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Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Chapter 16

The Normandy SR2

"Have you seen Jane?" Garrus asked as he stepped into Grunt's quarters in the port cargo bay, looking around and registering her absence. In his hand was a datapad, entrusted to him by Shepard along with the directions to track down Jane, who apparently had to initial some correction she'd made in one of her recent reports. The more time that passed, the more like his old, workaholic self Shepard became, and Garrus decided that was probably a good thing.

"Huh?" Grunt asked where he sat across the room, his omni-tool open as he read intently. Garrus walked over to peer over the krogan's shoulder, seeing a picture of some sort of huge, leathery beast.

"Jane. Have you seen her?" He reiterated slowly, his quest becoming more frustrating by the minute. She hadn't answered her com, she hadn't been working out in the cargo bay, she hadn't been in either observation room, she hadn't been anywhere he'd looked so far. Perhaps she didn't want to be found? It was her off hours, afterall.

Sighing, Garrus decided he really shouldn't be surprised by his… what? Girlfriend? They hadn't discussed labels, but he supposed that's what she must be? Did humans have some sort of formal ritual for this sort of thing? Maybe he should ask Joker…

"Oh. No, haven't seen her." Grunt mumbled as he pulled up a clip from some documentary, computer generated beasts roaring at each other. Garrus watched for a moment before curiosity took over.

"What are those?" Grunt looked up at him quizzically at the unanticipated question.

"Dinosaurs. They used to live on the human homeworld, but I think the humans killed them all or something. I think that's why humans fight as well as they do even though they're so soft and squishy. It must be an unforgiving environment."

"Uh-huh." Garrus raised a brow at the young krogan, trying and failing not to feel amused.

Looking up, Garrus saw a flash of red through the window. Across the open expanse were the windows looking into the starboard cargo bay, through which he could just make out the back of Jane's head. He said a hurried goodbye to Grunt, who's attention had already returned completely to his documentary, and left the room.

Garrus wasn't exactly worried, but it was hard to put his finger on whatever it was he was feeling as he made his way down the hallway. He felt fairly confident that there was nothing between Jane and Zaeed. Shepard had seemed adamant, and Garrus hadn't seen anything to make him question the Commander's thoughts on the matter.

But it was difficult to completely squash the niggling voice in the back of his head when it whispered that Jane was never going to be happy in a long term relationship with a turian. And of all turians to pick, Garrus wasn't even a prime example of his race. She deserved better than he could offer, and there would always be part of him waiting for her to wake up and realize that.

There was also the chance she hadn't understood that he was looking for an exclusive relationship. He hoped it wasn't just some sort of awkward, interspecies misunderstanding. It wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility, they'd had a few of those already. Though he supposed they were to be expected in a cross species relationship, he really hoped that wasn't the case here.

Or maybe-

The door opened and he was assaulted by a harsh, smoky aroma that left him coughing. It was a burnt, woody, almost spicy smell that gave him the feeling that his head might start buzzing if he breathed in too deeply. Once he stopped coughing, it was sort of nice in an odd and exotic kind of way. Turians didn't smoke like some of the other races, the lack of lips made it somewhat difficult.

Turning, he saw Zaeed lounging back on a folding chair sipping something slowly as he gazed down at the cards in his hands. Across from him sat Jack, straddling a backwards facing folding chair, leaning forward to put a bottle of beer on the low crate between them. She exchanged it for a new card from a deck beside an ashtray full of cigars stubs.

Perched atop a nearby crate, sat Jane, one knee drawn up to her chest, the other dangling over the edge as she brought a cigar to her lips. As she drew in air through the cigar, the lit end flared for a moment before dimming again as she drew it away from her. Blowing out a stream of smoke from between her lips, she looked down at her cards. She tossed a small chit onto a loose pile on the crate before looking up to notice Garrus as he took a step closer.

"Garrus!" She exclaimed cheerily, and he felt his worries melt away at the pleasure present in her face as she laid eyes on him. Her odd, five fingered hand managed to clutch not only her cigar, but also a small cup of an amber liquid he knew she preferred. She took a small sip before leaning forward to place it down on the crate, followed by the cigar, and then a card into the discard pile. "Just teaching these nuggets a thing or two about cards." Jane chuckled before grabbing her cup again, resituating herself on her crate. The other two grumbled, but didn't argue.

