AN: May have lost track of some details and might look into cleaning up some concepts

Jane Shepard, SR-2 Normandy

"So...where's the grape?" Jane looked around the crew deck as she and John stepped off the elevator. "I would have thought after that speech and the whole 'reunited childhood friends' bit, she'd never leave your side."

John rolled his eyes as he gestured to the mess station. "You wanted food. And Tali went down to engineering almost the instant she hit the ship. She said something about the drive core's spri'tio."

Jane snorted with amusement as she eyeballed the food stuffs available. "Right. Alliance ships don't use spri'tio. It's an older quarian coolant. Actually is more effective than what most of the galaxy uses, but it's a 'secret quarian recipe'. Or so I'm told."

Making a sour face, John rubbed at the back of his neck as he watched Jane gather a fairly random assortment from the food stores. "Yeah, I guess she was really embarrassed that I saw her without her mask or...something…"

Pausing for a moment, Jane looked at John. Her eyes narrowed as she did her best to see if he was joking or not. Honestly, she wasn't sure if making a joke, or it being moronic ignorance was worse. "Goddess Jay Jay…."

"What?" John frowned as he followed his sister back to the mess table, watching her mutely as she took everything off her tray, and placed them on the table. Then, after hefting it a couple of times, Jane spun around and hit John in the side of the head with the flat side of the tray.

John, caught by surprise stumbled back, only to catch the tray on the other side of his head, staggering him more. A front kick to the gut dropped him on his ass, gasping for breath.

"I don't know what the fuck you and the grape think you are doing, but it's beginning to piss me off," Jane squatted down in front of her brother. "I had a hard enough time watching that girl trying to put herself back together after you died. Which I am still pissed at you for doing, by the way."

"I…" John gasped reaching out, only to have Jane slap his hand down.

"Shut up," Jane growled as she leaned in close. "I honestly didn't realize that was the same quarian. I mean, seriously, what were the odds? I can forgive you not being able to remember it at all, considering the biotic incident when I tried to kill the two of you with a cargo container of Blast-Ohs. Not that I'm not pissed at Tali either. You're just the one I have to slap around right now."

"...The fuck are you going on about?" John finally managed to squeeze out.

"You are in love with that girl," Jane grabbed a handful of John's hair and shook his head. "You know it. I know it. Hell, probably Blasto himself knows it. But you haven't told her."

With a snarl of his own, John shoved his sister back. "So what?!" he demanded. "I do. I love her more than anything! But I can't tell her that! She has her people! She has her Fleet, and her own life! I can't tie her down with my bullshit! Goddess, Jane, I would never have let her on this ship if I didn't need her so much! I hate that I am forcing the person I love most in this whole damned universe into a fucking suicide mission! And what the fuck are you grinning about?"

Jane really couldn't stop the grin. She tried. She did. Just not very hard. Because, like usual, her plan worked perfectly. Halfway through John's tirade, the elevator had opened, releasing the caged quarian that had been inside. The quarian, to whom Jane was now pointing.

"I...Tali…" John sputtered to a halt with eyes so wide it was comical. Which, being a good and loving sister, was obliged to take a quick image of.

Tali was standing just inside the mess, her hands were over her vocal indicator light. Her knees were turned in together as her feet pigeon toed slightly in. She made no physical moves. Her wide glowing eyes were locked on John, just as his were on her.

Then...they just stood there.

"Oh, for goddess sake," Jane ran a hand over her face as she hucked the tray at Tali, surprising the quarian enough that she jumped back with a small squeak. "You two have got to be the most...I… You know what? Fuck it."

Standing, Jane dusted herself off as she walked to John and pulled him to his feet. Then, while still holding his arm, she pulled him along to Tali, grabbing her arm on the way toward the elevator, and shoving them in.

After a few moments of silence, as the elevator rose to Deck 1, Jane drug the pair out and shoved them both into John's ridiculous cabin. Jane even did her best to slam the automatic door. Then, out of spite, she pulled her pistol and put a round in the door lock.

"Might I request you not discharging firearms within the ship, Captain Shepard?" the Normandy's AI, Edi, said sternly enough to make Jane raise an eyebrow. "Shooting the door will not actually make the door harder to open."

