.
Loyalty and Limerence
Part 3
Chapter 11
The Citadel
"Vasir?" Garrus exclaimed in shock, the image of her bloodied and battered face on Illium leaping to mind. "What are you doing here?"
"My job." The smirk vanished from the asari's face as she fired. The assassin ducked at the same time, barely missing the shot as he rolled out of the way. Tela Vasir thrust her fist out, a biotic shockwave exploding outwards and knocking him back.
"Who the hell is that?" Shepard exclaimed as they stumbled backwards.
"She's an… old friend of Jane's." Garrus fumbled over the words as he struggled to dredge up any memory of what had become of Vasir after their fight on Illium. "She's a Spectre." He added after a moment.
"I see." Shepard narrowed his eyes before hurrying forward to usher the salarian councilor into cover. Garrus watched as Vasir and the Cerberus assassin traded blows, the latter drawing a long sword as he crouched down low.
"Who the hell brings a sword to a gunfight?" Vasir spat as she raised her pistol and fired off a series of shots, forcing him to dance backwards. He darted forward, striking like a snake, but she brought up a biotic barrier in time, causing his blade of bounce backwards in a spray of sparks.
Garrus brought his rifle back up and loaded a concussive round. He took aim and fired, catching the assassin hard in the chest and sending him flying backwards, despite his powerful shielding taking most of the damage. The man scrambled to his feet and turned to regard them with increased wariness.
With an angry sneer, he turned suddenly and vaulted over the low wall before disappearing over the edge. Vasir watched him go, seeming to consider running after him. Instead, she holstered her sidearm and strode toward where Shepard stood with the Councilor.
"Are you unhurt?" She asked bluntly as she examined Valern, completely ignoring the rest of them. He nodded as he dusted himself off, and Shepard turned to Garrus with a questioning look.
"What are you doing here, Vasir?" Garrus asked, his voice hard as he vividly remembered the burning sensation of biotics against his throat. "I thought Jane had you arrested and transferred back to stand trial for what you'd done." Vasir turned to him with an amused smile as she shrugged.
"It's amazing what can be excused while in the line of duty," She stated as she raised a brow at him before looking back to the Councilor, "Isn't that right, sir?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled up her omni-tool and continued, "Let's get you to a safehouse before any other freaks with knives show up."
Vasir roughly grabbed the Councilor under the arm and began directing him toward a side door. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back. "Vakarian." She called back, causing Garrus to freeze as he checked his heat sink. "If you see Shepard – the other Shepard – Tell her I owe her a rematch sometime!" She grinned, but there was no warmth in it as it failed to reach her eyes. Turning, she led the Councilor away without another word.
"Come on, we're wasting time here. We need to find Udina and the rest of the council before it's too late." Shepard called out as he turned to head down the nearby set of stairs to the shuttle landing. He pulled up short, "Mordin! Thane!"
Garrus came up alongside where Shepard stood to see the two hurrying up the stairs toward them.
"Already begun securing building, I see. Good. Will continue clearing out HQ, assist in recapturing key strategic locations." Mordin checked his pistol before nodding to Thane.
"Shepard," Thane muttered as he breathed in deeply, attempting to catch his breath, "We just saw a single Cerberus agent escaping, he looked like he came from up here."
"Which way did he go?" Shepard asked sharply, and Thane pointed off into the distance.
"He hopped into a waiting skycar and headed off that way. There's a single c-sec vehicle down below if you need to give chase."
"He must be going after the rest of the Council." Bailey swore over the comm, and Shepard started down the steps at a fast trot.
"Get the word out – Udina's trying to seize power. I've got to get to the councilors." The team followed him down the steps, and as he reached the single skycar, he turned back to face them. "Garrus, EDI, with me. The rest of you, assist Bailey in securing HQ." They nodded before splitting up, and Garrus followed as Shepard leapt into the driver's seat with EDI right behind him.
"They're being taken to a shuttle pad on the Presidium. Start driving – I'll try to raise them on the comm." Bailey said as the skycar booted up and Shepard guided it out into the open space of the Presidium.
