Hello! Thank you to everyone still taking an interest in Familial Ties! I can't express what it means to have so much support and I love all of you reading/following/favoriting and reviewing! I have to say, I am so relieved to be able to get this chapter out on time. I had my three month review at work this week and put in a few extra hours, so I was worried that I wouldn't get it done in time! I want to give a special thanks to Jawaswag Jenkins for being a mind-reader and being the first to take the time to suggest bits for the story and let me bounce ideas off of; even if we have been getting side-tracked with a lot of ME2 stuff! Now, I will keep this brief, so again, a big thank you to everyone. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

Garrus could feel himself waking up, but he kept fighting it. He felt very rested, but he was just so comfortable. Without opening his eyes, he tried to figure out why this morning was so much better than any other he had spent while on the Normandy. For starters, he was much warmer and the heat was coming from in front of him. Something very smooth, silky even, was lying next to his face. He moved to burrow into it and found a different texture before him, it was soft yet tough beneath the layers. There was also a very pleasant scent registering with him, it was foreign yet familiar at the same time. He leaned his head against the soft form and nuzzled against it letting out a soft purr as his arm pulled the object before him closer to himself. His purr began to develop into a low growl as he felt the urge to bite into the object he was so affectionately nuzzling.

Maybe it was just a dream, a very nice one. Why would he feel the desire to bite? To mark? Something was prodding at the back of his mind, telling him to wake up completely. But he didn't want to wake up, this was such a nice moment, even if it wasn't real. Just one nip, just to see what else might make this morning better. He growled a little louder as he pressed his face into the soft skin and bared his teeth slightly. Then he heard a sigh that wasn't his.

A sigh? Skin?

Garrus's eyes snapped open. He was staring down at her pale skin and he realized that he had been nuzzling into the base of her neck. It still took a few seconds for everything to sink in. The smooth texture against his face was her hair, spread out across her pillow. She was facing away from him but her body was still pressed tightly against him and his arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her there. Jane's arm rested on top of his, her five fingers threaded through his three.

There was a faint moment when Garrus wanted nothing but to lay his head back down against her and go back to sleep, but he knew he shouldn't. How did he get into this situation? And how would he get out? He began to inch his way back from her and had almost made it to the edge of the bed but realized he still needed to deal with untangling their hands.

A small whimper escaped her as part of his hand came free and she turned on her back as her eyes opened. Jane looked up at the turian and everything came rushing back to her. She released his hand and jumped away from him, "Oh my god! Garrus! Shit! I am so sorry!" She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Garrus," she rested her head against her knees, "really, I am sorry. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her, uncomfortable was probably the last thing he was feeling, well, in the way she meant it. "I stayed on my own accord, you didn't force me to," he peeked at her clock and laughed, "And I don't think comfort was an issue, I don't think I have ever slept this late before."

Jane looked behind herself at the clock, after 0900, "Whoa… I don't think I have since before my biotics." She looked at him again, "Still, I am sorry."

"It's fine. But I should probably go before too many people notice. And, um, I hope this won't make things awkward between us."

"No, of course not. Still friends, still professional," Jane's face fell a little when she finished but she kept a small smile on her face. She watched him get up and put his gloves back on, but she called out just before he reached the door, "Thanks for hanging out with me, Garrus. It was actually a pretty good birthday."

Garrus flared his mandibles in a sheepish grin, "It was my pleasure, Jane."

"So, now that you know my birthday, I get to know yours, right?"

"Heh," Garrus smirked at her, "Nope," and walked out of the door.

This is stupid, Jane. How can you let yourself think of him in that way? He isn't interested. You are human, he is turian. It could never work. She had already lost track of how many times she had told herself those things, but it was getting harder and harder to deny it. She flopped over and buried her face in her pillow, she was falling for him.

In the second it took for the door to open, Garrus had decided to move as quickly as he could to get dressed in his armor. Maybe, that would help focus his thoughts and shore leave was almost up, not enough time to go out and do anything. Before he could get two steps towards his destination, he heard someone clearing their throat sitting at the mess table.

