Hello, everyone! Once again, let me thank you all for your support! This chapter is still in shore leave but we will be getting back to the story line of the game soon, which means… *cue dramatic music* Virmire! So, I was reading over this chapter yesterday, knowing that I would be posting it today… and I realized that I wasn't happy with it and I didn't think you all would enjoy it… so I rewrote it. I only had the chance to read over it once so I hope it makes sense and I didn't leave something in there that wasn't supposed to be. I hope you enjoy it. Any questions/suggestions/comments are welcome! Thank you again for reading/following/favoriting and reviewing!

Chapter 9

Jane sat at her desk, spinning a pen through her fingers in beat with the music. Despite it being her birthday, it had been a good day. She got to have lunch with Anderson and John (Garrus had, again, declined), Joker had joined her for her newest tattoo, and she got to hang out with Ashley discussing books. Soon, she would be speaking to her mother. I wonder what critiques she will give me today. All I want to do is have a nice, chill, calming evening. John already wished me a 'happy birthday' so he better not be up to his shenanigans.

Pausing her music, she brought up the live extranet link to wait for Hannah Shepard to connect. Jane didn't have to wait long before her mom came up on vid.

"Happy birthday, Jane." Hannah Shepard said cheerily. She was sitting at her desk, with perfect posture, and perfectly done hair, in her uniform. She looked every bit the Alliance officer, what Jane never wanted to be.

"Hi, Mom. Thank you," Jane begrudgingly said.

"Oh, honey…"

Shit, here we go.

"I wish you would cut your hair. You have been in the Alliance for how long now and you are a Spectre representing the entire human race. Why do you insist on keeping it long?"

Damn… Strike one. Forgot I left my hair down, Jane sighed to herself as she ran a hand over her hair that hung around her face and over her shoulders. "Because no one does anymore, Mom," she pushed her fingers through her hair, sweeping the majority of it to one side. At least I remembered to wear my N7 uniform. "It is always appropriate when I am on duty. It is shore leave right now. The crew has been working really hard and we just got back from Noveria. It has been a stressful time."

"But everything is going well, right?"

"So far so good… things just don't feel right, though. I have a bad feeling about what is to come."

"I understand. It isn't easy. Just remember your training, and try to stay safe. Maybe next time we are both on the Citadel, we can all meet up for lunch or dinner. I would like to meet your crew and it would be good to see John again." Jane could only nod as Hannah continued, "Has John changed his mind about the Alliance since he joined your crew?"

Jane could hear the hope in her mother's voice. And there is the topic for the second critique. "I don't think so, Mom. But if you wanted to know for sure, I suggest you contact him."

"I really wish he would have joined like you did. It would have been so nice to have both of you follow in our footsteps. Talk to him about it. See if you can get him to maybe change his mind. I am counting on you, he hardly listens to me."

Biting her lip a little, Jane averted her eyes from the screen, "Mom, I am not going to do that to John."

"Oh, honey…"

Fuck! What did I do now?

"You need to sit up a little straighter, hold eye contact and stop biting your lip! It makes people think you are unsure of yourself."

And I'm out… "Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I should probably get going in a little bit, and I am sure you need to get back. We'll message you soon."

"Alright, Jane. It was good talking to you. Keep what I said in mind. Talk to you soon, and happy birthday, again. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom." Jane terminated the link and leaned back in her chair. Hitting play again, she began spinning the pen through her fingers as she stared at the ceiling. Why does it always go that way? I am never the right kind of soldier she wants.

Tossing the pen on the table, she got up to change. She found her favorite pair of gray shorts that cut off at the top of her legs, showing off almost the entirety of them, and her slim cut black tank top, the straps slightly more than an inch wide. She tossed the clothes on her bed and went back to her desk to flick through her playlist. Before she could pick anything, she heard her omni-tool ping. "Joker? Is something wrong?"

"Um, no, not really. I just have someone up here requesting entry and we need approval for a few upgrades to the Normandy for you to sign off on."

"What? This late?"

"You know the Citadel never sleeps."

"Alright," she sighed, "I'll be up in a minute." She eyed her clothes on the bed and sighed; her relaxing evening would have to wait a few more minutes. Looking down at herself, she decided that it would be best to stay in uniform; it may be shore leave, but it wasn't for those outside of her crew. One of the many reasons she didn't like being in charge, you always had to be on call.

