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Loyalty and Limerence

Part 3

Chapter 1

Cipritine, Palaven, Five Months Ago

Garrus stood before the large holodisplay in the living room watching a rerun of an interview on the news. On the screen, a dark haired human woman stood talking with the 'newly' appointed human Spectre, Jane Shepard, and he felt his heart clench. Jane laughed at something the reporter said, her face relaxed and her posture self-assured as she easily maneuvered her way through the interview, completely at her ease.

Though she'd been a Spectre for some time, it had only become publicly known earlier that week. The council made a big deal about it, putting together a ceremony and pretending that she was just now being inducted into the Spectres. Regardless, the public ate it up, excited to see not only another human Spectre, but the sister of the famous Commander John Shepard, the recently arrested war hero.

Reaching into his pocket, Garrus pulled out the set of dog tags Jane had left with him. He looked down at them, his finger tracing over the markings that he knew made up her name. Spirits, he missed her. They'd had a few calls, and they messaged each other regularly, but it just wasn't the same.

The past month had been difficult. Not long after he left the Normandy, his father and sister had arrived on the Citadel as well. His mother was transported to one of the hospitals there to undergo the experimental treatments while they stayed at a nearby hotel. The reunion with his father and Solana had been somewhat tense, to say the least, particularly given the state of his newly scarred and unbandaged face. But they'd been happy to see him alive and mostly whole, particularly given the less than satisfactory communications they'd received from him recently.

And honestly, he'd been happy to see them, too. Even his father, who seemed to be almost a completely different man than the cold and distant one he remembered from his childhood. He supposed it must have been everything he'd been through the past year, taking care of his sick and slowly dying wife. Perhaps he'd had something of a change of perspective.

Reuniting with his mother had been hard. Garrus almost hadn't recognized the thin, drawn woman as the one who'd raised him. By some miracle, she seemed to recognize him when he first entered the room, and her joy at seeing him had been nearly palpable. But as the moments passed onwards, her lucidity seemed to drain out of her, leaving her a shell of her former self. Garrus was happy that he got to spend some amount of time with her, at least, even if she seemed unaware of him completely by the end.

Perhaps, deep down, she'd been waiting to see him before letting go. At least, that was Solana's theory. Or perhaps the trip really had been too much for her. It wasn't long after their reunion that her health took a turn for the worse and began deteriorating quickly. Even after they began the treatments, she seemed to reach a point of no return quickly.

Garrus' mother passed quietly and peacefully, her family sitting around her at her bedside. It was nothing more than a long, slow breath leaving her body, and she was gone.

The days following his mother's death were a bit of a blur. Her passing hit him very differently than those of his old Omega team, or even that of John Shepard after the Battle of the Citadel. They had all died unexpectedly and violently, leaving him with a variety of angry feelings. His mother, on the other hand, had been battling this disease for quite some time, and they'd known that she wouldn't have much longer. It didn't make it hurt less, but it was a different sort of pain, somehow. He was left with less anger, and more deep, bone weary sadness.

Before he knew it, he and his remaining family were packing up and heading back to Palaven together in order to plan her services and lay her to rest. Garrus felt like he was living in a fog for those first few days at home, his body numb, colors faded, sounds muted. In contrast, his father almost seemed his usual self on the surface, going about a normal daily routine. All except for the mournful subvocals he couldn't hide that were almost physically painful to hear.

As for his sister-

"Could you move please? I'm trying to watch this." Came a voice from behind him, and Garrus nearly jumped out of his plates in surprise, dropping the dog tags to the floor with metallic click, the chain hitting the ground with a soft hissss. He turned to see Solana splayed out on the couch behind him, her expression caught between amusement and irritation.

As for his sister, she was a little hard to read. She had this annoying habit of resorting to humor or sarcasm when upset, but pointing this out to her did nothing but cause her to look at him pointedly, for whatever reason. But he wouldn't be surprised if, under her grief and sadness, there wasn't a little bit of conflicted relief at being freed from the burden of caring for a dying parent full time. He'd never blame her for feeling that way, particularly given the fact that he hadn't been around for most of his mother's illness.

