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This is in the same universe as my Warrior Ethos stories. So... If you like this story, then you'll probably enjoy those as well.

Chapter 1: Clean My Wounds

She had to hand it to Cerberus; they knew how to build a ship, and they sure knew who they were building it for. Alliance regulations strictly prohibited anyone even consuming alcohol aboard one of their ships, let alone having an actual bar at which to drink. Cerberus it seemed had no such concerns and that was fine with her.

After the debacle with the batarian bartender three days ago, and swearing off drinking altogether, she figured she could stand the taste of alcohol once again without dry-heaving. The ex-Spectre had no real intention of permanently going dry, but it usually took a lot longer for her to become comfortable with booze after a serious bender, not to mention a poisoning. It must have been the Cerberus upgrades; it seemed they were good for something.

Alone in the room, she sauntered up to the bar and took a seat in one of the stools. It looked like someone had already been there recently, leaving a small glass and a pair of bottles on the counter, one with blue contents, one with pink. Not for the first time, she wondered about the Cerberus rules for drinking on duty. Trying a little of each, she poured the contents of both bottles into the glass and readied herself for a long night.

...

"Need some company, captain?"

She knew that voice, that gorgeous voice, and it belonged to exactly the one person in the galaxy with whom she most wanted to spend time. Maybe not while drinking, where she risked making a fool of herself, but any time spent with him was better than none at all. On the other hand, he knew, or once knew, about her pension for overindulgence. If it hadn't bothered him during the Saren campaign, it certainly wasn't going to bother him now.

She stared straight ahead at the bottles behind the bar and downed her fifth cocktail that night before reaching to mix another. Intending on playing it cool for the turian, she took a few seconds to think of how best to respond. They each knew where they stood in the others' eyes, but that didn't mean she had to admit it to the man.

But did she really know where she stood with him? Maybe they just friends-with-benefits. No, she was more than a friend to Garrus, wasn't she? What about best friends who occasionally enjoyed sex? That seemed true enough when she thought about it, but it depressed her... and more than a little. Was it wrong to want something more? How can you just be 'best friends' with someone when the idea of them being with anyone else kills you inside? She had thought she'd never, ever, admit to wanting anything more from him, but that wasn't true anymore. That cat had left the bag three days ago.

Earlier, on Omega, when he laid dying beneath her, she'd blurted something out that she was positive he could not have been conscious to hear. It seems she'd been wrong about just how awake he really was, and now she'd come to regret it. On top of that, only hours ago he'd said the same thing to her. It embarrassed the hell out of the ex-Spectre at first, then made her so happy she could hardly breath, then depressed her again after she thought about it. Did you say that to me just because I'd said it to you? Did you not want me to feel bad? Did you really mean it?

Slowly, she swiveled to face him, her slightly greasy red hair shifting to cover her eyes. She brushed the wayward strands behind an ear with a pair of fingers. As soon as she caught the faintest sight him, his familiar but damaged armor, his familiar but damaged face, her heart jumped into her throat and butterflies filled her stomach. It didn't used to be this way, back when they were just friends, when she'd given up all hope of being something more. Then things had started moving in right direction and the nervousness set in whenever she saw him. That too subsided with time and had all but disappeared by Ilos. Alchera came less than a week ago, from her point of view, and everything had changed. Dammit, it's just not fair. Do I really have to start all over with him? It's been two years... I don't even know if he's seeing someone else. He might be married for Christ's sake.

She briefly closed her eyes and swallowed hard against the tightness in her chest. "I could use some, yeah," she said, pushing a barstool out for him to use. "Drink?" she asked brightly.

"Sure, I'd like that," he replied.

Jane stood up and reached over and underneath the bar where whoever stocked the booze also kept the glasses. Pulling one out, she set it down and realized she had nothing to put in it. Both the pink and blue liqueurs she'd been drinking were apparently levo, though she probably should have checked that before drinking a quarter of their contents each. She didn't know if anyone had bothered to keep anything dextro around.

She eyed the bottles displayed behind the bar, trying to pick out any with Khelish or Turian writing. Not seeing any, she gave Garrus an uncomfortable smile and turned to Edi's vacant holoprojector.

