A/N: Well, I'm a bit of an idiot. I wrote the last chapter in such a way that it's very difficult to build off of. I've planned fluff-galore but need to smoothly transition from Shep's "I have so many problems" attitude to "yay, quarian wife!"

So this took a bit longer than usual. Plus I've been writing this ridiculous little side-story that's not at all relevant to any of my other works but am still doing anyway.

**Chapter 17: The Prodigal Returns**

She clipped on the last buckles of her suit, sighing. She had almost forgotten how good it felt to take the damn thing off, and now she had to put it back on again.

It'll get better now that you're on Rannoch.

That thought was the only thing that kept her from screaming in frustration at the restrictive prison she had to live in. Now that she'd been given a hint of what freedom felt and tasted like, being put behind bars—er, leather and glass—again was almost painful.

Tali looked over to the bed, seeing Shepard still asleep, a sight that warmed her heart. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up before him. Nightmares always had a way of keeping him conscious.

Memories of last night, both his confession and their passionate joining, came rushing back. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the decisions he'd been forced to make. She felt helpless in being unable to offer advice, but what advice can you give to a man that had decided the fate for every being in the galaxy?

She wondered how he'd be today. She hoped he wouldn't draw away from her again—he'd meet the business end of her shotgun otherwise—but last night seemed to break the abstinence between them.

Tali also wondered how the crew would react. Garrus might give Shepard an earful for his behavior, and she took solace in the fact that the turian was likely the only person that could yell at John and not get a punch to the jaw.

A shift from the bed broke her away from her thoughts and she saw Shepard sitting up, scrubbing at his face. When he looked up and saw her standing by the couches, he smiled faintly at her.

"Good morning." he said quietly.

She walked over to the bed, seeing him swing his legs over the edge and sat down beside him.

"How're you feeling?" she asked, touching his shoulder and feeling a tiny bit of warmth spread in her when he didn't pull away.

Another faint smile. "I'm... better." he said finally.

She was about to reply when he turned to her,

eyes solemn. "Tali, about what's been happening the past couple weeks. I..." he swallowed, breaking off for a moment. "I'm so sorry. For everything. What I said and did—"

She touched his face, interrupting him. "I know you are. And I forgive you, Shepard. A burden like that isn't easy. Keelah, I thought I had it rough taking care of the fleet..." she laughed, though it held little humor.

He reached over and squeezed her knee. "Still, I shouldn't have done what I did."

She wrapped her arms around him, sighing at the feel of his body beside hers. She hadn't realised how much she missed contact with him until she'd been able to touch him again.

They sat there for a while in silence, leaning on one another. Her eyes drifted lazily around the room, but she suddenly tensed when she noticed something.

It was the small platform near the door that EDI's glowing avatar would emerge from to speak with Shepard.

"What is it?" he asked, feeling her go rigid.

"What are you going to say to Joker?" she said quietly, looking at him.

He looked away, jaw clenching. "God, I don't know. How do you tell someone that you willingly killed the person they loved the most?"

"I wouldn't say will had very much to do with it, Shepard."

He looked at her. "It was a choice that I made. I'd call that will."

"Did you choose wrong?" she asked suddenly.

He looked surprised at her forwardness, but said nothing. Tali spoke again.

"If you could go back and re-make the decision, would you choose differently?"

He looked down at his hands, which idly rubbed the sheets between fingers. "I... no, I... I don't know." he heaved an exhausted sigh, scrubbing at his face. "No. I wouldn't have. It was the best worst decision, I think."

She touched his cheek, making him look at her. "I know you made the right choice, Shepard. You did all that you could." she stood up from the bed, turning to smile at him. She knew from the look on his face that he didn't want to talk about it right now, and she would at least give him that small peace. It had been hard enough for him to share his burdens with her; she wasn't going to push him away again by forcing him to talk about it any more than he wanted to.

"Come on. Let's get some breakfast."

He shifted in the elevator as he waited for it to take him and Tali to Deck Three, shame filling his chest.

He had to face the crew. Face Garrus and Kasumi and Liara and everyone else who'd seen his outburst last night. Had to look them in the eye after he'd hurt Tali and yelled at her.

It was not something he was looking forward to. Dread curled in his belly and he wasn't the least bit hungry, but he wasn't going to let Tali come down and face them alone.

