.

Loyalty and Limerence

Part 3

Chapter 14

Rannoch

The fighter sped onward, rocked by shockwaves, forcing Jane to search for a handhold.

"Goddamn it, John." She hissed under her breath. "If you die again, I'm going to fucking kill you." Her face was pale, ashen in the artificial light shining down on them.

Somewhere behind them, the Reaper continued its unnatural screeching, and Garrus wondered in awe if this was what an injured Reaper sounded like. The intervals between the explosions slowly began to decrease, and after a few tense minutes, one of Jane's hands reached for his arm, her jaw clenched. She didn't look at him, her eyes locked on where Legion sat, and Garrus brought his other hand up to lie over hers in support.

Soon, there were no gaps between explosions, the constant barrage jostling them hard against each other in the small space.

"EDI, what's happening?" Jane demanded, and the AI hesitated for a moment as though considering.

"The fleet is bombarding the Reaper. It appears to be… working." She seemed unsure, but cautiously optimistic. The anticipation was thick in the air as everyone leaned forward. Even Legion appeared more alert as they waited. They could hear the far off hum and buzz of the Reaper's mechanical body with each faltering step it took.

There was one final reverberating screech, its haunting dissonance enough to send shivers down Garrus' spine, followed by the deafening sound of something massive collapsing to the ground.

"We did it! The Reaper is down!" Shepard's triumphant voice echoed through the comm, and suddenly the small space within the fighter erupted into screams of joy and victory as the entire team cheered.

"Legion! Turn this thing around! Now!" Jane called out, and without a word, the geth acquiesced. Garrus had no idea how long their retreat away from the Reaper had taken, but the trip back was remarkably short. Their congratulations and good cheer melted as another loud screech crashed over them, this time in a language their translators could understand.

"SHEPARD." The echoing voice was a cacophony within Garrus' brain – teeth gnawing on the back of his skull, insects scurrying down his spine, feelers curling painfully into his flesh. He clenched his jaw and noticed the tension suddenly emanating from those around him as well. The voice continued after a moment, its words intersected with patches of silence as though-

"Is he talking to it?" Jane hissed, a snarl on her face as her fist gripped a nearby handhold tight enough for her hard suit to creak. No one responded, but the answer was clear. "Legion, can this thing go any faster?"

As soon as the fighter pulled to a stop, the hatch popped open and Jane was the first to throw herself through it. Garrus was hot on her heels, but they froze as they observed the colossal form of the damaged Reaper, its bright, beady red eye glaring up at Shepard where he stood on the overlooking cliff.

"WITHOUT OUR INTERVENTION, ORGANICS ARE DOOMED. WE ARE YOUR SALVATION." The voice was even louder, more intrusive now that they stood just before it. It made Garrus' soul itch, his entire being spasming. Shepard looked back at them as they stared at the Reaper with thinly veiled horror before returning his focus.

"I have a better idea:" He stated boldly, his arms crossed as he stood confident and unafraid, "we destroy you and live our lives in peace."

"A PHILOSOPHY REMINISCENT OF THE QUARIANS. OBSERVE THE RESULTS. WE ARE YOUR ONLY HOPE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HUMANITY."

"You-" Shepard sneered down at the Reaper, his back held high and his shoulders broad, "Whatever species you came from, before the Reapers decided to 'preserve' them?" He snorted in disgust, his voice bitter as he continued, "They're dead. They died thousands of years ago."

Garrus watched the red light staring up at them suddenly vanish, and he spared a moment to wonder if anything of that long dead species had still resided within the Reaper, any essence of them at all. Or were they well and truly gone?

"And now they can rest in peace." Shepard muttered hoarsely as his shoulders sagged. They all stood there in shock for a moment as they watched the Reaper for any sign of life. None came, and reality soon started to set in as tension began leaching out of them.

"You-" Garrus blinked in surprise as Jane stalked toward Shepard, who turned just in time to catch her as she flung herself at him, "-bastard! You magnificent bastard! You did it! You really did it!"

"Whoa there, let's not tip backwards off the cliff and join that thing, yeah?" Shepard chuckled as he returned his sister's enthusiastic hug. Jane stepped back after a moment before punching him hard in the arm. "What the hell! Always with the hitting! What did I do this time?" He rubbed his arm as he glared at her with an amusing amount of petulance.

