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Loyalty and Limerence
Part 3
Chapter 15
The Citadel
Garrus' mandibles flicked as he sneered down at the husk screaming up at him.
"Can't we just throw this thing out?" he asked as he turned to watch Jane fiddling with the galaxy map in Dr. Bryson's office. She eyed the husk head with a shrug.
"Leave it, it doesn't matter. Take a look at this." she murmured as she gestured to the map, and Garrus came to stand beside her as he crossed his arms. Blinking down at them was a single highlighted system.
"So is this where you think Ann Bryson is?"
"Based on the data, only one system remains a viable possibility." EDI stated from where she stood performing additional scans on the large, spherical artifact nearby, and Garrus nodded.
"Okay. As soon as the retrofits are done and shore leave is over, I'll have John set a course for the Zaherin system in the Pylos nebula."
"Let's hope she can hold out that long." Garrus added grimly, and Jane sighed.
"Yeah." Her omni-tool chimed, and she pulled it up. "Ah, it's from John." She brought up the message and raised an eyebrow. "Apparently he has a surprise for us? Other than that, it's just an address." Garrus peered over her shoulder at the message and blinked.
"Huh. Nice neighborhood."
"You know it?"
"Yeah, it's the Silversun Strip. It's not far from that sushi place we went to that one time. Ryuusei."
"Ooooh." Jane's eyes widened as she slowly nodded her head. "Is this where we're staying? John mentioned our accommodations were being taken care of."
"Let's go find out."
"Holy. Shit." Jane gasped and Shepard grinned as he moved aside to let them into the apartment. She took a few steps into the vast space and looked around. "We get to stay here?" Garrus followed her in and his subvocals hummed with approval. He didn't like the enormous windows, of course, as they seemed like something of a security flaw, but besides that, it was very nice. The huge fireplace, the expensive art, the comfortable furniture, the gourmet kitchen – it would be a relaxing week, that was for sure.
"Even better. It's ours now." Both Jane and Garrus spun around to face Shepard.
"What?" Jane whispered, confusion painting her face.
"I just heard from Anderson, and he wants us to have it. He's giving it to us. To keep." The words seemed to echo through the large space. Jane's expression was completely void of emotion as she stared at Shepard.
"You're shitting me. You can't be serious."
"On the contrary, I'm completely serious. He wants us to 'take it off his hands'." Jane turned and silently walked through the apartment in complete silence, her face still a stony mask. Garrus considered going after her, but stopped as he saw Shepard simply watching with a bittersweet smile.
"Not exactly the reaction I might have expected from her." Garrus muttered quietly, and Shepard shrugged.
"She's never really had a home before. Not one that she remembers, at least. When we were kids, we were lucky to find a dry overhang to sleep under. When we were teens, we crashed in whatever crummy apartment the Reds could provide, usually squeezed in with a number of others. Then when she signed up with the Alliance, it was just one barracks after another. I can understand why this might be a little overwhelming for her."
Garrus nodded his understanding as he turned to watch Jane inspecting the kitchen, his heart clenching. "She's never been the most predictable when it comes to emotional displays."
"No," Shepard agreed, "Just give her a few minutes to process and collect herself."
Garrus took a turn around the ground floor, marveling as the apartment just kept on going. He found the office with the gaming table, the downstairs bedroom, and the bar with the giant holo screen set up. He could get used to this.
"Okay guys, would you like to see your room?" Shepard called out after a few minutes, and Garrus met him and Jane at the bottom of the stairs leading to the rooms they had yet to explore.
"I get my own room?" Jane's eyes widened a fraction, batting Shepard's hand away as he reached to ruffle her hair.
"Well, I had guessed you might want to share it with your boyfriend," He gestured to Garrus, who grinned at Jane, "But, yeah."
Jane finally smiled. "Lead the way."
Garrus really couldn't help but gape as Shepard showed them through the upstairs, every bit as lavish as the downstairs. When they reached the last bedroom, Shepherd gestured them inside. Jane stepped in and looked around silently. She felt the soft bed, examined the desk and closets, poked her head into the huge bathroom, and then finally turned to Shepard.
"Does it meet with your approval?" He asked dryly as he raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms as he smiled.
"I mean, it doesn't have a hot tub, but I think it'll do." They shared a laugh, and then Jane turned to Garrus. "What do you think? Would you like to call this home for a little?"
