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(Corrective re upload. Moved it to the right folder and murders some spelling errors. Chapter 5 is up, too.)

Five Minutes Later, OX Lawson's Office

No time for breakfast, he had discovered. Which was unfortunate. He was hungry enough at the moment to consider risking death eating some of the odd fluffy yellow mush that Gardner almost always dished out to the human crew in the morning. Almost. He was also hungry enough to consider a blow to the back of Miranda's head to knock her out long enough for him to slide away for some food. Of course it wasn't the first first time he had considered blunt objects meeting the back of the dark haired woman's head, but that was another matter.

Right now he was standing at ease in her 'office', if the fact that her rather large bed was clear in the background made this an office. His hands clasped behind his back, eyes watching her as she sat at her desk. She had met him halfway to the main battery, and quickly changed their direction for a few words. A few words that had her sitting at her desk, the holographic screen of the console in front of her flickering to life as she seemed to review some notes while he waited. He had nothing against Miranada, really. Aside from the fact that she had very clearly been a Cerberus go-getter for all of her life, and her degree of disinterest in anything non-human beyond how she could use them. But according to Shepard, she was that way with everyone.

That was what they had believed, anyway. His opinion of her had changed quickly when she had learned that Shepard had cut ties with the Illusive Man over the destruction of the Collector Base. She had stayed with them, and even with all of his checking of files, com traffic, free time, and a silent request for Thane to keep his eyes open for any sign of discontent from the XO, she had shown no sign of discontent. As Shepard had put it, "She's human in the end. No one with a soul who sees what was happening in that base would be unchanged by it. She saw it, and I think she understood what Ceberus would do for it. Everyone has their limits, Garrus. And they pushed her past them."

He could certainly understand that. But knowing it did not mean he didn't want to throttle her the moment she looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes. It was the sort of look one only gave when they knew something, most often more than they should have known. He braced himself the moment she opened her mouth. "Rumor has it that you spent the night in Commander Shepard's quarters, Officer Vakarian."

Unexpectedly blunt, and to the point. But he preferred it that way, in all honesty. Better this than the run around, or the slow torment of silence that Tali had treated him to a few minutes before. The statement of fact, rather than a question on her part caused his mandibles to twitch once before being drawn tight against his jaw. Keeping his expression as calm as possible, his eyes focused on her as she folded her hands on the top of her desk. She wasn't going to continue, he knew. She was going to sit there, and stare at him. Stare at him until he spoke in reply to something that wasn't even a question.

It was nice to know that she was still an irritating bitch, even if she wasn't curled around the Illusive Man's little finger anymore.

"Actually..." He couldn't believe he was about to say this, but be damned if he was going to let this woman get the better of him at the start of this conversation. He gave a moment of 'consideration' just to make her wait for it, before he raised his head. "EDI? Can you give me the exact length of time that I was inside of Commander Shepard's quarters before coming into XO Lawson's office?"

"From time of entry at 19:24 Galactic Standard Time, to the time of exit at 07:54 Galactic Standard Time, Officer was in Commander Shepard's quarters for twelve hours, eighteen minutes, fifty seven seconds." The mono tone of voice of the ships AI was very clear in this number, but apparently found that the question was not sufficient. "Would you like information on the various areas around Commander Shepard's quarters where this time was spent?"

"No! That will be all, EDI!" The two in the room spoke at the same time, and glanced at each other in distress. Garrus certainly didn't want Miranda given detailed information on how long he had spent in various parts of her cabin, and Miranda was very certain that she didn't want that much information. Period.

One thing was certain, given the fact that predatory eyes could detect an increase in pink along the flesh of the human's throat. He had gotten her, even if the ships AI had managed to make it backfire just a bit. But the XO refused to lower her eyes as she stared at him in silence, lips drawn tight as she seemed to consider something. "This is not an Alliance vessel," she began with an ease he had not expected. "So, as you know, a great many of the rules and regulations one would find on an Alliance ship do not exist. However..."

