So yeah, this is the sequel to my other story, "Priority: Holiday Cheer" about Shepard and Garrus's relationship after the Reaper War. Expect a lot of fluff and feelings, and some drama.

Big props to Greenyoda987 for sticking with me. With my break-up and the apocalyptic winter, I'm super grateful for her continued support.

"What do you mean you haven't started planning yet?!"

The exclamation was shrill and echoed across the open field, causing the children to stop what they were doing and look toward the source. Shepard grimaced and rolled her eyes, reclining back so she was lying on the blanket they'd spread over the grass.

"I mean, it isn't something we're worried about right now," she replied calmly, lacing her fingers together under her head, "And besides, it's just our wedding, Liara. Nothing to get so hung up about."

"Nothing to… Shepard, you're getting married. Don't you think that deserves some sort of ceremony?" the asari pressed, confusion written on her face. The quarian beside her had a hand pressed to her helmet like she expected a headache and Shepard scoffed.

"Of course I do, but it's really not that big of a deal. We just want something small, just our friends, his family. Nothing crazy."

Tali shook her head. "Shepard, I don't think you're getting what we're trying to tell you."

Shepard's brow furrowed and she lifted her head. "Alright, what are you trying to tell me?"

Liara huffed out a sigh and leaned back on her hands, fixing the human with a pointed look. "Do you remember who you are? You're Shepard, savior of the galaxy, marrying her true love in the face of everything you've ever had to face. Your wedding is going to be a big deal whether you like it or not! And it's been 6 months, you should have at least been planning something." When Shepard snorted she scowled. "Do you even have a date picked?"

"Sure, sometime in July. It will be warm and the summer storms will have passed by then," Shepard replied, closing her eyes to bask in the warm sunlight. The best part of their home, she had to admit, was the yard; it was a huge plot of land, settled on gently rolling hills of grass and trees, uninterrupted by development. The children had gone back to their game and she could hear them laughing; it made her happy to think their son was making friends with the neighboring children so easily.

"That's in one month!" Tali squeaked, sounding alarmed, but Shepard only shrugged.

"I guess so. Why?"

Liara groaned, smacking a hand to her forehead. "We're doomed. There's no way we can plan this so soon! Have you gotten a dress? A venue? A caterer?!"

"Did you send invitations?"

Shepard finally sat up, levelling a dark look at her friends. Everyone seemed so quick to forget that she had coordinated a joint-species attack to reclaim not only her own home planet but the only hope for the galaxy at large in a very short amount of time. A wedding ceremony could not be that difficult. "No. I've been enjoying my time with my family now that the threat of galactic destruction has been dealt with. Why?" It wasn't that she didn't want to get married—quite the opposite, actually—but it seemed like a lot of pomp and circumstance for something she already knew in her heart. And she hated pomp and circumstance.

"Well, to start with, getting his family here from Palaven will take a while, since the Relays are still damaged. They'll need to leave soon," Tali started, wringing her hands, "And you'll need to reserve enough space for everyone."

"Everyone? I was under the impression that we were going to have a small ceremony," Shepard cut in, raising a brow. "You know, intimate? Private?"

Liara shook her head with a smile. "Please, Shepard. You're a hero. Your life is big news. Everyone will be wanting the scoop on your marriage." Shepard grumbled something about exactly where the media could shove it and Liara chuckled. "Just be glad your son has stayed out of the spotlight for so long."

Shepard's eyes flashed and she grit her teeth together. "And that's exactly how it's going to stay. Those vultures are not coming near my family, or so help me, I'll—"

"Momma, can we go play down by the stream?"

Her expression immediately brightened and she shielded her eyes from the light to see her son from her place at the top of the hill. The girl from two doors down whispered something and the turian boy grinned, nodding quickly before he looked expectantly up at her. He had filled out some, and with it had come a rambunctious playfulness that could never seem to be exhausted.

"Sure, sweetie, but stay where I can see you. And don't get muddy, your father will be home for dinner soon," she called. He waved his acknowledgement before bolting toward the narrow trickle of water that ran between the hills.

"Come on, Shepard," Tali insisted, "It will be fun to plan your wedding. Don't you want it to be a magical day you'll remember forever?"

"I will remember, and it will be magical. I don't need an elaborate ceremony for that," Shepard retorted dryly.

"But don't you think Garrus might want a ceremony?" Liara asked, sly smile spreading across her face. Shepard stiffened and the smile widened, noting the effectiveness of her new tactic. "He was always a little more traditional."

Shepard couldn't argue that. Hell, he'd even gone through the trouble of proposing to her in an adorably human way. Maybe she did need to plan her wedding… "Ok, fine. You win," she grumbled, rubbing her brow, "But I get to overrule anything I think is too much, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," the two women chirped, immediately pulling up their omnitools.

"We need someone to officiate the wedding. I believe the Alliance has a chaplain in the area, if you'd prefer a nondenominational wedding."