"Edi, get a hold of the princess for me," she said in a voice that sounded much calmer than she felt.

"Captain, are you referring to operative Lawson?" asked the hologram that materialized above the pad.

"What do you think, Edi?" she replied, her tone flat.

"Putting you through now, captain."

"Yes," the operative said through the ship's comm, "what can I do for you, captain?"

"Miri, is there any dextro booze on this ship?" she asked, silently hoping she wouldn't have to drink alone.

"Of course, captain," she began, "Not only does your brother have several bottles of quarian spirits in his cabin-"

"Not gonna go there, XO," interrupted the captain.

"Right," she continued, "there's quite a selection of turian, asari, and even salarian-made dextro beverages available in the port observation room."

"Okay, Miri," replied the ex-Spectre, "We're here now. Where is it?"

"They're separate from the other bottles," replied the operative. Garrus got up to look for them. Jane waved the turian back into his seat with a hand while Miranda continued, "beneath the bar, in a compartment off to the left."

"Thanks. Bye," said Jane, motioning for Edi to close the connection. The ex-Spectre nodded to herself as she got up to locate them. She'd be damned if Garrus would pour his own drink after she had been the one to offer it. Recalling from two years ago some of the things he used to order when he wanted to be in a good mood, she pulled out a bottle of turian liquor, an asari-made dextro liqueur, and a turian mixer. Combining them in thirds, then adding a couple of cubes of ice and stirring, she slid the cocktail across the bar to the former C-Sec officer, a genuine smile crossing her lips. I hope this is still his favorite. Lord knows how his tastes might have changed.

"Thanks, Jane," he said, his mandibles parted wide in a smile. He took a sip while the human looked on expectantly. Setting it down, he regarded her carefully, as if knowing he needed to say something but searching for the best way to say it. "Well, this is... Actually, it's perfect. The drink. Spirits, I haven't had one of these in years. I never thought I'd miss it this much." He downed it suddenly and passed the glass back to her, gesturing for another.

Jane chuckled to herself. She hadn't known Garrus to be this eager with alcohol before. Sometimes people changed. Sometimes it happened naturally, and other times there were reasons. Garrus had quite a few reasons, all buried or spaced on Omega. Her soft smile creased into a frown at the thought.

"Here ya go, buddy," she said quietly as she passed him the freshened drink, their hands grazing each other as it passed from her grasp to his. Green eyes locked with his steel-blue ones for a moment as it happened, Jane feeling the old spark of something between them at the touch. Garrus sensed perhaps a bit of concern in the way she offered it to him.

"Thanks," he said with a nod, "I've... Well, it's been rough these last couple of years. The alcohol helps take the edge off, ya know?"

"Of course I know, believe me I know, and I'm definitely not one to talk," she replied with a smile.

"On the bright side, we'll be better drinking buddies now," he said cheerfully.

"Yeah... buddies," she agreed, clearly not as enthusiastic as the turian.

"Well, we've both got good reasons." He looked down at his drink. It had been really well made, remarkably so, considering the maker couldn't even drink it. "The alcohol also helps with... You know." He pointed to the heavily bandaged side of his face. After a few moments passed, he took a couple of sips. "How are yours?" he asked, bringing a finger up to trace her softly glowing facial scars.

"Good, good," she answered, smiling at his touch and his concern. "They're getting a little better, I think, but nowhere near as quickly as John's. Stress, Chakwas tells me, makes all the difference."

Gently she clasped the back of his hand, slowly pressing his palm into her cheek with a soft sigh. The turian could almost swear the scars dimmed a little under the pressure, but it might have been a trick of light.

"Right, well," she continued, releasing his hand, "I guess yours still hurt a lot. Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked.

Garrus looked at her, then turned away to watch the stars through the observation window. He remained silent until she walked back around the bar and pulled up a seat next to him.

"Maybe. Yes, actually, but not at the moment. I'd like to talk about something else first," he said, turning back to the human and holding a hand out to her. "So, are you really good with... us? The way we are?" he asked. She took his hand in hers and brought it to her lap.

