"There is no way I'm going to be able to fit into this dress today," Shepard sighed, looking from her stomach to the dress on the wall. Her belly had grown, again, overnight. "No way in hell."

"Will you stop fidgeting so I can take your measurements?" Liara sighed. "I can do something with the adjustments on the seamstress-meter but only if I get the right measurements off you."

"I'm not fidgeting, I'm pregnant," Shepard retorted.

"You're the worse pregnant woman ever," Liara sighed. "You like using that as an excuse, don't you?"

"I'm the worse pregnant woman ever?" Shepard stared. "It's your fault. You're paying for it."

"Oh stop complaining already," Liara brushed her hand at Shepard. "We all know you wanted this. You're just being a pain right now because you like doing it. I am glad you get this only once. I'll never make you pregnant ever again, trust me. Goddess."

"Being a pain is fun. Especially around Garrus. Kind of grows on me," Shepard laughed. "Get it? 'Grows on me'?"

"Goddess, please," Liara shook her head slowly while she continued to try and measure the woman. "Pregnancy has made you a more terrible joker than a dancer."

"Oh, shut up. You blue Prothean seductress," Shepard waved her surprised look away. "Don't think I didn't know you've a thing for Javik since we got him out of cryo. But don't you think Javik sometimes look like those pod crabs we saw on Virmire when he's moody? Especially when he's moody."

"Shepard!" Liara scolded.

"Ok! Ok!" Shepard surrendered. "I was joking. Whatever rocks your boat. But you know how he's like. I'd say you have a better chance with Feron than with Jarvik."

"Shepard! Feron is a good friend!"

"Garrus was a great friend. Didn't stop me from propositioning him. See? Garrus is a better choice than all the choices I was given," Shepard pointed to her stomach. "And now we are having this."

"Are you trying to be a matchmaker now?" Liara frowned. "I thought work like that, you'd leave it to people like us most of the time."

"I'm not matchmaking," Shepard laughed. "I'm hormonal."

"That's growing old," Liara warned.

"Ok, fine," Shepard agreed. "I'm curious, that's all. Why Javik and why not Feron?"

"Why Garrus and not Kaiden?" Liara asked.

"Because Kaidan pissed me off," Shepard answered. "Because Kaidan thought he knew what I should or shouldn't do, could or couldn't do, would and wouldn't do. Because half the time I saw him, he was talking about himself and the other half he was blaming me for not running things by him before I made my choices while he was talking about himself as if I were already married to him. I was Commander fucking Shepard. I didn't need a man I could report to. I needed a man who would be strong enough to say "Go do your thing, I have your back. And when I do mine, I know you have mine." Not "What did you do? Why didn't you tell me first? Why are you with this or that? Where have you been?" I knew the difference between control and concern. I wasn't a teenage girl looking for a prince. And frankly, do I look like the kind of women with the kind of personality for Kaidan?"

"Bingo," Liara lifted a finger. "As you humans say."

"You're telling me Feron wants to play the hero of the heroine too?" Shepard asked.

"Not that," Liara said. "Feron has not been given that chance. But between Javik and Feron, I know Javik does not treat me like a little girl. Besides the occasional "In my time" statements, he lets me do things my way. He is overbearing in other ways but never in suffocating my personality or freedom. I don't need to worry about offending his ego either. He actually welcomes that kind of challenge. He doesn't think he needs to rescue me or protect me because he knows I can take care of myself. But when I need him, he is always there. And although he has many things I do not want, he has a lot of qualities I need. Plus, I can trust him to not be a flirt since he thinks all races are either ugly or a delicacy in his time. He only respects the Normandy crew."

"So," Shepard flashed a wide smile. "Why didn't you come with your Prothean boyfriend?"

"How?" Liara blinked. "How did you know Javik and I are together?"

"You totally gave yourself away, Liara," Shepard laughed. "So where is that moody old Prothean?"

"He's running a quick errand for the Shadow Broker," Liara blushed. "He said he will be here today at least an hour or so before the wedding. I hate it when you do that, setting a trap up with some bombastic statements like Feron is better than Javik."

