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“Scratch one!”
Lina Shepard couldn’t help but smile as she rolled her eyes. It felt good to be on the battlefield again, hearing Garrus crow triumphantly over the comm. It seemed like forever since she’d listened to the familiar dual-flanged voice in her ear. While Garrus had been back on the Normandy for weeks now, Lina felt distant from him and, hell, from everyone she had met-- like there was an invisible wall between them that she couldn’t seem to break.
Sure, the squad followed her orders, and everyone aboard the ship still called her Commander. Yet-- it didn’t feel right. When she walked, it seemed like her left leg was a hair longer than her right, and there was a persistent ache in her shoulder that she couldn’t seem to massage away.
At least for today, she could pretend at normal. With Garrus at her side and a few of the other squadmates tearing apart the warehouse below them, Lina could close her eyes for a moment and believe she was back on the SR-1 when her only problems were Saren and a clunky Mako.
“Scoped and dropped.”
The sun shone down on her back and glinted off the scope of Garrus’ rifle. While he reloaded, Lina took her next shot, winging a Blue Suns mercenary in the shoulder. The man ducked down behind a crate before she could get a second bullet in him. Garrus chuckled beside her.
“You’re getting rusty, Shepard.”
She scoffed. “Rusty?” Another shot went off and, while the mercenary went down at Garrus’ behest, the round had gone through the batarian’s chin instead of his throat. “Look who’s talking, Big Guy.”
“Oh-ho! Big talk from someone who can’t hit the broad side of a-- what is it-- a shed?”
“Barn.” Lina lined up her next shot, correcting her earlier mistake with a perfect headshot when the mercenary popped his head above cover. “Clear!”
Garrus took a moment longer, clearing the field with a sweep of his rifle before agreeing and sitting further back on his haunches. “Clear.” He glanced over, and Lina gave him the hand signal to check the perimeter. His nod was sharp. “On it.”
Putting her hand to her comm unit, Lina called the rest of the squad. “Lawson, what’s your status?”
A few moments of silence passed before the Operative radioed in. “No issues, Commander. As per Massani’s information--” In the background, Lina could hear Zaeed swearing up a storm, and it made her smile. “We’ve located the safe. Ms. Goto is breaking in now.”
“Give me three more minutes, Shep!” Kasumi added with a pleased little hum. “Suns have upped their security recently, this one’s a bit tricky.”
“Take your time,” Lina said as she adjusted her position in the sniper nest. She and Garrus were well-positioned in a tower above the warehouse. The Suns built themselves a perfect chokepoint. It was too bad they were on the wrong side of it now. “We’ll be here when you’re ready.”
The mic clicked twice as Miranda acknowledged, and the line went quiet once again. Lina scanned the field in front of her and the only movement that caught her eye was a few leaves blowing in the fresh, afternoon breeze. When she chanced a glance toward Garrus, he was doing the same as he settled beside her. He cleared his throat and looked away while she pushed an errant hair out of her face and back behind her ear.
“So--” she began at the same time as Garrus said “Well--”
Lina chuckled and adjusted her sight, more for something to do than for any real necessity. It had never felt so hard to talk to Garrus. On the first Normandy, they’d bonded so easily over the Mako. He’d taunt about her driving while they repaired it together. She remembered the days when it was just oil that blemished his colony markings instead of deep-- and probably painful-- gouges.
“I uh-- managed to find that song, you know.”
Her hands grew still, and Lina turned toward Garrus. He watched her out of the corner of his eye and kept an easy watch. “Which song?”
“Shelter,” he said as though the answer was obvious. “I still think it needs a little more percussion, but well,” he shrugged. “Anyway.”
Lina’s mouth went dry. He remembered the song. “You found it?”
“Mh-hm. I think I preferred Sympathy for the Devil, though. Bongos? I think they’re called. The rhythm works pretty well with my Viper. Mantis here,” he patted the side of the rifle, “needs something a little slower.”
“You listened to the Rolling Stones?” Lina knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t stop it. They’d been on the Normandy for months, and there hadn’t been a single thing he liked-- not even Pink Floyd and everyone liked Pink Floyd.
He shrugged his left shoulder, the one further away from her, and she could see a small tilt to his mandible as it struggled against his bandage. His tone was teasing when he said, “Well, you liked them. There had to be some redeeming qualities.”
It was almost like they were back to normal.
“Some?” she shot back, trying to keep the banter going. “Said the turian who listens to Fleet and Flotilla’s theme on repeat.”
“Ouch.” His chuckle was rough. “You wound me, Shepard.”
“Need some medigel for that burn?” she shot back, chuckling as she checked her Omni-tool to see how much time had passed. The squad would finish below soon enough. “So, the bongos? That’s what did it for you.”
“Lyrics weren’t half bad either.” Garrus fidgeted beneath her gaze. He wouldn’t look at her, but she could tell he knew she watched him, waiting for him to continue. Beyond their rooftop, birds chirped, and the breeze blew. So when he spoke, she could focus all her attention on his words. “Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners, saints.”