"I can call anywhere home as long as you're there." The words left Garrus before he could take a moment to think, and Jane's expression softened as her face flushed with pleasure. She reached for his hand and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his mouth plates.
"I'll, uh, let you guys get settled. There is a door if you need, er… privacy." Shepard stated awkwardly as he took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll just be… next door." He gestured toward the larger bedroom before turning and leaving.
"So?" Garrus turned to Jane, "What do you think?" Jane chuckled as she spun to look around the room again.
"I don't even know what to think, honestly. This is… It's a lot to process."
"Understandable." He stepped further into the room before tossing his bag onto the bed. "Should we make ourselves at home?"
They spent the next half hour getting their bags unpacked and examining every little detail of the room. After a while, they heard a knock on the door frame as Shepard returned. Garrus blinked as he registered his attire. He was dressed well, though not in his usual dress blues. It was a stylish suit that seemed oddly out of place on him.
"Wow, you're looking sharp. Are you and Tali heading out for a night on the town?" Jane teased, and Shepard's cheeks turned a faint pink before shaking his head.
"No, she's busy tonight meeting with a representative for a quarian pilgrimage support organization at the Embassies. She's trying to secure additional funding for them." He smiled as his thoughts drifted to his girlfriend. He coughed, coming back to himself a moment later. "I do have dinner plans, though, so I'm heading out. You two okay here? I've already gotten you both setup with access codes so you can come and go as you please."
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Go have fun, try to relax a little." Jane waved him off with a smile.
"See you later, guys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Shepard called out as he made for the stairs.
Jane snorted, "That doesn't leave a whole lot of wiggle room. John on shore leave is usually about as interesting as a wet blanket." She paused, turning a questioning glance at Garrus as her lips quirked upward in a crooked smile. "Dinner does sound like a good idea though. Didn't you say Ryuusei was nearby?"
"How you always manage to get reservations for this place so quickly, I'll never know." Garrus whispered as they were waved out of the line at the front of the restaurant.
"This was, perhaps, not the intended use of my Spectre status. Doesn't hurt to name drop a little, too. Being the famous Commander Shepard's little sister comes in handy sometimes." She replied as they were led through the packed sushi restaurant. Garrus trailed just behind her, glancing down to admire the view. She'd picked a short, tight dress that left very little to the imagination, and he was far from complaining. It wasn't quite the same as the dress she'd gotten from Kasumi, but it was close.
What drew Garrus' attention more than anything was her exposed skin. And not for the reason it usually did. This was the first time she'd worn something so revealing since before Tuchanka. He could tell from the way she fiddle with the hem of the dress that she was not entirely comfortable yet, but he was immensely proud of her. She looked fantastic with or without her scars, and if he were being honest, he'd say she seemed more interesting now than before. They lent her an air of danger and mystery, as if she didn't have enough of that as it was.
"Also, the maitre d' owed me a favor."
"Ah. That certainly helps." He hummed; the click of her high heels on the glass of the fish tank beneath their feet was like music to his ears. The blue lighting from the water below the glass floor flickered and undulated, enveloping everything in a dazzling and eerie luminance.
The host showed them to their seats at a small table near the back of the room, and Garrus was happy for the privacy it afforded them. A few eyes followed them, though whether it was Jane's small amount of celebrity as the second human Spectre or the fact that they'd obviously bypassed the line, he couldn't tell. Or maybe they stood out for being a human and turian together on a date. He didn't honestly care at this point. The world was burning, and it seemed like the further they waded into this war, the more his priorities shifted.
"So," He began as they were given a basket of damp, warm towels to wipe their hands, "How are you feeling about the apartment?" Jane glanced up at him, seeming to consider her answer before tossing her shoulders slightly.
"It's a little hard to believe, honestly. It's nice, though. It's funny, but now it seems a little easier to imagine some sort of future after this war." She murmured with a small smile as she leaned her forearms on the table, and Garrus felt a warmth in his chest at her words. "I guess I felt a bit like Tali before. I'd had places I lived, places I belonged, but I didn't have any sort of roots put down. Nothing permanent. I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea of having an actual home. Somewhere to come back to after everything." She paused as she looked down at her hands on the table, then huffed a laugh that lacked any sense of amusement. "If I live through this damn war, that is."