As she made her way to the cockpit, she found the pilot's chair empty. What the hell? Moving towards the airlock, she waited for the VI to clear her, exited and turned towards the right. She didn't see anyone there. "Son of a bitch…" she muttered just before she felt John's arms tighten around her. "John! You bastard! You promised!" she yelled as she felt him bind her hands.

"I know I did, but I couldn't pass up this chance. And they were so willing to help."

John threw her over his shoulder and started moving towards the elevator. "They? How many people did you tell?"

"Technically two, but one told the other two who volunteered on this adventure."

Jane tried to push herself up to see who else was with her. She knew Joker was in on it, though she couldn't see him, but she didn't see anyone else until she heard familiar footsteps approaching, "Garrus… I hope you kept your mandibles clamped on this."

He chuckled, "Yes, but still, I am sorry, Shepard."

She still couldn't right herself so she simply stared at the turian's feet. "Who else is here? Where are they lurking?"

"Tali, Liara and Joker are already went to Flux. It will be the six of us."

"Um, correct me if I am wrong, but… won't it look a little odd walking through the Citadel with a bound Alliance officer in tow?" Jane could feel them going down the elevator and exiting.

"Garrus and I still have some good connections in C-Sec. We're fine."

Jane sighed as they waited for the rapid transit, "Can I at least walk?"

"We all know that you will run if given the chance, so, no." John plopped her down in the back and Garrus sat next to her as John took the driver's seat.

"Wow, I am not even allowed to sit by myself. I must say, I am surprised Joker wasn't here for the abduction."

"He was fearful that you might flail and break his arm or leg in the struggle," Garrus answered her.

"Me? 'Flail'? I'm insulted."

Garrus looked down at her, she was surprisingly calm. From what John had told him, she despised celebrating her birthday, so why was she not putting up more of a fight? "Can I trust you?" he whispered to her.

"I don't know, can I trust you?" He chuckled and slipped a gloved talon in the knot to pull it loose. "Thanks big guy," she smiled at him.

"Just don't make me regret it. You know, I think John just wants to try to be closer to you. He's feeling a little left out since he feels that things are different between you two."

Jane leaned a little closer to him, "I know… I think he just wants to fall back into how we were before, but it isn't that simple."

"I understand," he nodded to her. John pulled up to their destination and Garrus got out, offering a hand to Jane. She took it and smoothed out her uniform as she stood.

"Damn it, turian! If she runs, you have to catch her."

They stood on either side of her, escorting her into the club. It was loud and a little crowded but they could see Tali waving at them from across the room.

"Shepard! I am so happy they got you to come! John said you might be busy! Happy birthday!" Tali said.

John pushed Jane towards the inside of the booth, pinning her in with Garrus on his other side. Jane looked over at her brother, "Busy, huh? I guess he didn't explain that I usually don't celebrate it."

"But it is such a common human tradition," Liara said quizzically. "Why wouldn't you want to take part in it?"

"Just another day for me… Um, how about we get a round of drinks?"

"First round is on me," John said as he called over a server. "A round of shots, please, four levo, two dextro."

"Make that two rounds," Joker added, "Second one is on me. See, Jane? It isn't so bad going out on your birthday. Free drinks!"

"Wish that I could have changed though. Would rather not flaunt that I am an Alliance officer and be throwing back drinks."

"You need to live, Shepard," Liara said. "Humans are a relatively short lived species."

"I don't know if I should compliment you on trying to get Jane to relax, or be insulted by the comparison," John laughed.

After three rounds and a few mixed drinks, Jane lounged in the corner as John and Joker shared stories about her. It wasn't that bad of an evening, but she was really hoping for a quieter time. But she kept her smile through everything.

"The first time Jane and I went out," Joker said, "there was some asshole talking trash about the work on the Normandy. Some bullshit about 'how could we ever work with a race like that' blah, blah, blah, no offense, Garrus. But Jane went up to him, and told him to watch his mouth before she made him pick it up off the floor. Instead of taking her warning, the guy said 'I'll watch my mouth when it is on you,' and smacked her ass!"

"Keelah! What did you do, Shepard!" Tali exclaimed, the alcohol was already taking its toll on her and she was becoming more animated and excited with every drink.

