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Amy looked through the clothes she had in her locker and sighed loudly, throwing one item of clothing after another onto the bed. “This is hopeless!” She looked at the clothes on the bed... BDU’s, dress uniform, gym clothes and a couple of scruffy jeans and t-shirts, but nothing suitable for a night out with Liara. “I don’t own a single thing that isn’t uniform or wrecked.”
Walking over to Amy’s locker, Kasumi and Kelly practically pushed her out of the way and started rummaging around inside. After about a minute, Kelly pulled out the short black dress Amy had worn to Hock’s party. “What about this?” Kelly stepped towards Amy and held the dress up against her. “You always looked good in this dress.”
“Thanks for saying that, but..,” Amy took the dress from Kelly, not really sure how to take the way the ship’s yeoman was practically drooling over some remembered image of her in the aforementioned dress and put it on the bed with the other clothes, “... There’s a tear in the seam from where I climbed through that broken window.”
Kasumi pursed her lips and turned to face Amy, shaking her head in mock disappointment. “Shep! You said you were going to get that fixed last time we were at the Citadel.”
“Yeah, I know.” Amy looked at Kasumi, a light flush colouring her cheeks. “I kinda found a new mod for my shotgun...”
“Hmmm!” Kasumi walked to the bed and picked up the shotgun that had been casually tossed onto it. “And a new shotgun by the looks of things”
Still looking through Amy’s locker, Kelly reached right to the back and pulled out a box that was tucked right at the back. “Hey, Shepard; what’s in here?”
Amy turned and looked at the box Kelly was holding out to her. “I have no idea.”
Shrugging, Kelly turned the box over and saw a small note attached to the bottom of it
Amy!
I knew you’d have nothing to wear for our night out, so I brought you something.
Consider it my way of saying thank you for helping me with that problem I had.
Liara.
Taking the box from Kelly, Amy placed it on the bed and opened it. Inside was a thigh-length dark green halter-neck dress that was fitted to the waist then flared out at the hip. Also included were a pair of strappy, stiletto heeled sandals that looked black at first glance, but dark green when the light hit them.
“Wow!” Kelly picked the dress up and held it at arms length. “You are going to look so sexy in this!”
Kasumi picked up one of the sandals and turned it over in her hands. “I wonder if these would go with my black outfit... it might be nice to add a splash of colour.”
Quickly taking the sandal back from Kasumi and the dress back from Kelly, Amy shooed them both from the room. “I think I can manage now... thank you.”
Smiling, Kasumi stepped out through the open door then sat down on the floor. “We’ll wait out here..,” she looked up at Kelly and patted the floor next to her, “... In case you need our expert help again.”
*** *** ***
Arriving at Dark Star, on the Citadel, Amy checked her image in a near-by window before walking into the club. She was wearing the dress and shoes Liara had somehow managed to sneak onboard the Normandy, a touch of make-up – darker around the eyes to emphasise their teal colour and a light slightly shimmery lipstick; her rich dark brown hair, which she usually wore up in a loose bun or chignon, was left down and flowing in luscious curls that finished half way down her back.
Walking through the doors of Dark Star, Amy stopped to allow her eyes to adjust to the lower light level after the glaring artificial light outside. When she didn’t feel completely blind, Amy looked around the club and spotted a familiar face, but it wasn’t Liara.
Coming to a stop beside the chair, Amy put her hand on her friends shoulder to get his attention. “Garrus!?”
Startled, Garrus looked around at Amy. “Shepard..?” When he’d looked around, Garrus’ eyes had gone immediately to Amy’s face – he’d always found the colour of her eyes and how much emotion she could convey with a single look fascinating – but now he let his gaze wander appreciatively down her body, taking in what she was wearing and the way the dress emphasised the flare of her hips while the sandals made the smooth curve of her legs look even longer and leaner. “What are you doing here?”
Amy walked around to stand in front of Garrus so he didn’t need to twist around to talk to her; now her waist was directly in his line of sight if he looked forward and he was finding it increasingly difficult to look her in the eye. “I’m supposed to be meeting Liara here.” She hadn’t noticed before, but now she was standing in front of him, Amy realised Garrus was wearing civvies, not his usual armour. “You?”
“Same.” Standing up, Garrus walked past Amy and pulled a chair out then asked her to sit down. “She sent me a message a few days ago, something about thanking me.”
Standing beside the chair Garrus had just pulled out, Amy quickly looked Garrus up and down; she’d never seen him out of his armour before and she liked what she saw. “Well, why don’t I get us both a drink and we can wait for her together?”
Garrus nodded in agreement and watched Amy’s back as she walked away from him; his eyes drawn immediately to the way her dressed swayed along with her hips. Shaking his head he turned back to the table; no matter what he thought of Shepard it was obvious she didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Since he’d been back on the Normandy she’d only spoken to him a couple of times while they’d been on the ship. Most of their conversations had taken place on the battlefield... which was hardly the place to tell anyone how he felt, let alone Commander Shepard.
*** *** ***
Standing by the bar, waiting to be served, Amy glanced back at Garrus. This was the first time they’d been alone together since she’d found Garrus, or Archangel, on Omega... apart from that first day after he’d recovered from surgery.
When the bartender finally got around to her, Amy realised she didn’t have a clue what Garrus liked to drink. Looking over the bar she pointed to something orange and ordered a glass... after making sure it was suitable for dextros. Picking the drinks up, she’d ordered a shot of whiskey for herself, Amy headed back to Garrus and handed his drink to him before sitting down.
