A/N: Characters again belong to Bioware

Once again I have to take to fanfiction to elaborate on things in game (and break my cardinal rule not to have multiple chaptered stories going on at once). This time with the Omega DLC. When I first heard that your squad would not be coming with Shepard to Omega, that lessened the excitement for me. The strong appeal for the Leviathan DLC was your squad actually interacting with Shepard and reacting to the situation. But I resolved to play through Omega and give it its fair shot.

After having played it, I have very mixed feelings about it. I feel like there was a lot there that had potential, but just either fell flat or never came to fruition (that annoys me more than it just being flat out terrible). In the beginning, I was into it, then it just felt kind of rushed towards the end and there was no real final choice to make like I was expecting (though I sense Aria's actions at the end probably vary depending on how Shepard acts throughout). After it was over, I was half expecting something else, like being able to return to Omega, but Aria was back on her couch in Purgatory, saying it was easier for her to coordinate back on the Citadel (have a really hard time believing she would just leave Omega after getting it back).

Even if you feel satisfied with the DLC, I still hope you enjoy my retelling of taking back Omega, with more emphasis on the Shakarian pairing than would ever be allowed in the game. That's why fanfiction exists in this world :)

-1-

"Huh…the great Commander Shepard. And me without my autograph book," the batarian, Bray, greeted her at her approach, sarcasm oozing from the words.

"Save it," Shepard replied curtly, not in the mood for dealing with a smart ass, especially not a batarian mercenary. After the raid on Mindoir, it had taken years to see those four-eyed aliens as anything other than monsters. Even now, her deep-seated distrust and resentment for them lingered in the back of her mind like a virus, burrowing in the deep recesses of her subconscious.

"Just take me to Aria," Shepard demanded, fixing him with a piercing stare. The Normandy had been about to head out to Thessia, when Traynor commed her, telling her she had an urgent message from an important acquaintance. Aria T'Loak was ready to initiate her plans and she essentially demanded Shepard drop everything to come and meet with her.

As Bray escorted her through the door and security field, she recalled how close she had been to brushing Aria off, but Omega was crucial. If snatched from Cerberus hands, it would aid the Alliance and everyone stationed in that sector. It would weaken Cerberus operations.

Also it never hurt to remember Aria's one rule, even if Aria wasn't on Omega anymore.

Bray paused in front of a transport console, staring out at the gaping floor as if waiting for something.

"So where is she?" Shepard spun around the platform, seeing no sign of the asari. Until a skycar floated up from the floor, its doors opening to reveal the former defacto ruler of Omega, along with a batarian driver.

"Shepard." Curt. To the point. Nothing Shepard hadn't expected from Aria.

Bray signaled for Shepard to hop in with a jerk of his head. Shepard hopped in, having little choice in the matter.

"Aria." Shepard greeted with the same level tone. "How dramatic," she continued wryly, turning her gaze on Aria.

Aria kept her eyes focused in front of her, her face a stone mask of determination, yet Shepard sensed the restrained anger lurking beneath the surface. Fueling her.

"There are too many eyes and ears in Purgatory," she finally replied.

The car drove off, once the doors were securely shut. They sped within the tunnel, whirling past the different ward stations in the blink of an eye.

"So I assume this is about taking back Omega," Shepard began, her words barely audible among the hum of the engine, the whizzing of the air outside, and the beeping consoles.

"This is about your war, Shepard," Aria argued, glancing out the window. "Cerberus controlling the Terminus systems seriously bolsters their mobility. Since taking Omega, they've spread through the galaxy. Surely the Alliance has taken notice?"

"Cut to the chase." Shepard replied at Aria's dark tone. "What's your plan?"

"Kick them out," Aria said, reaching for her datapad close at hand.

"That simple, huh?" Shepard couldn't resist her own sarcastic bite.

Aria chose to ignore it, continuing as if Shepard hadn't spoken. "I've amassed a fleet of merc ships who are going to punch through enemy lines and invade. Once we're on Omega, it's a ground war.

"That's why I want you," Aria stressed. "I only accept the best."

As much of a compliment Shepard would ever get out of Aria.

Aria handed her the datapad, the image of a man with chocolate hair and matching goatee boring into Shepard with harsh, greyish eyes hidden beneath thick eyebrows.

"The leader of the Cerberus occupation is General Oleg Petrovsky. He's the one who…" Aria paused, eyes shifting as she stared broodingly at his image. "…ousted me." The words sounded like they were stuck in her throat and coughed up, as if Aria hadn't yet come to terms with the fact she had been bested.

"Don't know him," Shepard admitted, not feeling remorse over that fact. Yet another Cerberus lackey to add to her growing hit list.

"The Illusive Man's top military strategist and best kept secret. All you really need to know is that he's a merciless bastard." Aria's last words slurred and her voice deepened, the seething hatred pulsating beneath the surface.

