Title: Shakarian Drabbles

Author: Ryoko Metallium

Author Notes : So so sorry it took me so long to put out an update! Honestly this chapter was really hard to finish because it started out as something completely different, then I didn't like what I had written so I had to start over again. Which kinda killed my interest in even continuing so I had to wait for inspiration to come back lol. Again, sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: Mass Effect is the property of Bioware and EA Inc. I do not own these characters. I am only borrowing these characters. I promise I'll give them back.

Chapter Six : Confrontation

He was finding it impossible to fall asleep without her.

He missed her scent. He missed her presence beside him curled into him against his chest, seeking both warmth and protection. He missed reaching for her in the dark, his hand finding hers and their fingers intertwining with each other. Garrus missed the sound of her breathing as she slept and the way every breath would feel against his skin. The sounds she would make as she dreamt was always amusing, except when the nightmares would find her. On nights when It would get really bad, when Shepard would be fitful and gasping for air, or she would scream for him, Garrus knew his place needed to be always close by.

Her protector, watching her six and keeping her safe.

At some point, Garrus finally decided he had enough tossing and turning and surrendered to the fact that he wasn't getting any sleep. With Shepard still on Omega and no radio contact in the last several hours, trying to keep his mind busy and not thinking about the what-if's proved to be a daunting task. Garrus at first figured sleeping was a better option than worrying, but now, that apparently wasn't going to happen.

A growling pang in his stomach reminded him that he had eaten anything for quite some time. With little else to do, now seemed as good as time any. He sat up slowly from the bed, not bothering to redress back into his armor that sat in pieces on the couch nearby. He lingered around Shepard's quarters before heading out the door, looking over her belongings scattered over the room. Dirty uniforms sat in a pile waiting to be washed, a spare helmet with a crack in the visor sat on the coffee table and a Carnifex pistol was next to her terminal with a growing stack of data pads. A quick look through them revealed to Garrus a whole slew of people, from generals to politicians all asking Shepard for Reaper advice.

Garrus couldn't help but scoff.

How long did Shepard try to warn them, try to prepare them for this very thing? How many of them laughed at her or called her claims about the Reapers insane? Now that threat was made real, the fact that the doubters were now looking to Shepard for answers had become something of an ironic joke.

Maybe if they had listened to her sooner, he thought, we've might have had a better chance of surviving this. Tossing the data pad back on the pile, Garrus headed for the elevator, his stomach growling ever louder.

He wasn't expecting to find anyone else awake when he walked into the mess area. Getting off the elevator, Garrus was greeted with the bitter aroma of human coffee brewing. He grimaced as the scent invaded his nose. He never liked the stuff. Coffee to him smelled way too much like wet dirt, and according to Shepard, tasted like it too. He turned the corner, and paused when he saw Kaidan sitting alone at the table. The man appeared lost in his thoughts, his eyes dark as he stared into the steaming brew, his hands clutching his mug. A bottle of pills were sitting on the table.

Garrus said nothing as he walked past Kaidan, his path focused solely on the fridge. Kaidan said nothing either, ignoring his presence completely. For a time, an uneasy silence hung in the air. Much like the last time they found themselves alone, neither human or turian seemed to want to say anything to ease the clear tension between them.

Garrus hadn't forgotten Kaidan's threat from their last chat.

'I want her back Vakarian,' he recalled. 'I want her back, and I want you gone.'

It was a safe bet that Kaidan's opinion of him hadn't changed much since then. That's why it caught him off guard when Kaidan started to make conversation.

"Can't sleep?"

The turian at first was silent, more focused on finding some dextro rations in the fridge and tossing it in the microwave to heat it up. He looked up and caught Kaidan's gaze on him and said, " Nope. It's hard to get a good nights sleep during war time."

"Yea, I'm finding that out myself." Garrus noticed his discomfort. Kaidan's jaw was clenched as he rubbed his temple, squeezing eyes tights against the pain.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine," he lied. "Just a migraine. I usually can't sleep when they get this bad."

"Shouldn't you see Chakwas then?"

"It's late. I don't want to bother her." He winced as a sharp pang flared up against his temple. "Pills should kick in a bit. I just need to ride it out. "

Garrus shrugged. "If you're sure."

"Any word from Shepard yet?"

Garrus inhaled sharply, hesitant to answer. The microwave beeped that his food was ready, much to his relief.

"Nothing yet," he replied. " I don't expect we'll hear anything from her until the mission is done. "

"Huh...I'm surprised you actually her let go alone."

"Meaning?" Garrus inquired, taking his food from the microwave and stirring the contents, blending the strange brown mash together. He wasn't much of a mood to fight, but if that was what Alenko was leaning towards, and especially if it was matter of Shepard, then Garrus was happy to oblige.

"You're not at all worried that she's doing this mission solo, and on Omega of all places" said Kaidan, keeping his accusations vague. "Shepard is the driving force in this entire war right now. She's bringing every species together to fight, and if anything happens to her, our chances of uniting and beating the Reapers are over. "

He picked up the mug, slipped its contents slowly before before putting back on the table. "We can't lose her to fruitless efforts like doing favors for criminals."

Garrus stared at him, seemingly unfazed yet hard to read. He stirred his food calmly, eating in a few measure bites. Since coming back o the Normandy, Garrus had given Kaidan some considerable distance, not wishing to cause trouble on deck. Shepard had enough to deal with than her boyfriend and her ex going at each other. Still, the Lieutenant wasn't making things easier, especially with this conversation.

"Shepard didn't think it was a fruitless effort," he replied. "She went to Omega in hopes of securing another alliance force for the war."

"You really think street gangs and space pirate thugs are going to take orders from Alliance soldiers?"

Garrus snorted. "Hell no. But they'll listen to Aria. She gains back control of Omega, and they'll have no one else to listen but her. Adding in the factor that these gangs have been enduring Cerberus for this long, something tells me it won't be too hard convincing them to join the fight."

"Revenge makes for good motivation, huh."

"Ask Zaeed. I'm sure he tell you."

"Still, Shepard shouldn't have gone on her own..."

Garrus inhaled sharply. "Once Shepard has her mind on something there's no stopping her. She knows what she's doing. I trust her to know what's best for securing an alliance with Aria. In the meantime, Lieutenant, I suggest you have a little bit more faith in the Commander."

Kaidan shut his eyes and shook his head, holding his mug tightly. "Listen, Garrus, about what I said...I didn't mean...I just miss her, that's all. I miss what we had. I see everything that Shepard has to put up with and I keep telling myself, 'I have to be there for her this time." And seeing the two of you...together. It's hard. It's hard knowing that I let something great go to waste."

Garrus' mandibles fluttered out and his brow tightened down. "Well, at least you can admit that much. That you squandered your chance to be with the best woman in this whole forsaken universe because you were a damned fool. I can't honestly say I feel sorry for you."

Kaidan didn't respond, just listened.

"Shepard and I were there for each other when we both needed something to believe in. To fight for. When everyone else had either turned their backs on us or tried to discredit what we were doing, we stood by each other." He paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before stating seriously, "She's the one I march into Hell for, without question."

Kaidan sighed deeply, staring into his mug. "You guys always did make a good team. I'm...I guess I should be glad she has you, at least."

"I love her. She'll always have me."