His lips tugged up in a humorless smile. He was able to charge into suicide missions with a grin on his face and a gun in his hand, but the thought of facing his crew nearly crippled him with fear.

The door opened and his heart clenched, feeling a small jolt of adrenaline spike his blood. He could hear them laughing and talking, but that would soon stop when he entered the mess.

"Shepard?" he looked over to see Tali standing outside the elevator, gazing at him with concern.

Another smile spread on his face, this one more genuine. He marveled again at her bravery—she wanted to make amends as soon as possible. She wasn't going to dwell on it or avoid it. He didn't want to either, but then again, he was the one still standing in the elevator.

Shepard rolled his shoulders, feeling old scars pull on his skin. "Feet first," he muttered.

He walked out, smiling at her before making his way down the short hallway and into the cafeteria, looking over at the mess table and ignoring the tightness in his chest.

Garrus was the first one to see him, and the look on the turian's face when he spotted Shepard was not a happy one.

Banter quickly died and many of the crew turned in their chairs to stare at him. He forced himself not to look away.

Garrus got up from his seat, walking over to him. When he stood just a few feet in front of him, Shepard found the courage to speak.

"Garrus,"

Pain suddenly cracked in his jaw and stars blinked in and out of his vision. He stumbled to the ground, hand coming up to touch where the turian had punched him, feeling the sticky red of blood on his fingers.

"Garrus!" a screech from Tali. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure this bastard knows what happens when he's being an asshole."

Guess I deserved that, he thought, blinking and trying to banish the dark spots from his vision.

"You're damn right you did." Garrus almost snarled, and he realised that he'd voiced his thoughts aloud.

Shepard looked up at his friend, pushing away his anger. Being punched in the face at 0900 wasn't helping his mood, no matter how much he deserved it.

"Well, I apologized, all right?"

"That isn't good enough."

"Then what else do you want me to do?"

Garrus glared at him. "Tell me why you're acting the way you are."

He sat up, leaning against the rail and wiping at the blood on his lip, looking away. "I..." he couldn't talk about it, not again. It was still too raw, faces and images still painfully fresh in his mind.

But he could at least speak part of the truth. He blew out a breath. It took him a minute to collect his thoughts, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet. "I've killed so many throughout the war. Done it in the name of justice or strategy. Wiped out millions so billions could survive." he scrubbed at his face, feeling exhausted. "Yet here I am. I am alive after all that I've done, in the presence of friends and family, in a place of peace where I can call home. I've been named a hero, a man of honor, but at the end of the day my hands are still stained." he sighed, gesturing around to the ship. "I don't deserve what I've been given."

Garrus looked far calmer than he had a minute ago, and when he spoke his voice wasn't as angry. "So, what? You treat Tali badly so you can bear having all these good things in your life?"

"Sounds terrible when you put it that way." he replied, a grim smile on his face.

Something very strange happened. The atmosphere of the ship suddenly changed. Garrus no longer looked angry, and the silence wasn't quite so deafening as before. The turian offered him a hand up, which he took gratefully. A taloned hand thumped him on the back and gestured for him to have a seat. When he sat down, food was shoved his way and the banter started back up again. Tali sat next to him, and he could see her smiling through the mask.

That was it. A simple confession, an admittance that he'd done something wrong, and his crew welcomed him with open arms. No more questions of his behavior or angry looks.

He smiled down at his plate. Maybe he didn't deserve what he had, but he'd do his damnedest to make up for it.

"What are you—"

"Shut up and get in the elevator." Kasumi said impatiently, voice muffled from behind a giant mass of clothing she held in her hands.

He sighed. "Do you need help with that?"

She shoved her burden into his hands and he stumbled back a little at the weight. After breakfast, she'd disappeared into the lounge and had come back with a huge pile of clothing, demanding that he go to Deck One with her right away.

He had a sinking feeling that he knew what she was up to. He remembered his mother dragging him to clothing stores as a child, forcing him to try on tight shoes and itchy dress clothes for some formal occasion or another.

They were not fond memories.

The elevator opened and he walked over to the bed, dumping the clothing onto the mattress.

"What the hell is all this for?"

Kasumi gave him an impatient look. "The wedding. Now that you and Tali are all happy and stuff again, we need to start preparing."

He rolled his eyes. "We? Since when were you involved?"

