Happy new year my lovely readers! I know, I know… I'm shamefully overdue with this update. It was just so damn hard to get it right. Even though this is just a smut chapter, the final smut chapter I might add, it was a challenge to explore the darker side of Garrus without changing him into someone we no longer recognize. It was a struggle to touch this primal side, to do it justice. The first draft was a lot harsher and I kept justifying his actions through Dani's thoughts. And it didn't feel right. This way I'm not only exploring Garrus' darker, more primitive side, but also Dani's discovery that physical love doesn't always have to be expressed the same way. Anyway, my apologies for the late update, I just wanted to get this right. I hope you guys enjoy this last glimpse in the sexual part of my couple's love life.

Aftermath: a test of human stamina

First thing Dani did when she reached their quarters, was shed her grimy clothes and let streams of scalding hot water sooth her sore muscles.

The medi-gel applied by Karin had done a marvelous job of fixing any tear and wear of her tested muscles and ligaments, but she still felt bruised and sore.

With a contented sigh, she just let herself sink to the shower floor and took great delight in the soothing envelope of warmth.

When she emerged into the room again, all toweled dry and clothed, the emptiness of the room pressed her down. Where the hell was Garrus? They had just survived a trip to hell and back and now he just . . . left her alone? Was he still angry with her for disobeying him?
She had saved his life for crying out loud!

With a sigh she lowered herself to the couch. Her eyes fell on the sand painting she made of Garrus so long ago. She smiled, thinking back to those early days and realized she'd been no more than a frightful child back then. So much had changed over the years and she . . . she'd grown up.

Her smile fell when she took note how faded Garrus' profile looked. Maybe she should make a new one. Or maybe make a real painting of him. It had been a long, long time since she'd last held a paint brush.

Dani briefly wondered if she should set out to look for him, but immediately decided against it. She rather dealt with his mood later than sooner.

She probably should seek out Tali. They had been through a lot today, both of them. She decided against that as well. Right now, all she wanted and all she needed was peace and quiet, the solace of their room . . . Preferably the solace of Garrus' arms as well but it seemed that wasn't an option right now. And so she remained alone, by herself; wishes and memories her only companions. Time – sort of fled away from her.

When the door of their room suddenly slid open, she actually blinked her eyes in confusion.

It was Garrus who stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him before he locked the controls. He didn't move closer though and his eyes held an odd gleam.

She wanted to greet him but the words died on her lips. Their eyes held each other locked in an intense gaze. Suddenly he turned his eyes from her. It was the first time she noticed he had shed the parts of his armor and he was standing there, dressed in his casuals, as calm, unreadable and nonchalant as only he could be. Annoying turian . . .

"You missed the celebration party." He finally deemed to say. Not exactly a gushing 'glad you're alive'.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "I had no idea there was one planned."

"Maybe you would have noticed if you'd kept your omni-tool on. You'll probably find several messages."

"Including one from you?"

He turned his head to face her. "No," he stated, his voice all neutral and level. It finally dawned on Dani that something was wrong – completely, horribly wrong. Had she perhaps disgraced some turian tradition she didn't know about? Was disobeying him some terrible turian social faux pas?

Dear God, was he breaking up with her? She couldn't repress a small horrified gasp and she trembled when his cool eyes settled on her. She tried to swallow and forced herself to keep breathing, but she was terrified of what was coming. For she knew, she was very painfully aware . . . there was no way she could go on without him. She had been forced to try it once and it had been one steaming pile of a disaster.

And if , heaven forbid, if he was breaking up with her – that would be far, far worse.
She would rather put him to rest and mourn his death than knowing that somewhere out there he was alive and well . . . hating her. A startling and numbing cold settled deep within her.

When she saw him move his mouth plates, she quickly cut him off.

"No!" she cried out. "Don't . Just, please, don't . . ."

If possible, his eyes grew even colder, but there was something else in them as well, she just couldn't put her finger on it yet.

"So afraid and full of dread already? So soon? Is this really all it takes?" he scoffed. "Palaven forbid we should ever have a real fight, you'd probably die of fright," he muttered.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Dani blurted out. "It's not your anger I fear!"

