Shepard
She woke slowly.
The first thing she registered was warmth, not in a comfortable way, but in the way that came with too many painkillers dulling everything. The room was dim, only the soft glow of medical monitors casting faint light against the ceiling. The steady beeping of vitals pulsed in time with the low hum of the Normandy’s engines.
Her mind struggled to pull together the last thing she remembered—the rachni, the claw, the blood. But then her focus landed on something solid.
Someone was sitting next to her.
Garrus.
His arms were crossed, legs stretched out, head tilted slightly downward. He wasn’t watching her, he was asleep.
She blinked, her mind catching up. How long has he been here?
She shifted slightly and immediately regretted it. Pain flared through her side, sharp even through the medication. A small hiss escaped before she could stop it—just enough to stir him.
Garrus tensed, then his eyes opened.
For half a second, there was no recognition. Just the slight flicker of alertness, the way his talons flexed against his arms like he was bracing for something. Then, his gaze landed on her.
And everything about him shifted.
His shoulders relaxed, just slightly. His mandibles flicked—subtle, but there. Relief.
“You’re still here?” Shepard rasped, her throat dry.
Garrus scoffed, sitting up a little straighter. “Don’t flatter yourself, Jane. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t wake up and start ordering people around before you were ready.”
She smirked weakly, but there was something behind it. Something off-balance. “You sure it’s not because you’d miss me?”
The silence lingered just long enough to make her stomach tighten.
Then, finally he exhaled. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Shepard’s smirk faltered. That threw her. Garrus didn’t say things like that. Not outright.
“I’m fine, Garrus,” she said, shifting again. Bad idea. Pain flared instantly, and she had to grit her teeth through it.
“Yeah, sure.” His voice was sharp, but not angry. Just… raw. “Bleeding out, unconscious, having to be carried back to the ship? Totally fine.”
She didn’t have a response.
And suddenly, she saw it. The way he hadn’t fully relaxed. The way he was still here. The way his voice wasn’t quite steady.
She could make a joke. She always did.
Not now…
Instead, she reached for his hand.
He hesitated briefly, then reached out, letting her take his hand. Her fingers curled lightly around his, just grounding herself. The painkillers still made everything foggy, but this? This was solid.
Garrus exhaled, shaking his head slightly. “You’re infuriating.”
“Yeah,” she muttered. “But you keep sticking around anyway.”
He huffed but didn’t let go.
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “I do.”
She let herself fall back asleep with the feeling of his hand in hers.
Garrus
The comms channel crackled softly, and Joker’s voice came through, sounding just a little more nervous than usual.
“Uh… Garrus? You busy?”
Garrus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Joker, if this is about recalibrating the targeting VI again—”
“No, no, nothing like that. I mean, I do have a list of minor annoyances, but this is, uh, kinda bigger.”
Garrus narrowed his eyes. “Define bigger.”
There was a hesitation, which immediately put Garrus on edge. Joker never hesitated.
“So, we’ve got an incoming transmission for Shepard,” Joker said. “And I didn’t really wanna be the one to deal with it, so I figured… you could.”
Garrus exhaled sharply. “Joker, just tell them she’s not available.”
“Yeah, see, that’s the thing—I would, but it’s her parents.”
That made Garrus stop.
“…Her parents?”
Joker’s nervous chuckle came through the line. “Yep. Specifically, both of them. Which means I’m definitely not handling this one.”
Garrus sighed, already rubbing at the plates along his jaw. “Patch it through to the comm room.”
Joker exhaled in pure relief. “You’re a lifesaver, Garrus.”
Garrus didn’t dignify that with a response—he was already heading toward the comm room, adjusting his stance, mentally preparing himself.
Jane’s parents.
He had met Selvek, albeit only once. But her mother? That was new.
When the transmission flickered to life, Garrus immediately recognized Selvek’s sharp, assessing gaze on the other end of the line. The older turian’s mandibles twitched slightly, his arms folded over his chest as he studied Garrus the way he would a battlefield.
It was the human woman standing beside him, however, that caught his attention. Her presence was more contained, her expression less openly scrutinizing than Selvek’s, but there was a quiet steel in her posture that reminded him very much of Shepard.
Selvek’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Vakarian.”
Garrus straightened, giving a short nod. “Sir.”
Selvek exhaled, shoulders easing a fraction. “I was expecting Jane. You being here instead means something’s wrong.”
