****C-Sec; 2 Years Ago****

"Message for you, Vakarian. Marked as 'Urgent'." Chellik sighed over the comm in his best 'can't be bothered' tone.

"Thanks. Send it over."

Yes. A call for help. A ransom demand. Anything. Someone please get me the Hell away from this desk. He activated the audio file that popped up on his display.

"This message is for Officer Vakarian," a strained but familiar voice echoed through his office. Dr. T'Soni? The two of them hadn't spoken over the last couple of months, but still it drew him in. He wasn't returning to the squad anytime soon, but the chance to help out, or even just pay a visit, was more appealing than he wanted to admit.

"Please enter the exact date of your reassignment to the Normandy."

Then he noticed that the message had been split into two parts, the second, longer part having been security encrypted. His fingers darted anxiously as he performed the required task. He defiantly ignored his intuition, the sudden ill pang that crept over him, and listened as the asari's voice returned.

"Officer Vakar...." There was a brief hesitation. "Garrus." Her voice became tense, shallow. "It is my duty to regretfully inform you that as of yesterday, the Normandy was lost in action over Alchera. Commander Shepard....did not make it. I am sorry."

Slowly, it began to sink deep into his gut. No. It was impossible. Who could possibly have-

"I am compelled to tell you that this information is classified as per the Alliance's request. However, a few of us will be having a private memorial on-"

He switched it off. No. Slammed his fist in a rare instance of physically lashing out. No!

A handful of destroyed electronics later, Garrus sank back into his chair, mind reeling. He pressed his forehead into his hand, trying to regain control of himself as someone outside called through the door about the commotion.

Not Shepard.

As Liara had said, there was no news bulletin. No announcement from the human Councilor. It was as though nothing had happened. No one else would acknowledge the hole that had just been blown through him.

When he applied for leave, Chellick didn't ask any questions. Did he know? Not that it mattered- he wasn't going to say if he did. If news of Shepard's death were to be leaked, it wouldn't be by a turian.

His father was surprised to see him, maybe a little pleased that Garrus had come at a time like this, feeling as low as he ever had. He didn't realize- it wasn't like that. It wasn't that he felt like he could go to his father for reassurance and advice. It was simply that, now, Garrus didn't have anyone else.

****Present Time****

Shepard met Garrus' eyes as he came within range. Her expression told him nothing about what his father had been telling her. Or asking of her. In the end it didn't matter; he trusted Shepard. He couldn't say as much for the old turian who had misled him, outright deceived him, for his own ends.

His commander stepped away, intuitively giving the two of them space. Garrus' hands clenched, his mouth opening slightly in preparation to spit out malicious rant. But...no. He still owed his father respect enough not to cause a scene. More than that, he was determined to show his maturity, his overcoming fo his father's shadow. He cast a glance at Shepard and slowed his mind. He formed his thoughts carefully and reconnected with his father's eyes.

"You had no right," Garrus growled. "You called me here. This was between us."

"I also wanted to speak with your commanding officer, in order to gather some outside insight. I wish I could say I was surprised that you brought her along to begin with."

The elder vakarian shot a look at Shepard, who remained quiet. "It is good to see you again, Garrus. My joy is immeasurable that you are still counted among the living."

Garrus hesitated. There was no guile or mockery in his father's voice, but it did nothing to assuage the anger. "Join the club."

"Join the what?"

"It's a human...never mind. Listen, I came here to talk, but now I only want this to be over. I want to agree to disagree and for both of us to go on with our lives, however much of them we have left."

"I see you've come to share your commander's fatalistic attitude."

"Don't you bring her into this." Garrus's mandibles flared as he thrust a finger towards his father's face and snarled. "This is you and me. Whatever's coming, is coming. If I can't convince you to put this...this conflict behind us, then I'm done here."

The elder Vakarian considered this, taking in his son's aggravated display. "I...agree. You are capable by now of your own decisions, and I will abide your autonomy."

Garrus was a bit taken aback, and suspicious. "You…you will?"