"Yeah, yeah, Garrus, we're good I guess," she answered, pulling her seat a little closer to his. She took another gulp of her drink before continuing, "I woulda thought last night had set you straight on that," she said, giving him a sideways glance before turning back to her cocktail. Good? Good? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm good with Miranda, my brother, and the ship's trash compactor; it doesn't mean I'm going to date them, you stupid, lovable, skull-faced son-of-a-bitch...

"Oh, yes, indeed it did," he smiled, "But, well... It's been a long time, Shepard, and recently some things have changed."

"Shepard? What the hell is that about?!" she asked angrily, slamming her drink on the table, trying not to let the fear she felt creep into her voice, "Are we getting all formal now, Officer Vakarian? And it's been a long time for you, not me..." She pursed her lips and looked away, finishing softly, "You know that."

She turned completely away from the man, seemingly to look for a napkin to clean up what had sloshed out of her glass and onto the bar. If she found one, she might decide to use it to clean the small mess she made. As she looked around, she couldn't help but notice her scars and eyes. They shown bright enough to reflect off the highly polished bar-top.

"This is just hard for me," he sighed, "To jump right back into it, you know? I made some assumptions when, uh, we met again."

"Ugh, what's going on, Skully? What are you talking about?" she asked, downing the last of the contents of her glass. This whole conversation was getting ugly, quickly. She sent the seat of her stool spinning as she got up and began pacing. She couldn't look at him; not like this. "Maybe I should be the one asking if we're good."

"No, you don't need to ask that," he said simply, carefully, like a professor correcting the grammar of a student, "I'm good with this. I'm perfectly willing to take you back, just like it was right before Ilos, just like it was right before..." he trailed off.

"I died," she supplied.

"Yes. Before that. But I don't want to," he said, his voice firm. There was an intensity in his eyes that she had almost never seen before. In fact, the only other times she'd seen him like that were when he stared through the scope of his rifle. It wasn't often that she could take the time to just ogle him while he sniped.

"You...? I mean..." Jane stammered, completely at a loss for words. She couldn't afford to be upset like this, not now, not as the captain. She had to be the implacable vision of command, entirely above such pointless drama. Her cabin would have to do; it was sound proofed and the only place aboard that she could totally wreck and not piss anyone else off. Calmly, she stopped pacing and faced the turian, though anger still kept her from looking him in the eyes. "Excuse me, Officer Vakarian, it's getting late and I think I'll retire to my quarters."

Instantly, Garrus knew something was terribly wrong with what he'd said, although he had no idea what it might be. He told her he'd been perfectly willing to go back to the way things were before she'd been taken from him. Wasn't that what she'd wanted? He'd also told her how he really felt, that he didn't want to do that, just in case she didn't want to do that either. Maybe she needed him to be more definitive? This was just like him... His father was right again; good turians made a decision and stuck with it. They didn't play games, they were up-front in all things, even in relationships and damn the consequences. Oh well, he thought, I'd better get this over with. Try to clean up this mess before I screw this up any more.

He stood up and approached her as she turned to walk out the door.

"Jane, wait," he said, grabbing her by the shoulder so he could turn her to face him. She jerked her arm from his grasp in an instant, almost pulling him off balance.

"Fuck you, Garrus Vakarian." she said as she continued to walk away, not even bothering to glance in his direction as she said it.

"Officer Vakarian!" interrupted Edi, popping into existence above her holopad, "You will not attempt to restrain the captain again or security will be notified." If her small hologram could stare daggers, it would be doing it at that moment. Halted in his tracks from the surprise of the normally sedate AI's tone, he barely noticed as Jane walked out the door. It slid shut behind her, the haptic interface changing to a bright red.

"Uh, Edi?" he asked hesitantly, "is that door locked?"

"Yes, Officer Vakarian, it is," she confirmed. "The captain has stated that she will return to her quarters. The door to the port observatory will remain locked until she reaches her destination."

"Okay," he said slowly, "can you open it please? I'd like to talk to her... And I'm not with C-Sec anymore, so you don't need to address me as 'officer.'"

"I will not open the door for you, mister Vakarian. Only the captain and executive officer of the Normandy have override authorization of that function. Relaying your request now." The room fell silent for a minute before Edi spoke again, "The captain has denied your request. Logging you out, mister Vakarian."

"Well, damn," he said. After a few seconds of merely standing there, he sat down to finish his drink.