"I know," Jane sighed as she put her gun away. "Made me feel a whole lot better though."

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Engineering

She had no idea what she was doing. When Raan had shown her the pictures she was speechless. She remembered that day, mostly. She had played with that human boy. He had saved her when the container fell on them. That was probably the reason she was so willing to trust humans. To trust John when he saved her in that back alley.

She had been silent the whole way back to the ship as her friends talked to each other around her. Jack and Grunt exchanging insults and bragging, Kasumi laughing along. Garrus and Miranda seemed to be having a conversation that might have interested her if her mind wasn't divided. But then, the moment they stepped into the ship, Tali pushed her way past the team, saying something and needing to go to engineering. She didn't even know what she said, but here she was. Hiding behind an engineering console, doing work ups and diagnostics that didn't need to be run.

She knew where John was, above her. She always knew now. It was a thing that was just...there, in the back of her mind. Before she had to think about it. Now...now she just knew. And there was more. When they touched, she could feel what he felt. Then, with particularly strong emotions, they simply needed to be close to each other. But now, she could feel him.

He was confused. When he saw the picture, his emotions ran the entire spectrum, dancing around until they settled on confusion. Even the walk back to the ship, as he talked with his sister, it was like a battle within himself. And she knew it was her fault.

John didn't want to be trapped with her. Nor should he. She was an alien whose face he had only seen as children. He could never hold her, nor kiss her. He couldn't touch her….

Tali muted her suit's speakers as she stood and cried. She let the tears just flow. Maybe, maybe if she let out enough, it would ease the pain. So she could stay next to him. She needed to. She couldn't leave even if she wanted to. Unless he told her to leave. Then she would. She would do anything for him. Even….

He was in pain!

Tali didn't know she had moved until she was repeatedly pushing the Deck 3 button. Her fingers flexed, her claws and fangs ached to defend her mate. John's confusion and pain, and anger swirled around in her head.

Then, as the doors opened and she stepped out, his emotions all changed. They were still angry, but the anger had become self loathing. Disgust with himself.

Then she heard his words.

"I love her, more than anything." "I love her." "Love."

The silly little quarian girl froze with her hands over her light, as she stared at the man who loved her! She could feel it! He did love her!

John was jerked to his feet as Jane drug him over to her. Then the human woman grabbed her as well, dragging them into the elevator. After a short ride they both were shoved into John's cabin. Then there was a gunshot.

Tali just stared at John.

John Shepard, SR-2 Normandy, The Loft

He had no damn idea what to say. His sister had tricked him into a confesion. And now she locked him in a room with the one he confessed to. Tali was just staring at him with her large almond eyes, glowing gently behind her visor.

She wasn't disgusted, or repulsed as he had been afraid she would have been. In fact...it was almost like he could feel a dull echo of what he felt for her. Or, more likely, he was imagining what he wished to feel.

"Look...Tali," John turned away from her as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push that on you. To make you uncomfortable...If you want, we can just pretend it-"

"No," Tali cut him off as she stepped forward. "An injured daughter of an Admiral gets saved by her dashing knight. She gets whisked away on an epic adventure. He dies but comes back to life in time to save her, twice. He stands up to her people, saves her father's reputation. There is no way she wouldn't develop feelings for him."

John chuckled a little as he looked at the floor. "I...uh, yeah, put that way…"

"I love you, John."

Her words hit him almost like a physical blow. His heart felt squeezed, like it was too big for his chest. All he could do was slowly raise his face to look at her. She was smiling under her visor. He knew it.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Tali raised her hand and touched his cheek. At the touch, he felt an almost electric connection. She suddenly felt more real. It was like her could feel her emotions.

Tali's hand slid along his face and her thick, strong fingers cupped the back of his head, gently pulling him to her. His eyes closed as he allowed her to draw his head down to lightly tap her visor against his forehead.

"I...I'm sorry John" she whispered. Her voice was pained. "This is what our suits have reduced us to for kissing. If it wasn't for this damned suit…." Tali's fist curled up as she growled slightly. "I could kiss you for real. Feel your skin on mine."

