Author's Note: Thanks for all of the encouragement on the first chapter! Looking forward to continuing with this. :)

For several minutes after she'd left, Garrus stared blankly at the space Shepard had just occupied, still processing what had just occurred. Had she really just suggested that the two of them attempt to... blow off steam together? Of all the things he'd expected out of that debriefing- if it could even be called that, considering how casual the conversation had been- that was certainly not one of them.

Garrus' mandibles flicked thoughtfully as he considered the offer. Even including the encounter he'd described to Shepard, he could count on one three-fingered hand how many females he'd been with. It wasn't that the opportunities weren't there; he'd had plenty of options. Garrus just never really saw the point. After leaving the turian military to work with C-Sec, he'd focused solely on his career, leaving little time for a personal life. Cleaning up the Citadel was draining, physically and emotionally, especially when his hands were tied with red tape so often. Garrus took each failure very personally, and his frustration with the system interfered with his ability to enjoy other aspects of his life.

So no, there wasn't some long list of turian females who'd had their hearts shattered by Garrus Vakarian's dashing good looks and prowess in the bedroom. He was, for the most part, a loner.

At least until Shepard had come along. She'd really altered his perception of how important it was to have a team, to have someone beside you who you could trust with your life. And considering how often Shepard included Garrus in her squad, he could only assume that's what he was to her, even if she'd never admit it. Too much of a hard ass to say out loud that she needed anyone other than herself. Still, she had his unwavering trust and loyalty, and he would (and had) put his life in her hands without a second thought. He was proud to be there for her.

And if she wanted him to be there for her in... other ways? Well, sure. He could do that. Even if he was nervous about what that might entail.

He smiled to himself as he returned to his calculations, noting that the firing algorithms seemed much more complex than usual.

The next day, the crew was called up for a briefing on the next mission, some routine errand for the Illusive Man. Some of the missions they were assigned were so basic that Garrus suspected the leader of Cerberus would have Shepard do his grocery shopping for him if he was willing to give up his location. Surely there had to be some other team in Cerberus who could accomplish some of the simple crap. Perhaps a team that wasn't busy trying to save the entire galaxy from certain destruction?

As always, Garrus arrived fully armed and dressed to head out, his weapons carefully cleaned (and calibrated, of course, always calibrated) that morning. No one knew for sure heading into the pre-mission briefings whether they'd be part of the shore party, but it was usually safe to assume that Garrus would be included. He was Shepard's go-to team member for, well, pretty much everything.

So when the commander announced that Thane and Grunt would be the ones accompanying her, everyone looked curiously from Garrus to Shepard, wondering if something was wrong but not daring to say a word. The turian leaned against the wall, mandibles tight against his face as he got lost in his own thoughts, ignoring the rest of what the commander had to say about the mission's details.

Had he done something wrong? See, this was why he usually tried to avoid getting involved in this sort of thing. Just got in the way, especially when it was with your commanding officer. As the shore party got suited up to depart and the rest of the team dispersed, Garrus stayed against the wall, staring at Shepard, wordlessly challenging her. The commander caught his gaze and held it intently, daring him to say something to her, but he knew better. Soft and small as humans were, he knew what the one in front of him was capable of, and he sure as hell didn't want to be on her bad side.

As the stare held, her expression changed, somehow. The anger in her features softened and was replaced by... What was that look? Garrus had been spending a lot of time around humans and learning how to read them. His time aboard the Normandy combined with his work at C-Sec had made him particularly good at it, for a turian. But the look Shepard wore wasn't one he could place. As his defiance turned to confusion, he was grateful that his species was difficult for humans to read.

To his surprise, Shepard broke the contact first, her orange eyes drifting down to her datapad, and damned if her cheeks weren't turning a little red. Wasn't that supposed to indicate embarrassment in humans? Regardless of what was going on with the commander, Garrus still knew better than to question her orders. Her word was law aboard the Normandy, so instead of challenging her decision he walked toward the door, passing her without meeting her gaze.

"Vakarian," she said simply as he reached the door. He turned back to face her, noting that whatever he had caught on her features earlier had disappeared, replaced by her normal rough demeanor. "Was there something you had to say?" she challenged, her chest against his, her eyes resolutely focused as she glared up at him. Hard to believe, but she was menacing despite the height difference. Before joining with her to fight Saren, he'd had no idea a human could be so terrifying.

His mandibles twitched as a response he would regret died on his tongue. Instead, he stood a little taller; she may have been able to appear threatening regardless, but he damn sure wasn't going to make it easy on her. "No, ma'am." he answered.

"That's what I thought," she sneered. "Dismissed."