"You just had to play the big goddamn hero! Again!" There was a hint of anger in her voice, but her joy easily overshadowed it as she grinned up at him, unable to hide her relief.

"We really did it." Tali said in awe as she stepped closer to the edge, looking down at the Reaper's corpse. "We killed a Reaper. Keelah…" As both Legion and Admiral Gerrel confirmed that the geth had stopped firing on the quarian fleet, the rest of the team stepped forward to gaze upon proof that the Reapers could, in fact, be killed. They fell into silence as the truth settled in.

"Shepard-Commander," Everyone looked up as Legion spoke up abruptly, "The geth only acted in defense after the creators attacked." Shepard's expression became wary as he listened. "Do we deserve death?"

"Of course not." Jane replied, her voice sharp as she, too, turned to look at the Commander. "Tell the Fleet to call off their attack. If we don't act quickly, the quarians are going to wipe out the geth." Shepard held up a hand to quiet her, his eyes narrowing as they focused on Legion.

"What are you suggesting?" Shepard asked carefully, his thoughts guarded.

"Our upgrades." Legion stepped forward to join the team that stood overlooking the Reaper. "With the Old Machine dead, we could upload them to all geth without sacrificing their independence."

"What would happen to your people if you did that, Legion?" Jane asked thoughtfully as she brought a hand up to her chin in consideration. Garrus saw the terrified expression that crossed Tali's face at the turn in the conversation and the desperate look she turned on Shepard, whose brows drew down.

"Each geth would be a true intelligence, complete with free will. We would be alive, and we could help you."

"John," Jane turned to her brother, her expression open and earnest, "They deserve the same chance at life that the rest of us do. We should let it upload the code."

"No!" Tali stepped between them before bringing a trembling hand up to rest on Shepard's arm. "Our fleet is already attacking! Uploading the code would destroy us!" Garrus could feel a vague nausea churn in his stomach as he saw Shepard's hard eyes lock with Jane's. Tali took a half step closer as she looked up at him pleadingly. "Shepard, you can't choose the geth over my people!"

Legion looked down at the ground before slowly glancing up at Tali. "Do you remember the question that caused the creators to attack us, Tali'Zorah?" It turned to Jane before adding quietly, "Does this unit have a soul?"

"Of course you do." Jane asserted before turning back to her brother. "John, call off the attack! Please give them a chance. The geth don't deserve to be destroyed any more than the quarians do." Tali shot Jane a wild look of fear before grabbing Shepard's hand with both of hers.

"Please, Shepard!" She begged, and Garrus' heart broke at the torn expression on Shepard's face as he looked between them in desperation, his mind racing for a solution.

"Legion, how can we possibly trust the geth after everything? After Eden Prime, the attack on the Citadel?" Shepard asked beseechingly, and Legion's facial plates seemed to spasm as it considered the question.

"Those attacks were perpetrated by a faction of geth which no longer exists. We thought you understood this. Should an entire species be held accountable for the actions of a few? Do we deserve to die for their crimes?"

"Okay, fair point. But then what about what happened here? The geth willingly subjected themselves to the Reapers! How can we trust you after that?"

"Organics are biologically programmed for self preservation just as we are. The geth saw the Reapers as the only hope for survival when the Creators attacked. Without fear of further attack, we can focus on assisting you in defeating the Reapers. We do not wish the Creators harm, only to live in peace."

"You know peace has to be an option, John." Jane stated firmly, her expression intent and determined. Shepard finally sighed and shut his eyes as he looked away.

"Fine. Upload the code." His voice nearly cracked as he forced the words out. Looking down at Tali, he took her hands in his. "Tali, call off the fleet if you can." The quarian took a shaky step backwards, yanking her hands away from the Commander as though burned. Her fingers trembled as she pulled up her comm.

Beyond them, Legion began uploading the code, announcing its progress in a clear voice.

"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. All units, break off your attack!" Tali demanded over the comm, but the words had hardly left her mouth when Gerrel cut in, belaying her order.

"Twenty percent." Legion announced, and Garrus stepped up beside Jane.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He whispered, and she turned a stoney expression on him, her jaw clenched as she watched Legion work.

"I'm not letting the quarians commit genocide, no matter what the geth have done. No species deserves that, artificially created or not."

