Never Again

Eleven

 

Soft sunlight filtered in the open balcony through Hras Anna’s ecosystem stabilizers.  The sun did little to illuminate too much or even add additional warmth, but it seeped enough light into the room that Garrus felt himself being stirred from sleep.  Shepard’s soft breath stroked against his neck, her body pressed close against his right side, her leg planted snugly between both of his.  It was her favorite way to sleep whenever he joined her at night, and though Garrus had never been much of a “cuddler” with his partners in the past, he could no longer imagine waking up any other way.

 

Turning his head, Garrus looked down at his lover’s face, at the peace that was only ever present when she was asleep.  Even when she was with him, there was always a sense of duty and urgency about Shepard that made it seem impossible that she could ever relax.  The weight of the world was forever upon her shoulders, but Garrus was glad that he had at least given her one night of bliss before the war began.

 

He pulled her closer with the hand wrapped around her waist, and buried his face in her hair.  These were the moments that you always wished could last forever…but as soon as the desire is made known, are destined to end too soon.

 

“Commander, do you copy?”

 

All too soon…

 

Garrus loathed the act, but had no choice as he gently pulled away from her and moved to the nightstand beside their bed where the comm links sat.  He picked up his display and snapped it on.

 

“What’s up, Joker?”

 

“Is the Commander still alive, you dog?”

 

The turian rolled his eyes.  “Of course she is.  Where’s the fire?”

 

“Well, I’m afraid we might have a problem.  Jack got a little…drunk last night and some shit happened.  Miranda’s pissed, and I think they plan on blowing the ship all to hell.”

 

“Can’t you handle this yourselves?” he growled.

 

“Uh, no.  I make it a point not to get in the middle of a biotics war between two crazy women.  That’s the Commander’s job.” There was a pause.  “Oh, what a wonderful job…”

 

Garrus severed the link with a disgusted sigh.  This was the whole reason that he had taken Shepard on this vacation in the first place, and these idiots couldn’t even give her one last morning to sleep in and enjoy it.

 

“Garrus?”

 

He turned—and felt his body begin to burn.  Shepard lay on her stomach, chin perched in her hands, legs up and feet kicking absently.  Her breasts were pushed down into the plush pink carpet, her auburn hair a fuzzy mess.  She watched him with half-lidded emerald eyes, kiss-bruised lips twisted in a tiny smile.

 

“Sounds like there’s some fun waiting for us,” Shepard remarked, her voice still heavy with sleep.

 

Garrus moved down to the floor so that he could draw her up for a kiss.  “Let them destroy the ship,” he murmured against her lips.  “We can just stay here forever.”

 

Shepard chuckled, gently licking at his mouth before pulling back.  “If only we could.” She patted his uninjured cheek.  “Now soldier up, boy! It’s time to get a move on.”

 

Garrus groaned in despair, but obeyed as he rose to his feet.  Shepard looked down at the dress in her hands, frowning.  He chuckled and moved into the little closet, pulling out a very full bag.

 

“Here, just for you.”

 

Shepard caught the bag, smiling as she unzipped it and her normal clothes were revealed.  Garrus’s armor was also in here, and she began unpacking for the both of them.  But as she got to the bottom of the bag, she realized something was missing.

 

“You forgot my underwear,” Shepard remarked.

 

“Did I now? Huh…”

 

She stared up at him, aghast.  “You beast! Do you know how uncomfortable it is to bounce around in these clothes?”

 

Garrus’s eyes were laughing, looking between her face and her breasts hungrily.  Shepard threw her head back with a sound of despair.  It wasn’t fair that he could be a perfect gentleman one night, and then a horny bastard come morning! She hadn’t worn a bra with her dress, and her panties from the night before were pretty much ruined, but Shepard would have to make do.

 

Deciding she needed to punish her turian, Shepard rose to her feet and turned just enough so that all he could see was the side of her right breast and the curve of her ass.  Starting with the pants, she pulled them on slowly, making sure that she twisted a lot.  Shepard glanced over her shoulder at him, grinning victoriously as she spotted his slack-jawed face.  Garrus had started to pull his armor on, but now just stood there holding his left brace half-way on his arm.  She repeated the process with her shirt, turning slightly so that he could no longer see her breasts as she wriggled the garment on.  Shepard was being a terrible tease and she knew it, but he was the cheeky bastard who had started it!

