish. But perhaps she shouldn't, ah-" Mordin coughed awkwardly, "-ingest."

That was it. Garrus was going to die, killed by the most embarrassing conversation of his life. It was somehow ten times worse than his father's halting attempts at giving him the sex talk when he'd been about to go off to basic training. He leaned his elbows on the table, pressing his face into his hands, wishing desperately that he'd simply cease to exist.

"Thank you. Dr. Solus. Really. Thank you. But I-" Mordin completely ignored him, continuing on about 'valuable diagrams', 'comfortable positions', 'erogenous zone overviews'. Garrus could feel himself sinking lower and lower into his chair as the salarian continued.

"-gave EDI electronic relationship aid demonstration vids to use as necessary." Mordin nodded as his monologue came to a blessed end, prompting Garrus to look up.

"Thank you, Mordin. Seriously. I can't possibly think of anything else I might need, so if that's everything…" Garrus trailed off, his voice dry, nearly a growl, his mandibles held tight to his face as it burned with mortification.

"I think you've given him enough to think about for one night, Mordin." Jacob chimed in, his voice dripping with barely concealed amusement. Mordin looked surprised, but an enigmatic smile spread across his face.

"Of course. Hope you and Shepard enjoy yourselves. You know where to find me should you require additional advice. Personally, find lab work preferable. Less alcohol and mood music required." With that, the salarian stood up, dusted off his lab coat and walked off, leaving Garrus to groan before downing the rest of his drink.

"That was rough, buddy." Jacob commiserated, laughing as he slapped Garrus' shoulder and finished off his own drink. Garrus grunted in reply, unable to bring himself to speak about the event further.

"Can we just pretend this never happened?" Garrus eventually groaned, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes.

"Sure thing. Don't even know what conversation you're talking about." Jacob replied, trying and failing to hide his grin. They enjoyed a few moments of silence before Jacob brought up a completely unrelated topic for conversation. Garrus couldn't help but silently thank him for being as good natured about the entire thing as he was.

Perhaps if he drank enough, he could forget the whole night. After a few minutes, he made his way back to the bar, passing Zaeed and Miranda as they chatted animatedly about something or other. He never would have pegged those two as fast friends, but just goes to show what a little alcohol can do for some people.

"EDI, what's it like to fly? I don't mean like as a pilot, but to actually fly?" Joker mumbled drunkenly into his omni-tool nearby as he leaned one elbow on the table, slowly sliding dangerously close to the edge.

"I think it might be best if you cease the ingestion of alcoholic beverages for the evening, as you are most likely above the recommended blood alcohol level for someone in your condition. It may be best to drink a glass of water and find someone to escort you back to the Normandy."

"Aww, you care aboutme, don't you EDI."

"My programming requires that I value the lives of all crew members, Mr. Moreau."

"Uh-huuuh."

Garrus grinned as he arrived at the bar, leaning on the bartop as he gestured for another drink. At least everyone was having a good time. Perhaps this crew was coming together, afterall.

"Having a good time?" He nearly jumped out of his plates as his head snapped around to see Jane leaning back against the bar beside him, her arms crossed as she surveyed the antics at the tables around them. Garrus turned around to lean back beside her.

"For the most part. Certainly not lacking for scintillating conversation, that's for sure." She chuckled at that, shooting him an amused glance, her eyebrow lifted quizzically.

"You looked like you were having a ball with Mordin a minute ago." Garrus groaned at the reminder, "What were you guys talking about?"

"You don't want to know."

A few days after they left the Citadel, they arrived at the planet Bekenstein in the Boltzmann system. John stood in the CIC at his console scrolling through his messages and data readouts, absently tugging at the high collar of his formal attire. While he wasn't a stranger to formal Alliance dress blues, the suit Kasumi had dressed him in was something alien to him. He felt oddly exposed going into a mission like this, but then again, he'd seen what Kasumi had bought for Jane to wear, and he supposed he shouldn't complain.

