Inside the Normandy's captain's cabin, Shepard was putting the final touches on his Alliance dress uniform. All the while he was looking at the man staring back at him in the mirror. He wanted to see the face of man who was slightly nervous but happy about what was coming. Instead all he saw was a depressed man. The thought of losing Zaeed and Grunt was still on his mind. Shepard then turned on the sink and rinsed his face with warm water. It was his hope that the water might clear his head. Unfortunately it didn't.
Shepard was so distracted that he didn't hear his cabin door open. Nor did he hear his turian friend, and former squadmate, Garrus Vakarian enter. Garrus was one of the few people who had been on Shepard's crew throughout the entire conflict with the Reapers. During that time, he became one of Shepard's most loyal squadmates and closest friends. Now Garrus was there for Shepard once again. This time it was to fill a role that required him to wear a formal outfit similar to the one he wore when he and Shepard hung out at the Silver Coast Casino on the Citadel. The main difference between the two was this one was colored blue.
"I know I'm still not quite familiar with my duties as best man," he said, "but I'm fairly confident one of them is informing you that the guests are all seated and we are ready to begin the ceremony."
Shepard just remained staring at the mirror.
"Are you alright Shepard?" Garrus asked.
"Hmm?" Shepard said after finally noticing Garrus standing nearby, "oh I'm fine thanks. I'll be down in a minute."
Garrus didn't show any sign he was convinced, "Come on Shepard. You and I have known each other long enough that I can tell when something is bothering you."
Shepard sighed, "There are going to be two empty seats down there Garrus. I just can't believe that Zaeed and Grunt are gone."
Garrus stepped towards Shepard, "I know. Both of them were tough bastards. I didn't think anything could have taken them down. But there was nothing you could have done to save them. I know it's tough to think about but I'm sure the last thing the two of them would have wanted would be to have their deaths ruin your spirits on your wedding day. Have you seen Ashley in her dress yet?"
Shepard looked at Garrus confused, "of course not. There's a superstition that says a groom can't see the bride in her dress before the wedding."
Garrus smiled and then put a hand on Shepard's shoulder, "Good. Now I know you will soon feel better."
"What do you mean?"
"When you look down that aisle and you see Ashley in her wedding dress for the first time, I guarantee that you will be so mesmerized by her beauty that you won't be able to keep yourself from smiling."
Shepard chuckled and a small smile began to grow on his face. Garrus always knew what to say to help lift his spirits. He gave Garrus a pat on the back as a thank you and the two of them walked out of the cabin and rode the elevator down to the cargo bay.
Back when Shepard proposed to Ashley, it was suggested by the crew that they could get married on the Normandy. Laughing it off at first, Shepard and Ashley decided that the Normandy was the best choice. It was also decided that they would be docked on Earth, the homeworld of humanity and Shepard. The plan was after the ceremony ended, Shepard and Ashley would have Cortez pilot the getaway shuttle and take them on a lap around Earth. They would then return for the reception on the Normandy's crew deck.
The Normandy's cargo bay was chosen as the wedding venue because it was the only spot on the Normandy big enough to accommodate all the guests that had been invited. It was also easier for Shepard to avoid seeing Ashley by not giving him a reason to go to the crew deck where Ashley's XO cabin was located. All kinds of decorations covered the cargo bay. Even the shuttle was decorated for its role as the getaway vehicle. Also in the cargo bay was a curtain that draped across the armory area so that the wedding party could all step off the elevator at once but not be seen until they marched down the aisle for the procession.
Shepard stood at the end of the bay near the cargo doors. Next to him was the minister that he and Ashley hired to perform the ceremony. Since he and Ashley were both religious people they wanted their marriage recognized not just by the Alliance, but by God as well. Behind Shepard and the minister was a raised platform that they would step on with Ashley after she was given away. Shepard then scanned the crowd and saw it was filled with so many familiar faces:
· Miranda Lawson and her sister Oriana
· Jacob Taylor and his wife Brynn and their baby daughter Jane
· Samara
· Kasumi Goto
· Jack
· Lieutenant James Vega
· Wrex's wife Urdnot Bakara and their baby son Urdnot Mordin
· Kelly Chambers
· Dr. Chakwas, Lieutenant Greg Adams, Engineer Kenneth Donnelly, Engineer Gabriella Daniels, Lieutenant Steve Cortez, Comm. Specialist Samantha Traynor and all other currently serving crew members on the Normandy
· Feron, Liara's boyfriend
· C-Sec Commander Armando-Owen Bailey
· Dr. Chloe Michel
· Ashley's sisters: Lynn and Sarah
· Councilor Steven Hackett, Councilor Tevos and all the other Citadel Councilors
It was then Shepard noticed the two empty seats that were supposed to be filled by Grunt and Zaeed. With all the other seats being filled it was hard not miss the empty ones. Just a few days ago they were both alive and well and could have been there. It was taking a lot of effort for him to keep the smile on his face.