"What is that, anyway?" Solana asked as he bent down to pick up the dog tags. "You've been fiddling with them since we met up with you on the Citadel." Garrus quickly stashed them in his pocket, shaking his head.

"It's nothing. Just a trinket."

"Uh huh. Sure." She raised a brow plate at him but didn't push the matter as he stepped to the side. They continued to watch the interview, which was interspliced with clips from Jane's public induction ceremony into the Spectres. "Shepard… Isn't that the name of the human you served under during that whole thing with that other Spectre, Saren Arterius?"

Garrus felt an unexpected lump in his throat, "Yeah. That's his sister."

"Huh. Must be one helluva family to produce two Spectres, for whatever that's worth." Solana stated offhandedly with a shrug, and Garrus felt himself smile.

"Yeah, they're really something." He returned his attention to the screen. The interviewer had said something that had caused Jane to smile her trademark crooked grin, and just the sight of it caused his heart to tug painfully. His hand reached back into his pocket of its own accord, pulling out the dog tags again as it had so many times the past few weeks.

"Okay, seriously," Solana broke through his thoughts, "What is that? Some sort of token from your girlfriend?" She asked jokingly with a teasing wheedle in her voice. Garrus froze, heat creeping up his neck as he choked back a mortified denial. He knew from past experience that a quick and hard response would only provoke her to tease him more. He took a moment to calm his subvocals before replying.

"No, of course not." He stated cooly, but Solana narrowed her eyes as she examined him.

"Spirits, you're blushing!" She announced with undisguised victory and glee as she stood up. "It is from a girlfriend, isn't it!" It wasn't a question this time, and Garrus knew he had to think quickly.

"Don't be stupid, Sol. It's just… Just something I picked up." He finished lamely as heat continued to creep up his neck despite his best efforts. Solana's grin continued to grow as she approached him, her hand extended.

"If it's nothing special, then let me see it." She stated smugly, clearly having anticipated his knee jerk reaction to tug his hand away as she reached for the dog tags. "Uh huh." She added dryly.

In an instant, she was on him, reaching for the dog tags as he attempted to fend her off and hold them out of her reach. Garrus gasped as her elbow caught him in the stomach, and he laughed even as he wheezed, instantly transported back to their childhood, rough housing as they fought over a toy they both wanted.

His amusement quickly began to fade as he realized she was much bigger and stronger than he remembered. They weren't children anymore, but grown adults. He might be a little larger than her, but his advantage was much less pronounced than when they were younger.

"Sol! Get off! I mean it. I don't want to hurt y-" With a grunt and a crash, they toppled onto the floor. They grappled and struggled for a few seconds longer, and Garrus remembered, with some irritation, how determined his sister was.

"Ha! Let's see…" Solana grinned as she stood triumphant with the dog tags clutched in her fist. She stood over him squinting down at the writing etched into the small metal tags as he lay groaning on the floor, her expression growing more and more confused. "What the hell even is this?"

"I told you, it's nothing." Garrus muttered as he began pulling himself out from under Solana, who had pulled her omni-tool out and was scanning the writing.

"It's in human? It says… Hold up." Her brow plates leapt up as recognition played out in her subvocals. Stepping back, she glanced at the interview on the large screen nearby. "J Shepard? Systems Alliance? Is that the brother you served under or-" She nodded in the direction of the red haired woman being interviewed.

Garrus, who had finally gotten to his feet, froze as he dusted himself off, a flush creeping back up his neck as he failed to prevent his eyes from flicking to the screen. Before he could stop himself, his subvocals gave himself away further as they hummed with hesitation. Solana's eyes widened even further, if possible, and she grinned.

"So what, exactly, is going on between you and this Jane Shepard, hmmm?" She asked teasingly, and Garrus brought a hand up to scrub at his eyes in frustration and embarrassment. What was it about siblings that brought out one's immaturity? Or was it just turian siblings? He'd never seen Jane give Shepard this sort of trouble, had he? After he failed to answer, his sister just laughed. "Never thought you were the type to go after a human, but I suppose I'm not surprised. You always were a little non-traditional."