"Jane, they won't listen to me!" Tali exclaimed as she whipped around to face them, "If the geth return to full strength, they'll destroy my entire people! I can't let that happen! Please, make Legion stop!"

"The geth don't want to fight you!" Jane shot back with a harsh swipe of her hand. "But time after time, the quarians have given them no choice but to defend themselves!"

"Have you forgotten everything that happened during the hunt for Saren?" Shepard asked as he came to stand beside Tali. "They nearly destroyed the Citadel by helping Sovereign. The Reapers would have slaughtered everyone!"

"But that was just a small splitter group! Like Legion said, you can't hold the entire species responsible for an act committed by just a few! Following your logic, all humans deserve to die because of Cerberus' actions, too!" Jane jabbed an angry finger in Shepard's chest, and Garrus could tell that her point had landed. Shepard seemed to hesitate before looking back at Legion.

"Hell." He spat, his voice full of disgust and frustration. "Legion, keep going."

"Shepard?" Tali's voice was small and frightened, her eyes wide as she looked up at him, her shoulders sagging.

"Everyone, listen up!" Shepard barked into his comm, his voice reaching out to the entire fleet. "This is Shepard. If you don't want to be blown out of the sky in about half a minute, stand down now."

Jane's face held a hopeful light as they all waited anxiously for a response. Tali quickly pulled up her comm as well.

"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. Shepard speaks with my authority."

"And mine as well." came the sudden voice of Admiral Koris, and Garrus felt a shred of tingling hope creep along his limbs.

"Negative! We can win this war now! Keep firing!" Gerrel barked heatedly, and Jane cursed, her words colorful and creative as she ran an anxious hand through her hair.

"Sixty percent." Legion reported, and Shepard nodded his understanding even as sweat broke out across his brow.

"The geth are about to return to full strength. If you keep attacking, they'll wipe you out." Shepard informed the fleet over the comm. There was no response, so he continued his push, "Destroying the geth is not the solution, and the quarian people are better than this. The geth don't want to fight you. Everything they've done against you has been in self defense. If you can believe that for just one minute, this war will be over."

Garrus could hear the desperation in Shepard's voice as he spoke, his words carrying the depth of his fear as his eyes never left Tali's. He prayed the Commander's earnest entreaty would be enough, or else there would be no way to prevent the bloodshed.

"You have a choice. Please." Shepard pleaded quietly, "Keelah se'lai."

His words were met with silence, and Garrus could feel his heart beginning to hammer as the code upload neared completion. He eyed Legion where it stood behind Jane, its attention wholly devoted to its task and her focus entirely on her brother.

It would be so easy to just-

Garrus shook his head, suddenly disgusted with himself. There might not be blood pumping through his veins, but Legion was just as much alive as EDI – as much as any of them. Murder was murder, no matter the species, and Jane would never forgive him.

There was a panicked whine building in the back of Tali's throat as she reached for Shepard, her grip on his hand strangling. The only other noise was the nervous shifting of feet around them as the team exchanged anxious looks.

"All units, hold fire." The words passed through the comm like a sigh, the defeat in Gerrel's voice evident. Garrus finally breathed in, relief seeping through him like fine brandy, warming his veins. He couldn't contain the surprised huff of laughter that escaped him, the hard fought victory leaving a fuzzy, heady feeling as hope bloomed in his chest.

An excited chatter was building back where the rest of the team stood, watching and waiting, but they cut off as Legion suddenly spoke.

"Error," it snapped its hands together, dissipating the hologram it'd been manipulating. "Copying code is insufficient. Direct personality dissemination-" It hesitated, seeming unsure, "-required."

"What does that mean?" Jane turned to look at it, her brows knitted as she struggled to understand, her cheer melting away.

"I must go to them. I'm-" Legion seemed to fumble with its words, a strange thing to hear from a geth, before looking up at Shepard. "I'm sorry." It looked back to Jane before continuing,"It's the only way."

Understanding seemed to dawn across her face, her eyes widening as she reached forward to grip the geth's shoulder. "Legion, you can't mean-"

"Yes. The unit you have come to know as Legion will no longer exist. It is necessary in order to complete the dissemination of the Reaper code and uplift my people."

"There has to be some other way!"

"Jane-" Shepard took a step toward her as he reached for her, but she shrugged him off.

