June 7, 2187

"Okay, so what do our long range scans tell us?" Shepard paced back and forth between her console and the stairs to the QEC. She paused to run a loving hand over Lenka's back. The child looked up from her colouring and smiled.

"There's no ships in space at all unless they're using stealth, Shepard," Tali said, activating the holo-image of the system. "There's indigenous life on the fourth planet. The people seem to be tribal. The population is scattered in many small pockets, and there's no sign of technology, except in this one area." She zoomed in on a large compound, partially built into a mountain.

"A research base, maybe?" Shepard leaned against her console. "No doubt, it's the base that Cerberus built, but it's not one the Alliance even knew about let alone attacked. Not sure how the Cerberus forces here would have been taken out." She shrugged and rolled her shoulders. "Not that it matters. Okay, so what do we know about the base?"

"There is a spacecraft hangar here." Tali highlighted the section of the base." There are four transport ships on the ground in the hangar, but no sign of any warships." She highlighted another section of the base. "This area appears to be a dormitory or cells. There are a lot of people in a small space. They're a mix of the planet's indigenous population and pretty much everyone else: asari, salarian, turian, human, hanar, elcor, krogan." She grumbled. "I've also got a lot of readings here that don't conform to any species. Knowing Cerberus … Kee'lah."

Shepard let out a long, hissing breath. "We've seen how badly they can corrupt and subvert science. Things could be ugly down there."

"We're going to need multiple teams, send them to every point of ingress," Garrus said. "Come at them from all angles if we're going to have to be fighting our way through their nightmares."

Shepard nodded, but looked back to Tali and gestured for her to continue.

"The front section here," she said, "is a garden area inside a thirty-metre-tall wall that surrounds the exposed sides of the complex. There are scattered lifeforms in the garden area and through the offices right behind it. There's a large laboratory section behind the offices and what appears to be another dormitory area, but there's nothing alive in there."

"Okay." Shepard pushed herself away from the console. "How many entrances do we have?"

"Five." Tali highlighted them. "One at either end of the docking bay, one into the living quarters, the front entrance and one into what looks like a decon area for the labs. All of them have a corresponding gate in the main wall. There are scattered lifeform readings throughout the area inside the wall."

"Does the base have power?" Shepard started pacing again.

"Yes."

"Okay. Five teams. I'll take Alpha in the front door. Garrus, you'll bring Bravo in the lab entrance. Tali, Charlie will come in the living quarters. James and Commandant Vakarian can bring Delta and Echo in the docking bay. If that's okay with you, sir?" Shepard met Herros's eyes. She wanted someone with his experience at taking in and assessing a crime scene.

"Of course, Admiral." He gave her a resolute nod.

"Excellent, thank you. Garrus, can you see to the team assignments? I'll take Liara with me to go through the computers. Assign two extra bodies to my team so that I can leave her with bodyguards."

Garrus nodded.

"Okay, now … the relay. It's active?"

Tali changed the view to the relay. "It is."

Shepard looked up at Kaidan. "We'll use the cruiser to keep an eye on the relay while we secure the base. Once we're on the ground, the Normandy will take point at the relay. We'll deal with it and whatever is on the other side once we've got things nailed down. One thing at a time." She smiled. "And, taking things by the numbers, our first order of business is a happy one."

"Gabby and Kenneth's wedding will be in the galley at 1700 hours, followed by a supper that I've been assured actually resembles food. We'll be flying in first thing in the morning, so it'll be a dry party. Sorry about that, folks." She chuckled. "All right. Dismissed. See you in a couple of hours."

Garrus walked around the projector to stand by her side. "No ships in orbit. Almost no guards on the grounds." He grumbled and shook his head. "They've moved out."

"Or they're all on the other side of that relay waiting for confirmation that we're on the ground. If he doesn't attack when we go ground-side, he's gone. He'll have left no trace of where he's gone and a big enough mess that by the time we get it cleaned up we might as well just go home." Shepard leaned her hip against her console. "How are we supposed to find him when he's always going to be months ahead of us? While we sat around, then took three weeks to get here, he's pulled out everything he gives a shit about. We'll never find him even once the relays are back up."