Garrus reached over the table and took one of her hands in his, giving it a squeeze. The shimmer and glow of the Silversun Strip played across their table, the warm light rippling across her freckled face. It contrasted with the cool glow emanating from the fish tanks below, both playing across her skin and illuminating her eyes as they looked up at him with a level of affection he never thought he could inspire in another living being. He opened his mouth to reply – though with what, he couldn't say – when something behind him caught Jane's attention. She squinted, her eyebrows drawing in as her head tilted slightly.
"Is that John? And… Joker?" Garrus spun in his seat to see the two men seated across the room in a corner, their shapes silhouetted by a large fish tank just behind them. Joker reached to take a sip of his water as Shepard gestured to the bar, and the two of them laughed.
"That's who Shepard was meeting for dinner?" He asked in surprise before chuckling as he turned back to face Jane. "I didn't realize Joker ever left the ship, but I suppose he doesn't have a choice as they finish up the retrofits." Jane didn't reply as she continued watching the pair, interest morphing into confusion on her face as the click of shoes running broke through the music.
Garrus turned back around to see someone dressed in Alliance blues stop suddenly at Shepard's table, breathing heavily as she began talking at them hurriedly. Both men appeared nonplussed at the sudden interruption, and unease prickled up Garrus' spine, though he wasn't entirely sure why.
The sound of heavy armored boots echoed through the restaurant, and someone cried out in pain. The incessant drone of voices silenced instantly as everyone turned to look.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." A modulated voice called out into the sudden void of sound. "Tonight's performance is brought to you by random acts of violence!"
"Get down!" Jane snapped, and the world burst into madness just as she flipped the table. Gunfire exploded in his ears as Jane pulled him behind the makeshift cover as civilians screamed. Glass shattered and debris rained down upon them as Garrus brought his arms up to cover their heads. When he looked up, Jane was holding a small pistol in one hand as she peeked covertly over the table.
"Where the hell were you hiding that thing?" Garrus whispered, the incongruent thought forcing its way to the top. Jane said nothing, her focus entirely on the armored men shooting up Ryuusei. "What the hell is going on?" he added quietly.
"I don't kn-"
"Spread out, boys!" The modulated voice yelled over the cacophony, "Find me Shepard!"
"Well, that answers that." She grunted before ducking out just long enough to aim and fire. There was the sound of an armored body hitting the ground hard as she crouched back down. Around them, people cowered on the floor and under tables.
"Over there! Behind that table!" One of the men cried as footsteps closed in on their hiding spot. Jane looked up just as an armored fist reached for their table. She grabbed him and spun, and a man came flying over the top to smash down onto his back before them as Jane pulled out her omni-blade. She plunged it in his neck as his scream became a garbled splutter, and red human blood splattered across her dark dress and pale skin.
Without a word, Garrus reached for the pistol in the man's hand, noticing for half a second the unusual brand of the weapon. He turned and took aim over the table, quickly taking out two men. He watched as Shepard sprinted across the open space toward the bar. Small details kept jumping out at Garrus as his heart hammered in his ears. He could see the bodies of numerous, unmarked mercs splayed across the ground, but for all the rounds they'd fired off, there appeared to be no civilian casualties. At least, not yet. But it seemed odd.
"Come on, we need to get to John." Jane whispered before running to a nearby table, staying low to the ground, and Garrus quickly followed after. She raised her weapon and took out another merc.
Shepard was nearby, helping the pony-tailed Alliance soldier to her feet, and Garrus noted with relief that Jane had taken out the last of the mercs. They both stood, their weapons sweeping the room as they searched for any stragglers.
Just then, a small red light appeared upon Shepard's chest.
"John!" Jane cried out as she spun to look upwards, frantically searching for the sniper. The shot rang out, and Shepard fell backwards onto the floor as the Alliance soldier cried out in pain, having taken the shot in his stead.
"Brooks!" Shepard exclaimed as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. More shots rang out, stopping them in their tracks as they hurried toward Shepard. Garrus saw a flash of movement above, and he spun quickly, taking the shot. The last merc collapsed, a hole drilled neatly between his eyes.
"John, are you o-" Jane stepped toward her brother, but pulled up short as the ominous sound of cracking glass cut her off. Shepard's eyes widened just as the glass floor shattered, water spraying upwards as he fell. Jane cried out as she ran forward, but Garrus caught her just at the edge of the drop off.