"What's your intel on the occupation?" Shepard handed the datapad back. She couldn't take Petrovsky glowering at her from the datapad any longer.

"Petrovsky's army is massive and he's got Omega locked tight. The information stops there."

"So…you're winging it?" Shepard didn't expect that from someone who meticulously prepared for all possible outcome, who had her finger on the pulse of every little thing.

"Not at all." Aria turned back to Shepard, a hard look strengthening in her eyes. "There are secrets on Omega, secrets that will provide us a foothold.

"I can tell you this. Petrovsky's invasion was precise and ruthless. Stop at nothing to win."

"Sounds familiar…" Shepard murmured.

Aria leaned in closer at her words, right elbow resting on her thigh. "Shepard, I know my reputation…I know I'm hated; I ruled Omega with an iron fist. But the people were free. Their lives were theirs, I preserved that. This man took all that away and he is going to pay." There it was again. The anger, desiring to burst forth, to lose herself in its power.

Shepard thought back to those days when she traveled to Omega. It had been a hellhole on a number of different levels, a place for the lawless of the galaxy to lose themselves in without fear of any law enforcement to track them down. She had seen people live in squalor, damp and dirty apartments. The mercs had constantly vied for dominance over the other and the civilians paid the price for their conflicts. But Aria had maintained a certain level of stability.

At the very least it was better off in her hands than Petrovsky's.

Aria reclined in her seat, her voice calmer. "When Omega's mine again, I'll give you everything. I've got ships, mercs, eezo, all yours for the war."

"What's the catch?" Shepard asked suspiciously at how Aria trailed off. There had to be something else Aria wanted from her.

"I've got…objections to some company you keep. So you'll have to leave the Normandy and its crew behind."

"I trust my squad to do what needs to be done," Shepard said tersely. Who could Aria have such a problem with that she couldn't bring anyone with her? Unless…

Aria looked anything but pacified. "That's assuming their goals are the same as yours. I don't want any former vigilantes to suddenly try and reclaim their former glory at the expense of my operation."

Of course Garrus would be the problem. She cursed herself for bringing him with her to Afterlife when on the hunt for Morinth. Of course Aria would put two and two together, see the turian by her side knowing that she had gone to recruit the infamous turian Archangel. More worrisome was how Aria knew Garrus was still alive and back serving on the Normandy.

"Even here, Shepard, nothing escapes my notice. Especially not your…growing attachment to a certain turian," Aria continued, presumably noticing the frozen look on her face.

Shepard had thought Garrus and her had been discreet. The last thing they had wanted to deal with was some bigot coming up to them and spouting xenophobic nonsense, but it wouldn't have surprised Shepard if Aria had access to C-Sec surveillance feeds and communications channels. They had been abuzz when Garrus and Shepard had been spotted by an officer on the top of the Presidium. Right after she had let him win their sniping contest. Right after she told him she loved him, and he confessed that not seeing her again would have been the worst part about the galaxy going to hell in a hand-basket.

"He's no longer a vigilante. He's put all that behind him. Besides, I thought you said you didn't hate him." No point in denying it now.

"I don't… but I'm not willing to take any chances. And I don't know how many of the mercs there still survive…and I can't guarantee his safety if they recognize him."

If anyone tried, they would meet the end of her omniblade within the span of a second.

"Is that a threat?" Shepard asked, her voice low, almost to the point of a growl.

"Consider it a fair warning." Aria leaned forward again. "Let's just say…I want you all to myself."

Shepard didn't want to know what that meant, but the ghost of a smile on Aria's lips unnerved her greatly.

They docked back at shuttle bay 47. Aria informed her Bray would provide the coordinates to their meeting place and she expected Shepard there within the next twelve hours, advising her to maintain discretion about their plans while on the Citadel, lest Cerberus had undetected feeds still active.

As Bray's snide comments about watching her in action rang in her ears, she wondered how in the hell she would get Garrus to agree to her going in alone, back to fight for the asteroid station that had almost been his final resting place.

"So, Commander, what did the Queen of Omega want this time? Did she want you to make nice with the mercs again?" Joker jumped on her as soon as she stepped back onto the ship.

"The curiosity's been eating away at you, hasn't it?"

"That is not physically possible, Shepard. An emotion such as curiosity cannot devour organs within the body." EDI had gotten better at interpreting organic behavior, but figurative language and expressions were still a struggle.

"It's another expression, EDI. Just look it up in that book I sent you. Keep reading it every day and you'll be fluent in all things figurative," Joker replied, his chair swiveling to face Shepard.

"You gave her an entire book?" Shepard asked, unable to hide the amusement in her voice.

"From the extranet," Joker clarified, shrugging his knobby shoulders. "Figured it was easier than having to explain every single time. And now you're changing the subject."