Taking the swifter path, Garrus decided to interject before the brunet was able to continue further. "You're not going to change anything." Garrus could see the slant as her eyes narrowed on him. Not a threatening, or irritated look. She was weighing his every word even as he spoke them. "Shepard has given everything anyone can be expected to give. She's given her blood, she's sacrificed friends, and she even lost her life. She has devoted herself to protecting people who don't even acknowledge what they are being protected from, people who manipulate her and use her while denouncing her in public. Why she chose me, I don't know and I am not inclined to question her choice in the matter. For as long as she needs me, and as long as she wants me, I am going to be there for her in every aspect of her life that she allows me into. I know that you've left Ceberus, and I know that you follow Shepard. But do not for one minute think that I will stand here and let you try to decide what is best for her while using protocol as an excuse!"

The last words left his mouth with a low growl of annoyance, and one armored finger jabbed in her direction to emphasize the point. Miranda watched him as he spoke, and he could see the wheels in her head turning as she studied his face. He relaxed his stance again, and returned to standing at ease before her while he waited for her to speak. "That is a lovely sentiment, Vakarian. Shepard needs your kind of devotion, maybe off the battlefield as much as on it. I've seen her gain the trust and respect of everyone on this ship, but sometimes a more personal connection is needed. Even if her choice in that respect is somewhat.. Surprising."

The last word caused his mandibles to twitch once. Mildly surprised by the ease of her words, and her lack of anger as his outburst, he could only give a small nod in reply before she continued. "The 'however' before you interrupted me was in reference to a request that you perhaps try to be more... Discreet about things?" The knowing smile that curved her full mouth caused him to tense slightly. He had seen the sort of look, moments before a drunk Krogan would gleefully charge into a good bar fight. "Kelly had some... Interesting things to add to your personnel file."

He watched with growing unease as she produced a pad from the top of her desk, running her finger over the screen as she read over the information there. He knew already that she was back in charge of the conversation. Talking had never been his strong point, and it certainly seemed to be one of hers. Clearing her throat, she began. "I quote, 'Turian displays of dominance and possessive behavior in regard to Commander Shepard. Advise careful monitoring in regards to male members of the crew displaying signs of attraction or sexual interest.'"

Mortified was the only word he could use to describe what he was feeling as she continued. How much had the Yeoman seen? He wasn't left wondering for long, when she continued.

"'I do not foresee any issues, as she seemed receptive to these behaviors. On a personal note, after seeing the way he looked at the Commander, I have never wanted to be a Turian woman more in my life."

It was enough to draw a disconcerted groan from the Turian, one hand raising to his head in his attempt to remove images of Kelly as a Turian from his mind. He had no doubt that someone like her would have been very popular on a Turian vessel had she been. Eyes cast towards Miranda for a moment, his sheepish embarrassment was apparent even between species. "I will make sure that we are more careful."

She managed to keep her expression neutral as she gave him a curt nod in reply. He wasn't certain if he should be grateful for that calm exterior, or if he should throttle her for getting the best of him. Deciding that a swift exit would be best, he inclined his head to her slightly before he turned and made his way towards the door.

Something stopped him, however. A pause born of a sudden thought, and idea that made him come to a full stop as he turned to face her. Seeming distracted now, she did not notice that he had remained in the room until he spoke up again. "Shepard told me that you were the one in charge of... Project Lazarus? The project that resurrected her?"

He could see the shift in her mood from smug humor, to something more serious. She laced her fingers together, and set them on top of her desk as she watched him in silence for a long moment before responding. "I was in charge of the project, yes. Two long years. And after seeing the Collector station turned into a ball of nuclear fire, I know that every second was worth it."

After hearing that, he was put more at ease. His shoulders relaxed, and he felt a great deal of tension leave him. No longer the Ceberus stooge, but like the rest of us she's been pulled to the side of the force of nature that Shepard seems to be.

And she was the one who had lead the project that had brought her back from the dead. Back into his life, moments before she had saved that life so that in the end he could find the means to save hers. "Thank you, Miranda."