Spirits… Joker…

"Well, hello there," Joker grinned.

Garrus looked around and saw that they were alone, he couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. "Joker," he nodded and tried to keep moving.

"You know, that outfit looks awfully familiar… almost, as if you wore it yesterday. But wait," Joker drummed his fingers on his chin feigning thought, "that would mean, that you weren't able to change clothes from last night. Did your laundry travel to Narnia when they were washed? Is that the last thing you have to wear? No, no… that can't be right." At Garrus's silence, Joker burst out into laughter, throwing his head back, "Ah! The walk of shame, it is very different seeing a turian do it."

"No, it's not like that."

"Sure, sure, at least one of you had the nerves to finally act on it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing… But come on, leaving Jane's quarters in the morning? A little odd. Not to mention what I heard last night."

Garrus narrowed his eyes at the man, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, after getting back with everyone, Liara went to sleep, John and Tali chatted for a while and I came here to get some water, you know, didn't want a hangover. And what do I hear? Our fearless leader yelling 'Give it to me Garrus! Don't stop!'" Joker said in a high pitched voice and then commenced to make his version of feminine moans and gasps.

"Stop it!" Garrus hissed. "There was none of that and she didn't say 'don't stop'."

Joker's eyes got big and he pointed a finger at Garrus, "Ah! But she did say 'give it to me, Garrus'!"

Spirits… "Yes, but it wasn't in that context," he sputtered. "She was trying to steal my visor."

Joker held up a hand and shook his head smiling, "Look, Garrus, I don't care what you guys do. I have been trying to get her to lighten up since I first met her, and besides the one time I got her drunk, I haven't been successful. But, there has been a huge change in her within the last week or two. You probably already realize this, but, if you do 'relieve some stress' with her, it's your head, you know how John is about protecting his baby sister."

Garrus wanted to protest, to say that he hadn't thought of her like that, but the words wouldn't come. They sat motionless and silent until they heard the elevator doors open and John walked around the corner.

"Hey, guys. Enjoying the last moments of shore leave?" John smiled and tapped his knuckles on the table top.

"Yup," Joker answered, "Some of us more than others…"

"Heh, I'm sure that's true," John said and Garrus felt his chest tighten, "I know most of the crew isn't back yet, but they still have a few hours." The turian began to breathe normally. "So, Garrus, I won't dance around it… What the hell?"

Garrus paused again. How did he know? Confess now. Say you are sorry. Apologize profusely. No, wait, I didn't do anything wrong. Maybe he doesn't know. "Hmm?"

"Last night. What were you thinking?"

Spirits, he does know? "John, could you be a little clearer?"

"What else would it be? You let Jane leave!"

It took everything Garrus had not to let out a sigh of relief, "She wasn't feeling well. It seemed like the best idea to escort her back."

John rubbed the back of his neck, "Ugh! You thick-headed turian! She was faking it! Don't you see? Wow, her charm just seems to work on everyone. You were supposed to help keep her there."

Garrus and Joker chuckled. "Sorry, John, I could have sworn she wasn't feeling well," Garrus reclined back in the chair. "She didn't try to run earlier, that must have proven that she was willing to be out, right?"

"Oh, don't take her side! She has everyone on this ship fooled." John shook his head and sighed, "Oh well… at least she came out for a little while… Wiat, Garrus, didn't you wear that yesterday?"

He stopped breathing again.

"You know, I asked him the same thing," Joker smiled at Garrus. For a moment, he feared for what was going to happen; Joker would try to tease him about it and John would take it seriously and jump to conclusions. "Turns out, he just owns a few of each outfit. That way he doesn't have to worry about matching too many things."

Spirits, thank you Joker for not being yourself for once, Garrus thought.

"Hmm," John nodded, "Guess that isn't a bad idea. Do you guys know if Jane is in? I need to see about this 'sick' story."

Joker smirked at Garrus and returned his attention to the other Shepard, "You know, I am not sure… Garrus? Do you know?"