Garrus leveled her with an unamused stare, which only made her chuckle. "Now that you're done, can I have those back now? They were placed in my care and I don't really want to lose them." After a moment, Solana held the tags out to him, and he snatched them back as he glared at her, though it lacked the heat of real anger. "Thanks." He growled, and as he stuffed them back in his pocket, she leveled him with a considering expression.

"So, are you two really dating? Or were, at least?" She asked after a moment, all vestiges of humor gone, replaced by genuine curiosity. Garrus hesitated before nodding his head.

"I'm not sure when I'll get to see her again, given everything that's happening. But we didn't break up or anything." He explained quietly, his eyes drifting back to Jane's face on the screen. It hurt to look at her, he missed her so much, but he couldn't look away.

"How serious was it?" Solana asked, and he paused before answering.

"Before everything that happened in the Bahak System, I'd been planning on bringing her back to introduce her to the family." She blinked, taken aback.

"You were ready to make that sort of commitment to her? Even though she's human?" Garrus' expression hardened at his sister's question.

"What does her species matter? She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. I'm surprised someone like her would even look at someone like me." Solana rolled her eyes at him, but her smile seemed genuine.

"Dad's going to blow a gasket. You know that, right?" She said as she chuckled, and Garrus groaned as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be the first life choice of mine that he hasn't approved of. But it hardly matters at the moment." He sighed, shivering suddenly as he thought of the Reapers drawing nearer, ever nearer.

"Well, if she's half as amazing as you seem to think she is, then I'm sure I'll like her." His sister stated with a nonchalant wave of her hand, and Garrus looked at her with surprise. He smiled before reaching over and gently flicking one of her mandibles in the way he used to as children. "Hey, stop that." She grumbled as she pulled away, waving him off. "I'm going to grab something to eat, want anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks." She flashed him a smile before heading into the kitchen, and Garrus couldn't help the flood of warmth at her quick and easy acceptance of his nontraditional romantic life.

Garrus glanced back at the screen and smiled as the image of Jane laughed at something, the sounds so familiar and cherished that it was hard to keep the longing from his subvocals.

The interview continued, the reporter delving into her future plans, and Jane immediately launched into her thoughts about the current state of the galaxy. As she repeated similar sentiments to what she'd expressed to him weeks prior in their hotel room on Omega, he couldn't help but feel some of his fog clear.

Shepard was up to his ears in legal issues back on Earth, and Jane was working her ass off to try and get preparations for the Reapers underway. He knew some of the particulars of what she was working on from the messages they'd exchanged so far. She was out there, making a difference. And what had he accomplished, other than mourning the death of his mother?

Garrus tried to give himself a little grace, tried to remind himself that it was okay to take time to mourn her passing. But he also had to get to work. There were preparations of his own to begin.

The trouble, Garrus quickly found, was that he really didn't know where to begin in the first place. He spent the next few days sorting through all the data on the Reapers that Shepard had had put together for everyone before his arrest. All in all, they really did have a lot of hard facts to prove their existence. Granted, some of it would probably still seem a little far fetched, but an exhaustive perusal of the facts seemed conclusive. He began drawing up his suggestions for what the Hierarchy could do to prepare, quickly surrounding himself with stacks of datapads full of charts, graphs, and proposals.

But none of that was going to accomplish anything if he had no power to actually enact his plans. Garrus began running through lists in his head of contacts he could approach, but each seemed less likely to hear him out than the last.

Which was how he found himself aimlessly pacing his room late one night, thoughts buzzing and possible plans racing through his head like flies. No sooner did they flit in did they flit out again, quickly deemed impossible or unhelpful. It was past midnight when he realized how hungry he was.

Quietly, Garrus made his way down the hall, and to his surprise, found the kitchen light already on. Instantly, soldier instincts flicked on, and he slowly approached the doorway, careful not to make a noise. Hesitantly, he leaned just far enough into the room to recognize the shape of his father sitting at the table, a mug of something steaming in one hand, a datapad in the other.

Releasing a breath, Garrus stepped into the room, "Dad. What are you doing up?" His father turned just enough to shoot him a glance over his shoulder before returning his focus to whatever he was reading.