"No, I-"

"Legion," Tali stepped between them and took Legion's hand in hers, "The answer to your question was-" She took a breath, her final word coming out as nearly a sigh, "Yes."

Yes. The geth have souls.

Jane and Shepard both froze as they turned to look at Legion, who nodded slowly at Tali.

"I know, Tali. But thank you." It gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. It turned to gaze out over the setting sun. "Keelah se'lai."

With that, the strings of life within it were abruptly severed, and it collapsed to its knees as though it were a discarded puppet. Jane inhaled sharply as the geth teetered precariously, the vibrant colors of twilight reflecting off the sleek lines of its body. Then, the blue lights that spanned its body began to fade, and it pitched forward.

"Legion!" Jane exclaimed, her voice cracking as she threw herself forward to land beside it, her hands searching fruitlessly for any sign of life. Garrus hesitated, but Shepard held his hand out to stop him before he could join her. Resignation and devastation painted the Commander's face as he turned to look up at him questioningly.

"Give her a moment to process what just happened. She doesn't handle death well." Shepard whispered softly, and Garrus opened his mouth to argue. His first thought was of several instances when Jane had had no fear of dirtying her hands with the blood of others to further her goals or to protect others.

But then he shut his mouth again with a click as he considered Shepard's statement further. What Jane struggled with wasn't the death in and of itself, but the death of those she cared about. By whatever blessing, they hadn't had many instances where they'd lost crew members. However, they'd lost plenty during the destruction of the SR1, including Shepard himself, and the effect of that on Jane spoke volumes. His jaw and heart still twinged when he thought about it.

Furthermore, Jane was constantly putting her own safety on the line in order to protect those around her. She recklessly devoted herself to protecting their lives. He'd had plenty of theories as to what drove this savior complex of hers, and he wondered for a moment if it truly was as simple as her fear of death. Not her own, but that of those she loved.

He thought back to the evening she'd confided in him the events that occurred on Torfan years before. She'd lost her entire team during the assault, and things like that left a mark on a person. Ever since he'd met her, her behavior whenever one of their crew was in danger had always been brash and audacious, almost to the point of foolishness. The events of Virmire when she'd taken off to save Ashley were a prime example of that.

But now she was faced with someone she couldn't save, someone who couldn't be protected. A friend had died, sacrificed itself for the sake of its people. A valued member of their team, one of those who they'd faced down the Collectors with. It might have been synthetic, but it'd been a friend.

It also hadn't been lost on Garrus that Legion had finally referred to itself as 'I' in the end. It had become a true independent intelligence in the moments before its death. A being unto itself.

There was the sound of a shuttle landing on a nearby clifftop, and the team looked up to see a number of quarians step out. Not far off, a group of geth stood hesitantly, seemingly unsure. The two groups eyed each other warily, but as no guns were raised, Garrus counted it as a step in the right direction.

"Commander!" Shuffling towards them was Admiral Raan, clutching her side as she winced with each step. Tali and Shepard broke off to meet her, and Garrus waited a moment before looking back down to where Jane knelt.

She'd given up on reviving Legion, staring down at him dully, her face pinched and blank. Her fists wrested upon her knees, clenched tightly. Garrus squatted down beside her and placed a careful hand on her back. He expected her to flinch away, but she didn't. She remained immobile, not acknowledging him as he moved his hand in a small circle.

"Hey," Garrus murmured, but her eyes never left the prone geth before her, "You okay?" The silence between them stretched on for a few moments before her gaze fell and she sighed.

"Yeah. I just-" Jane shook her head before looking up at Garrus, "I wish I could have done something."

"I know. But we can't save everyone. And things are only going to get worse from here. The Reapers are waiting for us." Garrus paused before continuing with a smile. "But what we did here today, it should have been impossible. We brokered peace between the geth and the quarians. We saved countless lives, and now they can both help us against the Reapers." He hesitated before adding, "Legion gave its life for that peace. Its sacrifice wasn't meaningless."

Jane took a long, slow breath in and held it before releasing it in a sigh. "I know. You're right." With that, she stood, her eyes drifting from Legion to the colors of the fading sunset before them. "I won't let that sacrifice be in vain." Garrus nodded, and they stood together in silence as the sun continued its slow trip below the horizon. He nearly jumped as she spoke up again, "But I'm not quite ready to give up on Legion just yet."