"Looks like you're having fun." Garrus chuckled as he came to a stop beside her, leaning his hip against her crate and tilting his head to catch a glimpse of her cards, which were surprisingly good. At least, they were if they were playing the asari game he thought he recognized. She looked up at him with a small smirk. He held up the data pad, which she looked at with a raised eyebrow, her lips curling downward into a frown.

"What's that?" Jane grumbled in a way that told him she knew exactly what it was.

"Work, courtesy of Commander Shepard."

"Greeeat." She drew out as she completely ignored the data pad, opting instead to lean forward to grab her cigar from the ashtray along with a new card. "Well, I'll take a look at it in a bit." Garrus snorted lightly, retaining the unwanted datapad as he crossed his arms. "Your turn, old man."

Zaeed grunted as he rolled his eyes and sneered before glancing at Jane, his eyes weighing and measuring. He narrowed his eyes before looking down at his cards again, then he grumbled something under his breath before adding a chit to the pile and making his move.

"So, Vakarian," The older man started as he eyed Garrus where he stood beside Jane, "What do you law abiding sorts get up to for fun?" Garrus scoffed, his mind drifting back over the last two years.

"Not sure if I'd call what I got up to on Omega 'law abiding', but hmmm…" He stopped and thought but was interrupted by Jack's derisive bark of laughter.

"Oh, don't give me that shit. You're a goodie little two shoes from your stupid crest down to your weird, two toed boots." Jack sneered at him in a way that was almost friendly for her standards. It was funny, the things you could get used to.

"Well, I mean, he was a cop." Jane chuckled, shooting him a side eyed grin before taking another drag on the cigar. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, and look at me now, hanging out with you lowlifes. I've really come down in the world." The others all chuckled at that and he waited for them to simmer down before he continued. "Actually, I used to be into painting." Jane blinked at him, her cup halfway to her lips.

"Seriously?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yep. Was all set to go off to school for it. But it wasn't in the stars, so I ended up in C-Sec instead."

"Wow." Jack muttered, looking up at him with a surprised and considering look. "Gotta admit, didn't see that coming."

"Oh man, Big Guy. The longer I know you, the more interesting you become." Jane all but purred as she leaned toward him, grabbing front of his cowl and pulling him in for a quick kiss.

"Ugh, really? Take that lovey dovey bullshit somewhere else." Jack groaned as she rolled her eyes and proceeded to toss a chit onto the pile and take her next card.

"You know what, Jack, someday you're going to fall in love and I'm going to laugh!" Jane hooted as she took another sip of her drink and looked down at her cards.

"I had to work with an artist for a job once." Zaeed muttered as he leaned forward to pick up his cigar and took a puff from it, "She was absolutely bat shit crazy, that one was. Had no experience with combat what-so-ever, but boy was she trigger happy when she somehow ended up with a gun in the middle of a firefight. Nearly got us all killed." He put the cigar back down before smirking. "Total beast in bed, though."

"Which brings us back to our original topic." Jack grinned as she completed her turn and grabbed her beer again, giving it a lazy swirl.

"Which was?" Garrus asked as he watched Jane contemplate her cards before adding another chit to the pile on the crate.

"The best fucking we've ever had." Jack turned to smirk up at him and Garrus fought to keep his face and subvocals neutral.

"Oh?" He chanced a look at Jane, who raised an eyebrow at him as she took another sip of her drink before returning her attention to her cards with a grin.

"I think Jack is probably the winner, though Zaeed certainly had some colorful ones, too." Jane muttered dryly before completing her turn. Zaeed grunted in acknowledgement and Jack looked on smugly. Garrus couldn't help but raise his brow right back at Jane.

"I can't say I'm surprised that that's what you're getting up to. I remember a time when you boasted about your sexual exploits to the entire mess hall." He murmured, remembering the enlightening conversation after they'd all survived Virmire. Jane just shrugged, her expression caught between self satisfied and chagrined.