"It is highly likely that the Cerberus agent that eluded us is already enroute. We should hurry." EDI murmured as Shepard accelerated. There was a ping from Shepard's omni-tool. "Bailey has sent us the Council's current location, I'll upload the position to the car's nav program."
Looking down at the holo display, Shepard nodded. "Perfect. We're not far, it shouldn't take lo-"
There was a jolt as something heavy landed on the skycar's windshield. Garrus looked up into the smirking face of the partially masked Cerberus agent from before.
"Shit!" Shepard hissed as he struggled to right the skycar. The agent stood as he pulled out his sword. Garrus shifted in his seat and pulled out his pistol. He took aim and fired off a few shots through the windshield as the agent widened his stance, raising his sword to strike. He stepped backward to avoid the shots as they punched through the glass, then he darted toward the back of the vehicle. Garrus could hear the footsteps above them.
"Hold it steady!" He yelled before popping the side door open. Looking down, Garrus could see the ground and water zipping by below him, the force of the wind threatening to rip him out of the skycar. He swallowed before bracing himself and wondered if courage was one of the Normandy spirit's virtues. He muttered a quick prayer, for whatever good it would do.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself out far enough, whipping around to aim his pistol at the man standing upon their skycar's roof. The agent raised his sword in preparation to thrust it down into the roof, but stopped as he noticed Garrus.
He fired off a burst of shots, but the agent's hand came up as he activated a powerful barrier. Cursing, Garrus pulled himself out a little further, gripping the skycar tightly. The other man raised his sword up, preparing again to drive it down into the body of the vehicle, but in doing so, he shifted his barrier, and Garrus saw his chance.
Taking quick aim, he pulled the trigger, catching the man's hand and knocking the sword away. It spun as it left his fingers, whipping backwards as it plummeted toward the water below. The agent screamed in pain and pulled his bleeding hand close to his chest before turning to sneer at him, his barrier still active.
"Ah, Garrus Vakarian, yes? Jane Shepard's little pet turian." The agent spat with derision and disgust. After a pause, the sneer morphed into a vicious smirk that sent alarms peeling through Garrus' head. "Give her my regards when you join her in hell!"
Alarm turned to dread and panic in Garrus' stomach. "What did you do to Jane? Tell me!" He demanded in a furious roar as he heard the sound of his heart hammering in his ears. The other man didn't respond, but spun quickly and dropped his barrier just long enough to raise his uninjured palm and send a blast of energy smashing into the skycar's engine. Garrus raised his pistol to shoot, but it was nearly knocked out of his hand as the car lurched. He held on for dear life as Shepard yelled something he couldn't quite hear.
Turning back to the Cerberus agent, Garrus cursed as he watched him shakily stand and launch himself off the back of their burning skycar. Another vehicle had pulled up alongside them, its door opening to allow him aboard. He turned to flash Garrus a smug half cocked smile before the door shut and it raced off.
Red hot anger and hate coursed through Garrus, and despite EDI's insistent hands trying to grab hold of him, he leveled his weapon on the escaping skycar. Shepard was bringing their burning car down for what would inevitably be a hard landing, but Garrus steadied his aim as best he could.
He pulled the trigger, once, twice, then a third time. Whooping triumphantly, he watched as flames erupted from the agent's skycar, and it quickly began losing altitude as well. Garrus pulled himself back into the car just in time.
"Hang on!" Shepard yelled over the sound of alarms blaring as warning displays flashed. Garrus' teeth smashed together painfully as the skycar clipped the top of a building and he braced himself as the ground loomed ever nearer at an alarming rate.
The world exploded in pain and noise as the skycar smashed into the garden of a public shopping district. The world slowly started to resolve itself as Garrus groaned and shook his head.
"Is everyone alright?" EDI asked from the backseat, seemingly unphased by the crash landing. Garrus heard Shepard grunt noncommittally. Carefully, they began extracting themselves from the wreck, stepping down into pure chaos.
Civilians screamed as they ran from bouts of gunfire, and a siren blared overhead as fires burned everywhere. Garrus blinked as he tried to regain his bearings, but the assassin's parting words returned to him in a rush like a brick to the head.
Give her my regards when you join her in hell!