Garrus barely had time to respond before the woman beside him—Hannah, he assumed—immediately cut in.
“What happened?” Her tone was sharp, military precision.
Garrus kept his voice even. “She was injured during a mission on Noveria. She’s stable, but unconscious. Doctor Chakwas is monitoring her closely.”
Selvek’s mandibles flared slightly, but Hannah’s expression shifted just enough for Garrus to see the flicker of worry beneath the surface.
“Injured how?” Hannah pressed.
“A rachni got through to her and—”
“A rachni?” Selvek interrupted. “What do you mean a rachni? How in the blazes did she find a rachni?”
Hannah placed a hand on Selvek’s shoulder, clearly worried but calmer than her husband. Her lack of reaction to hearing about a rachni marked her humanity—she didn’t seem to process the gravity of it. “Honey, let him explain,” she said more softly.
Garrus sighed. This was classified, but these were her parents. And this was Selvek Itanus, he imagined that with his connections nothing stayed classified for long from him.
“Binary Helix discovered a rachni egg on a derelict ship and decided to hatch it. Saren paid them to create an army of rachni for him but… it didn’t work.” Garrus began, “We… Jane… made a decision to release the rachni queen, but also at her request we needed to exterminate all her… children… that Binary Helix had attempted to use.”
“Jane did what?!” Selvek demanded.
Hannah sighed, again placing a hand on Selvek’s shoulder “Why did Jane release the queen?”
“She said it wasn’t her decision to commit an entire species to extinction,” Garrus replied simply.
At that Selvek and Hannah exchanged a knowing, approving glance, and a smile.
Hannah squared her shoulders. “When will she wake up?”
“Soon,” Garrus assured them. “She’s healing, and Dr. Chakwas is one of the best doctors in the Alliance from what I understand.”
Selvek exhaled through his nose, his sharp gaze softening just a fraction. “Well, I’m glad that she has you watching her back.”
Garrus shifted slightly, feeling the weight of that statement more than he expected. “She’s… not exactly easy to keep out of trouble.”
That finally got a small smirk out of Selvek. “Tell me about it.”
Hannah, meanwhile, was still watching Garrus carefully, her gaze assessing, studying. “You know,” she said, tilting her head slightly, “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”
Garrus straightened slightly. “Garrus Vakarian, ma’am.”
She arched a brow. “I haven’t had time to speak to Jane, you’re part of her crew?”
Selvek chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, since Jane decided to have him reassigned from C-Sec to her ship in the middle of the night. She had the requisitions officer wake up Pallin to approve the transfer… I haven’t stopped hearing about that.”
Hannah’s expression shifted, a small smirk playing at her lips. “Well, now I definitely need to hear that story.”
Garrus let out a dry chuckle, mandibles twitching. “I’m sure your husband can give you the short version.”
Selvek laughed. “She’s still too stubborn for her own good, isn’t she?”
Garrus huffed a quiet breath. “You have no idea.”
Hannah exhaled, some of the tension in her frame easing. “Good,” she said, her voice softer now. “Someone needs to keep an eye on her.”
Garrus hesitated for just a second. Then, he nodded. “I will try my best, ma’am.”
Selvek studied him for a moment longer, then nodded. “We’ll check back in soon. Keep us updated.”
“Of course,” Garrus replied.
And just like that, the transmission cut out.
Garrus exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face.
That had gone… surprisingly well.
And somehow, that was almost more unsettling than if it hadn’t.
Ashley
The rhythmic click-clack of armor plating being adjusted echoed through the otherwise quiet cargo bay. Ashley sat cross-legged on one of the lower crates, a canister of thermal paste in one hand, a heat sink in the other. She didn’t look up when she heard the telltale clank of boots approaching—harder, more measured than a human’s.
She knew who it was before she even looked.
Garrus. Great.
He didn’t say anything at first, just moved to one of the workbenches where Shepard’s weapons were laid out—her pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, a few heat sinks that needed replacing. He started running diagnostics on the pistol, his movements methodical, practiced.
Ashley’s eyes narrowed slightly. He’s maintaining her gear.
Not his own. Hers.
Ashley wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Not with him.
Not because she had a problem with him—not really. But she was still trying to figure out where she stood after the last few days.
She wasn’t dumb—she’d seen how the crew had started treating him. Like he was the one they went to when Shepard wasn’t around. Like he was the one they trusted. It didn’t sit right with her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
So, she stayed quiet, focusing on her work.