"I believe she is still in her room," the turian said in a steady voice.

John clapped a hand on Garrus's shoulder, "Thanks, man. I'll see you guys later." He walked away from the table and entered Jane's quarters and realized right away that she was there. Her music was playing and she was singing along.

"I'm in like with you, not in love with you quite yet,

My heart's beginning to, slightly overrule my head,

Oh no, oh no, my self-control, it won't hold up for very long,

Oh no, oh no, you touch my soul, I can't help falling too fast for you,"

John sat down at her desk and propped his boots up, "Is the song about anyone in particular?" John smirked at his boots thinking of what her expression might be.

"Shut the hell up, John!" she yelled after a few moments of pause. A few more minutes and the shower turned off, "Can you bring me my clothes? The uniform is laid out."

After fetching her clothes for her, he went back to his previous position to wait for her. He threaded his fingers together and cradled his head as he leaned back in the chair with his feet up. John had almost started to zone out when his feet were pushed off the edge and he came flying forward. "Give a guy some warning next time." He spun around to face his sister as she sat down at the table and began brushing her hair, "So… you were sick last night?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "I am sorry about that. I think it was a combination between bad food, alcohol and lack of sleep. Garrus caught up with me on my way out. He was going to drag me back to the table but saw that I wasn't feeling so great and helped me back here."

"Really?" John raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Did you see Chakwas?"

"Didn't even make it that far, passed out right on the bed."

"You 'didn't make it that far'? It is the same distance from the stairs to your room as it is to the med-bay."

"I know, I wanted to change first, and then I just didn't get that far. But it seems that I just needed sleep. I hadn't been getting much lately but I feel a lot better now."

"Uh, huh…"

Jane shifted in the seat, hoping he was buying her excuse. She realized that she and Garrus never came up with a coherent story. "So, I thought you would still be out enjoying shore leave."

"I thought so too, but then I realized I haven't been trying hard enough to be your brother."

"John," she sighed, "you are always my brother."

"You know what I mean. Jane, come on, we used to share everything. Now, I can barely read you. I know that you are hiding something from me," she stiffened, "but I can't tell if it is something about the mission or something more personal. What's going on with you, Jane?"

"John…" she lowered her head and dropped her hands in her lap.

"Come on, where is my little sis?"

Jane huffed out a laugh and looked up at him, "I am not a little girl anymore."

"Maybe not, but you always will be in my mind. What's going on with you?"

"John, things have changed. My life is on the line every time I go planet-side. Hell, the Normandy could be attacked at any moment. I really don't have time to relax. That Prothean beacon should have killed me, but now our entire galaxy is at risk and no one believes me. But, I still have to hold my composure in front of everyone. Do you know what kind of stress that puts on me?" Jane took a deep breath, folded her arms on the table and rested her head against them. "Things are going to get worse, John. I didn't… don't want you to worry."

"Hey, I am your brother," he reached out and squeezed her fingers, "You can't deal with all of this yourself, who else would put up with you?"

She turned her head to look at him, "I am sure I could find someone."

"Oh yeah?" John sighed and leaned back releasing her hand, "Who? That Alenko fellow?

"Kaidan?" she sat up, "John, he and I are just friends. And I wouldn't share things like that with him, I am his commanding officer. Besides, do you know how much Mom would berate me if she heard that I was showing weakness in front of my crew?"

"So… what you are saying is that there is nothing between you and him?" At her eye-roll, he laughed, "Phew! Man, you had me nervous for a little bit there!"

"That really bothered you, didn't it?" Jane watched him try to shrug it off, "How long have you been wondering?"

He let out an awkward chuckle, "The first day Garrus and I joined you."

"Wow… and you didn't have the balls to ask me but sent Garrus in your place?"

"Wait… so he did ask you? And he didn't tell me?! That damned, scaly bastard!" He laughed again and shook his head, "Well, at least I know now. Had me worried there about your virtue."

