Last time on Future Imperfect: The gang helped Miranda save Oriana from Henry Lawson, relocating the family to Horizon to help build and run Sanctuary. Nihlus and Miranda got thrown around by Henry Lawson's surprisingly strong biotics. As they took Nihlus back to the ship for treatment, he revealed that he'd intended to pull off the perfect wedding for Shepard.

Amiala - Grandmother (Familiar form Ama)

Patrem - Father (Familiar form Pari equivalent to dad)

Matrula - Mother (Familiar form Mari equivalent to mom)

Fratrin - Brother, but one of honour, friendship, or of oath rather than one of blood relation. Refers to the bond of karifratrus.

Caris - Beloved, precious, cherished

Derra - Wife. Female bond-mate.

Verro - Husband, male bond-mate.

Obluvis - plural Obluvi. One who is senile or absent-minded. Slang: Idiot

89 Days ASR (Horizon)

~Garrus~

Garrus slipped out of bed before the other two woke. The world outside the window remained dark and silent, unwilling to release the cool peace of night. As much as he'd love to curl around Shepard and go back to sleep until the sun appeared, he needed to get his machinations rolling before everyone woke and the day stripped away any chance of secrecy.

Dressing to the cacophonous tune of Nihlus and Shepard's mismatched snoring, he wondered how the three of them got any sleep. The walls practically shook with the vibrations. Of course, it might be a matter of cancelling each other out … like a deafening white noise generator.

He paused, standing over the bed as Shepard muttered a little and rolled over, curling in next to Nihlus. Spirits, where had their life come from? He'd never imagined anything like it. With his former career, he figured on being single, working too many hours to have time for anything more than drinks with colleagues. But wasn't it beautiful, the picture spread before him? And then Izzy …. He couldn't have dreamed feeling so much love.

Leaning over the bed, he nuzzled Shepard's ear, filling up on her scent, the soft whisper of her heartbeat.

"Mmm." Unfocused eyes blinked up at him. "Callor? You okay?"

"Perfect," he whispered against her lips. He kissed her, her breath so warm against his hide that he just drifted there, savouring it. Finally, he whispered, "Go back to sleep, Kahri."

She nuzzled him, the tip of her nose cool against his cheekbone. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He closed his eyes and kissed her again before pushing himself straight.

Nihlus grumbled and rolled over, gathering Shepard into his arms. Tilting his head toward Garrus, the Spectre made a sorry facsimile of kissy lips, smacking his mouth plates together. "Where's my kiss? Don't you love me, too?"

Garrus chuckled. "Go back to sleep, obluvis."

The general crept out the door of the prefab and into the chill dampness of early morning. Making his way across the colony, he smiled and drew in deep lungfuls of air, the scents of grass and budding leaves heavenly after the endless ozone of recycled and filtered air. Spirits, he missed it. Most every day during his cycles at C-Sec, he headed out to the presidium to eat his lunch, preferring the fake sunlight and real grass to the street lights and cement of the parks in the wards.

The gardens Archangel created on Omega didn't manage the same open feeling of paradise, but as a place of sanity and centering, they'd served him well. He hoped they were replanted by the time he returned. Some days his will to continue the battle had hinged on sitting next to the small stream that wandered through the space. For those moments he didn't need to do or be anything. All he needed to do was breathe in the flowers and watch the fish flit through the water.

"Good morning, General."

He looked up, jolted from his thoughts. Still, a genuine smile greeted Oriana Lawson … Ferrer. "Good morning, Ms. Ferrer. Did you sleep well?"

When they arrived at Horizon, Shepard asked the protheans to house the younger Lawson sister and her family down in the lower levels of the prothean base. She believed that the shielding protecting the Crucible might disguise Oriana's tracker signal as well. Garrus hoped so. Bastards didn't come more ruthless than Henry Lawson.

Oriana chuckled, falling in next to him as he continued to the shuttles. "Surprisingly enough, I did, despite discovering I have a megalomaniac biological father who can track me anywhere due to a radioactive marker he embedded in my DNA." She grinned up at him, far more cheery than anyone had a right to be under the circumstances. Maybe it was shock? "Maybe it's because I also found a sister."

Spinning a sudden circle, she threw her arms wide. "Maybe it's because we're here on this gorgeous planet, not a city in sight, and my parents have dived into Sanctuary with so much passion. They're overjoyed to be doing something pure." She shrugged, her smile one of absolute relief. "I know working for Cerberus weighed on them, regardless of how distant the association was."

