Pulling up her knees, Anya wrapped her arms around her legs and shut her eyes as she felt the gentle tug of the brush gliding through her hair. She concentrated on the feeling of Thane's strong and steady fingers feeling the crimson strands as they were unknotted back to their silky shine.
She could feel Thane's contented humming vibrating the air behind her. He'd always had a fascination with her hair, with it's color and texture. Thane enjoyed brushing it and Anya enjoyed the care with which he did it.
The brushing stopped and Thane set the comb down beside her on the bed. He moved her hair over her shoulder and placed a tender kiss on the lightly tanned skin exposed to him. Frowning softly, Anya whined, "Don't stop."
A light rumbling sounded from behind her as her mate chuckled. Pulling her hair into his grasp, Thane began to braid it the way Oriana had showed him. "I did not expect you to enjoy this so much, Siha."
"What?" she snorted. "Being lovingly groomed by the most handsome man in the whole galaxy?" Anya glanced over her shoulder and gave Thane a playfully pained expression. "This is torture."
"No worse than being consulted by Cassandra about wedding invitations, I hope."
Anya groaned, "Now that is torture," and buried her head in the crook of her arm. "Who knew that there were so many shades of white?" Without dislodging her face from her arm, she asked, "Has she cornered you about your groomsmen again?"
Thane stifled his amusement with a smirk. "Not yet."
"Have you already decided on who you'll choose?"
"I have." He tugged her hair as he tried to keep the silky strands from straying from his grasp. As Thane continued to braid her hair, he said, "Kolyat will be my best man - "
"Obviously."
"And then I will have Garrus, Michael, and Niall as my other groomsmen."
She considered his choices for a moment, understanding the role each of his potential groomsmen had played in Thanes life. Each man had earned their place at Thane's side in one way or another; and Anya had plenty of female friends that had done just the same. Too many, in fact.
She couldn't decide who she wanted to participate in this supposedly important ceremony. Cassandra was practically planning the entire thing, it would be wrong for Anya to not make her maid of honor, or at the very least one of the bridesmaids. But who else would fill the remaining three slots?
There was Jack, who'd been a great help while Anya had been wading through her depression. Liara and Tali had been with her from the start and were as good as her sisters. Kasumi had easily stolen a place in her heart. Oriana was more than Kolyat's girlfriend, she was Anya's friend and a close one at that. And then there was Traynor, Samara, hell, even James would agree to be a bridesmaid if she asked him to.
"I still haven't decided, and I don't know how." She sighed into her arm before prying her face from its hiding place. There was a slight pull to her braid as Thane secured the end before it fell flat against her back. Turning her body to face the handsome drell seated behind her on the bed, Anya took in the sight of him and smiled. She didn't think she'd ever tire of this carefree time they spent together.
Quiet, Thane regarded her warmly for a second. His large dark eyes examined her features and Anya smiled softly at the loving expression that settled on his face. "Who are your options?" he wondered.
Shrugging, Anya rebuked, "Who aren't my options?" She pulled her braid to her front and admired Thane's handy work as she explained, "I didn't realize how many female friends I have until now, or how important each of them are to me. There's two bridesmaids for each of your groomsmen."
"Perhaps you should let probability decide instead." Thane fell backwards onto the bed and reached into the night stand drawer. Pulling free a notepad and a pen he began to write down each of the names that Anya had listed. He then tore the paper until each name was its own individual scrap. "Fold these," he said as he pushed himself off of the bed and wandered into the closet.
Thane returned with Anya's helmet in hand. He held it out in front of her, wordlessly instructing her to place the folded scraps of paper within. When she did, he gave the helmet a good shake before offering it to her again. Waggling his eyebrows, he encouraged Anya to start pulling names.
Reaching into her helmet Anya pulled free the first piece of paper that she felt. She hid it in her fist as she stated, "This is for the position of Maid of Honor." Uncurling her fingers, She unfolded the paper and grinned at the name. "Jack."
His full lips parted as Thane also grinned. "It will be interesting to see her in a dress."
"If I can convince her to put one on," Anya chuckled. Discarding the paper on the bed beside her, she reached back into the helmet to retrieve another name. She did that three more times until she ended up with Tali, Oriana, and Cassandra as her bridesmaids.
"And here I was almost hoping that I might pick James," she laughed to herself before taking her helmet from Thane, clearing the scraps from their bed and throwing them away. When she replaced her helmet where it belonged stored with the rest of her armor, Anya looked back at her mate and wondered, "Are you up for lunch?"