"What can I say? They were a good audience." Jane stated before turning to him, her smile widening. "And what about you? You must have an interesting story or two." She teased, tucking her cards under her leg as she reached a hand up to play with the edge of his cowl. He fought the urge to pull her close and bury his face in her hair.

Struggling to focus, he racked his mind for some story he could share. Part of him could hardly believe she was asking him to share stories of sexual exploits, he'd been under the impression that that wasn't something you talked about with your significant other. Maybe jealousy wasn't something humans felt? He was fairly positive they were mostly a monogamous species, though. Damn cultural barriers and misunderstandings.

"I can't say they're particularly interesting, per say. My, er, exploits have been pretty tame." He started, only to be cut off by Jack's disbelieving snort.

"Until now." She muttered under her breath at a volume meant to be overheard, and Garrus felt a flush rise up his neck.

"Oh, come on." Jane teased as her finger traced invisible patterns across his chest, "I'm sure you have a story or two to share." She looked up at him through her lashes as her smirk widened. How could he say no to a look like that?

"Well, there was this one time, back when I was still serving in the military. We were just about to hit a batarian pirate squad. Very risky." Garrus looked away, focusing on the memory from what felt like another lifetime, "This recon scout and I had been at each other's throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring." He looked back to see three sets of eyes watching him, listening with rapt attention.

"I thought you military types had rules about fighting and fucking." Zaeed pointed out, and Jack nodded her agreement.

"Alliance ships, maybe. Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions." They both turned to look at Jane, who nodded in agreement. Garrus figured she must have told them about her time training with a turian regiment. "Anyway, She and I were the top-ranked hand to hand specialists on the ship. I had reach, but she had flexibility."

His audience seemed to be enjoying the story, and Garrus couldn't deny it was fun to hold the stage. "It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room."

"Okay, okay. That's fun and all, I always love a good brawl, but what does this have to do with fucking?" Jack sneered, her patience with the story dwindling. Garrus coughed, as his eyes flicked nervously to Jane, who's expression was blank as she listened.

"We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had, uh, flexibility." He finished, doing his best to contain his smirk as he looked back to Zaeed and Jack.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Jack's smile had returned, and Zaeed nodded his agreement.

"Nothing like a good shag to work off a little stress." Zaeed said before he returned his attention to his cards. The conversation drifted after that, a few more stories were shared, and the game continued. But Garrus couldn't help noticing Jane's relative quietness.

"Well, guys, it's been a blast." Jane drawled finally, her expression keen and predatory, "But it looks like I'm going to bring this lovely little game to a close 'cause…" She trailed off as she tossed her hand of cards down utop the pile of chits on the crate between them, "Full colors! Ha!"

The other two groaned and tossed their cards down on the crate, watching with disgruntlement as Jane swiped up the pile of chits and stuffed them into her pockets. After a little gloating from Jane and more grumbles from the others, Garrus stretched and turned toward the door.

"It's been fun, but I think I'm going to go grab a bite to eat. Jane, I'll leave this-" He raised the data pad in question, "-up stairs on your bunk. Have fun, guys." With that, he made his way to the door.

"Hold up." Jane called after him, and he turned to see her down the last of her drink and take a last drag on her cigar, releasing the smoke as she stubbed it out in the ashtray. With that, she hurried after him. "Until next time, guys."

"Yeah, yeah…" Jack muttered darkly before finishing her beer. Garrus stepped through the door, Jane following after. As they walked silently toward the elevator, he couldn't shake the feeling that she had something to say. The elevator arrived and they stepped inside before she hit the button for the crew deck.

"So," She started slowly after a minute, "If you're not busy, I was thinking we could blow off a little steam. I could do with a bout."

"Sure, I can always go for a little sparring." Garrus started, but stopped when he noticed her amused smirk. The door opened onto the crew deck, and something clicked. "We're on the wrong deck for that, though." Before he could reach for the control panel, however, Jane stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"What if we skipped right to the tiebreaker?" She whispered, her voice low as she looked up at him with eyes filled with promises that made his belly drop out, "We could test your reach… and my flexibility."

"Oh! I didn't-" Garrus cut off as she grabbed his free hand and led him out of the elevator and toward the starboard observation deck. As they entered, the datapad got tossed onto one of the couches, forgotten as his hands found better uses.