"You can't hide from me," Shepard said. "Remember not even your predecessor could. Plus, you're easy to set up."

"Then I better see to it that I learn not to be," Liara continued working on Shepard's dress, smiling.

"You two look good together, you know?" Shepard said. "And you can kick his ass when he goes into that depressive humor mode he gets into."

"He's not depressive anymore," Liara said. "Although he's now far more sarcastic and OCD. Sometimes I'm glad Protheans live as long as humans and Turians, although most times I drag thinking it."

Shepard made a disapproving face at her friend.

"You don't sleep next to a Prothean," Liara sigh. "You've no idea."

"I sleep next to a Garrus Vakarian," Shepard reminded her. "Trust me, I know OCD and sarcasm."

"I guess we know why Javik seems to like Garrus so much," Liara laughed. "I think Javik sees Garrus as his best friend without knowing what that means."

The two continued to wrestle with Shepard's wedding dress.

"What about that Arus lady?" Liara asked without looking up from her work.

"What about her?" Shepard fidgeted. "Awww, watch where you put that thing. It's cold."

"Stop moving, Shepard," Liara scolded. "And stop changing the subject. What about Arus."

"I'm not worry about Arus," Shepard said.

"Garrus is."

"He's Turian," Shepard shrugged. "Of course he's worried."

"Shepard," Liara dropped what she was doing and looked at her friend. "Turian society is status conscious. They have marriages that are based in name only to promote the family status. The Vakarian name is well sought after now more than ever because of Garrus' status as the Turian hero from the Normandy. The Normandy is now a legend and so is everyone who has ever served on it. Songs are being written about the ship and each of its crew and so are anthems, Shepard! Anthems made about Garrus by the Turians. Do you have any idea what that means to Turians? The kind of status elevation a Turian family will get with a marriage contract with the Vakarian family? Socially, politically and economically?"

"That's why we'd rather live on Tuchanka after the war," Shepard said. "I know the implication and I know why Arus is so determined. And I know Garrus is worried that no matter how hard he tries, he might lose this battle."

"So why are you not worry?" Liara asked.

"Because this is nothing compared to all the other people I have dealt with," Shepard shrugged again. "Wrex wasn't easy. Aria was worse. Saren wanted to destroy me. The Illusive Man had a gun pointed at me. Javik thought of me as food. Jack wanted to fry everyone, including me. Grunt would have killed everyone on the Normandy if he had not found respect for anyone. Zaeed would have done the same for a few credits. Miranda was Cerberus' bitch. Samara would have executed me for some of my decisions over the years. Now, after dealing with all these people, what makes you think Arus can do anything to me?"

"You'll be a great Shadow Broker," Liara laughed.

"I don't do gossips," Shepard said dryly. "And for crying out loud, I just can't fit into this anymore! I am going to my own wedding in my fucking tights and that is it!"


And that was indeed it. Even with the Shadow Broker's incredibly effective negotiation skills, the hall of wedding guests were greeted with a bride in a blue loose long shirt, dark slacks and military issued running sneakers. Tali gasped and looked down at herself. Why didn't anyone tell her the color scheme had changed? Miranda's eyes widened in horror. What the fuck was Shepard thinking? Where was that dress she took months to find for her? She was supposed to be wearing that! They agreed she would be wearing that!

"I couldn't stop her," Liara whispered as she slipped in next to the now confused Tali to take her own place as the bridesmaid. "I tried."

"Does she even know that the dress will hide her duck walk to the altar?" Miranda asked. "Does she know that I specifically researched and ordered that dress so that she won't look like a pregnant duck walking down the aisle on her own wedding day?"

"I dare not tell her she's walking funny because of her pregnancy," Liara said quietly, "I think we should just pretend to not notice."

"So we're not changing color scheme now?" Tali asked. "Because I'm really stressed out looking at that woman walking towards us."

"Waddling," Miranda scoffed. "She's bloody waddling towards us."

"It's ok, Tali," Liara said. "We'll just do this the best we can. Is Arus still confined to your basement?"

"So far," Tali answered. "I'll never plan another wedding. This whole thing is way too stressful."

"Look at her waddling," Miranda was saying. "God! Don't ever show me the vids from today, ever."


