I go over my mental checklist for the last time as the reporters start to file in the door. I have a handful of notes for my speech, in case I forget anything. My dress blues are clean and pressed. I look as best I can. There are chairs for everyone that should be coming, with a little bit of overflow room. The crew's section to the side is here and all members are accounted for. The speech part seems to be planned for. EDI and Cortez both assured me that everything else was taken care of. Here's hoping that plan goes off without a hitch.

I takes almost ten minutes for the hundred or so reporters and dignitaries to find their seats. There's no shoving or rude remarks that can be heard, even with almost every sentient race in here. I feel bad for the poor rachni worker in the back row, sitting next to a krogan. But nothing bad happens, and a few hundred eyes stare at me in curiosity and expectation.

"Would Miss Emily Wong please come up here?" I ask the microphone, which triples my volume on command.

The reporter in question rises from one of the more forward rows and slowly walks up the aisles. She's aged quite a bit since I last saw her four years ago. She still looks like she can't be more than forty, but some lines are starting to form around her eyes and mouth. Her haircut remains the same short black, and she looks like she's wearing the exact same pink outfit she had when we met. She must think it's her lucky outfit or something.

She finally gets on the stage, the small camera hovering behind her. She smiles as she offers her handshake. "I appreciate this, Commander," she says softly.

I turn the mic off before accepting the shake. "It's my pleasure, Emily. I owed you, after all."

"I thought you were joking when you said you'd give me an exclusive interview. You have no idea how surprised I was to hear from you."

"I don't break a promise. As long as you haven't aired that interview yet."

She shakes her head no. "It's been edited and saved, ready to be shown. You said not to show it until the end of this conference?"

"That's right. I appreciate that. Allers already wants my hide for not giving her the scoop of what I'm going to say. You ready to have a front row seat for the action?"

"Been ready for four years, Commander."

I return to the crowd and turn the mic back on. For once last bit of motivation, I steal a glance at Tali, sitting between Garrus and Kasumi. She gives me a little wave in an attempt to help me calm down. I send her a smile, and she nods back. Man, I love that girl...

Feeling ready to take on the world, I turn back to the reporters. "First off, I would like to thank everyone for coming out here. I apologize for any problems that hospital security may have given you. The idea of having krogan, rachni, and geth in their building made them a little uneasy."

I earn a small chuckle from the crowd, while some of them look around and realize how many different races we actually have in here. I wait for the eyes to return to me before continuing. "I would like to begin with a few moments of silence. For everyone that we have lost because of this damned war. So, if you would please..."

The room bows their heads simultaneously, not a whisper a among them. I close my eyes and dip my own head down. The moment I do, the thoughts of everyone lose hits me. Jenkins comes first... how excited the Corporal was to be on a mission with Nihlus, a real Spectre... the way that he was almost like a little kid, ready for Christmas morning... Haven't had another member of the team with the same... enthusiasm, as Karin explained it.

Then Kaidan comes. The somber, kind Lieutenant who never lost control or his nerve. A man who volunteered his life without a second thought to save the rest of us... his stories about Jump Zero, his protection of that girl, even against a turian commander... what we her name? Amanda? No... Rahna. Or at least something like that... He knew that I would save him, but he chose to stay and get Ash out. How many officers would do that for their soldiers?

Mordin's grinning face appears in my mind. What a freak. Talked a hundred miles an hour, worked twice as fast, an absolute genius, and one of the best singers I've ever met. "I am the very model of a scientist Salarian..." Some morals, but knew that he had to get his hands dirty to keep order... That finally changed with Bakara. He realized how bad the genophage was and set out to cure it. He stopped trying to rationalize his actions and do the right thing. Hell of a man... Not perfect, but still a good man... and a friend...

And then I think about Thane. Made a hell of a first impression in the Towers. Found there was more and more to the man as we talked... I never expected the religious side of him, or having a family and a son. I still don't completely agree with the way he ignored the blame of all the people he's killed. I have trouble forgiving myself for the mercs that come after us, even when they drew first. To just say that killing them wasn't my choice doesn't make it better. But still... Thane was special. He accepted his sins and still tried to make up for them. He made his last prayer for me instead of himself... Only a true man would do that.

Legion... That stupid robot was one-of-a-kind. Any other geth would have attacked me the moment I dropped the shield around him. He could have killed me on the Reaper, or almost any other time he chose. His reasons may have been practical, but most people would have shot me on sight when they saw the mass murderer of several hundred of their race walking around. More still, he trusted me with helping him stop the heretics. How many would do that? And Tali and him talking, learning to get along... How he trusted me to save his people... then calmly killing himself to help them... He wasn't just a machine. He was a part of the crew and my friend, just like everyone else on the ship.