Hurriedly, he pulled up his omni-tool and attempted to raise Jane on the comm again, but got nothing but static. "Damnit!" He cursed, feeling his chest tighten to the point of pain. She had to be okay, she just had to be.
"Shepard?" Bailey's voice buzzed, "My instruments say your car's stopped." Garrus wanted to roll his eyes. Understatement of the century.
"I'm on foot now." Shepard growled as a team of Cerberus troopers spotted them from across the clearing. "Any luck contacting the Council?" The three of them darted into cover as they pulled out their weapons.
"Negative – their guards are dead." Garrus felt his blood chill and his chest tightened further. Would Jane have rushed to protect the Council at the start of the attack? Could she already be-
Focus. You can't help her if you're dead.
"We've still got vital signs on the Councilor's transponders, though." Bailey added after a pause.
"Where are they going?" Shepard asked as they opened fire on the oncoming enemies.
"They're heading toward the shuttle pad above Shalmar Plaza. Udina's with them." He paused before adding, his voice low, "If the assassin catches up with them, it's all over."
Shepard's face set with determination before motioning them to push onward.
"On my way."
Shepard slid to a stop before the elevator door as it closed, obscuring the assassin's smirking face.
"Goddamn it!" The Commander smashed his fist into the door, anger radiating off him in waves. Garrus cursed under his breath, urgency thrumming through his veins as the assassin's words continued to replay through his mind. They needed to stop him and protect the Council, and Garrus needed answers.
"Over here." EDI called out as she moved to the other elevator. "Cerberus has jammed the controls, but perhaps Bailey can be of assistance." Noting the lack of holo display to open the door, she moved to begin forcing the doors open by hand. Garrus stepped in to help, and together they got them fully open.
"There should be an elevator just below your position. If you can hop on top, I can activate it, and you can take out the power conduits on the assassin's elevator. That should slow him down a bit." Bailey explained as Shepard activated the flashlight attachment on his shotgun. Looking down, he nodded as he saw the top of the elevator just below them. Without further ado, he lept down.
"Okay, I'm in the shaft." He reported as EDI jumped down after him. Garrus felt unease creeping down his back, cold as water running down his spine. He knew exactly how fast these elevators were, and riding atop one did not sound like a particularly good idea. Steeling himself, he followed the others.
"Hang on, this will be a fast climb." Bailey muttered, and Garrus knelt down to grab a firm hand hold. Fast would be an understatement…
The elevator shot upwards, jamming them down against the roof violently. "Holy hell!" Shepard gasped as he struggled to keep his footing without dropping his shotgun. Looking up, Garrus saw nothing but darkness in the nearby shaft.
"I hope they're not too far ahead of us." He said, causing Bailey to chuckle darkly.
"You're pretty far behind, but I'm making his elevator stop at every floor."
"Ha! Nice." Shepard barked a sharp laugh, and EDI murmured her approval. Moments later, something came into view above them in the next shaft. "I see our friend!"
Without hesitating, Garrus whipped his rifle up and took aim. Two quick shots and two power conduits exploded. The other elevator appeared to drop like a rock as theirs shot past it.
"Good riddance!" Garrus spat as he grinned triumphantly.
"Nice shot." Shepard nodded to him, and they rode in anxious silence for a minute until Bailey's frustrated voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Shepard! Bad news."
"Is there any other kind?" The Commander groaned, and Garrus' mandibles flicked.
"That hitman jumped to another elevator, and he's overridden my controls. He's on his way up, I can't stop him." Shepard moved carefully toward the edge of their elevator and glanced down in an attempt to get a look.
"On our right. Elevator, incoming." EDI confirmed, and Shepard checked his heat sink.
"I'll handle it."
"Here they come!" Garrus yelled out as the elevator began catching up with them. Shepard took aim, and as it passed them by, he quickly took out the power conduits. Once again, their elevator shot past the other. "Perfect."
"Okay, you're coming up on the Councillors' elevator. I'm going to try to pull you up alongside them and match their speed. You'll be able to jump across and drop down through the access hatch." Bailey explained, and Garrus could feel himself blanch.
"You've asked me to do a lot of stupid things over the years, Shepard, but this might take the cake." He grumbled, and Shepard flashed him a half smile before bracing himself. A moment later, they were coming even with the next elevator.