"We'll catch up with him, Shepard." Garrus wrapped his arm around her. "He's stopped appearing in your dreams since that night, right?"

"Yeah, the nightmares have been coming further and further apart as well." She rolled her neck and dropped her shoulders, trying to relax a little. "Well, we dropped long range probes along our route, so hopefully he'll use his ERC, and we can trace him from that." She let out a bitter chuckle. "You know ... if he doesn't bring the entire batarian fleet through the relay once our boots are on the ground." She leaned into him. "You got the second GARDIAN up over there?"

"Yeah, and all the weapons are tied into the VI, so Kaidan will be able to conduct an entire battle from the bridge if he needs to." He nuzzled her temple. "I'm going to head over to do some simulations, but I'll be back by 1630."

She turned to kiss him and nodded. After watching him leave, Shepard looked to the holo of the Cerberus base. The mass of lifeforms in the two areas weren't moving around much, which meant cells, or that they were incapacitated in some way. Neither option gave her much hope.

Turning her back on the projection, she held her hand out to Lenka. "Come on, sweetie, let's go get ready for Ken and Gabby's party."

The child put all her crayons away while Shepard gathered up her papers. Slipping her hand into the admiral's, she looked up and gave Shepard a bright smile. "I finished the picture I was making for Garrus."

Shepard grinned. "Wonderful. I'm sure he'll love it. You've been working really hard on it."

Lenka let out a dramatic sigh and nodded. "Do you think he'll ever finish his so we can see it?"

Shepard laughed as they walked out of the war room. "I'm beginning to think there's no picture there at all. I think he just pretends to be working on one."

Lenka shook her head, her expression earnest. "No, there's a picture. It's going to be beautiful."

Shepard squeezed the child's hand. "I'm sure it will be." When they stepped into the elevator, Shepard nodded for Lenka to go ahead and press the control. Arriving in their cabin, Shepard led Lenka over to the chair at her desk and lifted her into her lap.

"Do you need a hug moment, Shepard?" the child asked, already wrapping her arms around the admiral's neck.

"I sure do, sweetie." Shepard hugged her tight. "Oh yeah, that's so much better." She closed her eyes and rubbed Lenka's back. "So, do you want to see if your blue dress fits to wear tonight or do you want to go more casual?" She let out a long breath, relaxing down into the chair.

Lenka laid her head on Shepard's shoulder and shrugged. "It should wear the blue dress, because Kaidan said he was going to teach it how to dance."

Shepard stifled a chuckle at the serious, matter-of-fact tone. "Definitely. If dancing is involved, a lady needs to dress appropriately." She pulled back a little, letting Lenka settle onto her knee. "I think you should save the first dance for Garrus, though. The big guy is a heck of a dancer."

Lenka nodded. "Okay." She hopped down and trotted down to the closet. "It doesn't have any shoes to wear with a dress, Shepard."

"We'll look through the crate. There's probably something that will work in there." She turned to her computer and downloaded the Alliance's standard wedding ceremony to a datapad before heading down the stairs.

She dragged the crate of scavenged supplies out of the corner and opened it up. The crew had set aside anything that looked like it would fit, resulting in about ten pairs of shoes that would work with a dress. "We're in luck, kiddo."

They were both dressed and ready when Garrus walked in at 1630.

Lenka ran up to him and spun around. "Look, Garrus!" She beamed up at him.

"What happened to Lenka?" he asked, looking up at Shepard. "Who's this young lady?"

Lenka giggled. "It's just dressed up, silly."

He picked her up and nuzzled her cheek. "You look beautiful, pretty eyes."

Lenka beamed. "Thank you." She frowned and leaned back to look at him. "You're dirty. You need to get cleaned up."

He chuckled and nuzzled her again before setting her down. "So I do."

Shepard watched them, smiling softly to herself. Over the weeks, they'd bonded with a strength that amazed her. It was a beautiful thing to witness. Lenka followed him round every moment she could. In fact, Shepard was pretty sure that Lenka could calibrate the Normandy's weapons just as well as Garrus after three weeks of hanging over his arm and off his every word.

