Characters and locations belong to Bioware. Feron character belongs to Bioware/Dark Horse comics.

Anderson pulled lots of strings to reserve the area of the Presidium they wanted to use. He also had the sky reprogrammed for a full day, starting with dawn. Thane had been adamant about that. There had to be extra security detail as well, due to xenophobic anti-interspecies groups. Not to mention Commander Shepard's status and Thane's history. They had to tell Anderson. Thane was nervous about reveling the information of who he was, what he'd done for a living. Anderson wasn't happy about it, but he understood the need to keep the past in the thought he saw a new respect, and maybe fear, for himself in the Councilor's eyes when he'd left the meeting in the privacy of the Normandy's starboard observatory.

Plants native to Kahje were brought in by the small section they were using was practically transformed for the event. It created a kind of privacy for the small gathering. The Hanar zealot Shepard had helped so long ago had become a priest. Though it specialized in the Enkindlers, it had also studied the drell faiths simply out of principle. It agreed to perform the ceremony. Call it ironic. Call it fate, destiny, ka... It couldn't have been more advantageous. 'This one is greatly honored by the request.' Was all the hanar had said, but Thane had gone with her and interpreted that statement a little differently for her. Because he could see the colors flashing that Shepard could not, he understood the communication that was unspoken. It was difficult for him to explain it to her when they'd left the chapel.

"The hanar is more than honored, Siha. That one remembers you. If hanar could shed tears, I believe that one would have. That one is extremely grateful to you." He did his best to blink back the tears of compassion he felt for the hanar. He was smiling.

'Morning', specifically a morning on Kahje, on the Presidium was beautiful. The hanar stood at the top of the stairs that spanned the width of the section they employed. It wore the traditional union robes of white, green and orange silk.. Those in attendance stood below in a small crowd. The crew was there, of corse. Samara had come for the occasion, and also to assist in security if needed. Legion simply sent a series of questions and eventually a congratulatory message after Shepard had attempted to answer the inquiries. Miranda and Jacob arrived together, both in military style dress uniforms. Mordin came with his nephew. He was looking older, yet distinctive in his black and white 'formal-wear'. Salarians don't have 'marriages' so he simply wore his best and cleanest lab coat. Shepard counted herself lucky that Grunt arrived with his armor sans blood and guts, his most recent favorite hobby being threshermaws. The rest of the human crew wore tuxes or formal asari dresses, including Joker. He was, self-admittedly, dashing.

Shepard, Tali, Gabby and Kelly were in the make shift dressing room to the right of the stairs. They helped dress her, do her hair, girl stuff. They all wore orange silk gowns. The deep 'V's in the front and back of the gowns made Gabby a little uncomfortable. Tali wore an orange and white suit.

Shepard was nervous. She piratically jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice behind her that did not belong to one of her three 'maids'.

"I see you found your own drell." Liara said, smiling.

"Liara!" Shepard embraced her friend. "I didn't think you would be able to come."

"I can't stay long. I wanted to see it for myself." Liara smirked.

"Wait, what do you mean my 'own drell'?" Shepard eyed Liara.

"My friend." Liara blushed, "The one I told you about. He's called Feron. He's a drell."

"They are hard to resist." Shepard gave Liara a knowing look.

"Resist is precisely the word, Shepard. I felt drawn to him. Compelled against myself."

"I know what you mean. Not many of them ever leave Kahje. I don't think they know what they do to us." Shepard laughed.

"I should let you finish preparations." Liara smiled back and left.

Shepard took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. She could put a bullet in the head of a charging krogan at point blank range and not miss a beat to the next target, but getting married made her nervous. She shook her head at herself and sat back down. She knew the lines. Understood and felt the significance behind them and the gestures involved.. This did not worry her. She did worry about Cerberus, whether this would call their attention to her. Then again, what was Cerberus compared to the Collectors? She could do this.

Shepard looked herself in the mirror while Kelly finished her make-up. She'd insisted on doing Shepard's 'wedding face'. Shepard had never seen herself so dolled up, yet it looked completely natural. Kelly was so proud of herself.

