There was something sinful about lying in bed in the middle of the day. To turn the lights down, to lay there for hours, thinking of nothing, doing nothing. After months of waking up in Shepard's bed, wrapped in his arms, you'd think she'd have grown used to it by now. But no. Not even close. Though she could get used to it. She'd like to get used to it.

He rustled under her, adjusting the pillow behind his shoulders as she tucked her head against his chest. Listening to the strength of his heartbeat, her fingers drew lazy patterns across his stomach. She smiled to herself when he hummed in approval.

"What if we just don't go back?" He asked, guilt evident in his voice.

She pressed her lips to his skin, still warm and sultry in after-glow, and propped herself on her elbows.

"Then who will save the galaxy?" She teased, peering down at him from her perch on his chest.

"Garrus."

Something dangerously close to a giggle escaped her as she pressed her forehead to his chest. She felt his hands brush the fringes of her head, and kissed him again. When she met his eyes again, she found a weightiness behind the deep brown irises; a sadness that pressed down on them both in that moment, a sentiment they'd tried so hard to supress. Like the feeling of a Sunday evening, where the looming prospect of another tomorrow threatened to crush any joy out of the final moments of peace.

"I actually have a question to ask you." He said softly. She propped herself on her elbows again, peering down at him anxiously. The sadness in his eyes was still there, but something else too.

She smiled and snuggled closer, nudging his nose with her own. "Fire away," she murmured.

When he pressed his hand against her cheek, she kissed it, and some of the sadness in his eyes disappeared.

"If you – Let's say…" he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, and she leaned on her side, looking at him with a tinge of worry.

"John," She started sweetly, and he closed his eyes tightly to the sound of his name. "Whatever happens…"

"No," he interrupted. "It's not that."

She caressed the scruff of his chin with her thumb, "Then what?"

"Let's say, hypothetically, a human wanted to marry an asari. I know that it's not the custom, actually I'm not really sure at all of the custom. I'd done a bit of research but it seems there's no one way to do it and some asari don't really believe in marriage and…what?"

There was that near giggle again as she realized the emotion behind his eyes was actually nervousness.

"Hypothetically?" She asked, curiously.

"Yeah. You know, just in case I ever found myself in such a situation. I'd like to be prepared."

She adjusted herself on her pillow, both of them turning on their sides. The sheets fell away from her breasts but his eyes stayed trained on hers.

"Well, asari don't really marry the same way humans do. As I understand it, marriage between humans is borne of an act of alliance between families, or as a way to legitimize or sanction sexual activity. It's more of a contract."

He smirked, "Well, it used to be. And I guess, it still is that way in a sense, but there's marriage for love, too."

"But that love requires a contract of marriage, correct? In a legal sense." She continued.

He frowned, his hand sliding from her hip to rest on the bed. She snatched it and gathered it in her own. He tried to smile as she kissed his fingers.

"You aren't answering my question." He retorted.

"Asari do have similar contracts, but if you were to hypothetically 'propose' to an asari…well…you wouldn't really."

"You wouldn't ask someone to be your bondmate?" He asked, free hand now roaming her back. Her heart quickened.

"Not in the way a human asks another for marriage, no. A life-bond should never be contemplated as a light thing - unlike a legal union, the joining of souls cannot be severed. When a mate is lifebound to another - bondmated - a mystery is engaged. In one aspect mystical, bondmating is the most sublime endeavor that an asari may assume."

He rolled onto his back and contemplated her answer, breathing a heavy sigh. "So, if I can't propose to you…"

"I didn't say that." Aware of every breath, every movement, she sat in his lap. His hands gently braced her hips as she studied his face. "It's something that you just…know. And now I want you to know that I love you. I want you to know … " His lips trembled, and she brushed away the tear that escaped down his cheek. "I want you to know," she whispered, "that every piece of my heart belongs to you. And I am honoured—honoured to be your mate."

His arms wrapped around her and he sat up, pressing his forehead to shoulder. She stroked a hand through his black hair.

"I love you," she said again. "And I'd endure every second of this war over again so I could find you. And if the end comes, we'll face it. Together. I won't let them take me from you. And I won't let them take you from me, either."

Shepard looked up, his face glinting with tears. He went still as she leaned in, kissing away one tear. Then the other. As he had once kissed away hers. When her lips were wet and salty with them, she pulled back far enough to see his eyes.

"You're mine," she breathed.

Sniffling, he wiped his eyes and held onto her tightly, "I don't even have a ring for you." He choked.