"Oh, come on, John… You aren't still trying to fool yourself into thinking that I am still a – "

"AH! LALALALALA!" John sang, drowning out her words. Jane shook her head at him but shut her mouth, "So, did Mom call you yesterday?"

"You know she did."

"What did she have to say?"

"Same stuff, and she was wondering if you were rethinking about joining the Alliance," Jane only smiled as she watched him roll his eyes. "I know. What about you, John? How are things? I know it must be a little rough being on a ship again."

"Please! Apparently it is in our blood, I can take it! You do have a really good group here, Jane. You don't have to have it together at every point of every day."

"I'm really okay, John. But thanks for your concern."

"Alright," he patted the back of her hand. "Now please, stop keeping me in the dark."

"I'll talk to you, John, but we aren't kids anymore. Some things I would just like to keep to myself."

He sighed as he stood and looked at her, "Okay, well, I better let you go. Not much time left before we ship out." At the door, John turned and smiled at her, "Oh, and could you stop stealing my friends from me? Garrus is like a brother to me. And if you don't, I'll have to steal Joker from you," he laughed.

Jane shrugged, "I don't think you could steal Joker. It's not my fault they like my girly parts."

John shut his eyes and quickly shook his head back and forth. "Ugh! Didn't need to hear that!" he groaned. "Look, no dating until you are forty… No! Fifty!"

Jane rolled her eyes at him, "Love you, brother."

"Love ya, sis."

Kaidan leaned back against the console and watched Jane leave her quarters at 1100 hours. There was still an hour left of shore leave but he knew that her job was never done. Maybe she was right, they should just be friends. At least, if they were friends, he could still be close to her, get to know her. He had decided: he would back off.

He heard the elevator doors shut, taking Jane down to the cargo hold. Kaidan moved away from the console and headed up the stairs. He noticed that most people were back and some were already manning their posts. To have everyone show up from shore leave early and back to their positions showed how much they respected Jane. They would all stand behind her if she asked. Kaidan knew that even he would stand behind her, through thick and thin, no matter what.

He hadn't even paid attention to where he was going, but he soon found himself in the cockpit with Joker. "Hey, Joker, mind if I take a seat?"

"Go ahead, Alenko. Though, I won't need much help with navigation until we get closer to wherever Jane wants us to set down."

"Just figured I would hang out with you up here. How was your shore leave?"

"It was good, yours?"

"Despite having a killer migraine yesterday, not too bad. Flux was fun, right?"

"Oh yeah, really good for us all to get out, relax together. But, now things are going to get really real, really fast."

Kaidan nodded, "I think we can handle it. You think so too, right?"

"Do you really mean 'Shepard can handle it'?" Joker tested.

"I mean all of us," Kaidan said indignantly.

Joker laughed at the lieutenant, "Yeah, I think we can handle anything that comes at us, as long as we have Shepard."

"What about me?" Jane's voice sounded from behind them and they both turned to look at her. "Oh, hello, Kaidan, didn't see you sitting there." Jane gave him a small grin.

"Oh, you know…" Joker started, "Just saying that the universe isn't able to function without you. A conversation that we had before, if I remember correctly."

"Flatterer," Jane laughed. "Do we have a head count yet?"

"Yeah, Pressley has the exact count but I think we are only missing a few more. So, at 1200, where to, Commander?"

"We have a few minor assignments to take care of, after that we will see. I'll send up the first set of coordinates when we get everyone aboard."

"Alright."

"So, how was your shore leave, Shepard?" Kaidan smiled up at her. "I hope you had a chance to have fun."

"I did, thank you. Always nice to be able to relax, recharge, so to speak."

"I understand that," Kaidan chuckled. He nodded to her and leaned back in the chair, half turning away from her.

"See you around, guys," Jane said and began to walk away. That was different. Kaidan acted more as a friend. Things weren't as awkward. Good, she sighed her relief.