"Please don't suppose that my impositions on you were born from anything but my belief in what was best for you. There is a small darkness in you, Garrus. A hatred for injustice that goes beyond morality. I made the choice to do what I could to correct it."

Garrus looked away, forcing out a deep breath. "Is that what you think? Hell, father, I learned it from you. The only difference between us is how we deal with it."

There was a heavy silence as the sun began to lower over the horizon. "My son. I know at least part of this is how our past weighs heavy on you. Your mother-"

"No. That's off-limits," Garrus shot a look in Shepard's direction. She was faced respectfully away at this point, but still within earshot. "That's over and done. I dealt with it."

"Apparently not. You still separate yourself from others. You suppose that you know better than your superiors when their orders force restraint on you. You maim and kill out of vengeance rather than coping with the tribulations within yourself."

"Oh, you've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" Garrus snapped bitterly. "You perceive all of these of shortcomings in me, but don't stop to think that maybe it's just part of who I am. And you know what I finally realized? You don't have to like it. I don't need your approval anymore. Or your 'help'."

His sire's eyes hardened. His head tilted off to the side, as though he were analyzing his offspring. "You are more like a human and less like a turian each time I see you."

Garrus snorted at the veiled insult. "If I am, it's because the humans I've known have been far more accepting of who I am than you ever were."

"Humans, plural? I think you mean the one in particular." He added a nod in Shepard's direction for emphasis.

Garrus' mouth opened again, this time baring more of his teeth, expressing his steadily increasing ire. "I told you to leave Shepard out of this."

"She is the crux of this problem. Whatever good she encouraged in you, I can see has been accompanied by reckless obstinacy, and a disdain for your own people. Without her, you could still be-"

"Without her, I wouldn't be alive, and you must know that. Shepard's responsible for getting what was left of me off Omega, father, so if you're so happy I survived, you need to stop airing your poorly suppressed contempt for humanity and just accept that maybe you're wrong!"

Garrus' heart pounded heavily in his torso. He'd never before come to yelling outright at his sire. Such a thing, such disrespect, was strongly looked down upon among turians, considered base and juvenile. He fully expected a retaliation, perhaps even violence. If his father were to strike him, he was ready to take it, to accept his dishonor. Instead, to his shock and bemusement, a thoughtful resignation seemed to wash over his father's countenance. Suddenly the old warrior's age began to show, his posture sagging slightly and his arms dropping to his sides. His voice was softer.

"I only...I am like any father, Garrus. I want what is best for my son, my only progeny. And perhaps that does taint my perceptions. I only wished that you would understand."

"I do. Better than you think." Garrus cautiously moved forward, closing the distance between them. He bowed his head forward, eyes closed. After a moment, he felt the lightest, briefest contact of his father's forehead against his. When he opened his eyes again, his sire was already making his way back down the road.

The sun had just touched down on the horizon when Garrus became aware of Shepard leaning against the shuttle next to him. She offered a small sigh and they watched the sky for a few minutes together.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Don't be offended, Shepard, but not really."

Shepard dug her heel into the dirt absently. "He did have some good points about humans and turians."

"What points are those?" Garrus inquired wryly. Shepard's brow furrowed.

"It's not going to be easy, for one thing. I don't like it, but we're going to have to keep it mostly to ourselves."

"I'm definitely good with that. And since when is anything we do 'easy'?"

Shepard actually grinned wide enough that her teeth showed. Garrus turned his head to study her. Human faces were so expressive, and this was one he hadn't seen on her often. It faded quickly.

"We'll always have to cook separate meals. Being intimate will be risky." She bit her bottom lip a little, thinking about the young turians she'd watched earlier. "We can't have kids."

"Things will work out. Though you're assuming I had some great interest in raising children in the first place."

Shepard smirked at him. That signature look, but always with a little warmth in it, just for him. "You're not going to be talked out of this, are you?"

"What can I say, Shepard. You'll just have to do better than that."

AN: Thanks to everyone for reading/reviewing. =^_^= You folks are awesome.