“As heads is tails,” Lina said the next lines, knowing them by heart. “Just call me Lucifer.”
“Cause I’m in need of some restraint.” He huffed a long breath and adjusted his position a little like he was uncomfortable. “Yeah. That’s the one all right.”
Lina couldn’t help herself. She scooted closer on the rooftop, never taking her rifle off the field, but her attention had long since strayed, knowing she was safe with Garrus’ eyes at her side. He would see something long before she did regardless with that visor of his. Finally, it felt like the ice between them might be starting to thaw. She could see the barest hints of her friend again beneath the stone-faced turian who he’d become in her two long years away.
A mere blink of her eyes had been years for everyone else. It was too easy to forget that sometimes. While beasts clawed against the walls of her brain, threatening to break loose, Garrus’ had run rampant.
“Garrus.” She reached out and, when he didn’t flinch away, touched his wrist where the gauntlet material was thinnest. Here, she could feel his warmth. “You know what happened wasn’t your fault. Right?”
She could feel him tense beneath her fingertips. This close, Lina could see the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed. “Which part, Shepard?” He looked at her then, his gaze like steel. “Losing you or losing my squad? From where I’m sitting, it’s still both.”
Before Lina could reply, Garrus tore his eyes away from hers to look back down the field. Reluctantly, she joined him once again, sighting down the rifle and across the killing range. Not a thing moved, it seemed as though even the air had gone dead around them. Her words got stuck, tongue-tied in her throat. But, when her hand left his wrist, his fingers caught hers before they could stage a full-on retreat.
“Satisfaction was pretty decent, too,” Garrus offered into the silence. “Again, it needs more percussion, but I could get behind the tempo there.”
Lina felt herself smile as she looked at their clasped hands. “Satisfaction? Really, Garrus? That’s so mainstream!”
He squeezed her hand. “Mainstream? Shepard, the song is over 200 years old! There’s nothing even remotely mainstream about it.”
Maybe that thaw was real, after all. She opened her mouth to start into a miniature tirade about which of the Stones’ songs she deemed ‘too popular’ when the squad pinged her comm unit. They finished with the safe and were coming out of the warehouse.
“Be nice if you didn’t try to shoot us,” Zaeed added with every ounce of sarcasm she’d come to expect from the man.
“So only aim for the grandpa in yellow,” Garrus mumbled beside her. “Got it.”
“Exit is clear. See you soon.” It was difficult to keep herself from snickering, but Lina somehow managed. She turned her gaze back to Garrus for a moment, not wanting him to let go just yet but knowing it was time. “Guess we’ll have to take this up later, then?”
“Sure, Shepard.” His thumb slid along the side of her hand before he pulled away.
Lina pinged the shuttle pilot to let them know the squad was ready to depart and stood up after one final scan of the battlefield below them. There were no Blue Suns left to pose a threat by this point. Garrus rose to stand beside her, closer than he would have the day before she noted with a hint of delight.
“I know I promised to tell you about what happened on Omega.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke. Lina could see his mandibles pinned against his maxilla, and his eyes pinched. “I’ve just--” he sighed, cutting himself short.
“It’s okay.” Lina didn’t fight the urge to touch him this time, her hand landing in the crook of his elbow, and Garrus’ eyes shot to the spot where they touched. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His eyes followed up the length of her arm until he looked Lina in the eye. His light blue gaze locked onto hers. “I’m glad you’re back, Shepard.” Garrus’ hand hesitantly rose to push a piece of hair behind her ear. “--Lina.”
Butterflies swarmed in her stomach. He’d-- Garrus had never called her Lina before. Hell, no one did. But somehow, it felt right, like he should have been using it all along. Her throat felt dry, and she moistened her lips with her tongue. “Garrus, I--”
A sharp whistle tore Lina’s attention from Garrus. He flinched away, his rifle swinging around just as fast as hers.
“Are we interrupting something?” Zaeed teased, a grin so big on his face it might just split some of the man’s scars right open. He stood at the rooftop stairs entrance, his hand resting over the pistol mag locked to his hip.
Lina’s eyes narrowed, and she ignored him as Kasumi materialized beside him and Miranda strode out of the stairwell. “Got the goods?” the Commander asked.
“Here, Shepard.” Kasumi held up a datapad and waved it in the air like a trophy. A smirk was just visible below her hood. “Easy.”
The sound of the Kodiak approaching left little time for chatter. Lina let the rest of the team board first and closed the door behind herself as she hopped in. There were a few seats left, but as she swept her gaze across the cabin, Garrus subtly tilted his head toward the one next to him as if he saved it just for her.
She bumped her shoulder into his as she took a seat.
In no time at all, Miranda launched into a debriefing. Lina only half paid attention as she enjoyed the solid presence at her side. With two years gone, she was losing hope that anything could go back to normal. And maybe this wasn’t normal, but damn if it wasn’t better.
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