"Since I'm your wife's best friend." she snapped her fingers at him. "Undress and try one of these suits on."

He raised a brow but complied, heading over to the bathroom. She stepped in front of him, putting a hand to his chest.

"Just do it here. It's not like I haven't seen any of what you've got before."

He sighed, pulling his shirt off and tossing it on the couch, then undoing his boots and throwing his pants over onto the coffee table, now only clad in his boxers.

The thief gave him an appreciative look. "You look better than I thought you would undressed."

He forced himself not to laugh. "You've pictured me naked, Kasumi? I didn't know you felt that way."

She gave him a look. "I always picture people naked when I'm bored. Keeps things interesting."

He laughed but said nothing, walking over to the pile of suits on the bed. "Where'd you get all of these, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Did some shopping when you were holed up on earth. Formal clothing seems to be pretty popular right now; everyone wants to throw parties. Come on, try one on."

"You look like James Bond."

He looked down at himself, raising a brow. "Is that good or bad?"

She grinned at him. "Very good. Even though you might not appreciate my taste in clothing, your wife certainly will."

"That's because everything I try on costs thirty thousand credits." he muttered, shaking his head. All that money and it wasn't even bullet proof.

"You are such a guy. Now try another one on."

"But you said you liked this one."

"I want to see if I like any of the others better."

He sighed again, undoing the tie and walking over to the bed.

"Which one shall I try on next, Ms. Moneypenny?" he asked, grinning.

Kasumi gave him a disgusted look. "Ew. I am so not being that ditz."

"How about M?"

Another look. "That chick could be my gramma. Nuh-uh."

"Maybe—"

"Say Pussy Galore, Shep, I dare you. See what happens."

He laughed, but his next words were interrupted by the door opening, in which entered Tali.

"What are you..." she looked over to Shepard, seeing him

standing by the bed next to a pile of suits. Words died on her lips as she saw what he was wearing.

The black jacket that he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and made his waist look even trimmer. The white dress shirt underneath pulled against his frame and revealed hard muscle through the fabric, the lines of his abdomen clear against the shirt. Dark dress pants showcased the packed columns of muscle that lined his thighs, the folded crease down each pant leg drawing the eyes to defined calves and ending in polished leather shoes.

Shepard stood there, feeling her gaze draw lines of heat down his body. Clearly she liked the suit.

Kasumi winked at him, taking the hint and exiting the cabin. She said something about not wrecking any of the suits, but he wasn't really listening, focused on the woman in front of him.

When the door closed Tali launched herself at him, knocking him onto the bed and ripping her mask off. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and her hands roamed across his form, molding themselves against muscle.

His eyes rolled back into his head as her attentions went to more southern regions, and his last coherent thought was that he owed the thief big time.

He fought to control the stupid grin that was twitching on his lips, Tikkun's rays warming his skin through a simple t-shirt.

After a very heated session with Tali and only narrowly avoiding her ripping the dress suit to pieces, he decided that it was time to work on the house.

He saw Tali standing at a table, pointing to her omni-tool and likely working on the technical plans of the house, Kasumi next to her. The thief looked up and gave him a knowing grin, which he returned.

"You seem to be in a much better mood than yesterday."

He looked over, a little startled, to see his mother staring up at him, brow raised.

His cheeks heated in shame as he remembered last night. His mother had seen his outburst, too. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I... talked to Tali about it."

Hannah nodded, seeming pleased. "That's good. She was pretty upset before. I'm glad you apologized." she raised another brow, her last sentence almost coming out as a question.

He laughed a little. "Yeah, I did. We're good now."

She touched his cheek, suddenly looking concerned. "Are you alright, John? You've been acting oddly since we got here."

He looked away, staring out at the sparkling water of the beach. "I'm better," he admitted, words echoing what he'd said to Tali. "Just wondering why I'm still alive, is all."

Her eyes alighted with somber understanding, and she smiled at him. "Guilt is a terrible thing." she agreed. "But that doesn't give you a free pass to be a jackass to your wife." she added with a mock-stern tone.

He laughed. "No, it doesn't. But she seems to have forgiven me."

"Good." his mother wrapped her arms around him, and he was almost surprised at how tiny and fragile she looked. His mother had always seemed tall to him as a child, her strength giving her height. It made him feel strangely old.