"Garrus," Castis acknowledged him before nodding to the seat nearby, "I don't sleep as soundly as I used to." He stated gruffly as his only explanation, but it was enough. Garrus grabbed himself a protein bar before sitting down across from him. "What about you? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Just trying to… figure some stuff out." Garrus murmured as he ripped open the bar. Sighing before taking a bite, he slouched back into the chair. He tried not to let the doubts and fears seep in along with the exhaustion from lack of sleep.

"Well, I still have plenty of contacts back in C-Sec. I can probably pull some strings for you, get you your old job back." Castis replied off handedly, misinterpreting his anxiety. Garrus blinked, appreciating the gesture none-the-less.

"I'm not looking for a job right now, but thanks for the offer." He stated evenly, causing the other man to sigh. After a minute, Castis continued.

"Also, I ran into Mecidia at the market the other day. You remember, Caelrius' girl?" Garrus silently nodded, dread inching up his spine as he recognized the turn of the conversation. "She's still single, and when I mentioned that you were back in town, she seemed very interested."

"I'm definitely not looking for a girlfriend right now." Garrus stated, and suddenly Castis looked years older as he sighed wearily.

"Garrus, you're getting older. You need to stop this galavanting around the galaxy and start thinking about your future. It's time you settled down, found a good mate." His father's eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment, almost as though he were looking through Garrus instead of at him. He came back to himself suddenly, shaking off his sudden melancholy, "Maybe you should give her a chance."

"I'm really not in a good place to settle down right now." Garrus muttered, bringing a hand up to his forehead as it gave a sudden throb of pain. His father sighed again, but after a moment, he nodded in resignation.

"Okay, fine. But let me know if you reconsider, particularly regarding your old job. I can think of a few of my old colleagues who would be happy to see you back on the force."

"Thanks, Dad, but that's not-" Garrus froze, his brows plates drawing in as he considered. His father had contacts. Many contacts, in many places. High places. Garrus might not know people high enough to have enough sway to make a difference, but his father would. "Actually, I might need your help after all."

Castis raised a single brow plate in curiosity at the sudden change in direction, "I'm listening." Garrus hesitated, suddenly anxious. He'd watched so many people brush Shepard off when the topic of the Reapers came up, and he'd heard plenty of rumors about the state of the Commander's sanity because of his strongly held belief in them.

"It's… it's about the Reapers." He stated quietly, his eyes glued to the table between them. He paused, but when he got no reply, he dared to look up into his father's face. Castis' expression had become pinched with concern, but he showed no sign of derision.

"I'm listening." He repeated, and Garrus felt something tight in his chest loosen by a few degrees. He sat up straighter and cleared his throat before launching into his explanation. After talking for a few minutes, he rushed back to his room, coming back with all of his carefully organized data. Piece by piece, he laid the entire story out before his father, who listened and nodded his head, speaking only when he required clarification on some point.

Light was peeking in through the windows by the time Garrus finally stopped, and they sat for a few minutes in silence, each considering the weight of the information lingering between them.

At first, Garrus had expected something like the disdain he'd gotten from him following the Battle of the Citadel. But he'd sat and listened this far, so that had to be a good sign. Castis' face was pensive as he digested the information, finally leaning back in his chair.

"Who else have you laid this all out before?" His father asked quietly, breaking the heavy silence, and Garrus shook his head.

"Me? No one. Not yet. I'm not sure who will believe me, honestly."

"I can see why, it's all hard to believe." Castis muttered, and Garrus felt his back stiffen, frustration growing in his chest. "But we're going to need to bring this before the Hierarchy. They need to know and preparations need to get underway as soon as possible." Garrus froze, his mouth open but no words coming out.

"Wait, you believe me?" He asked in surprise, and Castis crossed his arms as he nodded.

"The data is exhaustive and conclusive. And terrifying, quite frankly." Garrus' mouth opened to reply, but snapped shut again, unsure how to respond. Finally, he took a deep breath and tried again.

