The doors slide open and awaiting her on the dock was one of her favorite koragans; Grunt. He had a sad look in his eyes as if even hunting down a thresher maw wouldn't be good enough for him to break into a smile.
"Shepard." He said bowing his head slightly.
"Grunt? What are you doing here in the Citadel?" Shepard says as she steps out of her ship, now on her way towards her apartment with the rest of the Normandy crew trailing behind her. Garrus patted his head but Grunt growled in objection and jogged back to Shepard's side.
"I've stopped working with the Aralakh Company after the war on Earth. The Alliance recognizes krogans under Wrex's rule, they deem us trustworthy enough to help them rebuild earth. I've been there for the past few months helping out however I can." He explained as Shepard motioned to the crew to follow her.
"I've learnt much about humans while I was there but our crew was sent back to our home planets to spend some time with our families. I refused as I am tank-bred and have no family but they insisted I took some time off, so I came to the Citadel in hopes that I'd bump into you." He explained yet his body language suggests he was not telling her everything.
"You're not telling me everything are you Grunt?" She says crossing her arms in front of her as they wait for the elevator.
He takes a deep breath before continuing as they enter the lift.
"It's the month of May on your human calendar and" he paused as he enters her apartment, the rest of the crew eager to raid the commander's fridge and open up a bottle of champagne.
They found themselves facing each other in the middle of the kitchen.
"And it's the 2nd Sunday" he continues, his hand now rubbing the back of his neck. Shepard then realizes that it was mother's day, her eyes widened and she holds up her hand in gesture to silence Grunt. She then retreats into the bedroom to call her mother wishing her a happy mother's day.
Grunt sighs and walks over to the celestial white couch and slumps down lifting Liara, who was sitting on the opposite end, off her seat causing her champagne to jump out of her glass only to fall back into it.
She turns over to Grunt, who was now leaning back against the couch with his hands covering his face.
"What's wrong Grunt?" she asks leaning towards him.
With his face still buried in his hands he replies "I learnt about a day called 'Mother's Day' back on earth where we show our appreciation towards our mothers. However, I am tank-bred. I've never had a family but Shepard has done so much for me she helped me out during the time when my friends in the Aralakh company busted me out of the hospital and I stole an officer's car and drove it into the wall she still came to my aid and I wasn't even punished."
He leaned forward supporting the weight of his face by propping his elbows on his legs.
"It was her decision to release me from the tank even after fair warning. She helped me out back in Tuchanka and became my battlemaster, not to mention the countless times she's saved me during the heat of combat." He says, shifting in his seat a little.
"It feels as if she was kin." He growls into his hands before he continued.
"I'm a krogan and Shepard's a human what if she doesn't think of me as her own. I feel a connection with Shepard, even though Okeer made me I don't think of him as my father but I feel as if Shepard-" he paused to let out a sigh.
"…As if she was my own mother. I don't know how it feels like to have a real mother but I think what I'm feeling is along those lines." He cries sitting straight up with his arms stretched out in front of him only to realize that he just blurted it out to the entire crew.
He turns to look at everyone just staring at him. He sat there wondering why everyone was so silent until their heads turned towards a person who was now in plain sight after James stepped aside. Grunt swallows hard before he could utter the word;
"Shepard."
She walks over to him and bends down to meet his eyes and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Grunt, you have always been my little boy ever since the day I pointed a gun at you as you crushed me against the wall after letting you out of that tank." She says in her husky soft voice.
A light blush breaks across his face just before his hearty grin.
An overjoyed Grunt jumps up and wraps his arms around Shepard and lifts her into the air and yells out "Happy Mother's Day Shepard!" She lets out a chuckle.
"Thank you, I love you Grunt." She says as she returns her son's hug.
"Heh-heh-heh."