"I am," he returned her smile and followed her out of their room and towards the kitchen.
Deciding that she'd rather not prepare any food, Anya pulled the tupperware out from the fridge and shut the door; revealing a blue green scaled drell. A loud yelp tore from her as she nearly punched Kolyat in the throat.
"What the hell, Kolyat!" She set the leftovers on the countertop as she took a moment to steady her racing heart.
A self-satisfied smirk twisted Kolyat's lips as he stared down at Anya. "Did I scare you?" he teased.
"I'm not joking about the bell, Kolyat." Anya irritably ripped the tupperware from the counter and tossed it into the microwave, before slamming the door shut. Punching in the time she started heating up the food and returned her glare to the smirking drell beside her. "Sneak up on me again and I'll start stitching bells onto all of your clothes."
His smirk grew into a grin but he didn't address her threat. Striding to the bar stools around the counter, he joined his father and said, "Have either of you seen Oriana anywhere?"
When Anya shook her head it was Thane that answered his son's question. "She left with Neelah a little while ago to go shopping."
"Speaking of," Kolyat inspected his father's features closely as he wondered, "Has Niall spoken to the both of you yet?"
"No," Thane replied. "In regards to what?"
Kolyat shook his head, "It's not my place to say." Turning in his bar stool he dragged a hand over the notches running along the top of his head. "I think I'm going to take the kid out to the arcade. It's starting to get a little claustrophobic in this apartment."
"That's a great idea, Kolyat." Cassandra's voice sounded from the hall as she rounded the corner and joined them in the kitchen. Anya had to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head at the sight of the bridal magazines in her sister-in-law's hands. "Mika's starting to go stir crazy."
Kolyat also noticed the magazines in Cassandra's possession and grinned at Anya before climbing off of his seat and walking towards the office. "I'll go get the kid ready," he said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the hall.
As Kolyat left, Cassandra cornered Anya and started to flip through her carefully marked magazines. "So I wanted to run a few things by you before I placed orders on anything." She placed a magazine on top of the counter and flipped through it until she landed on the page with embroidered table cloths. "What design speaks to you?"
"Speaks to me?" Anya glared at the page, not sure that she'd been driven crazy enough for inanimate objects to start talking to her. Rubbing the twitch from under her eye she inspected each table cloth, unable to tell the difference between any of them. To appease her insistent sister-in-law she pointed at one of them, not caring about any in particular.
Cassandra looked down at the table cloth Anya was pointing to and frowned. Giving Anya a sidelong glance she wondered, "That one, you're sure?"
Scoffing, Anya shook her head and shrugged, "They all look the same to me. If you think another one looks better, then by all means, order that one instead. You're the one with a vision, Cas. I'm happy just showing up the day of."
"Alright," Cassandra sighed. She shut the magazine and gave Anya a threatening look. "I guess I'll just have to ask your mother."
She raised an eyebrow before shrugging off Cassandra's pointed look. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smirk, and Anya consented, "That's not a bad idea." She offered her brother's wife an apologetic pat on the shoulder. She couldn't help her complete and utter disinterest in wedding related things. "Maybe we can pick out ceremonial side arms."
Cassandra rolled her eyes and shook her head. With a slight chuckle she replied, "Only if you'll pick out the table settings with me."
Pursing her lips, Anya pretended to consider the offer. "We'll schedule something after hell freezes over."
"It could be sooner than you think." Cassandra winked and left Anya and Thane to their lunch.
Removing plates from the cupboard Anya started to divvy up the steaming food from the tupperware. From behind her Thane observed, "It's our wedding, Anya. Would it be so difficult to get involved in planning it?"
"Harder than you think, Krios." Anya joined him at the counter and placed his plate in front of him. Grabbing each of them some utensils, she sat on the bar stool beside him and started to dig into the previous night's lasagna. "They're lucky I even agreed to a wedding in the first place. Picking out table cloths might be asking for a little too much."
Thane shook his head but didn't try to argue his point any further. He was smart enough to recognize that it was a losing argument. He picked at his food, allowing a comfortable silence to join them.
She watched him eat, suddenly feeling guilty about not putting more of an effort into planning her own wedding. Grinding her teeth, Anya fought with the part of herself that insisted that she throw in the towel, hunt Cassandra down, and beg to look at centerpieces and flower arrangements.