Her face remained impassive for the most part. There was no sparkle in her eyes, no 'you owe me on' from her lips. There was realization in the way she looked at him in that moment, and the fact that he had used her first name. Two people who could not have been more different, who came from backgrounds that would never have allowed them to meet and become comrades save for one woman and Commander. He had been there when she had needed to protect her sister, because Shepard trusted him. How much Shepard trusted him, and how she had chosen him to help protect her sister had been enough for Miranda Lawson to understand that Shepard had truly wanted to help. Like many things she had come to realize since coming to work under Shepard's command, it was almost humbling.

And now he was offering his thanks. He never would have thanked Ceberus, and would have suffered a fate worse than death before he would have given any hint of thanks to the Illusive Man. But she had been there, she had been in charge of overseeing the project that had brought Shepard back into the galaxy that needed her, and the Turian that loved her. And while she had been working for the Illusive Man, and had been with Ceberus at the time... Now she was just XO Lawson, a member of the crew that would watch Shepard's back and carry out her orders in the hard times to come. He hoped that she would understand, in any small way what this meant. To him. And to Shepard

Her simple, sincere answer told him all he needed to know.

"You're welcome."

She understood.

*********

Citadel: 14:26

Storming was one of many words he could have used to describe the way she exited the elevator down from her meeting with the Council. Other words might have included furious, raging Krogan, and the often used human term 'pissed on'. Or was that 'pissed off'? Neither one of them made much since to him, though he expected he would be angry if someone pissed on him. So it was decided, the phase he was looking for was 'pissed on'.

"Every time you leave the council chambers, I can't help but notice how pissed on you look, Shepard."

As furious as she looked, the swift stop him her steps as her eyes zeroed in on him when he spoke made him wonder if he had mixed them up. The slack jawed stare of Taylor beside him made the turian a little nervous, causing his stance to shift from from his left foot to his right foot as he waited for some verbal reply to his words. Had he said it wrong? had he crossed some taboo that he was unaware of? Was Shepard about to fly off the handle after the stress of dealing with the Council?

She burst into laughter after a moment, which made the armor clad male blink slowly in confusion as his Commander and mate dropped her hands to her knees as gales of merriment poured from her. It relaxed him, and perplexed him at the same time. Every day he decided that he had figured humans out, and everyday he was left scratching his fringe in confusion. Most often by the human he loved above anyone. Folding his arms over his chest, and tilting back a bit to lean his hips against the railing as he watched her laugh and snicker at what he was certain was a joke at his expense. The fact that Jacob was now snickering along with her, while nether one of them would explain why only proved that fact. "While I am glad I managed to stop what was sure to be a rampage through wards, it would be nice to be let in on the joke."

It was easy to see that Shepard was finding it hard to contain the all but mythical giggle that even he had only heard once in the time he had known her. The fact that he had promptly been ordered to keep quiet about only furthered the mysterious status of it. Still, she drew herself up and walked over to him. The sparkle in her blue eyes caused his heart to beat just a notch faster, and the fact that her arms wrapped around him despite the fact that they were very clearly in a public area made a low purr rise in his throat. The sound itself made her grin grow, even though neither one of them could actually feel much of the other through their armor. "Leave it to you to turn me from near psychotic rage, to laughter. What would I do without you, Garrus? And it's 'pissed off', not 'pissed on'."

"You really should consider writing a book, Vakarian," Jacob interjected as they walked towards the rapid transit cabs. "You would make a fortune on laughs alone."

His mandibles twitching slightly, as he looked between the two humans. The banter was relaxing, though he knew soon enough what the Council had said to Shepard would come into the light and kill the mood. Determined not to let it kill Shepards mood too quickly, he shrugged slightly in reply to Shepard. "You would go on, save the galaxy, fight the good fight. It is good to know that I have more use than the size of my gun, though."

The silence that followed his statement made him pause his steps and turn to look at his companions. Jacob had one hand covering his mouth, clearly trying to hide his smirk as Shepard tried to hide the fact that her face almost matched the color of her armor. What had he said? Was there something wrong with the size of his... "Wait. That isn't what I... I wasn't trying to compare..." Sighing, he rubbed his hand over one plate along his forehead for a moment before he looked to Jane. Who was just now returning to a more normal color. How was it that a flushed human looked so damned good? "You know what I meant. I'm going to shut up now. Maybe I can spend the rest of my shore leave without putting my foot in my mouth."