Fortunately, Shepard's thoughts were interrupted when the "Processional" began playing over the intercom. He looked down the aisle to see the curtain was opening to reveal the wedding party. The first to enter was Joker and Ashley's sister Abby. Joker was wearing his Alliance dress uniform and Abby was in a blue bridesmaid dress. They began their march walking side by side but Joker's Vrolik Syndrome made him unable to move very fast.
The next pair to enter was Wrex and Ambassador Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, a quarian and another one of Shepard's former squadmates. Wrex was wearing the blue colored outfit that was the krogan equivalent of formal wear. When Wrex learned he had to wear formal wear for the wedding, he insisted that he looked ridiculous in it and wanted to wear his battle armor instead. But when confronted by "bridezilla" Ashley, Wrex decided that he didn't look as bad in formal wear like he originally thought. Tali was wearing a similar dress to Abby's and, in a sight unseen by anyone in the crew except Shepard and Garrus, she wasn't wearing her mask. Thanks to the upgrades the geth had given her people before the Crucible destroyed them, her immune system had been improved to the point that she could go long periods of time without her mask.
The final pair to enter was Garrus and Liara, the best man and maid of honor respectively. Liara was wearing the same blue dress as Tali and Abby. Fortunately it was a shade of blue that did not blend in with her blue skin.
The music silenced when Garrus and Liara reached the end of the aisle. Then the song "Here Comes the Bride" began to play and everyone in the audience rose and turned to face the curtained off armory. Shepard was taking a few quick nervous breaths in anticipation of what was behind the curtain. Garrus noticed and gave Shepard an encouraging pat on the back. Finally the curtain was drawn back and the biggest smile Shepard ever had on his face began to appear.
There, standing at the end of the aisle, was Ashley in the most beautiful wedding gown Shepard had ever seen. It was a pure white color with a mermaid shape. The shoulders were see-through with some opaque flower patterns. She was also wearing gloves that ran halfway up her upper arms. Finally she had a veil that ran a little more than halfway down her back. Shepard realized that Garrus was right. He couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Despite the veil covering Ashley's face, Shepard could see through it just enough to see that she was smiling as well.
Walking Ashley down the aisle was her mother. When Shepard first met her in person, he realized it was no mystery where Ashley got her beauty from. Ashley was the spitting image of her mother. Before that, Shepard had first met Mrs. Williams via vid-com. It was a bit awkward for him because he was in a hospital bed recovering from his injuries sustained during the final battle of the Reaper War and it was also when he asked for Mrs. Williams' permission and blessing to marry Ashley. Despite never having met Shepard before, Mrs. Williams said that based on his reputation and everything Ashley and her sister Sarah had to say about him, she had no doubt he was the perfect fit for her daughter. Now months later, here she was about to give the bride away.
When Ashley and her mother had reached the end of the aisle, the minister asked for all the guests to be seated. He then opened his book and began the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. This is an important moment in their lives. In the time these two have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured. Now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?"
"I do," Mrs. Williams replied.
Mrs. Williams then turned to Ashley and gave her a hug before Ashley took her place next to Shepard. The couple then followed the minister up onto the platform. Once they were in position, the minister asked for Shepard and Ashley to join hands.
"Mark," the minister continued calling Shepard by his first name, "do you take this woman to be your true and wedded wife; to solemnly promise before God and these witnesses to love, cherish, honor and protect her: to forsake all others for her sake; to love her and her alone until death do you part?"
"I do," Shepard replied.
"Ashley, do you take this man to be your true and wedded husband; to solemnly promise before God and these witnesses to love, cherish, honor and protect him, to forsake all others for his sake; to love him and him alone until death do you part?"
"I do," Ashley replied.
"Mark, please repeat these vows after me."
Shepard proceeded to repeat the vows the minister gave him, "I, Mark Shepard, take you, Ashley Williams, to be my lawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."
The minister nodded and asked for Ashley to repeat after him. Ashley's vows consisted of the same words as Shepard as she promised to take him as her lawfully wedded husband. Once she was finished, the minister asked for the rings. Garrus and Liara both handed the minister a ring. The minister gave a ring each to Ashley and Shepard. He then asked them to place a ring on the other's left ring finger while saying the words 'with this ring, I thee wed.' After the rings had been exchanged, the minister gave the final proclamation.
"By the power vested in me by the Systems Alliance and the church of our lord God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Shepard then turned to Ashley and lifted her veil. The smile he could barely make out when it was covered was now clear. He smiled back as their lips came together for their first kiss as husband and wife. The kiss lasted for about five seconds. When their lips parted, they turned to face the crowd while the minister raised his arms before he addressed the crowd.
"Friends, family, honored guests, it is my honor to present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Shepard."