Joker laughed but mostly at John's expression, "I swear, you could feel the air get colder in that bar. That tool and his friends were laughing up a storm. There were a few other Alliance soldiers there, and watched in silence, because of course they knew who she was and then a few others chuckled awkwardly. But Jane whipped around so fast, that guy never knew what hit him! Jane clocked him right in the jaw, leaving the guy out cold and the entire room went dead. She barely even gave him a glance but looked at his friends and said 'Anyone else?' Oh my god! It was priceless!"

"Geeze, Jane…" John said while everyone kept laughing, "You got more violent while you were away."

She shrugged, "It comes and it goes. Gotta keep it in your back pocket for some situations."

"Do you have any good stories about Shepard, John?" Liara asked.

"Oh, I have plenty. None as violent, though." At their begging, he put his hands up, "Alright, let me think. Oh yeah! One of her favorite tricks was to program doors to open to a certain word or phrase. Locking people out of the bathroom or the living quarters were the most targeted places, and usually during times when there wasn't a lot of work. That way, she wouldn't get into too much trouble if she were cuaght. She also tried to sneak a varren pup onto our mom's ship! I swear, the devil himself would have been scared of our mom that day."

Jane simply shrugged, "I had to do something to amuse myself... So, is there a special word for me to get out of this booth so I can go to the bathroom?"

"I'll go with you, Shepard," Tali offered, giving a small nod to John; a movement that didn't go unnoticed to Jane.

The girls got up and began to move through the crowd. Flux was unusually densely packed tonight, much to Jane's benefit. For a while, she held onto Tali's hand, checking behind herself and smiling at the quarian. But her opportunity was knocking, a gap in a group moving by that would surely separate them. Jane pushed forward and just as she had estimated, a salarian bumped into them and several others from his group blocked Tali's sight.

Garrus watched them leave, Jane was being too compliant. She was up to something. "I'll get the next round," he offered and stood before anyone could change their drink orders. He moved across the bar but then detoured towards the exit.

Jane felt bad about ditching her, but it really was her only chance. She had given in, enjoyed their banter, but now she wanted to spend her evening how she wanted. She would tell them thanks later.

Keeping her head down, she avoided eye contact with anyone around her. She bumped into a few people on her way out but there were too many to keep track of. Once the doors shut behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief and made her way over to an elevator. Running her hand through her hair, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She never even noticed the familiar turian standing next to her. A chime sounded its arrival and when the doors opened, she felt her neighbor push past her, "Hey!" she shouted and looked up at him. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Shit."

Garrus saw her take a step back but he reached out and took her wrist, pulling her into the elevator and pushed the button to take them up. "I'll give you this, you were a good sport about it."

"You weren't fooled. Does this mean you don't trust me now?"

"I still trust you. I knew that you would make the right decision and hang out the appropriate time before making a retreat."

"Hmm, I am that predictable, huh?"

"No. But it's what I would do."

"So… now what?"

"You can pick up on where your evening left off. I say do what you want." They came to their floor and the doors opened. Garrus motioned towards the exit.

"Wow, thanks for taking my side, Garrus." They both exited the elevator and stared at each other.

He took a deep breath and resolved to ask, "Would you like some company?" Jane paused and looked up at him, confused. "I know you were probably just planning on spending it alone, but if you would like some company…" he let his voice trail off, unsure how he was beginning to sound and hoping that she would take him up on the offer.

Jane bit her lip as she studied the turian. She knew she shouldn't, but she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to spend time with him. "I don't know if you would really enjoy what I had planned. I was just going to watch a movie."

"What movie?"

"Something from a very, very long time ago. My favorite. My grandmother and I would watch it together. And it is a girly movie, a musical."

The information flashed up on his visor, he still didn't quite understand what a 'musical' really was, "I have never seen that type of movie before. I don't want to interrupt what you had planned, so I think I can put up with something 'girly'."

"At least that way you can practice your tolerance for cruel and unusual punishment," they laughed.

It wasn't until they were back on the Normandy when they spoke again, "So why do you hate birthdays?" Garrus asked.

She gave a shrug, "After I joined the Alliance, I never really liked them anymore. It just means that another year has passed in a life that I didn't want. So, I prefer to spend my time relaxing, remembering and imagining myself as something different. Just my stupid way to deal," she blushed. They arrived at her quarters, and she looked up at him, "Last chance to leave now. You could go back and join everyone else."

