"Look, Primarch, I know it's hard leaving Palaven but pacing around irritated while you wait for the Commander to finish her vidcom meeting with the Admiral won't help." Garrus said as he watched the newly appointed Primarch Victus pacing around the War Room on the Normandy.
"If I stop to stand around, I'll end up reading the casualty reports and I'll regret leaving more than I already do. Leaving Palaven to play politician with the other races seems like a waste of time, but we need the krogan for this fight." He said to Garrus, still pacing.
"I understand that, sir. Seems like you're as settled in as you're going to get, so I'm going to calibrate the weapon systems in the Main Battery. I doubt they've kept them running as smooth as I had them." Garrus said as he started to leave the War Room but stopped in the doorway. "Just remember Jane also had to leave her home world in order to 'play politician' and get help." He spoke up without turning around.
"Jane?" Victus questioned him.
"Commander Shepard, sir." He corrected himself. Damn, it just slipped out, he thought to himself as he walked through the security checkpoint, they had installed in the doorway leading to the War Room.
Garrus was working on the weapons systems, like he said he would do, when the lights started flickering then stopped.
"Garrus, are your calibrations messing with the systems?" Joker asked through the intercom system.
"No. I'm not the one doing that. I don't have access to any system except the gun's targeting system." Garrus informed him.
"Are you sure you didn't miscalculate something, Garrus?" Joker asked him.
"Do you know who you're talking to? It's not coming from my end." Garrus replied.
"Well, alright. If you see Jane, tell her to go check the AI Core." Joker told him.
"Will do." Garrus said, then saw Jane enter the battery. "You heard him. Better go check it out."
"I'm going." Jane said as she turned on her heel to leave.
"But come back to me once you have that dealt with." Garrus spoke up.
"Of course, Vakarian." She said as she was walking away. Garrus couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling by the tone in her voice.
A short while later, Garrus was talking about the casualty numbers on Palaven with Primarch Victus when he heard the Main Battery doors open and saw Jane enter. He heard Victus say he hoped they could get the krogan to agree to help and Garrus told him if anyone could, it'd be Jane. He remarked that she was close with Urdnot Wrex, the chieftain of Clan Urdnot. Victus said he hoped friendship still counted for something in the war and Garrus tried to ensure him it would. Although I can't help but wonder if it will be enough myself, he thought to himself.
"Figures you'd get right to work, Garrus. Didn't waste any time, did you?" Jane chuckled as she leaned against a nearby crate.
"After what I've been through, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Keeps me distracted from thinking about Palaven too much." He told her as he stepped away from his work to look at her.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Garrus. I know how tough it is to walk away from the fight. But, you know, we're going to need you for more than just your aim, as good as that is." She told him.
"I'm ready for whatever you need me for, but I'm sure we'll still need the big guns." He chuckled.
"Yeah, you're right, we are." She said.
"Yeah, so where does this all leave us? Is this where we shake hands? I'm not sure what the protocol should be after everything or if you've moved on. I remember you being wild about my scars, although they've faded. But I can go get new ones if you want, wouldn't be too hard with everything going on." He told her as he walked over towards her.
"I still feel the same way about you, Garrus. And it wasn't the scars that attracted me to you, even if they do make you look rugged." Jane said as she grabbed Garrus's hands.
"Glad to hear that. I have been doing a little research on human courtship and relationships, but I didn't want to-" Garrus started but was interrupted when he felt Jane's lips and realized she was kissing him. He took the opportunity to put his hands around her lower back and returned the kiss. Damn, her lips still feel as soft and taste as sweet as I remember, he thought as he felt her pull away. "The vids did mention something like this, but I wasn't sure." He told her.
"What vids?" Jane asked while raising her eyebrow.
"Joker gave me a few right before we took on the Collector Base. They went into detail about-" He started explaining.
"Uh, never mind. Not sure I want to know." She nervously chuckled, then she took his hands in hers once again and her face got serious. "Look, I'm not sure what will happen with this war going on, but I really missed you. I thought about you a lot back on Earth and I'm sorry for how we left things before."
"I'm glad you found my romantic skills memorable. And we've been through a lot. Saren, you dying, me almost dying, the collectors, the reaper invasion. It's going to take a lot more than just a few hundred Reapers to get between us. But I understand, we can put things on hold for now so we can focus on what needs to be done." Garrus told Jane as he gently squeezed her hands in his.
"Deal. But, hey, I saw quite a few turian generals saluting you. Could I be looking at the future Primarch Vakarian someday?" Jane chuckled, teasing him.
"Ha let's not go there. Besides, aren't you leading the war summit? Look at us, less than a year ago we were just a Spectre and a vigilante gunning down enemies and we're actually respectable now." Garrus laughed.
"Yeah, well, we earned it. We've lost some friends trying to make sure this didn't happen." Jane said.
