The coffee was too strong, bitter on Shepard's tongue. He poured the rest out on the ground, watching the drink soak into the grass and dirt. He considered going to get some breakfast from the hospital cafeteria, but had not even walked through the front doors before the thought of eating anything made his stomach roil. Martin was sitting in the same chair he had left him in, eyes still red from constant tears and his face emotionless. Shepard sat down next to his son, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to leave. We owe one more favor to your mother." Martin began crying again, and did not resist when Shepard brought him into a hug.

Louisa had passed the previous night, after five days. Her son had spent every possible moment beside her, only leaving when the doctors and nurses forced him to. Shepard had left at various points to get meals for them both and place calls back to Rannoch letting Tali know they were okay, but had spent as much time as he could with his son as well. Louisa had once been his wife, and he could not pretend he did not hurt at her passing as well. She was a great woman, passionate, loyal, protective of those she cared about. With as much time as Shepard had spent away from his son, the great young man Martin was turning into could almost solely be attributed to his mother's influence. Shepard only hoped he could continue what Louisa had started. As with everything else in her life, Louisa had fought her injuries with every fiber of her being, every day she lived coming as surprise to the doctors. They had never said that, of course, but someone who had seen death and spent as much time around soldiers and the doctors that patched them up as Shepard knew the signs, knew the body language. It had made him so proud to see her fight that way.

A hearse was waiting outside the hospital, near where Shepard's car was parked. In the back, Shepard could see the casket holding Louisa's remains, and subtly used his body to block the view from his son as they walked to his car. The hearse followed them to the ship that was waiting to take Louisa home to be buried. Shepard and Martin had just exited their car when Shepard noticed a familiar quarian woman waiting near the entrance to the ship's airlock. Tali's hands were intertwined below her waist, and her head was bowed. Both Shepards, younger and older, walked towards her, the older offering a small smile in her direction. She acknowledged him with a nod, before looking Martin in the eye. "I am very sorry for your loss, Martin. I know how this feels."

"How would you know how it feels?" Martin asked bitterly.

Shepard was about to correct his son's attitude, when Tali said, "Because I lost my mother as a child as well. I was older than you, I was 16, but it hurt terribly. My father was also a military man, and while I knew he loved me it was my mother that did most of the job of raising me. She was such a good woman, and I loved her very much. When she passed, I cried for weeks. I missed her every moment of every day. I promise, if anyone knows the pain and the loss you feel right now, I do."

Martin shook with sobs, but never looked away. "When did it stop hurting? How did you manage to get over it?"

Sympathy showed in Tali's eyes. "I didn't ever fully get over it, it still hurts. But I was able to move on. It was hard, my father only became more obsessed with work after mom passed, and I had to learn to deal with my mother's loss on my own, with some help from my Auntie Raan. Unlike me, you will not have to do this on your own, I promise. Your father will be there for you, and so will I. If you ever want to talk, we will be there. If you ever feel like the sadness and loss is too much, you tell one of us. Your father and I can never replace what your mother was to you, but we will try the best we can."

Shepard felt tears well in his eyes. He should have said all of this already, and at that moment he had never felt more love for Tali. Martin managed a genuine smile. "Thank you, Tali," he said, and he hugged Tali, his body again shaking with sobs. "I'm sorry I said something so mean to you."

Tali shook her head. "You had no way of knowing." When the hug was over, Tali again looked Martin in the eye. "You have to be strong one more time. Can you do that?" She did not need to tell Martin why or when he needed to be strong, and the boy nodded.

Martin was incredibly brave during the funeral, keeping composed the entire time, even as Louisa's parents lost their composure. When it was over, Shepard shuddered as he let out a breath, fighting tears. Martin was exchanging hugs and words with his grandparents, and Shepard took the opportunity to slink away and stand by himself near a tree that shaded a group of four headstones. A familiar three fingered hand on his should brought a forced smile to Shepard's face. "Hey, gorgeous," he said weakly, failing miserably at appearing fully composed.

Tali took his hand. "You don't always have to be strong for me. The mother of your son died last night. You just watched her get buried. Right now, I'm the one that needs to be strong for you."

Shepard's smile left his face, and he wrapped his arms around Tali. "This fucking war is over, and I'm still losing people I care about. I fought so hard, for so long, and even when it's over and I've won I still lose." Tali said nothing, holding Shepard, letting him vent. "Louisa was a good woman, when we were together she dedicated every moment she could to being the best mother and wife she could be. I put her through so much bullshit, and she dealt with it as long as she could. Even you would have probably walked away with the way I used to act. When she wasn't home dedicating herself to me and Martin, she was out there dedicating herself to helping those who truly needed the help. She deserved better than this."