The rational - or was it irrational - part of her knew exactly what this sneaky drell was doing. Thane knew how his silence would make her feel, and what it would cause her to do. Thane knew exactly how to play her, and wasn't afraid to do just that. He was acting innocent, as if he didn't know what he was doing, but she knew better. If he wanted her to play a larger part in this wedding than just showing up, he was going to have to be much more persuasive than this.
Anya opened her mouth, about to scold Thane for trying to manipulate her into wedding planning, when Niall entered the kitchen. He paused at the sight of them, his mandibles flaring as he hesitated between leaving or talking. With a sigh, he decided on talking.
"Hey," he said as he approached the counter where they were seated.
Thane set down his silverware. Giving the turian a thorough once over, he asked, "Is something the matter, Niall?"
Shaking his head, Niall answered, "No. Yes. Not really," he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I need to talk to you." He looked at Anya and added, "Both of you."
Anya and Thane shared a furrowed look before they both returned their attention to the young turian in front of them. It was Thane who said, "Very well, here we are."
Niall scratched an imaginary itch on his temple as he tried to find his voice. After a resolute sigh, he spit out, "I think it's time for Neelah and I to move on."
Thane quietly observed Niall's uncomfortable body language for a moment. Did he expect them to be upset with him for leaving? Glancing at Anya, he noticed the surprise in her emerald eyes before returning his attention to Niall. "Where will you go?"
His mandibles flared again. Niall's subharmonics were vibrating with his discomfort and Thane was concerned to hear it. Why was Niall so nervous to speak to them about this? It was not as though he and Anya had expected Niall and Neelah to stay with them forever. They'd all known that at one point or another they would have to go their separate ways. It didn't mean that they would lose touch, it only meant that they'd all have their space. There was nothing wrong with that.
"There are a few apartments up for rent in the Zakara wards," Niall started.
Beside him, Anya commented exactly what Thane had been thinking, "That's where Kolyat used to live before he moved in with me. They're not terrible neighborhoods." But they aren't exactly the best either, he knew she'd left out.
Niall nodded, gesturing that he and Kolyat had breached the subject before. "Kolyat helped me land a security job at Flux; and Neelah found work at the Citadel Embassies."
"So you aren't going far," Anya observed, a smile inching across her lips. "For a second, you made it sound like you were going to run off into dark space and we'd never see you again."
"No," Niall chuckled. "Nothing quite that dramatic." His expression wasn't as tight as it had been a moment ago, though there was still some discomfort in his features. "We just feel that it's time that we get our lives moving. The apartment is full up already, we shouldn't overstay our welcome."
Shaking her head, Anya started to tsk Niall's words. "If you're leaving it better be for a more legitimate reason than that. I may not know you as well as Thane and my brother's family does, but you and Neelah have been a pleasure to have around. Overstaying your welcome isn't reason enough to leave my nest, Niall."
She slid out of her seat and rounded the counter. Standing in front of the turian, she held him by the shoulders and offered him a large smile. "But starting a life with the woman you love is more than enough. If you need anything at all you know that we're here for you."
The hum of Niall's subharmonics changed, now vibrating the air with his contentment and acceptance. "I know," he replied, pulling Anya into an embrace. "Thank you for everything both of you have done for us. It won't be forgotten."
Anya waved off his gratitude as though it were unnecessary. Leaning back on the counter she crossed her arms in front of her chest and wondered, "When will you move out?"
Shrugging, Niall answered, "We still have to find the right place. I'm not sure how long that will take but I'm hoping to be out of your hair in less than a week."
"That soon?" Thane picked up his and Anya's plates and walked them to the sink and began to wash the dishes.
"The sooner the better," commented Niall. To the slightly insulted expression that twisted Anya's features he explained, "You have no idea how much I miss sleeping in my own bed."
"No," Anya rebuked, "I do." Glancing at Thane she gave him a soft smile before returning her gaze to Niall and elaborating. "I was sleeping out of Huerta for months. I know what it's like to miss my own bed and my own space. We understand, really, just don't go too far. We need you for the wedding."
"What?" Niall's mandibles flapped with his confusion.
Thane allowed a small smile to pull the corner of his mouth and nodded. "Niall, I was hoping that you would be one of my groomsmen. I don't have many friends, but I consider you to be one."
"I -" his amber eyes went from Thane to Anya then back to Thane. Coughing out his surprise, he said, "I would be honored."
