I'm so happy with all the feedback for this story! Especially since it's become one of my favorites to work on lately.
My deepest gratitude to the best beta ever, Greenyoda987 for tolerating my idiosyncrasies.
Shepard glowered at the asari as the alien woman grinned like a cat in cream. If there was one thing Shepard hated most in the galaxy, it was reporters, but dresses were a close second. And at that moment in time, she had been forced into a fluffy white confection of a dress by her two best "friends". Tali was making excited little squeaking noises as the salesgirl set about adjusting the train and skirts, but it didn't change the sour expression on Shepard's face. The woman staring back from the mirror was not a badass soldier and capable, functioning adult, but a child playing dress up; the huge tulle skirt and ostentatious rhinestone work made the conservative in Shepard gag, and the amount of her scars it showed being strapless made her uncomfortable. It was a small mercy that the boutique was blissfully empty save for their small party.
"No."
"But you just put it on!" Tali protested.
"I don't care," Shepard growled, stalking back into the small changing room, "I am not wearing some giant dress out of a fairytale! I agreed to a dress, not a cake topper!" The salesgirl was thankfully brisk in getting the rejected gown off of her, but Shepard huffed out a sigh as another was thrust into her hands. "Do I have to?"
Liara cut the girl off by calling in from the other room, "Yes!"
"Don't you have something better to do?!" Shepard yelled out at her as the salesgirl helped her into the next dress, "Like flay someone with your mind? Or broker shadows, or something?!" At least this one had straps. She emerged again and stepped up onto the pedestal in front of the mirrors, holding out her arms so her companions could see. "Happy? I hate it. Can we please leave?"
The salesgirl looked ready to tear her hair out and Liara chuckled lightly. "Please, Shepard, you're making her uncomfortable." When she had accepted the appointment, it was clear the girl only saw the fame of working with the Commander Shepard, and not the possible shit-show it was now turning out to be.
"I'm uncomfortable, think of that?" she grumbled darkly, but the asari ignored her.
"You're going to have to dress the part for your wedding, Shepard, whether you like it or not. And no, that does not mean painting your armor white. Now, you can either make helpful suggestions as to what you would prefer in a gown, or we can keep choosing for you." Liara smiled from her chair and crossed one knee over the other. "So, what don't you like about this one?"
"It's a dress."
"Shepard…"
Tali sighed. "I don't see why you hate them so much, you look so pretty…" She sounded so wistful that Shepard felt her frustration cool. It would be unfair to complain that she didn't want to dress differently in front of the quarian.
"They're just… silly. You can't fight in a dress, or run, or anything! I feel vulnerable and weak. And they show off all of these goddamn scars!" She crossed her arms in an effort to cover the lattice-work of scar tissue that covered her forearms, but the quarian shook her head fervently.
"You don't have to be fighting all the time, Shepard, that's the whole point of this! We won! You saved everybody! You don't have to be looking over your shoulder! You can wear a silly dress without worrying about needing to be combat ready!" The young alien woman paused and Shepard could see the smile in her eyes. "Don't you want your special day to be… well, special?"
The fight was gone and Shepard's shoulders slumped. "Of course I do, Tali, I just… I've always been in uniform, as long as I can remember. I don't dress up, I've never dressed up."
"Well, there was that party in the casino…" Liara interrupted and Shepard rolled her eyes.
"Doesn't count, that was for a mission." She huffed out a breath and looked back up at the mirror. "Alright, you win, I'll wear a damn dress. But not this one. It's too…" She floundered for a second before settling on "frilly".
The salesgirl perked up. "Do you like the silhouette? Or maybe something slimmer? More beading? Lace?" If Shepard was accepting her fate to wear a dress, maybe the appointment could be saved…
"No, fuck no," Shepard said as she shook her head. "Less. A lot less, simple. As simple as you can get. And something that preferably hides this." She gestured the left side of her chest, where a rippling scar marred the skin from the bottom of her neck and disappeared under the dress. "I don't want to frighten my wedding guests." It was weird to talk about her wedding; the words felt awkward on her tongue. "Can you find me something like that?" The girl nodded quickly as Shepard retreated back into the changing room and began stripping out of yet-another dress. She scampered off, leaving Tali and Liara alone in the empty foyer.