Dozens of other faces start coming. Friends from other ships that were lost, my family, Akuze, Anderson... I finally shake the thoughts out. I can't deal with that. Not now. I've already mourned them all, but the wound will take time to completely heal. I just have to keep going.

"Thank you all," I say into the mic, making everyone else pick their heads up. "I know that... no amount of kind words or sentiment can bring these people back to us. I know that no matter how much we pray and cry and dream it to be just some horrible nightmare, it won't change. We still wake up without our mother or father, brother or sister, lover or spouse, or just a great friend... But it's because of them that we can continue. The least that we can give them is acknowledgment for their sacrifice. We owe them that. And to honor them, we have to make this galaxy better than it was when they left."

There's a few scattered comments among the crowd, but for the most part, they stay quiet and watching me. I sigh to myself one more time and steal another glace at Tali for motivation before continuing. "The reason I asked for this press conference is to take care of a laundry list worth of things I need to do. The first is ask you all to calm down some with the emails. The Alliance is bugging me now because my account is taking up over twenty percent of their server storage. So if you all can wait for a few days for me to get another account set up specifically for that, that would be very much appreciated."

I earn a few slight chuckles in the room again, and some take notes on datapads or omni-tools, but still keep their eyes glued to me. "Thank you for the laughs. I'm trying to keep this fairly light-hearted, so I'll alternate between serious and comical issues. So, following that pattern, the next topic I need to hit is a thank you. To every race in this room.

"Every single species helped us in some form in this war. The volus donated several bombing fleets and more credits than I can count. The rachni were immensely helpful in building the Crucible. The geth and the Quarians were some of the greatest evac teams I've ever seen. Even the batarians, who have every reason in the galaxy to want to see Earth burn, sent us what was left of their fleets to help us. That isn't counting all of the soldiers from the krogan, turians, asari, humans, and everyone else who were either in the fleets or on the ground right in the middle of it. Everybody owes each and every one of these brave men and women who stuck their necks out into the Hell of war, just to save our homes.

"But also, we have to think about these unities that we had for this war. I mean everybody stop and look around. We have salarians, rachni, turians, and krogan all in the back row over there." I point out the small group in the back. "When was the last time any of them could be in the same room without a small war? Every race there has a reason to hate the other. And yet, they don't. There's no fighting, no arguments, no rude comments or even mean jokes. Why? Because they finally put their differences aside to do something worthwhile."

I move my finger towards the middle of the crowd. "And look. A good friend of mine, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Rannoch, and a geth diplomat, Hermes, are sitting side by side today. Before this war, how many Quarians would let the geth in the same system, let alone into the chair next to them? How many of us would all have drawn weapons on that hunter right there? I guarantee you, that each and every one of us would either get the hell out of this room or try to kill that geth. Why? The same reason the salarians, rachni, turians, and krogan are all sitting together without a bloodbath occurring: we all stopped focusing on just fighting each other and focused on doing something.

"I know that not all of us will ever get along; I'm not that naïve. But we don't need wars and fights every five minutes just because of race issues. We need to look at all what we accomplished by working together. The genophage is cured, the Quarians have Rannoch again, with new, friendly geth neighbors, and we sent the Reapers back to Hell! Think about that! Think about how, in less than six months, by working together, we've made more progress than the last thousand years combined! Why can't we do that? Why can't we try go a few centuries without a war? Why can't we just try to work together? The results of all that are right here to see. This is what we gain from standing as one, instead of standing against each other.

"So this is what I'm asking: for us to try harder for peace. I'm not just talking to the diplomats, or the media, or even the boss of the local fast food chain. I'm talking to every single average Joe and Jane walking down the street on their way to work, or back home to their family. Try to get along with the other races. Don't look down on the volus because they have to take in deep breaths every four words. Don't assume that a krogan will want to fight just because he's a krogan. Don't call a Quarian a "suit rat." If you're fighting with someone because of who they are, that's fine. But fighting just because of their DNA isn't. I've served with the finest soldiers of every species I can think of, and I know that we're no different. They're jerks and saints, just like us... So please... for everyone we've lost, for all of the children that will be born in a Reaper free galaxy... Can we try to make this work?"

There's a breathtaking silence when I finish my speech, as over two hundred eyes all stare at me. Then, they all stand. The room shakes with the applause and cheering from every person in the room. I let out a deep breath and a smile as the nerves relax. Glad I haven't lost my touch with speeches. I look over to Tali again, and she gives me a little thumbs up. I laugh to myself at what I assume is a smile under that helmet of hers.