But, of course, that didn’t last.
“You always scowl this much when you’re cleaning your rifle, or is it just when I’m around?” Garrus asked, his voice as dry as ever.
Ashley sighed through her nose, still not looking up. “Didn’t realize my face was your concern, Vakarian.”
“Hard not to notice when it looks like you’re ready to shoot the thing instead of fix it.”
She shot him a look. “You here for something, or are you just here to annoy me?”
He hummed, pretending to think about it as he pulled out a fresh thermal clip and turned it over in his hands. “Little of both.”
Ashley rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t quite stop the twitch of a smirk.
Damn turian.
A beat of silence stretched between them, comfortable but charged. Finally, she exhaled, setting the rifle down beside her and tilting her head toward him.
“Alright, Vakarian. I’ll bite.” She crossed her arms. “How’d you end up playing XO while Shepard’s out?”
Garrus glanced at her, mandibles twitching slightly before he shrugged. “Wasn’t exactly planned. Crew needed decisions made. Pressly can handle logistics, but when it comes to the mission? He didn’t have the answers. So they came to me.”
Ashley frowned slightly, shifting where she sat. “Huh.”
She didn’t have a real argument for that. He had been the obvious choice. Didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Something bothering you, Williams?”
The way he asked it wasn’t mocking or smug—just curious. And that annoyed her more than anything.
She huffed, leaning back against the crate. “I don’t know. Just… wasn’t expecting it, I guess.”
Garrus let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, well. Neither was I.”
Ashley watched him for a second, the way he methodically checked over Shepard’s equipment, the way he didn’t seem particularly bothered by the weight of leadership being put on his shoulders.
The way Shepard trusted him.
That part stung a little.
She ran a hand through her hair, exhaling. “Look… I guess I should say thanks.”
Garrus raised a brow plate. “For what?”
“For keeping things together while Shepard was out. I may not like it, but…” She sighed, shaking her head. “I respect it.”
Garrus studied her for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough.”
Another beat of silence.
Ashley hesitated, debating whether to ask the next thing on her mind. But, hell, she’d already opened the door.
“So, uh… you and Shepard, huh?”
Garrus’s head snapped up. “What?”
She waved a hand vaguely. “The concert. The crew’s been talking. You guys weren’t exactly subtle.”
“We danced at a concert,” Garrus said flatly, mandibles twitching. “The crew needs better hobbies.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Sure. That’s all it was.”
Garrus went back to adjusting Shepard’s pistol, a little more forcefully than necessary. “It’s not—” He stopped himself, exhaling sharply. “We’re friends, Williams.”
“Right,” Ashley said, smirking. “Friends who dance together and stare at each other like the rest of the galaxy doesn’t exist.”
His mandibles flared slightly, but he didn’t respond.
“Relax, Vakarian. I ain’t judging.”
She stopped—then huffed, shaking her head.
“No. That’s not true. I am. A little.” Her brow furrowed slightly, like she was working through it in real time. “I don’t get it. But it’s not my place to judge.”
Garrus blinked, still looking slightly off-kilter, but there was something different in his expression now. He studied her, mandibles twitching slightly like he hadn’t expected that level of honesty.
Ashley rolled her shoulders, shifting back to her usual confidence. “Just saying… if you’re gonna get cozy with the Commander, you better be ready for the whole crew to have an opinion.”
Garrus groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Spirits help me.”
Ashley just chuckled, shaking her head as she turned back to her work.
Before either of them could say anything else, the cargo bay doors hissed open. Tali and Wrex stepped through, deep in conversation about—from what Ashley could catch—whether or not the Mako’s suspension could handle “one more rocket jump.”
“It cannot,” Tali was saying firmly. “The last time you convinced Shepard to try that, I spent six hours recalibrating the stabilizers.”
Wrex rumbled a laugh. “Worth it.”
Garrus glanced up from Shepard’s pistol, mandibles twitching in what might have been amusement, brow plate quirking. “Oh…? You spent six hours recalibrating the stabilizers, did you?”
Tali spotted him and immediately seemed to shrink, “Well… I helped. I still had to sit here while you did it.” she shrugged as she moved toward him .
“Are you working on Shepard’s gear?” She moved closer, peering at the weapons laid out. “How’s everything holding up?”