She reached over to the nightstand and slipped a necklace around his neck, the small metallic bauble cold against his skin. "Asari usually exchange bracelets, but I hope this will do for now."

Searching the darkness for a reciprocal gesture, he settled on a loose thread hanging from the sheets. Breaking it, he held her wrist and tied the string around it, not noticing the tears forming behind her eyes.

"There." He said, "I'm yours."


Liara clutched instinctively at her neck, seeking the small trinket that usually adorned it. Her screens had gone dark, typical of her inattentiveness as of late.

Several weeks had passed since the event and they'd since settled into a routine on the planet they'd come to call Vita 1, the latin word for 'life'. The Normandy remained grounded, a small camp branching from its landing site providing the bare necessities of life. She sipped at a nearly empty cup of tea wincing when the cold water hit her lips.

"Glyph."

"Yes, Doctor." The VI greeted her courteously.

"I'm going to the crew mess."

"Of course, Doctor. May I recommend a sleep remedy? Your sleep cycle has been - "

"Ignore." She ordered, and the VI faded from its usual perch.

By the time she had boiled fresh water for another cup of tea, she'd lost her appetite. Glancing at her omni-tool, she knew ventured to the CIC, knowing there would be at least one crew member sharing her routine of insomnia.

Joker sat in his pilot's chair, mumbling to himself. As she stepped closer, her heart became heavy.

"I keep telling you, the solar arrays will provide sufficient recharge for our power cells. But Jeff, we will not be able to launch into atmosphere with such limited fuel stores. I know that too, and we'll be fine."

She turned to leave but the metal flooring betrayed her, creaking under her feet.

His head whipped around, his expression softening as he realized who had interrupted him. "Oh, hey, Liara. I was just -"

"I understand," she interjected, clutching the empty seat to his right. He motioned for her to sit there and she did, feeling cold leather through her clothes.

For a while they sat in silence, Liara scanning the cockpit's various instruments, lighting the room in hues of red, orange and blue. Stars shimmered in the sky beyond the Normandy's tinted windows, the inactive relay just out of sight.

"I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow." He said quietly. "I don't know if I can do it."

The ceremony had been arranged by Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams, the acting commander of Normandy, as a way to commemorate the lives of their crewmates. Joker was to pin EDI's plaque on the board, Liara had Shepard's. Neither of them felt prepared.

"You don't have to." She told him.

His gaze turned to the stars, a slight grin forming at the edges of his mouth. "Once when we were on the Citadel, I offered to pay for some esthetic enhancements. You know, like skin and hair and clothes and things like that. I told her it might make her feel more human. Do you know what she said to me?"

Liara shook her head.

"She said, 'But Jeff, I'm not human."

The dam broke and his body started to shake with quiet sobbing. Liara reached across the gap and clutched at his hand in support, tears stinging her own eyes.

"She was real, Liara. And I loved her."

She nodded in silent support, and he knew she understood.


Ashely Williams threw the still warm, grey t-shirt across the room at the man slipping his legs through his crumpled pants.

"Easy there, chica!"

"Shh!" She hushed him, and he laughed too loudly for her liking.

"I'm going, I'm going." He groaned, pulling his t-shirt over his vast shoulders and leaning towards her in anticipation of a kiss. "But I'm going to be thinking about you every second…"

She grabbed his face and pushed him playfully.

"We really can't be doing this anymore." She sighed, pulling her own shirt over her head.

"You say that every night."

"I mean it this time."

He took a few slow steps towards her, the scent of his cologne overwhelming her senses. "Eres linda." He muttered, pulling her close and pressing his lips to her neck.

She clutched his arms and tried not to melt into him. "I don't know what that means."

"It means, you're cute." He said, guiding her to the bed again. She pushed him back with a hand, stopping his ministrations mid-stride.

"I mean it, James. We can't be doing this."

His soft smile made her regret her words almost instantly. They'd gotten together once, before the end of the world, in Shepard's apartment spare bedroom. Now here she was, Captain of the Normandy, sleeping in Shepard's cabin, still taking the same man to bed with her.

"Loco and Blue stayed up here together all the time." He said, almost complaining.

"Don't remind me. I feel bad enough staying here as it is." She said.

He stepped closer again and stroked her arms. "Hey chica, get rid of that guilt."

She looked up at him sheepishly, finding it hard to resist his looming presence. "I think I'm just nervous about tomorrow."

"Te puedo besar?" He asked, tilting her chin towards him.