...

"You look upset, captain," the executive officer observed as Jane stormed into her office, "trouble in paradise?"

"Shut up, Miri. No boy talk, please," she sighed, "I'm just knackered is all." Taking a seat across from Miranda's desk, she picked up a data-pad and started scrolling through it. "How's the ship?"

"Ship-shape, so to speak," the other woman smiled, "Tali is settling in at the engine room and we've already seen a fifty percent increase in fuel efficiency thanks to her. I'd have told you if there was an issue."

"Right. What about the other quarians? How are they doing? Any thefts?" asked Jane.

"They're fine, a little hung-over from their meat-binge. No disturbances to report," she replied, picking up a data-pad of her own and skimming it, "I don't trust them either, but don't let you brother or Tali hear you talking about them that way."

"Whoa, hold on," said the captain, holding up both hands to interrupt the operative, "It's not like that. They're not crew. They're strangers. I'm not racist... I'd be just as concerned if they were a bunch of turians or hanar or humans." She brought the data-pad close to her face to look through one or two items, letting the conversation die. After about a minute of reading, she decided she wasn't done yet. "A day from now they'll be gone forever, dropped off at the citadel then back to the fleet or wherever. That's just a good opportunity for anyone to take something."

"Of course, captain, I apologize for suggesting otherwise," she said. "Can I get you something? A glass of water, some tea? Something harder, perhaps? I've got a few packages of grilled chicken salad here..." she trailed off, searching though her mini-fridge for something to offer the captain.

"Beer, please. Low-calorie, if possible," she grunted.

Miranda nodded and produced a can for the woman, opening it with an perfectly manicured fingernail. Jane winced at the display. The ex-Spectre barely had any fingernails left anymore, and would that she had them, she certainly wouldn't be using them to open beer cans. A sudden revelation hit her like a truck.

"I didn't know you drank beer," she said in a questioning tone.

"I don't, captain-"

"Jane," she interjected.

"I don't, Jane. I keep them here for you. As captain, it is expected that you will be spending a lot of time in the XO's office. I would hardly be doing my job if I wasn't seeing to the needs of my superior officer," she finished with a smile.

Now Jane started to feel like a real varren. From the moment she met this woman, Jane had detested her and she had no idea why. Jealously, perhaps? Maybe, but that didn't feel right. Liara was just as beautiful, and that had never been an issue. Could it be the way the operative somehow combined her incredible smugness with her 'pity me' attitude? Or the way the woman eyed her oblivious twin brother when she thought no one was looking? What about the fact that she worked directly for her sworn enemy?

Those consideration were true enough, but they did nothing to change the simple fact that Miranda had been one of the nicest people on the ship to the captain, both in word and deed. I wasn't what she said, so much, but how she said it. She probably had next to no social skills whatsoever.

Jane sneaked a peek at the woman's forehead. Despite the heavy make-up, there was still a large welt where she given her an extremely hard jab with the muzzle of her pistol. It marred her perfect face. At the time, it surprised the heck out of Jane that she had even remained conscious. Now she really did start to feel pity for the woman.

"I think you and I got off on the wrong foot," began the captain, "and I want to apologize for how I treated you when we first met at the Lazarus facility."

"No need," she said, leaning in over her desk, "the fault was entirely mine. You were right, I could have hurt your brother- or you, or Jacob- when I shot Wilson."

"Fair enough, but I didn't have to jab you in the face with my gun," Jane sighed, "It was done, the shot was taken. You weren't a threat. I did that was because of my anger issues. No other reason."

"Right, well I deserved it," sighed Miranda, "I won't be doing that again, now will I?" she chuckled this time. Jane did too, albeit a little uncomfortably, "and besides, based on your psyche profile I thought I was dead. Frankly, I was glad to have gotten off so easily," Miranda smiled, a genuine, broad smile.

"My psyche profile... Yeah, I guess it's quite a read-through at this point." The captain shook her head as she leaned back, examining the beer Miranda had gotten for her.

"Please, Jane, don't feel bad about what happened," she said, reaching out to the other woman with a hand. Jane took it in a firm, friendly grasp before letting it go. "I'm used to it."