Garrus gripped her shoulder. "I'm glad, we'll need the facility far sooner than we're prepared for." Squeezing it, he smiled. "But not today. Today we take a day off." Lifting his hand, he waved to the others already gathered at the shuttles. Yeah, that day, they all just needed to relax.

Miranda hurried to Oriana, and checked her sister over while peppering the young woman with questions.

Oriana chuckled and grabbed Miranda's shoulders. "You're the one he threw off the top of an arcology, not me. I had a wall of turian and drell protecting me the entire time." She drew Miranda into a hug. "Relax. We're here. We're safe, and the sun is starting to come up. It's going to be a beautiful day."

Laughing softly, Miranda nodded. "Very well." Gathering her sister in against her side, she guided the young woman toward the shuttle. "It's been a hard couple of weeks, I suppose we all deserve a party before taking on the collectors."

"Indeed," Garrus agreed, his smile cold, his eyes solid ice as he met Miranda's gaze. For Shepard and Nihlus's sakes he could be civil, if only just. And she spoke the truth. They did deserve a chance to celebrate, none more than Shepard and Nihlus.

When Nihlus called him aside in the medbay, bemoaning the fate of his beautifully arranged wedding venue on the beach outside Nos Astra, Garrus agreed to go and salvage everything before the guards decided they'd been abandoned. When he'd seen the gossamer tents and the flowers … the sheer love Nihlus had poured into making the day special for Shepard, Garrus knew he needed to do something to make up for his fratrin's disappointment.

Hence, heading out before dawn to a lake the locals claimed was one of the most beautiful places in the galaxy. For it being far too early in the morning, a good crowd of volunteers stood next to the shuttles ready to get to work.

"I'm here under protest," Bunny shouted above everyone's cheery greetings. She waited until all eyes fixed on her before slamming her arms down over her chest. She stabbed her mother with a sharpened scowl when Lucy patted her back, a gentle rebuke. "What? Am I the only one who thinks the greedy bitch already has a perfectly good husband?"

Garrus shrugged, throwing his arms wide. "I know, why mess with perfection, right?" He gave her a gentle shove toward the hatch. "Just get on the shuttle, problem child." He chuckled at the string of muttered obscenities that answered him and followed her in, gripping one of the handles along the shuttle's roof.

A soft touch brushed the outside of his hand, drawing his attention down to his mari, her stare warm, the love looking up at him tangible.

He took her hand, gripping her talons as the shuttle lifted off. "I didn't know you were coming along." Releasing her, he caressed her face. "You're looking so good. The treatments—" He chuckled and shook his head, love and amazement tangling around the base of his tongue. As much as he'd held out hope for the salarian doctor's treatment, he never expected the difference to be so drastic. The corners of his eyes prickled, emotion lowering his intelligence to blathering level. "You just look so good."

Her mandibles flicked, her smile light and free of pain. "So you've said … ten or twelve times, now." She nodded and shifted a little in her chair, as if testing for any hidden aches. "I am pain-free." A shrug rolled across her shoulders. "I can't lie and say that I'm back to my old self, and I really don't enjoy Omega." She pressed his hand to her cheek. "But it's a small discomfort if spending the next cycle on that rock allows me to be around for days like this."

Garrus nodded. "Izzy is going to need both her amas." The shuttle settled into level flight and he crouched in front of his mari, his hands on her knees. "And I spent far too long away from you." Leaning in, he touched his brow to hers. "Omega may be a dirty old rock, but I'm glad you, Pari, and Sol are so close."

She leaned into him, her warmth a revelation in the moment. Why had he stayed away, letting his entire family deal with the fear and dread of her deteriorating health?

No. He clenched his teeth and nuzzled her brow. That belonged in the past. All it could do was sour the present, and in the present, his fratrin and his bond-mate deserved a beautiful day.

Shifting back into his crouch, he grinned at her. "This production could use a foreperson. You up to the challenge?"

She winked. "Boss everyone around while I sit here and look officious? It's the career I've been training for since you were born."

When the shuttle landed, Garrus and his father helped steady his mari's chair until it hovered above the green, wild meadow. Straightening, he looked out over the glistening grass and the flowers bobbing in the breeze, buds tipped toward the horizon, awaiting the sun. Pristine green-blue waters glistened in the shadow of the mountain, the still depths fed by a glacial river pouring down the side of a distant mountain, its height lost in the wispy clouds.