The cheering last for another three minutes before the crowd takes their seats back in near silence. Everyone is still watching, but they're expressions have changed from stressed and analytical to slightly relaxed, almost happy. I wait for everyone to be comfortable again, and then I keep going with the speech.

"Thank you. I'm glad to know that I can still give a half-decent rally speech. Never imagined that I'd be giving that to a roomful of reporters, but..." A handful of laughs answer my sarcasm. "Anyway. One of the other reasons for this conference is to address a few thousand emails I have.

"Many writers, painters, movie producers, and paparazzi have all contacted me in an attempt to have me be a part of their project. I spent a good bit of time in recovery combing through these names and finding who does what with their art. With the help of EDI, I will be sending out emails to all of those that have caught my eye, whether it be for their particular talent, or just because I like them, and only they will be able to use me directly for their information and input. And if someone else comes along at another time with another idea, they have to get approval from the first group for me to get in contact with them. I'm not trying to suppress creativity or something like that. I just want to have a life of my own that doesn't involve being dragged around to sets or somewhere else. I won't copyright my name, so people can do unofficial movies and such. A small piece of the profits would be nice, though. I do have to eat."

The laughter is far less than my other jokes, but audible nonetheless. "As for my plans, other than trying to hide from the press for the rest of my life. The first is I am retiring from the Alliance, as well as from the Spectres. I don't want anything to do with the coming governments as they rebuild. I don't want to be the new councilor, the admiral in charge of the Alliance, or even be the captain of a ship anymore. I've put in the required years for me to retire completely by the rules, and that is something I feel like I need to do. I'm sorry if some of you didn't expect me to do this, or wanted me to be in charge of their unit, but... my life hasn't been easy. It never has, and I've dealt with it. But with everything else, and then the last four years... All I want to do is retire to a little house, have my little white picket fence, and enjoy the rest of my life. After all of this, I hope you all can understand."

Everyone looks at me, the same look of sympathy on their faces. I guess that's one of the few things everyone can understand: bring tired and wanting to quit. Whether it's burnout, or some tragedy... We all have times when we just want to move on. Forget our current lives and find a new spot a couple hundred light years away. There's not a word exchanged between anyone in the room, but all of the eyes say the same thing: 'it's ok.' I sigh to myself before turning to the mic again. "Thank you."

I feel the side of my pocket, double checking for the thousandth time that the little box is there. It's still hiding... ready to come out and surprise the hell out of a lot of people. The other circle is in another pocket, yet to come out or be known by anyone but myself. Not even Garrus knows about it. Tali's watching me again. She's wringing her fingers like mad. I wonder if she's caught on just yet...

"For me to close out this conference, there's one more thing that I have planned. It's one last speech. It isn't some big, dramatic rally cry, or something that means the galaxy to someone else, but... Well, there's one person I hope really enjoys this.

"I was asked a lot of things over the course of the war. What made me think I could beat the Reapers? What was I planning on doing when I got a chance to relax? What the hell was I thinking, summoning the mother of all thresher maws to fight a destroyer? I was asked that last one a lot, but... The most common question I was asked was why. Why anything? Why did I carry the biggest sniper rifle I could find? Why was my armor blue? Why did I think I had a chance in this war?

"With all of those questions, I noticed a theme. I very rarely answered "I don't know." I didn't just shrug it off. I always had a motivation, a driver behind what I did. Why the Black Widow? Three soldier killing bullets per heat sink. Why was my armor blue? My great-grandfather, who served in the Navy back on Earth, his dress uniform was blue, and making mine somewhat like his was my way of honoring him. Why did I think I could beat the Reapers? Because I had the best in the galaxy at my side, united under one banner, ready to send them back to Hell. I always had something in my head or in my heart, giving me a reason to continue on.

"Motivations like these are why I fought in every conflict I was thrown in. I could stop and think of something, and that thought would keep me going. I have always had a stake in the fight. And with that stake, I made sure to win.

"But now... I have a different motivation. For once, if I think about going back into a skirmish or a fight, my first thought isn't about what I need to fight for. My drive to go in and get the job done... it isn't there anymore. What is there is a completely new motivation. What this motivation is telling me to do... is to stop fighting. Don't stick my neck out. Don't rush into something just because I hear bullets. Don't tempt death... For the first time in my life, something is making me want to stop fighting.

"It took me a little while to figure out what it was, but I did. It wasn't a what. It was a who."

I look over to Tali back in her chair. She looks almost paralyzed in shock. "Would Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch please come up here?" I ask the microphone.