"Aria's going to take back Omega and she wants me to come with her. So I'll need you to head to the edge of the system soon and Cortez'll drop me off with her fleet," Shepard explained, pushing back annoying strands flitting across her face.

"Aye, aye, Commander…but you are planning to take people with you? You're not going in alone, possibly get stabbed in the back? Be unable to reach you for two days?" Joker asked cautiously, not needing to remind her of the events with the indoctrinated Dr. Kenson sedating her for two days on that asteroid in the Bahak system.

"Aria only wants me to come with her." She would keep it at that, no need to say why.

"It's not that I don't trust your judgment, Shepard, but how times have we been burned over the past three years? This spells "trap" in red neon letters," Joker admitted.

"Aria may be ruthless, but she sees me as an asset and she regards Cerberus as much of an enemy as we do," Shepard argued, crossing her arms. If Joker was putting up this much resistance, she couldn't imagine what Garrus would do.

"And you know the big guy will never let you do this, right? Unless you're planning on hiding in your cabin until you leave and not telling him?"

Certainly would be easier.

"This is how Aria wants to play it. If she wants me alone, that's how it's going to be. We need Omega out of Cerberus hands; it would be a major blow to their operations. And I'll tell him. I just have to figure out what to say. Just don't say anything to him if you see him," Shepard urged.

Joker suddenly shifted in his seat, rubbing his neck and his eyes darting wildly. "He won't hear it from me, Shepard, I swear."

Shepard then heard the door behind her close. She hung her head, pressing the bridge of her nose in a vice grip between her fingers as her eyelids closed.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?"

"What do you wanna hear?" When Shepard sent him a warning glare, Joker swiveled back in his chair, pretending his blinking panel was more interesting than this possible argument/lover's quarrel.

"How much of that did you hear?" Shepard asked, taking note of Garrus's clinched mandibles and tense body.

"I heard enough." At least he didn't sound angry. He actually sounded relatively calm.

"Garrus…" Shepard began, but the words escaped her.

"I understand helping Aria," Garrus replied. "Snatching Omega out of the Illusive Man's grasp is a major win for us." He pressed forward, entering her personal space, and catching her gaze in his steel-blue eyes. "But you are not going alone."

"It's out of my hands, Garrus. I know you feel like you need to be at my six all the time, but…"

Garrus cut her off abruptly. "And if it were me going in, you'd be saying the same thing I am," he argued, a hard edge creeping into his sub-flang.

So much for staying relatively calm.

"I can take care of myself, Garrus. You know that, better than anyone," Shepard shot back, letting her frustration overpower her. Why did he insist on making this harder than it already was? As much as she wanted to say "fuck it" and let Garrus come with her, she could not deny how much Aria's warning had shaken her, how fresh it still was in her mind. She couldn't risk anything happening. If he hated her for it, so be it. She could take that, rather than willingly putting him in harm's way.

"If you're worried about the whole Archangel thing…" Garrus tried again.

This time Shepard cut him off. "I wasn't until Aria herself mentioned it."

His eyes widened at the revelation, but he didn't say anything, allowing her to press forward. "Don't make me pull rank, Vakarian. You're staying on the Normandy. That's an order."

Shepard didn't wait to hear Garrus's response, slamming her hand on the door's green button and storming to the elevator, ignoring him calling her name. She pressed the button for the first deck, the doors quickly shutting behind her. Her forehead pressed against the icy metal of the elevator wall, a soothing balm to her warm skin.

She'd find a way to make it up to him.

A few hours later (after attempting to update mission reports and skim through notes without much success), she found herself in the mess, forcing herself to stomach a nutrient bar before going down to suit up. Liara, Tali, and Ash were there as well, partaking in their respective dinners.

They had kept conversation pretty light, everyone talking about what they did during their shore leave on the Citadel, but the topic of Aria could only be delayed for so long.

She informed them of Aria's plans, that they were going to retake Omega, that Aria wanted her to come alone.

"Is that why I saw Garrus storm off to the battery earlier?" Liara asked, arms folded neatly across the table.

"Yeah. Has he come out at all?" Shepard asked, lowering her voice as she glanced over at the red circle in the middle of the battery door.

"Not that I know of."

"Got to say, though, Skipper, can't really blame him. With a mission this big…" Ash stated, breaking her bread in two and reaching for the plastic knife to slab a healthy dose of butter on the pieces.

"I know, but Aria insisted. And I didn't want to cause any issues between us. With how she operates, I can already sense us butting heads," Shepard said between bites of her bar, which stuck to her left molar, her tongue having to pick at it.

"I think he's just worried about you, Jane. After that whole thing with the Leviathan, when you weren't waking up…" Tali paused, fiddling with her tube of nutrient paste. "I've never seen him so… emotional before."

Great. Way to make her feel guiltier, like she didn't already know, remember the pure relief in his eyes when she finally awoke, coughing her lungs out.