"Hey." Garrus ran his talons through her hair, then cupped her cheek in his palm.

She smiled and turned to kiss his hand. "Hey." Shepard nodded toward the shower. "You better get cleaned up."

He bent down and kissed her before grabbing his suit out of the closet and heading for the washroom.

Shepard spent the time going over the ceremony, making tweaks while watching Lenka dance around the cabin with her doll.

"It just keeps getting more perfect, doesn't it, Shepard?" Balak laughed, his voice growing to a roar in her head as pain and the smell of frozen metal stabbed through her brain.

She dropped her hand, taking slow, deep breaths as Garrus emerged from the washroom. Closing her eyes, she forced the pain and the sound of Balak's laughter out of her head.

"Shepard?" The bed lowered beside her and Garrus's arm wrapped around her shoulders. He pressed his mouth to her temple. "Just breathe through it," he whispered.

"Admiral?" Traynor called on the comm.

"Yes, Specialist?" Garrus answered for her.

"We just picked up another series of wormholes, sir. The base below us was the final destination."

"Yeah, we know, Traynor. Thank you. You better get moving or you're going to be late for the party."

Sam laughed. "Can't have that. Traynor out."

Shepard took a long, shuddering breath and leaned against Garrus's side. "I just want to go back to Earth … get as far away from him as possible," she whispered. "Well, as a second choice to putting a bullet through his head."

He nodded and hugged her close. "Yeah. What did he say?"

"Just the usual. It's all too perfect." Shepard took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "It's okay, my shields are keeping the worst at bay." She opened her eyes and turned to kiss his cheek. "Come on, let's go do something fun for a bit."

He took her hand and stood, pulling her up with him. "That's a very good idea."

The crew had already assembled when they arrived in the mess. Shepard grinned and shook her head at the sea of dress blues. "Who knew you would all clean up so well?" She teased, bypassing the crowd to head for the medbay.

Gabby spun around as Shepard entered, her hands shaking so hard that she dropped the hand mirror she'd been using to touch up her make up. "Oh, Admiral …" She giggled. "… I'm a bit nervous."

Shepard chuckled and gave her a gentle, one-armed hug. "I understand completely." She stepped back. "You look lovely."

"I've been telling her," Tali said from behind Gabby, "but she just asked what someone who lived behind a mask would know about makeup." The quarian laughed. "I tried to be insulted, but she's right."

"Well, I might not wear a lot of it, but I know that yours is flawless," Shepard said, laughing softly. "You ladies just about ready in here?"

"Just about," Gabby said, gasping a little. "Just have to remember to breathe." She gripped Shepard's arm suddenly. "I'm not doing something stupid, am I? I mean ... it's Kenneth."

Shepard smiled and took Gabby's hands in hers. "He may have talked like a dog, but he's never been anywhere but with you, even before he admitted how he felt. You two were meant to be together. I know that with complete certainty."

Gabby took a long, deep breath and nodded. "Right." She sighed, her shoulders dropping. "You're right. Okay. I'm ready."

Shepard squeezed Gabby's hands, then turned to the door. "I'll go make sure Kenneth is still breathing, then meet you out there."

Kenneth was in Liara's quarters hyperventilating when Shepard crossed the mess and entered. He gave her a pained smile then groaned and leaned against the computer cores along the wall. "Oh god, I think I'm going to pass out."

Shepard chuckled and patted his shoulder. "You'll be fine once you get out there and look into her eyes."

"Have you seen her, Shepard?" he asked. "Has she changed her mind? She has, hasn't she? Aye, she has. She's too good for the likes of me."

Shepard sighed. "No, she hasn't changed her mind. Breathe deep and relax. You're going to be fine. You two belong together, and you know it. Who else would put up with you?" She chuckled, finally drawing a weak smile from him. "Come up, straighten up, smooth the wrinkles, take a deep breath and let's get this done." She gave him another pat on the back. "I'll see you out there in a minute."