"Oh really? You could have fooled me. You look like that first day we met, about ready to space yourself!"

"I'm not afraid of you," Dani claimed again, calmer this time. "I'm not afraid of your anger. You can be angry with me all you want, if that's what you need. Just . . ."

"Just what?" he spat.

Dani could feel hot tears stinging in her eyes. Somewhere between Garrus coming to her rescue and their victory over the Collectors, something had completely gone awry and she didn't know how to fix it.

"Just tell me there is a way forward," she pleaded. "Tell me this isn't the end, for us."

"What?" He reeled back and was visibly stunned for a moment. "That's what you were thinking? By the moon of . . . have you completely gone insane? Because honestly, I've been wondering exactly that more than a few times today!"

"So, this is just you . . . being angry I didn't listen?" Dani ventured carefully.

"Just me . . .?" Garrus threw up his hands in seemingly despair. "You are crazy!" he finally blurted out in astonishment. He stalked towards her with a few purposeful strides and grabbed her by her arms.

"You could have gotten yourself killed today!" he roared, the force and anger behind his yell made her flinch. He released her immediately.

"Today, you nearly got yourself killed so many times I lost count!" he yelled, his voice reaching a crescendo in his fury.

"Do you have any idea what torture I've been through? I lost you! Again! Just a few moments longer and you'd have been lost to me, forever! I would have had to face the threat of the Reapers, without you! I would have had to fight those damned machines, without you!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No! You don't get to talk right now!"

Okay, obviously he was really, really, pissed at her.

"And then, by some miracle, some insane stroke of luck, I got you back and all I wanted was for you to be safe. But did you listen? No!" he spat. "No! You refused me, defied my wishes in front of Shepard and talked him into taking you with us. Fine . . ."

Garrus heaved and rubbed his face with one hand. "Fine," he added quieter. "You actually helped and you saved my life and I'm grateful for that. But you never listened to me. Stay out of view, I told you. Stay behind cover, I said. But did you listen? No! You flirted with death every single opportunity you got. When I told you to take it easy with the phasing, you didn't listen. You nearly fried your brain by not . . . listening!"

"Garrus, I did . . ."

"No!" he bellowed. "You are not talking, I am! I took a huge risk talking Shepard into taking you with us for that final stretch. I didn't want to leave you behind in a place that would be crawling with Collectors, without me there by your side. I trusted that this time you would do as you promised. But you didn't, did you?"

"I know, but I . . ."

"Shut up!"

This time they both reeled back in surprise. Garrus sighed deeply and Dani could see he was struggling to get a grip on his emotions. She took a small shuddering breath to calm her quivering nerves. She still feared he might snap and break up with her anyway.

"You were tired. You were supposed to stay in cover. But you approached Collectors.
You approached bloody fucking Harbinger himself and phased him! Just another instance that could have gotten you killed! But were you done? Hell no! No, you decided it'd be fun to phase through a Collector and grab his fucking rifle!"

"Garrus, I did that because . . ."

"You could have gotten yourself killed!" he roared again. "And soon after that again, when you decided to take a fucking shot at that fucking Reaper!"

"It was the tube, not the Reaper," Dani muttered in defense, wondering since when Garrus had taken a liking to the word 'fucking'.

"I don't fucking care!" he nearly howled in anger. "The blow back was too much, I could have told you that, but you don't listen! The blo back alone could have knocked you out cold, a perfect fucking target! But even that was not enough! When Samara fell . . . we nearly had the bastard, and damn near had the Reaper as well. But you had to get yourself in harm's way! I saw you nearly get killed with one of those Reaper blasts!"

"But Samara . . ."

"Was still alive! We could have revived her immediately after . . ."

"No, you couldn't have!" Dani tilted her chin defiantly.

"Even so, I - "

"You'd rather I had left her to die, just to save myself?"

Garrus didn't respond to that question. "You shouldn't have come for me, when I fell. You should have gotten yourself to safety."

The rage had finally left his voice, he just sounded so empty and tired.