He had certainly become more protective of her since that day on top of the Presidium. Not overly so, where he insisted on doing all the combat for her, not letting her take any risks. At the end of the day, they were both soldiers. They knew what needed to be done.

But only a week after the Leviathan fiasco, going deep into the ocean to find a tentacled, mind-enslaving creature not seen for millennia, it was understandable why Garrus was so on edge.

And he still hadn't heard anything from his father or sister, which may have led him to think the worst and believe Shepard to be the only person he loved left in his life.

"Merc fleet in sight, Commander. ETA two minutes," Joker announced.

"Thanks, Joker," Shepard said, standing up and pushing in her chair.

"Are you going to try and talk to him before you leave?" Liara asked, pushing her plate aside, healthy remnants still left.

Shepard shook her head. "I want to, but…I don't want to risk getting into another argument." She almost wished one of them would force her to go to the battery, but none of them did.

"We'll make sure he doesn't do anything too crazy, then. Like steal the Kodiak and fly off after you," Tali replied, watching Shepard toss the wrapper in the garbage bin under the sink.

"Probably more likely for him to stow away." She then offered the trio a forced smile, telling them she would see them soon.

She rode the elevator to the fifth floor, motivating herself for another battle, another fight. She would be so glad when this was all over.

If she even survived to see it.

She couldn't think about that now. She had to stay focused, remember why she was fighting, what she was fighting for…

She was kicking herself now for being too harsh with him, now that her frustration had subsided, for not trying to talk to him again, leaving with that tension between them. Their days were possibly numbered. They shouldn't waste even a second of them because of their stubbornness.

Cortez was already lowering the Kodiak, the Normandy was on approach. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her Widow and Predator, along with extra sticky grenades, from her locker, laying them on the work bench. She thought about changing out the mods since she obtained a more accurate scope for her pistol, but she didn't have time.

She ducked behind the crates, thankful the ensigns had given her privacy to change into her under-suit and clap her armor pieces on one by one. Her pure onyx armor with her red and white stripe on the right arm and N7 insignia printed over her right breast. Patches of dark blue were peppered on the armor, as a tribute to a certain turian who for as long as she had known him always had the color blue in his armor.

Holstering her guns onto her back, she bid James goodbye, who told her not to have too much fun out there, shooting her a roguish grin.

She stepped inside the Kodiak, plopping down on the closest seat, with the shuttle door snapping shut behind her.

Her eyes snapped shut of their own accord as Cortez pulled out of the Normandy a moment later, the vibrations from the outer atmosphere tickling her feet.

A building crick in her neck finally seemed intent on plaguing her. She rolled her head, flexing her fingers against her skin, trying to work it out before landing.

Then she heard footsteps and a shadow move over her. A shadow that stuck a three-taloned hand out to press against the tense muscles.

"Looks like you're carrying some tension. After this, I'll be sure to help you properly get rid of it."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her turian mate.

"God damn it, Garrus." She really should have checked the shuttle before takeoff. She had even said she wouldn't put it past him to do something like this.

Before she could say anything more, her body turned limp as his skilled digits continued their ministrations. "I won't put you in the brig if you make this spasm go away."

Garrus gave a wry laugh. "Lucky me." He pressed down hard enough and in the right places until she could fully rotate her neck.

"Thank you, Garrus."

He murmured an acknowledgement and lifted his hand away, but still stood over her.

She rose from her seat, fixing him with a stern gaze. "I thought I gave you an order."

"Bad turian, remember?" he replied, unfazed.

"Did you know about this, Cortez?" Shepard called to her pilot, glaring at his back.

"Everyone did, ma'am," Cortez offered, his voice mixed with amusement and nervousness, as if unsure how Shepard would react. "Even Joker."

That explained why the others didn't try harder to go with her or force her to talk to Garrus.

Well, she was the one to say crew had the right to disobey orders. Might be coming back to bite her now.

Shepard threw her hands in the air, unable to see any other options other than tying him to the seat, but Cortez would probably free him even if they had proper restraints. "Alright, Garrus, you win. I don't know what we'll say to Aria, but we'll figure something out."

"This isn't about winning any battle of wills between us, Jane." His voice became serious, sub-flang prominent, raw emotion shining in his eyes. "You know that, right? I…I just don't…"

"I know. And I shouldn't have been so harsh before." He didn't need to finish for her to know what he wanted to say, when it was clear just by looking into his eyes, by his efforts to hide himself away in the Kodiak so he could come with her.

Her own voice then wavered ever so slightly. "But you'd better watch your ass, Vakarian."

From whatever comes our way on that hellhole station.

"That's an order you must follow."

Garrus entangled his talons into her loose auburn curls, bringing her head forward to rest against his forehead, making her that solemn promise, with four little words:

"That I can do."

A/N: Let me know what you think! Stay tuned for another chapter soon and the action will get under way.