"What do you mean?" Garrus' brow plates drew down as took in her suddenly determined, her eyes darting across Legion's body as her mind seemed to race.

"There's got to be something. It can't just be gone. I'm not giving up until I'm positive there's nothing of it left in there." Garrus opened his mouth to reply, but cut off as they heard the crunching of encroaching feet.

"I know working with the geth will be difficult." Shepard was saying to Tali as they approached, but she shook her head.

"I'm not staying. I'm coming with you." She replied quietly, as though it were obvious, and both Garrus and Jane turned to listen.

"I thought your people needed you."

"So? What, do you not want me to come?" Tali asked with evident surprise, a small amount of hurt in her voice.

"How could you believe I wouldn't want you with me? It's just, they need you." The pair stopped a little ways off, unaware of anything or anyone else. "That's usually kind of a big deal for you."

"I gave up my father for my people. I gave up my freedom for an admiral position I didn't even want. I'm not giving up you."

"Tali…" Shepard trailed off, his eyes full of warmth only for her as he took her hand in his. Jane snorted softly, but her smile was fond and affectionate as she watched them.

"I don't know how much time we have left." Tali stated firmly as she looked up at Shepard, "I don't know if we can beat the Reapers. But whatever happens, I want to be with you." She brought her other hand up to rest upon his chest, over his heart, and he pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her.

Garrus smiled as Jane turned to look at him, and all he could think was that he'd never agreed with Tali quite as much as he did in that instant.

"I bet you say that to every guy who gets you a homeworld." Shepard chuckled as he released Tali and she stepped back.

"Only the cute ones." She replied, a smile in her voice.

"Oh my god, gag me with a spoon." Jane exclaimed melodramatically with a roll of her eyes, her smile becoming a playful smirk. "Get a room, guys."

"Jane." Shepard groaned as he leveled an annoyed deadpan stare upon his sister, whose grin only widened. "If you don't learn to keep your nose out of it, I'm going to have EDI initiate the sprinkler system the next time you guys head down to the shuttle bay to 'spar'. Since that seems to be what the kids are calling it these days."

The smirk instantly vanished off Jane's face, her cheeks gaining a slight pink tinge as she frowned. Garrus felt his jaw pop open as he struggled to control his own flush inching up his neck.

"Hey, leave me out of this. I didn't say anything!" He complained, but Shepard merely shrugged.

"Guilt by association." He stated, and Garrus huffed a sigh even as he fought a smile.

"I'll have you know that nothing untoward happens during our morning workout." Jane gestured vaguely with one hand before stopping to consider. "Usually."

Tali snorted and burst out laughing at that, and the three of them turned to her with expressions ranging from confused to amused. "Keelah, I missed you guys." She took a few steps forward, pausing to glance down sadly at Legion's body before looking up at the horizon. "I was struggling before, thinking about all those that aren't here to celebrate this victory with us. But I…"

"I think they'd want you to be happy." Shepard murmured, and she nodded.

"I know. But I don't belong here. Not yet." She gestured to the sweeping vista before them and took in a deep breath before releasing it. "It is beautiful, though, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is." Shepard smiled, his eyes never leaving her as he came to stand beside her again.

"It'll be years before we can live without our suits completely, but right now…" Tali brought a slow hand up to cup her facemask. There was a soft click and a hiss, and when her hand came away, so too came her helmet's visor. "Right now, I have this."

For the first time, Garrus heard Tali's voice unmodulated by her suit's systems. Turning, she smiled at them, and his eyes widened as they rested upon her face. He heard Jane's sharp, surprised intake of air as they both took in their friend's facial features.

With a smile, Shepard snaked one hand around her waist before leaning his head down to press a sweet, gentle kiss upon Tali's lips.

Garrus felt his chest warm with happiness for them both, but his gaze shifted to follow Jane as she turned to look back at their fallen friend. She knelt down and began readjusting its limbs as she snaked her arms beneath it. Grunting, she stood, struggling with the weight until Garrus stepped forward to assist.

"Forgot how heavy these things were." She muttered darkly, and Garrus looked at her curiously.

"What, exactly, are you trying to do here?" He asked, but her answer was forestalled by the sudden approach of a geth prime.

"Can I be of assistance?" It asked, and Jane quickly deposited Legion's body in the waiting arms of the other geth.

