This is my first story, so any suggestions or advice are much appreciated. I will ignore all rude comments. I will not use game dialogue unless I can remember it perfectly because that's just how I am.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to this game or the characters, Bioware does. However, I do so enjoy playing in their sandbox.

Chapter 1

Omega. What a shit hole. Sea green eyes danced around as the slim, but well toned woman walked through the place she least wanted to be. Commander Astra Shepard wanted to be anywhere, but on Omega looking for people she didn't trust. First they had to find this Doctor Mordin or even Archangel, which ever caught her fancy and so far it was the turian vigilante that had her attention, though she was being told by the two other humans with her that she should go after the salarian doctor, which only proved to sour her mood.

Astra had never been one for listen to others, especially not when she was supposed to be the one in charge. Sure, she'd made friends on the first Normandy, trusted people and talked freely, but on this new one? Not so much. She didn't like Cerberus, she wasn't sure she trusted the AI they'd put on the ship and she greatly agreed with Joker that EDI was like ship cancer until she proved that she wouldn't stab the organics in the back. Lifting a slim fingered hand, she lightly rubbed her temples, fighting a headache and pushing strawberry blonde curls out of her eyes. Shooting a glance over her shoulder, she could hear Miranda and Jacob bickering behind her like two idiotic teenagers. "Will you two shut up for five mother loving seconds?" Shepard snarled the words out at them before she marched with purpose towards the transport that would take them to where the mercs were.

The ride to their destination didn't take long and the gun fire that rang out was enough to make Shepard arch a brow in question, but rather than say anything, she remained silent as they marched, dodged and trotted towards Sergeant Cathka. As soon as the man started speaking, Astra decided she didn't like him and the more he talked the less she liked him and so, when she had the chance to stab him in the back as it were, she took it with a wicked grin on her face and a skip in her step as she moved out, shooting mercs left and right as she moved towards Archangel's base. Her steps were measured and practiced, but it felt strange, not having Garrus on her six to counter her steps. She faltered in her steps, but only for a moment as a bullet shot by her head, narrowly missing her. Jade eyes shot up to glare at the offending person, only to rest on a vaguely familiar blue and black helmet. 'That must be Archangel.' Her mind supplied even as she started moving again, a new found urgency driving her forward as she ducked, dodge and raced towards the stairs that would take her closer to this mysterious turian.

As the final bullets flew, the doors between Astra and Archangel turned from red to green and she turned towards them, a brow arched. She was curious now, more than curious really. What person was dumb enough to unlock a door without questioning who it was that was there to help them? Whatever the reason, Astra walked forward and opened the doors, eye landing on Archangel as he sighted down his sniper rifle. A thrill went through her body. That pose, that gun, that everything. It sang to her a song and she didn't want to believe it. She opened her mouth to speak, but he gestured for silence and she closed her mouth without a second thought. Her heart beat out a tumbling tempo as Archangel took his shot and then stood in one fluid motion, leaning his sniper against the side of a crate as he sat on it and lifted his hands to his helmet and removed it.

Shepard's eyes went wide and a grin, feral, but beautiful to the eyes of those who say it before she shot forward without a single thought and wrapped her arms around the turian's neck. "Garrus! I can't believe it!" Her words raced from her mouth causing Garrus to tilt his head back and freely laugh at her exuberance.

Pulling back she glared at him, slapping him upside the head. "What was that for?" He reached up, rubbing the spot absently as he looked at the small spitfire of a human before him.

"You hit me! Twice and nearly hit me several other times too!" Her words were snarled and he laughed once more, not giving her an answer as he pulled her into another embrace, enjoying the feel of her cooler body temperature and the fact that she was alive, whole and well. However, it was not to last as one of the other humans with her cleared their throat at the two and Shepard stepped back, brushing her hair behind an ear almost self-consciously, even as her eyes said she didn't care what those two thought. It caused Garrus to smile and a sly look passed over Shepard's face before the two of them turned away. "Let's see what those bastards are up to." Her words were soft as she ducked down by the wall with him and peeked over, eyes shifting over the line that was getting ready to head their way.

"They're sending in their mechs. This should be interesting." A wicked little grin danced on her face for a moment as she ducked down once more as the heavy mech turned on its people, firing at them and Garrus had to laugh at the overly innocent look that Astra shot his way. That girl was always up to something and that something usually wasn't anything good.

While the heavy mech took care of most of the mercs, Shepard and her team gathered their things and prepared to stand up to them. Everything seemed to go by in a blur after that, from taking out Garm to the gunship. Oh the gunship. Astra's heart had nearly failed her as she'd taken out the gunship and then raced to his side, leaning over him and begging him not to leave her, but he was slipping, she could see it even as she radioed Joker to get them pick up.

Her fingers were slick with blue blood as she pressed her hand over his wound, trying to stanch the bleeding as best she could. This was not how she'd expected this reunion to go. She'd wanted to finish this little fight, go back to the ship and have a couple drinks, talk about how all this happened and just have time to catch up, but now? Now she was fighting for her friend to stay alive. She was running ragged on the inside waiting for the transport to arrive. On the outside, she was calm, cool, collected Astra Shepard, the woman who thwarted geth, Saren, even death, but face with the thought of losing Garrus, she was a mess inwardly, always inwardly and she knew she needed him, needed someone she didn't have to be strong for besides her mother. She couldn't, wouldn't lose him.