"This is what we've been working on for the past few months. It's why I joined Shepard's crew. I haven't been working as a mercenary or galavanting or whatever you guys thought I was doing. We've been working against the Reapers. It's why I wasn't home when… When Mom was sick." He explained quietly, looking down at the table between them. He looked up to see his father's hand clench for a moment before relaxing.

"I understand. We could have used your support here, but-" Castis sighed, seeming to accept his explanation, "But I understand." They sat for another few moments before he continued, "So, what's your plan?"

"Huh?" Garrus looked up at him, pushing back the sudden fog of pain after the mention of his mother.

"Your plan. All this," Castis gestured to the datapads on the table, "Shepard's been arrested and is being held by the Alliance after what happened in the Bahak System. So, I'm assuming part of why you're back on Palaven must have to do with whatever your plan is regarding the Reapers." Garrus looked away.

"Ah. Well. I don't really know where to begin. It's not like I can just march into the office of a defense minister or a general and demand that they hear me out. I'd be laughed out of the building, or possibly carted off to a mental hospital." He grunted, his voice layered with sardonic subvocals. Castis' browplates drew in as he brought a hand up to his chin in consideration.

"I might have an idea."

"You've got to be kidding me." Garrus choked out a few hours later as he looked down at the appointment notification that had popped up on his omni-tool. "You got me a meeting with Primarch Fedorian himself?"

Castis looked up from the datapad he was reading, placing it back down on one of the stacks Garrus had left out on the kitchen table the night before. "He's an old friend of mine, I called in a few favors and got you a meeting with him." He stated simply, as though it was an everyday occurrence. Garrus' mouth snapped shut, and he reread the appointment details his father had just forwarded him.

"Thanks, Dad. This is… This is more than I could have hoped for."

They spent the next few hours leading up to the meeting working to put together a presentation out of the data he had. Garrus would be the first to admit that he probably wasn't the most experienced public speaker, or at least not a presenter. He spared a moment to bemoan the fact that Shepard wasn't there, he would have been perfect. Though, Garrus supposed Shepard's track record on trying to convince others that the Reapers were real wasn't fantastic. He tried not to think about that.

Garrus wasn't going to have long, since the meeting was more of a courtesy in honor of Fedorian's long standing respect for Castis than actual interest in anything Garrus would have to say. So they tried to pare it down to just the absolute essentials – The hardest hitting, most solid facts they had, particularly about what they'd found at the Collector Base.

By the time they finished their preparations, Garrus was starting to feel pretty good about his chances of convincing the Primarch. He'd convinced his father, after all, and if he could do that, then surely he could convince the Primarch, right?

But when he stood before a stone faced Primarch Fedorian and a council of three of his generals, Garrus felt a good deal of his confidence seep away through his feet. While he managed to keep his cool and didn't make a complete ass of himself in front of them, from the look on their faces, he also wasn't necessarily doing a fantastic job of convincing them.

When his presentation was complete, he stood there in complete silence for a long, painful moment where he tried not to shuffle his feet like a child standing before his parents waiting for his punishment. Finally, the Primarch sighed and leaned forward as he interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on his desk before him.

"Look, Vakarian, you've clearly put much thought into this…" Fedorian started, and Garrus felt his stomach sink. He already knew what the other man's decision would be. "But I've spoken to Councilor Sparatus about this topic on a number of occasions, and I have to admit that I'm currently in agreement with him on the matter." Garrus felt a rush of anger flood his system and struggled not to do something stupid. Regardless, his mouth popped open to retort.

Fedorian held up a hand to forestall him, "You have brought a lot of interesting data, and I will have some of my personnel look it over if you'll give me a copy of it all." Garrus snapped his mouth shut and grit his teeth as he nodded. "Give us a few weeks to go through it all, and I'll get back to you."

"A few weeks?" Garrus nearly squawked, his eyes flying wide in panicked shock. "I'm sorry, sir, but we might not have a few weeks, we need to begin preparations as soon as-"

"I understand your opinion on this." The Primarch started in a placating tone that made Garrus' blood boil, "But you need to understand how far-fetched a lot of this sounds to many of us. Given the enormity of your claims, we need to verify the information before we commit any resources. This takes time and work, I'm sure you understand."