"Yes, please. Hey, John!" She called out, and Shepard pulled himself away from Tali to look in their direction. "Radio Cortez and get us a pick up. I'm ready to head home."

It was another day until the political storm ebbed enough to allow the Normandy to depart through the mass relay back towards the Citadel. The ship had sustained some amount of damage from the fire fights leading up to the destruction of the Reaper and the cease fire between the geth and the quarians, but the mood of the crew aboard it was nearly jubilant regardless. Coming right off the heels of their success with the krogan, the turians, and the genophage, the victory over the Reaper on Rannoch and the resulting peace was enough to buoy their spirits even as the rest of the galaxy burned.

The party, such as it was, started when James pulled out a bottle of tequila in the mess hall. When Garrus stepped from the main battery sometime later, finally having finished getting the weapons system back into a semblance of order, he found an overly cheerful and red faced Ashley waving him over. He was vividly reminded of a shore leave on the Citadel years before while they served aboard the SR1.

Except for EDI and Javik, the rest of the ground team was there, along with a handful of other crew members. Garrus came to sit between Jane and Shepard, and thanked Kaidan as he passed him a bottle of something dextro friendly. He checked the label and nodded in satisfaction as Jane passed him a glass. As soon as he had it poured, James shoved his own glass into the air, followed by nearly everyone else.

"To a job well done!" He proclaimed, which was answered by a cheer throughout the room as they all drank to the toast. It had clearly not been their first toast of the night.

"You mean, to yet another job well done!" Jane exclaimed, which elicited an even louder cheer. Feet stomped and hands slapped down onto tables as the crew displayed their elation.

"We killed a mother fucking Reaper!" Ashley cried out, her cheeks already flushed red with alcohol. She refilled her shot glass before tossing it back.

"Slow down there, LC." Shepard chuckled, his eyebrows creeping up in amused concern as Ashley slammed the glass back down on the table.

"You're soooo…" Tail leaned forward onto her forearms as she turned to look at Shepard, her words slurred, "respoooonsible." She giggled before sitting back and leaning into him.

"Well, one of us needs to keep their wits about them." Shepard replied dryly, which only made Tali giggle harder, nearly upturning her drink in the process.

"You've always been the responsible one, Shepard." Garrus stated as he took a sip of his drink, savoring the burn. "Come to think of it, that might be why you're the one running the show. It's why various governments and militaries trust you to make the hard choices, and why you get the job done."

His words were met with cheers around the room, along with numerous drinks being tipped back. Nearby, Tali leaned forward onto the table again and took a long draw on her drink through a violently orange straw.

"That's quite the straw, Tali." Garrus teased as soon as the room had quieted down again, and she took another sip before responding.

"It's not a straw, it's an emergency induction port." She dragged the word out much longer than it needed to be, causing him to raise his brow plates in amusement as his eyes flicked to Shepard.

"Ah." He replied before asking, "How many drinks has she had so far?" Shepard was about to reply when Tali leaned around Shepard to glare at Garrus, her eyes narrowed.

"Don't 'Ah' me!" She snapped, but then she sat back as her voice lost its sudden heat. "You sound like a vorcha."

"Well then," He looked to Jane, who hid her smile behind her fist, "er, nice emergency induction… straw." He grinned, he just couldn't help himself.

"Port. Emergency induction port. It's not a… a… what you said."

"A straw."

"It's not a straw, Garrus!" Tali exclaimed heatedly, her eyes narrowed as she pointed at him angrily from around Shepard.

"Okay, take it down a notch." Shepard chided gently, causing her to shoot Garrus another annoyed glance before returning to her seat. "Garrus, don't tease her."

"Fiiine." Garrus replied before taking another sip and leaning back in his chair.

"She's too easy of a target, anyway." Jane added with a chuckle.

"You guys are just the worst." Tali grumbled as she glared at them both. "I can't believe I missed you bosh'tets."

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Ashley asked as she gestured to Tali with her drink, nearly sloshing it over the rim. Tali sighed, her head lolling to the side as she shrugged.

"I don't know. I should be happy that we got our-" She hiccuped, "-our homeworld back. And I am! I've been waiting my entiiiire life for this." She shook her head as she looked down at her drink between her hands. "I just can't stop thinking about… about everyone I've lost, everyone who will never see the peace we've created. My team on Haestrom, my father. Even Legion." She let loose a bark of bitter laughter. "I'm mourning a geth! How crazy is that?"