For a brief moment, Tali's insecurity crept into her mind. Hearing Shepard speak that way about his former wife, she wondered if she could ever live up to such a standard, a standard that Shepard still walked away from. Now was not the time to voice such concerns. "I am here for you as well, John, just like I am for Martin. Do not try and deal with your grief on your own. You do not have to."

"I'll be fine, Tali," Shepard said. "I learned long ago how to deal with loss and the grief it brings. I'm more concerned for Martin. I can't tell you how much it means to me, what you told him. It was exactly what he needed to hear, and I'm glad it was you that said it."

"I had to say something," Tali said. "He needed to know I've been through this, that I am there for him. I don't know how he thinks of me, but in my mind he is my son. I am there for you too, John. I love you both."

"It's a good thing you're here, because I don't have the slightest idea what to say."

Tali cocked her head to the side. "How did you cope when your parents died on Mindoir?"

"I didn't. I eventually just moved on, because I had no choice. I'm not exactly the healthiest person mentally, you know that." Shepard looked away awkwardly.

"I disagree. You may be the mentally strongest person I've ever met," Tali said, a smile in her voice. "No one else could have handled everything you've dealt with. You always know the right thing to say. I have no doubt you'll know what to say when Martin needs you."

Shepard shrugged. "I hope you're right. Well, let's go take our son home."

Tali beamed, a smile she knew was inappropriate spreading on her face, but at that moment she didn't care. Shepard had said "our son." The quarian would be damned if anyone told her otherwise. She would spend the rest of her life making sure both John and Martin knew how much she loved and cared for them. She had already told Martin she could never take his mother's place, but she would certainly try her hardest to be a mother he could be proud of.

"John, hurry up!" Tali shouted, waiting impatiently near the front door of their home. For all the stereotypes about human women taking forever to get ready when they left the house, Shepard was making Tali think the stereotype applied to humans in general. "If we do not leave in the next ten minutes, we will be late!"

Shepard appeared briefly, poking his head out from the hallway as he buttoned up his suit shirt. "His last name is Shepard, even if we are late we won't miss it when his name is called."

Tali glared, making Shepard grimace and flinch. "I am leaving in five minutes, and if you are not with me than you will have to explain to your son why you missed his graduation." Of course, Shepard sprinted out of the front door four minutes later, as Tali was starting the car.

They arrived at the auditorium and found their seats minutes before the ceremony started. Martin was not hard to spot, despite being dressed in a similar blue envirosuit as the rest of the graduates. He was the only one not wearing a mask, and he was taller and more muscular than almost anyone else. When his name was called, and he strode across the stage to receive his certificate, Tali screamed her support loudly, while Shepard whistled. For the first time, the young man looked at them, smiling from ear to ear as he left the stage. A few of the other parents around them glared disapprovingly, but Tali didn't care. That was her son that just crossed that stage, she would support him as loudly as she felt like.

After the ceremony was over, Tali and Shepard waited outside the auditorium. When Martin came outside, talking to a couple of his friends. He walked over when he noticed them, saying goodbye to his friends, and Tali rushed forward to meet him, hugging her son tightly. "I am so proud of you!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you have graduated already. It feels like just yesterday that I met you for the first time."

Martin embraced Tali back. "Thank you. I can barely believe it either."

"Congratulations, Martin," Shepard said.

"Thanks, dad."

A quarian boy and girl came over to where the Shepards were standing, calling out a greeting in Martin's direction. Martin gently separated himself from Tali's tight grip, and greeted his friends. "We did it, we actually graduated. In just a few more years we will be going on our Pilgrimage," the girl said. She seemed to notice Shepard and Tali for the first time, and it was not hard to tell that she grew nervous. "Is this your dad, Commander Shepard?" she asked.

Martin nodded. "Yep, that's my dad and this is my mom, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." Tali smiled, and when she looked over at Shepard she could see her bondmate was barely suppressing a smile of his own. It was not the first time Martin had referred to her as his mother when making introductions to others, but every time she found herself giddy at the words.

The two young quarians stared in awe at Tali and Shepard. "Admiral Zorah, it's a pleasure to meet you," the boy said. "My mother served your father on the Alarei, and my father served under Admiral Koris during the battle to retake the homeworld. You were a true hero in both those situations."

Tali searched the eyes of quarian boy in front of her, trying her hardest to identify who he was. The realization made her smile disappear. "Jona'Hazt nar Quib Quib. I'm so sorry about your parents."