 

“Shepard, you’re evil.” It was all Garrus could do to control the raging erection stretching at his pants.

 

“Then perhaps you should learn not to fuck with me.” She winked at him, and he laughed.

 

 

They made it back to the ship with little mishap, save one human man who got a little too pushy.  Garrus started to his lover’s defense, but Shepard handled the idiot easily with a sharp right hook to the nose.  After that, Garrus vowed never again to forget to pack her a bra.  It might be amusing and sexy to watch her bounce freely in the fabric of her shirt, but that also meant that every other male’s eye watched, too.  Perhaps not other turians, since soft breasts weren’t something they normally looked for, but definitely humans and asari.

 

When they arrived at the ship, much of their human crew waited outside on the landing dock, passing around a pitcher of coffee as they chatted.  Spotting Shepard, Gabby, the engineer, trotted over to meet them.

 

“Glad you’re back, Commander.” She looked up at Garrus nervously before continuing, “Jack and Miranda are tearing apart the lower decks.  We all decided it would be best to just stay out of the way.”

 

Shepard sighed.  “Any idea how this started?”

 

Gabby blushed.  “Um…well…”

 

“Oh, aye, I know!” Kenneth—Gabby’s partner in crime—said as he joined them.  “Jack managed to slip somethin’ into Miranda’s drink, and then the two got a wee bit drunk.  Next thing I know, the pair are leavin’ the bar together lookin’ all lovey-dovey.” He winked lewdly as Gabby’s blush deepened.

 

Shepard lowered her face into her hands, feeling the intense desire to kill someone.  She should have known better than to leave her volatile crew unsupervised.  Especially Jack.  The next thing they would tell her would be that Grunt was somehow involved, and that now the entire Engineering deck was a shambles.

 

“All right, I’ll take care of it.  It would probably be best if you guys stayed out here until I get everything resolved.”

 

“Ye don’t have to tell me twice, Commander,” Kenneth replied.  “I mean, as much fun as it is to have me own personal fantasy come to life, I’d rather not die over it.”

 

“Huh, you finally say something smart,” Gabby remarked.

 

“Ah, but ye always underestimate me, love.”

 

Gabby rolled her eyes as she steered her partner away, opening a path for Shepard and Garrus to enter the ship.  As they stood in the airlock, Garrus wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.  He breathed against the back of her neck, sending little shivers up and down her spine.

 

“Don’t think for a second that last night was a mistake,” he murmured.  “You deserve some fun and relaxation, Shepard.  They might be your crew, but you’re not their mother.  Sooner or later, those two are going to have to learn to grow up.”

 

She leaned into him and smiled softly.  He was right, of course.  It was hard to accept some days, especially considering the fact that so many of her crew were unstable and she had taken it upon herself to level them out a bit, but he was right.  Shepard turned in his arms so that she could look him in the eye.

 

“I regret nothing, and don’t you ever think I will lament the time we spend together.  Each and every moment is precious to me, and there is no one else in this universe I can honestly say the same about.  I love you, Garrus.”

 

He drew her closer, burying his face against her shoulder.  “I love you, Shepard.  More than life itself.”

 

 

When the elevator doors opened onto the engineering deck, Shepard was surprised to see the rest of her non-human crew—and Jacob—milling about the hall.  They looked up at her and Garrus when they arrived, several eyebrows raised in silent question.  Shepard raised her own brow back at them in retort, and there were smiles and rolling eyes all around.

 

“Suggest you diffuse situation quickly, Commander,” Mordin spoke up.  “Heightened emotional state of human females can be dangerous.  No offense intended.”

 

Shepard shook her head, chuckling.  “None taken.  I suggest you all keep a wide berth while I attempt to fix this.”

 

Garrus tried to follow her as she headed below decks, but a stern glance from those emerald eyes forced him to stay.  He leaned against the wall near Grunt, watching the door with worry.  The krogan looked over at him, blue eyes hard.

 

“Turian.”

 

Garrus looked at him.

 

Grunt regarded him not with his usual hostility, but rather a cold air of respect.

 

“My Battlemaster accepts you, and that is enough for me.  But I swear…harm her, and I will rip your ugly turian head off.”

 

The protective tone in the krogan’s voice shocked Garrus.  He had never thought Grunt’s species capable of such strong feelings for someone outside their race, but here Grunt stood, threatening him like a caring older brother.  Smiling, Garrus patted the krogan’s thick, armored shoulder.