"Get ready… jump!" Shepard called out before leaping across. He rolled with a loud crash before grabbing a handhold. A second later, gunshots burst through the roof from below, and Shepard just barely rolled out of danger in time.
The gunshots stopped, and the other elevator abruptly began slowing down. In a panic, Garrus quickly leapt across, followed by EDI. Shepard was searching for the access panel as the elevator finally came to a stop. There was the sound of hurried footsteps below them as Garrus found the panel. They scrabbled around looking for the latch, but Garrus finally gave up with a growl.
Standing, he brought his foot up and smashed it down onto the panel hard, causing it to bow and then finally buckle. "Go, go!" He exclaimed as it gave way, and one by one, the three of them dropped down into the empty elevator.
"This way!" Shepard sprinted onward down the hallway and through a door, but skidded to a halt as he came out onto an open air landing, his weapon raised but his mouth open.
"John?"
Garrus felt his heart leap at the voice as he came to a stop beside Shepard. His eyes took in the sight of Jane, alive and seemingly uninjured, her pistol raised as she stood between them and the three councilors behind her.
"Jane!" He called out in relief, and her eyes widened as she slowly lowered her weapon. Behind him, he could hear the door control beep as EDI quickly locked it.
"Shepard's blocking our escape!" Garrus' attention was ripped from Jane's face as Udina cried out, "He's with Cerberus!"
"Stand down, Udina!" Jane snapped as her brows drew together in consternation. Her eyes narrowed as they flicked between the three of them before landing on her brother. "John, what's happening here?" Her pistol came up slightly, not pointed directly at them, but at the ready.
Shepard lowered his own sidearm as he stood a little taller. "You know what he said isn't true, Jane. You know me better than that."
"Then what is going on, exactly? Why did you break into our elevator?" Jane asked, her face tense and her body tightly wound and ready to move. Garrus thought back to the worries she'd confided to him before they'd last parted, and realized where her thoughts must be leading.
"We don't have time for this. You've been fooled, all of you." Shepard explained as he took a careful step closer. "Udina's behind this attack. Valern confirmed it." The accusation rang out, bold and unafraid, even over the explosions and gunfire on the landings far below. Jane turned just enough to shoot a hard look at the human councilor. "Jane," Shepard's voice was softer as he implored his sister to listen, "You have to believe me." After a moment, Udina scoffed and sneered at Shepard.
"Unlike you, she is a professional. Isn't that right, Spectre Shepard?" Udina snapped as he crossed his arms in disgust. "She knows her duty and doesn't jump at every harebrained accusation with no proof. She's less easily fooled than some people."
"Udina…" Tevos, the asari councilor, stepped forward to place a gentle hand on his shoulder, "We have no reason to distrust Shepard. It was less than wise to do so in the past, as we have learned." Udina turned to sneer at her before shrugging her off.
"Well, we're either about to be shot dead by him and his team, or we're going to be sitting ducks standing out here in the open. Either way, I'm going to unlock that door so we can get the hell out of here." He snapped before turning and walking toward a nearby console.
"Wait a minute, Udina!" Jane called out as she threw up a hand, gesturing for him to stop, "Let's get to the bottom of this before we-"
"There's no time!" Shepard exclaimed as he gestured to the elevator behind him, "There are Cerberus soldiers in the elevator shaft behind us. If he opens that door, they'll kill us all!" Jane's eyes widened and Tevos quickly hurried after Udina.
"Please, Udina." The asari murmured carefully as she brought a hand up to prevent him from accessing the terminal, "I'm sure the accusations against you are either overblown, or there's been some sort of misunderstanding. Please, just step away from the console, and we can-"
"To hell with this!" Udina spat as he pushed her hand away roughly. He began typing at the console, at which point Jane began hurrying toward him as well. Tevos grabbed his arm again as the door lock flashed to orange, the controls asking for confirmation before unlocking. Udina turned to shove her, sending her crashing hard to the ground, and a breath later he stood above her, a gun trained between her eyes.
Garrus' blood ran cold as everything seemed to slow. He rushed to bring his gun up, fighting the sluggishness of shock in his limbs.