"Don't let her pretty face fool you," one of the shuttle pilots said, already carrying the first load of supplies off his boat. "As soon as the sun hits overhead, you'll all be swearing that the grass is a mirage, and you're stranded in the desert."

Garrus chuckled at the flowery language coming from the block of a man, his neck hunched down into his shoulders, his body built wide and almost straight down from his shoulders. "Good to know before we're roasting in our suits."

Turning toward the sun, he shaded his eyes and looked at the horizon. They had a few hours before the planet started cooking them. Anyway, he thanked his foresight of bringing all the large fans from Illium. Even under the shade of the tents, they'd need air moving through the evening, especially if they danced … and he intended to dance with his bond-mate and to make sure her new verro danced until he wore through his boots.

"Still protesting, if you care," Bunny called, snatching him from the moment of joy. She marched past him with a duffel slung over her shoulder. Sticking her tongue out at him, she flounced off.

If only she realized how adorable her attitude-filled flouncing looked and how ridiculous. He turned to Kaidan and winked. Garrus grinned as Kaidan nodded and strode past him, following Bunny to the lakeside. The kid didn't stand a chance against Sparky. Well, unless she got him blushing, and he started on fire.

"So," Kaidan called, "you're the whiny, pain in the ass sister?" He jogged up beside the teenager and looked her up and down. "I thought you'd be … I don't know …" He shrugged. "... younger judging by the stories of your temper tantrums." A heavy sigh announced his disappointment. "And … if you were a bad ass, I guess I expected someone more impressive."

Garrus followed, closing the distance as Kaidan upped the chance of being attacked by a rabid nineteen-year-old.

Instead of hitting him, Bunny brayed a single, forced laugh. "Oh, no, the pretty boy doesn't think I'm impressive." She clapped one hand over her heart and stumbled a little as she said, "However will I ever recover from how few fucks I give?" She shook her head. "Go tell the general that I don't need my sister's friends following me around telling me how amazing she is. I agreed not to kill her."

Kaidan laughed. "Oh, you're going to be a lot of fun." He turned toward her, walking sideways as he said, "Bring it, kid. I can take whatever you can dish out."

Garrus grinned, his heart light, spirits high. It looked to be a wonderful day.

~Shepard~

At some point Shepard must have moved around enough to disturb Nihlus. Little wonder, her dreams chased her in circles, the face of the enemy morphing from the Illusive Man to collectors and the dark, terrible voice that reached into her from the swarm. Now and again, Amalair whispered to her of destiny and sacrifice, those phantasms more terrifying than the ones where she hammered at an invisible wall, trying to reach Garrus and Nihlus … all her loved ones on the other side. Yes, the dreams of being some predestined savior tore bigger pieces from her than the ones where she huddled frozen in a drift of ash, sweating and shaking, obsessed with nothing outside of getting another hit while the world burned around her, the dying screaming her name.

The early, soft gold of the sun streamed across their bed when she woke again. Nihlus had turned over to face her, his arms holding her tucked in against him. Not that she felt any need to complain. Instead, she snuggled in tighter, slipping a foot between his calves.

"Stop wriggling," he mumbled, nuzzling her brow. "Some people are trying to sleep in." Still, his arms tightened around her, one broad, warm palm rubbing her back in sleepy circles. "Go back to sleep. I've got you."

Shepard squeezed her eyes tight and swallowed, bracing against the fist closing around her throat. He did, and he always had. Even in the days when they could barely stand to be on the same planet, he'd always been right there if she needed him. Wiping her sweaty face on her sleeve, she tried to beat down the demon and just be there with him in the moment.

"I don't want to sleep, I want to snuggle," she wheedled and kissed his chin. Sweet baby Jesus, he smelled good … almost magical. Like the morning. The sun remained low and cool, not warm enough to dry the dew-laden grass sweetening the breeze wafting in the open window. How long had it been since she'd woken up breathing anything but canned air?

She drew in another deep breath, savouring the scents of summer and the torin in her arms. Spirits, she could survive forever just feasting on that air.

Letting out a long sigh, she whispered, "It's still early. We're on a planet. There's real sunlight and an honest-to-Enkindlers breeze blowing in our window." She stretched in the circle of his arms, her body letting out a long wail in protest. "It's a perfect morning to get in some serious snuggling time."