"It could have fired back on so many levels it makes me sick. We both could have fallen to our deaths. I would have died, knowing you would die right there with me. Knowing that I had failed to save you."

"Garrus, life without . . ."

He just shook his head this time. It was enough to shut her up. That, and that odd gleam in his eyes again. His fingers traveled to the hem of his tunic and with one fluid movement he discarded the garment on the floor.

"Watching you in near death situations, so many times today . . . It built up a lot of tension inside me . . . An impossible amount of tension. That's why I stayed away from you, Dani," he said, the tone in his voice dark and smooth, like raw chocolate.

"Surely you remember my story of how turians usually get rid of their tension."

Realization started to kick in and Dani's mouth slacked slightly open in stunned silence.

"Ah, I see that you do remember."

He kicked off his boots and rid himself of the long foot protectors.

"If I'd come for you sooner . . . things could have gotten . . . out of hand. So I boozed myself up at the party. A lot."

His fingers traveled down to the buckle of his trousers and the hidden buttons beneath it.
He stripped himself from his trousers quickly and efficiently, they soon joined his discarded tunic.

She finally understood the reason behind his anger. It wasn't even real anger, just, worry. A lot of pent up worry. And it had stressed him out, worn him down and put him on edge for the better part of the day. And this . . . this was exactly what turians did do to relieve their tension. This, or sparring. She knew him well enough that today, had he settled for sparring, serious injuries would have occurred . . . created by his hands.

"Dani," he finally warned her quietly, while standing proud, tall and naked in front of her. "If you value that outfit, I suggest you get rid of it. Right now."

Her fingers shot to the zipper of her jacket but they were trembling so hard she fumbled with the uncooperative little sucker. When she finally managed, she quickly shrugged it from her shoulders while Garrus folded his arms waiting impatiently.

She struggled with her boots as well, at least her socks were easy. Another zipper awaited her, to open her tunic at the side. Every limb was trembling while she pulled the tunic over her head.

She hissed in pain when the movement wasn't very agreeable to her shoulder. A quick glance at Garrus told her he was unmoved by it. Damn! Just the smallest of moments where she thought she saw something she didn't recognize yet briefly flicker in his eyes. Yet. The thought that at least she would get the time to learn all those subtle expressions put a final rest to the lingering fear he might cast her aside.

When her fingers trembled so hard that she could not open the buttons of her tight skinnies, Garrus stepped up in front of her, hooked a finger behind the waistband and pulled her flush against him.

She swallowed hard when she felt his fingers steady on the buttons, slipping them out of the fabric one by one. As long as buttons were not too small, he seemed to have no problem with them at all.

Garrus folded his hands around her buttocks and pulled her tightly against him. Her skin felt cold and hot at the same time as he hooked his talons behind her waistband again and slowly, too slow, wriggled the pants down her legs. When he knelt down to lift a foot, she needed to steady herself by placing her hands on his shoulders. First her right leg was freed and immediately after her left leg.

All she was wearing now was her underwear, one of the dainty ones. Though it usually drove him mad, they held little interest for him now.

"Remove them."

The tone in his voice was odd, even alien to her. The absurdity of the thought almost made her giggle, but she managed to gulp it down. Probably not the best moment to succomb to a hysterical fit of nervous laughter.

With daft fingers she undid the clasp of her bra and let it fall away from her breasts. Not willing to wait longer, his fingers dragged her panties down nearly the same time. She didn't utter a word when she simply stepped out of them.

"Tonight, my sweet, we're gonna find out exactly how well human stamina matches with that of a turian!"

The next moment her back crashed against the wall. He lifted her leg and without ceremony he just aligned himself with her and drove home with one fell thrust. There were no sweet words, no foreplay and Dani had to stifle a pained gasp by biting down in his hide – hard. Crap, she had not expected that!

This unknown and unexpected side of him had caught her completely off guard. She had been too nervous and maybe a bit scared, too caught up trying to process it all. She wasn't ready, but Garrus was already pistoning in and out of her with a relentless pace.

