All characters are owned by Bioware, Inc. May this be the last trial piece before I start working on something better. ;p

The room, a momentary blur of color, sound, sight and touch, slowly, gradually, returned to normal. First the subdued hush of engines reverberating through the floor, then the soft glow emanating from the wall-length fish tanks. The feel of rumpled sheets twisted around her lower body, the pillow only half supporting her head. Its mate lay on the floor, seams split, the material scattered as if a child had carelessly pulled it apart. Staring at it now, she could not recall when it had been thrown, let alone torn.

Sighing in contentment, she placed her hand over her breasts, her fingers trembling slightly from the erratic beating of her heart. Movement caused the bed to shift, before a powerful, warm body pressed against her back, bringing a lazy smile to her face. An arm slid around her waist, drawing her closer. "Well," her partner began, his voice a mixture of contentment and admiration with a teasing lilt, "you weren't kidding about your...ah, flexibility."

Commander Shepard burst out laughing. Only Garrus would have the tact, or lack thereof, to sum up what just happened between them so humorously. Rolling over, she met his gaze and smiled. He appeared completely at ease, quite unlike the turian who had come into her cabin not an hour before. She had been the one to take the initiative then, grasping his hand and leading him to the bed. He had watched her, almost tongue tied, as she removed her shirt. Breasts held no fascination to turians, but the moment her midriff was exposed something came alive in Garrus' eyes. Letting the bottle of wine drop from his hand, he descended upon her like a charging krogan. She had laughed in pleasant surprise, thankful that if not for the bed between them and the floor, they most likely would have crashed to the CIC Deck. Never underestimate the power of suggestion, she thought wryly.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked, her manner teasing.

"Yes," he replied smoothly, a hint of a smile in his voice. He then idly rubbed at his left shoulder. "You didn't have to grab me so hard, you know," he grumbled good-naturedly.

"It's nice to know that despite your tough armor there's still some soft spots," she retorted, edging closer to him. She inspected his shoulder, the skin there appearing lightly bruised. "Okay, maybe I was a little too enthusiastic that time. But that's because you almost dropped me," she added, eyeing him. "I'm flexible, Garrus, not made of rubber."

"There were times when I believed it," came his drawling reply, punctuated by a shrug. Shepard reached over to pinch the sensitive skin, resulting in Garrus exclaiming, "Oh, no you don't," and sitting up. The next thing she knew was peering down at her, the pressure of his body pinning her to the bed. There was a reckless gleam in his eyes, the same spark she had seen earlier. Adrenaline tempered by excitement surged through her, but when she attempted to shift position she became acutely aware of a burning pain from the waist down. Right on time, she thought, unable to conceal her grimace.

Garrus saw it as well, his expression turning apologetic. "I'm sorry, Shepard," he said, shifting into an upright position with her on his lap. He held her head against his shoulder, his fingers threading through the strands of her hair. "Maybe I was too vigorous? I shouldn't have-"

"Oh, shut up, Garrus," she interrupted, sliding her arms around him. "I enjoyed every minute of it and I'd do it again. Just, not now," she remarked, laughing slightly. Garrus murmured his agreement, then bowed his head until it brushed against the top of hers. Shepard closed her eyes, letting the calm of the moment soothe her. If only they could be like this for a little bit longer. But now that she was free from the tension leading up to this moment, her thoughts distilled to a single one: there was still a lot of work to do.

Knowing she needed to prepare, Shepard drew back, smiled as she caressed the length of his cheek, and eased off his lap. She felt his eyes on her as she slid to the edge of the bed. Each movement brought forth new twinges of pain, which she bore with tight-lipped determination. Gripping the edge with both hands, she sucked in a breath and pushed herself to her feet. There. That wasn't so bad. The discomfort became much more tolerable now that nothing was grazing the inside of her thighs. Satisfied, she took a step forward. Her knees suddenly buckled, it felt as if someone had given her slight push, and down she went.

"Shepard, what happened?" Garrus asked, springing off the bed and dropping to a knee at her side. She shook her head, laughing at herself. Danger, death, intrigue- those she could handle. What defeated her now was nothing more than the aftermath of damn good sex.

Her mirth chased the concern from his eyes. "Feel like telling me what's so funny?"

"After you help me up," she replied, smiling as she slid her arm around his neck. "We still have a galaxy to save, and I can't do it sitting here on my ass."