A/N: I'm keeping up with my tags for each new episode! This here is the tag to 'Uprising,' and I forced myself to make it not a Will/Helen story ;) I really liked the idea of Kate and Garrus, so...yeah!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

She isn't doing something specific, work-related, today, so she is just wandering through the streets, meeting people. Talking. Letting them get used to her presence in their lives. He watches her from the window of the housing unit they share – her stuff on one side, his on the other.

She has gotten a lot more comfortable than she was at first. She smiles easily at some people, those that she has already gotten to know, and others she approaches with less ease but still a measure of friendly compassion. He feels a grin grace his face as he watches, glad she is transitioning into his world.

"Kate!" he calls to her, drawing her attention away from their neighbors. She jogs back up the street, past the crews constantly rebuilding housing units and other buildings and transportation systems, and skids to a stop at their door.

"Yeah, Garrus?" she asks, foot tapping impatiently. He smiles down at her – she is still the same Kate they all met up on the surface – just a little more uneasy sometimes. Handing her the computer tablet he holds, he leads her back into the main room of the housing unit.

"Video call from your friends on the surface," he tells her, heading outside to give her privacy to talk to the ones she's left behind. But before he leaves, he notices her whole demeanor change – there is no more hesitation, no more unease that follows her everywhere in Hollow Earth. His heart drops: she does not feel truly at home in his world. But he steps out the door just as she begins the conversation with her surface "family."

"Hank!" is the first word out of her mouth. Garrus smiles, knowing this is the man who came into the camp, of his own accord, to help achieve peace. He is too far away to hear the response from the man on the video, but Kate's bubbling laughter puts him slightly at ease and enables him to walk away.

That evening it is just the two of them at supper – no one else needs Garrus' presence, and Kate has decided to stay in instead of trying to befriend another family. The conversation flows for a while, but it suddenly jerks to a halt, and Kate feels unable to break the suddenly awkward silence. They sit for a while, the only sounds those of eating, and both begin to fidget in the uncomfortable atmosphere. It takes much effort, but finally Garrus speaks.

"Are you happy here?" he asks. Kate looks taken aback: this is not the question she was expecting. She stays silent for a moment, simply staring in his direction.

"Yes, I am," she says slowly, not knowing what he is looking for.

He lets out the breath he did not know he had been holding and places his hand over hers on the table. She tenses up for a second, then forces herself to relax. He waits for her gaze to meet his before speaking.

"Are you sure?" he asks. She nods mutely, waiting for him to continue.

"Because you sounded so relieved, so relaxed, when you got that video call this afternoon," he tells her, "and I want you to know that you are always allowed to go back."

She does not respond immediately, instead waiting for him to finish his statement. When he says nothing more, she shakes her head vigorously.

"I made the decision to come down here, remember?" she says. He nods slightly, and she plows on. "You told me it would be difficult, that it wasn't what I was used to up here. I know that, and you were right. It has been different, and difficult at times, but I am happy. I miss my friends on the surface – I always will. But I came down here for a reason, to try and make relationships with the people down here so we can prevent something like what Fallon did from happening again. And it's working! It's slow, but it's working – people accept me, they know that I'm only here to help. I'll always miss the surface; that's my home and they're my…my family," her voice breaks slightly, but she goes on, "but I'm happy here, and I'm staying."

They fall back into silence, looking into one another's eyes, but this time it's not so forced and awkward. Garrus stands slowly and pulls Kate with him, and she follows without a moment's thought. They stand quite close to one another, in their shared living space, not a word spoken between them. He lets go of her hand and puts both of his onto her shoulders, gently, not in a possessive way. She reaches up and puts her hands on his chest, on his twin hearts, never breaking eye contact. They hold that position for a while, time swirling around them but not touching, as if they are separate from normal dimensions. And slowly, gently, smoothly, he leans down, and she rocks onto her toes, and their lips meet. And it is quiet, and soft, and so many things all rolled into one.

Time dances in circles, but they are not affected by it, they are only affected by one another. It's not what either of them was looking for, what either of them expected. They break the kiss silently, and she leans her head on his chest atop her hands in a very un-Kate-like move. He wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her close, smelling her hair.

A gentle whisper flutters through the air. "I'm glad you're here."