For the next five minutes or so, Amy and Garrus stared at their drinks as an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Finally Amy had had enough. “This is stupid!” She downed the contents of her glass and looked across the table at Garrus. “We talk like old friends on the battlefield, but...”
“... Put us in a situation like this and we turn into teenagers on a first date?” Garrus finished.
“I wouldn’t know.” Amy glanced at Garrus, a small smile gracing her lips. “I spent most of my childhood on the streets. Teenage dates, summer dances and all those other things most kids take for granted weren’t on the cards for me.”
Garrus had known since being on the SR1 that Amy’s life had been difficult, but he’d never really thought about just what she’d missed out on; he’d lost his mum shortly before starting his military training, but he still had his dad and sister. “Come on!” Standing up, Garrus took hold of Amy’s arm – being careful not to cut her with his talons – and pulled her onto the dance floor just as a slow number started. “Time for you to enjoy that dance you missed out on.
Stopping on the dance floor Garrus turned to face Amy, placing his hands tentatively on her waist; he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, but it was a slow dance. Glancing at the people around her, Amy moved her hands up and rested then on Garrus’ arms. It wasn’t quite how the other ‘couples’ were standing, but it was better than nothing.
*** *** ***
As the music continued Garrus moved a little closer to Amy and moved one of his hands to the small of her back; when she didn’t pull away, or try to stop him, Garrus risked stepping even closer to Amy – removing his other hand from her waist and running one talon lightly down her bare arm causing her to shiver slightly.
Everything in Amy’s training told her that she was getting in too deep... and with a subordinate, but her body simply refused to listen; Garrus wasn’t really a subordinate... he wasn’t even strictly part of the crew – they were all human. Almost of their own accord, Amy’s feet moved forwards and she found her cheek resting against Garrus’ chest.
Wanting to believe he wasn’t in some drunken fantasy his mind had conjured up, Garrus put his hand under Amy’s chin and lifted her face towards his; what he saw in her eyes was something he’d never seen there before... fear. “Shepard?” He slowed his movements until he was doing no more than swaying in time to the music. “What’s wrong?”
Amy sighed and rested her head against Garrus’ chest again. “I...” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and started again – trying to keep her voice steady. “Put me on a battlefield or in any number of life threatening situations and I know what to say and what to do to have the best chance of survival..,” she took a small step back from Garrus and looked up at his pale blue eyes, “... But I don’t know what to do or say now and that... scares me.”
Closing the gap between them, Garrus wrapped his arms around Amy and pulled her close. “That makes two of us.” He let his chin rest lightly on top of Amy’s head, his thumb moving soothingly up and down her spine.
Pulling away again, Amy reached up and let her fingers trail lightly over the injured side of Garrus’ face. “Then we need to come up with a strategy to deal with this... whatever it is.”
*** *** ***
When the music stopped, Garrus and Amy walked back to their table – his arm draped casually over her shoulders and her arm curled around his waist.
Sitting down, Garrus noticed an unopened bottle of champagne on the table along with two glasses and a hastily written note. Thinking one of the bartenders might have put the champagne and glasses on the wrong table he picked up the note and began to read it.
Amy and Garrus.
I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me for setting you up like this, but you’re both too blind to see what everyone else could back on the SR1 and too stubborn to do anything about it.
Amy.
You know how fragile life is and how quickly it can be taken away. Don’t squander this chance at happiness just because you’re scared of what the future might have in store for you.
Garrus.
I’ve already lost my best friend once and I don’t ever want to live through that again. If she means as much to you as I think she does, look after her and remind her that she isn’t alone.
Liara.
Handing the note to Amy, Garrus watched her as she read it. Putting the note back down on the table, Amy uncorked the champagne – trying not to laugh as the cork flew towards the dance floor, narrowly missing an asari who was swinging her arms about rather energetically – and poured some into each of the two glasses.
“Liara’s right you know?” She handed one of the glasses to Garrus, allowing her fingers to linger a couple of seconds longer than necessary. “I am scared of the future; not of dying, but of losing the people I care about... of losing you..,” picking up her own glass she fought to keep her hands from shaking as she took a sip of the clear effervescent liquid, “... So I distance myself from those people to keep from getting hurt.”
Taking the glass from Amy’s hands, Garrus put it back down on the table then enclosed her hands in his. “Shepard, I...”
“... Amy!” Shepard looked up and held Garrus gaze. “My name’s Amy.”
Taking a breath, Garrus started again. “I can’t promise what the future might hold for us, but I can promise to have your back and to be at your side for as long as the choice is mine to make. I lost you once Shep... Amy because I had something to do that I thought was more important than being with you.” Garrus lowered his hands to the table without leaving go of Amy’s. “Cerberus, for all their faults, gave you a second chance at life then you gave me my life back. I don’t want to wake up one day and realise I’ve lost you again...”
*** *** ***
Refilling the glasses, Amy handed one to Garrus again and snuggled up against him, leaning her head against his chest.
Wrapping his arm tighter around Amy’s waist, his hand resting on her thigh, Garrus pulled her closer to him.
Taking a sip of her own drink, Amy smiled to herself as she heard Garrus whisper ‘To Liara!’ before draining his glass and placing it back on the table. She didn’t know what the future held, but she’d faced geth, husks, thresher maws, rogue Spectres, Reapers and Collectors with Garrus at her side. If they could survive all that together there was a better than fair chance they could survive just about anything.