The blue of the fish tank floors began to fade throughout the restaurant as the water gushed out, fish and glass sparkling as they caught the light of the Strip on their unexpected journey down into the abyss below. They both watched in horror as Shepard fell in the halo of glimmering shards and scales. He reached out for a nearby light fixture, but the panels detached in a spray shattering glass, slowing his fall only marginally. He finally managed to grab hold of one that didn't come loose, his fingers and feet scrabbling for purchase.
"Hold on!" Jane screamed, and panic bubbled up in Garrus' throat as he frantically looked around for some way to reach down to help Shepard. "Just hang on, we're coming!" Shepard shot them one, terror filled look before the lighting panel under his feet cracked. He plummeted downward, crying out in pain as he hit the sloped roof below, and rolled until it flung him out into open air again.
Shepard landed hard on a walkway far, far below, and lay there unmoving as Garrus and Jane watched in frozen fear, unable to move or breathe. Water continued to trickle down from the broken tanks, raining down upon the Commander along with shards of glass. He lay amongst the remains of lighting panels and dead fish before finally shifting and rolling on to his side.
"He's alive!" Garrus breathed as relief hit him with palpable force. Jane shot to her feet before sprinting toward the exit.
"John! Are you okay?" She called into her brother's personal comm channel, but there was no response. Garrus ran after her without a backward thought. "We need to get down there and help him. Now!"
They burst out onto the Silversun Strip, the flashing lights of an approaching C-Sec skycar adding to the chaos of colors splashed across the faces of the scared and curious onlookers. Jane beelined toward a nearby civilian skycar just as the driver within reached for the door controls.
"Everybody out!" Jane demanded as she gestured toward the platform with her pistol. The woman screamed as she covered her face, and the man brought his hands up to cover his head in fear. "For fuck's sake!" Jane cried as she reached forward to grab the man's shirt, wrenching him out of the vehicle. "Get out of the goddamn car, this is Spectre business!"
The woman scrambled out and huddled beside the cowering man as Jane leapt into the driver's seat. Garrus gingerly stepped around the two sobbing humans before getting in beside her. "I'll admit, this is the first time I've participated in a vehicle robbery at gunpoint. Can't argue with the results, though."
"Sit down and shut up." Jane growled as the door closed and the skycar lifted into the air. The bright lights and colors of the Strip were a blur as they shot downward, eventually leaving the liveliness of Silversun behind them as they searched for Shepard in the depths.
Jane pulled up her comm and started explaining the situation to EDI, who quickly interrupted to inform them that they'd already been updated by Joker.
"I'm already en route, though I'm coming on foot." Tali explained a little breathily, clearly running.
"How come Joker contacted you guys but not me? I'm his sister." Jane grumbled, and Garrus snorted in amusement.
"We attempted to raise you as soon as Jeff made it to safety, but someone appears to be jamming certain channels. It wasn't until you contacted us that we were able to establish a secure connection."
"Maybe that's why I can't get a hold of John." Jane murmured to herself.
"Perhaps." Garrus paused, peering through the windshield. "Wait, look down there." He pointed to a walkway down below, across from a dealership. There were shards of familiar looking lighting panels, as well as evidence of a great deal of water. Jane slowed the skycar and pulled up near the walkway. Opening the door, they could see plenty of dead fish, but no sign of Shepard.
"EDI, try again to get me patched through to John." Jane instructed as they looked around.
"Of course, Jane."
"He's got to be moving on foot. Let's hurry on and try to-"
"Secure connection established." EDI interrupted, and Jane's face immediately brightened.
"John?" she called out as she activated her comm, "Can you hear me?"
"Jane?" The connection was fuzzy, but they both relaxed at the sound of Shepard's voice.
"Are you okay? Where are you?" Jane's questions were rabid fire, her face alight with relief.
"I'm fine." came Shepard's clipped reply, followed by the sound of gunfire. "Might need a little backup, though." Jane's face hardened as she spun around to gaze out across the chasm before them.
"Where are you headed?"
"Fighting my way to a car lot, Cision Motors."
"Okay, I see it. We'll meet you there." Jane set off back toward the skycar, Garrus hot on her heels.
"Excuse me," an unfamiliar female voice cut in sharply, her tone laced with frustration, "who is this? The Commander's comm has been hacked and you're putting his life in danger!"
Jane pulled up at the unexpected intrusion into the conversation, her face bewildered, "I'm what? Who the hell is this?"