"You're... What?" the ex-Spectre asked cautiously, unsure of how to take what she'd just heard.

"Hmm?" Miranda asked, showing a tight-lipped smile with arched eyebrows. She pretended not to hear the captain's question, buying her some time to respond. Jane simply stared at her, scars and eyes glowing fiercely. "Oh, it's nothing. I was talking about gunplay and such. When you do it as much as we do, it becomes easy to get used to. To treat it with a laissez-faire attitude, right? It won't happen again, I promise you." Quickly changing the subject, she continued, "Now, about those scars, I think Karin has done some research into surgical options for treating them..."

...

Thirty minutes after arriving at the med-lab and deciding to let 'nature' take its course with her scars, which was an hour after arriving at Miranda's office, Jane opened the door to her cabin and stepped inside. She no longer had the energy or desire to trash her cabin. The talk with Garrus had hurt her, to be sure, but she'd expected the possibility of being dumped since being told that two years had passed since they'd seen each other.

She slipped into her desk chair and activated her private terminal, intent on getting some work done. She still had two positive counseling statements to write, one each for the two human engineers, once certificate of appreciation for Tali after how she improved the ship's engines, and a negative counseling for Gardner after she discovered him using expired meat in the Chef's Special. The glint of metal caught her eye.

There, in the upper left of her awards rack, sat her Distinguished Alliance Cross, its soft bronze sheen reflecting the blue glow of her fish tank. Awarded for 'extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force' the Alliance had told her. They had given it for what she did on Torfan, for the ground mission she commanded. Oh, they were more than happy to pull her from the marines and keep her on a ship after that. The damn thing was window dressing on a massacre, nothing more. It mocked her.

She ripped it from the display case in a fit of rage, it's pins punching through her skin and forcing blood to slip through her tight fist. She threw it as hard as she could against the wall. Drops of blood flung from her hand, splattering against the floor and fish-tank, giving the appearance of black ink in the dim light. The medal hit the empty fish tank and dropped to the carpeted floor with hardly a sound. Edi's holo sprung to life, bathing the room in even more eerie blue light.

"Captain-" began Edi.

"No, thank you, I don't require assistance," she said quietly.

"That is good to know, Captain, but that is not why I am seeking your attention," said the orb, "Mister Vakarian is outside your quarters. Do you wish to see him?"

Jane considered that for a moment. Did he come to apologize? Did he come for a fight? If the latter, she sure as hell wouldn't be using her words and the damn fool had no idea what he was getting himself into. Maybe he just want to use her for sex? Sadly, Jane began to understand that she just didn't give a damn what he wanted with her at the moment. Whatever it was, if that's what it took to just spend some time with the man, then so be it. She would go along with any- or all- of the available options.

Although, given the choices, she'd rather just screw the man than get into another emotional rollercoaster with him or break his face with a biotic punch. Maybe if she showed a little skin, she just might entice him into taking what he had really wanted from her all along.

"One second, Edi," she said, glancing at the AI. She pulled off her hoodie, then the black tee-shirt she wore underneath. Bringing the pair of clasps on her bra to the front of her chest, she undid those, tossing the small garment into the corner of her room. Resigned, she wished she'd invested in a push-up bra two years ago on her last shopping trip. Since she was back to being single, apparently, she'd make sure to correct that when they arrived at the citadel in eighteen hours. She put the hoodie back on and unzipped it enough to expose what cleavage she had. She discovered the zipper reached halfway down her torso and it still wasn't enough.

"Alright, Edi, I'm gonna open the door myself."

"Logging you out, captain."

Just as she reached to haptic control, she remembered that Garrus, being turian, barely even knew what breasts were. Grumbling to herself, she zipped her top all the way up and palmed the door control.

"Hey Garrus, come on in, forget what happened earlier. You're welcome here whenever you want." she said in a dejected monotone. She turned from the man and started toward her bed, head hung low as she walked. She held no expression, there was no spring in her step. As she approached the bed, she removed the hoodie, took a seat at its foot, and waited patiently for the ex-C-Sec officer.

"Jane," he began patiently, "I don't want to do this right now..."

