Chapter 1 – Treasured Moments

Commander Reblicah (Reby) Shepard came through the door of the main battery with a large grin upon her face. She leaned up against the wall and watched her Gunnery Chief, Garrus Vakarian, turn away from his console. Her turian companion always seemed to light up whenever she visited.

"Calibrations?" she asked.

"Always… you would think with all the technology we have in this galaxy, they would at least find a way to make these damn things calibrate themselves."

"I completely agree. I would love to have you around more instead of tinkering with these batteries. Which is what brings me here, do you have any plans this weekend?"

"Just to spend time with you," he smirked.

"Good answer," blushing, "Because we are attending a gallery exhibition at the Citadel."

"A gallery event? That hardly seems like something you would go to."

"Typically I wouldn't. I find most of them boring but this one is special."

"Special?"

"You'll see, come to my quarters in about an hour."

"You know as well as I do that I cannot wait an hour."

"But waiting is half the fun."

"Damn you."

"Trust me. I'll make it worth it."

As soon as she entered, she was gone. Garrus looked at the vacant spot Shepard left behind. He loved it when she came down to visit him, ever since the SR1. Every time the door opened, he secretly hoped it was her. Sometimes he was disappointed to find other crew members attempting to distract him. But when he saw her come through those doors, the world seemed to stop, giving them a brief moment to themselves. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side every minute of every day but there was always something coming between them. From fighting all over the galaxy to avoiding impending attacks, from onboard disagreements to even these stupid calibrations, time was always sparse so any moment they had together became a treasured memory.

Turning back to his console, Garrus let out a sign. He had the constant nagging that he could never be good enough for her. Shepard could have anyone, she was a damned celebrity. Everyone heard of the great Commander Shepard or at least of something she accomplished. Killing thousands and saving millions, the war hero. Idolized by soldiers and civilians, everyone wanted her or to be her. What made him special?

Most humans still had a dislike for turians, still sore from the First Contact War. They were making it uncomfortable for them to be seen in public. He could always feel their eyes glaring them down. 'I cannot believe the Commander is with a turian!' he remembered one screaming. They wanted their savior to be with another human, especially the Terra Firma party. But they know very little of her past. She had an exchange with a human… her Staff Lieutenant, Kaidan Alenko. That name burned as it left his mind. Seeing their relationship enfold, Alenko appreciated Shepard but their dreams seemed so empty. Granted, Kaidan could give her a life Garrus never could, a settled life with a family. He despised Alenko after the event on Horizon, instead of being thrilled of Reblicah being alive, he paid more attention to her working under Ceberus. Shepard found out shortly afterwards the news of him moving on after her death. Garrus knew he would have stayed true to the end of his life, never finding another companion. No one could ever replace Shepard.

Garrus shared the same view as Captain Hannah Shepard. He could only imagine how her mother felt when she received the information about her daughter's resurrection. Reminiscing the day Reby dragged him out to meet Mom. Hannah opened the door and immediately hugged her daughter tightly, tears eluding from both their eyes. Then Hannah greeted her daughter's companion with a hug. Garrus was prepared for the worse but soon realized that her mother approved. He particularly remembered the conversation he shared with the Captrain when Reby went to find her old photo albums.

"My daughter has told me so much about you. You two have been through so much. I just wish you two were together sooner."

"Trust me, I think about it every day."

"You seem like the faithful type. Even after her death, you would have stayed loyal."

"It must be a turian thing," he joked.

"I want you to know," she looked around, making sure her daughter wasn't near, "You have my blessing. Call it a mother's intuition but I can see it in both your eyes, you need each other. I already consider you a part of the family."

"I really appreciate that," he said right before Reblicah strolled back into the room wearing a cap she found in one of her old boxes. She brought in an armful of albums donning pictures from her younger years. They spent all night talking, mostly finding ways of embarrassing Reby. Every time she blushed, she would pull her baseball cap down to cover her eyes. This was enough encouragement for Garrus and Hannah to continue. He never felt so warm and welcomed before. This is not what he was used to.