"Hang on," Shepard said, his voice calm and firm, "This is Staff Analyst Brooks."
"Is she the Alliance girl we saw you chatting with at Ryuusei? The one that got shot?" She asked as they climbed back into the skycar and started it up again.
"Yes." Brooks snapped heatedly. "Thanks, by the way, for checking on me while I was bleeding out on the restaurant floor." She added with dripping sarcasm as Jane rolled her eyes.
"There was more to worry about than some Alliance pencil pusher. Suck it up, you're clearly fine." Jane sniped back flippantly, and Garrus could hear Shepard sigh.
"Everybody play nice."
"Just hang on, Shepard. We're on our way." Garrus said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice.
"Good to hear. Things are a little dicey." Shepard sighed over the sound of more gunfire in the background.
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
They shot across the chasm and toward the Cision Motors lot just as a shuttle was landing there. Mercs dressed in familiar unmarked armor began pouring out, and Jane growled.
"Hold on to something." was his only warning as she accelerated.
"Godda-" Garrus clamped his mouth shut as she spun the controls and smashed the side of their skycar into the shuttle, sending both vehicles skidding across the lot. Garrus was thrown roughly against his restraints and he thanked the spirits he'd had the forethought to at least buckle himself in.
As they came to a screeching stop and his head finally cleared, Garrus groaned.
"You okay?" Jane asked as she unbuckled herself and pulled out her pistol.
"I thought I'd learned my lesson the last time I let you drive." He muttered, thinking back to the chase on Illium, and Jane scoffed.
"Oh, stop your bellyaching, we're fine."
The skycar's bent and twisted top popped open, and they both immediately opened fire on the few dazed and confused mercs that remained. In a matter of moments, the car lot was clear and quiet. As soon as the gunfire stopped, Garrus saw a cowering volus dash into the main office. Seconds later, the lot's huge doors began to close.
"Hurry!" He barked, and the two of them darted in just in time. The silence reverberated through the huge showroom, broken only by the sounds of their shoes clicking on the metal floor. Only then did he register that Jane was still in her high-heeled shoes. She looked absolutely ravishing as she walked over to stand before a dead merc, one hand on her hip, the other still clutching her pistol.
"Who the hell are these guys?" She wondered aloud as Garrus came to stand beside her. Activating her comm again, she asked, "What do we know about these mercenaries?"
"They have guns and don't like me?" Shepard replied dryly, and Jane huffed as she rolled her eyes.
"Gee, thanks. Helpful."
"Commander, it would really be great if you could stay off the comm." Brooks added irritably a moment later, and Garrus could hear Jane muttering unkind things under her breath.
"Hey, they called me." Shepard barked grumpily, followed by the sound of more gunfire. Some of that gunfire was not coming through the com, though. Garrus reasoned that he had to be getting closer to their location.
There was the sound of hurried footsteps coming nearer, and Garrus cursed before quickly pulling Jane into cover behind a nearby skycar. The crack of a rifle burst against their ears as they ducked down.
"How many of these guys are there?" Jane whispered as she checked her heat sink.
"There's about to be a few less." Garrus smirked before ducking out of cover long enough to aim and fire. Another merc fell, and Garrus knelt back down as he considered the weapon in his hand. It was one he'd taken off a dead merc, and it was really something, unlike any pistol he'd used before.
Jane fired a shot, and another merc screamed in pain. Somewhere nearby, a door whooshed open, and Garrus prepared to take on more reinforcements with a frown. All he'd wanted was a little seafood, how had things spiraled so far out of control so suddenly?
Without any warning at all, Jane stood and vaulted over the front of the car, her pistol out as she fired. The last two mercs fell, and Garrus peered around the car to see Shepard staring open mouthed as Jane sauntered toward him smugly.
"Having a bad day, John?" She asked with a shrug, the swagger in her step only emphasized by her high heels.
Shepard snorted as he rolled his eyes, "You could say that." Garrus came out from behind the car and nodded to Shepard in greeting. Jane offered her brother a quick hug before gesturing back toward the now closed garage doors.
"Come on, we've got a skycar, we just need to get through this locked gate."
"Let's look for a control panel." Shepard stated as his eyes scanned the open space. They split up and began searching the room, but after a moment, Jane's voice called out.
"So, you demolished my favorite restaurant on the Citadel."
"We'll talk about it later." Shepard sighed as he examined a console.