"And there are a few catering companies nearby that specialized in mixed-species cuisine. I'll send a message to each of them to get an estimate."

"There's a bridal parlor in town. We can see if they can manage something on short notice."

"The park down the street has a beautiful garden they rent for events. We can ask about reserving it for—"

"Stop, stop, stop," Shepard cut them off, waving her arms. "Slow down. One thing at a time. I want it here, at our home. The yard is big enough, and the view is perfect. Forget the park. Call whoever you need to for food or whatever, but I am not—I repeat, am not—wearing a dress."

Both gaped openly at her, making her cross her arms in irritation before Liara spoke up. "But Shepard, it's your wedding."

"Exactly. As you've been quick to point out it's my wedding. Mine. And if I don't want to wear a dress, I'm not going to." She felt like a child having a tantrum, but she wasn't about to budge on this issue. She hated dresses. They were impractical and uncomfortable. No one could run or fight in a dress without serious threat of falling over or tripping over something. And they were constrictive. Nope, pants were the only logical clothing choice. Or none at all… No, no, best not to scandalize his family.

"Has Garrus ever seen you in a dress?" Tali tried.

Shepard grimaced. "Once. On the Citadel."

"At the Silversun strip, in the casino," Liara finished for her. "And I hardly think that counts, Shepard. You were in the middle of espionage. Besides, don't you want to surprise him? Make him remember it?"

Damn her for knowing exactly what to say! Shepard shot her a glare but sighed. "You're not going to let me win this, are you?" At their matching smiles she groaned. "Fine. You win. I'll find a damn dress…"

"Excellent!" Liara said gleefully, clapping her hands together. Her joy only made Shepard's frown deepen. "We'll go tomorrow! Now, the guest list!"

"Honey? I'm home…" Garrus dropped the stacks of datapads onto the counter and gratefully fell onto the sofa with a contented sigh. He didn't know how he had ended up coordinating the construction of a turian embassy on Earth, but he had, and now he was up to his eyeballs in paper work. Most of it was just time consuming, but one letter that had passed into his hands made him cringe more than the others. He didn't want to deal with that one. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back, savoring the quiet coolness of the house.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, guess what?!"

Something jumped energetically into his lap, forcing the air from his lungs; as he was struggling to reclaim it, he opened his eyes and came face to face with his son's excited expression. He'd gained a proper amount of weight for a turian his size, but now it meant he was heavy.

"What is it?"

"No, you have to guess!" Kaius insisted, practically bouncing. His mandibles fluttered, betraying his happiness and Garrus was struck by just how much the boy did look like him. Shepard had said it, and people always pointed it out, but now—painted with the Vakarian colony markings—Garrus couldn't even pretend to deny it. He sighed theatrically, making his son roll his eyes.

"Oh, fine. Hm… Did your mother burn dinner again?"

Kaius giggled, but shook his head. "Nope. Aunt Liara and Aunt Tali are taking her shopping tomorrow."

Garrus raised a brow. Unless it involved supplies, weapons, or their son, Shepard hated shopping. "Oh? Shopping where?"

The young turian just shrugged. "Dunno. Momma doesn't seem too happy about it. She said—"

"For the last time, I am not turning my wedding into a political event! Who we invite is my decision and I—" Shepard stopped just inside the doorway leading out to the yard and blinked, snapping her mouth shut. "Oh, I didn't know you were home already." Her cheeks flushed and Garrus chuckled.

"Wedding planning?" he inquired with a grin. She had assured him that the planning would be the easy part, that it wouldn't take long and everything would go smoothly. Of course, she had said that, but the irate look in her eye and the excitement he could see on Tali and Liara's faces over her shoulders said otherwise.

Shepard scowled. "You could say that. I call it torture. Apparently, I've waited too long." She strode across the space and leaned over Kaius's head to press a kiss to his mouthplates. "How was your day?"

"Busy," he replied automatically. Best not to discuss it in detail; she didn't need to know just yet. "Why do you say you waited too long?"

"Because getting everything we need will take a miracle," Liara interrupted, breezing through the living room with Tali close behind. "I'll pick you up at 0900, Shepard." They were gone like that and Shepard sighed, making Garrus give her a sympathetic smile.

"Well, this will be fun," Shepard muttered, shaking her head. "While I'm thinking about it, how long will it take for your family to get here from Palaven? I know you'll want them at the wedding."

Garrus froze. He knew he had forgotten something; of course that was it, of course he had forgotten that in the mess of paperwork he'd been bogged down with. She was going to kill him. "I, uh… Well, I might have forgotten to mention that…" She tilted her head to one side and he glanced down at Kaius; the boy was watching him intently and he took a long breath. "I asked them to come earlier so they could have the chance to meet you."

Shepard blinked, brows knitting together. "So when will they arrive?" She wasn't sure why he looked so nervous; she was actually really curious about his family and meeting them. What would they think of her? Of their home, their son? Would they approve? She wanted to know.