"Slow down!" she cried, tears stinging her eyes, "You're hurting me!"

That got his attention. He didn't apologize though, just gave her a bit more time to adjust.

The tears that fell down were not tears of pain, but regret when she realized just how close she had driven him to this brink of madness with her actions, no matter how well intended, for him to disregard her discomfort in such a way.

His next movements were much gentler as he eased himself in and then out, softly repeating the motion. She could feel his muscles under her fingers, stiff and tense with silent despair. She wasn't sorry for helping him, or for putting herself in harms way to keep him safe. She was sorry however that her actions had pushed him to the limits of what he could bear.

She clenched her jaws while he slowly retreated and then slid back inside. It was uncomfortable but better than the mindless onslaught before.

"Is this better?" he quietly asked her. All she managed was a silent nod, her face buried safely in his neck. He groaned softly near her ear. The pleasure of slowly driving in and out of her seemed to clear all other thoughts. She had never paid it much attention, but now she realized it was the most erotic sound she'd ever heard in her life. It was all for her. She was still his and he was still hers. It was more than enough for her body to welcome him in and soon he was slipping in and out of her with ease.

"Ah Dani," he moaned in appreciation. "You feel so good."

He adjusted his tempo, each thrust deeper and quicker than the last. He breathed hard and she clenched her arms around him response.

Her heart was pounding. By the spirits, this felt good! The way it felt to have him buried inside her, so deep, so wonderful. She moaned his name near the small openings that formed his hearing as his body rocked against hers, his strokes urgent, almost desperate, the undulations swift and rhythmic. The pleasure he brought her tore moans and gasps of pleasure from deep within her.

She held on the best she could while the tendrils of a sweet madness seduced her, filling her with a tight and thrumming need that ranted for satisfaction. Her skin was hot and slick with sweat and so was his.

Her soft cries intensified in ten drum with his guttural groans. She could feel she was nearing that wonderful edge and she clasped herself to him as his muscles flexed and he pumped harder in to her.

Her release steadily approaching, Dani grasped the sides of his face with her hands, bringing her face close to his, trying to keep him in view. Their eyes locked.

He thrust in to her over and over again in response. Steady plunges. Deeper. Rougher.

She kept her eyes fixed on him, her eyes stinging with the effort. When the wave of her climax finally crashed through her with a devastating force, she felt a tear slip from her eyes as she let out a strangled cry.

She was only half aware how the spasms deep inside her gripped him. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against his neck while she cashed in a few last piercing strokes until he too let out a guttural cry of his own and growled an oath of satisfaction.

By the spirits, but her limbs felt like spaghetti! She was completely exhausted and worn out.
It felt so bloody good!

Garrus gently plucked her from the wall and gathered her in his arms. Wordlessly, he carried her towards their bed and settled them both down. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck in a weak hold. He combed sweaty strands of hair away from her eyes and gently nuzzled the top of her head in a tender gesture.

"Here." Garrus took the covers from the bed, gently pushed her down and settled the covers over them. He pulled her close to him and gripped her in a protective hold. "I don't want you to catch a chill."

His voice had a bit of a rough edge, part satisfaction and part . . . leftover frustration maybe.

He sounded better than he had though and at least they weren't breaking up. Even with his first needs sated, she could feel his muscles were still tense, flexing restlessly. She knew they were far from done that night.

He didn't say anything else. Just held her close to him. Dani opened her mouth a couple of times. She wanted to explain why she had not listened to his orders today. Why she had deliberately defied his wishes. But she couldn't, not yet. Not when he was still like this; he wouldn't listen.

So she closed her eyes, better to catch some rest while waiting for the inevitable moment he would claim her body again.

Dani dozed off a few times but never for long. She was too restless and too aware of the tension that still radiated from him, as hot and blistering as the sun. He was utterly still but there was something tense and dangerous about that complete stillness, like the waiting moment before a large predator sprang on its chosen prey. A description that fitted him so perfectly it nearly left her breathless.

She didn't even notice him move, but he was on her so sudden that she barely had time to think. That feverish look in his eyes was back again and Dani knew that his body demanded an immediate release of tension and there would be no room for gentle lovemaking. At least she was ready for him this time.