Shepard waited until she got an affirmation from him, then headed out, walking up to stand at the top of the stairs.

"They going through with it?" someone called.

Shepard laughed. "I'm pretty sure." Sure enough, a moment later, Kenneth walked out, Liara and Traynor supporting him with hands on his shoulders. She waved to him. "Come on, get up here and smile. You're marrying an amazing woman."

Chuckling, he straightened, his shaking calming to a trembling. "Aye, Admiral. That I am."

A moment later, Gabby and Tali walked out. When Gabby and Kenneth looked at one another, they both took a deep breath and calmed … a little.

Shepard gave them both a wide smile and a nod, then lifted the datapad.

The words came out almost on their own, Shepard's focus on the reactions of the bride and groom and her crew. She watched Garrus throughout, quick glances confirming that he never took his eyes off her. At one point, a stray, unwanted thought bolted through her mind that as he watched that wedding, he was thinking theirs might be a mistake. The thought fled the moment their eyes met. Nothing but love stared back at her. Suddenly, she wanted to get back to Earth yesterday, and to swear their vows, even if it meant being swaddled in tulle and covered in flowers and bows. She reached up to touch the spot on her collarbone where he'd marked her.

Shepard took a deep breath as she reached the end of the ceremony and smiled at the newlyweds. "Unless anyone can show due cause to halt this union, I declare this marriage sealed." She waited a second, then gave Kenneth the nod. "Go ahead, kiss your bride."

They kissed and the crew moved in to congratulate them. Shepard looked up as Garrus climbed the stairs to wrap an arm around her. She turned to kiss him.

"Did you spend the entire ceremony imagining us alone after our wedding, tearing one another's clothes off, or was that just me?" he whispered in her ear.

Shepard chuckled. "I don't think they'll miss us for a bit after dinner. We can get in some practice."

He kissed her, whispering against her lips, "Remember to hang a sock on the door."

Shepard wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "You're so bad, Vakarian."

He laid his cheek against her hair and just held her, his one hand lifting to press against the spot on her collarbone.

Lenka ran up to them, jumping into Shepard's arms as the admiral reached down for her. "There's cake for supper, Shepard!" the child giggled. "It's never had cake before."

Shepard hugged the child, settling her on her hip. "We're going to have to change that when we get settled in our home on Palaven. Cake for supper at least once a week." She kissed Lenka's cheek.

The child pulled back to look at Shepard, then Garrus. "You want to keep it? Take it to live with you?"

The earnest disbelief on her face broke Shepard's heart. She smiled and pulled Lenka into a tight hug, kissing her cheek. "You aren't going anywhere, kiddo. You're stuck with us. If you'll have us, of course."

Lenka threw her arms around Shepard's neck and squeezed so tight that she nearly cut off the admiral's airway. "Yes! I want to stay with you and Garrus." She pulled away and gave Shepard a sloppy kiss, then held her arms out to Garrus. When he took her, she hugged him and gave him an equally sloppy kiss on the cheek. She giggled, the sound bordering on a squeal, then wriggled. "Let me down, Garrus. I have to go tell Papa."

Garrus set her down, then pulled Shepard back into his arms as the child ran off to find Herros. "Guess we sort of forgot to tell her, huh?"

Shepard nodded and rested her head between his cowl and shoulder. "I guess we did." Shepard let out a half sob, half laugh. "She called herself 'I'."

He nodded. "Come on, let's get the social obligation portion of the evening over with so we can get to the rolling around naked portion."

Shepard just shook her head and headed down the stairs to congratulate her engineers.

Dinner comprised mostly of rowdy conversation while people milled around, trays in hand. The mood was light and optimistic, perfect for the night before battle. With so many teams and so many per team, a lot of the Normandy crew who didn't normally see battle would be suiting up. She wanted them going in as calm as possible considering all the nightmares they could be facing.

Shepard found a place to sit and eat, holding Lenka on her lap while the child wolfed down what was a really good lasagna and then her very first cake. When she finished, Shepard wiped the coloured frosting from her face, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Was the cake good?" she asked, hugging the child close.