"You fell through their fish tank. It's totally destroyed, you know." Jane continued, the levity in her voice a distinct opposite to her fear and terror of not even ten minutes ago.
"Damn shame." Garrus added as he did his best not to smile. "Great food there."
"We'll talk about it later." Shepard snapped, and Garrus was almost sure he heard the sound of grinding teeth from the Commander.
"And you ruined our date. Do you go looking for trouble, or does it just find you all on its own?" Jane added, her voice laden with gleeful teasing.
"For heaven's sake, how is any of this my fault?" Shepard threw back his head as he looked beseechingly up at the ceiling. "All I did was-"
"Guys, over here." Garrus beckoned them over to the main office where he'd seen the volus disappear minutes before. The attention of the two Shepard's snapped to the locked door, and they both approached with sure confidence in their steps.
"I can probably hack the controls," Jane said as she pulled out her omni-tool, "I just downloaded a nifty new app that should burn right through the-"
"Stand back." Shepard ordered as he pulled up his pistol and leveled his aim at the door controls.
"Hold on." Garrus rested a hand on Shepard's weapon, gently pushing it away from the door, fighting the urge to sigh at the siblings. "Why is everything always a smash and grab job with you two?" He stepped toward the office window where he could just barely make out the cowering volus.
"Hi there." Garrus called out in as friendly a voice as he could muster while he knocked gently on the glass. "Uh, could you please open this up?" He gestured toward the garage doors behind them, and after a pause, he saw the volus lean forward to tap a control panel. The garage door snapped open without further ado. "Much appreciated."
"Please leave!" The terrified volus cried out through the window, and Garrus turned to look at the two Shepards. With a slight, meaningful widening of his eyes and a duck of his head, he walked past them silently as they both stared at him with matching looks of unamused indignation.
"Well, I could have done that." He heard Shepard mutter to Jane before muffling a grunt of pain as she elbowed him in the side. They all hurried out onto the landing, only to come up short.
"Ah." Jane grunted as they stood before the mangled remains of their commandeered skycar. "Right. Crash landing and all that."
"How do you just forget about smashing a skycar into a shuttle?" Shepard asked incredulously, and Jane turned to him with a glare.
"Look, I was a little preocu-"
"Hold on, guys, there's a C-Sec shuttle inbound, should be there any moment." Brooks stated over the comm just as the sound of an approaching shuttle met their ears. They all looked up, taking a few steps back as the blue and white shuttle slowed to a hover just before them.
The door opened, and Garrus' eyes widened.
"Get down!" Shepard yelled as they threw themselves to the side just in time to avoid the barrage of gunfire. More unmarked mercenaries sprayed the entire car lot in rapid fire, leaving them little more to do than cower behind nearby crates and low dividers.
"These fuckers again." Jane spat, but before she could take aim, there was the sound of shattering glass above them, and a familiar battle scream. A red blur smashed into the shuttle, sending the mercs stumbling as it landed hard.
"Wrex!" someone above them screamed, and Garrus looked up to see Tali poking her head out of the shattered window above. "Are you insane?" She yelled before looking down toward them. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah!" Shepard called back up as Wrex proceeded to destroy the group of mercs one bone crushing blow at a time. Their screams of fear and pain were evidence enough of the krogan's prowess. "What on earth are you guys doing here?"
"Hold on!" Tali called out as she peered downward hesitantly. Wrex tossed the final merc off the shuttle and into the abyss before wiping his hands and turning back toward them. Carefully, Tali began lowering herself out of the window, which thankfully wasn't too far above them. Foothold by foothold, handhold by handhold, she climbed until finally jumping down to land before them. Shepard reached out to steady her, and she eagerly grasped his hand.
"What are you guys doing here?" Shepard asked again as he looked between the two newcomers.
"Well, EDI told me about what had happened – is it true you fell through a fish tank?" Tali asked, her head tilted curiously to one side, and Shepard groaned as Garrus and Jane shared a smile behind him.
"I'll explain later. Please, continue."
"Anyway," Tali continued, "I came running as quickly as I could. I bumped into Wrex here-"
"I'd been meeting with the council, butting heads over krogan expansion." Wrex explained as eyes turned to him.
"Not literally, I hope." Jane quipped as she joined Wrex in searching the bodies of the dead mercs. He looked up and simply grinned.
"Anyway," Tali continued pointedly, "I ran into Wrex here, and he decided he had nothing better to do, so he's come to give us a hand."