"Shit!" Shepard hissed from beside him.
A sharp crack! echoed off the Presidium's walls and blood sprayed. Udina's eyes stared in blank shock as he fell to his knees. He slumped backwards to splay awkwardly across the red splattered floor. Before him stood Jane, her sidearm still raised and trained upon his chest. Everyone remained where they were, breaths held in reverent, shocked silence. Like a pricked balloon, the tension seemed to drain out of each of them, the lead weight of reality settling upon their shoulders.
Jane let her hand drop to her side, her eyes never leaving the dead man lying at her feet, even as Garrus and Shepard ran toward her. Sparatus, the turian councilor, offered a hand to Tevos, pulling her up as EDI stepped over to check on them both.
Shepard stepped around Jane, pausing for a moment to look at her with an empathetic eye as he squeezed her shoulder. He then knelt down to feel for the pulse they all knew wasn't beating through Udina's veins.
"Jane, thank the spirits you're all right…" Garrus trailed off as he reached her, noticing the torn look on her face as she continued gazing down at the body before them. "He's the one behind this entire attack. He deserved what he got, and then some." He muttered, the faces of dead colleagues swimming before his eyes.
"I know. It's just a fucking shame it had to come to this." Jane sighed before finally looking away and holstering her weapon. "I'd always hated him, he was such a fucking asshole. But when the Reapers arrived, I don't know. He seemed to have his head on straight, he was so focused and driven to do what needed to be done. He actually seemed to care, and I thought maybe I was wrong about him. But for all of that to end like this," She shook her head slowly, "It's a fucking shame."
Garrus opened his mouth to reply, but was caught off guard when she suddenly flung her arms around him and pulled him in for a tight hug. He quickly holstered his own weapon before wrapping his arms around her as well. It felt damn good to hold her after so long apart. It felt as though a missing part of him had finally been returned.
"How do you always seem to find yourself in the thick of all the trouble? You're like a magnet or something." Garrus chuckled as they both stepped back, and Jane flashed him a crooked smile.
"You know? It might just be a special talent of mine." Jane muttered, but turned away as Shepard called out for them to move the councilors to safety. She seemed about to continue, but everyone froze as the sparks erupted at the base of the locked doors nearby.
They turned, weapons raised, as the burning line of sparks traveled up the seam. Jane and Garrus moved to stand before the two remaining councilors as EDI and Shepard positioned themselves closer to the doors.
Garrus swallowed. They were clear out in the open, no cover, no escape. What was that phrase James used that one time? Ah, yes… They were going to be like fish in a barrel. He gripped his rifle a little tighter.
The door sprang open, and Shepard drew back in surprise as he lowered his weapon. "Bailey?"
"Spirits…" Garrus felt the tension evaporate to be replaced with a slight weakness in his knees. Ignoring the unsettling sensation, he lowered his own weapon as he watched the C-Sec officers step out onto the landing.
"Huh." Jane glanced about before taking a few quiet steps out toward the burning skycar nearby. "Everything's gone quiet. The gunfire and explosions have stopped." Garrus blocked out the sound of Shepard's conversation as he stepped up behind her.
"You're right. Is Cerberus retreating now that their plan to assassinate the Council has failed?"
"Jane! Garrus!" They both turned to look back at Shepard as he called out to them, "Come on, we're going to help C-Sec with evacuating the councilors and securing the rest of the station!"
They exchanged a look before hurrying to catch up.
"Ha." Garrus scoffed at James' latest ridiculous tale before taking a sip of his drink, the lights flashing overhead not enough to dispel the dark atmosphere currently prevailing in the Purgatory bar on the Presidium. "The Alliance teach you to make up crap like that, or did you figure it out all by yourself?"
It had taken nearly twenty four hours for C-Sec to confirm that the Citadel was secure and free of Cerberus. Or, at least, as far as they knew. A few days later, there was finally an attempt to force things back to normal, but the days of pretending the war didn't exist on the Citadel were officially gone.
"It's a gift." James replied with a self satisfied nod of his head from where he sat beside him on the next bar stool over. He glanced at Garrus before lifting his drink a tad in recognition. "You've been through a lot, Scars." He acknowledged as his brows rose. They'd been exchanging stories, each trying to one up the other for at least the last forty five minutes, and Garrus had to admit, the younger man had some impressive ones.