"Well, at least we're making progress," Liara finally sighed, rubbing her temples as the quarian giggled.
"It only took five hours."
"I can still hear you!"
The two women laughed at Shepard's indignant yell, but said nothing more and remained in companionable silence until the salesgirl returned with new candidates in Shepard's dress hunt. Shepard immediately refused one with long lace sleeves—it looked matronly, she claimed, and the salesgirl happily banished it along with the other rejected gowns—but finally had to relent and don another. As her reinvigorated sales associate set about tying the broad ribbon sash around her waist, Shepard took the chance to examine her reflection in the mirror; it was still a dress, and she still felt like it was a waste, but it wasn't horrible, and that was better than everything else she had tried on. With a groan, she threw the door open and stormed out onto the floor and remounted the podium. With a huff, she fluffed the dress out and scowled at her reflection.
"I don't hate it."
Liara arched a perfectly painted brow and smirked. "I couldn't tell from your expression," she retorted evenly. When Shepard made a rude gesture with her hands, the asari laughed. "Don't be rude, Shepard. Now why do you like this one?"
"I didn't say like, I said don't hate," the human woman snapped, looking back to her reflection. Although, the more she looked at it, the more it was growing on her…
"I think it's wonderful, Shepard," Tali piped up cheerfully, "It really makes you look feminine."
Shepard had to give it that. It was one-shouldered, covering the left side of her chest and the scarring she hated so much, and fitted to her waist. The ribbon tied at her back, its tails falling down to the backs of her legs over the swirls of fabric. The dress itself flowed like water, almost weightless as she turned to examine her reflection. Even with her arms—and scars—bared, it wasn't horrible. She looked soft, almost… Absently, she ruffled the short bob of her hair. She had hoped it would grow back in quickly, but… She brushed the uneven fringe of her bangs to one side, then back again. She had been forced to buzz her hair off for surgery, and it had been slow to return. Now it curled up at the bottoms of her ears, barely brushing the back of her neck. How feminine could she look with no hair?
She opened her mouth to say something as the salesgirl scampered out with a veil in her hands. Before Shepard could speak, she quickly settled it onto the back of her head and stood back proudly. Her companions audibly reacted, but Shepard didn't look up to the mirror again, her eyes locked down on her hands knotted in front of her. It was silly, but suddenly, she was afraid. It was stupid, and pointless, but for some reason she couldn't look at the person in the mirror. That was a bride, that was a woman. She was a soldier. She was neither of those things. It felt wrong.
"Oh, Shepard…" Liara sighed. Tali tittered something similar and Shepard finally forced herself to lift her chin. It was silly, what a little piece of sewn tulle did, but somehow, it changed everything. There was a beautiful woman standing there, in a dress. A bride, ready to marry the man she loved. Not a scarred soldier without an ounce of softness in her. Her throat was tight and her eyes burned—she felt so silly—and she quickly tried to blink it away.
"I guess you win, Liara," she finally managed, wringing her hands.
"So…"
She forced a small smile. "This is it. I'll take it."
Her two friends cheered and the salesgirl looked relieved, clapping her hands together. It was over, it was done. Yet she didn't go to change right away. Instead, she stood in the dress, staring at her reflection. She hoped that this was still the person Garrus wanted to marry. Yet as she stood there, she couldn't help but worry. What were turian unions like? Did they even have something similar to a wedding?
"Ma'am?"
Shepard was jolted back to the present and looked down at the salesgirl hovering beside her. "Hm?"
"If you'd like, we can get started on the alterations. Your friends mentioned that your wedding is very soon?"