Lenka nodded and grinned. "It was so good." She looked longingly over at the counter at the rest of it.

"We'll take a piece upstairs later, okay?" Shepard kissed her. "You're just too adorable, and I luv yah." She sighed as Lenka relaxed into her arms. "You going to ask the big guy to dance once the music starts?"

Giving Shepard two firm nods, Lenka sat up, searching for Garrus in the crowded mess. "Then Kaidan."

"Can you dance with Kaidan, Papa, and James for a while later? Garrus and I are going to go upstairs early."

Lenka turned to frown at her, but nodded. "Okay, but make sure Kaidan knows about the cake."

Shepard laughed. "Definitely."

Lenka wriggled loose a few minutes later and ran off into the crowd, talking to everyone—about the cake, no doubt. And dancing. Eyes burning a little as they teared up, Shepard cursed the weeks of hormone treatments. They hadn't helped the fragility of her emotional state. Still, in three days, she and Garrus would get their first shot at seeing Mordin's gift come to fruition. That made putting up with some mood swings more than worth it.

Music started through the comm system, and Shepard stood, making her way back up to the top of the stairs.

"I believe it's customary for the bride and groom to start off the first dance of the evening." She waved Ken and Gabby forward as the rest of the crew cleared a spot in the center of the room. As they took one another in their arms and danced their first dance as husband and wife, Shepard thought back to meeting them for the first time.

"It's been a long, crazy road," she whispered. "A long, crazy road."

When the music changed, more couples joined the dancing, and Shepard stepped off behind the galley counter, watching as Lenka ran up to Garrus. He laughed and picked her up, swinging her around before settling her in his arms and taking her hand. Smiling, Shepard squinted against the bright lights that shone over them, the Normandy seeming to wrap close around them, a comforting, protective presence as alive in that moment as the people it sheltered.

The rest of the dancers faded into blurs of movement at the edges of her vision, her eyes only for the torin she loved and the child in his arms. Shepard blinked back tears yet again, not blaming the hormones that time.

All the times that she'd thought about their family starting when they reached Palaven, or even once they'd used Mordin's gift … . She smiled softly. How had she not seen that it stood right before her, that it had manifested even out there in the middle of nothing? There, in that tiny metal cocoon, her life and her dreams had already arrived.

Garrus looked her way, met her eyes, then bent close to Lenka, whispering in her ear. After a second, Lenka nodded then grinned and turned, holding her hand out to Shepard.

The admiral smiled, swallowing the lump of emotion swelling in her throat, then walked over to them, stepping into their arms. She tucked one hand around Lenka's skinny little waist, the other around Garrus, laying her head against his chest. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head, and she half-closed her eyes, relaxing into the sweet, perfect moment.

Time slowed, the world outside the solid warmth of their arms, fading into a watercolour patchwork landscape of bright, streaked colours and soft music. The music changed around them, but none of them moved, all unwilling to break the moment. Shepard's heart pounded, stronger and faster as time passed, her body warning her of the inevitable long before Kaidan cleared his throat behind them.

Shepard let out a soft sigh and leaned in to kiss Lenka's cheek. "I luv yah," she whispered.

Lenka kissed her back. "I luv yah."

"Sorry to interrupt," Kaidan said, "but someone promised me a dance."

Smiling, Shepard nodded. Garrus lowered Lenka to the floor without releasing his hold on Shepard. When they watched her run off, dragging Kaidan behind her, Garrus pulled her back into his arms, pressing himself against her.

"Mmmm." She hugged him, fitting herself in against him, tucking her head under his chin. "Could stay right here for about … forever."

He rubbed her back. "We could do this a lot closer upstairs."

"Yeah." She pulled back a little and kissed him, then slipped her hand down to hold his, pulling him toward the elevator.

"So, what do you need, Lola? Two hours? An hour and a half? Twenty minutes?" James shouted across the mess.

Shepard stared at Vega, her mouth hanging open, stunned into silence. After gasping, mortified, for a few seconds, she managed to growl. "I'm going to kill him."