He chuckled and tucked her in under his chin. "So it is. And we do have a lot of rushed mornings to make up for." Letting out a long breath, he continued caressing her, the heel of his hand massaging along her spine, his rhythm easing the sizzling of her nerves and helping her relax the muscles in her jaw. "I'd hoped to be waking up next to my bond-mate this morning."

Shepard leaned back into the soft support of her pillows and looked up into his eyes. "That was your big secret, wasn't it? You wanted to surprise me with a perfect day where we had our date." She reached up, the plates of his face as rough as they were cherished under her hand. "Our day will come, old guy." Her thumb brushed the length of his nose. "For now, it's a beautiful day, and we are all alone in bed." She ducked her head down a little, looking up at him from under heavy lids. Wriggling her brows, she caught the corner of her bottom lip between her canines. "You know … we could maybe—"

"Have the bed all to ourselves to spread out and go back to sleep?" he asked, leaning up. "Excellent idea." Bracing his hands against her shoulder and hip, he pushed her over to Garrus's side of the bed. Flopping on his back, he stretched out, one arm splayed across her chest. "Oh yeah, that's so much better."

Beating down a grin, Shepard kicked him and shoved his arm onto the mattress. "You're terrible." Throwing back the covers, she sat on the side of the bed, chin lifted, arms slammed down over her chest. When he dragged a single talon pad down the line of her spine, her skin prickled in a delicious, honey wash of goosepimples. Still, she just shook her head. "Nope. You're a poophead. I think I will go find a nice spot in the sun and begin writing my memoirs, Holy, Glowing Enkindler Buttocks: The Jane Shepard Story."

A full, throaty laugh rolled across the open expanse of wrinkled, white cotton, subvocals impacting her skin in vibrating waves of love and joy. Hands snatched her shoulders, talon points pricking ever so slightly as Nihlus tugged her back into his arms.

She landed laying across his lap, the edges of his plates cutting across her wounds, but other than sorting herself, she set aside the pain and the early morning trembling of her hands. Instead, she grinned up at him, stare basking in his eyes' brilliant glimmer. It never failed to amaze her how far he … how far they'd both come in two years.

Leaning up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to whisper against his mouth, "Oh my, look who's getting all take charge and domineering." Closing her eyes, she savoured the intoxicating texture of his hide and plates where they brushed bare skin, and drew in a deep breath of his scent. The usual spice-laden desert breeze drifted over the slight, but masculine, musk of sleep. It crept along her veins, settling into her muscle and bone, offsetting their pained trembling with a slow, delicious pulse.

His mandibles tickled her cheeks as they fluttered. "Like the dominant type, do you?" He kissed her, long and slow, the plates of his mouth pressing into her hers, tongue caressing her lips with an almost reverent touch. "Who would have guessed Jane Shepard had such a submissive, squishy, romantic side?" he whispered.

"I'm an enigma," she replied, leaning up to deepen the kiss for a moment. Tipping her head in a slight shrug, she pulled back just enough for air to move between them. "And I like you. You know, a little bit, even though you're a jerk."

Closing the hair's breadth between them, Nihlus rested his brow against hers. "I thought we were supposed to be snuggling, not playing 'bait the turian.'"

"You were the one who wanted the bed all to yourself." Shepard wriggled loose and sat up. "And now you've distracted me from snuggling long enough that I have to pee." She swallowed a hard ball of guilt at the partial truth, but if she put it off any longer, she wouldn't be able to see or feel anything beyond the pain. Happy or not, her damned body needed to heal a hell of a lot faster.

A lazy hand slid down the length of her spine. "Hurry back, the bed's getting cold."

She tossed a grin back over her shoulder then yelped as her toes hit the floor. "Holy, blessed, mating-tree of the ancestral Enkindlers, this floor is freezing." She ran to the bathroom, hopping over their armour and baggage. The bathroom floor, while no warmer, at least boasted a thick, fluffy bath mat. Once her rimy toes burrowed down into the rug's shag, she doubted she'd convince them to leave it. Of course, walking back to the bed with a rug dragging between her legs hardly painted a sexy picture. In fact it would look far too much like the way she ran to get to the toilet, stripped down to her undies after being away on a mission for eight hours, then dragging a towel back to mop up the inevitable oopsies.

Ahhh … the classy life of an undead Spectre. Maybe Miranda could give her a bladder-size upgrade.