“Most of it’s fine,” Garrus said, gesturing to the pistol. “But I think this might’ve gotten hit with rachni acid. Could be why it was running hot.”
Tali leaned in immediately, her eyes narrowing behind her visor as she examined the pistol. “Oh, that would definitely do it. Acid eats through the thermal regulators if it gets into the housing. Let me take a look—I can run a diagnostic and see if we need to replace any components.”
“Appreciate it,” Garrus said, stepping back to give her room.
Wrex settled onto a nearby crate, watching the exchange with mild interest. “You two are worse than a couple of mechanics arguing over a skycar.”
“That’s because we are mechanics,” Tali shot back without looking up. “And this skycar happens to keep us alive.”
Ashley watched the easy way they fell into shop talk, the way Wrex settled in like this was routine. The way Garrus just… fit.
She went back to her own work, shaking her head slightly.
Maybe he’s not so bad after all. For a turian.
Garrus
Garrus had to admit, this was nice.
The mess hall had a quiet hum to it, the kind that came after a mission, when everyone was still recovering but the tension had finally eased. Shepard sat across from him, her posture relaxed, her tray half-finished but forgotten as the conversation kept moving.
She was looking better, still seemed tired, and he could hear her heartbeat was still off. But she was going to be fine.
Tali and Liara were both engaged in a topic that Garrus had found himself relating to more than he expected—parents. Specifically, overbearing parents.
“She’d check in on my studies constantly,” Liara was saying, exhaling in mild exasperation. “She didn’t just want me to follow in her footsteps, she expected it.”
Tali let out an understanding sigh. “It’s the same with my father. He was always busy with the Admiralty Board, but I was expected to be perfect. To prove I was worthy of being his daughter.”
Garrus huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Sounds familiar. My father wasn’t a Spectre or an Admiral, but he was a highly decorated C-Sec officer who believes in only doing things by the book. Didn’t matter what I wanted. Vakarians serve. That was his line.”
Shepard chuckled, but it was softer, knowing. “Yeah, I get that.”
Garrus smirked. “What about you? I mean, your mother was Alliance. That’s gotta be its own kind of pressure.”
Shepard shrugged, leaning back slightly in her chair. “She was strict about some things, but she was always busy. I spent most of my time with my dad and my grandmother.”
At that, Liara and Tali both nodded. They understood that weight.
But before Shepard could expand, the sound of the mess hall doors hissing open caught Garrus’s attention.
Kaidan and Ashley stepped inside, their conversation halting when they noticed the table. Ashley tilted her head. “Didn’t realize there was a party.”
Shepard waved them over without hesitation. “Come on, grab a drink. We’re talking about parents—embarrassing, strict, overbearing, or just too important to the galaxy to be present.”
Ashley snorted. “I have a few of those stories.”
Kaidan slid into the seat next to Liara, while Ashley grabbed one beside Shepard. The conversation didn’t stop, just expanded, and Garrus found himself very interested in what came next.
Because Shepard, without thinking, casually dropped something huge.
“I love my dad. He wasn’t really all that strict except when it came to training. But I guess I always felt guilty,” she admitted, her voice thoughtful now. “If my dad hadn’t stepped back from active duty, he probably would’ve been Primarch by now.”
There it was. Right there. Garrus didn’t react—not outwardly. But in his head? He was already settling in, waiting for the explosion.
Tali, to her credit, was the first to nod. “I can imagine how that would feel. If my father had ever left the Admiralty Board for me… I don’t know if I’d ever stop feeling guilty about it.”
Liara was quiet for a moment, her voice softer when she spoke. “My mother never would have stepped away from her responsibilities. Even now… even after everything, I wonder if she ever wanted to.”
Garrus, meanwhile, just smirked. Here it comes.
Kaidan looked mildly suspicious but hadn’t put it together yet. His brow furrowed slightly, eyes tracking Shepard with something like mild confusion. He’s close… but not quite there.
Ashley? Ashley had nothing.
“Primarch?” she asked, blinking.
And there it was.
Shepard tilted her head slightly, clearly giving Ashley a chance to catch up. When she didn’t, Shepard finally said, “The Primarch of Palaven, Ash.”
Kaidan froze mid-drink.
Ashley’s face froze.
Garrus leaned back, arms crossed, smirk widening as he watched it happen.
Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again. Then—
“WHAT.”