"I thank your suit with everything I have," John chuckled as he took her balled up hand in his. "It keeps you alive, so I can have you with me. I love you, for you. Not for your suit, or your face. I don't love you just so I could kiss you."

Stepping in, Tali wrapped her arms around John's chest and half laughed, and half cried. "You are a silly human. You could have anybody in the galaxy, you know? You deserve to be with somebody better."

"I am with somebody better," he smiled as he set his chin atop her helmet. "I'm with you. If you'll have me."

"Ha ha!" Tali laughed and sniffed. "I...I can't leave you now if I wanted to. Which I never...can never want."

With a small frown, John stepped back and looked at her. "What does that mean? It sounds...serious."

Tali's eyes closed for a moment before she nodded. "We should sit. I...have some things I need to tell you. About..about me. Quarians. Keelah...I don't even know where to start!"

As they sat on the couch, John turned to look at her, his hand never leaving hers. "Start at the beginning, I suppose," he grinned at her. "I guess start like I'm an idiot."

With a small warm laugh, Tali nodded. "We...I...When quarians find their...no...Um...Okay," Tali sat up and took a deep breath. "Quarians mate for life. Unlike humans, who seem to mate and still have the ability to move on, quarians...don't. We can't. Our souls...link. They become one. And, it's not just that we can't separate, we can't even conceive of the idea of separation, beyond the abstract concept."

Pausing, Tali seemed to search John's face for a moment as he processed what she had told him. "So...if we continue this, what we have, we will be bonded?"

Tali gave a small laugh as he shook his head. "No, John. You aren't quarian. You will not feel the bond. But I...I already bonded with you. I started the Paths on the original Normandy, most likely. And since you came back...it's just gotten stronger. Now, I'm...I'm sure. I am fully bonded to you. My soul is only complete when I am with you now. To be honest...it was thought to be impossible for quarians to bond with other species. And it had been impossible. But, I suppose, humans are new to the galaxy, and, even if we can't share it, I am able to have this amazing gift!"

Again John thought. He looked at Tali's eyes and saw only love and acceptance. He looked down at her hands, where they held onto his. Then he took a deep breath. "Is that why I can tell where you are?"

Tali blinked at him a few times, seemingly confused. She shook her head once. "Say...say that again?"

"I know where you are," John smirked as he shrugged. "Like when Grunt and I got seperated in that Cerberus base. I knew what direction you were. When we are close, it's like I can feel what your emotions are, like if your angry, or sad, or confused. When I touch you, I get this little...electric feeling."

After another long moment, Tali lept to her feet. "WHAT?!"

"Heh," John sat back a bit. "I suppose that's odd?"

"No, John!" Tali began to pace a few steps. "It's...impossible. What you're describing, it's like the bond. Like...like a… I was going to say earlier stage, but it's like bits and pieces of all three stages, all rolled together." Freezing, Tali turned to look at John. "Xera is going to have a fit."

"Well, I suppose we get to be the first then," John shrugged as he pulled Tali back down onto the couch with him. "I honestly can't imagine not being with you. I don't particularly want to, either. So...we will just have to find a way to make this work."

Leaning back on the couch, Tali let her head drop back as she stared at the ceiling. "I've been fighting it...trying to keep it inside for so long...I...I honestly don't know what to do. I feel lighter. But...also scared. What if you change your mind? You seem to be able to feel some of the Bond. But I don't want to trap you. It can't be as binding. I'd...I'd be happy just to be near you, even if I couldn't be your primary mate."

John frowned for a moment. "Wait...primary mate?"

Tali let out a small laugh as she let her head turn sideways to regard him. "John. If quarians could only bond one to one, there would be a bit of a population issue."

"They could just have a bunch of children," John shrugged. "Don't see how that is a big deal."

She blinked a couple times before letting out a long breath. "For all we talked about my people, you never asked about us, physically. It didn't even occur to me. I didn't think it would matter."

Sitting up fully, Tali turned so that her left knee was bent onto the couch, and she was able to face him. "I wish Xera were here, so she could explain it better. She even has a facey science way of explaining the Bonding. Takes a bit of the romance out of it though."

"Heh, I bet. Especially if she does it like that video about asari," John chuckled.