She dug under the folded towels, extracting her case of syringes with care not to make a lot of suspicious non-peeing noises. In fact, since she was hopping around, thighs squeezed together, she really needed to reassess her priorities. She wriggled out of her shorts and plunked down on the toilet, the syringe case balanced on her knees.

The door opened, and she jumped, sending the case crashing to the metal floor. Syringes scattered everywhere as Nihlus stepped across the threshold.

"Nihlus!" She snatched her shorts from her calves and yanked them up as far as she could get them. "I'm peeing!"

He shrugged and crouched to pick up the metal container, placing the painkillers back inside as he gathered them up. "I've seen you wearing a lot less."

She gave him a shove toward the door. "That's not the point." Although, what was the point when she'd squatted beside Marines over holes she'd helped dig and fill in? Grumbling, she glared at him, but didn't press the issue. Maybe her embarrassment leaned closer to his seeing her stash than seeing her tinkle.

Once Nihlus gathered up all the injections, he crouched at her knees and removed one from the case. Hands resting on her thighs, he stared into her eyes. "Which pain are these treating?"

Shepard opened her mouth and took a breath, preparing to give him the standard explanation about the pain her wounds inflicted every second of every day. Instead, Nihlus shook his head and pressed a talon pad over her lips.

"Listen, I'm the last person to tell someone they can't treat their pain any way they need to, and you're as sharp as ever on the field." He stroked the outside of her thigh with the back of his talon. "Anyone further away than Garrus and I wouldn't even know anything was going on."

She leaned forward, all embarrassment forgotten as she pressed her brow against Nihlus's. "No lecture about the evils of opiate addiction?"

Tilting his head up, he nuzzled her cheek. "Never, but it might be a good idea if we go to Karin and explain the amount of pain you're in. Maybe she can give you a stronger dose of something non-narcotic." He dropped the morphine back into the case. "We could do that now."

Shepard cradled his face between her hands, her stare locked onto his. "I need to stay functional, caris. I can't afford to break down or sit by and wait for the wounds to heal." She caressed his cheekbones, the hide rough and so warm. "I love you."

He kissed her, a chaste brush of mouth plates against her lips. "And I love you, always … no matter what." Another kiss, that one fanning some air onto the fire, before he continued, "I need you to remember and believe that, and don't hide this from me."

Eyes closing, he leaned his brow against hers, the deep … settled … feeling of his spirit taking root in her chest, her heart aching even while the pain and need eased. "In fact, will you do something for me?"

Shepard choked on the storm cloud of tears and snot looming on the horizon. "Anything. Always." The words came out thick, stumbling over her tongue, but a soft flicker of his mandibles told her that he understood.

"I don't think hiding and taking them is healthy for you mentally. It's too close to drug addict behavior. Let me keep them to make you accountable and aware of how often you use them. When you need a shot, let me give it to you. Okay?" His hand cradled the back of her neck, thumb caressing her hairline. "I won't refuse, unless it actually endangers you, and even then, we'll go see Chakwas or Mordin for another solution."

He sighed and leaned in to touch his nose to hers. "There's no judgement at all. I just don't want to start our lives together with this wall between us." He deepened the embrace, whispering against her lips, "And I really don't want you to feel like you're returning to that scared, desperate kid, living to take her next hit."

A soft, grateful sob broke from Shepard's lips as she threw her arms around him. Dear, sweet baby Jesus, what had she ever done to earn the love of two such remarkable torins? She nodded, her words drowning behind the dam that held back the deluge.

"Thank you." He eased his way out of her grip. "Finish up in here, and we'll head down to talk to the docs." Another kiss, a bright grin blossoming in its wake. "Now we're definitely as good as bonded. We've kissed with one of us sitting on the toilet."

Bright laughter teased a warm blush across her nose. "All right, smart guy, go get dressed. I'll be out in a second."

He stood. "Don't shower without me. We'll see the docs, have some breakfast out under the sun, and then I'll wash your back." A loving hand stroked the angle of her jaw. "I still intend to get some serious quality time with you even if we're not on our honeymoon."

Shepard grasped his hand between both of hers and drew it to her lips to kiss his knuckles. "I love the sound of that." Releasing him, she waved her hands, shooing him toward the door. "Now, scram and let me get off the damn toilet before my legs go to sleep."

Once the door closed behind him, she finished up, pausing to wipe away the blood left behind by the wound on her right thigh. Damn wounds. Someone needed to invent something to heal them and fast.

