characters/pairing: Tali, Shepard, Garrus
Disclaimer: Bioware owns the characters
Two years had passed since the end of the war, when Normandy was slowly approaching one of the Quarian Liveships. The days and months had passed quickly, and for many were still hard to believe that the Reaper threat was really over. The new era had arrived, and yet nothing could no longer be the same. Everything in the galaxy had changed. The man who knew this better than anyone else was Commander Shepard, who still occasionally was suffering from panic attacks and had nightmares. On that day he sat in the bathroom of his own cabin. He kept his head low, and breathed heavily. He was deep in his own thoughts, and was dressed in a fine black suit. He had carefully locked the bathroom door behind him, and did not expect anyone to interfere him, when suddenly a familiar voice spoke from behind the door.
"You okay there, Shepard? You've been in the bathroom for half an hour and you are breathing heavily as overweighted krogan."
Shepard knew the voice. It was familiar, teasing, but yet friendly. It was Garrus Vakarian.
"I feel like hell", Shepard replied. "Wait, are you listening my breathing?"
"Don't get me wrong, big guy", Garrus said. "I do not enjoy to do it, but it's quite inevitable, since I stand behind the door and am waiting you to come out to face the most confusing day of your life... so far."
Shepard laughed quietly. "You just have to make things worse, don't you?"
"No, of course not. I only wish to remind you of the reality", Garrus said. "The man who has saved the galaxy three times certainly can live through his own wedding day. Or am I wrong? Perhaps I should go to tell all the guests that the great Commander Shepard needs to take one more suicide mission before he's ready to embrace the quarian life style."
"No, no, please no", Shepard mumbled and wiped his face. "Oh God... I am sweating like a hamster."
"I did not know that hamsters can sweat", Garrus said with a voice that told him smiling behind the door. "Makes me think what you've been doing here in your own cabin all these years if you've become aware of something like that."
"Just keep laughing, Garrus", Shepard said. "Perhaps you finally understand what a good sense of humor is."
"Speaking of hamster - didn't you own one?" Garrus asked.
"I did. Two."
"What happened to them?"
"I... bought the fish."
"That still doesn't explain what happened to them."
"They got away."
"So, all these years - Somewhere deep inside of this ship - we've been sharing our journey with a hamster family", Garrus spoke with a cunning voice. "Fits into the big picture. Do you still remember what Kasumi once said? 'Even aboard a Cerberus Vessel, life finds a way!'"
"What do you mean by 'fits into the big picture?'" Shepard asked and frowned.
"Well, think about it", Garrus said, and began to walk in circle. "the day when you brought on this ship that skeptical, shy and intelligent quarian teenage girl started to change everything in your life. Then, two years later, when she had grown woman, and during that time you were a little outside of things, things became even more interesting. Every time you entered into the room, the first person who saw you was Tali. When you walked by, her hands began to shake, she glanced around nervously, and sometimes even dropped something. Against all odds, she fell in love with human, you. Without this ship, Normandy, anything that would never have happened."
"It needed a little bit more than just this ship, Garrus", Shepard said as he looked himself from the mirror. "The Collectors, my resurrection, Cerberus..."
"Well, they are only a small side elements. No need to mention them", Garrus said while leaning against the wall. "Besides, if I remember correctly, I guess you spend a lot of time down in the engineering bay. I hardly believe you were there just to see the pipes?"
A short silence descended. Shepard fell back in his memories.
"Yes, I did spend a lot of time in there", He finally said. "Always when I could. We had a constant rush going on. There was a lot to do. Much to be done. A lot to be worried about. But even the thought that I knew her to be here, in the same vessel with us - with me - gave me peace. I could go down when I wanted to see her standing in front of the desk, doing her duties, deep in her own thoughts. Sometimes I... I stared at her for several minutes in secret, and she did not know I was close until I decided to say something. It was... beautiful. She was beautiful."
