2So this was part of the Secret Santa Exchange on Archive of Our Own. I was assigned to write for keita32, who I would like to thank for letting me write this. Happy holidays!
Mass Effect belongs to EA and BioWare.
Shepard stared out the window. It was almost nightfall, with the sun setting behind the tall buildings in the city of Vancouver. Snow fell from the cloudy sky, blanketing everything in a thin white layer. It was also Christmas, and it had been months since Commander Shepard turned herself to the Systems Alliance. Garrus Vakarian checked in via voice chat. He wanted to see how she held up, and the conversation went on.
"Shepard, I…" Garrus coughed behind the terminal's screen. "You sure it's a good idea to meet your mom like this?" he asked from the terminal screen.
It was a valid question, Shepard noticed. Being under house arrest for letting over 300,000 batarians die to delay the Reapers' arrival would make her proud, to say the least. Still, she'd be happy the Alliance would let her visit. Shepard wouldn't' want to spend the holidays alone and isolated.
Shepard reclined further in the seat, her dark-gray tank top drenched in sweat from an intense yet routine exercise. She sighed deeply as she looked back at Garrus. "I hope so, Garrus. Maybe if none of us bring it up, it would go pretty smoothly."
"Yeah, I hope so," the turian agreed with a nod.
"What about your family? Are you able to contact them?"
"Yeah. My dad's busy with the Hierarchy. My sister's out on another trip. And my mom, well…" Garrus lowered his head and fell into silence.
"I'm sorry," she replied, all remaining mirth gone from her face. She remembered reading the Shadow Broker's dossier on Garrus. His mom wasn't doing too well, having suffered from Corpalis Syndrome.
Before either of them said another word, there was a knock on the door at the other end of the room.
She turned to look at the door. "Yeah?"
"It's your mom, right?" It was James Vega's voice. "She says she's here to see you."
"Shall I, uh…" Garrus stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck.
She looked back at Garrus on the screen. "Oh no. It's okay, Garrus. You did agree to be on video chat once she's here, remember?" She smiled slyly.
"Oh. Right…"
The door parted open, and in came Shepard's mother wearing a proper blue and gold-rimmed Alliance uniform, fit for an admiral. Had she been around Shepard's age, she would look a lot like her save for her darker hair tied in a bun.
As Shepard stood up from her chair, her mother placed a small package covered in colorful wrappings with a bow on top on an end table. With a warm smile on her face, she came forward with open arms
"Happy Holidays, honey!" she said, giving her daughter a hug. "It's so good to see you!"
"Good to see you too, Mom," Shepard replied as they parted. "It's been a while. Looks like you've been promoted."
"Yes! Rear Admiral now."
Shepard smiled, never been prouder of her mother. "Congratulations."
"Anyway, enough about that," her mother said. "I couldn't help but think about you every day. It's been that way since…"
Shepard nearly sighed. She saw it coming a kilometer away. She knew what her mother would say. "It's a lot to explain."
"I know, honey," her mother replied. "I just don't want it to ruin our time for the holidays…"
Shepard's eyes lit up. "Oh, Mom! Almost forgot. I should introduce you to a good friend of mine." She beckoned her to the terminal. "Mom, this is Garrus Vakarian. Saved my life more lives than I can count. He's a hell of a soldier."
"Hi there," Garrus waved his talons. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you, ma'am."
Shepard's mother looked at the turian. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Garrus. Sounds like you two get along so well."
"Yeah, we're more like friends with… ben… e…" Garrus stopped himself, and both he and Shepard realized what he nearly just said. "Damn, I couldn't keep my mouth shut and screw up, can I?" He cleared his throat as if to clear the silence permeating the three. Aside from the roaring of a shuttle passing nearby.
Her mother arched a brow. "That right? What sort of benefits?"
Shepard closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't believe this. "Mom, it's not like that." Her eyes darted toward Garrus, her cheeks blushing red.
"No, really. Not like that at all." If turians could blush, then she couldn't tell with Garrus' plated face. "Ma'am."
Her mother let out a hearty chuckle. Shepard didn't know what to expect. "I know what's going on. You two are in love," she stated with a smile.
"Okay…" Shepard took a deep breath, pacing around the room. "We were on a suicide mission, so you can tell how stressful that was. So Garrus and I needed a way to blow off steam."
"And we ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, and she had flexibility," Garrus cut in just as Shepard finished her sentence.
Shepard could only roll her eyes in response. "But how do you know?"
"How do you think I married your father?" her mother asked. Shepard couldn't say anything like the words were stolen out of her mouth.
"Oh."
"Yeah. You and I used to come up with bedtime stories. You had your own ship and crew, and the stories were filled with adventure and danger." There was a wistful look on her mother's face.
"Huh. That sounds nice," Garrus remarked. "I can tell it was pretty imaginative. You're lucky to have her as your mother, Shepard."
"Yeah," Shepard agreed. "I guess I haven't thought about them in a long time."
"Me neither." Her mother chuckled. "You'd always swoop in to punish the bad guys, rescue your damsel in distress, and save the day."
"Heh, yeah. Is this going somewhere, Mom?"
"I'll be honest with you: I think you two would make a great couple," her mother stated. At that, Shepard's cheeks blushed even deeper.
"Mom, look… I don't know…" Shepard tried to protest with her index finger pointing at the ceiling.
"Oh…" Garrus stuttered, looking around in a random direction. "Well, uh… I wouldn't know for sure."
Shepard's mother looked away for a moment, thinking up of the right words to say. She gave her daughter a sincere look. "I know it may seem like fraternization, but neither of you is serving right now. I truly believe it would mean a lot to you two, being together. So why not take that chance? I don't think you'll ever find another opportunity like this, and the galaxy would be worse off without it."
Shepard exhaled. Something warm grew inside him. "Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe when we a chance. What do you think, Garrus?"
Garrus nodded in return.
Her mother's expression lit up like a light bulb over her head. "Oh, I almost forgot to give you your present."
She grabbed the box off the end table and gave it to Shepard. It was rectangular in shape. Shaking it, Shepard's chest welled up with anticipation. As she sat down on the bed, she ripped the wrapping off the small box in quick succession. There, in her hands, was a model of an Alliance fighter ship.
"You're always a big fan of getting these models. I thought it wouldn't hurt to get one of them," said her mother. Shepard had models like this on the Normandy and bought them whenever she could. If she had the Normandy with her now, she would absolutely love to put it among her collection. "Merry Christmas and happy holidays."
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Mom," Shepard replied with a shaky smile. There was a lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow. "I wish I would've gotten you something in return. It wouldn't feel right, otherwise."
"You don't have to. Me being here is enough."