Garrus felt his mandibles flutter as she pressed her lips to his mouth plates and he kissed her back enthusiastically. It was amazing how much more at home he felt now with the mechanics of kissing than when they'd first started. Jane tugged him further into the room, causing them both to stumble as they laughed, falling onto one of the couches. Rolling so that she was on top, Jane sat up and quickly pulled her hoodie off over her head, revealing her tank top below.

"Bet I can show you a thing or two about flexibility that you won't see from some turian." Jane muttered distractedly as her lips came down to trail hot kisses down his neck, his pulse quickening at the soft, persistent feeling of her. Her words slowly started to process in his mind and his hand paused as it began its adventure up her waist.

He was, admittedly, not very good at this whole interspecies romance thing. Their friendship, followed by whatever this was, had been rife with incidents of slight misunderstandings that were usually funny in retrospect. But in that moment, Garrus had a suspicion that he was finally putting the clues together correctly.

Garrus wasn't 100% positive, but he was at least fairly certain that he'd managed to make Jane… jealous? Or, at the very least, possessive. Or perhaps she was just feeling competitive. Beyond possibly answering his earlier questions about human courtship, it was almost laughable to think of Jane as feeling threatened when it came to his attraction or interest. And yet, her behavior after his story, followed by her words just now…

"You do realize," He started, a grin spreading across his face as he grabbed her and flipped them so he was suddenly on top, "That you don't need to compete with some woman from ages ago who's name I probably can't even remember, right?" Garrus propped himself up above her, bending low to gently nip her neck. Looking back up at her, he noted her widened eyes and flushed cheeks, and while they could have been from his touches, he had a feeling that he'd hit the nail on the head.

"What? No, I-" She stumbled over her words, flushing brighter as he grinned wider. It was a refreshing change of pace finally being the one to make her speechless. After a moment, she seemed to come to herself, her lips slowly curling into a challenging grin, "Are you accusing me of being jealous, Vakarian?"

"What's that human phrase? Ah, yes." Garrus muttered as he leaned in close to nip her again, just hard enough to make her eyes pop a little, "If the shoe fits, Shepard."

"Oh, it's on, Big Guy." Jane laughed as she attempted to flip them again, instead rolling them off the couch and onto the floor. Garrus landed hard on his back, the laugh pushed out of him with the air in his lungs. She perched atop him, her legs digging into his waist and hips in a way that stole his breath in a completely different way. "I'm going to rock your world so hard that the only name you'll ever remember is mine." She whispered as her fingers found the buckles keeping his shirt closed, undoing them with practiced ease.

It was some time later that they sat entangled in each other as they stargazed out the large observation window. Jane leaned her head on his shoulder as he played with a lock of her hair, and Garrus finally brought the hushed conversation back around to his earlier realization.

"Jane, I told you before that this isn't a fling or a post sparring tie breaker. Not for me." Garrus whispered as he breathed in the scent of her, letting the comforting smell wash over him. "I care about you more than that. There's no one in this galaxy I trust more than you. And I-" He faltered, his courage beginning to flag as he struggled to put his feelings into words, "I, uh, I hope you feel the same way about me."

Jane tilted her head slightly to look up at him from where her head rested on his shoulder. He felt his heart twist in his chest as she smiled softly.

"Of course I do, Garrus. You're the only thing that makes sense in this whole damn galaxy right now." Garrus felt the pleasure her words inspired all the way down to his toes, humming contentedly. "So wait a minute," She continued, picking up her head to look at him with an amused expression, "You trust me even more than you trust my brother?" Jane asked, her words tinged by disbelief.

"Well, I mean…" Garrus chuckled as he shrugged, bringing up a hand to gesture vaguely before them, "That's different."

"Uh-huh." She raised an eyebrow, trying and failing to hide her grin, "Well, now I feel like I have to compete with my brother for your affection. Thanks."

"Anytime." She punched him playfully in the arm and he laughed, fending her off. "I try to be serious for one second and now I'm being attacked."

"I don't know what you expected."

