Chapter 1

"Way to tell the boss 'you can't fire me I quit!' commander" Joker complimented amusingly over the ship's radio as Shepard headed towards the engineering deck.

"That was the idea Joker," Shepard replied, "I owe you a drink for getting us out of that mess alive."

"I'll hold you to that, Joker out." Shepard continued on his intended path to find Gabby getting annoyed by Ken's perverted remarks as usual, something about asari this time, and walked straight towards Tali who was actually already facing him as if he was expected.

"Tali," Shepard began, but afterwards words just failed to roll out of his tongue as if Kasumi had stolen them all while he wasn't looking.

"Just so you know, I have a fever, I've got a nasty cough and my sinuses are filled with something I can't even describe," Tali complained before Shepard could say anything.

"Tali, I'm so sorry," Shepard replied sadly with a deep guilt polluting his eyes, "I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't, it was totally worth it," Tali replied cheerfully giving off the purr he loved to hear so much.

"Oh well ah…" before he could say anything Tali wrapped her arms around his shoulders and stared into his eyes. All Shepard could do was stare back and hold her by the hips.

"Shepard, I almost lost you," Tali whispered to his ears trying to hold back tears. This is not how Shepard wanted to make her feel and he mentally slit his own throat for making Tali cry, however lightly she was crying.

"I'm not going anywhere any time soon Tali, especially not when I have an entire crew that includes a quarian beauty to fight for," Shepard whispered back tenderly. Gabby and Ken were gazing in their direction now, their eyes completely fixated on the couple in wonder and confusion but Shepard didn't, or couldn't give a damn. He was with Tali right now dedicating himself to her which was all he cared about right now. Tali looked back up into Shepard's blue eyes and brushed her hand across the side of his head taking in the texture of his buzz cut.

"Flatterer," she chuckled bluntly. There wasn't a sound in the galaxy Shepard preferred to her laugh and it always made his heart skip a beat.

"Come up to my cabin for a drink?" Shepard asked puppy-eyed. Tali slowly and gently came out of his embrace with her head tilted to her left.

"Love too, lead the way," Tali replied coughing in between. The two of them held hands and took the elevator to Shepard's cabin where he opened a bottle of pre-sterilized turian brandy for her while he opened some red wine imported from Earth. Once the two of them got comfy on the coach their drinks were left on the table and they caved into each other's arms as if they hadn't seen each other in thousands of asari lifespans and had just reunited all of a sudden.

"So Shepard, what was the first thing that came to your mind when you saw that reaper?" Tali asked casually. Shepard instantly thought of the size of the human reaper. It was as big as a small cruiser even at the embryo stage of development.

"Keelah that's massive," Shepard replied playfully.

"Seriously? You spoke keelish in your head?" Tali asked surprised while struggling to hold back a cough.

"Well I have been spending a lot of time with quarians recently. What did you think?"

"You better stay away from Shepard," Tali acted out enthusiastically while sipping her brandy. It came out so sweetly, so delicately that Shepard couldn't help but smile back and caress the side of her mask that covered the cheek.

"You're a sweetheart Tali." She took one final mouthful from her brandy and knelt right on top of his lap with her face no more than a few inches from his.

"I'm yours Shepard," Tali purred out as she reached for the locks on her visor with a free hand but Shepard instantly grabbed her wrist out her reflex.

"Wait, don't you want to wait till you get better and once we get decontamination unit in the room?"

"Well no display of affection but I think I can let you look at my face without a helmet in the way."

"Only if you're sure Tali." Shepard was more concerned for her health than being able to see Tali's face again and that made her really happy inside. She knew that Shepard would always place her wellbeing above his own desires, a kindness she never expected from aliens when she first left the fleet for her pilgrimage. She finally nodded her head and undid one lock. Then her omni-tool started beeping with an incoming message which made them both let out a big sigh each and paused for a few long seconds that drifted by like a snail as Tali's omni-tool continued to beep disturbingly loud.

"You should probably get that you know," Shepard reluctantly sighed.

"Alright, just a moment," Tali quietly let out while she got off him to check the incoming message. She was shocked to find that it had come from Raan of all people.

"Oh crap," Shepard let with a hint of doom in his voice and biotically slid under his bed as quickly as he could while Tali answered the message.

"Auntie Raan?" Tali asked. She didn't know why she was so surprised but she just had to confirm it. She thought she would be asleep by now.

"Tali, sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing but you need to come back to the fleet as soon as you can it's urgent," she informed desperately.

"Can't you be a little more specific Aunt?" Tali asked making no secret that she was annoyed with such a seemingly pointless interruption.

"I can't discuss more on an open and unsecured channel but I promise if you come back to the Rayya everything will explained." Raan's voice was becoming more and more desperate which made Tali take her aunt a lot more seriously.

"Alright," Tali finally agreed before letting out a huge cough that would make most people think she was trying to vomit out something nasty, "as soon as I can."

"Are you ok Tali?" Raan asked concerned.

"I'm fine, just wait for me."

"Thank you dear, I promise you aren't wasting time." With that last word Raan hung up and Tali deactivated her omni-tool while Shepard crawled out from underneath his bed. He stood up with his eye brows slanted, frowning and wide eyed which Tali took to mean that he was disappointed and concerned at the same time.

"I'll get Joker to send us back to the fleet now but they better not be accusing you of treason again," Shepard declared arms folded.

"I doubt it, she would have said so otherwise but thank you Shepard, for everything," Tali said softly.