"Now," she began, pulling away from him. "How are the wedding plans coming along?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm ah, not quite sure. I've been focused on finishing the house."

Another raised brow. "So, no guest list? Food choices? Location? Date? Clothing—"

"I have a suit," he said hurriedly, glad that he could at least say he had something planned.

She laughed. "And I'm assuming that someone helped you with that?"

"Well, sort of. Tali picked out the one I'll be wearing, at least." his grin spread as he thought back to her enthusiastic agreement of his choice of clothing for the wedding.

His mother smiled at the look on his face. "Indeed. It seems I'll have to talk to Tali to see where the plans are and help out." she patted his arm, turning to head towards where Kasumi and Tali stood. "I'm glad that you're feeling better, John."

He smiled at her. "I am too."

"I don't want to go shopping!"

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Come on, you heard Shep's mom. We gotta start getting ready for the wedding."

Tali fumed silently behind her mask, leaning back against the seat of the air car she sat in.

After Hannah had come over to ask about the wedding plans, Kasumi had announced that since Tali didn't have any proper formal wear, shopping was in order.

Tali hated shopping. The only things she ever bought were combat and tech upgrades for her omni-tool and suit. Superfluous credit-spending—and on clothes, no less—was almost beyond her comprehension.

The thief was flying them towards a small town that had been erected on Rannoch since the war had stopped, hoping to find something dressy for Tali to wear.

"So, you like Shep's tux?"

"His what?"

Kasumi made a vague gesture. "You know, his suit. You seem to have really liked it."

Her face heated. "Er, yes."

Her friend snickered. "He does look pretty hot in it. Now if we can get you something that'll make him react the same way you did, we'll be set."

Her cheeks warmed again, but not because of embarrassment. Shepard had always been very appreciative of her body, but the thought of evoking such a response from him simply by wearing clothing made her shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"So, I take it you guys are all good now?"

steamy thoughts were interrupted by Kasumi's question, something Tali was grateful for. "Mostly."

"Mostly?"

Tali nodded. "He apologized and everything, and we've been more... ah, close," she added, making the thief grin. "But he still seems a little distant."

Kasumi shrugged. "I don't think it's anything to worry about. Judging from his talk with Garrus in the mess, he's a got a lot on his mind. It'll just take a bit of time."

Tali had come to the same conclusion, but it calmed her to know that Kasumi felt the same about the whole situation.

"Speaking of Garrus, he seems cute when he's being your big brother. You know, in a really terrifying way."

Tali smiled. "I'm just glad Shepard didn't punch him back. A fistfight between those two would end badly."

"I'm surprised Shep didn't," Kasumi said, pulling the car down near a parking space, them having located the town. "I mean, he's usually pretty laid-back, but his ninja-soldier skills tend to kick in when somebody attacks him."

Tali laughed as they both stepped out of the car, looking around at the tiny town that greeted them.

Construction equipment was everywhere. The town was actually quite big, but didn't have many real buildings—it was mostly made up of prefabs and spaceships, opened up and converted into shops.

"Hey, I think they sell fabric and stuff over there!" Kasumi pointed to a shop, which looked to be a section of a quarian liveship being used as a clothing store.

"Come on. We're going to go buy you something that'll make Shep drool."

Tali sighed as her friend dragged her over to the store front. She hoped this torture would be worth it.

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself.

After about an hour of looking around at various aesthetic fabric attachments that could be put on her suit, she and Kasumi had found this.

It was a mauve-colored fabric, switched out for her usual dark Zorah purples that adorned her suit, twining around her body. The material was silky to touch and had elegant dark lines tracing looping patterns around her.

The material flowed down from her hood and clipped onto the gold choker at her neck, with the extra fabric falling off of her shoulders. It wrapped around her waist and almost reached her knees, giving more of a dress-like shape.

Kasumi had removed all of her "icky" utility belts, swapping the three thin ones under her breasts for a single thick one, brushed with a gold color. Gold bangles jingled at her wrists whenever she moved, and the belt at her waist had been removed entirely.

"Man, that looks good." Kasumi said, leaning back in a chair and looking pleased with her handiwork.

Tali grudgingly agreed. The material accentuated her hips and the thick belt under her bust made her breasts look bigger. Shepard had never complained—in fact he seemed quite pleased with her assets—but looking at the big-busted asari and women like Miranda sometimes made her feel inadequate.