She walked towards the CIC and met up with XO Pressley, who gave her the list of names of those still unaccounted for. Thanking him she began to make her way towards her cabin to start planning the upcoming missions. "Oh and Commander," Pressley called out. "I just got confirmation that the shipments you ordered are on their way. Should be arriving in the next half hour or so."

Jane smiled to herself, "Thank you, Pressley."

"So, I have a surprise for you two," Jane continued put her cleaned weapons down on the table and leaned her back against it, crossing her arms over her chest.

Garrus and Tali shared a look with each other then looked back at Jane. "And what might that be, Shepard?" the turian asked.

"Ooh!" Tali exclaimed, "Let me guess, hmm… let's see, you already gave Garrus a new gun, does that mean I get one, too? No… wait… you just mentioned both of us, so what would that leave Garrus?"

Jane lowered her voice and narrowed her eyes at Garrus, "You told her that I was the one that gave you the gun."

"Oh, please, Shepard," Tali waved her hand, "Give me more credit than that. Most of us know what that gun is. It is expensive and rare, and you are really the only one who could easily get your hands on one." She chuckled at Jane's nod and knew that she was now realizing how silly it seemed that others wouldn't figure it out. "So, what is the surprise?"

"It's not much, but I got you some better rations."

"Keelah! Yes!" Tali exclaimed and Garrus laughed at her. "Thank you so much, Shepard. I have to say, only having two dextros on board, we seem to get forgotten and the food is mediocre at best."

"Well, I didn't really know what I was shopping for, so I hope I got some good things for you. I know I paid more money," she chuckled.

"Ah! I can't wait. Garrus, I will make us something tonight!" she clapped her hands together, put her guns away and headed to the mess.

"That was very nice of you, Jane," Garrus said, taking extra time to clean his rifle.

"Please, it was nothing," she shrugged off his comment.

"It isn't nothing. You spend your money and your time helping others. You really put forth the effort to help everyone. You helped me with Dr. Saleon, Tali with her information, and Wrex with his father's armor. What about you? Don't you have needs?"

She shrugged, "I am kind of used to not getting any help… Someday… who knows when, but I'll get my chance. I hope."

Garrus nodded in understanding, "See you in the mess for dinner?"

"Sure," she smiled again. "I want to make sure the food I got you is good." Jane switched to her shotgun and attached the new modification. "Well, good to see you are taking care of the gun I got you."

"Are you kidding, Shepard? I wouldn't dream of not taking care of this."

"I have to admit, I didn't think you could get more impressive, Vakarian. But don't let it get to your head, I don't know if your neck could support much more weight."

"Heh, I'll try, Shepard."

"See you later," she waved to him.

Garrus nodded and finished up working on is rifle. As soon as he put away his guns, he went back over to the Mako; maybe he could get a little work in before dinner.

"Garrus!" John called and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "How's it going?" he leaned against the vehicle and crossed his arms.

"Same old, same old. What did you do while we were gone?"

"Hung out with Joker, snooped around, the usual."

"Find out anything interesting?" Garrus turned to his console.

"That is for me to know and you to never find out. You know what? You need to get out from behind that console."

"Yes, because going on a mission doesn't include physical activity."

"Come on, let's spar, I'm bored."

"John, I really should get this done."

"There is nothing wrong with that thing! And I know it has been a while since you sparred anyone."

"If I agree, will you shut up?"

"No promises," John chuckled.

Garrus sighed and turned off the console, "Alright, we can settle this."

John deflected a punch and gave one of his own that Garrus easily caught. He twisted the man's wrist, bringing the human to his knees. The man swung at him with his free hand, but Garrus stood just out of reach.

"Ugh, yield," John gave in and began rubbing his wrist. "Damn, your freaking wingspan isn't fair, turian."

"Only because you are no good at fighting," a voice called from the other side of the room. Both men looked over to see Jane leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Sure, just like old times, huh, sis?" John stood and smirked at her.

"I just witnessed you get beaten easily by Vakarian over there, so maybe I should just skip to the big guy."

Garrus laughed, "Maybe you should stick with what you know, Jane."