With the help of Garrus and Kasumi, the poor girl finally stands up. She slowly walks down the side and up the stairs to the stage, wringing her hands the entire time. I smile at her, trying to help her nerves some.

She reaches the podium and stands in front of me, hands moving at a hundred miles an hour. "You ok, baby girl?" I ask softly, making sure the mic can't hear it.

"This is it, isn't it?" she whispers, her voice almost quivering.

"I told you it would be a little dramatic. And we are telling everyone at once," I smile.

"I don't know if I should hug you or kill you," she shakily laughs.

"We'll see." I return my attention to the rest of the room. "For those of you who don't know, this is Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch. She's been on the Normandy through every campaign I've fought through since becoming a Spectre. She was Tali'Zorah nar Rayya when she joined me on the SSV Normandy and helped me stop Saren. She joined me in my fight against the Collectors, again changing her name, but to vas Normandy. And finally, because of her plans to live on the Quarian home-world of Rannoch, she will be vas Rannoch.

"This woman is just as responsible for all of my accomplishments as I am. She just didn't gain as much of the glory. Her combat drones and perfectly aimed shotgun rounds saved my life more times than I can count. She is also responsible for the amazing shields on the Normandy, hacking through Collector doors, and she is the most beautiful woman with a shotgun to ever serve on a ship. Without her, none of us would be here. She made all of this possible.

"But... she's more than that. To me, she's everything. She's my life, my future, my partner, and the woman I've fallen in love with over the last four years... She's my everything. She's the reason I want to stop fighting, the only reason I've ever had. Not because she asked me to... but because I want to be hers, and only hers. She deserves everything that I can give her. And right here, right now, I want to do just that."

I turn back to her. She's stopped wringing her hands, but they're still hanging in front of her, clenched tightly in fear. Emily's video drone floats to my left, getting a better view of the two of us. I take a step towards Tali and take her hands in mine. She stares at me as I look back at her.

"Tali... I love you. I know that I've told you that at least a hundred times, and I've tried to prove that every chance I've gotten. But no matter how many times I say it, no matter how much time I spend with you, or how much thought and credits I put into your presents... they never seem like they're enough. You've never complained, and you've loved them. I feel like they aren't enough... because they aren't as perfect as you are.

"Every single detail about you is another thing I'm in love with. Your laugh, your kindness, your amazing intelligence, your beauty... I could spend all of my life looking for a fault and never find one. There is no one who is nearly as perfect, as easy for me to fall in love with as you... I could go on for days. But I won't do that here. What I want to do is, over the rest of our lives, I want to tell you every reason, every chance I get. I want to spend the rest of my life with you... being yours."

I sigh once, just making sure I remember the Quarian vow. "The passage of time means nothing when I am with you. The planet we are on is pointless, as is what we had to suffer to reach this moment. What matters is this: I wish to spend the rest of my life with you. I do not care if we navigate the stars, float through dust, or merely lay under the home-world sun and watch it set. As long as it is with you, I will be content. You bring about feelings that I feel among no others, feelings of joy and peace that have no match. Because of these feelings, because of this love, I know that I can not live without you. And so I ask you..."

I slowly lower myself to one knee, letting go of only one hand to reach into my pocket. When I pull out the box, I swear that everyone in the room stops breathing. I let go of her other hand to reach across and slowly open the box. "Tali'Zorah... will you marry me?"

She freezes in place when she sees the ring. She stares in disbelief, even though I told her that I was going to get her the ring she deserved. I don't think she expected this. One of her hands slowly comes to her mouth and hovers there. I can only imagine the slightly open mouth and wide eyes under the mask...

"I will," she whispers.

I take her left hand, hanging by her side, and hold it in front of me. I push her index finger down until the outside finger hangs straight out in front. I slide the ring up, slowly making it slightly snug against her finger. The little jewel finds its resting spot just behind the last joint, matching her suit perfectly. The deep sapphire goes amazingly with the purple of her suit, and the gold of the thick band highlights it like a piece of art.

I stand up, not letting go over her hand and still watching her face. She lets out a small nervous laugh as I reach my feet again. I lean forward until my forehead almost touches her mask. Then, I pull the small ring out of my back pocket. Just a simple, classic engagement ring: a thin gold band with an even smaller diamond on top; a peasant's ring compared to hers. "I could use a little help with mine," I chuckle softly.

She takes it in her hand and rotates it for her to examine. "I don't understand," she says quietly. "Why did you get such a small ring for yourself?"