"Well, well", Garrus said while he shaked his head. "In you - in spite of everything - lives a romantic puppy. You know, if we had not gone through all the hell we did, I would say that you have become soft and you should quickly do something about it. But after all that, what you've experienced, you - if anyone - deserves a happy ending."
"You think so, Garrus?" Shepard asked, and smiled gently.
"Yes. Absolutely", Garrus replied in a calm voice. "Or, now that you said it, I felt a small cold shiver on my back when you mentioned that you stared at her for several minutes in secret without saying anything. Frankly, that's kind of creepy. Makes me wonder did you do the same to me also."
His words made Shepard laugh.
"Don't worry, Garrus, you're still ugly. Besides, you do not have the same kind of hips as Tali has."
"Oh c'mon, old puppy", Garrus said. "No need to be so rude - even though you are speaking the truth. I have come along very well with Liara."
Shepard first did not believe what he heard.
"Wait... You and Liara?"
"Of course", Garrus said in a voice that was almost glowing self-satisfaction. "Have I not told anything in the past?"
"Well... no", Shepard replied in confuse. "How did you...?"
"Charm her with this face?" Garrus said. "Well, it required a little make-up, too many shots of turian brandy, and I had to oil my rusty skills in saying something which women find fascinating. But in the end, she couldn't resist my... attention."
"Damn, Garrus", Shepard said and shaked his head. "And you said I was creepy!"
"But if being honest, Shepard", Garrus continued. "She needed someone with whom she could discuss after the war was over. You were in a coma, and I did not have anything to do, so I used the opportunity. At first, she hated me, then I began to irritate her, but in the end she liked me. Well, she still hates me, but it does not change the fact that once you have tasted the Vakarian love, nothing is the same anymore."
"Wait a minute now", Shepard almost shouted. "You made your move while I was in a coma?"
"Well, you see, it was a little hard to ask your permission when you saw sweet dreams about dead Reapers", Garrus explained. "Would not have felt good to wake you in mid-stream, even if you had a good reason to wake up."
Shepard smirked and shaked his head again. "You never cease to surprise me, Garrus."
"No, I won't", Garrus said and smiled. "But... I hate to press you, but the wedding ceremony begins in 45 minutes. Would you like to come out of the closet?"
Shepard woke up from his own thoughts. Was it really so late already?
"Ok. Just... give me a minute." He said nervously.
"I'll try."
Shepard took a deep breath and washed his face. His heart was beating hard and it felt like any moment the walls could fall on him. He had never experienced such emotion. He knew how it felt to carry fear, or anxiety, but he had never experienced such tension which he was going through now.
At last he decided to open the door. His hands were shaking, but he knew that sooner or later he had to face the day. When the door opened, he came across something very unusual. The sight forced him to freeze. Garrus was wearing casual turian clothes. Awkward silence fell, as Garrus and Shepard kept staring each other.
"You are... wearing clothes." Shepard said clumsily.
"Well, I thought that if I come to the wedding feast wearing my old armor it would be perhaps a little inappropriate", Garrus said. "I hope you'll bear this disappointment?"
"No, no, it's ok", Shepard stuttered. "I just haven't never seen you so... fancy. I mean... you look like a normal turian at this moment."
Shepard's comment forced Garrus to laugh.
"Well, when you put it in that way, you have no idea what 'normal turians' look like. We wear our armor even in shower if we can. But let's stop this discussion here. I can not reveal to you all the dirty secrets at once. Are you ready?"
The question led Shepard to become absent.
"Yes, soon. I just... need to feed the fish." He said and looked around.
"Take your time. I'll be here." Garrus sighed, and leaned back on the wall.
Shepard behaved very strangely. It seemed as if he had forgotten that the only thing he needed to do to feed the fish, was to push a one small button. Still, he seemed as if he was trying to find something from the room, or get something else to think about. Garrus saw that Shepard was very nervous, but he didn't say anything. He tried to wait patiently, and was counting the minutes in his head.
When Shepard finally got feed the fish, he suddenly stopped to stare at the aquarium lights. He fell into his thoughts again. Something troubled him. The silence came back. The silence, which Garrus did not like. It brought to his mind too much bad memories.