Tali giggled as she nodded. "But I will give you the basics. Then...then you can decide if this crazy mess is worth getting mixed up in."

"Alright," John smirked. It wasn't like there was anything she could do or say that would make him leave at this point.

"I did some research, mostly out of curiosity. Like, when I would imagine us somehow being together. Humans are evolved from a primate?"

John nodded. "Yes."

"Quarians are more like…" pausing for a moment, Talli brought up her omnitool and skimmed over something. "Cats? I think? Our ancestors were predators. We have fangs, semi retractable claws on our hands and feet. Like humans, we have hair on our heads. But quarians are like your...I don't know...we were packs. A single male would have a small number of females. The females were dominante, not as strong, but faster, more agile. Better hunters. The male stayed in the burrows and took care of the kits while the females hunted. The male would defend the home from attackers. He could carry the kits into the branches of the trees to keep them safe until the females returned."

Nodding, John frowned slightly in thought. "Okay...I can see a similar niche on my world. They didn't become sentient, obviously, but similar things occured on earth."

"Good!" Tali laughed lightly. "That means I understood what I read. Also gives you a frame of reference. Now...when the female Binds with the male, it is permanent. And it goes both ways. The male is bound to the females. They live and exist to take care of each other. The first female generally has the strongest Bond, and is the primary mate. The secondary mates are no less real, and no less significant."

"I...see…" John thought for another moment. "And you said there was something about not having several children with one mate?"

"Yes," Tali nodded hesitantly. "That part is a bit more biological, which is not my specialty, but basically, quarian females only give birth to two kits, once in their life."

"So...all quarians are twins?" John's eyes widened slightly. "How does that even work?"

"Ha ha!" Tali laughed leaned back against the couch. "I assume the same ways it works for humans. Which, as far as I am aware, are the only other species that can have two children at once. But, the point is, that when a quarian female gives birth, the entire...reproductive...area, is ejected. I mean...we can still mate for pleasure and all that, we just can only have young once."

"You have a twin?" John raised an eyebrow as he smirked.

"John!" Tali slapped at him, laughing. "No! There is only me. It's how the Fleet has...changed us." Tali's voice lost some of its joy as she spoke. "We have to keep the population at a certain level. If it gets too high, we have food issues. Too low, and we could die out. Plus with our suits, it changes how long Bondings can take. And makes secondary bondings even more difficult. To the point that multiple mates is slightly below average. We also...well, there is something they do that limits the females to a single birth."

"Oh…" John winced slightly. "I didn't mean…"

Tali held up a hand. "There is no way for you to learn if you don't ask. Besides...I think you might have a vested interest in my people?"

With a grin, John slid closer to Tali and wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer to him. "You seem to have gotten more aggressive."

"Mmm," Tali's hand slid over John's chest as she looked down demure. "It's...it's part of the certainty of Bonding. I know you don't feel it the way I do, but you feel some of it. That...makes me so happy...I Love you!"

"I love you too," John whispered as he let his forehead tap her visor. "Forever and ever. Until we are in the arms of the goddess and beyond."

"That reminds me...I'll have to teach you a proper spirituality…." Tali giggled as she leaned against her Bond mate, feeling his strength. His warmth. Just feeling...him.

Jane

Sitting in the mess and happily eating a solid sandwich, Jane felt very proud of herself. Those two asshats were either going to figure each other out, or she would keep stuffing them back in until they did.

"Excuse me, Captain Shepard?" Edi's voice broke her reverie.

"Hey there, what can I do for you?" Jane looked at the ceiling.

"You do not need to look at me to speak," Edi explained with a seemingly confused tone. "You are technically the highest ranked officer aboard the Normandy, behind your brother. As such, I feel I should inform you that we have received word from Professor Mordin Solus. Xera'Raan has regained consciousness and should be recovered enough for travel by the time we can arrive at the station to pick them up."

A slow grin spread across Jane's face as she stood, throwing her arms up with a resounding, "YES!"

"Also, the Professor has stated that his anti-toxin to counter the Collector swarms is ready."

"Alright," Jane nodded as she began scooping her scrambled eggs into her ham sandwich. "I'll go inform Admiral Raan. She can expedite a new enviro-suit for Xera. If you have it, send me the specs for her damaged one, and we can get the sections needed faster than a whole new suit!"