Jona was stunned, even with the visor in place that was obvious in how his eyes widened. "You know me?"

"I was there when your father passed. He wanted someone, anyone to tell you that he loved you, that he made it to the homeworld. I tried to find you after the battle, but I never could." Tali offered her hand, and the two shook hands. "I'm so glad to see you are okay."

Jona nodded. "Thank you, Admiral Zorah. I had family that survived the fight, and took me in. I miss my parents, but I have dealt with their loss. They both died for what they thought was right."

It came as no surprise to Shepard why his son had become friends with this young man, as he listened to Tali talk to Jona. Martin and Jona were so much alike, and had suffered similar trauma at a similar age. They were both smart, polite, had similar mannerisms. Listening to Jona, Shepard learned who his son had learned some of the phrases he used nowadays from.

After the conversation between Tali and Jona was over, the quarian woman turned to the younger woman, who had stayed quiet the entire time, shifting her weight back and forth between her legs nervously. "Who is this?" Tali asked.

The sudden flush on Martin's face did not go unnoticed to his father. "Sorry, this is Yala'Vizz nar Tonbay."

Tali's face lit up. "Tonbay? Admiral Raan is very close to me, it is a pleasure to meet you. Yala'Vizz, I believe Shala has mentioned you pestering her on occasion." When Yala looked down, clearly embarrassed, Tali placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, she likes you. She says you are very smart and always looking to help, even if you end up in the way."

"I just like to do my part, Admiral Zorah," Yala said.

"Please, call me Tali. I hate being called Admiral Zorah." Not for the first time, Tali thought about legally changing her clan name to Shepard. It was not a necessary part of the bonding, and not being a quarian Shepard had told her she should keep the clan name of Zorah, to continue to fight the negative connotations given to the name after the truth about Rael'Zorah came out. Ancestors take the legacy of the Zorah clan, Tali was a Shepard now, and she was proud of it. She decided then to have this conversation with John again that night.

"I really admire you, Tali'Zorah," Yala said, comfortably slipping into the use of Tali's name. "While I do not wish for the same threat to the universe you faced on your Pilgrimage, I do hope I can give our people a gift of the same importance."

"Hopefully you can bring back some of the secrets those bosh'tet Asari and Humans have that allowed them to rebuild Thessia and Earth so easily," she joked.

When the Shepard family arrived back home, Tali entered the kitchen and began cooking a congratulatory meal for Martin. While she busied herself preparing to cook, Martin asked his father if he could talk to him, and the two left for his room. Shepard entered first, taking a moment to observe the decoration of the room. It was so different than it had been even two or three years earlier. Clean, organized, no sign of any of the toys that used to litter the ground. A few posters of popular bands, that if Shepard remembered correctly made club music, were up on the walls, as well as a poster for the movie that had been made of the fight against the Reapers. The entire Normandy crew had signed Martin's copy, the only one in existence with all of those signatures.

Martin took a seat on his bed, biting his bottom lip nervously. "I was just wondering what I am going to do when everyone else goes on Pilgrimage. I'm not quarian, so I guess I'd go to college or something like most humans my age, but all my friends are going on Pilgrimage. What should I do?"

Shepard thought hard, stumped by the question. "What do you want to do?" Shepard asked, deciding it would probably help if he knew what Martin was thinking.

The boy shrugged, of course. "I don't know. I would like to do both, but that's probably not a possibility."

"Why not?" Shepard asked. "If that's what you want to do, you can. You could go on Pilgrimage, and go to college afterwards. Going on Pilgrimage would probably help you decide what you would want to go to college to learn anyway."

Martin smiled. "You would seriously not have a problem with that?"

"Not at all." Shepard gave his son a light push. "You better come back from Pilgrimage with something good. The son of Commander John Shepard and Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy? That's some pressure there."

"Piece of cake," Martin said, his usual cockiness on full display. "Between me and Yala, quarians on Pilgrimage will have a standard to aspire by for years."

Again, the flush in his son's cheeks at the mention Yala did not go unnoticed. "Aww, look at my boy, head over heels for a quarian girl just like his dad."

Martin went wide eyed, startled that his father knew. "What? How do you…"

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I'm not an idiot. I saw the way you looked at her. I won't embarrass you, I'll just say that you better grab her up before someone else does. That Yala seems like a strong young woman, someone's going to make their move and sweep her off her feet sooner or later."

"I don't know why she'd be interested in me," Martin said, sounding a little dejected. "I'm a human, she's got all kinds of attention from quarian guys, she isn't with anyone now but like you said she'll have someone eventually. I'm sure my chances are slim to none."

"Why would you being a human be an insurmountable obstacle?" Shepard asked.