"Uh huh. Well, you two have fun," Jacob added, and returned to the strict military upbringing that he fell on so easily. Standing ramrod straight, he gave a crisp salute to Shepard. "I have a date in Afterlife with what time I have left to relax. With your leave, Commander."

Commander Shepard gave him a nod in reply. "All hands to the Normandy by 07:45. We leave dock at 08:00. Dismissed."

Garrus watched as the dark skinned man dropped his salute and nodded before jumping into the rapid transit cab. Once he was off, Garrus turned his gaze to Shepard. Even something as simple as remembering the time of departure had set her back into business mode. And the Commander was now thinking about the Council again. He could see it in the set of her shoulders, and the way her soft lips turned down into a frown of annoyance. He said nothing, however. Simply stood beside her until the next remote cab pulled up in front of them.

Once within, with their destination set, he turned his eyes to as he leaned back in the overly comfortable seat. Predatory eyes taking in every inch of her. She was tense. Something they had told her had set her on edge, but that was really nothing unusual. If she had left the Council chambers with a smile on her face, Garrus would have been certain that they had somehow indoctrinated her to play nice like a good Specter.

But this was also their only remaining day before they returned to what they always did. Fight the good fight, with her standing at the helm of it all. While she watched the window during their trip, he decided to risk putting his foot in his mouth one more time. "Jane, I want you to forget what the Council said for the rest of the day."

He couldn't be sure what caused the surprised look on her face. Maybe it was the fact that the silence was shattered by the low resound of his voice. It also could have been the fact that he called her by her first name, which he knew still caught her off guard sometimes. He wanted to be clear, however. He wanted her to know that he was speaking as her mate, as her lover, and as her friend rather than speaking as a subordinate under her command. One slow blink later, and he was sure that she understood it. The small smile that came to her face was not fully relaxed, but the fact that she wasn't threatening to drop pod him onto the nearest Geth infested planet meant that she knew he was not over riding rank. "We have a lot to do, Garrus. And we're not going to see much help in this. I'm starting to wonder if all of this has been for nothing."

Things she would never say to anyone else. Things he knew he would never repeat to anyone else. He reached over and allowed his fingers to slip through the silky tendrils of her hair slowly, a simple motion which caused her to close her eyes as the tips of his talons brushed along her scalp. "I remember when we called the attack on the Collector base a suicide mission," he began. "Suicide, because the odds were stacked so far against us that the idea that any of us would come back alive was almost laughable. Half the people who knew where we were going never expected any of us to come back. And yet, every person who went into that battle with you came back alive. You're a woman who thrives on making impossible things possible. And every time the Council has told you differently, you've been able to walk into that Chamber and say 'Look, you bureaucratic bastards. I didn't need your help after all. And yet again, I saved your asses.'

"We, your crew, have faith in you. Not because you're some icon of hope for the galaxy, but because we know that you give everything you can to do what you know is right. And that you will never stop until you've finished what you started." He had come to know her well enough to understand the fact that she was grateful for his words, just by the look in her eyes.

Follow that with the way she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck to draw herself closer, while the cool touch of her armored fingers on his fringe caused a rumble to rise in his throat, her next words did not surprise him all that much. "All right then. No more thinking about the Council, Reapers, or how we're going to pull off our third miracle in just as many years. Once we get back to the Normandy, we can..."

Her words were cut off, when the low growl that her touch on his fringe had started was pressed into her ear. He breathed her scent in deeply once, savoring the spice of her deceptively frail skin before he spoke in a gentle purr. "We're not going back to the Normandy. We're going to my place."

He could tell that she hadn't been fully focused on what he was saying, mostly from the fact that her head was tilted to one side to expose her neck to him as a shiver raced through her body. After a few moments of nuzzling, she seemed to catch on to what he had said. He met her gaze when she lifted her eyes to him, her brown drawing together for a moment as she looked uncertain. "There are repairs to oversee, and I think I should..."