"You giving up?" Garrus asked with challenge in his voice. But instead of rising to the bait, James' eyes fell to the bar top.
"Nah, I got more. Just don't like to talk about it." His voice was subdued, and Garrus nodded in understanding before taking another sip of his drink. He wasn't sure which number drink this was, but he was definitely starting to feel it.
"Fair enough… We've all got one of those." James looked up at him at that, a single eyebrow raised.
"Just one, huh?" He asked sardonically, and Garrus shrugged.
"Not every story has a happy ending." In a flash, he could hear the explosions and screams as his best friend died over Alchera. He could see ten body bags in rows in an old Omega apartment, and ten names carved into his visor. He could count the cold, dead bodies of old co-workers and friends littering the floors of C-Sec headquarters. A dozen other scenes flashed before him that he wished he could forget, but never could.
Garrus threw back the rest of his drink.
"Except," James murmured thoughtfully, the hint of a smile on his face as he motioned to the barkeeper for another refill, "there was this one time I teamed up with a turian named Garrus Vakarian." He said thoughtfully before grinning. "He was pretty good with a gun, but he thought he was some kind of hotshot."
Garrus snorted a laugh. "Yeah, I knew this wise-ass marine named Jimmy Vega-" He, too, gestured for a refill as he tried to hide his own grin, "-Sounds like a pole dancer on Omega, I know. He always got on my nerves. Buuut-" He paused, his face softening before he continued, "the kid was alright. Had guts when it counted."
Garrus thanked the barkeeper as he was handed his new drink, and James took the opportunity to raise his glass aloft for a toast. "And together, they cured the genophage." He declared so solemnly that Garrus wanted to burst out laughing. He lifted his own glass to clink against James'.
"And stopped Cerberus from taking over the Citadel." He added with more drama in his voice than he otherwise would have with less alcohol flowing through him. They both took a swig of their drinks in triumph.
"And finally kicked the Reapers from this galaxy and into the next." James finished with more than a bit of fire in his voice as he smacked his glass down hard.
"With a little help from their friends." Garrus amended with a chuckle as he gazed down into the silvery liquid of his drink.
"Naaah," James' grin was back as he spun his stool around and leaned his elbows back upon the bartop, "it was just us." He paused before adding smugly, "But mostly me."
Garrus snorted into his drink before taking another sip. "Uh huh." He swiveled just enough to scan what he could see of the rest of the club. "Where the hell is Jane? She was supposed to meet me here like-" He checked the time on his omni-tool – he blinked to clear his vision as the numbers swam a little, "-awhile ago."
"Oh, I wouldn't hold your breath, Scars." James spun back around to face the bar again as he waved a hand dismissively. "I tried inviting her out to dance earlier, but she shot me down. Said she had plans with that mysterious boyfriend of hers." He leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "But you know what? I'm starting to think he doesn't actually exist."
Garrus grinned and turned back to the bartop as well, "Oh, really? What makes you say that?" He could see why Jane was messing with him, it was kind of fun. Especially because the entirety of the crew knew who Jane was seeing. Except for James.
"Have you seen them together? She hasn't been all lovey dovey with anyone, at least not on the Normandy, not when I could see!" James stroked his chin, confusion evident on his face. "I don't get it. She's waaaay too hot to be struggling to find someone, and she's way too laid back to give two shits about being single."
"Ah, there you are." They both turned to see an amused Jane standing behind them with her arms crossed. "You better not have gotten him too drunk, Vega. It hurts like hell when a turian steps on my toes. Come on." With that, she grabbed Garrus' arm and tugged him off toward the stairs to the dance floor.
"Oh, come on!" James hollered after them, laughter in his voice. "You're taking him dancing? There's no way he's as good a dance partner as me!"
"You keep telling yourself that, Vega!" She called back to him with a grin as she continued dragging Garrus upwards.
"Are we seriously going dancing?" Garrus asked loudly in amazement over the music as they stepped out onto the dance floor. He blinked as he noticed Joker and EDI dancing carefully nearby. Maybe he'd had more to drink than he'd thought.