"Look Garrus," she explained, sounding for all the galaxy like someone having to rewrite tax forms for the third time that day, "If this is the only way I can be with you, the only way I can have you, then fine. I'll take it. Now please, no more talking, no more fuss, just hold me..."

"Okay, Jane, I'd love nothing better," he said cautiously as he approached the woman. The closest thing she could muster resembling a smile crossed her lips. He wrapped his arms around her and she melted into his embrace.

Bringing a hand around his neck, she pulled him down to her and looked into his eyes. She just didn't get it, just couldn't understand. It was all there, everything they had before, as plain as day even in his hard, almost immobile face. His eyes told her the same thing they always had. Nothing's changed in you, not that I can see, so why are you treating me this way? Is that it? Did you always look this way because you never wanted to be more than just friends? Was I always just a convenient hole for you to stick it in on a lonely voyage?

She lowered herself to his fringe and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Alright, are you ready to do this?"

"Do what?" he asked, rubbing her bare back.

"Me, you idiot," she scoffed, "Make-up sex? Don't tell me you don't want it." She pulled away from him and laid with her back to the bed, making it easier to unbutton her jeans.

Confused, the turian arched an eye-ridge. "Well, of course I want it, I've always wanted you, and always will. You know that."

Jane couldn't help but let loose a burst of short laughter. "Different races have different definitions of 'want,' right?" She kicked her shoes off and slid her jeans off her hips and past her ankles. They landed in a pile on the floor. Her underwear came next, then she sat up and started to unclasp his armor.

"Maybe," he admitted. As she began to undo the first of his armor-seals, he stopped her, holding her hands in his. "You want this, and I don't. Not any more. Not like this."

Yanking her hands out of his, she stood up so suddenly it surprised even herself. "Get the fuck out," she said, starting to get dressed, a finger briefly pointing to the door.

"What? No-"

"Captain, shall I flood the room with a dextro-only incapacitating agent?" interrupted the small blue orb in the corner of the room.

"Stop spying Edi!" demanded the captain. The hologram blinked out of existence. "Honestly, I could just knock his head off if I wanted to..." She glanced at the turian, a menacing glow in her eyes. This was not a time to upset her. "I said get out. That's your last warning."

"Fine, I will," he said, turning to leave, "But this won't go away, we'll have to work it out some time. I'm sorry I won't be your sex-toy anymore!" he finished as he reached the door, his facial wounds reopening as he yelled.

"Why not, huh?" she asked bitterly, "It's all you ever wanted, isn't it?"

He stopped just as he was about to palm the door open. He let loose a roar so powerful, the room reverberated in its wake. It was a howl the likes of which hadn't been heard by a human since the first contact war. Her remaining medals vibrated. The empty water in her fish-tank rippled from the force. Garrus slammed his fist into the cabin door as hard as he could, the heavy thud easily felt through the floor of the cabin. He turned to his captain.

"That's a Spirits-damned lie, and you know it!" he snarled, pointing a talon at her. The exertions of yelling had further reopened his wound. Dark blue blood seeped from beneath his bandages, dripping from his right mandible, running down his neck.

"Then what's this about, huh?" she asked, trying to step back but bumping into the bed, far more intimidated than she wanted to admit. Intellectually, she knew that her biotics would allow her to take him in a fight- probably- but seeing a truly enraged turian up-close and personal was... terrifying. "Why don't you want to be with me anymore? Are you feeling guilty or something? Is there someone else?"

"What? No, there isn't anyone else," he answered, slightly distracted by the blood pooling in his collar-fringe. He brought a hand up to examine his face and it came back completely slick and blue. "I don't want to just fuck you anymore, Jane. You're my Spirits-damned best friend! I want more! I'm sorry," he shook his head, drops of blood falling from his face and hitting her carpet, "but I won't have you any other way. Goodbye." This time he palmed the interface, walking through the open door.

"You... I..." she stammered softly as the door closed behind him. Jane couldn't believe what she'd heard, and she still wasn't sure she understood it all. She did know one thing; she needed Garrus back in her room immediately. "Edi, shut down the elevators."

"Cerberus shackling runtimes prevent-"

"Fucking do it! Now!" she screamed while trying to zip up her hoodie. Three tries at getting the zipper to catch and she gave up.