Garrus could hear the conversations with his father playing like a broken record. 'Follow it by the book,' but if he did that, he would have never met the Commander, his mentor, his best friend, his mate. Then there was his mother… as much as he tried to do something for her he was always shot down. How he wished Reby could meet her. One drunken night, when expressing his basis for feeling alone in the world, he mentioned his mother. Shepard silently sat there staring at him. Those vivid eyes… they could pierce through every layer of his soul. She placed her hands on his, feeling comfort radiate from her fingertips.

Shortly after that night, he received a personal message from a leading Corpalis Syndrome doctor. It stated that if his mother wanted treatment, any and all expenses have been covered by a very generous donor. Of course, Reblicah would do this while she was away, giving plenty of time for him to dwell on it. He isolated himself in the main battery, patiently waiting. Trying to figure out what to say, falling short on words that accurately described the situation. The moment Reby arrived back on the Normandy, Garrus approached her. So many feelings ran through his veins, he didn't know how to respond to her contribution. No matter what he attempted to say, her only reply was, 'We share similar goals, Vakarian, to change the world for the better. If an opportunity comes for me to save a life, you know I will.'

"She IS too good for me!" he cried pounding his fist on the console. But she completed him. Garrus couldn't deny the way his heart felt every time he saw her. He first realized he had feelings for the Commander shortly after leaving the Normandy to return to C-Sec. Thinking about her day and night, remembering every time she visited him by the Mako. The way she smiled at him, the way he felt so welcomed in her presence, there had to be something between them. He toyed with the idea of sending her a personal message, just to get a response, any response, but he could never think of what to say. Then the news of her death arose. It was too late to confess his feelings. For two years, he would talk to himself, hoping that Shepard was listening, that her spirit was there next to him. For two years, he felt himself die inside a little bit more with each passing day, allowing the empty void she left to grow. He constantly visited her memorial on Elysium, hoping to see her ghost walking around.

Feeling there was nothing more for him, he became a vigilante. He was going to die trying to make the world better, just as Reblicah would have wanted. For the first time in his life, he felt proud of his accomplishments, he even received the name Archangel. He became the single threat that shook the balance on Omega. Then things got sloppy, he bottlenecked himself, cornered from every angle. The Eclipse, Blue Suns, and Blood Pack began working together with one goal in mind, to take out the turian named Archangel. This was it, all hope was gone. Garrus knew it wouldn't be long until he joined Shepard… but not until he made his final stand.

Every time he looked down his scope, another body would fall. Gang members, mercenaries, rebels, they all became victims to each chambered round. "Soon Reby," he muttered as his supplies slowly dwindled. Garrus saw the next wave of unlucky customers come onto the bridge. He pulled up his sniper gun, placed the scope to his eye, and froze. "Shepard?" He saw her ghost… but she looked so real. Maybe he finally lost it. Garrus fired a concussive round, hoping the ghost would disappear. It was a direct hit but the Doppelganger remained. This could only mean… it was her! And she was… alive! Immediately he felt every heart beat pound against his chest, his fingers tremble upon the trigger, his eyes swelling up with tears. Trying so hard to not to allow his emotions to blur his judgment, chanting "Deep breaths, Vakarian."

"Archangel?" That was Reby's voice, no doubting that. Just the way she said his alias sent shockwaves through him. Garrus removed his helmet and set it aside. Sat down on the arm rest of the closest chair and replied, "Shepard. I thought you were dead."

"Garrus! What are you doing here?" she came over with open arms and hugged him, squeezing as tightly as she could. His eyes clenched shut, breathing in every bit of her. His senses coming back to life, it felt so good to be alive again.

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice."

"You okay?"

"Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face," he responded. Shepard had no idea how she saved his life, in more ways than one.

Spirits be damned, he had difficulty in confessing his feelings. Even when she suggested testing his reach to her flexibility, he wanted to tell her everything but instead could only come up with bad metaphors. There were many awkward conversations, fumbling nervously around her, but it all changed that night before they left for the Omega 4 Relay.

It was their first time being with another species but it felt so natural. With how many things have gone wrong, he wanted one thing to go right, just once. He got his wish. They were laying in her bed, facing each other, their breathing still heavy from their encounter. Their gazes seemed locked onto each other. Knowing this may be their only night together, it was now or never.

"Reby, I don't know what we will face tomorrow. But I do know that I would never forgive myself if I don't do this. I…" His pause dragged out longer than he expected.