He'd originally been against Jane being roped into helping, but Kasumi had been adamant that she wanted the help of a trained infiltrator as well. If it meant getting the thief 100% on board with their mission, then he supposed he'd allow it. Tugging at his collar again, he tried to convince himself the discomfort was worth it.

"Well, that's quite an outfit." John turned around to see Garrus stride out of the elevator, his mandibles flicking in amusement, and John sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I think I look pretty suave." John retorted, grinning as he held his arms out for inspection.

"Huh, well, I'll have to take your word on it, human fashion is a little odd." Garrus chuckled, and John was happy to see him looking so much more relaxed than he had since joining the SR2. He'd been worried about Garrus for awhile there, he'd been so closed off and distant, but it seemed like he was finally starting to recover and settle in. He wasn't quite his old self, but he supposed some of that was the effects of two years passing. No one was quite who they'd been before. He was finally starting to come to terms with that.

He liked the new Garrus, though. Before, he'd been hot headed and single minded, in need of guidance and advice as he attempted to navigate a world he could only see in black and white. He'd grown during the intervening years, maturing into someone who John could see much more as an equal. Garrus had acquired a much more level headed approach and viewpoint that made him an ideal candidate for talking through his plans and ideas. John trusted him, which was worth its weight in gold these days. It was interesting how quickly the turian was settling in at his right hand.

"Bah, well…" John shrugged, returning to scrolling on his console, "Hopefully this little heist won't be too much trouble and we'll be back quickly so I can get out of this ridiculous costume." He muttered, turning to see Garrus chuckle again, his expression amused.

"I don't know John, I think Kasumi's taste is pretty spot on. What do you think?" John and Garrus spun to see Jane stepping through the door from the lab, and John felt his eyebrows climb as he took in his sister's appearance. While he'd seen the small black dress earlier, he hadn't realized exactly how small and form fitting it would be on her.

He rarely saw his sister wearing anything even remotely feminine or revealing, so it was rather surreal to watch her do a little twirl, lifting her arms a little to display the outfit from all angles before stopping to place her arms on her waist, emphasizing how snuggly the dress hugged her. Her high heels gave her a little extra height than usual and added to the femininity of the outfit. Her hair was swept up in a simple but elegant updo, and though she occasionally wore a little makeup, it seemed more pronounced than usual, bolder.

"Do you think you might need, like… a shawl or a sweater or something? It's a little low cut, don't you think?" John suggested, trying to decide if he should pull the protective older brother card or not. Jane scoffed, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, causing John to roll his eyes in exasperation as the pose only served to emphasize them more.

"Of course it is, but that's the whole point, Dad." She jutted out a hip, shifting her weight to one side as she grinned lazily, her eyes shifting to the turian beside him. "What do you think, Garrus? How do I look? Suitable?" John turned to look at Garrus, who's eyes had gone wide.

"I, er, what?" Garrus quickly glanced between the two Shepards, his mandibles slack as his jaw worked for a moment, no words coming forth. He swallowed, lifting a hand up to fiddle with one of his shirt buckles. "Oh, uh, yeah. You look… good. Yeah, your, uh, hair looks good. And your waist looks… very supportive."

John stared at the turian, bewildered by the sudden change in his best friend from laidback and smooth to nervous and awkward. He'd been a little awkward at the start of their mission to find Saren, but he'd gotten used to the human crew fast enough and had seemed to loosen up, particularly around Jane and himself. So why was he reverting to floundering all of a sudden?

Then again, he supposed he could understand why Garrus might be uncomfortable regarding certain cultural differences, particularly something so closely related to human sexuality. He'd never had any reason to believe Garrus to be in any way attracted to humans, so of course it would make him uncomfortable. John nodded, deciding that had to be the reason for the turian's discomfort.

Garrus blinked, his eyes darting between the two of them again before he brought a hand up to rub his neck with evident embarrassment. After a heartbeat, Jane burst out laughing.

"Thanks, I think!" She said between chuckles, her eyes sparkling as she grinned at the turian, who rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, struggling and failing to hide a smile of his own.