Garrus kissed her again. He felt like he had no business being this happy. The moments trickled by, and a small voice whispered up to him from the dismal depths that this was, in all likelihood, temporary. Theirs was a suicide mission, and the chances that they were coming back was slim. Even without that, they put their lives on the line nearly every time they stepped off the Normandy.

Ruthlessly, he squashed the voice back down. If his days with Jane were numbered, then he sure as hell wasn't going to waste them dwelling on depressing what-ifs.

But it sure was hard not to.

Before they arrived, Jane described Illium as 'Omega with expensive shoes', and at first he couldn't quite figure out what she meant. Sure, he'd heard the rumors over the years, but he'd never taken them very seriously. That was, until they finally stepped foot in Nos Astra.

At first glance, the city seemed sparkling and beautiful, not unlike the pictures he'd seen of other asari worlds. But, as Jane liked to joke when poking fun at him, you can take the turian out of C-Sec, but you can't take C-Sec out of the turian. As they followed after Shepard, it was impossible to miss the signs of the city's darker underbelly; deals happening under the table, indentured servants carrying packages for their masters, subtle advertisements whose actual meaning made his eyes pop.

By the time they made it to Liara's office, he'd had his fill of the city. At least Omega wore its stink and grime on the outside, loud and proud about its faults and sins. Illium was just as awful, it just hid it better.

"And you lived here for how long?" Garrus hissed quietly at Jane as they ascended the steps toward the office. She glowered, her eyes set.

"Long enough."

The meeting with Liara ended up being a somewhat short affair, to Garrus' surprise. His memory of the young asari had been of the wide eyed, naive doctor who'd been infatuated with the Commander. The woman before them now was almost unrecognizable, and though she was friendly and welcoming, she refused to budge when it came to what she was able to do for them.

Once the information had been given and the invitation to join them declined, Shepard seemed to have no more reason to stay. They started making their way out of the office again to meet up with the rest of the ground team in the nearby marketplace. Jane, however, lagged behind.

"You coming?" Garrus turned to ask, seeing her still standing by Liara's desk.

"Yeah, I just need to talk with Liara a little before we get going. You go on, I'll catch up." She stated distractedly and Garrus hesitated as he noted the edge to her voice. Before he could turn to leave, however, she spoke up again, "Actually, would you mind guarding the door for me? Just in case. I trust people here far less than I can throw them."

Questions exploded in his head, but with a nod, Garrus retreated to the doorway, letting it close behind him. Taking up position, he realized after a moment that he could, in fact, hear a little through the door. He eyed the secretary as she sat at her desk, her expression too keen for his liking. He continued to keep an eye on her as his translator began struggling through the bits of conversation drifting through the door.

"...too long… promised… not sure…" Liara seemed to be saying, her voice touched with disappointment.

"...sorry, I know I… not my focus…" Jane seemed placating, perhaps seeking forgiveness.

"... about now? Haven't… awhile…"

"..busy, a lot… sitting around or… will get on it… soon as I can."

"Good, I'm tired of waiting!" Liara snapped before apologizing.

"...do you need it for? … and Vasir asked for the same… what makes you think Cerberus… Shadow Broker?" Jane asked, her voice confused and frustrated.

"Vasir?" Liara's voice raised again, this time in alarm, "What do you mean she's… I'm going to look into… shouldn't be trusted."

"...your distance, she's not… of person who hesitates to…"

"... will be careful. Thank… please hurry." They said a hurried good bye and Garrus stepped back as the door opened suddenly, revealing a grimacing Jane. Waving him to follow, she started down the stairs. Without a word, he followed after until they left the office, heading out into the open market below.

"What was that about?" Garrus asked as they weaved between market stalls, venders, and patrons.

"Remember how I made Liara a promise in return for some assistance a while back? I haven't followed through on it yet, but I will."

The last day of their stay on Illium, the crew was given a little shore leave. The plan was to meet up at a bar called Eternity where Liara had rented a private room for them. Garrus and Jane spent the afternoon together around the markets, and he couldn't help but feel like it was some sort of blessed slice of normality in a very abnormal life. As they peeked into shops, picked out toys for Shepard's 'space' hamster, and got lunch together, Garrus almost felt as if they were just a normal couple out enjoying each other's company.

