Props where props are due: Miraza's story "Honeymoon" was (and is going to be) a huge influence on this section. Go check it out, it's in my favorites.

And hey, look at me! I got this out in decent time, so enjoy!

A sleek, black skycar descended from the darkening Illium sky in front of a glamorous hotel. Illium was about the only major planet that was largely unaffected by the Reaper war, so was the ideal honeymoon destination. Which was perfect for Shepard and Tali. They had packed beforehand, and left straight after their bonding. Both were excited to get a whole week of rest and relaxation. Shepard was the first out of the vehicle, after the driver opened the door. He instantly turned around to offer his hand to Tali, which she took to help get out of the car. They were both still in their ceremony attire, and were eager to get up to their suite. Shepard tipped the driver as he and Tali walked hand in hand towards the hotel door, with another person carrying their luggage close behind.

Luckily, the hotel lobby was fairly empty. Shepard was still a major celebrity, a living legend, and probably would be for a long time. There were only a few Turians tucked in a far corner of the room, too worried about their own conversation to notice the couple as they approached the front desk.

"Mr. Shepard," the Asari clerk greeted quietly. The hotel staff had already been informed about the newlyweds on a need to know basis. "Your room is ready, and a decontamination unit has been installed per your request." Shepard thanked her as he smoothly took the two door keys she offered. "And may I just say," the clerk added, stopping Shepard and Tali before they could even start walking. "It's an honor to meet you."

Tali thought she heard a hint of seduction in the Asari's tone. At a closer look, she also noticed the clerk was leaning forward, further exposing her full chest that was already framed by a low cut dress. Her lips were parted, and she was holding her breath awaiting a response.

Tali felt anger start to kick in, and she was about to give the Asari an earful. Shepard felt his wife tense up, and gave her a hand a reassuring squeeze before addressing the clerk. "I appreciate it," he replied in a friendly but monotone voice.

He felt Tali relax slightly as they turned and headed away from the desk and towards the elevator. She relaxed even further when Shepard didn't even glance back at the Asari. They took their baggage before stepping in, and Shepard handed out another tip.

Tali exhaled haughtily as soon as the door slid shut. "What did that clerk think she was doing?" she asked angrily. "Didn't we get the honeymoon suite?"

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked with mock ignorance.

Tali was too irritated to catch on. "Didn't you see her? With her flattery…and her leaning…and…"

"Oh," Shepard interrupted. "I was too busy looking at you." He really hadn't been: he knew full well what had happened. But he knew Tali wasn't focused on him that whole time, and he wanted to change the mood.

Her face softened immediately beneath her mask, and she stopped her short rant. Just like Shepard had hoped, she stopped being concerned about the whole issue, since there was more important stuff going on. "You bosh'tet," she teased lightly as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her new husband. He returned the embrace, smiling at his success and her realization. "So what was that about a decontamination unit?" she asked.

Shepard's smile grew. "Just a little present. I didn't think you'd want to be in your suit all week."

She didn't, but the opportunity for more teasing was irresistible. "What else am I going to wear?" she asked playfully.

"Why do you have to wear something?" he asked with a sly grin, earning a giggle from Tali. Shepard leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Think about it. We'll be all alone…in a clean room…with a huge bed…"

Tali simply closed her eyes and hummed in response, it sounded like a dream. Shepard started to rub the small of her back, causing her to arch into him. Which just prompted him to massage more. She inhaled deeply, pressing her stomach even harder against Shepard's.

Both were too involved to notice the elevator come to a stop and the doors open on a floor some ways up the building, but not to the top yet. Only the awkward cough from the waiting Salarian broke the couple's focus. Tali jumped out of Shepard's arms in surprise, and Shepard quickly turned away and started tapping his foot.

"I'll, um, I'll catch the, uh, the next one," the Salarian stammered.

Tali just stared at him, wringing her hands, until the door started to close again (agonizingly slowly). She gave him a quick, awkward nod just before it sealed.