Shepard hummed the affirmative and turned to examine the dress again. "Does it need any?" It fit pretty well as far as she could tell…
The younger woman smirked and nipped in some of the fabric at her waist. After a pause, she adjusted the single shoulder strap and raised a knowing brow. Shepard had to admit, those two small changes did make a difference.
"Point taken. So what do you need me to do?"
"Stand there." The salesgirl pulled a handful of pins from pocket of her jacket and set about fastening the fabric in place. Shepard blinked in momentary surprise as she worked and Liara tried to smother a laugh. Tali, however, failed in a similar endeavor.
"Glad to see you're entertained, Ms. Zorah," Shepard drawled, tilting her head to fix the quarian with a pointed look. Through her fits of giggles, Tali could say nothing and Shepard sighed. "Saviors of the galaxy my ass…"
"Some of us had to move on and have fun," Liara replied with a sparkle in her eye.
"Ouch, alright Doctor," Shepard quipped, shaking her head slightly.
"Stand still, please." A few more moments and the salesgirl stepped back with a triumphant smirk. "Alright, what do you think?"
Shepard looked up at her reflection again, and her mouth went dry. She had a shape. She looked pretty. This couldn't be real…
"I take it back, now it's wonderful," Tali simpered, hands fluttering at her throat. Liara laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and Shepard couldn't help but smile.
"I agree," she finally managed, hastily wiping her eyes. She wasn't going to cry over a dress. She had to draw a line somewhere.
Picking his parents up from an Earth spaceport was definitely a new experience for Garrus. What he hadn't expected was to be energetically embraced by his mother before he had even seen her. The petite woman clung to him, her subharmonics running amok and he carefully hugged her back.
"You look like you're doing better, Mom," he said with a smile, holding her at arms' length.
She snorted and waved a hand. "Please. Those doctors keep saying I should take it easy, don't push myself, but what do they know? Nothing!" Garrus fixed her with a level stare and she huffed out a breath. "I'm fine, Garrus. My treatments have done wonders since I switched to those salarian doctors. Now, you can tell me everything you've been up to since you don't call! I finally hear from you, and it's a message saying you're bonding with a human?!"
"Mom, please," he whispered, glancing around as her voice rose. "I'll tell you later, I promise. And that's only if you take it easy, and let Dr. Chakwas check you over to be sure everything's ok."
"Oh, you worry too much. Just like your father!"
"Xerena, give the boy a break," a deeper voice cut in. Garrus looked up as his father rounded the corner, balancing a bag on his shoulder. "Although I am curious about what you've been up to. But you can tell me later." He set the bag down and held out a hand. Garrus took it without hesitation, but what he hadn't expected was for his father to pull him into an embrace. When they separated, his father clasped his hands behind his back automatically. "They should be bringing the rest of our baggage around."
"Of course, I left the car—"
"Garrus!"
He had about two seconds to react—just long enough to turn and brace himself—before a ball of squealing energy slammed into him. He laughed, hoisting his sister up and spinning her around. She giggled and stepped back when he set her down. Her eyes shone and she grinned at him.
"Would it kill you to send a message?" she sulked, punching his arm lightly.
He recoiled as if wounded and she rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you too, Solana. I see your leg's out of the cast."
Solana nodded. "Oh yeah. And even if it wasn't, I'm not about to miss my big brother finally settling down. Even if it is with a human."
"Of course not. Well, please. I'm sure you're tired from your trip. Our house isn't too far from here." He gestured back toward the street and hefted the bag his father had set down. The elder turian signaled a man pushing a hand cart laden with bags and crates and they started for the waiting car.
It was a tight fit, with all of their luggage, but they all fit in the car and soon they were on their way back toward the Shepard-Vakarian home. The first few moments passed in silence before his mother cleared her throat.
"So, out with it: who is this human you're so taken with, hm?" she asked, fixing him with an intense look from the passenger seat.
Garrus couldn't help the nervous twitch of his mandibles, and from the corner of his eye, he could see his mother's brow furrow. "She's… It's hard to describe Shepard. When you meet her, you'll understand. I—"
"Wait, the Shepard? The Commander Shepard?" His sister asked, leaned forward to gawk at him.