An hour later, she and Nihlus sat out on the balcony of the house, a variety of fruits, meats, cheeses, fresh bread, butter, and homemade preserves in both chiralities laid out. Shepard stared at the spread, a broad grin greeting the variety of things the colonists and the Sanctuary Project produced.

"I think I need to live here," she said, holding up a scone to inhale the gorgeous, toasty scent. "This is heaven. I just want to sit here for the next hundred and twenty years and eat." She sliced it open and spread an egregious amount of butter across the steaming surface. Doing her best impersonation of a forty-five kilo cat on a sunny porch, she let out a throaty purr as she closed her eyes to take the first bite. Heaven. Sweet, buttery heaven.

"Oh, my Lord." She groaned around the mouthful, giving Nihlus a crumb-coated smile. "I've changed my mind, caris. I'm marrying this scone."

"I refuse to share my derra with a pastry," her verro said from the doorway behind her.

She shrugged without turning to look at Garrus, feigning nonchalance despite how hard and fast her heart leaped at the sound of his voice. "I guess that means I'm totally cheating on you right now." She took another bite. "Mmm, sweet, succulent infidelity."

Garrus leaned down and nuzzled Shepard's ear, his breath tickling her skin into goose pimples as he replied, "My only solace lies in the knowledge that the scone won't survive the morning."

She turned and pressed a buttery kiss to his mandible. "It will be lucky to survive the next ten minutes, especially if I put some of that apple butter on it."

"This joke is going somewhere disturbing." Garrus stepped around to sit on her right hand side. "Eat all day, if you must," he said, stretching up to survey the dextro dishes, "but I've set something up for supper. A shuttle will pick us up at the landing at 1800." He began picking through the dishes, a slow cascade of happy, pleasure noises building until he sat back and stared at his heaped plate as if admiring a fine work of art ... or a display case of latest mods for his rifles. Probably the latter.

"You're not going to be hungry for your own supper surprise," Shepard teased. Scone forgotten on her plate, she reached out to caress his cheek and down the length of his neck. "Is that where you disappeared to before the sun rose?"

Garrus shrugged but leaned into her touch. "I took the kids for a run out: a team-building exercise." He dug into his breakfast, glancing up at Shepard then Nihlus. "What did you two do? Sleep in?"

Shepard chuckled and shook her head. "Not as long as Nihlus would have liked. Instead, we headed over to the base and talked to Karin and Mordin about my pain levels." When Garrus stopped and set down his utensil, she followed suit to focus on him. He deserved that. "Nihlus assured me that you knew as well as he did that I was taking extra meds to keep the pain under control."

Garrus nodded and put his hand on the table, palm up in offering. When she laced her fingers through his, he let out a long breath. "From the beginning, yes." He squeezed her hand. "But, you've had real reason, and you're handling it."

Staring into her husband's eyes, Shepard found herself completely speechless. Every single thought died halfway through, washed away by gratitude and love. A love longer and wider and deeper than she ever imagined existed, the absolute trust in his gaze blowing her away.

"Karin adjusted her meds and gave us a better quality medication to use if the pain becomes overwhelming," Nihlus continued. Bless him for buying her time. He placed a container on the table and slid it over next to Shepard's plate. "Jane and I made a deal that when she needs a shot, she'll come to me, and I'll give it to her."

"No secrets," Shepard said, finally squeezing sound through the atom-wide fissure. "Accountability." She picked up the container and held it out to Garrus. "I'd like you to have one as well, but you don't need to if you're uncomfortable with it."

The expression on her husband's face as he plucked the case from her hand said everything she ever needed to know about the two of them. Still his mandibles fluttered, and he nodded. "It's my privilege." He placed the case next to his plate then caressed her face. "I'm glad you're letting us into this. I know you worry about being a burden or stress, but it's better to know exactly what's going on."

Shepard lifted up to kiss him. "Thank you, Callor. You're the very best husband in the entire galaxy."

"I know." He grinned and pushed her back into her chair, her butt thumping onto the cushion. "Now, sit down and let's finish vacuuming up this amazing breakfast. Big day ahead."

(A-N: And it's still alive. I wish there was a way to have a mailing list to let people know when I get sidetracked or sidelined. I'm sincerely hoping to get this baby back to once a week, at least. We're so close. :D Thanks for sticking with me. I truly appreciate it.)