"Very well, Captain Shepard, don't forget your visor."

"Mmm," Jane waved a half hand at the ceiling as she turned back to grab her visor. "Fnk yrr," she said around a mouthful of food.

Edi sounded pleased as she spoke, "Logging you out."

Garrus

"Alright, Garrus, old boy, just go over there. Ring the door. Have a chat. Say thank you to the nice lady for hate punching the scary robot to death for you," the turian spoke to himself. As he stood in the gunnery room. Alone. Calibrating. Again.

"Don't be an ass Garrus," he answered himself. "Turns out she wasn't so bad. For a human supremacist bent on galactic domination."

"Yeah, but she also brought your best friend back from the dead to save your ass on Omega," Vakarian, as Garrus decided the 'good' side would be called.

"Shut it," Garrus snorted. "I don't want to hear 'logic' or 'common decency'! I'm trying to be a battle hardened, smooth, ladies turian. I don't have any issue with cross species romance. I just don't see the appeal."

"Yes you do," Vakarian shook his head with a sigh. "The appeal is the curve. Where the torso kinda sweeps in. Then there is that flare of the hips…."

"Mister Vakarian," Edi blipped up.

"Gahh!" Garrus stumbled back from the control panel, hit the small rail around the guns and promptly cracked the back of his head on the lowering arms. He then fell to the floor, curled up in a little ball and whimpered.

"..." Edi hovered for a moment, seemingly unsure what to do. "Should I request a medic?" she asked at last.

"I'm fine," he groaned. "I'm just going to lay here, maybe take a nap."

"I see," Edi's orb almost looked like it...nodded? "Should I tell Miss Lawson to come at a later time?"

Two, three fingered hands grabbed the control panel and drug the turian up to eye level with the orb. "She's coming here?"

"Yes, Miss Lawson intends to go over the needed material for the upgrades to the main guns," Edi informed him. "She also would like your input on the proper calibration with the new cyclonic shields that Tali installed."

"Calibrating, yeah, yeah I can do that!" Garrus grinned. "I can calibrate the crap outta stuff!"

"...Then should I inform Miss Lawson you are available?"

"Umm…" Garrus looked around and began madly putting tools away. "Gimmie five...wait..ten..yeah, ten minutes."

"Very well, Mister Vakarian, Logging you out."

Miranda

"Miss Lawson?" Edi appeared on her desk.

"Mmm, yes Edi?" Miranda didn't look up from the pair of datapads she was alternating between. Was it really so bloody difficult to find a way to seal and pressurized a damned cabin? This was the frigging Normandy! It was the most advanced ship in Citadel space! Making a room into a clean room shouldn't be so damned hard!

Why was she even doing this? Shepard had no idea that everybody knew about him and Tali. Neither did the quarian, really. It was part of what made the couple so tooth rotting adorable. For a while. It took Shepard's sister, literally beating him into submission to get it going.

And now, here Miranda sat, trying to find a way to help them be together. Shepard. And an alien. The exact thing that she was under orders to seduce the man away from. "Bollocks," she muttered.

"Mister Vakarian has time if you would like to discuss the main gun requisitions," Edi informed her. "He also might be able to help with the cyclonic shield calibrations."

"Ah! Brilliant!" Miranda grinned and dropped the data pads to her desk along with her under rimmed reading glasses. Not that she actually needed the glasses, they just made her feel smarter. And she looked amazing in them. As normal. "Did he mention when he would be available?"

"I believe ten minutes would be optimal," Edi responded. Though there was an odd undertone of...self satisfaction?

No, Miranda was imagining things. Edi was an AI, and was thus, incapable of emotion. "Thank you Edi," Miranda smiled as she stood, looking into a mirror to adjust her hair. It wouldn't do to go out of her office with a messy look, after all.

"Certainly, Miss Lawson. Logging you out."

There was that tone again. Maybe she should run a diagnostic on Edi's vocal sub-routines….

Quarian Lexicon

Spri'tio: A refrigerant used in the core of some of the older quarian ships. Used like 'getting hit with a bucket of cold water'.