"Not crazy at all." Garrus turned to see Jane slouched back in her chair, cradling her drink in her lap. She sighed, her own sadness at their friend's demise evident on her face. "Legion was our friend. You're allowed to mourn."

There was an uneasy moment of silence as members of the crew exchanged glances. Most of them didn't known Legion as they hadn't been aboard during their mission against the Collectors. Many of them had met it recently while it had been aboard, but it had been little more than just one of the many geth to them.

"To Legion." Shepard stated firmly as he raised his glass up. "May it live on within its people."

"Here, here." Garrus raised his drink as well, along with everyone else. Jane smiled sadly as she raised hers, and Tali eagerly thrust hers up as well.

"To Legion!" They all exclaimed, and around the room, everyone took a sip. As Jane downed what was left of her cup, Garrus' thoughts drifted to his worktable in the main battery, where the topic of the toast was currently laid out, lifeless and unmoving. Jane had had Legion brought aboard, but what she planned to do, he had no clue. He doubted there was anything she could do, but everyone mourned in their own way.

"You're a good boyfriend." Tali sighed as she settled back down in her chair and leaned her head on Shepard's shoulder. His arm snaked around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"I'm glad you approve." Shepard chuckled as he placed a kiss upon her brow. Or, where it would have been had she not been wearing a helmet. After a moment, Tali snorted in amusement.

"You're my boyfriend. My human boyfriend." She let loose a bark of dry laughter. "Ha! My father would have hated you." Her pronouncement was met with some hoots and scandalized laughter, but Shepard just smiled and raised his glass again.

"Here's to him, then."

Garrus woke in his own bunk some time later, his head throbbing as he struggled with the fog of confusion enveloping his brain. He had no memory of falling into bed, but damn if it wasn't comfortable. Groaning, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

When he finally pulled himself out of bed, it was well past his usual wake up time. A good deal of those not currently on duty were still out cold in their bunks, but Garrus blearily noticed Jane's was empty. He blinked, surprised as he thought back to how much she'd had to drink the night before. With another groan, he stood and grabbed a clean set of clothes.

As soon as he was showered and dressed, he made his way out into the quiet mess hall to find Shepard eating his breakfast surrounded by a number of datapads.

"Good morning, Garrus!" He called out cheerily, and Garrus couldn't help the wince as his head throbbed.

"I shouldn't be surprised by your chipperness, I forgot that you're a sadist who loves seeing the rest of us in pain." He grumbled as he shuffled toward the cupboard and began rooting around for a dextro coffee pack. Shepard chuckled as he returned his eyes to his datapad.

"No, I'm just not a masochist who chooses to overindulge, unlike the rest of you layabouts. Some of us have responsibilities." The words lacked any true rebuke, and Garrus snorted as he poured boiling water into his cup. "Have you seen Jane? Is she up yet?" Shepard asked, causing Garrus to look up in confusion.

"What, you haven't seen her? She's not in her bunk, so I assumed she'd already gotten up."

"Jane is in the starboard observation deck, along with Ashley and Tali, Commander." EDI interjected over the Normandy's intercom,"You might want to check on them, they are somewhat… unwell."

"How unwell are we talking?" Shepard asked sharply as he stood, pushing back his chair with a sharp screech. They both quickly made their way toward the door, datapads and half brewed coffee left forgotten.

"Their vital signs are stable." EDI replied ominously as the door opened, and they stepped inside.

"Ugggghhh…" Someone groaned, and Garrus' eyes scanned the room. His head throbbed, the pain a sharp reminder that his body no longer dealt with alcohol quite as well as it had in his younger days.

The room seemed empty, but as they stepped forward, Garrus noticed a figure laying on one of the couches in the corner.

"Tali?" He called out, and someone shushed him harshly. Garrus and Shepard exchanged a look before approaching.

"Shhhhhh, hush. Why do you have to walk so loudly?" Jane growled from where she lay on the floor, her feet propped up on the couch near where Tali lay. She had an arm draped over her eyes, her lips turned down in a frown. Beside her, Ashley lay on her side, curled into a ball. More than one empty bottle stood on the end table nearby.