John narrowed his eyes at Garrus for a half second at the use of her first name but shrugged it off, "Don't insult me, woman. I remember holding my own against you before."

"Yeah, when we were kids."

"Best chance to see how things changed."

"Fine, you're on. Garrus, you got winner?"

Moving to the side, he sat on the bench press and folded his arms over his chest, settling in to watch a good show. He had an idea that Jane might win, but it was a little hard to say. He had never actually seen her in hand to hand combat besides the short event on her birthday. "As long as it isn't John again, unless you learn some new techniques in the process."

Jane chuckled as John rolled his eyes and she began to stretch. Peeking over at Garrus, she had to fight with herself not to stare. He was out of his armor and in just his undersuit; of course, it made sense, armor would be an unfair advantage, but damn, it was distracting. Taking a deep breath, she rolled her shoulders and twisted her neck, cracking both. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Garrus flinch, Hmm, I have to keep that in mind. "Try to impress me, John."

Garrus watched as John went into a similar stance, a typical boxing stance from what John had explained, from when they sparred and saw Jane fall into something he hadn't seen before. Her body was turned to the side, feet apart and her hands, Open? What is she thinking? Is she planning on slapping John into defeat?

John tested her defense, taking a few quick and short steps forward, matching with his fists; Jane backed away and deflected those that would have reached her. The man advanced again, quickening his blows but she dodged or deflected each one. In her last deflection, he grabbed her wrist, holding her in range. Before John could make his move, Jane pushed forward with her captured hand. John compensated the change in his stance by adjusting his foot only to be pulled forward again and in the next moment, releasing her hand because of the pain radiating down his arm and side.

Garrus had to give Jane this: she was fast. He knew that John had been too close to see it coming but the turian had seen the signs from the outside; John had expected her to pull away, not come closer and when he had readjusted his footing, she had changed momentum again, causing him to quickly try to readjust when letting go would have been the wiser choice. John's back had been exposed, giving Jane enough time to land two quick hits in the man's ribs and arm. The blows hadn't been hard hitting, but in the right spot, they did the trick.

John rolled his shoulder, "Good one. You're faster than I remember."

"Probably, though I guess you could have gotten slower," Jane chuckled as she fell into another stance.

Eyeing her stance again, Garrus noticed a slight change, her feet were a little closer together and her weight had shifted from her back foot to her front. The siblings nodded to each other and Jane moved in for the attack. John deflected her first few punches and they grappled each other around the head and shoulders.

It's over for sure, Jane may have the speed, but John has more weight to take her – Garrus was going to finish his thought, but before he could, Jane had swung her legs up and around John's torso and gave a sharp jerking motion with her body to bring him to the ground.

They struggled for a moment, fighting for dominance before John managed to pin her to the ground. He fought to get a different hold on her to make her tap out, but Jane had other plans. Using his own pin against him, she brought her legs up from behind him and wrapped them around his midsection, pulling him away and down in the process. John fell backwards, distancing them again. Jane advanced and put an arm over his shoulder and the other under his opposite arm. In a short tumble to the side, she was on her back with John in a choke hold in her lap.

John tapped his sister on her leg, giving in. He rubbed his neck and accepted Jane's hand to stand, "I see that your style has changed, sis."

"Learned some new stuff in the military. Hooray for collaboration of different cultures."

He nodded and turned to Garrus, "I'll be honest, Garrus, I am not sure how well you will fair."

"Well, John, you weren't the hardest opponent to defeat either," the turian smirked then turned to Jane, "I didn't really see a lot of hits in there. I don't know if I would really call that fighting."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh really? It isn't all about brute strength you know. It is about incapacitating."

"Good thing I have my reach, then."

"Good thing I have my flexibility, then," she retorted while folding her arms over her chest.

Garrus smirked at her and his mind began to drift to his last sparring that included an argument over reach versus flexibility. Before he could banish his next thought, he began to wonder if this spar could end in the same way.

"Hmm, reach and flexibility? That sounds familiar," John laughed, bringing Garrus back to reality.