Watching as Jane contemplated which fish to pick out for her brother's neglected fish tank, it was also easy to forget that she was a Spectre, ranked amongst the galaxy's most powerful and deadly.

"Ooooh, look at this one, isn't it pretty?" Jane marveled as a colorful, large finned fish drifted past the glass.

As they stepped into the Normandy's private room at Eternity later that evening, Garrus was pleased to see the turn out. Just about everyone had shown up, including all of the ground team. He'd had his doubts at first, but they really were starting to come together as they had during the search for Saren. He wouldn't go as far as to call them a family, yet. But they still had time.

Checking the readout on his visor, Garrus noted with unsurprised disappointment that Jane had pulled ahead in their little kill count game the past few weeks.

"The usual?" He asked, but Jane's attention had immediately been drawn to a couple standing by the bar. "Jane?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, the usual. Your treat this time." She grinned as she made her way toward her brother and Tali. Garrus followed after, rolling his eyes affectionately.

Shepard and Tali looked up as they approached, and if the relief present on Shepard's face was any kind of guide, their conversation had probably been as awkward as their body language suggested.

"Hey guys, having fun?" Jane asked cheerily, glancing from one to the other as Garrus gestured to the barkeeper and put in their order.

"Oh, yes. Yes, of course." Tali hurried to answer, "It's been good getting to know everyone since joining the crew, and I'm sure once the drinks start flowing, I'll get to know them way more than I might wish. Though, it won't be the same without Wrex or… Well, without Wrex." Tali finished quickly, eyeing both of them, most likely remembering what he'd told her about Horizon.

"Yeah, but he's doing well on Tuchanka." Shepard added, "Or else I'm sure he wouldn't miss this for the world. No one can drink like a krogan, and no krogan can drink like Wrex." They all shared a laugh at that.

"So, what were you guys chatting about when we got here?" Jane asked offhandedly, thanking Garrus as he handed her her drink.

"Oh. Uh," Tali started, looking down at the colorful twisty straw sticking out of her drink and fiddling with it, "We were just talking about a few people we overheard in the public room before we were shown back here." After a moment, Tali took a long draw on her drink before rushing on, "We were just people watching! It wasn't anything interesting, they were just-"

"There were these two people, a turian and a quarian." Shepard interrupted, completely undisturbed by the flustered quarian beside him, "The girl had just been through a break up with someone, guy sounded awful. And her friend-" Tali choked on her drink, coughing a few times as Shepard continued, "-was trying to comfort her. It was sweet, really."

"I… see." Jane took a sip of her own drink as she patted Tali on the back.

"I guess her ex was a human. When you guys came in I had been trying to explain to Tali that we're not all awful." Shepard finished, and Garrus couldn't help but chuckle.

"I mean, I don't think humans are that bad." He murmured before taking a sip of his drink, letting his eyes flick to Jane momentarily.

"Is that so?" She asked dryly, a smile beginning to form, "Well, that's a relief, I was starting to worry." Shepard sent them a confused look before continuing.

"Anyway, the turian kept suggesting things to help her feel better, and he mentioned that one movie… What was it?" Shepard wondered, his brows furrowing as he tried to remember.

"Fleet and Flotilla!" Tali chimed in quickly, her eyes popping up excitedly, "He suggested they watch Fleet and Flotilla."

"Yeah, that's the one. He said it'd won some awards."

"And it has really good music." Garrus added, causing all of them to look to him with surprise. "What? My sister's a fan."

"Uh-huh." Jane stated, her disbelief evident, "Admit it, you're just a closet romantic." She smiled as she winked at him, causing him to hum happily.

"It's one of my favorites…" Tali trailed off as she fiddled with her straw again before taking a sip.

"I've never seen it, what is it about?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Oh, um, well, actually, I was thinking maybe, since you haven't seen it, maybe if you have time, at some point, only if it's not a bother, but maybe we could, uh, maybe we could watch it together…" Tali's voice slowly seemed to lose steam as she rambled on, the final question coming out as nearly a whisper. Garrus could bet that her helmet was hiding a vicious blush.

"Yeah, that would be great. We could have a crew movie night on the Normandy or something." Shepard replied cheerily as Jane raised her brows with exasperated affection at her brother while Tali's shoulders slumped slightly.