Garrus simply spread her legs and was inside her in one fierce motion. Dani gasped and arched into his thrust, the raw force of it lifting her from the bed. The intensity of the feeling of him buried deep inside her again, coupled with the longing of her own body, threatened to rip her apart and made her shake. She closed her eyes and lifted her hips to make him sink deeper inside her. Instead he pulled back.

"Open your eyes," he growled. Her eyes flickered open at once and fastened on his in surprise. The complex nature of him, the many different facets of his character were amazing to behold.

The tender blaze was still absent, but the heated look he scorched her with was the most erotic thing she ever experienced. It made her feel like pagan goddess, completely free and unhindered by any sense of propriety. There was just this, a moment of unbridled raw passion.

She moaned, lifted her hips to welcome him again, but he pressed her down, kept himself out of reach. Garrus caught her hands and held them above her head. He shifted his thighs, spreading hers further apart until all she could do, all she was allowed to do, was the simple arching of her back.

It seemed as if in this deep seated frustration, all that pent up tension, he was hell bent on playing out his every sexual fantasy. All in one night.

Garrus looked down at her, his brow plates shifting, his mandibles twitching. His expression was completely unreadable for her.

"Don't do that again," he grumbled. "Keep your eyes open, like earlier. I like that."

"You're demanding a bit much." Her words trailed off in a gasp as he penetrated her again with one hard shove. Relief mingled with pleasure, tinged with just a suggestion of pain and she found out just how closely related the two could be.

He had her completely pinned down. Her hands were trapped in his, her body trapped under his weight and a familiar heavy tension laced her belly and lower back as he began to move with long, powerful strokes.

There was no seduction, no teasing foreplay or gentle build-up. Garrus didn't want that right now and neither did she. This night was a completely new experience and she welcomed it.

She realized how much Garrus had always been holding back, and in a way, still was. His talons and teeth could rip her apart with ease, so of course he couldn't treat her as he would a turian female. Still, his lovemaking was raw and powerful and primitive, so much more primal than she knew of him. Damn, now that she had a taste of this, she knew she would want it again. But maybe without the suicidal missions and multiple death threats next time.

His rhythm turned more shallow as he pulled her more firmly beneath him. One hand was still shackling her wrists while he tilted her hips so she could take more of him, deeper. The intense pleasure ripped a piercing cry from her throat. His thrusts became shorter, sharper, as he relentlessly drove her toward a climax.

Sweat dripped from his body and mingled with hers. When Garrus finally released his hold, she dug her fingers in the strong muscles of his shoulders to anchor herself against his heavy thrusts.

Her breathing was fast and shallow; she couldn't seem to get enough air. Her world narrowed down to the heated intent in Garrus' eyes as he pushed her further, higher than she'd ever gone before.

Her head started to swim and when his thumb grazed across that tiny bud, hidden between her slick folds, her hips jerked and she screamed with the stunning force of her climax. A low, grating sound broke from Garrus' throat as he rode her hard through it.

Heat shimmered, scorching hot wherever skin met rough hide. She struggled to breath against his broad, heaving chest, and still he drove into her, his gaze fixed on hers, silently demanding an even greater surrender than the one she'd just given him.

She thought she had no more to give, but tonight apparently was all about exploring limits. Tension coiled with abrupt suddenness. The wildness boiled up and she sobbed as pleasure took hold of her body her again with a shocking swiftness that completely overwhelmed her.

He groaned as she tightened around him again and this time he shuddered too. He arched his back, his muscles corded and liquid heat exploded deep within her. Her senses overloaded, her mind wiped clean of every rational thought and she finally gave in to bone-crushing exhaustion.

Dani awoke to a sense of heaviness settled upon her. She smiled when she realized the erotic dream she'd been having was not a dream at all. She marveled at the hard textures against her own smooth skin; the strong wiry muscles, the hard lines of his ribcage, the bony points of his shoulders and jutting collarbone, the plates and scales on his chest.