 

“You never need worry about that.  I would sooner cut my own heart out than hurt her.”

 

Grunt nodded, satisfied.  Looking around at the rest of the crew, Garrus saw the same sentiment mirrored in the eyes of the others.  It touched him in a way he hadn’t thought possible.  Garrus wondered if Shepard knew just how devoted these people were to her, how much they respected and loved her just for being who she was.  Truly, he was blessed to be the one closest to her heart.

 

 

Shepard ducked down as a biotically-driven chair came hurtling in her direction.  She could hear curses being thrown and animalistic shrieks that nearly blew out her eardrums.  Jack had really fucked up this time.

 

Rounding the corner, she spotted the pair deep in combat.  What was most odd, though, was the fact that they were both almost completely naked.  Miranda actually had both bra and panties on, but Jack was topless—though it was still hard to tell with all those tattoos.  A part of Shepard had been hoping that Kenneth was just being his usual, perverted self, but now she saw the truth in his words.  Between the liquor and gods-knew what kind of drugs Jack had spiked it with, something very bad had happened last night, and now she had to clean up the mess.

 

“Calm down you two!” Shepard roared in her best Commander-voice.

 

“Stay out of this, Shepard!” Jack snapped.  “This bitch can’t admit that we had fun, and now she wants to kill me even though it was her choice to join me!”

 

“Shut up!” Miranda threw a pulse of dark energy at the woman, who negated it with her own power.  “You spiked my drink, you little whore!”

 

Jack laughed.  “And you enjoyed every second of it! ‘Oh, god! Oh, god! Harder!’”

 

She was good at that, Shepard had to admit.  But it wasn’t helping matters.  Moving forward, Shepard tried to place herself in between the pair, gaze stern as she glared at each of them in turn.

 

“I’m sorry that you’re upset, Miranda, and what Jack did was very wrong, but tearing apart the ship is not going to solve your problems! Get dressed and get back to your cabin.”

 

Miranda started to deflate, powering down.  “Very well, Shepard.”

 

Satisfied that things had gone much better than she had hoped for, Shepard dropped her guard.  What she should have been watching was Jack, because the crazy bitch just never knew when to keep her mouth shut.

 

“Come back any time, sweet cheeks.  I had a blast.”

 

The words had barely left Jack’s mouth before Miranda’s retort came roaring towards her.  Only Shepard still stood in between them, and the full force of the biotic attack swept her up and launched her into the side wall.  Hard metal dug into her back and Shepard slumped to the ground, dazed.  The fight was back on in full force, furniture and dark energy flying every which way in a deadly barrage. 

 

Shepard finally managed to get her wits back around her, and with a curse she rose to her feet.  Moving slowly, Shepard snuck around behind Miranda.  Luckily for her, the feuding women were far too involved to notice her anymore.  Shepard stood directly behind the Cerberus woman and delivered a swift hit to the base of her skull.  Miranda might have been a genetically modified marvel, but Shepard was a soldier, and her skin and bones had been toughened by many cybernetic enhancements both during and after her revival.  The blow struck hard, and Miranda slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. 

 

“Nice hit,” Jack appraised, smirking.

 

Without missing a beat, Shepard stormed across the room and struck the smug woman across the face in an open-handed slap.  Once again, her strength worked to her advantage and Jack was sent flying to the ground.  Furious, the tattooed woman glared up at her.

 

“What the fuck was that for? She’s the stupid bitch who attacked you!”

 

“Because of you!” Shepard snarled.  “Seriously, Jack! You need to learn to control what you say, or to stick your foot in your big goddamn mouth before you speak! This is the last thing we need right now.  Why did you drug her?”

 

Jack shrugged.  “I thought it would be fun to fuck the cheerleader.  She’s always such a tight-ass.  I figured that if I could get her to loosen up, she’d be a lot of fun.” She leveled Shepard with a lewd grin.  “I was so right.”

 

Shepard sighed gustily, rubbing her temples.  There was an ache building in the back of her skull, and she was positive it was from a tumor she would name Jack. 

 

“Please, Jack…while you’re on my ship, do not drug anymore members of my crew.  And if you two have something you need to settle, take it outside.”

 

“Will do, Shepard.  Now, you wanna leave her here, or…?”

 

Shepard glowered at the woman and Jack wisely stepped back, though she was still smiling.

 

“I will have someone take her up to medbay.  If you value your hands, do not touch her again.  Got it?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.  I’ll behave.”