Their omni-tools both pinged at the same time, and both with the same message from John, What the hell? You guys bailed on us? And, Garrus, you were supposed to help us keep her here!

They both looked at each other but Garrus was the first to respond and Jane peeked over his arm to see what he was typing, Jane was feeling a little sick. Figured I should take her back. She says she had a good time, though. "Hope I didn't make any incorrect assumptions."

"Sounds good to me," she smiled up at him.

Moving into the room, Garrus took a seat at the table, "I'm just going to change. I really don't feel like hanging out in my uniform." He nodded to her and she went over to her bed. Fuck… this would be the night I have everything washed. I thought I was going to be alone! Now what am I going to do? Well, I sure as hell am not going to wear this uniform… ugh… shit. Jane tried to walk as calmly as she could to the bathroom and started to change. Setting her uniform aside, she threw her shorts on and pulled the tank top down. God, this looks inappropriate… she realized looking down at herself. The shorts cut off very high up on her thighs and the tank top hugged her curves, but they were the comfiest pieces of clothing she had, the oldest and her favorite.

Taking a deep breath, she ran her fingers through her hair trying to tousle it up and make it look a little better while sighing on her exhale. What the fuck are you doing, Jane? Her hands stopped at the back of her skull as she stared at herself in the mirror. This is crazy. Stop thinking like this… He is John's friend for Christ's sakes! Damn it, this is frustrating. She groaned one more time, "Son of a bitch…"

Garrus cocked his head towards the bathroom. He had only heard faint movements from inside but when she sighed, groaned and cursed, it peeked his attention. She stepped out of the bathroom with a faint blush on her face and it took every ounce of willpower not to stare at her body; there was just so much skin showing. The shorts weren't leaving much to the imagination, and he was now able to see three more tattoos (and what looked like half of a fourth); he couldn't stop his mind from wondering if he would get to see the entirety of all of them.

"Sorry," Jane apologized and looked down, crossing an arm in front of herself and holding her elbow. "As I said before, I wasn't expecting company and tonight happened to be the night everything is out to be cleaned… I tend to wait until the last moment before I run out of clothes, that way I don't feel so guilty wearing these."

Clamping his mandibles down a little tighter, Garrus managed to answer, "No worries. I said that I wouldn't interrupt your plans."

Jane rolled her eyes, sat down at the table and set up the small projector. Syncing her omni-tool, she selected the movie and it began to play.

Turning to the movie, he was a little confused at the images, "Animal-driven carts? How long ago was this?"

"Well, it is a depiction of the mid 1800's. So about three hundred years ago."

He simply nodded and continued to watch. It was an odd concept, but he held his tongue for now. If it was her favorite, he didn't want to disturb her too much and he knew he would probably have questions later. The first song started. The idea of a 'musical' was a little confusing to him but Jane seemed to be really enjoying it; her expression was soft, with a small smile and a light in her eyes he hadn't seen before.

"Wait a second, they married the same day they met? Only a few hours after? That doesn't make any sense."

Jane smiled over at him, "It's a love story, Garrus. And though a day would be unusual, when people were settling western North America, when men and women courted, it sometimes didn't last long." She readjusted in her chair and leaned on her elbow.

By the time the next song started, Jane had shifted positions again. She was quiet when she adjusted again, but the movement wasn't lost on Garrus, "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, I have always been a little uncomfortable in chairs. Another reason to get a couch in here."

"Do you want to sit somewhere else?"

"Well, if I move, you would have to move with me, otherwise one of us wouldn't have a good view of the film."

"I said I wasn't going to disrupt your evening. Go where you were going to be."

"Erm…" Jane laughed awkwardly, "I was going to stretch out on my bed."

"Oh…"

"If you think about it, it's kind of like a lounge. But, you know, don't feel compelled or anything. I know it is a little awkward. But it is a bigger bed, so I guess it could fit your fat turian ass."

"Fat jokes now?" he chuckled. Picking up the mini projector, he tossed it to her and got up. She smiled at him, moved to her bed, set the projector up and stretched out, giving him her extra pillow. "Thanks," he said accepting the pillow and propping himself up to accommodate his fringe.

They continued to watch the movie but it was a little hard to focus when he could feel the heat coming off of her skin. The few times she propped her legs up, Garrus had the urge to run his hands along them to see if they were as soft and smooth as they looked. The movie was interesting and was very different from anything he had seen before, but he was finding more enjoyment at watching Jane's expressions: joy, sadness, amusement, wistfulness, she was even moving her lips along with some of the songs.