Oh no, I forgot I told him about that.

"Now," John put his finger up in warning, "don't be thinking about a tie breaker or anything. Don't even begin to compare my sister to that."

"What?" Jane looked between the two men, "There must be a good story behind this."

"Oh, I like to refer to her as Ms. Reach and Flexibility. Apparently some – "

"I'll tell you another time, Shepard," Garrus interrupted. At that moment, his omni-tool pinged. "Tali is finished with dinner. A quick spar, Commander? Or another time?"

"Rain check, Garrus. Let's not upset Tali." And I would rather not have my brother see me fighting to control my ogling of you, she thought to herself. She wasn't sure what it was; she had seen him in just his undersuit before, and, yes, she appreciated his form, but, damn, was it doing things for her now. "John, you wanna join for dinner?"

"Sure, Garrus, you need help with your armor?"

"No, thanks, I'll put it away then meet you two up there."

The Shepard siblings left and began to make their way up to the Mess. John was studying his sister but it wasn't until they got into the elevator that he asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that?" At her stern but questioning glance he continued, "I mean, don't get me wrong, you were good at fighting before, but back then it was mostly just fist fights and simple grabs."

"I met another Alliance recruit the same year I enlisted. He knew several different fighting styles. He mostly kept to himself but I eventually talked him into teaching me a little."

"So, you two were friends?"

"Um… I wouldn't call us friends... exactly," Jane rubbed the back of her neck a little nervously. "He was very xenophobic and had a very bitter outlook on everything. I heard that he was in the N7 program as well but we never met up after the initial training. Last I heard, he had been dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for killing a krogan while on leave."

"Whoa," they exited the elevator, "Out of curiosity, do you remember his name?"

"Um… yeah, Leng. Kai Leng."

"Shepards!" Tali called from the table, "Are both of you joining us?"

"If you don't mind," John said with a small smile.

"Not at all," the quarian replied in a light-hearted voice. "Is Garrus on his way?"

"Yeah, he was just putting his armor away. Jane, I'll bring us both something."

"Thanks, John," Jane said as she sat next to Tali. She eyed the two dextro plates, neither appeared appetizing, they looked a little strange.

"Have a good workout, Shepard?" Tali asked picking at some of her food.

"The reports took too long to finish," Jane sighed. "The guys were sparring by the time I got down there. Only had the chance to spar with John before you called."

"You were planning on sparring Garrus? I don't know, Jane, turians are known for their hand-to-hand combat."

"I prefer to push myself," Jane chuckled.

"Food smells good, Tali," Garrus said coming around the corner and sitting across from Jane.

Tali saw Jane tense and looked up at the turian; even Tali reeled back slightly. "Thanks, Garrus." Leaning back in her seat, she typed a quick message on her omni-tool. T: Alright… Now I see why you wanted to spar him.

Jane heard a ping of a new message and prayed that it wasn't something having to do with work. When she saw it was from Tali she resisted the urge to look over at her. Her mouth dropped open when she finished reading it.

"Something wrong, Shepard?" Garrus asked, seeing her expression.

"Erm… no." Jane typed her reply, J: You don't know what you are talking about. We are just friends!

T: How many times will you say that until you admit that you like him?

Garrus was feeling a little awkward sitting there. It was starting to look like they were messaging each other, and he couldn't help but feel that he or John might be the topic of conversation. Jane's omni-tool pinged again but this time she only read the message then returned her attention to them.

"Sorry. Just had to take care of something really quick," she apologized with a smile.

"No problem. Nothing serious I hope."

"Of course not," she sent a glare to Tali. At that moment, John had returned and sat in front of Tali, sliding a plate over to Jane, "Thanks, John."

"You're welcome. So," he turned to the dextros, "is that stuff any good? It smells a little weird."

"There is nothing wrong with my cooking!"

"It is very good," Garrus smiled. "Excellent cooking, Tali. And, Jane, you succeeded in selecting good food."