Garrus's mandibles pulled close to his face and Kaius's eyes narrowed slightly, betraying the subharmonic cue Shepard couldn't hear. "Tomorrow," he finally muttered.

She stared. "Tomorrow? Tomorrow?!" Her face had paled and she took a step back. "Your whole family is going to be here tomorrow?!" At his wince, she realized she was shouting and held up her hands. "I don't… I don't even know what to say…" she finally said quietly.

A pained expression crossed Garrus's face and Kaius made a low, sad sound in his chest. "Are you mad?"

"No… No, I'm not," Shepard sighed, leaning back against the mantle of their fireplace, "Just worried. I thought I'd have more time to prepare, you know?" After a second, she jumped up. "Oh, sh—" She stopped, looking down at their son. "Darn it," she corrected herself quickly, "I have to clean… I have to… What does your family like to eat?"

Garrus stood, setting Kaius on the sofa and going to pull her into a hug in one motion. "Stop, stop, stop. Just relax. Don't worry about it. I'm sure they'll love you, so don't stress about it so much. I'll pick them up tomorrow afternoon, you just focus on the wedding."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. "I wish I had started this sooner…"

Garrus chuckled, bumping his forehead against hers. "I know. But you'll make it work. You always do."

Shepard smirked and pulled out of his embrace. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, dinner should be—" The ovens in the kitchen began to beep and she chuckled. "Done."

"Are you sure about this? I mean, we can always postpone. My family will survive staying here a bit longer, if you need time."

Shepard smiled, snuggling further back into her love's arms, savoring the heat that always radiated off of him. But she didn't answer, humming in abstract acknowledgement as she thought. She wouldn't mind the extra time, if they did postpone… Yet for some reason, that felt too much like giving up. She never gave up. "No, I want to keep our planned date. I just have to work a little harder."

"And I'll help," he purred, nuzzling the back of her neck. She smiled, covering his arm around her middle with her own, and tangled her legs with his. They both savored these moments of peace, alone in the privacy of their bed. But at the same time, neither would ever give up the life they had now, as parents. In only six months, they had experienced so much they would never trade for anything, and the smile on their son's face made everything worth it.

"What's your family like?" she finally asked quietly, tracing patterns along the back of his hand with her fingertips. Garrus chuckled, and she could feel the rumble through the fabric of her thin shirt.

"That's a big question."

Shepard rolled her eyes and huffed an indignant sigh. "Alright, what about your sister?"

"Solana? She's… a lot like Tali, actually. Bubbly, energetic… A bit more outspoken, kind of rebellious, but not in a confrontational way."

"So it runs in the family," Shepard replied cheekily. He nipped her shoulder in reprisal and she squeaked.

"No, I blatantly defied my father. She's much more subtle. You'll like her, I think, and she'll like you."

"And your parents?" It was mostly his father that she was worried about, but she would never say so out loud. Deep down, she had a feeling Garrus was concerned about the same thing, but similarly would never say anything.

"My mother has been sick for a long time…" The sound that came from him made her turn and pull him close.

"Korpalis."

"Yeah… It's… hard. And not always pretty. She should have stayed in the hospital, but nothing was going to keep her from coming. I'm a little worried about her health, having to come all this way, away from her doctors…" His mandibles pulled tight to his face and she pressed a kiss to his brow.

"We'll make sure she's taken care of. I'm sure Doctor Chakwas wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her while they're here," Shepard said quietly, cuddling back up to his chest. "I promise, nothing will happen to her."

He hummed his agreement and pressed his cheek against her hair. "I know. I just worry… She balances my father, most of the time. She's the only one who can make him see when he's wrong."

"She's really important to you."

"Yeah, she is…"

"And what about your father?" Shepard finally asked, her cheek against his carapace, "I know you were angry about your Spectre candidacy."

Garrus chuckled. "Yeah. I was pretty angry with him for a while, stewed over it for years at C-Sec… I still don't agree with him about a lot of things, but I don't begrudge him his right to believe it." She felt him smile against her hair. "I still think he's wrong, but now I can tell him so without worrying about what he'll say."

"Hm." Shepard was quiet for a moment. "Will he be mad?"

"About what?"

"Should I start with the part where we adopted a child without telling anyone, or the part where I'm human and squishy? Or maybe where I ensnared you in my various campaigns across the galaxy that took you away from your turian duty?" She scoffed lightly. "I think you've been around me too long if you don't see how he might be upset."

"Well… I'm sure he'll have something to say about it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to listen to him. I know what I want." He pulled back to look at her face and smiled. "And what I want is to spend the rest of my life with you, regardless of whether he approves or not. He'll just have to deal with it, human daughter-in-law, adopted son and all."

Shepard shook her head, but didn't pull away when he kissed her. "Mm, well, we'll just have to see what happens then."

Let me know what you think! Depending on what people say, I'll write more and more often!