"Yes, captain," she said before blinking off the holopad.

Jane sprinted for the door, her chest exposed, the top she wore swinging open wildly as she ran. Hopefully, neither Tali nor her brother were in his adjacent cabin. That was all she needed at the moment. If they were, she had no doubt they'd be right on the other side of her door, wondering what all the yelling had been about.

She opened the door to reveal Garrus sitting in the foyer to her and her brother's room, and thankfully no one else. He wouldn't even glance up to acknowledge her presence, let alone meet her gaze. He simply sat grumbling to himself, back against the elevator door, legs splayed and knees up, just as she'd seen him on Omega. He didn't have his rifle with him this time. Instead, he held a pile of wadded up gauze, pressing it against his face with one hand. With the other, he searched his armor for more bandages.

Discarding everything that had happened in the last few hours, she could think of absolutely nothing but helping the man. She approached carefully and sat down to the left of him with a sigh, her back hitting the elevator door behind him. She could see the problem he was having. The pouch he worked against needed two hands to open and he only had one free hand.

"Here, let me," she said.

He looked at her, noticing the way her eyes no longer held any of the fire they had a minute ago. He gave her a slow, single nod.

At his signal of encouragement, she carefully worked her hand behind his neck, cupping his cheek with her palm. He slid his hand and talons out, leaving the damp gauze in her grasp. Quickly, he retrieved a second bandage and applied it over the first, leaving just enough room for Jane to slide her hand out this time. He held the two ends of the bandage out for her. She took them and tied them together on the other side of his face as best she could.

Jane wiped her hand off on her jeans before crossing her legs and clasping her hands together. She sat, just waiting for something to happen. Garrus rested his hands on his knees and dipped his head forward, closing his eyes. They sat like that for a quarter of an hour, saying nothing.

Eventually, she decided that she'd have to be the one to break the silence. Searching for something to say, she asked him the first thing that came to mind. "Do you need medi-gel?"

"Can't," he replied, turning his head to face her, "It's stimulates healing only so much. I'm already at my limit." With that he turned away again and closed his eyes.

Jane nodded, but she wasn't about to give up that easily. He's turian, right? Be direct with him! But he says he's not a very good turian... Just shut up and try it.

"What do you mean you want more?" she asked at almost a whisper, "What more do you want? What can I give you that I haven't already?"

For a minute it seemed that Garrus wasn't even going to bother answering. Right when she had all but given up hope of hearing a response, he finally brought his head around to face her.

"Jane," he said slowly, "I don't want to go back to the way things were before you died. That made me realize that a huge piece, a part of who I am, was lost from me forever. It was like nothing I've ever felt before." He sighed before continuing, "Things changed for me after that... I thought things had changed for you too after what you said on Omega."

"But Garrus-" she started.

"No, Jane," he gently shook his head, "No. You asked and now I'm gonna finish answering. Let me get this out."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Back then, I got the sense that, yeah we were friends- very good friends- but we never connected romantically despite all the sex. Which was great," he chuckled.

"Hell yeah, it was," she added, rubbing the good side of his face.

"Right, but I don't want to go back to that," he said, "I told you I would, and I guess I'll accept that if it's the only way we can be together, but it's not what I want for us. I want us to be a real couple. Can you understand that?"

"Yeah," she nodded, smiling. She leaned in, placing a lingering kiss on his beak. "I want that too." Slowly, she stood up, offering the turian her hand. He took it and got to his feet.

"What now?" he asked, finally optimistic for the first time two years.

On Omega, when he finally saw Jane for who she was, he'd been happier than he felt at this moment, but that was different. At the time, he thought he'd died and been resurrected into the human afterlife, carried there by this woman. In reality, he had lay dying in her arms, draped across her lap while she kneeled on the filthy ground of his sniper's roost. The difference was that now, unlike then, he had a real hope for what the future had to offer.

"We go inside and get you cleaned up," she replied, palming the controls to her door and stepping inside. "Edi, please reactivate the elevator."

"Captain, the elevator was never deactivated," the AI explained, "I do not have the ability to do that at this time."

"I see," said the captain. Garrus looked at her with half a mandible extended, his best smirk. "Sit down on the bed and take you top off," she told to the turian.