"Always up for knocking some merc heads." the old krogan chuckled as he stood up and tossed a fancy looking weapon to Shepard, who eyed it approvingly. Further conversation was cut off by the sound of storming boots and the clanking of armored hard suits.
"They just keep on coming, don't they?" Garrus muttered as they all jumped into cover, the next wave of mercenaries jumping down into the car lot. As they opened fire on the newcomers, Joker alerted them that he was enroute to their position in a shuttle, and Garrus tasted a breath of relief.
"Sorry I'm late." Joker finally announced a few minutes later. "Had to take the scenic route."
"Scenic route?" Brooks cut in, her voice full of indignation, "We nearly crashed four times! Where the hell did you learn to drive?"
"And Brooks says hi." Joker added cheerily without missing a beat, causing Garrus to snort with amusement as he watched the shuttle come in to hover nearby. One by one, they leapt up into it as the others laid down cover fire. As the shuttle made its escape, Garrus finally let himself hope that they'd faced down the worst of it.
He was wrong, of course. When they'd first left the Normandy to begin their shore leave, he'd been under the impression that it would be some sort of relaxing vacation. In retrospect, Garrus wasn't entirely sure why he'd thought that. The Shepards attracted trouble like moths to a flame.
Still, breaking into a casino safe room was not something he saw himself doing on his 'vacation'. Somehow he found himself dressed to the nines and trailing after Shepard, Tali, and the other members of the team as they made a grand entrance at the Silver Coast Casino. The man who was behind the weapons used by the mercs, including that fantastic pistol Garrus had picked up, was holding some sort of charity event for war refugees that night, and they were going to use it as a chance to grill him about who had ordered the hit on Shepard.
Garrus tried not to dwell too angrily on the fact that dirtbag weapons smugglers were still dealing on the Citadel, even after everything. But he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that people saw a galactic war as a chance to make a little profit.
Or perhaps not so little a profit. Garrus would have whistled if he'd had lips as he looked around the elegant casino. What drew his eye wasn't just the space, but the people that inhabited it. There were enough jewels and finery draped on the patrons and party goers to fund full bellies and medical supplies for all the refugees, and Garrus did his best not to sneer at each and every one of them.
"Okay guys," Shepard whispered into the comm as the team started to disperse around the casino, "Remember: you need to draw attention without making a scene. The good kind of attention, not the bad. We need to make sure eyes are on you all so that we can bypass the security on the safe room without anyone noticing. Got it?"
There was a chorus of affirmatives, and Garrus found himself wandering up toward the bar. They were allowed a few sips in order to blend in, and he desperately needed something to do with his hands. Holding a glass was as good as anything.
As he ascended the stairs toward the second floor bar, he paused to scan the crowd. There was no sign of Jane yet, no flash of red or anything else that could possibly be her. She'd left the apartment in a rush as people had begun getting dressed and ready, claiming to have nothing proper to wear to a black-tie event. Garrus had raised a brow plate at that, but she'd promised to meet them at the party, so he'd returned to his own wardrobe problems.
He desperately wished she'd show up soon, though. Dressy events were not Garrus' forte, and he was not feeling even remotely close to his comfort zone. He'd been told to 'act natural', but the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to how awkward and out-of-place he was. Give him a gun and plop him down in the trenches any day, but give him a suit and expect him to mingle? Spirits, this was some sort of nightmare on par with showing up to the academy pantsless.
"Hey, Scars. You okay?" Garrus looked up to see James standing nearby. "You're frowning hard enough to drill a hole right through your glass."
"Ah, yeah. Sorry." He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. James smiled knowingly at him before putting a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's go sit down." He directed Garrus around the dance floor to some stools that overlooked the rest of the casino below them. They both sat down and took sips of their drinks, and Garrus just couldn't get comfortable as he shifted on his seat. "So, what do turians usually do with their time off?" James asked, and Garrus felt the sardonic smile on his face.
"Mostly we make plans for what to do when we're back at work." he mused, only half joking. His mind drifted, thinking about how much he would prefer to be elbows deep in repairs and calibrations in the Normandy's main battery at the moment. James barked a laugh as he turned to lean against the bar top as he scanned the dance floor.
"You know what you need?" James asked as he took another sip of his drink.