He was resting most of his weight on his forearms, but his flesh was pressed against the length of her torso, nestled between her legs and buried deep within her. He was moving very slow and very gently inside her.

It was amazing beyond words, to wake to a reality that was even better than the dream. She was wet and slick and she realized pleasure had steadily built inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her ankles together. Damn, she was already so close.

Her fingers deftly found that particular spot beneath his fringe and she pressed her face against the curve of his neck.

It was all she could manage when the wave of pleasure all too sudden rippled through her. Helplessly she arched against him and cried out for him as he thrust deeply into her until he groaned his own relief, hoarse and raw.

He had been using her body this evening. Over and over again. She hadn't complained. She was more than willing to give him everything he needed and right now he needed this, and by the spirits. . . so did she!

Dani folded her arms around him, their bodies clamped together, merged into one in a mindless storm of desire.

The one thought that made sense, was how much she loved him. Loving him had changed her forever and she couldn't change back. There never would be another man for her. Human or otherwise. No one else could, no one else would, ever take Garrus' place – he burned too vividly, too strongly, to ever be eclipsed.

He was the one who had awoken her to life. Life without him was no life at all.

It was why she had thrown caution in the wind. She'd do anything to keep him safe.

He stirred and raised himself on one elbow. His finger brushed her cheek, pushing her hair back from her face. She leaned into his touch. No matter how delicious the onslaught had been, she was relieved to see the soft burn back in his eyes.

His voice was soft, like crushed velvet, a bare whisper. "I'm sorry. I – I hurt you."

Dani traced the outline of his mandibles, framed them with her hands.

"Shh, you stopped when I asked you to."

"That's no excuse. I, ah – I think I went a little crazy."

"Then we both did. I was there too, remember?"

"I do . . . I also remember I gave you precious little choice."

"Then give me a make-up kiss."

He readily complied and she closed her eyes when he moved his mouth plates over her lips.

She loved the hard-soft duality of their kiss and felt the tenderness with which he was coaxing her to part her lips for him, felt the shudder that rippled through him when she did. She let out a sigh of appreciation when his tongue gently slipped inside her mouth, flirting with hers. She touched her tongue to his, let them dance to a song no one heard but them.

She relished the gentle way he flicked his tongue over hers in deft and eager strokes. He clasped a hand behind her head while her fingers found his spot under his fringe.

When they finally released each other to come up for air, he trembled slightly as he placed his forehead against hers.

"I'm so sorry for all the things I said. I shouldn't have. There's no excuse for such behavior, I was just so . . ."

"Worried," she finished for him. "I know. I understand. But, there is something I need you to know. I want to make this very clear so there can never be a misunderstanding again."

"What?"

"If you are in danger, I will never sit down by the sidelines. No matter how angry you tell me off. I'm not strong, I'm not a warrior, but I will do everything that's in my power to keep you safe. Yes, today I could have died many times. Just know I would have died for you gladly. And if we had fallen over the edge together, I'd have no regrets. Life without you is no life at all. If you go, I'll join you as quickly as I can."

"I think I need to have a little chat with Shepard," Garrus grunted. "I will have to convince him never to let you go on a mission. Never. If we are together on a mission . . . we'd screw up the whole thing by focusing solely on keeping each other safe."

"Oh come on," Dani teased. "You have to admit I was useful today."

"I'll gladly admit to it, but today is still something I don't much care to experience again."

"Yeah," Dani whispered. "Me neither."

"Spirits," he moaned suddenly. "What you must have gone through! I can't even imagine."

"Let's not go there. To be honest, I just want to forget."

"Then just let me say I'm damn glad I got to you in time."

"So am I . I love you, Garrus. I'm sorry I caused you so much worry today."

"And I love you, Dani. And I'm sorry for . . . well, you know."

"Giving me the best sex ever? I forgive you."

He snorted.

"Garrus?"

"Hmm?"

"So, about that turian versus human stamina thing . . . how do they measure?"

"Don't know," he said with a smirk. "I haven't found out yet."

For a moment Dani could only stare at him in shock, before she burst out in laughter.