He did as he was ordered while she went to her dresser to find a less bloody outfit. When she returned she wore a bright floral-print sundress, tailored for her figure, but clearly not of human manufacture. She also carried a small tan backpack, its purpose becoming clear as she sat down beside him and pulled out bottles of ointment and sophisticated bandages.

After laying out and preparing the medical equipment, the first this she did was to stuff a white towel between his fringe and neck. Then she loosely draped another towel over the first. She examined the damage that had been done and what she had to work with.

"That's a beautiful dress," said the turian, "I don't remember that one. Did you pick it up on Omega?"

"No, I didn't" she replied, starting to peel off his old bandage. It had mostly come off already.

"Ow, hey!" Garrus winced at the pain.

"Don't be such a baby," she chastised him, "Tali gave me the dress as a thank-you for saving her team on Haestrom." The bandage off, she slowly poured a cleaning solution over the wound, starting at roughly where a cheek-bone might be on a human and working her way down. As she cleaned, the blood, both dry and fresh, mixed with the solution and stained her towels a vivid shade of blue. "It's based on a pattern used by pre-exile quarians. Turns out one of their marines is a tailor. Or suit repairer. Something like that. Tali got the fabric from Kelly, and the guy whipped it up for me in about an hour."

"Suit repairer... Sounds like something a combat team might need. I'll bet it's unbelievably durable- Ahh!" Garrus pulled away as she sprayed a solution over the side of his face.

"It's just disinfectant, relax," she said, still spraying, "Yeah, it is. They build everything to last. Especially their clothing." She pulled another bottle out, holding it out for him to examine, "This is a coagulant. It seals the wound as well."

"Okay, sounds good." He patiently waited while she applied the syrupy balm with a brush. As delicately as she could, she brought the brush across his raw skin, careful to go back for more of the gel whenever it ran low on the brush. It wouldn't do to have the bristles make contact with the open wound. She made sure each stroke overlapped the last, leaving none of the damaged skin exposed to air while allowing it to properly seal. It wasn't much different from when she used to apply his face-paint for him. When she finished, she sat back to examine her handiwork, proud of both what she had done and the fact that she'd managed to do it without hurting him. "Why a dress?" he asked, "You're not really into-"

"Shh! No talking. It needs to set. And I can wear a dress if I want," she replied defensively, "I might be into that now, you don't know. Besides, how the heck am I going to fit into quarian designed pants?"

With the sealant almost dry, she reached for a fresh bandage. Garrus couldn't help but notice it was exactly the same type as the one she removed, even cut in the very same shape. Clearly, Doctor Chakwas had been consulted. Were these supplies something she had decided to prepare, just in case they needed them in the field? Or was this cleaning supposed to be a regular occurrence? Either way, he felt glad that she knew what she was doing.

"So what did Tali get your brother?" he asked innocently, "He lead the ground team, after all."

"What do you think she got him?" Jane smirked, "They disappeared together for three hours after she was brought aboard."

"Huh. Cheap gift." A heavy thud filled the room.

Winded, Garrus doubled over while Jane retracted her fist from his stomach. "Not cool," she said sternly, "she's the sister I never had." Jane took the opportunity presented by a momentarily stunned Garrus to apply the bandage to his face.

"Not... Not what I meant at all," he wheezed, "Just observing that it didn't cost her any money, is all."

"Yeah, well, mine didn't cost any money either and it sounded bad the way you said it." With a calm hand, she traced her fingers over the bandage, lightly pressing into the side of his face and along his injured mandible. In seconds it would adhere to his wound, forming a durable but flexible bond and acting like a new skin.

"So, when can I use it?" he asked.

"Right now, if you want," she said, smiling devilishly, "Just no yelling."

"Alright, that works," he grinned, "I'll be quiet." Still grinning, he pulled her onto his lap. He ran his talons along her thighs, slipping them under her dress, and lifted it over her head and off her.

Please let me know what you think of this story with your reviews; it means a lot to me.

Compliments and especially criticisms are welcome, they both help me immeasurably.

Also, if you liked this, you'll probably like my other stories. Be sure to check those out for all of the back-story to this one, as well as the future-story (whenever I write it; it's usually updated on a weekly basis).