Jane was so enraptured with the images, she didn't even notice the looks and the smiles from Garrus. It was getting close to the end of the movie and she could feel the same fracture in her heart start to appear. She fought to control her emotions, but it was too ingrained in her, she hoped that Garrus wouldn't notice.

He heard the deeper breaths coming from his side and looked over at Jane. He could tell that she was fighting to hide it, but he saw the sorrow plaguing her. Looking back at the screen, he paid attention to the conversation and wondered what was making her feel this way. It wasn't a sad point in the movie, everything was coming together and it looked like they would all live on in happiness.

The movie ended and Jane sat up, curling her knees to her chest and smiled at Garrus. "So, what did you think?"

"Well, I would never say anything bad about it, because I know you have a violent streak in you," he chuckled, "It was different, in a good way. I didn't quite understand why everyone was bursting into song and everyone seemed to know how to dance proficiently," he grinned.

"Ugh!" she rolled her eyes. "Because it is a musical. You have to just go along with it. Don't try to analyze it and make it fit into the real world. Thanks for hanging out with me, though."

"Anytime. But, can I ask something?" she quirked up an eyebrow, "Again, I know. Are you okay? You seemed a little upset towards the end of the movie even when everything seemed perfect."

"Ah, shit. I was hoping you wouldn't notice…" she twisted the corner of her mouth in thought, "Let's just say that things were simpler then."

"Does it have anything to do with the infant?"

"You are too aware for your own good, big guy," she chuckled. "I guess, I… well, sort of wish I could have that as an option in my life."

"Can you not… um…"

Jane laughed a little, "Oh, I don't know. I assume I can, no reason to suspect otherwise. But, once my biotics showed up, I kind of wrote that out of my life. There is too much risk of passing the biotics on. I don't know what it is like for turians, but with humans, biotics are prized but also feared, too many 'what ifs' for an individual to have that kind of power and little to no training and who knows how responsible they will be."

"I understand what you mean. It is pretty similar with turians as well. Very unique." Turning to the edge of the bed, he looked over his shoulder at her, "Well, I guess I should leave you be. Thanks for letting me stay."

"Garrus," she whispered as he stood, "You don't have to go if you don't want to. And… I think you owe me a few answers, as well. Here I have been confessing everything to you and you have hardly shared anything."

"Heh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I do owe you a few questions. Though, I think I need a drink for that. I may have a bottle or two stored away, I'll just grab that and be back."

"Don't bail on me. I know where you sleep."

"I'll come back," he laughed. What am I doing? he thought the entire trek to retrieve the bottles. I shouldn't go back up there. I don't know what is coming over me. We are friends. Simple as that. Why can't I get her out of my head? Garrus could feel himself beginning to care for her more than he should, but he couldn't back away.

Entering the room again, he found Jane sitting on the bed, facing the side he had been laying on. There were two glasses in her hands, one already filled with her drink. Holding the empty glass up to him, he took it and sat down on the other side, facing her. "How about we make a game out of this?" she grinned.

"A game? How so?"

"I guess something about you, if I am wrong, I drink, but if I am right, you drink. You can ask questions too."

"Let's do this."

The questions started off innocent enough, life in the military, their training, their preferences and each were drinking about the same amount. With the assistance of the alcohol, they eventually went into more personal questions.

Jane finished her drink and poured another one, "Hmm…" she studied the turian before her. "You have daddy issues. He wants you to follow in his footsteps and though you want to, you know you can't."

Garrus smirked at her and drank, "Yes. He is the kind to 'do things right or don't do them at all. He despises the Spectres. He hates the idea of having unlimited power with no accountability. He wouldn't like you, no offense."

Jane gave a half shrug, "I understand. And he is right in some ways. I mean, look at Saren."

"Exactly. He is taking my resignation from C-Sec pretty hard. I have been ignoring some of his messages, which has only caused the other members of my family to try to contact me. We usually don't talk but once every couple of months, so don't I feel thought of now that it is about once a week."

"Well, if you ever want someone to talk to, I am here."

"Thanks, Jane, but I'll be fine." He studied the human before him and stretched out, holding himself up on one elbow. "You have mommy issues."

"No fair! You already knew about that!"