"That Mark-4 silencer scope I saw at the gun-shop?" Garrus asked with a spark of enthusiasm, once again only half joking. He knew that wasn't what James was about to say, but he did really need that scope…
"I was thinking a date." James stated, and Garrus tried not to choke on his drink.
"A date?" He asked in surprise, and James nodded as he gestured to a few of the women on the dance floor.
"Yeah. How long has it been since you asked a pretty lady out for a date, Scars?"
Garrus hesitated, unsure of the proper answer to that question. Technically, he and Jane went out on dates as regularly as they could, even if that wasn't terribly often. But Jane still hadn't clued the muscled Marine in on the identity of her 'mystery boyfriend'.
Mistaking the meaning of Garrus' hesitation, James clapped him on the shoulder bracingly. "No worries, buddy. There really hasn't been time for stuff like that, what with the war. Dry spells are understandable. But we've got a week of shore leave ahead of us, and you need to unwind a little. Tell you what, I'll be your wingman."
"My what?" Garrus stared in confusion at the other man, the term not translating well. He was fairly positive this wasn't a military operation, and they weren't flying.
"I'll give you a hand, help you chat up a worthy lady, hype you up a little." Standing suddenly, James took both their drinks and left them on the bar top. "Come on, I see the perfect one."
"Whoa, hold up there." Garrus jerked in surprise as James grabbed his arm and tugged him off his seat toward the dance floor. Despite dragging his heels, he found himself parked before a very confused looking turian woman. "James, this is a horrible idea." He hissed as panic settled in his gut like an old friend he hadn't seen since his awkward teenage years.
"Excuse me!" James began cheerily as he looked up at the – admittedly very pretty – woman, "I saw you checking out my friend here." He gestured to Garrus, who felt a mortified flush creeping up his neck. "I thought you two should meet."
"Hello," the woman's attention shifted to Garrus, and he stiffened. Her subvocals weren't displeased, quite the contrary. She seemed interested and amiable, and clearly was expecting him to make the next move.
"Right, so…" Garrus wracked his brain for a polite way to back out of this awful situation. "Hello. And, um…" Surely this wasn't what Shepard had in mind when he asked them to attract attention.
"Tell her she looks nice." James hissed quietly from just behind him, and Garrus winced pure mortification threatened to strangle him. Where was Jane, and why was she taking her sweet ass time? Well, he couldn't just outright tell this woman she was beautiful, that would send the wrong message. But he was supposed to 'act natural', so…
He gave her a quick once over, searching for clues to glean what information he could. Which wasn't much, honestly. She'd been dancing by herself with no visible friends. But she was well dressed in something more on the conservative side, so she probably wasn't just here to catch the male gaze.
"You seem like a nice person." He began thoughtfully after a moment, "A little quiet. Introspective. But decent overall." She blinked and glanced away as she processed his words.
"Oh. Thank you… I think." Garrus winced again, his words playing back in his mind. Spirits, he should just leave. Surely there was some other way to make a complete ass of himself, right? Where were Shepard and the others? Maybe they needed help or something.
"Yikes, Scars. Try small talk." James whispered, and Garrus growled in frustration. That was it, he was done with this farce, Jane's little hazing game with Vega be damned. The entire exchange had been mortifying so far, and he could feel the bright blue flush up his neck at this point. Jane's stupid game wasn't worth being put through this.
"James, I really don't think Jane would appreciate me chatting up other women." He hissed as he turned back to glare at the Lieutenant, who raised a baffled brow at him.
"Why the hell should she care? Small talk, now, before she walks away." James shoved him lightly, causing Garrus to stumble closer to the poor woman as he spun back around.
"Uh, come here often?" He asked haltingly as he took half a step back, giving her space. He prayed she didn't misinterpret his discomfort as attraction, though his panicked subvocals should help with that, right? "I imagine anyone who does is probably an alcoholic."
The words had tumbled out of his mouth before he could process them, and he froze as the woman's eyes narrowed. She started to reply, but cut off as someone approached. Someone with bright eyes and a heart wrenchingly familiar grin.
"Hey there, Big Guy. Care for a dance?"
(Note: I've gotten some really lovely support and comments lately, and they make all the difference. Thank you so much guys, it's such a boost and inspiration when I hear from you. And thank you to my beta reader, thelordofdarkreunion, as always, as well as the lovely folks in the MEFFW Discord. This story is nearly completely written now, only a little more to go. We're so close I can taste it, surely I can limp across the finish line!)