Shepard had let her hair fall loosely around her shoulders and tied little with flowers in the tresses. She'd done a little research and discovered that drell society looked at nails the way humans looked at hair. She manicured her nails; hands and feet, in a clear lacquer. Beautiful and natural. Shepard stood and smoothed her gown. The white silk flowed to the floor like a river with a faint blue shimmer like fire.

"Are you ready?" She vaguely heard Tali ask.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She answered.

Tali nodded and the girls filed out of the room. The guests gathered toward the stairs and assumed silence when the 'maids' took their positions in the front row.

Thane was in his dressing room, alone. He'd dressed himself and spent the remaining time meditating. It had become habit to use any spare time for prayer. What could be more import than spiritual cleansing before entering a life bond with another? When he heard the guests quiet themselves he knew it was time.

Stepping out of the foliage, Thane and Shepard appeared at the bottom of the steps simultaneously; groom on the left, bride on the right.

Thane saw her ahead of him, the sight of her nearly reclaiming the breath returned to him. The traditional own fit her alien form well. Her freckled shoulders were exposed save where the gown draped across her chest from the right side. It wrapped around her, accenting her shape. Her right hip was exposed from the rips to the curve of her waist. Her polished toes poking out where the gown puddled around her feet. Orange cords held the gown in place. Her hair flowed around her face and shoulders in gentle waves, flowers caught in the tide. The tiled floor was cool, and comfortable under his nude feet. He felt them move of their own volition toward her.

Shepard had never seen him look so handsome as he did in that moment. He wore a white silk tunic that left his arms bare to the shoulder. The deep 'V' neck exposed his muscular chest and upper stomach. The free flowing pants puddled slightly at his green feet. She noticed his newly polished nails. She felt strange being barefoot in public, but when she saw his... when she saw him, it no longer mattered.

They met in the center of the stair, eyes locked. He took her hands in his for a moment, then walked side by side up the steps. He held her left hand. She used her right to lift the dress enough for her to ascend the steps. They took the last step onto the landing in front of the cleric, rejoining their free hands in one fluid motion. His right palm rested over her left and her right over his left, finger tips upon the never took their eyes from the other.

Thane had a grin on his face large enough for her to notice, but small enough she knew he was trying to hide it. They were supposed to look serene. Shepard smiled to herself.

Garrus had never seen her look more beautiful. He wore a deep slate colored tunic with pale blue trim. He bought it new for the occasion. He would probably never wear it again. He stood in the back, his talons locked behind his back. His heart felt still in his chest, numb and aching all at once. He wanted to tear it out so he wouldn't have to endure the pain.

"This One, he," the hanar began by nodding to Thane, "is present to bond his life with this One, she." The hanar nodded to Shepard. "To be joined is to become Mëhana and Arasiha until one is returned to Kalahira. May Arashu keep and protect these Ones."

Thane's voice was almost musical as he gave his vows. "I will awake to find you. I will watch over you into the night. I will sleep to dream of you. I will live to share my life with you." He slipped his plam that covered her right under it and bent to kiss the base of her hand by her wrist. He breathed deep the fresh sent of her skin. When he stood, he replaced his hand over hers.

"I will wake to find you. I will watch over you into the night. I will sleep to dream of you. I will live to share my life with you." As Shepard gave her vows she felt the nerviness melt away. She kissed his wrist as he and done hers, inhaling the earthy spice of his musk. She couldn't help but grin. He was grinning at her. His eyes looked wet, but his cheeks were dry. She wasn't sure if it was him or her, but she could feel their hands trembling slightly. Maybe it was both.

Kolyat emerged from the crowd. C-sec officers, and Baily, were standing along the back wall of flora trying to blend in as best they could. Kolyat wore a silk tunic like his father's. The orange color contrasted strikingly with the teal of his scales. He stopped two steps below them when he approached and bowed, arms out to his sides. He placed each of his hands over theirs and brought them to center between them. Their was a green ribbon wound around his left wrist. This he now removed from himself and wrapped it over their hands until it wound up each of their wrists.

"As you are bound One to Another, so shall you be until you return to the sea. Coalesce in love and light." Kolyat almost sang the mantra before he backed down the stairs to rejoin the guests.

"I will light your path as you light mine, for our light is one." Thane saw the sea at sunrise in the color of her eyes as he gave the final vow.