"Where were you?" she asked sarcastically as they started to move again.

"Protecting my identity," Shepard answered. "Besides, that was pretty embarrassing."

Tali sighed in agreement. "Tell me about it," she answered, noticing they were still a small but comfortable distance apart, which was a lot larger than before. "You owe me."

"I already have something in mind," Shepard retorted with a knowing smile. As if on cue, the elevator door slid open yet again, but this time revealing a small, enclosed room instead of a hallway. Shepard swept Tali off her feet, warranting a surprised squeal, and carried her forward.

She swatted his arm lightly as the decontamination process started. "What's going on?"

"Well, it's not like we just bonded or anything," Shepard answered as the cycle ended. "I'd say it's a special day."

Tali rested her head into Shepard's shoulder as he unlocked their door. "Fine," she answered, trying to sound annoyed but her comfort giving her away.

The lights were off in the suite, save for a fire that had been lit in the fireplace on the far side of the room. It bathed the large area in a dim glow, making everything just barely visible. But neither were concerned with the suite itself as Shepard swung Tali back onto her feet, keeping his hands on her hips. She put her arms around his neck as they looked longingly into each other's eyes.

"You are so beautiful," Shepard whispered to her.

"You know I still have my suit on, right?" she whispered back.

"Doesn't matter," he answered, watching her eyes widen through the reflection of the fire dancing on her faceplate.

"I'll think I'll take it off anyway," she replied, reaching one hand up to undo all the latches. She could barely get it out of the way before Shepard's lips were mixing with hers. The kiss lasted for quite a while, with their tongues finally able to meet again after a long time. Tali lost track of her mask sometime along the way, wanting to use her hands for other purposes.

Tali pulled Shepard's bottom lip with her for a ways as she moved her head back to pause the kiss. "You don't owe me anymore."

Shepard grinned before following her movement. "I'm just getting started," he breathed into her ear before moving down to nuzzle her neck. Tali closed her eyes and pulled at the top of her suit desperately, managing to get it down far enough so Shepard could get to the flesh on her neck. She groaned happily as his lips pressed into her bare skin. Shepard worked the clasps on her back at the same time, expertly getting the top section of her suit off.

He felt her shiver from the sudden exposure, so he stepped closer and enveloped her body in his arms, without taking his mouth from her neck. She reached to his back as well, grabbing handfuls of his coat, and pulled. He shifted his arms so it could come off, only for Tali to throw it aside.

Shepard's soft shirt against Tali's bare chest felt nice, but she quickly wanted more. She pushed away just enough to get her hands between them, forcing Shepard's lips back up to hers. She slipped her tongue into his mouth as she ripped his shirt open, tearing the buttons clean off. She ran her hands over his newly exposed chest, and he hummed in delight. They had to break for air unwillingly, but it gave Tali a chance to get Shepard's shirt all the way off. He looked down, and started to chuckle breathlessly when he saw his tie was still on. He was forced to stop early by Tali's mouth, though. She held onto his head, running her fingers through his hair, as he slid his hands down her back.

His hands went all the way down to her upper thighs, at which point he lifted her off of the floor. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him as he carried her through the room. Shepard broke away from the kiss, and was whispering into her ear before she could say anything. "I almost forgot," he breathed. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" she responded seductively, moving her own head to nibble at Shepard's ear. He leaned his head into hers in response as they entered the even darker bathroom.

"Close your eyes," he told her quietly. She did, and Shepard turned on some of the lights and carefully slid her into the enormous bathtub.

Tali couldn't help but open her eyes again at the feeling. The tub was filled to the brim with red and white flower petals. She was absolutely speechless. She looked up with wide eyes at Shepard, who was grinning ear to ear.

"They're all cleaned. Mordin helped, he said that-" Shepard tried to continue explaining, but was cut off by Tali grabbing his tie and pulling him down for yet another kiss.

"I love it," she said when it ended, not being able to sit still because of the feeling. "Almost as much as I love you."