Again, he was her mate when he placed on talon over her lips to stop her protest. It wasn't hard to see the surprise. She wasn't used to this, and honestly he wasn't either. That didn't mean he wasn't allowed to feel the slightest bit of smug male pride when his mate did grow silent under his touch. Even going to far as to part her lips invitingly when he traced the tip of his talon along the soft flesh of her lower lip. "Miranda has everything under control. We can afford to take a little time to ourselves."

He could have sword she was almost considering telling him to go to hell, and get them back to the ship so she could be Commander Shepard for a while. Surprise lit her face as she processed his words fully, and his mandibles quivered in amusement when the next words left her mouth. "Since when do you trust Miranda with anything?"

---

Garrus' Citadel Apartment: 15:12

The heat of the shower was enough to drain a good bit of the tension from her body, though it was not enough to actually remove any of it. With Garrus in the bedroom ordering enough food to feed half the crew of the Normandy, she was alone with her thoughts. And as much as she tried to remove the subject of the Reapers and the Councils lack of any form of support aside from "allowing" her to continue her investigation from her mind, she kept drifting back to the subject. She was furious about it, though it had toned down to a slow burning aggravation now, and in quiet moments when she didn't have the warm breath of her lover against her neck she found it easy to forget Jane and remember what Commander Shepard was required to do.

It was a moment that she knew she needed to handle sooner or later, but she was resistant now. She had promised Garrus that she would forget them, just for tonight. Going back to being Commander Shepard could wait one day, and she knew that when the time came he would follow her into Hell for the third time without questioning, without flinching, without even thinking that there was another direction he could take. So as his mate, she would not question his desire for her to relax.

So she told herself. Just one night. No worries. No cares. No responsibilities. Anyone else could have said it was an easy thing to accomplish. But as images of Harbinger standing over her, broken and defeated by the loss of the one person she could ever remember loving on such a level, filled her mind...

Heat that did not come from the steaming water pressed against her back. The heat of the turian still stunned her sometimes, and she had taken the habit of sleeping without a blanket at all since they had become intimate. Even as the felt the plates of his armor ride along the curve of her spine as his talons caressed slowly along her hips, she reveled for a moment in how oddly right it felt that he was not human. Awkward at times, there was no doubt about that. But only slightly more so than two virgins of the same species trying to find out how things fit together. And they were both adept students at making things that shouldn't work, worked. The fact that she felt his erection pressed shamelessly against her caused her to arched her back outwards while pressing her hips back against him.

Yes, they were both very good at it.

The galaxy no longer existed. Only this little world. In the shower, pressed between the heat of one male as water rained down over them.

"I've come to distract you." She loved it when he whispered. Something in the fact that he could speak so softly, and yet loose nothing of the resounding quality of his voice sent goose-bumps flaring to life all over her body. Especially when it was spoken against her ear, with his hands taking a firm grip on her hips in reply to the arch she pressed towards him. "Tomorrow you can worry. Tonight..." His words paused and he only continued speaking as she heard the talons of his feet taking hold of the slick tiles as he gave a slow grind of his length against her rear. "Tonight I'm going to remind you what we're fighting for. Tonight we're going to make up for any lost time, and I'm going to fuck you over every square inch of this apartment. Tonight... You are mine."

What could she say to that? While they had only been lovers for a short time, she had never quite expected that level of dominance from him. Combined with the fact that 'making love' had turned into being fucked, Jane Shepard felt Commander Shepard fall far, far into the background as arousal sparked. The sudden ache and burn between her thighs had her struggling not to writhe against the tall turian as she felt the length of his arousal throb against her with as much need as she felt. "And what makes you think I'm even in the mood, Garrus?" What she had intended to be a quip at humor came out in a voice so shaken that she almost felt the desire to regain control of herself. Almost.