"Oh. Yeah, that would be great, too." Tali murmured with forced cheerfulness, her free hand coming up to fiddle with her hood.

"Didn't it win some awards when it came out?" Garrus asked, desperate to fill the sudden awkward silence that threatened to envelop them.

"Yeah, it did. A few, actually." Tali perked up, "One for best cinematography, one for best original soundtrack, and one for best-" She cut off with a small strangled sound, swallowing before looking down at her feet, "for best portrayal of a… cross species… relationship."

The silence that descended upon them was absolute and so thick that it felt like a stifling blanket. The four of them stood there, no one saying a word as they all worked to avoid each other's gazes. Tali's wide, shining eyes were fixed firmly on something around the vicinity of Shepard's knee, and Jane brought a hand up to cover her face, the telltale signs of barely contained laughter evident behind her fingers.

"Ah." Shepard finally stated, his brows raised in surprise as his eyes darted around the room as though he were struggling to find words. Garrus looked back to Jane, and he wasn't sure if his mandibles were flicking in amusement or discomfort.

"Welp-" Jane suddenly tossed the rest of her drink back before thudding her glass down hard on the bar top and taking a step back, "This has been great, but-" Without even finishing her thought, she turned and left, her shoulders shaking softly in what Garrus suspected was laughter.

"Ah, yeah, I'm… That is… I…" Tali trailed off before inching between the two men and quickly following after the other woman. Shepard sighed before downing the rest of his drink and motioning toward the barkeeper for another.

"You know, Garrus, I don't think I'll ever understand women." He groaned as he sat down on one of the nearby bar stools, shaking his head in defeat. Garrus patted the other man on the shoulder before moving to sit beside him.

"I think it's less about understanding women in general, and more about learning to understand the ones that matter to you." Garrus ventured as he reached for a bowl of dextro labeled snacks. Shepard looked at him, his face considering, and then nodded.

"Good point. See? This is why I keep you around." He raised a hand and clapped Garrus on the back before reaching to grab his newly poured drink. "I think I'm a bit in over my head, though."

"What makes you say that?" Garrus probed carefully.

"I don't know, but I feel like all of this is going to be the death of me."

"Well, you've already survived death once. What's another between friends?" Shepard snorted at that, a smile back on his face as he lifted his glass to his lips. "So," Garrus continued lightly, "About you and Tali-"

"I am the very model of a scientist salarian, I've studied species turian, asari, and batarian." Both men looked up to see Mordin standing before a group of crew members, happily singing a catchy song while holding a colorful drink with a tiny umbrella in it.

"Huh." Garrus muttered, transfixed, "I thought he didn't like to drink."

"I'm quite good at genetics as a subset of biology, because I am an expert which I know is a tautology."

"Well, that's not something you hear everyday. A salarian singing. Huh." Shepard smiled as Mordin finished the last line of his song with a flourish.

"My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a scientist salarian!"

There was a loud round of applause from around the room along with a healthy dose of amused hooting from various, well lubricated corners.

The evening continued on in the usual fashion of Normandy shore leave parties. There was lots of alcohol, plenty of rowdy jokes, a couple of inappropriate comments, and a hint of sloshed dancing that may or may not have included a table.

Garrus spent time with a good selection of crew members over the course of the night, sometimes alongside Jane, sometimes without. Whenever she was elsewhere, Garrus' eyes seemed to automatically search out the shock of red as though it was second nature

One of his brow plates twitched as he spotted Jane and Tali across the room chatting with one of their new teammates, the drell named Thane. He and Jane had become fast friends, their professional talents and experiences being not entirely unrelated.

Though he felt an initial apprehension every time he saw them together, he often reminded himself that he wasn't some fresh faced teen and neither was she. Particularly after their conversation the week prior after the card game, he felt more secure and confident in their relationship. Not only that, but Thane was probably the most calm and conscientious person on the Normandy at that point, and he highly doubted he made a habit of stirring up romantic drama.

None of that stopped the voice that whispered in his ear wherever he saw them talking, the one that sounded oddly like Wrex. But he was getting pretty good at squashing that particularly obnoxious voice.