"Uhhh…" Ashley groaned, and Shepard crossed his arms as he came to stand before them.

"What have we here?" He asked, his voice dry and amused. Jane shifted her arm just enough to glare up at him with one bloodshot eye.

"You and your smug grin can just fuck right off, John." She snarled before replacing her arm.

"Sir, we're off duty. Your voice. Sir. Not… so… loud. Pleasethankyou." Ashley muttered quietly, her words undulating in a way Garrus had to imagine her stomach might be. His stomach certainly was.

"I. Am going. To die." Tali whispered morosely as she lay absolutely still. Jane twisted her foot and tapped it on the top of Tali's helmet lightly, but the quarian remained immobile.

"Enjoy your evening, ladies?" Shepard raised his eyebrow as Garrus moved over to plop down on the couch beside Jane's legs.

"Just… give me a few minutes. I just need to… walk it off." Jane took a deep breath, but didn't budge.

"Thirty minutes," Ashley added quietly, "Maybe forty."

"Yeah. Forty five minutes, we'll be right as rain." Jane nodded, but then groaned as she regretted the movement.

"I'll just be here. Right here. Forever." Tali added in a complete monotone.

"Shhhhh." Ashley hissed.

"How much more did you guys drink after I went to bed?" Shepard asked as his eyes swept the room. Garrus was starting to think that the women had the right of it, horizontal was the right direction to be, and it was tempting to join them. His head throbbed.

"We just wanted to let off some steam." Ashley pointed out with a sigh.

"Well, if I'd known you guys were going to utterly debase yourselves in the wee hours with a half dozen more bottles, I'd have stuck around for the show instead of turning in early." Shepard declared, his voice much louder than it needed to be, in Garrus' opinion.

"I prefer embarrassing myself in private, sir." Ashley whispered, but then Tali's arm raised as she pulled up her omni-tool.

"No, I got pictures." She murmured sleepily, causing Jane to let loose a bark of laughter from where she lay nearby as Ashley groaned.

"Well, mission accomplished, Lieutenant." Shepard stated sarcastically with a smirk.

"No one likes sarcasm, Commander." Ashley pointed out darkly.

"I do." Jane grinned, her arm still covering her eyes.

"I hate you." Ashley growled as she clenched her eyes shut, her face an unnatural color of green.

"'I hate you…?'" Shepard prompted, his smile widening as he waited expectantly.

"I hate you all."

"Not the answer I was looking for, Williams, but I'll take it." Shepard allowed as his smirk melted into something more affectionate and friendly.

"Okay, as entertaining as this, I desperately need coffee." Garrus gave Jane's leg a pat before standing and heading back toward the mess hall. He heard Shepard chuckle.

"As you were, ladies." The Commander stated before following after Garrus. "Hope you didn't completely party yourselves out. We've got shore leave coming up when we arrive at the Citadel." He paused in the doorway before adding, "Oh, and if you're not up and at 'em in thirty minutes, I'll give Joker permission to start singing over the comm."

There were some noncommittal grunts from behind them before the door shut on the starboard observation deck. "Shore leave?" Garrus asked as he beelined back toward the kitchenette.

"Yeah, just heard from Hackett. He's arranged for us to have the Normandy's retrofits finished up, finally. I'm tired of having all these tubes and pipes hanging out. We left Earth before they could get everything finished up, and when I submitted my reports after Rannoch, including a list of necessary repairs, he decided we should take care of it all in one fell swoop."

"Huh, sounds like a good idea. We could do with some rest and relaxation." Garrus mused as he finished preparing his coffee and took a sip.

"Exactly. We've gotten two major victories under our belts, so the crew deserves some time to celebrate for real. And it sounds like they've worked out some nice accommodations for us, too. I guess Anderson has an apartment we can stay at."

"That's great." Garrus shrugged as he cupped the bracing, hot drink between both palms, "Some time off, plenty to celebrate, comfortable beds… What could go wrong?"

(Note: Sorry for the late update, we were away camping all weekend. We got caught in some torrential rain and nearly washed away, and my thought as we were evacuating was "Oh no, I'm going to die and I'll never get to finish posting my fanfic." But we're safe and sound (and mostly dry at this point), so the story shall continue! Huzzah! Thank you all for all your support, I love hearing from you!)