"Now, then", Garrus said and coughed. "Are there any other small tasks that you could perform later on, but which you definitely wish to do now?"
"Just one", Shepard said quietly and kept staring at the lights. "I need to ask your honest opinion, as a friend. You know me better than anyone else, Garrus."
"Shoot." Garrus said, while he crossed his arms and kept listening.
"What do you think", Shepard said, and turned to look at Garrus. "Am I a good husband? Can I... can I really make Tali happy?"
The question made Garrus silent for several seconds. The question was difficult, and Garrus would never have imagined that someone would want from him such an opinion.
"Well, now when I have to think about it", Garrus finally said. "There are two possibilities that could happen. You can become a perfect example of how the perfect icon spoils the perfect opportunity in his life, or, then, you could just live a pretty good and comfortable life with someone who really cares about you."
"But..."
"But, since you ask me to be honest, as a friend", Garrus continued before Shepard was able to say anything, and this time he walked closer and placed his hand on Shepard's right shoulder. "Shepard, listen to me. I don't... know... much about love. My whole life I have only hold a gun in my hand. But when I see you and Tali standing together... I see something... unique. You two deserve each other. It's ment to be. That's it. It's something I do not understand, and I can not describe. But I tell you this: when we found you from the ruins, we had been looking for you for two days. We had already started to give up hope, even I did, but Tali continued to search you. She did not eat or sleep the entire time, and her immune system began to fail. Her hands were dirty from blood and mud, she was tired, but she still dug the earth and brought stones out of the way. When we finally found you on the third day, Tali ran to you and did not agree to let you go. She hugged you, even when the doctors arrived on the spot. I had to hold her so that you could get to the hospital in time."
Shepard listened attentively. This was the first time after the war when Garrus spoke to him so openly.
"I did not know..."
"That is was that bad? It gets better", Garrus Vakarian spoke in serious voice, and looked deep into the eyes of Commander Shepard. "You do remember that you were in a coma for eight months? All that time, Tali was by your side, and she rarely left the hospital. She talked with you every day. Told the news, told what the weather was outside, how the reconstruction of whole galaxy progressed, how the governments were born again, how the mass relays were build again, and what kind of home she was planning to build for you two on Rannoch. But most of all she talked about how much she missed you. She even learned to shave your beard, for Spirits sake! I remember this one evening when I came to visit at the hospital... the first words which Tali said to me were 'It has been six months, fourteen hours, three minutes and five seconds since we found Shepard - and he has still not woken up'. That day, it took three people - me, Liara and Jacob - to force her to get some rest. We promised her that we would take immediately contact if something happens. In the morning we found her sleeping here, in your bed, on board the Normandy. I have never seen anything like it."
"Please, go on, Garrus." Shepard said as he sat down on the bed.
"The day when you finally woke up was... the happiest day for her", Garrus said, and turned to stare at the fish. "That was the day when she finally had the chance to say 'The war is over' - and when she said that, she was meaning her own war, which she was having inside her. I still remember... that day she was running all over Normandy... crying and laughing at the same time. She was like a sweet little girl. She hugged everyone who came by and said 'Shepard has awakened! He is awake - and he's going to be ok! He's going to be just ok!' Have you ever seen a happy quarian, Shepard? I mean, a really, really happy quarian! I must confess, that day, even I had to share a tear or two."
Shepard thought for a moment the words of Garrus, and said then: "Thanks, Garrus. I really needed to hear this. I just... wish to be sure what I am doing. I want Tali to be happy. She deserves that."
Garrus smiled, nodded and turned to look at Shepard. "What do you think? Did this conversation open any new doors for you?"
"Yes, a lot."
"Very good", Garrus said and sighed in small relief. "Well, are you ready to face the big day?"
"Yes. I think that I'm ready", Shepard said and smiled. "It's now or never. I can't go back."