"You didn't say anything was off limits."

"Cheater." She took a drink. "I guess it is similar to you in a way. I don't feel like I can live up to the expectation my mother wants since I don't want to be 'Commander Shepard'. And though I have made Spectre status, I am not the exact definition of what she thinks I should be. I should always, always be on mark and 'commander-presentable'. And if I do ever marry and have children, it should be someone from a respectable military family, and preferably a husband with biotics. My guess is so that I can be more than just a poster child supporting the Alliance, but a poster family. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know she wants what is best for me, but I don't think she realizes what I really want."

"I get that. My father wants me to climb the ranks in C-Sec, like he did, and mate with a good military family."

"Yeah…" she got a little quieter, "Okay, lighter topic…" Jane said. They were both quiet for a little while and then Jane reached over and grabbed Garrus's drink. Before he could ask what she was doing, she downed the rest of it and placed it back in his hand. She coughed and looked at him with her eyebrow quirked up, "Holy shit!" she coughed again, "What the hell is that?"

"Well, Commander, if you can't even handle that I don't think you are going to fair well against Wrex."

"I just didn't realize how strong that was. You make it look like you are just drinking water," clearing her throat she grabbed his bottle and poured it in each of their cups. "I can take whatever you can deal me, Vakarian," she winked.

"Be careful what you wish for, Shepard."

Waggling her finger at his visor, she asked, "What does that thing do?"

"Aren't you supposed to guess?"

"I am through with guessing. I am just going to drink now," she grinned. "Now come on, hand it over," she put her hand out but Garrus made no movement. "What? Don't you ever take it off?"

"Nope."

"Hand it over!" Jane moved forward but Garrus pushed her back. Narrowing her eyes at him she crossed her arms over her chest, "I will see that thing even if I have to pin you down and yank it from your turian skull."

"I would like to see you try."

Jane put her glass down, and Garrus followed her example. She studied him for a moment then leapt forward but Garrus grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm across her torso to block her approach, "Honestly, Commander, you have to do better than that. I thought you had sparred before?"

She grinned at him and with her already captured hand, grabbed his, holding it in place. He didn't even have time to quirk a brow plate up in question before she brought her leg up between them and captured his forearm behind her knee. He struggled to hold onto her wrist but she now had enough leverage to rip it from his grasp, taking his glove along with it. Ignoring the skin to skin contact, he blocked her next attack with his free hand but she came at him again causing him to fall onto his back.

"Damn it, Garrus! Give it to me!"

He chuckled at her frustration and deflected her hands as long as he could but when she managed to get a grip on his free hand, he knew he was finished. Taking her other leg, she pinned his wrist behind her knee like the first. Garrus sighed in his defeat and looked up at Jane who was now sitting low on his chest, pinning him down.

"Yes!" she yelled as she took his visor off his face, "Honestly, Vakarian, I thought you had sparred before."

He chuckled and shook his head, "I underestimated your flexibility. It won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't," she laughed. Holding it up to her eye she frowned, "Ugh, of course it is in turian, I can't read it. But let's see… looks like, heart rates? What else does it do?"

"Basically it reads the environment. Temperatures, heart rates, number of individuals in the room and how many are within a certain radius. During battle it also gives kill counts, what weapon types are in the room, trajectories, speeds, and unforeseeable dangers I could overlook. Outside of battle I can pull up information on topics I am not well versed in."

"Wow," Jane whispered. "Maybe I should get one of these…" she turned it over in her hands, admiring it.

"If you do, I can always program it for you."

"I may just take you up on that."

They fell silent and Garrus was suddenly much more aware of the position they were in. It was getting awkward, in more than one way. His hands were still trapped in her legs, and now he realized the texture of her skin was exactly as he thought, if not, better. Clearing his throat, he tried to stay calm, "Can I have that back now?"

"Hmm," she held it up, "I don't think so. You look so different without your visor. Maybe I should keep this so you can't hide behind it. See if you are still as good without it."

An idea occurred to him. "I can assure you, I am."

Jane could feel his three fingers trace down the outside of her thighs, one gloved, the other, his bare talons. The texture of his hand sent chills through her and she was fighting to keep her wits about her. Right now, she was very thankful that she held his visor, who knew what he could devise if he had it. Looking down at the striking turian, she bit her lip, still trying to keep her attention in the right place, but it was fading quickly. What was coming over her? This isn't how she should be acting with her teammate, her brother's friend, her friend. Feeling his hands wrap around her legs, she lost her concentration.