Before any of them could comment further Cassandra stuck her head into the kitchen and asked, "What's that I hear about groomsmen?" Stepping all the way into the kitchen, she strode into their conversation and smiled excitedly at Anya and Thane. "Have you both already decided on who the wedding party will be?"
"We have," Thane nodded.
As if pulling the paper from thin air, a small note pad appeared in her hands and Cassandra nodded for them to list off the names. "Well go on, I need to start picking out suits and dresses."
When Anya and Thane had listed off their choices, Cassandra gazed up at both of them with tears in her eyes. "Really," she wiped a stray tear from her cheek and her chin trembled as she tried to fight off the emotion that was obviously stronger than she was. "You want both Michael and I to participate?"
"Oh, come on, Cas," Anya pulled her sister-in-law into a tight hug and pet back her long dark brown hair. "You're planning the entire thing. The least I could do was make you a part of it."
When Anya released Cassandra from their hug, she wiped away the rest of her tears and instructed, "You might want to let the rest of them know that their part of the wedding party, or that you're getting married to begin with." Her gaze then lifted to Thane before returning to Anya and narrowing. "Have you even bothered to let anyone else know that he's alive?"
Anya blanched at the expression on Cassandra's face before shaking her head. When Cassandra made a disbelieving noise, she protested, "They probably know already. Thane's been all over the news."
"I can't believe you, Anya," Cassandra placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "First, you're going to contact your friends and let them know that Thane's alive, that you're getting married, and then that they may or may not be part of the wedding party. Understood?"
Thane chuckled at the displeased look that twisted Anya's brows. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Anya growled, "Or what, Hannah? Are you going to ground me?"
"No," Cassandra rebutted. "I'll just make you look at wedding catalogs with me."
Narrowing her eyes, Anya and Cassandra stared each other down for a minute. It was Anya who surrendered first, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright, I'll do it."
"Good," Cassandra returned her notepad to her pocket and gave the both of them a departing smile before going back to whatever it was she had been doing before interrupting.
Niall watched Michael's wife leave, brow plates reaching for his fringe in amazement. Returning his attention to Anya and Thane, he commented, "She's not scared of anything, is she?"
"The Shepard women rarely are," replied Thane, warding off a chuckle with a smirk. In response to the playfully cold look Anya gave him, he suggested, "Perhaps we should start making those calls."
Anya huffed in distaste but started for her private terminal in the office. Thane followed closely behind, admiring the sway of her hips as she walked. Sliding into her seat, Anya flicked on the terminal and gave Thane a hesitant smile before opening her contact list.
The vid-calls went how Thane had expected them too. It would start with warm pleasantries and short conversation in regards to the events of life; which Anya would take advantage of to mention that Thane was alive. At which point Thane would step on screen to confirm. They'd then explain about the wedding, that they were invited, and whether or not they were in the wedding party. After a series of congratulations and promises to attend, he and Anya would move on to the next person on her contacts.
Thane pretended not to notice when Anya skipped over Garrus's name. She couldn't avoid him forever, especially when Thane wanted the turian as his groomsmen. They crossed off name after name as she scrolled through her list. When Tali's name appeared next, Anya scrolled the cruiser down to Wrex instead. Only when they were out of contacts did Anya return to her quarian friend. She hesitated, concentrating over Tali's name as though she were trying to diffuse a time bomb.
Moving to stand behind his mate, Thane placed his hands on her shoulders and started to rub the tension from her back. Speaking softly, as to not spook her, he observed, "They're our friends, Anya. We can not avoid them forever."
Her entire body was shaking as she nervously tapped her foot. After another apprehensive minute, Anya sighed and selected Tali's name out of her contacts. The screen darkened as her terminal connected with Tali.
Before Anya could back out and voice her retreat, the call was accepted and a purple visored quarian appeared on the screen. Tali's warm and friendly voice greeted Anya as though she was pleasantly surprised by the call.
"Shepard," Tali's helmet lit up as she spoke. "This is so unexpected."
Rubbing the back of her neck, Anya chuckled nervously. "Hey, Tali. How are you?"
"I'm fine," Tali's voice was hesitant, concern painting her tone as she inspected Anya through the screen. "Is everything alright, Shepard?"
"Yeah, it's great," she answered too quickly. Taking a calming breath, Anya looked up to meet Thane's reassuring gaze before returning her attention to the other woman. "I have news."