"I know, I know. It's not usually my favorite pastime." Jane conceded as they both started moving in rhythm to the beat. "But I just saw John dragging Jack up here to dance and I just had to tease him. Look at him go!" She gestured a little ways off where Shepard was awkwardly shuffling, seemingly to a completely different song than what was currently coming through the speakers. Jack was nearby, laughing as she danced in a more lively and skilled manner.
Garrus couldn't help but chuckle, it was almost impossible not to when Shepard danced. "So, what was the hold up? I was starting to think you'd stood me up."
"Ah, sorry about that." Jane sighed sheepishly. "I ran into an old friend and she had a small request to discuss." At that, Garrus suddenly remembered.
"Speaking of old friends," He sobered a little and moved a little closer as the music shifted, placing a hand on her hip, "Vasir sends her regards." Jane, who had been smiling at his adventurous fingers, froze.
"Wait, what? Vasir? When?"
"Shepard didn't mention it? She jumped in to protect the salarian councilor from the assassin back during the coup." Jane blinked, but after a moment she began to move with the music again.
"Huh. Well, guess she got let off with a slap on the wrist. Can't say I'm surprised. Did she seem pissed about what happened back in Illium? I have no idea if she's the type to hold a grudge."
"Honestly, I have no idea either. I couldn't get a good read on her. She seemed friendly enough, I suppose. But she says she owes you a rematch, so maybe watch your back." Garrus only half meant it, but he probably would be keeping an eye peeled for the purple marked asari Spectre.
"Will do." Jane replied with an expression all too eager for his liking. "So, tell me more about this Cerberus assassin." Garrus' felt his smile falter.
"Not much to say, I have no idea who he was. Weird guy, though. Long hair, for a human male at least. Had an odd mask that only covered his eyes, and fought with a sword of all things." Recognition washed over Jane's face, quickly followed by disgust.
"Kai Leng." She muttered darkly, and Garrus' movements slowed.
"I take it you two have met." He stated, and Jane nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, still moving with the music. Garrus hummed his approval as he pulled her closer.
"We crossed paths a few times during my time with Cerberus." She whispered as she leaned in closer. "He's one of the Illusive Man's little pet projects. He's a racist little twat, and I'm looking forward to the day I can put a bullet between his eyes."
"Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty." Garrus murmured as one of his hands found her lower back, enjoying the feel of her slight shiver. His fingers ducked under the cloth of her shirt, but his blood cooled as he felt the bumps and ridges of fresh scarring he didn't recognize.
She pulled away slightly at his touch, though her face betrayed nothing. They'd hadn't had much downtime the past few days despite being on the Citadel, and they hadn't had much time alone together. He hadn't seen the extent of her new acid scars yet, and it was starting to become obvious that she was not keen to show them off just yet.
"Speaking of dirty, you up for a short vacation?" She grinned up at him as she changed the topic, and Garrus could recognize the twinkle of trouble in her eyes.
"A… vacation? Now?" Garrus blinked in surprise.
"Well, John says he plans to stay on the Citadel for a week or two to help with everything here, and then he has a few smaller missions that I think the team can handle well enough without us. I'll ask him if we can take a short leave of absence, and we can meet up with him afterwards." She explained, utterly failing to sate his confusion.
"Okay, but… A vacation? What, we're just going to put our feet up and sip cocktails on the beach while the others are out there risking their necks?" He raised his brow plate in question, prompting her to roll her eyes.
"Not exactly." She lifted questioning eyes up toward him, the two huge green pools he so often found himself drowning in. "How would you feel about a trip to Omega? Aria says she could use a hand in retaking her disgusting pile of junk from Cerberus, and who would be better suited to the job than Archangel himself? She's promised her army for the war against the Reapers if we help her out, seems like a good trade to me. What do you think?"
Garrus only needed a moment to make up his mind. "Count me in."
(Note: I recently joined Tumblr. If you're interested in connecting there, asking a question, or hearing my thoughts, please find me serendipitys-teapot! I'll probably be sharing some insights and thoughts as I continue writing this story, as well as thoughts in the future regarding my next WIP, which I'm very excited about! See you there!)