She answered with a kiss and walked him backwards towards the doors of the suite.

"I'll see you tomorrow, big guy."

He departed with a wink and a promise to see her again once the sun went down. Ashley stepped back into the loft and sunk down into the desk chair, queuing up the computer screen, desperate to see some kind of message from someone other than the Normandy crew. It had been nearly two months since they crash landed on Vita 1, an unknown planet in an unknown and uncharted system. They'd had no contact from the Alliance, from anyone; the only connection to the outside world was an inactive relay seemingly in orbit around the jungle world.

Sighing at the messages in her inbox, she fought the despair trying to creep its way in. They'd survive here, they'd find a way back, they'd get off this planet and get through the relay. They had to.

When the sun rose and the humidity of the day hung in the air, the crew of the Normandy gathered around the memorial to hang the last of the names on its wall. Joker kept his emotions in check as he pinned EDI's plaque, as was expected of a soldier. He stood next to Doctor Karin Chakwas when it was done, her arm wrapping around his shoulder in comfort, tears falling down her cheeks.

Ashley had pinned Admiral Anderson's name, snapping a salute and saying a prayer in his name.

All eyes then focused on Liara, the last plaque in her hand. But when the moment came, she could not complete the task. Smiling to herself, she stepped back from the wall and handed the plaque to Ashley.

"It's okay." She told the asari, "I'll do it." She reached for the plaque in her hands, but Liara snatched it back.

"No." She breathed. "No, it's not right."

Garrus stepped forward, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Liara," he pleaded. "There's no way…"

"Stop." She said, her voice even and calm. "I can't explain it to you, but he's out there. I know he is."

Ashley scanned the room, locking her eyes onto Tali, pleading silently to intervene.

"It's okay, Liara." The quarian interjected. "We don't have to do this right now."

Samantha Traynor was openly weeping now, along with several other members of the crew, and Ashley wondered if her plan had just been a big mistake. Liara relinquished the plaque to Tali, and strode towards her cave near the back of the crew deck.

The crew dispersed awkwardly and Ashley cursed herself.

She felt a strong hand squeeze her shoulder and she reached to clasp it back. "It was a good idea, nena."

"Thanks, James."

"It was a good idea, Ash." She opened her eyes to see Garrus standing close to the wall. "But if she's not ready to let go…I've seen them both go through hell and back again and still sometimes find each other. There's something between them, I don't know what it is."

"They're quarks." Tali told them.

"I'm sorry?" Ashley asked her.

"Quarks." She repeated, as if that answered all her questions.

James raised a hand, mocking as if he were back in science class.

"Fundamental particles." She explained. "When quarks are stretched farther and farther, the force that holds them together becomes bigger. When it comes to the point when quarks are separated, they form two sets of quarks, because the energy that is put into trying to separate them is enough to form two new quarks. Scientists actually think it's not possible to have one quark by itself."

"It's actually how the QEC works." Samatha said, stepping into the conversation, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. "That's really beautiful, Tali."

Ashley sighed again, rolling her eyes and her shoulders, shaking off Vega's hand. "Whatever they are – were – we're still here and we need off this planet."

The others dispersed as Ash and Tali made their way towards the engineering deck, Tali explaining the process they'd need to follow to create enough rocket fuel to propel the Normandy into orbit.

"I can create LOX, but it's going to take time. Alliance uses mixes of hydrogen and aluminum powder, so in theory I can use a mix, I just need the LOX. It won't be pretty, but we only need to do it once." Tali explained.

"We need to time this right." Ash said, leaning against an aluminum railing. "If we leave before we know that relay is good to go, we'll starve out there."

"We'll starve here too," Tali said quietly. "Well, just Garrus and I."

Ashley's eyes set with determination. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"We have 8 months of rations left. We can probably stretch it to a year and a half. Anything less than that…"

"I'm not going to let that happen, Tali. I promise." Tali shifted where she stood, but Ash never wavered. "What about the relay?" She asked.

"Do you remember the Mu Relay?" She asked, and Ashley nodded her head. "It was knocked out of position when a star went supernova, but stayed intact. If I had to guess, whatever energy system was activated via the crucible did the same thing to our relay out there. I'll keep researching, but I need to go there and examine it to know for sure."

"I'll see if Cortez is up for a shuttle run." She pushed off the railing and started toward the door.

"Ash." Tali called, and the woman turned to meet her eyes under her mask. "It was a good idea." She said sincerely.

Ash forced a smile, and left.