"Look, I'm trying here. If you were a turian, this would be much easier."

"I dunno, with these shoes, it's probably the closest I'm ever going to come." Jane gestured down to the high heeled shoes, twisting one to display it, then the other. Garrus swallowed, his eyes flicking down to the shoes, up her legs, and quickly away as he fiddled with his shirt buckle again.

"I, er, yeah-"

"Okay, okay, Jane, stop giving him a hard time. Leave the poor guy alone. Plus, we need to meet up with Kasumi down in the hangar bay in a matter of minutes. Why don't you head down there, I'll be right behind you." John gestured his sister toward the elevator before he turned back to his console.

As John turned away back toward his console, Jane looked over at the turian shifting his feet uncomfortably as his eyes darted around, unsure of what to look at. Her grin still in place, Jane stepped forward, looping her hand into the crook of Garrus' elbow, causing him to jump in alarm.

"Whoa there, just a human custom." Garrus looked down, eyes wide as she settled in next to him, lightly directing them toward the elevator. "It's only proper to walk a woman to her car. Or shuttle, or whatever." He slowly nodded, recognition seeming to light behind his eyes. He bent his arm ever so slightly, holding his arm at just the perfect angle to escort her into the elevator, almost the picture perfect gentleman. Jane couldn't help but wonder as she looked up at him, her smile taking on a lopsided slant of curiosity. Was this something he recognized from human vids, or perhaps he was just a fast learner…?

Garrus looked down at her, for a moment before coughing and looking away again.

"You do look really nice." He murmured, his voice low and rasping in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't help the pleased flush of her cheeks as she hummed an appreciative tone.

"Thanks. I'm rather a fan of the dress. I think I'll keep it." She announced to the small elevator, causing his eyes to dart back to her, lingering a moment longer. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, closing it with a snap as he looked away again.

"Planning to keep the shoes, too?" She nearly jumped when he did speak up a few moments later. Looking back up at him, she saw his mandibles flick, betraying a small smirk.

"Perhaps. Why the particular interest?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow as she fought to control her own smile.

"Oh, no reason…" Jane couldn't help but laugh at that before using her elbow to lightly shove him in the side. Garrus' eyes went wide and as he coughed awkwardly again, she could see the slight evidence of a flush creeping up the exposed skin of his neck.

"Ah, by the way," She started, feeling her smile growing into a cheshire grin, "Mordin caught me for a little chat, earlier." Jane felt him stiffen suddenly, her suspicions confirmed regarding the other night at the bar. "He had some very interesting advice for me!" Garrus groaned, lifting his free hand up to cover his face.

"Just shoot me now." He groaned, causing her to burst into laughter. The door opened and Jane pulled her arm free, stepping out quickly. Turning to take a few careful steps backwards, she took a moment to smooth her dress over her waist and hip before she responded.

"I told him I had no particular concerns in that department, as I'm well aware that I lack that particular allergy. But he was very generous in his offer of supplies and advice." Garrus stood in the elevator, gawking at her like a fish, his neck very obviously flushed.

Jane didn't honestly know what to make of Garrus these days. Sometimes, he obviously wanted nothing more than to be left alone to his work, but other times… Maybe she was reading too far into it, but she could swear she could feel… something… between them. A spark, electric and alive, that should shiver down her spine and nestle deep in her abdomen. But then again, it was so hard to separate her own feelings from those she attributed to him. She knew how she felt, that much had become suddenly and readily apparent to her the moment her eyes had first locked with his in that apartment on Omega.

But him… He'd become so much more difficult to read. Or perhaps she'd never been that astute at it to begin with. She wasn't sure where she stood with him, and that made her uncharacteristically nervous. The not altogether unpleasant feeling of butterflies in her stomach was not something she had a great deal of experience with.

Regardless of the reason for his reactions, Garrus was very fun to tease. The door began to close suddenly, and she raised a hand to wave, winking at him as he stared at her.