Survivor

Chapter 10

Garrus
  Garrus stepped into the apartment, Samantha's hand in his and he took in the view.
  It truly was spacious, a large living room spanning in front of them complete with furniture. The kitchen was to the left, a bar style counter separating the kitchen and living room, with lights that hung low over the counter.
  To the right was a large spiral staircase that led to the bedrooms, he knew. Behind that would be the office, where he would be spending many of his days when he would get home from work, and a bathroom between the staircase and office.
  He looked at Samantha and described the whole view to her, even telling her about the finely crafted suede couch, the giant window that practically spanned the living room, and the chandelier.
  She listened intently and closed her eyes, probably to imagine what was around her.
  Finally, he led her forward to the couch, which was directly in front of the door. He had ordered the furniture moved around for easy landmarks, so the couch side closest to the door lined up with the kitchen counter's edge, and Garrus let Samantha know about that.
  She wandered that way, her hands out to feel for anything in her path as Garrus followed, only slightly trusting that there was nothing in her path. After all, he didn't get to do it himself.
  Samantha wandered through the kitchen, around the kitchen island, her hands still out to search but she was doing good. He knew she would map out her way in no time, with how fast a learner she was.
  From the edge of the counter, the staircase was only a few feet to the right, and he told Samantha about it as he tried to guide her, but she waved him off and told him she could learn her way herself.
Ever independent, Garrus thought to himself with a sigh and walked close behind her and restrained himself from catching her by the waist to correct her.
  She had her hands out searching for the stairs but she was about to pass them. Garrus couldn't just do nothing, he couldn't help but catch one of her hands and pull her gently to the side so her fingertips could touch the railing.
  Samantha shot a glare at him but felt along it and walked closer before she circled around it.
  Garrus couldn't help the pride and love for her that swelled in his chest when he watched her coping in silent concentration, fiercely independent as always.
She circled back around to him, with her hands on his chest when she found him standing where she started. A smile formed on her lips and she laughed.
"You weren't here just a moment ago! Don't throw me off like that!"
Garrus laughed too and shook his head as he took her hands into his own with a smile. "I was just marking where you started and waiting for you. Did you want to visit the office and restroom before we go upstairs?"
Samantha made a face and shook her head. "No, I can find them later."
Garrus nodded and let go of one of her hands to wrap an arm around her waist and guided her to the start of the stairs.
She took a careful step up as he did and they slowly made their way up the stairs. She only kept surprising him with how fast she adjusted to situations. It was no wonder she was the one to survive Akuze.
When they got to the top, Garrus reluctantly released Samantha, but she gave him a grateful smile in return, which made him give a small smile.
She wandered to the first room on the left, her hand on the wall as she used it as guidance to her destination. He described the room to her as she wandered through and found the bed and the chairs that were scattered through, plus the bathroom in the corner.
"This one is the guest bedroom," Garrus explained. "Ours is much nicer and... Has less obstacles."
Samantha laughed even as she ran right into a chair her hand had passed right over and Garrus winced.
She got back to him otherwise unhurt and he led her to their room at the end of the short hall, only seven of Samantha's steps.
  "There's a window straight in front of us, with our bed laying underneath it. There's nightstands on both sides and a lamp on each one. The bathroom is through the door to the left along the wall, and the closet is to the right. The room color is-"
  Samantha turned beside him and found his face easily, her memory of him still sharp and she laid a finger over his lips lightly. "Shh. I'll see it one day. I love that you're willing to describe every little detail for me, and I appreciate it so much. Let this be a place where I want to see... And explore..."
  His heart nearly seemed to stop at the wicked smirk that formed slowly on her lips and he gave a breathy chuckle. "Exploring will be more fun when you can see what's going on..."
  "Exactly. And that's exactly what we'll do. We've gotta make up for lost time somehow."
  Garrus hummed in agreement. "And I believe you still owe some time for when you turned yourself in to the Alliance. That was precious time there..."
  Samantha laughed and shook her head but the spark in her eyes showed that she liked the idea as much as he did. "Why bother even going to work then? You'll be late so many days..."
  "Hm, as much as I like the sound of skipping being late altogether to spend the day with you, someone has to bring on the money to pay for your gun fetish."
  "Hey, I'm not the only one. How much did you spend on mods for your sniper on one single trip to the Market alone?"
  "Shut up and kiss me," he replied and tried to hide the laugh that wanted to escape as he spoke.
  "Temptation? You really know how to shut a girl up..."
  She stood on her toes and Garrus met her to share a kiss that said more than words could as they clung to each other. He couldn't help but think that even though the time apart had killed them inside, it only made their bond stronger, let them last through more.
  It only made him love her more.

((A/N: Finally had time to work on this! It's been hard to lately, just a lot of stuff going on! I hope I didn't short you guys on anything (Ya know, minus action for now... Mhm, I've got a few things in mind!) and I hope y'all still enjoy the story! Don't forget to leave a vote and comment! Let me know what you guys want to see! POV change was thanks to a suggestion I got, let's see how you guys like it and if it flows a little better! Let me know! Thanks for reading, guys!!!))