Survivor

Chapter 30

  Garrus
  Garrus knew it was going to be a long trip back to the Citadel from the moment Samantha snapped at them.
  He knew it wasn't that she was mad at him specifically- though she was probably a bit irritated at him- so much as she was angry at the situation and having to snap like she did.
  When they boarded the Normandy, she stalked off and disappeared. Nobody could or would tell him where she was. Especially not EDI, despite his irritated demands for her to tell him her location.
  Now he was at the console of the Main Battery, talons hovering over the keys but not making a move.
  He really shouldn't even be thinking about working with his mind so distracted, but he couldn't help but stand here. He did his best thinking when he was at work, but he didn't know what he was supposed to be thinking about specifically.
  What he really wanted to be doing was holding Samantha, reassuring her and himself both that she was okay and would be fine.
  Then another part of him reasoned that she probably needed space if she stalked off like that without a word. He didn't want to interrupt her thoughts. She needed space as much as he needed her sometimes.
  Besides, no one likes a clingy Turian, right? It was against their nature, but he couldn't help it. Something about her demanded that he protect her.
  She seemed so soft, like other humans, but when she fought, she reminded him of his people. The pure will to get through each and every battle, to claw her way through the dust and debris.
  He found himself smiling at that. She didn't need his protection. As much as he wanted to be there for her, she didn't need him every second of every day. It was one of the things he loved about her.
  He shook his head and began tapping away at the keys in front of him.
  That was something to think about. How to help her keep as much of her independence as possible while she recovered. It was hard enough on her when she was blind, and now being able to see but still limited by her injuries as to what she could do... It couldn't be easy.
  There was so much pressure on her, especially from herself.
  Then there was the worry that Hackett would ask her to rejoin the Alliance too soon.
  It was inevitable that he would ask. She was the poster child of the Alliance Navy, after all. It was also inevitable that she would accept... She never gave up a challenge or a request for help. Surely she would see the invitation as both.
  He had seen Hackett catch her attention at the gathering after the funeral. It held no doubt in his mind that Hackett's intention was to begin the process then and there. After all, she seemed healthy and capable there. Hell, she was doing well at that time.
  Garrus paused and closed his eyes for a moment. His first reaction was to get angry at the thought of Hackett daring to ask more of her after she gave so much, and tell him that she wasn't ready along with a few choice words. The truth was, only she could tell when she was ready to go back to the Alliance, if it was her decision to go.
  He wouldn't stop her, he had promised her to follow her through hell and he intended to make good on that. He loved her too much to give her up over something he knew was in her from the moment he met her.
  There was no changing a woman like that. Why would he want to change her? She was perfect to him, just the way she was.
  Garrus opened his eyes and shook his head before he walked to the cot and sat down atop it.
  What would he do when she joined the Alliance again? Would they let him aboard her ship? Would she even want him aboard her ship?
  He supposed he could keep working for C-Sec and just take a vigilante approach on some cases. It would just require a lot more care than when he was on Omega.
  Garrus stood again. He couldn't sit still with his mind rushing around like it was.
  He left the Main Battery and worked his way down to the Cargo Bay, still in thought when he entered.
  He raised a hand in acknowledgement at both Cortez and Vega, who nodded at him as he passed.
  He walked to the back, near the hangar door and tucked up behind a Kodiac, out of sight.
  The sound of the engines through the hangar were soothing somehow and made it easy to quiet his mind finally. Enough to hear the shuffle of movement to his right, where he thought he was alone.
  He turned his head to look, only to see Samantha sitting on the floor with her knees tucked to her chest as she watched him.
  "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
  "I guess you found my spot, huh? Pretty calming, isn't it?"
  Garrus closed his mouth and chose to nod, his anxiety wearing down to almost nothing now. "Yeah, it is."
  She returned her eyes to the hangar door, a wry smile touching her lips.
  "You don't have to act like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, Garrus. If I really cared about being alone I would have locked myself in my cabin."
  Garrus chuckled. "True. Wouldn't be the first time for that to happen..."
  Samantha threw him the finger, but Garrus knew it was nothing more than play and show. He'd even come to find it endearing sometimes. Assuming she's not angry when she does it...
  Samantha stood and came from behind him to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her face against his back.
  Garrus went to move to face her but she stopped him with a "Shh, don't move."
  He relaxed and listened to the soft sounds of her breath as her warmth spread across his back.
  It was oddly comforting, something she hadn't done before.
  Her arms tightened just a fraction, as if she were afraid of him slipping away through the door, never to be found again.
  "I'm sorry, Garrus. For all the hell I've put you through."
  "You don't have to apologize, Sam. I would go through it all over again if it meant being here in this moment with you again."
  "I never intended to do it to you, though. It just... Sort of happened. I didn't take a moment to think about what it would do to you. I got too absorbed in the joy it was bringing me to have you. You're the man of my dreams, Garrus Vakarian. I didn't even know I was looking for you, yet you just landed in my lap that day on the Citadel. I'll never forget the moment we met. I was so afraid you would notice my heart beating faster or how I was trying so hard not to breathe so fast I could have just run a marathon. I couldn't explain it even today."
  "I have that effect on women," Garrus hummed, a note of mischief in his voice.
  Samantha laughed and smacked his arm lightly. "Shut up, I know you're not a player. Your good morals and judgement get in the way of that."
  "Not to mention I have a beautiful woman to come home to. She kind of makes every other woman seem plain now..."
  "Who the hell is she?" Samantha huffed, though he could feel her shaking with silent laughter behind him.
  "Oh, well she's the most amazing woman I've seen. Maybe she's what humans mean when they talk about Angels... The funny thing is, she's supposed to be human, but she seems so much more than that..."
  "Ooh, scandalous," Samantha chuckled. "A Turian and a human? Surely it's impossible!"
  Garrus turned to face her, and this time she let him turn without protest, his arms circling around her shoulders to pull her closer.
  "Some would think so, but I think it's going pretty damn well..."
  Samantha smiled. "She's one lucky human to have you, then."
  "I'm one lucky Turian to have her... She's perfect in so many ways."
  Samantha hugged him tightly, her face pressed to his shoulder with her eyes shut, and Garrus rested his head atop of hers.
  "Don't ever leave me, Garrus. I couldn't lose you."
  "I won't," he said. "I promise."

((A/N: Hey guys! So somehow I'm managing to get this out today! On the road right now, but hopefully the trip will be over soon! I'm ready to be off the road lol
  Hope you guys like this chapter! Lemme know if ya do with a vote and comment! Thanks for reading guys!!))