Survivor

Chapter 39

Garrus
Garrus stared at Samantha, whose vulnerable eyes stared down at her lap, where her hands twisted a used tissue.
She gnawed on her lip, unshed tears threatening to spill again.
His heart broke for her, what she suffered when she was trying desperately to make it home.
Garrus moved closer to Samantha and pulled her close to him, wrapping her in his arms.
He wished desperately that he could have been there to protect her from that. To have gotten her out. To have been there with her, even.
He always had tried his best to fight for her, but the battle against herself was one he wasn't sure how to handle. Especially over a past he wasn't able to change.
"It's going to be alright," he murmured softly anyways, pushing all his resolve behind those words.
He could feel her nod as she pressed her head further into his chest.
"You're not alone, Sam. You're never going to be alone again. Not as long as I can help it."
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes searching his for any trace of a lie or doubt.
By the small smile she gave him, she found none, and Garrus pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"You're stuck with me, Commander. It's going to take a whole lot more than Reapers and death to separate this bond."
Her eyes snapped to his at the word "bond" and searched his again, then she shook her head with a small smile.
"I don't know, death might work if it's permanent next time."
"Then again, we did talk about meeting at the bar. I'll be there, even if you're not."
Samantha smirked. "I don't know, maybe I'll go for a quick dance with a couple other partners..."
Garrus let a low growl rumble in his chest. "They'll have to get past me, first."
Samantha pressed a kiss to his lips. "Don't worry, it would just be to remind myself it doesn't get any better than you. I do love when you get jealous, though..."
Garrus shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that?"
Samantha smirked. "Joker was the death of me once, then it was the Galaxy. You've got a lot of catching up to do."
"You're cheating, though." Garrus joked with a poorly faked frown.
"It's called using your resources. Not cheating."
Garrus pulled her close again and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Well I hope you never have any need of those resources again."
He could feel Samantha gently stroke his fringe, soothing him the way she did before she had to sacrifice herself again.
Her scent surrounding him was another comfort. It almost made him feel bad to feel so comforted, when he was the one that was supposed to be comforting her.
  He kissed her neck gently before he pulled back and smiled down at her. "I don't know how I got so lucky to have you, but I'm damn sure glad the stars aligned to let me have you."
  Samantha smiled. "It's like you read my mind."
  Garrus chuckled and reached over to grab the now sloppy ice cream. "I guess this is kind of beyond soft serve now..."
  Samantha grabbed it from him with a grin. "Yep, but it still tastes amazing."
  As if to emphasize her words, she took a spoonful and ate it with a grin.
  He couldn't believe that even with a tear streaked face, dark circles under her eyes, and her fuzz of hair in a mess, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
  "You're staring," she stated with a smirk.
  "I'm sorry," Garrus said sheepishly.
  "What are you thinking?"
  "That you must be what humans talk about when they talk about Angels."
  Samantha rolled her eyes and ate another spoonful of ice cream. "Lines similar to that have been used since before the Mass Relays, Garrus. You can do better."
  Garrus chuckled then sobered. "But honestly, if someone had told me I would end up falling for a human before that day on the Citadel that we met, I would have called them insane. I wouldn't have believed them if they had told me I would be saving the galaxy with a human woman, and that I would fall for her."
  "I fell for you," Samantha cut in with a wink.
  Garrus rolled his eyes and laughed. "I think you fell for the whole galaxy if you want to get technical here."
  "Nope, just for you. Just because you flashed those Turian eyes at me and begged me to come home."
  Garrus smiled at her, unable to help himself when he began staring in wonder again.
  Samantha smiled and shook her head before she leaned in close and kissed him.
  He could taste the chocolate of the ice cream on her lips, something he rarely experienced but in moments like these.
  "You sure have a unique way of breaking me out of a trance, Sam."
  She smirked and shrugged. "I know. It's a talent."
  Garrus chuckled. "I don't know what I would do without you. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't come along when you did. I probably would still be caught in bureaucratic bullshit, never seeing anything besides Palaven and the Citadel."
  "So does that mean you've had your fill of adventure? No more?"
  Garrus sighed. "I would follow you anywhere, but let's avoid Reapers and giant bullets this time..."
  Samantha have him a mischievous smile that could put the devil himself to shame. "I don't know, you know trouble seems to follow us everywhere..."
  Garrus chuckled. "Well it's just going to have to follow us a lot farther behind."
  Samantha opened her mouth to reply, but her Omni-Tool beeped and flashed, playing the same tone over the apartment's system.
  Garrus raised a brow at her and she laughed and held up a finger to him.
  "Hang on just one minute. I'll have to take this."
  She grabbed her Omni-Tool and leaped off the bed, hopping a little from the pain as she hurried out of the room as she donned her Omni-Tool to answer it.
  Garrus chuckled and shook his head at her, savoring the feeling of deep fondness in his chest as he watched her go.
  He stood and grabbed his bag, unpacking his things slowly as he waited for her to return.
  When he opened his side table drawer, he noticed the picture of Samantha he had taken with his Omni-Tool what seemed so long ago now.
  He pulled it out and held it in his hand, the edges slightly frayed as Joker had warned him about when he asked him to have it transferred to the material.
  Even now, standing there staring at the picture, his heart seemed to both beat faster and stop at the same time. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he would never get tired of the feeling.
  Garrus didn't know how it had ended up there in the side table drawer when he had been sure he had grabbed it, but he laid it back in now, along with his pistol and heat sinks.
  He shut the drawer and walked his empty bag to the closet, where he tossed it into the corner.
  Garrus knew Samantha would probably scold him for dumping it in the corner carelessly later, but in a way he looked forward to it.
  The scolding would mean things were back to the way they used to be, even if they would never be exactly the same again.
  He at least knew what he needed to do to make her life better, and he knew that her in his life meant his life would be better.
  It was something he was proud of, that she chose him to support her and to put her trust in. It was also something he intended to cherish for the rest of his life.
   Garrus walked back to the bedroom and laid on his side of the bed, legs hanging off while he waited for Samantha.
  He could smell her on his pillow and the sheets, and soon enough, her scent lulled him into a peaceful sleep.

  ((A/N: Hey guys! What are you thinking about the last two chapters? I would love to hear from you guys and if you have any ideas as to what you would like to see just let me know! I love to read your comments!
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