"Yeah, that's her…" He could hear his father's anxious rumble from behind him, but said nothing else. He had somewhat-intentionally neglected to mention who his intended was for this reason.
"Damn, Garrus. I had no idea… You really have been busy, huh? Climbing the social ladder…"
Now his father spoke up. "What does that mean?"
Solana smirked and sat back. "Shepard's a respected soldier, Dad. You know that. The Hierarchy—or what's left of it—owes her a lot, regardless of the fact that she's human. Besides…" A sly smirk spread across her face. "With the amount of time they spent together, it was only a matter of time."
"I hardly think that's—"
"Oh, Aerus, calm down. What does it matter her social status?" his mother cut in with a huff. "Do you love her, Garrus?"
He had to smile at that as he navigated their small town. "More than life itself."
"Then who cares who she is! If you love her, it wouldn't matter if she were hanar prophet." After a pause she chuckled. "Although I'm secretly glad she's not."
Garrus laughed and shook his head. It felt good to hear his mother laugh, and she looked so much better than the last time he had seen her; her plates looked healthy and had their shine back, and the glazed look had finally left her eyes. She still looked frail, but she had some of her old spark back. And he owed a lot of that to Shepard; Shepard and salarian doctors, but the salarians wouldn't have helped if Shepard hadn't sent them a sample of Collector tissue.
His father said nothing, though, and a quick glance in their rearview told him that the man had resigned himself to staring out the window. Garrus sighed and looked back to the road, carefully navigating the corner to their quiet street. A few children scampered out of the street as the car approached and he heard his sister's curious trill.
"Awful lot of young families," she pointed out with a smirk.
She knew. Somehow, she knew. He would never understand how, but she somehow knew what he had been hiding from them. How did she know? He gave a noncommittal grunt in reply and pulled into the driveway.
"Well, this is it." He quickly got out to help unload the car as his sister took his mother's arm and led her toward the house. He watched them go for a second before crouching to help his father. "Dad… I know—"
"Don't worry about it son." Without another word, his father headed inside, arms burdened with luggage. Well then… Garrus sighed in resignation and followed. Eventually, they'd have to talk about those issues, but his father was going to have to cooperate with him.
"Quick, Gunny, to the shuttle!"
"Affirmative!"
Shepard ducked behind the couch with a laugh as her son came barreling around after her. She bundled him up in her arms and they fell in a giggling heap, wrestling on the floor when Shepard heard the door open. She looked up, her son thrown over one shoulder and felt her heart nearly stop. The two turian women standing in her doorway could be none other than Garrus's mother and sister; both bore the familiar blue markings and, while his mother had more of a cinnamon complexion, his sister had the same silver coloring as her brother.
Noticing her sudden stillness, Kaius tried to follow her stare. "What's wrong, Momma?"
Shepard carefully set him down and got to her feet, slowly brushing off her knees to give herself a minute to think. What was she supposed to say? Were there any unwritten rules she didn't know about? Yet when she looked back up again, she wasn't the one holding their attention, but her son. Kaius pressed himself against her leg and she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Xerena, where should—" The turian who came in next stopped dead behind the other two and Shepard felt her heart stumble. Garrus's father, he had to be. If they had been the same age, they could have been twins… He stared in confusion at the boy at her side and Shepard licked her lips, trying to think of something—anything—to say.
Garrus came in behind his father and Kaius lit up. "Daddy!" He bolted toward his father and Garrus caught him in a one-armed hug with a laugh.
"Hey, buddy. Where's…" He caught Shepard's nervous smile and tried to give her a reassuring one of his own. "Hi, sweetheart."
"Hi." She anxiously brushed her hair behind her ear and tried to force some confidence into her posture. A deep breath, a quick roll of her shoulders, and she fixed a gracious smile onto her face. "You must be Garrus's family."
How do we feel so far? :D