Everyone in the crowd rose to their feet. The crew and Ashley's family were cheering and applauding the loudest. The councilors were doing a simple politicians applause but the smiles on their faces (at least the faces that could be seen) indicated they were genuinely happy for the couple. A few seconds after the applause started, the "Wedding March" began to play over the ship's intercom. Shepard offered Ashley his arm. She happily accepted and they walked down the aisle back towards the curtained off armory. The rest of the wedding party and the minister followed right behind them.
While the wedding party was behind the curtain filling out the marriage license with the minister, the guests gathered to form lines on both sides of the door to the shuttle. Cortez was standing right by the door wearing his Alliance dress uniform minus the hat. Instead he was wearing a hat typical of a 20th century English chauffeur. A limousine the shuttle was not but Cortez thought he'd do his best to look the part. The guests began pulling out vials filled with liquid used for blowing bubbles. It was explained to the non-human guests that in old days, it was customary to throw rice as the couple entered their getaway vehicle. Then it was discovered that rice was fatal to local wildlife so blowing bubbles became the new custom. Finally the wedding party joined the guests in the lines and informed them that Shepard and Ashley would be out any moment.
Suddenly, the armory curtain opened and Shepard and Ashley came running towards the shuttle. The guests began cheering and applauding again. They also began blowing bubbles and soon Shepard and Ashley were speed walking down an aisle of people with bubbles floating above their heads. When they reached shuttle, Cortez held out his hand to help Ashley onto the shuttle. Shepard followed right behind her. As Cortez stepped onto the shuttle to head for the pilot's chair, Shepard and Ashley turned around to wave to the guests while the shuttle door closed. Despite the door being closed, the guests continued to wave as the shuttle began to take off. The cargo doors opened and the shuttle flew towards them and flew away from the Normandy.
As the shuttle began its lap around Earth, Shepard and Ashley took their seats. Cortez had engaged the holographic windows so that they could look out and see the sights of Earth fly by. Shepard alternated his attention between the views outside the shuttle and Ashley's smile. Ever since he first met her on Eden Prime, he saw something special in her. Now here they were as husband and wife. The loss of Zaeed and Grunt was still on his mind but as he leaned in to give Ashley another kiss, he knew that as long as he had her in his life, the future was looking very promising.
Back in their office in an underground bunker, the lone figure nervously tapped their finger on their desk while staring at their comm. terminal. The turian was supposed to have called in to give his final report days ago. The figure knew that they had warned the turian multiple times that it was vital that the operation be a success. Of course they also warned the batarian that phase one had to succeed but then he bungled that one. Another failure and the figure's plan would have no chance of succeeding.
Further adding to the figure's frustration was an Alliance News Network story that was airing on a television screen on the wall to their left. The news anchor had just turned the report over to ANN reporter Diana Allers who announced that Captain Shepard and Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams had tied the knot in a private ceremony aboard the SSV Normandy. The report then cut to some pictures from the wedding that the couple had allowed to be shown. As the pictures of Shepard and Ashley cycled on the screen, the figure's impatience quickly turned into anger.
The figure was about to get up from their desk and give up waiting when a beep suddenly emitted from the terminal. A message was coming through. The figure opened it and was initially concerned when it was discovered that the message was not video or audio. The concern vanished as they began to read the message. As they read, a smile began to appear on their face.
Boss,
If you are reading this message, then, unfortunately for me, I didn't survive the mission. I was right, Commander Santiago's plan was suicide.
I'm sorry if this message took so long to get to you but I had to ensure that this message couldn't be intercepted or traced to your location. So I sent it on a low priority comm. channel. Even if someone were to try and locate the channel, it would take days for them to think of checking this one. By then it will be too late. Believe me though when I say that your waiting for my report was worth it.
Phase two was a success. All objectives have been accomplished.
The figure didn't even bother reading the rest of the message. The last two sentences were the only thing that mattered to them. With phase two being a success, the plan was still in motion. The figure proceeded to open up a comm. channel. Once it was opened, an asari's face appeared on the monitor.
"Boss," she said, "what can I do for you?"
"I just got a report from our turian friend," the figure replied.
The asari sighed, "do you need me to eliminate him like he and our human friend took out the batarian?"
"That won't be necessary. He's already dead but he did his job. Phase two was a success."
"That's wonderful news Boss. Should I inform our salarian friend to prepare to commence phase three?"
"Unfortunately there's too much heat right now. We're going to have to wait a while for things to settle down. Then when everyone least expects it, we can continue with the plan. Tell our salarian friend to lay low and await further instructions."
"Understood Boss, out."
When the comm. terminal went blank, the figure turned their attention to a picture frame on their desk. The sight of the picture caused a tear to form in one of the figure's eyes. The picture was of a woman. She was smiling but it wasn't enough to make the figure smile. Instead they picked up the photo and ran their fingers across the woman's face. The tear fell from their face and landed on the picture.
"It won't be long now sis," the figure said to the picture, "I promise that Shepard is going to pay for what he did to you."
END OF PART 2