"Are you kidding? Why would a quarian woman pick a human?"

Shepard held back a laugh. "Well screw you, too. You only have a stepmother who picked a human to spend her life with."

Martin brought a hand to his forehead. "I'm such an idiot. Sorry, dad."

"Eh, don't be. I get it, I thought the same thing until Tali told me she was interested, and she told me she felt that way for a long time about me, that I would never be interested in a quarian woman. If Yala likes you, I bet she feels the same."

"So I should just go for it, huh?" Martin said, cocky smile returning.

"You bet your ass."

Martin laughed. "Alright. What do I have to lose?"

"And so we dedicate this statue to one who fought harder, braver, and as capably as anyone could possibly expect from any quarian, a woman who serves as the example by which generations will hopefully aspire to live up to. Tali'Shepard vas Normandy, thank you." With those words, the end of a long, passionate speech by Shala'Raan that brought Tali to tears, the cover was pulled off the statue built in front of the recently rebuilt and opened museum. Claps and cheers rose from the crowd of thousands, and Tali gasped as she took in the sight.

The statue was made with incredible detail, even the swirls on her hood accurately replicated. In a twist she had not been informed of, Tali's visor was off, and the features of her face had been chiseled to astounding accuracy. She was standing proudly, tall, reaching a hand out towards a nonexistent person in need. Originally, the statue was going to feature Tali holding her shotgun in one hand as well, but Tali had refused. She did not want to be remembered that way. On a plaque at the base of the statue, her name was engraved, along with her accomplishments. Beneath all that was a quote that Tali had been asked to provide. She had thought long and hard about what the quote should be, when she finally decided on something so simple she was embarrassed to have not thought of it earlier. "We have returned to where we began. Keelah se'lai."

When the ceremony was over, and the crowd began to disperse, Raan brought Tali into a deep embrace. "I cannot tell you how proud I am of you, and how proud your mother and father would be of you. You have become an amazing woman, Tali'Shepard."

"Thank you, Auntie. I'm still somewhat embarrassed that I received a statue. There are so many others that were so important to our recovering our homeworld. Shepard for one, and Legion, and the other Admirals such as yourself."

Raan placed a hand on the mouth of Tali's visor. "Not today. You are so unselfish, but today you get to receive the attention you deserve, even if you do not want it."

Tali smiled, hugging her Auntie Raan even harder. She spent the rest of that day talking to dozens upon dozens of people, many of them asking her the same questions to which she provided the same answers. The sun was setting when she was finally able to get away, and find Shepard standing nearby, looking at something far off. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Our boy. Hope he's smoother than I am." Tali looked in the same direction as Shepard, and her mouth opened in surprise. Martin was walking along the street aimlessly, hand in hand with Yala'Vizz. "That's my son alright, he obviously sees the beauty of quarian woman just like I do."

While Tali was happy to see Martin so happy, her over protectiveness also began to kick in. "She better be good to him," she said, her voice nearly a growl.

Shepard turned to stare at his bondmate, taken by surprise at the body language she was displaying. "Well look at momma Tali."

"What?" Tali asked, still somewhat angry.

"Martin met a good girl. Leave him alone."

"Fine. She breaks his heart, I break her bones." Tali grasped Shepard's hand, smiling now. "This has been a hectic day."

"You deserve it, Tali. You may not want the attention, but ancestors take anyone that says you don't deserve it."

Tali giggled. "Ancestors, huh? Looks like some of our sayings are rubbing off on you as well."

"Of course. I have to fight not to throw in a Keelah every once in a while."

Shepard grinned at her, that heart melting grin she couldn't resist. "There is one thing that would make this day complete," she said seductively. Shepard continued to grin, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure Martin can find his way home." Tali removed her visor, and threw herself at Shepard, kissing him deeply.

It was a pretty overwhelming vote for Louisa to be taken out of the picture, which I expected. I didn't feel like wasting time with Shepard and Martin in the hospital while she slowly died, so I jumped ahead. Having her die actually provided another way for Tali and Martin to bond.

Also, this pretty much covers the story I wanted to tell. Shepard and Tali have both survived, have their home on Rannoch, where they were able to raise Martin. However, I will be more than happy to continue adding on based on reader feedback. There's plenty I could write on, flashbacks to the years after the funeral and before graduation, the few years before he goes off on Pilgrimage, Martin's Pilgrimage itself, I have ideas for all of it. If you want it, I'll do it. The ideas are there, just say something.

One final note: Thank you to everyone who read my story and again to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed it. Yeah, favorited isn't a word, but whatever.