"You think so?" she asked, twisting in front of the mirror to look at herself.

The thief nodded. "If I was gay I'd totally have sex with you."

Her cheeks flamed and she glared at Kasumi's form through the mirror.

"What? It's a compliment. Come on," she said, getting up from the chair. "Let's go pay for this stuff."

"Then can we go?" she asked hopefully.

Kasumi raised a brow from beneath your hood. "You suck at being a girl. And no," she added, grinning. "Now, we shop for me."

Tali groaned.

"Fuck!"

He cradled his hand between his legs as he knelt on the roof, teeth gritted in pain.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—"

"Jonathan! What's going on up there?"

"Nothing!" he called down to his mother. He pulled his hand up to study it, frowning at the sight that greeted him.

He'd slammed his thumb with the hammer by accident, and now the nail was cracked, blood forming a thick clot underneath it.

"Doesn't sound like nothing! Get down here!"

"Roof's not done yet! I'm fine!"

"The hell you are! Get down, now!"

He glowered, blowing out a breath. He stood up, walking towards the ladder. When he slid down, his mother rushed over, eyes searching him for injury.

"What happened?"

"Hit my hand, is all. It's—"

She grabbed the hand he was nursing, eyes widening when she saw his thumb.

"Jesus, what did you do? Hit it with a hammer?"

"Yes," he hissed, pain shooting down his knuckle as his mother poked and twisted at his hand.

She tsked at him. "Come on, sit down. I'll get some medi-gel."

"It's—"

She interrupted him again. "I'm not letting you up there like that. You won't be able to work properly and you'll hurt yourself again."

He sighed, walking over to the small

table that Kasumi and Tali had been using, flopping down into a chair under the umbrella and staring out at the ocean.

His mother appeared a minute later with a tiny canister of medi-gel and some gauze. She sat down next to him and pulled his hand onto the table, dabbing the thumb with gel.

"And, seeing as I'm already patching up your hand, what happened to your face?"

"Garrus punched me." he replied, watching her smear gel on his cracked nail.

She stopped her attentions, looking up at him with raised brows. "And why did he punch you?"

"He didn't approve of my behavior."

Her lips twitched. "I see. You seem to have collected a very odd family, John. Turian and krogan brother, quarian wife." she shook her head, grinning down at his thumb, which she'd begun bandaging.

He laughed. "Not surprising. I'm very likeable."

The grin on his mother's face widened, but she said nothing, letting the silence provide her reply to his comment.

"There," she said a moment later. "Your thumb is fixed." she looked up at his jaw, then reached out and dabbed some medi-gel onto the cuts made by bony knuckles.

"Thanks," he said, studying the gauzed appendage when she was done with his face. "Guess I should go finish working on the roof."

"You realize that there are people who went to school for these kinds of tasks, right? You can even pay them to do it for you." she commented, smile still in place.

He frowned. "I can do it. It's not heart surgery or anything."

"Not for the people who went to school for architecture, it isn't." she said, looking at his thumb pointedly.

He sighed. "It's fine. Tali's got the electrical stuff down. All I need to do is hammer boards together."

The likely smart-ass comment his mother was about to make was drowned out by the sound of an air car landing near them. Tali and Kasumi unfolded out of the passenger and driver's seat, both of them holding bags.

Tali walked over to them, plunking down into a chair and sighing, throwing her burden onto the table.

"Have fun shopping?" he asked, and she glared at him.

"No."

"Awh, why not?" Kasumi complained, standing next to Tali's chair.

"It's so boring."

"What did you buy?" he inquired, moving to open the bag she'd set on the table.

Kasumi snatched it from him and held it close her. "You're not allowed to see."

"Why not? She saw my suit."

"Because you're just the groom. It's bad luck to see her in her dressy stuff before the wedding."

He sighed. "Fine. I'm going to finish the roof."

"Keelah, what happened to your hand?" Tali snatched it, studying his thumb. He resisted the urge to sigh again.

"I just hit it. I'm fine now."

"Shouldn't you think about hiring someone to help with the house?"

His mother, damn her, snickered as she cleaned up the medical supplies she'd brought, collecting them and walking back towards the Normandy.

This time, he did sigh.

This turned out fluffier than I expected, but I enjoyed writing it too much to change it up. Plus, who doesn't like fluff?