"Good", Garrus said, and put his hands behind his back, like a real soldier. "Just remember that woman loves you more than anything else in this world. Or... from your own world, atleast. You're the first person she has ever loved, and I think you're the last, also. She is crazy about you, Shepard. Hell, you're the only person in this whole damn galaxy who has the ability to make her happy. And if your life ever gets boring, just think about how good those quarian women still look when they turn in their 40's and 50's. I would bang them all night long!"
"Thank you, Garrus", Shepard grinned. "You can shut up now."
"Sorry, Shepard", Garrus said, and winked. "I just needed to tell you one more last honest opinion."
Soon after that conversation, they started to walk towards the door. The ship was shaking and humming around them, and soon EDI gave them notice that they approached the quarian Liveship. The moment was coming closer. They both knew that they would hardly in the future spend such moments together. Life had to go on.
"So, is the press on the spot?" Shepard asked.
"Not much. Mostly human journalists only", Garrus replied. "But that only means that today everyone knows that Commander Shepard has married quarian woman. They really love to make noise from 'scandals' such as this!"
"Damn, I told those people to stay away from my wedding." Shepard mumbled.
"Don't worry, Shepard", Garrus said as he opened the door. "They get better news to tell for the whole galaxy once I get drunk, and when they see quarian wedding dress."
"That should be interesting", Shepard said. "Never seen quarian wedding dress. Any ideas?"
"Well... not much", Garrus replied while they moved closer to the elevator. "I suppose it has a bucket and... something nice around it. We'll see. Oh, and by the way - thanks for asking me to be your best man. I don't understand what is the meaning of this odd human custom, though. I know I am the best there is, but to be the best man in your own wedding... I just don't quite get it."
"Don't worry, Garrus", Shepard said, and opened the elevator door. "You just stand quietly close to me and witness the scandal. That's pretty much it."
"Well, I think things could be worse than that." Garrus said quietly, and glanced up.
"Worse? Like how?"
"Imagine if Mordin was still alive - he would be the wedding singer."
Shepard laughed and shook his head. "Well, I'm glad he has more important things to do at this moment, somewhere, up there."
"But I sure would love to see his weird face here with us today." Garrus said thoughtfully.
Shepard took quick look at Garrus and nodded. "We all would love that. He was a good friend - for all of us."
"I imagine he would love to give you some last tips at this very moment", Garrus said as they entered the elevator. "The positions which are comfortable to both races, what kind of meals you need to prepare in the future, stuff like that."
"He actually did tell me which positions are comfortable to both human and quarian." Shepard said in somewhat cunning voice.
"He did?" Garrus raised an eyebrow. "Well, that explains a lot. Some mornings Tali has been very cheerful since you woke up. I guess Mordin was... well... quick to see things which were about to come true. Perhaps he saw you and Tali having some special chemistry, and then he calculated in nano-seconds where your situation would lead eventually."
"Yeah, he did that, a lot." Shepard said and smiled.
"One more thing which I don't understand is that why you two wish to have your wedding ceremony on board the quarian ship. Do they still need those ships?"
"I wanted to respect Tali's traditions", Shepard explained and tried to sound credible. "The admirals will give us the blessing. Besides, the reconstructions on Rannoch are still in progress. I did not want to spend my wedding at the working site, you know. You might like that, but not me."
Garrus laughed and sighed quietly. "Well, it would undoubtedly fit for me. For me, marriage is just as dirty job. I think I need to spend a few more years in nightclubs before I shall confine myself to such a fate, which you are taking today."
"You know, I know this not the best time ask this question", Shepard kept teasing, "but did you and Tali ever have anything going on?"
"Me and Tali?" Garrus was wondering the question. "No, no. She was all way since from the beginning quite straight on where things stand."
"So, I do not need to be jealous husband if I ever ask you to visit us?" Shepard said, and grinned mischievously.
"No", Garrus replied. "Not after what she said to me when I tried to move our friendship to a new level."
"What did she say?"
"'I have a shotgun.'"
They both laughed when the elevator door closed. A new era was about to begin.