And that was the thing. The small part of him that understood how politics worked could see the reasonableness of the statement, if it weren't for the end of the goddamn galaxy looming on the horizon! But as Garrus looked into Fedorian's steel-set expression, he knew there was no point in arguing further. He wasn't getting through, and he was going to have to figure something else out.

"Thank you for your time, sir." He said curtly as he used his omni-tool to shut off the presentation behind him and began gathering up his belongings.

"Of course. Castis and I go way back to our time in the service. I'll always make time for him and his when I am able. Please, give him my regards and my condolences for his recent loss." Fedorian stated offhandedly as he stood, pushing back from the conference table. His generals followed likewise.

"I'll do that." Was all Garrus could manage without growling in mounting anger as he did all he could to focus on packing up the few data pads he'd brought. He listened to the sound of feet leaving the room, and as soon as the door shut and it was silent, he groaned in frustration, smacking his bag back down onto the table.

"Crap." He hissed as he brought up a hand to scrub at his face.

"Vakarian." Garrus' head shot up, his eyes wide as they locked with those of General Adrian Victus still sitting across the table from where he stood. The man had his arms crossed in front of him, his expression completely blank as his eyes seemed to pick Garrus apart, weighing him to the ounce.

"Ah, um-" Garrus hesitated, taken aback by Victus' unexpected presence, "Is there something I can do for you?" He paused, but after a moment, he added, "Sir?" The general stared at him for another moment before standing.

"Come with me to my office." With that, Victus turned and walked out the door, and Garrus scrambled to grab up the rest of his things and follow. It had been a command, not an invitation.

When Garrus made it back out into the hallway, he turned to see Victus waiting for him just a little ways down. As their eyes met, Victus turned and led him down a series of halls until they stood before the door of a surprisingly unassuming office. The general opened the door and gestured to the chair before the desk that took up most of the spartan room.

"I want to see your data again. Not just what you showed Fedorian. I want to see all of it. I'm assuming there's more?" He began immediately as he took the seat behind the desk, and Garrus swallowed as he fought down a surge of hope.

"Yes. Yes, of course." Garrus said as he sat down, "It's quite a lot, though, and you probably-" Without hesitation, Victus pulled up his omni-tool and entered a few commands.

"I just canceled my next few meetings." He stated before clasping his hands and leaning forward onto his desk, "Now, start from the beginning. Don't leave anything out."

5 Months Later

Garrus fought the urge to groan as he furtively checked the time. He'd been stuck on this call with some unit supply specialist for far too long as the man explained repeatedly how unreasonable his request was. Garrus' task force had come a long way when it came to the stockpiles and supply reserves put aside for the Reaper's arrival, but that didn't mean that everyone understood or agreed with his work.

As soon as the man was done speaking, Garrus reminded him that it had been less a request, and more an order. Soon after, he brought the call to a close, leaning back in his chair with a frustrated growl. Jane could make all the jokes she liked, having a desk job was goddamn awful.

At least, he supposed, perhaps he was accomplishing something. It had all been thanks to Victus, really. He'd listened astutely to Garrus' evidence regarding the Reapers, and then had helped set him up with meetings with others in positions of power who'd had been willing to listen. When added to the unrelenting efforts by his father, he'd been granted another chance to discuss the topic with Fedorian, who had finally given in and granted him a small 'Reaper Task Force'.

Sitting up again, Garrus returned his attention to the console on his desk, rereading through the newest iteration of the evaluation plan proposal for the metropolitan area of Cipritine. It wasn't pretty, evacuating such a densely populated area would never be an easy task. But it was better than nothing. With a frown, he hit the 'send' button.

His office door pinged, signaling he had a visitor. Surprised, Garrus stood to open it. It wasn't a long walk from his desk, the office being more of a closet than anything. He pressed the button, the door opened to reveal his father. Garrus blinked in surprise.

"Dad. What are you doing here?" Castis nodded a greeting, and Garrus stepped aside, gesturing to the only other seat in the room.

"I was just meeting with Fedorian, thought I'd stop by to see your office. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Garrus shook his head in answer, slumping back down into his own seat.

"No, it's fine. I was just finishing this up." He gestured to his console, and his father nodded.