"Because I don't need a giant ring," I answer. "I have you. The only point of this ring is to show that I'm taken until I can marry you and put a real wedding band on with it."

"Thank you," she whispers. She picks up my left hand and holds it in front of her for a moment. Then she presses the other fingers down, leaving my ring finger up. The ring glides perfectly across my skin and mimics its partner in where it stays.

We stand there for a few moments, no one in the room breathing. Tali tackles me with a hug when I lunge for her. The room turns into a thunder of claps and applause when we start to cry on stage. Chairs shuffle and move as they stand up. I try to steal a glance at the crew, but the tears don't let me see anything besides a blur. It continues for I don't know how long... I really don't care.

When we finally let go, I reach for the mic for the beginning of my plan. "Thank you," I choke out through the tears. "If you will please excuse me, I have a new fiancee I need to cater to. However, I have a parting gift. The rest of my crew have all agreed to two hours of exclusive interviews for you. Feel free to mob them now. I have places to be. God bless you all."

The swarm sprints from their chairs to the crew standing on the side. My poor team gets the most priceless look of sheer terror on their face as Tali and I sneak out the front. I really should have warned them... But then, I never would have gotten this priceless moment.

"None of them agreed to that, did they?" Tali asks as we cross the main foyer of the hospital, tears still barely breaking her voice.

"Nope," I laugh. "They'll be fine. They'll make it out eventually. But for the next few hours, it'll just be you and me, baby girl."

The shuttle parked at the front door opens for us immediately. We climb in, still clinging to each other, while the auto-pilot flies us to the Normandy, parked only a few miles away. As we wait for the arrival, Tali asks all of the questions she can manage about the ring. She's still amazed by the concept and all of the details I put into it.

The shuttle docks in the bay of the Normandy without a hitch, landing not a smoothly as Cortez, but softly nonetheless. Tali tries to stand up and lead me to the exit, but I grab her and pick her up. She fakes a fight to get me off her, not really trying to hurt me, so much as foreplay now.

The elevator opens for us and automatically selects the loft level. When we reach the top deck, the elevator stops, but the doors don't open. EDI's blue holographic head appears where the lock usually does. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought now would be preferable to later," she says calmly.

"Just make it fast, EDI," I say. "I have bigger priorities than us needing to get fuel."

"Very well. To both of you, your plans have been implemented and will proceed as expected."

I look at Tali a little curiously. "You have a plan?"

"It's not one that you will find out tonight," Tali explains. "You don't have to give it any thought for today."

EDI glows a little brighter, gaining my attention again. "Also, there is a gift waiting for both of you on the other side of this door. The rachni requested the ability to thank you, and this was what we decided would be the best. I will leave you two for the afternoon, and most likely the night. Please ask if you require my help." And with that, she disappears.

I wonder about what the present is for a split second before the door open to the small room connecting the loft and the elevator. I carry Tali in before the door closes and I notice the new changes. "Decontamination in progress," a VI voice says as small sprayers on the new, more compact walls start to spray us. They installed a decontamination chamber between the two rooms... for Tali.

I look down at her, grinning widely. She lays her hand on the back of my head and pulls herself up a little. "I guess the rachni had a few ideas about what our plans were," I joke.

"They must have installed it for the other bacteria that comes into the room," Tali says, thinking quickly. "Like the hospital room. I was adapted to you, but not the others. Maybe with this, I can slowly work on my resistance to foreign antibodies."

"Anything to see my beautiful baby girl outside of her suit," I smile.

As if on cue, the door beeps and the lock turns green. We're clean. I reach down for Tali's mask, slowly removing the clamps on the bottom. Her perfect face appears with a slight hiss, smiling a mile wide. That joy of seeing her face is multiplied tenfold for just this moment. She takes the mask in one hand as I lean down and kiss her. She grabs my head and pulls me against her, kissing me as strongly as she can manage.

I only break the contact long enough to open the door and carry her inside the room. I see the table out of the corner of my eye from the second floor. A half-dozen trays and glasses are on top, both of our favorites in enough quantity to keep us content for two days. EDI kept up her end of the bargain and raided the mess as per my instructions. Tali grabs me again and forces me into another strong kiss. I kiss her back until she finally stops for air. I carry her down the stairs and lay her down on the bed before climbing on top of her.

When I reach down to remove the first arm of her suit, she stops me with a hand. I almost ask why, but she holds a finger up for me to wait. She takes her ring off, laying it on the bed. Then, she removes the entire arm of her suit and tosses it to the side. The last thing she does is take the ring and slide it back onto her now bare hand.

"I will never take this ring off," she softly explains with a smile.