"Then the first Reaper we take out will be in their honor." Garrus told her.
"Thanks. I should go. We have some things to check on at the Citadel. But you think you could come up to my cabin later, not for anything intimate, I've just been having a hard time with sleep, and you always have a way with making me feel not so alone." Jane asked. Garrus could tell she had pain in her eyes and imagined the war so far had started to take a toll on her.
"Of course. I'll even bring some wine, and I can afford the good stuff now." Garrus told her before she left.
Garrus was sitting on the couch in Jane's room going through correspondence for the injured turians that had been brought to the docking bay holding area after they had returned from their business on the Citadel. He looked up to see Jane was still at her computer on her desk and assumed she must still be going through her emails.
"Huh." He heard Jane mutter.
"Hackett finish the weapon and defeated the Reapers so we can all just relax now?" Garrus joked.
"Wouldn't that be nice? Apparently Cerberus has taken over a colony on Eden Prime. Alliance Command learned they uncovered a Prothean artifact there and believe that's why they're there." She told him as she got out of her chair and poured herself a glass of wine then sat down on the couch next to him. "They want us to go and retrieve it."
"Eden Prime? Isn't that where you came across that artifact that gave you the visions about the Reapers?" Garrus asked her as he set his padd down on the table in front of him.
"Yeah. That feels like a lifetime ago now." She told him.
"Well, for you, technically it was." He teased her.
"Ha, I guess you're right." She chuckled. "We'll head there after everyone gets a chance to get a good night's rest."
"Including you?" Garrus asked her, remembering she had asked him there because she hadn't been sleeping well.
"I'm okay. I'll sleep once this damn war is over." Jane said. Garrus told her she wasn't fooling him and asked what was going on. She finally gave in and told him about the little boy she had on Earth and how she'd been having nightmares about it since. She then put her head in her hands and told him Kaidan had been seriously hurt while they were on Mars getting the plans for the Prothean weapon. She confessed that she was starting to feel like everyone close to her was getting hurt and she couldn't do anything to help them. Garrus hugged her and told her that people getting hurt wasn't her fault. He tried consoling her by telling her she had gotten Kaidan medical help in time to save him just like she had done for him back on Omega. And he reminded her that everything the Reapers had done wasn't her fault because she tried warning everyone but only a few people had taken her seriously.
"Thank you, Garrus." Jane said as she wrapped her arms around Garrus's, which were still embracing her in a hug. "Kaidan had asked me to go visit him in the hospital when he woke up."
"How did that go?" Garrus asked. He stiffened up. He still remembered the feeling of despair when he had seen Kaidan in Jane's hospital room after the fight with Sovereign. He knew he and Jane weren't officially together because of the war, but he still didn't want to lose her to anyone.
"It went as well as it could've, I guess." She told him. "He was still kind of hostile towards me on Mars because of Cerberus. When I went to go see him, he apologized for Horizon and Mars. He told me he didn't know how to react to seeing me after seeing me dying and then discovering I was working with Cerberus. He told me he owes you an apology too. We agreed to try to move past it and be friendly, at least. But then he asked me about…" Jane trailed off.
"Asked you about what?" Garrus asked her.
"Well, you. Me and you to be exact." She told him.
"Oh, and what did you tell him?" Garrus asked.
"The truth. That you were there for me, like you always are." She smiled.
"Good enough for me. But we better get some sleep." Garrus told her as he let her go and stood up to take her hand.
"We? Are you planning on sharing my bed with me again?" Jane smirked.
"Don't get too excited." Garrus laughed. "I mean actual sleep. But I will stay here if you'll allow me. You did say you haven't been sleeping well. This way, you won't be alone if you wake up from any nightmares."
"Thanks, Garrus. I would like that." Jane said as she laid down on her bed and patted the spot next to her.
"Of course. I'm always here for you, Jane." Garrus said as he laid down next to her.
"I know. You always have been, Garrus. And that means the world to me." Jane said as she leaned over to kiss his cheek and turned off the lights. "Good night."
Garrus was lying awake after Jane had fallen asleep. He looked over at her sleeping peacefully, cuddled up in his arm. He knew he couldn't take away the pain she had been feeling about people being hurt and the destruction the Reapers were causing, so he was doing what he could and reminding her that she wasn't alone. Kaiden. I'm glad he is alive but I'm not sure what to make of his apology to Jane. Is he hoping she'll go back to him or is he really okay with being just her friend? When he told her he wanted to move past Horizon, did he mean he had moved on? I hope so, for his sake, but she's not really an easy woman to get over. I know I've never been able to get over her, even when she was dead for two years. I don't know why I'm even thinking about this, she's here with me right now. And she knows I'll always be there for her. I can't begin to know exactly what Kaidan is thinking, but I know I won't let her go as easily as he did, I love her. Garrus thought to himself as he gently put his hand over hers that was resting on his chest and smiled at her before falling asleep.