"The Reapers aren't back, are they?"
Anya laughed and shook her head, "No, nothing like that." She placed her hand on top of Thanes, which was still resting on her shoulders. "Thane's alive."
Lowering himself until his face appeared on the screen, Thane waved at the other woman. He didn't need to be able to see past her visor to tell that she was surprised. Smiling at her shocked body language, he said, "It's good to see you again, Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy."
"I - you . . . Thane?" Tali brought a hand to her visor as she tried to make sense of the scene in front of her. "You're alive?"
Nodding, Thane tried to answer all of her questions in one response. "The STG got a hold of my body when I died in Huerta. They brought my body to a science facility on Zorya where they brought me back from the dead and cured my Kepral's Syndrome. Anya and I found each other when she led an attack on the Blue Sun base there."
Tali was silent for a moment, processing everything Thane had said. Shaking her head she repeated, "You're alive? I can't believe you're alive!"
"There's more," Anya inserted before the quarian could gather herself enough to bombard them both with a million and one questions. "We're getting married."
"A wedding?" Tali squealed in girlish delight. "Thane's alive and you're getting married! Keelah, Shepard, one bomb shell at a time."
Smiling, Anya continued with the objective of their call. "Thane and I were hoping that you and Garrus would be part of our wedding party."
Silence joined them for a moment as Tali was again stunned speechless. She shook her head and forced herself to use her words. "I would be honored; but I think Garrus should hear this himself."
"Where is Garrus?" Thane wondered as Anya shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Tali looked somewhere off the screen, peering out a window as she said, "He's outside with Jona."
"Jona," Anya muttered, rubbing her chin as she thought. "That name sounds familiar."
The terminal flickers as a quarian woman speaks into the camera. "I'm sorry, Honey, I'm sorry!" Her voice trembles with fear and regret. Anya watches the screen, her back straight with silent fury. "Jona, if you get this, be strong for daddy. Mommy loves you very much!" The recording ends with the sound of attacking gunfire, and Thane says a prayer for the dead.
Thane blinked back the memory and helped his Siha remember, "His mother died on the Alarei."
Tali nodded, gesturing that Thane remembered correctly. "And his father too when we were trying to retake Rannoch." Her gaze went for the window again, and Thane assumed she was watching the boy and Garrus together. "He was alone after the Reaper War. I felt like it was my responsibility to help him. So Garrus and I took him in." She shrugged as though it were nothing at all.
"That's great, Tali," Anya smiled at her friend and Thane could tell that it was with genuine happiness. "You and Gare-Bear have your own little family."
Tali nodded, her smile visible despite her visor. "And now you will too. Both of you deserve to be happy. I'm so glad you found each other."
"So are we," Thane squeezed Anya shoulders and they shared a loving smile.
Anya returned her attention to the quarian to confirm, "So you're in? You'll be my bridesmaid?"
"Of course I will, Shepard." Her body language changed with discomfort as she continued her sentence. "But I can't speak for Garrus, you'll have to ask him yourself."
Nodding, the tension returned to Anya's shoulders. She sat as stiff as death itself as she struggled to voice her next words. "Can you get him for me?"
Tali shook her head, refusing to let Anya speak to her turian. Helmet lighting up as she spoke, Tali suggested, "This is a conversation that you two should have face to face. Come to Rannoch, see our home, meet Jona. You and Garrus can work out your issues, and then we can enjoy the spoils of war."
Anya peered up at Thane, her emerald eyes begging him to be the one to make the decision. Smiling at Tali, he consented. "We'll start packing tonight."
"Great!" Tali clapped excitedly. "I'll start getting things ready for you." Her happiness was enough to radiate through the terminal and infect them both. "I'm glad you're alive, Thane. Seeing your name on that wall," she shook her head. "A wedding is just what we all need."
"Anya would disagree," Thane smirked down at his mate.
Before Tali could ask his meaning, Anya interjected, "It was good talking to you, Tali. We'll see you soon."
"You too, Shepard."
The terminal shut off and Anya leaned back in her seat. Thane could feel her anxiety as though it was his own. She was nervous about seeing Garrus again, but Thane knew how much the turian valued their friendship. They would hash it out like they always did; argue like siblings. In the end they would forgive each other, and their relationship would be stronger because of it.
"Come," Thane held his hand out for her, and smiled softly when Anya let him help her out of her seat. "We should start packing."