"I hoped you would," Shepard replied. "I remember you saying that I was doing something you couldn't when I touched a flower. And I didn't think that was very fair."

"Thank you," she said simply, looking deeply into his eyes. The strange, but great feeling distracted her from the total luxuriousness that she was usually opposed to. Tali let a few seconds pass before continuing. "So are you just going to stand there?"

Shepard smirked before stepping into the tub and sitting down with her. "So how does it feel?"

"I don't know," Tali admitted, examining a petal she was holding between two fingers. "I can't describe it really. I've never felt anything like this before."

"And it's not even all of you feeling it," Shepard said, running a hand up one of Tali's legs. Tali basically purred in response, and instantly dropped the petal to start working on the lower section of her suit. It only took a few seconds for her to slide out of it and toss it out of the tub.

So the next time Shepard ran his hand up her leg, it was bare. Tali completely relaxed at the feeling, and allowed her whole body to become submerged in the petals. Shepard began to laugh when she disappeared from his vision, but it didn't go on for too long before he felt a pair of three fingered hands removing the lower part of his suit. He waited patiently as Tali struggled with his belt, reaching down into the petals and massaging her back. Shepard was in the tub in such a way that once Tali got his pants off, she had to turn around and raise herself up to be sure to get them out.

But she only lifted herself enough for there to be two parts of her body sticking out from the petals: her head and her rear. Her opening was just peeking out above the surface, and Shepard couldn't resist. He leaned forward and licked before Tali had a chance to turn back around. Her head dropped back into the petals instantly from the unexpected pleasure. She was not expecting what he did yet; she was still getting used to the amazing feeling of the petals, and had wanted some time to prepare before they started their more intimate activities.

But she didn't tell him to stop, and she didn't complain. All she could manage to do was let out a sensual moan as his tongue roamed around the area between her legs. The whole experience was the most euphoric she had ever experienced because of the combination. She was managing to hold it together though, as long as…

Shepard switched from using his mouth to his erect part after propping himself up on his knees. He started slowly, but Tali had no hope. She arched her back and let out another immense moan at his first thrust. Her head popped up again, petals mixed in with her hair.

She spoke bits of words between intervals. "Kee…lah…Shep…ard…"

He forced himself, with some effort, to stop and check on her. "You o-"

"Keep going!" she yelled, louder than she meant to, but not caring. Shepard didn't need a second prompting. He pushed back in, and Tali's elbows instantly lost their strength. Her head sunk back into the petals as she gasped deeply. Her cheek slid back and forth along the petals on the bottom of the tub as Shepard continued to pump his organ in and out of her body.

Shepard was having a pretty good time too. Tali had been receptive and excited before, but this was just crazy. She was constantly moving even without his help, and her tense legs pressed up against his reflected the state of her whole body. All of which combined to create a feeling of ecstasy for both of them. Shepard was completely zoned out, just enjoying the moment, to the point that he didn't even notice as Tali started to reach her climax. It was much sooner than usual, but he was too busy to make the connection. He just kept going all the way through her orgasm, the new moistness only making it better. Tali shivered as he continued to thrust at a gradually quickening pace. She didn't mind though, the feeling was still amazingly pleasurable. She continued to writhe in the petals until Shepard reached his own climax, which was a while later.

Only when he finally relaxed and pulled out did she come out of the petals and turn around towards him again. She pressed right up against him and slid herself up his body until their noses were almost touching. He ran his hands down her side to her hips, and she planted his on his shoulders.

Shepard didn't say anything; he just looked contentedly into her eyes and smiled. She returned the look, but couldn't stay distracted from the feeling of cloth on her chest. She couldn't help but look down to see what is was.

"Nice tie."

Shepard's whole body shook as he chuckled before tilting his head to go in for a kiss.

"That was incredible," Shepard said when they broke for air.

"Best I've had," Tali agreed.

Shepard grinned wickedly. "Wanna go again?"