"That's good." Castis said, and after a pause, began glancing around the small room. "You've got a nice office here." Garrus raised a brow plate at him, unsure if he was being sarcastic. But he continued, his tone seemingly earnest, "It's good to see you with a respectable position within the Hierarchy."

"Dad…" Garrus sighed, beginning to understand.

"Ever since you left C-Sec, I've worried about your future." Castis explained, a long suffering expression on his face as he seemed to think back on the past few years, "I was beginning to worry you weren't ever going to figure yourself out."

"Dad." Garrus cut in firmly, his expression hardening. "You realize that none of this is permanent, right?" He gestured to the office around him, "I'm not settling into some cushy position in the Hierarchy. This is a temporary token position that I'm using to scramble together some semblance of a plan for when the Reapers arrive. None of this-" He gestured around himself again, "-really matters."

"I know," Castis replied gruffly, "It's just nice not having to worry about you while you're off galavanting around the galaxy with that human Spectre for once."

"I wasn't-" Garrus cut himself off and sighed again, then did his best to steer the conversation away from Shepard. They managed something resembling small talk for a few minutes, until-

"By the way, I was talking to Julinus the other day, and he says his daughter might be interested in meeting up with you if you can make some time, perhaps this weekend?" Castis suggested with forced nonchalance, and Garrus felt his hand travel to his pocket containing a pair of dog tags.

"I'm really not interested, Dad, but thank you." Garrus glanced away toward a small picture frame that sat on his desk. On it was displayed the same photo of the SR1 crew that he and Jane had found in Liara's apartment on Illium. Something in him ached.

"Garrus, I really think you should give her a chance." Castis' voice was laden with a disappointed rebuke, causing Garrus to shoot him an irritated look. "I don't understand why you're so against any of the suggestions I've made the past few months. They're all lovely girls, why haven't you agreed to meet even a single one?"

Garrus hesitated, unsure how much he should divulge, but also desperate to bring his father's matchmaking efforts to a stop. Castis seemed to see how uncomfortable he felt and sighed wearily as he brought a hand up to scrub his face.

"Look, Garrus, I just want to see you happy." Garrus blinked at the other man's unexpected admission, "Every moment I got to spend with your mother was a blessing, and I want to see you just as happy." The statement shot right through him, a painful throb in his chest at the mention of his mother. He looked away, his fingers digging into his pocket to curl around small, metal tags.

"Dad, I appreciate your concern. But really, I'm okay. I'm-" He hesitated, but decided to come right out with it. Or at least some of it. "I'm already seeing someone." Castis blinked, clearly taken aback by the news.

"Really? Why haven't you mentioned her before now?" He paused, but after some consideration, his eyes widened a fraction. "Wait, are you gay? Is that why you keep turning down all these girls?"

"What? Spirits, Dad. No." Garrus groaned and Castis held his hands up, his voice suddenly defensive and slightly higher than usual.

"I'm not trying to say there's anything wrong with that, of course." Castis stumbled over the words, coughing awkwardly before continuing. "It would just surprise me, is all. You've never given me any reason to think-"

"I'm not gay." Garrus cut in, "The person I'm dating," He took a breath before looking his father in the eye, "She's just not turian."

The room fell silent as the two men stared at each other. Castis' eyes widened further, true surprise crossing his face. Garrus tried not to let his nerves and apprehension show, doing his best to keep his subvocals in check.

"I see." Castis finally murmured, his expression and posture relaxing as he settled back, considering. "Asari, I assume. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He muttered after a moment, sighing as his mandibles flicked, his subvocals conflicted. "You always were the unpredictable one." He said with a sigh. Garrus felt himself ruffle, but couldn't argue with that.

"She's not-"

"Look, it doesn't matter. I might not have chosen that for you," His father interrupted, holding up a hand, "But honestly, like I said before, I just want to see you happy. Even if it's not with another turian."

The words seemed to reverberate through the room, Garrus' shock at the other man's words evident on his face. His father, always the steadfast traditionalist, deciding not to take issue with him dating outside their species? Was the world completely flipped on its head?