 

That would have to be good enough.  Shepard was in too much pain to draw the argument out any further.  She could already tell that her back was going to bruise wonderfully, and the ache in her head was intensifying.  The only thing Shepard wanted now was to get up to her cabin and sleep the rest of the day.  Surely everything else could wait until tomorrow?

 

Her teammates were still waiting for her in the hall when she walked back up the stairs.  Shepard did her best to disguise the pain shooting through her back as she looked over at Jacob.

 

“Would you mind carrying Miranda up to the medbay? I don’t think I hit her too hard, but better safe than sorry.”

 

Chuckling, Jacob nodded and headed downstairs. 

 

“The festivities are over now,” Shepard announced wearily.  “Would one of you mind going outside and getting the rest of the crew onboard?”

 

“I will inform them,” Samara volunteered.

 

“Thanks.  Tell them it should be safe enough.”

 

The asari nodded gracefully before heading towards the elevator.  Looking around at the rest of her crew, Shepard smiled and shook her head.

 

“I would warn you all against drinking with Jack in the future.  And the next time something like this happens, just knock one of ‘em over the head and call it done.  Okay?”

 

“Easier said than done, Shepard,” Tali remarked.  “I don’t want to get my suit ripped open for one of those idiots.”

 

Grunt snorted.  “I told them I was gonna go down, but they wouldn’t let me.  Afraid I was gonna break a neck, or something.”

 

Shepard sighed.  “Point taken.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen again.  Now I suggest you all start preparing yourselves.  We’ll be going through the Omega 4 relay soon, and once we do, there’s no turning back.  Make sure you have everything in order, and come see me if there’s anything you need.”

 

“Of course, Shepard,” Thane replied.  “The same goes to you.”

 

“Yes,” Mordin agreed.  “Come see me if your back gets worse.  Have a good salve for bruising.”

 

Shepard cursed under her breath at the salarian’s perceptiveness as Garrus shot her a worried look.  Forcing a smile, she nodded her head at her team and headed to the now vacant elevator.  As always, Garrus was just a few steps behind her, and as soon as the doors closed, Shepard found herself being gently turned around so that he could lift up the fabric of her shirt.

 

“Hey, now!” she protested.  “No hanky-panky in the elevator! This would be an awkward place to get caught with our pants down…”

 

“Just shut up,” he ordered.  It was a breach of protocol, but Shepard could only blink.  That had to be the first time she had ever heard him say that. 

 

Shepard finally relaxed and allowed Garrus to inspect her back, hoping that it didn’t look too bad just yet.  But from his pained hiss, she knew that it did. 

 

“Which one of them did this?” he asked, furious.  “Because I swear I’ll go back down there and—“

 

“It was a mistake, Garrus.  No need to start kicking skulls in.” Shepard pulled her shirt back down, wincing.  “I let my guard down and it happened.  No harm, no foul.”

 

“No harm? Your entire back is one giant bruise!”

 

“And I’ll go get some of that salve from Mordin tomorrow! Just leave off it and let me have a few moments of peace!”

 

Reluctantly, Garrus obeyed.  He really was overreacting, but it pissed him off that those two could be so careless.  It would be a while before he could look at either woman again with something less than disgust in his eyes. 

 

The elevator arrived at Shepard’s cabin and she started towards her room, back hunched slightly as the pain really settled in.  Garrus didn’t try to help her, knowing that it would only irritate her.  Shepard hated to admit when she was vulnerable, and with her temper as it was right now, he was certain she might bite his head off if he dared insinuate that she needed aid.

 

Shepard walked across her room and flopped down face-first on the bed, sighing as her cheek sunk into the pillows.  Yes, this was what she wanted.  To just sleep and not worry about anything.  Sensing Garrus was still hovering by the door, she lifted an arm to beckon him forward.  He perched himself on the bed beside her, hesitant to move any closer.  Shepard sighed.

 

“I’m sorry that I snapped at you.  I’m just really tired.”

 

Garrus chuckled, running a talon lightly through her hair.  “Me too.  We might have overdone it last night.”

 

“Not even close,” she replied with a wicked smirk.  “Why don’t you lay down with me? We can try to get some sleep before something else blows up.”

 

He quickly stripped off his armor and settled down next to her.  Shepard turned on her side so that she could wrap herself around him, allowing his heartbeat to lull her into sleep.