"I don't know, it doesn't look very appetizing," she leaned forward, eyeing Garrus's plate. She started tapping her fork on the edge of her plate, debating. Taking a guess at what she was planning, Garrus turned his plate so if she did decide to steal a piece, she would get one of the more delicious items. Their eyes met and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. Jane leaned forward and skewered a small piece. Tali and John watched her in silence as she studied the food on her utensil. Without any indication, she popped it in her mouth and chewed on it a few times.

"Jane! What the hell are you doing?" John practically jumped out of his seat. Tali sat in shock, unsure what to do or say. Jane waved her hand at John, motioning for him to sit but he hadn't moved. "I'm going to get Chakwas." He moved away from the table but was stopped as Garrus grabbed his arm. "Garrus, get the hell off me!"

Jane swallowed the food and looked up at her brother. "Damn, John, relax. Sorry, I realize that I haven't told you yet, but it is fine."

"Fine? How is eating dextro food okay?" he demanded.

"I thought you might have figured it out like Garrus did. I am dextro-immune. No allergic reaction to dextro amino acids."

"And food won't have an adverse effect on your digestion?" Tali asked.

Jane shrugged, "Worst thing that could happen is that I get no nutritional value from it. But, your food does taste good, Tali, although it doesn't look it."

"Thank you, Shepard." Tali exclaimed.

"Hmm… I wonder if I have the immunity," John mused.

He reached across to Tali's plate but she quickly swatted his hand away. "John! What do you think you are doing?" John reached out again and she smacked it again.

"Jane is my sister, I probably have the same immunity thing."

Tali shook her head, "John, 'probably' is not good enough. Just because Jane is immune doesn't mean that you have it too. What if you tried some and died? I couldn't forgive myself."

Jane smiled at the two of them and went back to nibbling on her own food, Jane looked around at her friends, "One of these nights, would you guys like to hang out? Just the four of us?"

"How about we watch a movie?" John offered, "I'll pick."

"I don't think so, John. Your taste in movies travels a little on the outside. I was not impressed with your last one," Jane rolled her eyes.

"When I picked one? When did I share one with you recently?"

Jane clamped her teeth together and could feel Garrus tense up too. Oops… "Well, Garrus shared one with me. He said that you had sent it to him."

"Uh huh…" John looked between the two of them. "And when did you watch that?"

"During shore leave," Garrus answered. "When she was sick. I stayed to make sure she was okay."

Tali and John shared a look and John narrowed his eyes at Jane, "I thought you said that you passed out as soon as you got to your room."

"Yeah, that movie is what did the trick."

There was an awkward silence around the table before John finally shrugged, "Alright, fine. Tali and Garrus can pick the movie, then. Jane I don't trust you to pick one either, you might select some crappy movie from human history."

"Fine, fine…" Jane allowed herself an awkward chuckle and glanced at Garrus.

Garrus met Jane's gaze and gave an inaudible sigh. At least they were both in agreement to not tell John what had happened, But nothing did happen… What is the point of keeping it from him? She and I are just friends. And that is all we will be.

Joker's voice came through the speakers, interrupting their evening, "Commander, I have the Council on the line for you. Are you available?"

"I'll be right up, Joker. Be right back, guys."

Jane felt that familiar feeling of dread creep up on her. This mission would be anything but straight forward, she knew it. Pausing at the doors, she took a deep breath. Once she had regained control of herself, she stepped out and made her way to the cockpit.

Hearing her approach, Joker tilted his head up but didn't bother to turn around, "Everything okay, Shepard? What did the Council have to say this time?"

"A salarian reconnaissance team has information on Saren, but it sounded like they were in trouble. Set a course for the Sentry Omega Cluster, Hoc System, Virmire."

The moment we have been waiting for! *Cue dramatic music* Virmire is coming! Who will be chosen?

The song that Jane sings is "Who Knows" by Natasha Bedingfield. Sooo... I was watching a girly movie and heard the song and thought it was kind of appropriate; the whole denial of love thing… you know.