Garrus saw her eyes dart down to his hands and he made his move. Holding her legs, he lifted her up and pinned her on her back. Her legs kicked out with her change in orientation while trying to balance herself, and releasing Garrus's hands in the process. He pinned her down with his chest and wrapped his three fingers around both of her wrists. Her mouth was slightly agape with shock but her eyes alight with a smile. Smirking down at her, he said, "Your sparring is a little rusty, Jane. You should know better than to let your guard down." With his free hand, he plucked his visor from her hand.

Jane tried to keep her breathing steady, but it was becoming more and more difficult. She could feel a warmth flood through her, but she chalked it up to the alcohol. "You're right, Vakarian. I don't know where my head was."

Letting go of her hands, he hovered over her, fighting with his own feelings but sat up and offered his hand to her as well. She took his assistance and when he tried to retract it from her grasp, she held onto it and he found her inspecting his hand.

"I don't think I have ever seen you without your gloves on."

Garrus kept his hand still, allowing her to linger, "I don't usually take them off unless I am sleeping or showering. To my understanding, it makes some people, especially humans, feel uncomfortable. I assume it is the talons."

Jane placed her hands on his gloved hand and looked up for permission. When he gave it, she removed the glove and ran her finger along the tip of his thumb, "But you keep them blunted."

"Only slightly. If I need to engage in hand-to-hand combat in a life or death situation, it wouldn't be wise to have them whittled down to nothing but rounded ends."

Jane chuckled and released his hand, "Well, for the record, they don't make me uncomfortable."

Picking up their drinks, he handed hers back to her and gulped the rest of his and reattached his visor. "So, should I go or are you feeling tired yet?" She cocked her head to the side with a chuckle causing her shoulders to shake from restraining it. "Shit, I need to watch what I say."

"I am starting to think that you are doing it on purpose," Jane downed her drink and peeked over at Garrus. She was torn. She knew she should let him go, but she didn't want him leave. Tonight was the first time in a long time that she felt relaxed and happy. "I'll leave it up to you, Garrus."

Lifting his arm, he typed away on his omni-tool to set up a link. Stretching out again, he patted the other side of the bed as the projector came to life. "Another movie couldn't hurt."

"Heh," she plopped next to him, "sounds good to me. What is playing?"

"Supposed to be a comedy. John sent it to me."

"Lord… who knows if this will be good or bad. John doesn't have the best taste in movies."

They grew silent as the film played. Garrus estimated that they were barely a third of the way through when he first started feeling tired. He chanced a look over at Jane to find her fighting with her eyes to stay open.

"You staying with me, Shepard?" he nudged her leg with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "just doing some eyelid strengthening. You know," she fought off a yawn, "gotta keep them in tip-top shape."

"I should go," Garrus whispered.

"No, please, I'll be fine. See? I am already more awake," she smiled at him but he could see how tired she was.

He thought about arguing, but what was the point with her? So, he only nodded. It had only been ten minutes later but sleep was really pulling on him now. Looking over, he had decided to say his goodbyes only to find Jane turned on her side facing him, asleep. Ever so gently, he tried to roll out of the bed but was stopped when he felt her hand grab hold of his.

"Stay?" she said sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes.

"Jane, I should really go."

"Please?"

"Okay, five minutes," he said while lying back down.

She groaned an agreement with a small smile on her lips.

Garrus turned on his side to face her, Five minutes couldn't hurt. He watched her snuggle into her pillow, her breathing steady once more. Her hand was still loosely wrapped around his, and he held onto it tighter. Taking his free hand, he pushed some of her fringe back that had obscured some of her face. He still couldn't get over the texture of it, so different, so foreign, yet strangely pleasant. Shit, what have you gotten yourself into, Vakarian? You're stupid, you know that? Just plain stupid.

He wouldn't even allow himself to think the words, but he knew what was happening. He was falling for her, fast.

I know that some of you may hate me for Hannah Shepard's portrayal in this... but it is what works with the story of Jane not wanting to be in the Alliance. She does love her children, she just wishes they made the choices she had hoped for them (I am sure some of us may be able to relate to that).

Thank you Katschaba for reminding me! The musical they are watching is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.