"You know you can tell me anything. What are you hiding behind those blue eyes?" Her voice was calming, welcoming him to share his thoughts.

Garrus's hands slid across the sheets and took both of Reblicah's hands into his. He squeezed them tightly and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Say it again… please," he pleaded.

"I love you too, Garrus."

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this. I love you, Shepard. I cannot say it enough. I didn't know how much you meant to me until I left the Normandy. Every single day, every waking minute, all I could think about was you. Constantly being tempted to try and get in touch with you but I wasn't fast enough. You were gone… leaving a growing emptiness inside of me. I know I'm going to sound crazy but I spent two years hoping your spirit was there by my side, I even had conversations with your ghost. Even though you weren't there, you were so real to me. I could hear your voice, see you smile, feel your touch. It was the best way for me to cope. It really felt like I lost my best friend, like I lost… my bondmate."

The asari term seemed so fitting. Bondmates meant you were eternal. Even when their partner died, the other would always have their impression. Each species had their way of bonding, like asaris would perform melding. Turians would mark their companion by performing a mutual ritual where one would bite the other, leaving a scar. How Shepard managed to leave her spiritual impression remained a mystery. All Garrus knew is how he belonged to Reblicah, and hopefully, one day she would belong to him.

"I really should have told you sooner. And even though I said it, I still feel like I'm too late, I'm sorry," he shyly mentioned watching her brown eyes still gaze at him. Water welled up in his eyes. Ashamed of his emotions, he clenched them shut, hoping she didn't see. Reby brought their tangled fingers to her lips and gently placed a kiss. Triggering more tears to fight their way out.

"It's okay Garrus," she assured him. She unbound their hands and placed hers along the side of his face, thumbing away the droplets. Her soft human touch was so comforting.

"I also have a confession," she began, "It's been very difficult for me to talk about my death. I may joke about it but that's just a defense mechanism. In reality, it scares the hell out of me. Dying becomes burned into your memories, scarring you permanently. I'm constantly reliving my final minutes, constantly remembering the… pain…" Her eyes widened and stared off into an empty void.

Visions of drifting in the dark trenches of space plagued her mind. Clawing at her suit, gasping for air, she felt her body fighting to stay alive. The lack of oxygen tortured her lungs, the pressure of the vacuum pounding against her chest. Everything became blurry before slowly fading to black. Gravely remembering the echo of hearing her heart's last beat. She gasped, regaining her consciousness.

"It haunts me…," Shepard stuttered as she shook her head, hoping the image would vanish. After taking a deep breath, she continued, "When I woke up, it only felt like a few days had passed but it was actually two years. So much had changed, so many had moved on with their lives… I don't blame them… It's just really difficult to for me to understand. But even with everything being so different, you make me feel like… I was never gone. You gave me a reason to accept my resurrection. Thank you."

Reblicah's body scooted closer to her turian companion. Placing her hands on his mandibles, she brought his lips to hers. Whispering, "I love you so much, Garrus. I have always had feelings for you."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"To be honest, I never imagined finding happiness in the arms of a turian. With all the tensions between our species, I didn't think you would feel the same way."

"I do, I do feel the same way. And now that I have you, I am never giving you up." Garrus shifted their bodies until he was over hers. His hand weaved through her arms to the back of her neck and began digging his claws into her hairline. Bringing his forehead to greet hers, he quietly purred, "I will always belong to you, Shepard."

Feeling her arms wrap around his neck, her fingertips dancing around the base of his fringe. "There is one thing dying has taught me, and that is how to live," her words barely left her mouth before pulling him in, locking their lips. They spent the rest of the night passionately sharing their bodies and their thoughts to each other. Trying desperately to catch up on all the years they missed.

Garrus stared at his console, noticing the time was passing by too slowly. It was barely 40 minutes. Instead of attempting to distract himself for the remaining bit, he opened the doors and began heading towards the elevator. Suddenly, an idea flooded his mind. It was something he thought about before. He questioned if it was too still too early to bring it up and if it was too much to ask from her.

"I think she is ready," he reassured himself, remembering all their treasured moments together, smiling as he pressed the button for the Commander's quarters. He wondered if she will accept it or if she will refuse. The overwhelming feeling of panic and excitement simultaneously raced through his veins. This was really going to happen.