He paused that train of thought, his brow plates furrowing in consideration. It had been a few months since his mother had passed, and this wasn't the only incongruency he'd witnessed in his father. Perhaps losing your mate, particularly one you'd been with as long as they'd been together, really did change you.

Garrus finally smiled, his body relaxing slightly, "Thank, Dad. I really am happy with her." Just the thought of Jane sent a shock of warmth through his veins. If he closed his eyes, he was sure he'd be able to see her vividly. Her cocky grin, her bright eyes, her soft and vibrant hair, her pale skin covered in tiny freckles like constellations of stars-

Spirits, he missed her.

"Before everything that happened in the Bahak system, I'd been planning on introducing her to you guys, actually." Garrus added quietly after a moment, causing his father to blink in surprise. "But everything with the Reapers… It had to come first."

"I… see." Castis seemed to mull the admission over, taking in the new information and processing it. "Well, I look forward to meeting her someday." The words were stiff, clearly forced, but he appeared to be doing his best to keep an open mind about the topic, and Garrus could appreciate that for what it was. Though, he mused as his mandibles flicked in amusement, his father might be eating his words when he found out his girlfriend was human. And a Spectre.

"Thanks, Dad." Castis opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by the flashing of an incoming priority call. "Hold on, I need to take this." Garrus frowned as he pulled up the screen.

"Vakarian. We're getting a few weird reports from our outermost probes. I can't tell for sure, but it might be them." Ice slid down his spine, and he heard his father's sharp intake of breath.

"Send me the reports. What makes you think it might be the Reapers?" Garrus snapped as his fingers flew over his console, bringing up a series of displays.

"Sending the reports now. It might still be too early to say, but looking at these readings-" Another flash and another priority call lit up his console.

"Hold on." Garrus snapped before switching to the newest call. Another screen popped up and another one of his task force appeared before him, her face grim.

"Sir, Earth just went dark, we've lost all communication with them." It was like the air was suddenly sucked from his lungs, leaving him light headed and confused.

"So suddenly? Is it the Reapers?" He asked urgently as he quickly pulled up a few additional readouts.

"I called as soon as we got the report. Whatever hit them, it hit them hard and fast." She stated, fear evident in her voice, and Garrus felt his mouth go dry. Pulling up his omni-tool, he quickly navigated to his personal message account. He selected his most recent exchange with Jane, noting the last one he'd sent recently.

I hope your meeting went well, love you. - GV

The message was marked as sent, but he'd never received a notification that it had been delivered. That was odd, and the timing was ominous.

"Fuck." He growled, another priority call popping up, as well as a half dozen messages. Whatever was happening, and he had a horrifying idea of what it might be, it was growing out of his control quickly. His fingers rushed over the holo display, quickly sending off a series of messages. He hurriedly scanned over a few of the initial reports, his stomach dropping further with each word.

"Is this it?" Garrus looked up from his current message to see his father getting to his feet, his expression pinched and stoney. "The Reapers?"

"I think so." He nodded before quickly finishing his current message and sending it off. Getting to his feet, he grabbed his bag nearby before turning back to Castis. "Where's Sol?"

"She's at work."

"Call her. Go get her, and get to the nearest safehouse." Garrus instructed as he made for the door. His father followed him into the hall and grabbed his shoulder before he could take more than two steps.

"I'm proud of you, Garrus. I always have been." The words caught Garrus off guard, piercing him somewhere soft, a weak point he thought he'd dammed up long ago. Without thinking, he spun and wrapped his arms around Castis, hugging him tightly. Fear pulsed through him, and suddenly he wasn't a grown man, but a scared child clinging to his father.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Son." Came his father's gruff reply, and a heartbeat later, they both stepped back.

"Go get Solana and get to safety. I'll contact you as soon as I can."

"Take care of yourself."

"You, too." With that, Garrus turned and ran, and somewhere far off, an alarm began blaring. As his feet beat a rhythm against the cold steel floor, he found one of his hands reaching into his pocket, searching out the small, metal tags there. He clenched them as he ran, almost like a charm, a talisman against the unseen shadows looming in the distance.

Please, Jane. Please be alright.