Feeling the rasp of his long tongue over the rim of her ear was just a prelude to his words, and actions. "I can smell you. The idea excites you." Proving his point, she parted her stance as her hands pressed against the shower wall when one of his hands slipped forward and between her thighs. She didn't need to wonder what he found there. The coarse touch of his talon slipped over the slick, and more than willing folds of her sex, tearing a cry from her throat as she vaguely recalled that he was a predator. Turians had a better sense of smell than humans, something that she had no doubt would come in handy in the future.

She could no more deny the truth of his words than she could find any reason to deny him when his hand slipped away to grasp her hips again. She nearly whimpered when she felt him draw back, almost complained before she felt the shift of his hips against her. The oddly tapered tip of his cock nestled against her sex, a cry torn from her throat as he drove his hips forward with enough force to fully sheath himself within her. The fact that he so perfectly fit within her was startling to her, and perhaps it was the urgent speed of their fire love making that had prevented her from caring enough to notice anything but the full feeling he gave her.

Now? She felt nothing but the need to push back against him as she felt his length throb within her. All other thoughts were gone, beyond the desire she felt for him to move again. He did not disappoint her, and as if reading her mind he withdrew at an achingly slow pace. At the point of growling at him herself, the sound was cut off when he drove forward again. Teasingly slow withdrawals following by powerful, merciless forward thrusts quickly filled the shower with unabashed cries of delight and growls of lust from the two lover. For the first time she could ever remember, Shepard found it a necessity to claw at the slick walls of the shower in a vane attempt to gain some means of centering herself. It didn't work; not even slightly gaining ground as the muffled slap of plated hips meeting the toned flesh of her rear filtered into the air, shock-waves of pleasure rolling through her each time she felt him hilt within her.

It was not something meant to last more than a few moments. Partly because it was such a primal, simple way that it could only be called mating and partly because she was so aroused by his behavior. In any event, Jane was rocked to the core when her climax hit. The sudden crushing wave of pleasure burning through her in a way she had never expected before, heaving breaths giving way to silent strain. She couldn't even find her voice to scream as talons bit into her hips and roughly pulled her back, one final powerful thrust given before she was sent over the edge by the feeling of her turian lover reaching his own climax within her. Pulsing, throbbing, straining as her name escaped him in a rolling his that told her that he had enjoyed this as much as she. Spilling liquid heat into her as she squeezed almost painfully around him.

Covering her, keeping her in his grasp, hip to hip as the last sparks of pleasure left them both in an afterglow that was anything but satisfying. She understood the sensation. The sex itself was fantastic, and normal people in their place might have been run thin by such a passionate event. But they were made for each other. The Arch Angel, and The Specter. They were anything but normal, as their relationship alone was enough to attest to. And tonight, they both knew that this was just the start. They would maybe make it far enough to eat before they were on each other again, maybe not. Maybe they wouldn't even make it out of the shower, or would make it out of the shower only to have him prop her up onto the sink in the small bathroom to have his way with her again.

And she understood what he was doing for her. By controlling her, by being the dominant in their time alone tonight, she understood. Tonight, he would call the shots. Tonight, he would take control from her because it was the only way. The only way Commander Shepard would be allowed to rest. The only way she would be allowed to rest. No control, no duty, no responsibility except to give herself over to the man she trusted more than anyone in the galaxy.

Tonight, she could be Jane.

Finding the strength to push herself away from the wall, one arm reached back so that she could slide her hand around his neck. When he leaned forward to meet her gaze, the smile she offered him was soft and so many levels of adoring as she whispered, "Thank you."

For a man who sometimes seemed to have trouble putting two sentences together without stumbling over his own words, when it counted most he sometimes seemed to know exactly what to say. When his eyes met hers and held, she wondered if this would be one of those times.

"You never need to thank me for loving you. It's like thanking me for taking my next breath."

Turning in his arms, Jane couldn't fight the desire to lean in close and press her mouth to his. Even knowing that turians did not kiss this way didn't seem to stop her from doing so as she squeezed him so tightly that the plates against her bare chest dug in painfully. She didn't mind. He didn't seem to mind, even after a clumsy start, and held her close to him as the water rained down unnoticed around them.

Food would wait for a long, long time.