Across the room, Jane's eyes locked with his. After a moment, she looked back to the drell, excusing herself with a smile before heading in Garrus' direction. He felt a swell in his chest at that, trying hard to subdue his pleasure. But before she could even make it halfway across the room, she was accosted by Grunt and dragged to a table a little ways off.

Garrus watched in consternation as Jane was forced down into a seat as Grunt gestured excitedly in Miranda's direction where she sat at the other side of the table, her expression grumpy and exasperated. Jack came up alongside Grunt holding a bottle and two shot glasses, placing one down in front of each of the other women.

He couldn't hear what they were saying amidst the raucous laughter coming from a nearby table, but Garrus watched as Jane seemed to consider before shrugging and gesturing for Jack to pour for her. Miranda rolled her eyes before doing the same. Once the drinks were poured, both women locked eyes before tossing their respective drinks back and gesturing for another.

Garrus couldn't help but laugh. Jane was going to have a rough morning come tomorrow.

"Garrus Vakarian." He looked up to see their newest crew member, the asari Justicar named Samara.

"Samara. Glad you decided to join us. Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, this is a very interesting gathering. I had not known what to expect when I joined Shepard's crew. But I am pleasantly surprised by many of you."

"Oh?" Garrus asked lightly, unsure how comfortable he felt around the Justicar.

"I do not generally spend time in bars, but I can see why your Commander conducts team building in this manner. People are often closed off in professional environments. Many people are better able to open up in a less formal setting such as this." Samara mused almost to herself, her eyes slowly roaming the room. Her own hands held nothing but a bottle of water. "I was much the same during my maiden days." She added almost indulgently after a moment, a small, reminiscent smile gracing her lips.

"Alcohol has a way of breaking down barriers." Garrus nodded in agreement. There was a crash from across the room as Grunt accidentally backed up into a table as he cheered, sending the table crashing to the floor and cups flying. A couple of nearby crew members helped him pick up the table and cups before he went back to Jane and Miranda's table to pour them each another shot. The two women stared each other down, their gazes considerably less steady than they had been at the start of their contest. They each tapped their glasses on the table before downing their drinks and signaling for their next pour. It was going to be a very interesting morning.

"That is one way of putting it." Samara chuckled before opening her bottle and taking a small sip. After closing it, she followed Garrus' gaze back to the women taking their next shots. "I was very impressed with Jane Shepard when I spoke with her earlier." She stated lightly, causing Garrus to look back at her.

"Oh?"

"Yes. She may not hold the hearts of the people like her brother, but she is every bit the soldier he is."

"Yeah, she is." Garrus hummed, pride filling his subvocals as he smiled in Jane's direction. Miranda, her eyes nearly crossed, slapped the table in defeat and groaned, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head on them. Jane thrust her hands into the air, crowing her triumph before lurching to the side. Jack managed to catch her, holding her up as they tried and failed to aim a high five.

"Hell yeah! Put more of the stuff in the… the thing more stuff goes in!" Jane yelled, her voice a slurred mess as she pumped her fist in the air. Garrus winced a little, but smiled as Jack wisely seemed to decline her demand for more alcohol. Jane pulled away from her without complaint and moved over to peel Miranda off the table. The two of them swayed and stumbled as they made their way over to the buffet table. Samara chuckled quietly, her eyes sharp and ever weighing.

"Yes, I can see why you like her." Garrus jumped at that, turning to face the asari, unsure if she was being serious or not. "She has a strength and a charisma about her that draws one in. I can see why she draws friends to her like moths to a flame."

Samara continued to watch as Jane struggled to make up a plate of greasy food for Miranda, who all the while seemed moments away from needing a bin for the contents of her stomach. Garrus, however, narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch Samara, her expression becoming somewhat shrewd and calculating.

"Jane is exactly the kind of person I require." Samara concluded after a moment, turning away to face the bar.

"Require for what?" Garrus asked carefully, his eyes never leaving the Justicar's face. Her eyes narrowed, her shoulders tensing as though she were expecting an attack from some imagined enemy.

"I am hunting someone. Someone very dangerous. And I believe-" Samara stated, her voice gaining an edge of steel, "-that Jane Shepard is exactly the right person to lure her out."