"Whole and complete unto themselves, bound together these that were two are strengthened as One." The hanar continued when Kolyat's bare feel left the last step. "May they live long into the night defiant of darkness, for it is illuminated with fearless love."

"Arasiha." Thane said the word, but it was so much more in his heart. He felt contented, but more than that, and he was peaceful. Joy rushed to him like the tide rushes back to the sea.

"Mëhana." Shepard felt the tears spill over. She coudn't blink back her happiness. Smiled as she watched her mates tears fall from his own eyes. She could feel everything he felt for her. It washed over her like a flood.

The elation, the bliss of being united in love... to be joined like this, it was more than the words and the motions and proclaiming it to the galaxy. It is an indescribable feeling.

The newly married couple kissed above their interlocked hands. The crowd, save one, erupted into shouts of excitement and joy for the couple. Tali and Kelly were the loudest. Gabby and Ken were too busy making out in the bushes to shout. Kelly glanced over at Joker beside her with a huge grin. Joker just laughed.

Thane slipped his hands free of the ribbon, catching it before it fell from her skin, and secured it around her right wrist with the union knot. He let her hand linger in his as he admired the color against her skin before taking her hand to lead her down the stairs. He was overwhelmed with the love he had for his Arasiha. He didn't notice the tears on his face. He saw hers, glistening on her cheeks. He saw how happy she was and the love she had for him, his own beaming back at her. He was proud to have her as his own.

Garrus was silent. He was happy she was happy, but he could not shout and clap with the others. His grief and threatening rage would not allow it. He clasped his claws tighter when they'd kissed. He'd seen them together for a long while, but they had never shared more than the occasional light touch or ushering arm in public. To see them... to see him kissing her, knowing she was forever beyond his reach... He would wait for her, he told himself. Wait until nature had taken the drell. She would be old and grey. He would lament the life they could have shared, but he could die with her.

There were no gifts, or drink, or cake as in human traditions (there was a table of fruit if you got hungry). No throwing of flowers or removing of personal clothing items. But there was music and dancing. Shepard had never seen Thane dance. She had practiced some drell styles in her cabin, when he wasn't around. She hoped that would be enough not to fall flat on her face. When Thane lead her into the center of the area to begin the celebration she wasn't quite sure what to expect. The music played from exotic strings and other foreign musical devices. at the command of a small hanar band. Kolyat manned several drum like instruments. The dance began after Kolyat tapped out the first few beats with his finger tips.

Thane moved fluidly with precision and grace. Shepard hardly had to think about the next step to follow his felt as if she'd turned to water and he was the current. It reminded her of when they first met. How he'd killed with skill and elegance, like a dance. It was beautiful and effortless.

The music never stopped. It morphed to change it's rhythm or it's tune to form new melodies. The harmonies ran together like the days and nights that are time. The celebration lasted all day. It was the first time morning, evening and night had ever been seen on the Presidium. The plants and trees had been strung with twinkling white lights that echoed the stars of the synthetic night sky. Most of the guests had since gone about their business or to their beds. The band continued to play. Thane and Shepard could hear the notes as they watched the lake perform it's own dance in black and silver.

The couple smiled and laughed, talking to each other as Mëhana and Arasiha for the fist time as they leaned on the railing or walked the paths along the lake hand in hand. C-sec security patrolled the area heavily, while keeping out of sight whenever possible. Garrus watched from the shadows. He had smiled and told her how happy he was for her. He never said 'them' or congratulated Thane, though he did offer the drell a nod when he allowed a dance with Shepard. It had been a slower one. He had held her close. Felt her breath on his skin when she thanked him for coming. Felt her heart beat through the fabric of their clothes. He remembered what it felt like to touch the bare skin of her waist. It was a moment he would cherish. The few minutes she had been his. When the melody began to change he had to return her to Thane. Garrus let her go with a smile, but his heart was breaking. As hard as he tried to keep it whole, to brave it like a solder, like a turian... that fortress was weakened against her. If anyone other than himself was to be with her, he was glad is was Thane... in a way. He knew the former assassin would be vigilant in protecting her, that he would love her and be there for her. He knew this because, if the alien failed, Garrus had made it clear that the last thing the drell would ever fail to do again would be to breath.