Garrus did not notice Shepard was walking funny. He did not know actually how walking funny in humans should look. What he did notice, however, was that his wife was finally in the hall and walking toward the altar. He immediately turned to the Quarian vow-maker.

"Can we hurry this along?" he asked.

The Quarian vow-maker was one of the few Quarians who had taken his helmet off after returning to Rannoch. He now stared at the groom with those intense Quarian slanted violet eyes.

"The bride is still walking to the altar," he reminded Garrus. "I've done a few human weddings and I remember very clearly the bride has to be next to the groom before we start."

"I can meet her half way," Garrus said. "I'll just run up there and we'll be next to each other."

"I mean at the altar!" The vow-maker pointed at the table.

"I can get the best men to carry that to her," Garrus pointed at Vega and Grunt. "They can carry a thrasher maw if you ask them. They are strong enough."

"It should be done here!" The vow-maker insisted.

"But we're in a hurry!" Garrus said. He did not want Emerin Arus to appear in the middle of the ceremony. He needed his already wife to be his official wife as soon as possible.

"It does not happen that way just because you are in a hurry!" The vow-maker said.

"We can make it happen if we want to," Grunt replied. "What say you, human? Ready to carry a table?"

"Anytime, amigo," Vega huffed.

"Then let's go," Garrus said.

The two best men surprised the guests and the vow-maker when they picked up the table and started following the groom towards the bride. The bridesmaids gasped a little but were quick to catch on to what they were doing. Miranda and Liara immediately followed them down the steps, passing the groom to get there at the bride's side before the men arrived.

"You need to learn to improvise and react accordingly on the spot," Tali told the vow-maker, who was stunted by the display of disrespect for the wedding tradition. "What are you waiting for?"

Tali pulled at his arm a little before running up to join the rest of the bridesmaids.

The vow-maker was still a little shell shocked and felt a little naked with the altar now on its way to be almost a whole thirty feet away from him. He looked from his hands to his feet to the guests sitting in front of him. They were cheering the groom as he made his approach to the bride. The bride was smiling and very much pregnant.

"You go, bird man!" A human with a baseball cap next to an android female was hooting.

"About fucking time you don't let the woman do all the work!" A female covered in tattoos near the android was shouting.

"Do you need assistance to reposition yourself?" A geth came up to him and asked.

"What?" The vow-maker blinked.

"We shall assist you in repositioning yourself," the geth said. "I have come to the consensus that after the war, our sole purpose should be to enrich the soul by being always available for assistance of another."

"Wha-," the vowmaker almost screamed when he was picked up and slung over the shoulder of the geth.

The whole hall was now clapping and cheering and people in the their seats were going, "Go! Go! Legion!"

A few Krogan toddlers were jumping up and down and screaming and laughing.

"Do you know that this unit has a soul?" the geth asked as he speed walked the vow-maker to where the altar now stood. "It is comforting to us, the geth, to know that we have souls."

"Put me down!" the vowmaker screeched.

"It would be counterproductive to put you down as we are speed walking," the geth replied. "The momentum might break your bones if I put you down now and trip us. The calculated angle of the trip suggests this and I will fall on top of you and break three point two five three of your teeth. It is not advisable to put you down."

"I say put me down!" the vow-maker screamed.

Almost at the same time a disembodied voice that sounded very close to them spoke, "Better hurry it up. Arus found the way out. She's coming up the stairs as we speak."

"Hurry, Legion!" the groom called out.

"Just turn around when you get here, Legion," Grunt said. "No need to put him down."

"What?" That's preposterous! I'm the vow-maker! I have rights!"

"So this is my wedding, huh?" the bride said, amusement in her tone.

"I'll make it up to you after the vow," the groom said. "Legion!"

"Put me down!" the vow-maker demanded.

"I politely decline," the geth they called Legion told him. "We are in a hurry."


Notes: Taking me longer to write this story than the ones before. I am busy up in the head right now with a lot of other things that I should not be worried about if I have faith... but I don't. And because of that, I am writing this a little faster than snails would write...if snails can write.

Thanks D.A. for your beta. Hugs.