Shepard, spirits bless her, didn’t even sigh. She just leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table, and gave Ashley a steady look, letting her process.
Kaidan, staring straight ahead, swallowed his drink a little too hard. “That’s…huh…”
Ashley sat up straighter, blinking once, twice. “Wait, wait, wait—your dad’s a turian?”
Shepard didn’t even bother to respond right away. She just looked at her.
Garrus let out a slow, satisfied exhale, barely holding back his amusement. “You didn’t know?”
Tali was laughing. Liara was watching with intrigue. And Shepard? Shepard was rubbing her temples, exhausted.
Ashley, however, was still reeling. “When were we gonna talk about this?”
“It’s not a secret,” Shepard said flatly. “It just turns out it doesn’t come up in that many conversations.”
Ashley sputtered. “But—but—how?!”
Shepard, now smirking, leaned back. “Well, Ashley, when a human and a turian love each other very much—”
“Oh my Gods, that’s not what I meant!”
Garrus was dying.
Ashley threw her hands up. “I mean—what was he? How did they even meet?”
Shepard finally relented, rolling her eyes. “He was special forces. He met my mom when they were assigned to joint operations after the First Contact War.”
“So… like a spy?” Kaidan clarified, his voice suspiciously even.
“Basically.”
Ashley still looked completely lost. “Okay, but then—like… umm…?”
When she didn’t continue, Shepard finally said, “My mother and him married when I was about 8. He formally adopted me then.”
Ashley, finally realizing how it all fit together, seemed to calm down. “Oh, right. That makes more sense.”
There was another moment of silence as Ashley seemed to ponder whether she should ask her next question.
“Just ask it, Ash,” Shepard said resignedly.
“I mean… can turians and humans even… you know…”
Shepard laughed. “I’m certainly still not old enough to ponder my parents’ sex life, but yes, Ash. They can, certainly.” She paused briefly, realizing there was another question behind it. “If your question is whether they can have children… not that anyone is aware of.”
Joker’s voice would have cut in with perfect comedic timing if he had been in the room. Tragically, he wasn’t, but Garrus was pretty sure Joker felt this moment happen across the ship.
Ashley’s eyes darted between Shepard, Tali, Liara, and then Garrus. “And you—you knew this?”
Garrus let his mandibles twitch in an exaggerated smirk. “I’ve met her parents.”
“I met her father once,” Tali added, far too smug.
Ashley let out a breath, shaking her head. “I need another drink.”
Then suddenly, Shepard’s eyes snapped to Garrus. “What?”
Garrus looked at her, suddenly realizing he may have forgotten to mention something.
“You’ve met my dad…” Shepard trailed off, clearly realizing there was something she didn’t know.
“Actually… I may have forgotten to tell you that your parents called the other day and, well, Joker didn’t want to be the one to deliver the bad news.” Garrus paused momentarily. “Your mom was very… nice. Not sure how that call would have gone if I had to tell Selvek you got injured by a rachni and your mom hadn’t been there…”
Shepard’s eyes widened even more. “You told my parents I was injured… by a rachni?”
“Didn’t exactly have a choice, Jane.”
Everyone else at the table was suddenly watching the exchange with quiet interest.
Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m never going to hear the end of this. Next you’re going to tell me you told them I released the queen.”
Garrus didn’t respond. He just stared at her.
“Garrus…?”
He still didn’t respond, instead choosing to drink his brandy in one go and refill his glass.
“Well,” Shepard smirked, leaning back in her chair, “I guess you saved me the trouble.”
Garrus chuckled.
After a moment, Ashley opted to guide the conversation back to the topic of parents. She talked about her own family, her sisters, the pressure of being the oldest, the weight of responsibility.
And that was where the conversation took a turn.
Garrus still found himself watching Shepard more than listening to Ashley.
She had become his best friend over the short time they had known. And he had seen how often she carried things that weren’t her fault or not within her power to prevent or control.
She carried guilt for her father stepping back from his career—the same way Garrus carried the weight of disappointing his own father by never being the C-Sec officer he hoped he’d become. The difference being that she carried guilt for something that wasn’t within her control. Selvek’s choice had been his and his alone. But she carried it anyway.
He understood that weight. The expectations. The regrets. The feeling that you’d always be paying back a debt you never asked for.
Maybe that was why they worked so well together. Why she got him in a way no one else ever had.
And that? That was dangerous.
But damned if he wasn’t going to let it happen anyway.