*huff*
Ta-daa
The end...
Thanks for all of you who have read this. You're the reason I kept writing this for so long, and the reason I will keep writing.
Woo...added a poll into my profile about the next fic...
And now: The climax:
Doors to the Captain's cabin opened.
It was probably only a few hours, before they arrived to the Omega-4 relay. The last few hours, possibly of their lives.
She felt dizzy. The antibiotics were very powerful.
Her vision was blurry and the taste of the herbs still lingered inside her mouth. It was a horrible feeling.
She had never before...done this.
The thought didn't make her feel any better.
She felt drugged, and hadn't expected that the first time would be like this...
It was weird, and disappointing, but she still wanted to go on. She hoped that it would get better...
She was so nervous. He often made her so, but not like this. Not this much...
What if she was ugly? What if he rejected her? The thought was painful.
She knew he would not hurt her, but maybe he just couldn't be with her...maybe she was too different?
She desperately tried to shake off such thoughts, but they still lingered.
But she would not know, if she didn't even try.
Her fingers fidgeted against each other. Excitement mixed with nervousness. What would he say? What would it be like? What would he be like?
What would she be like?
It took all of her strength to open her mouth.
"Shepard," she greeted.
She lowered her head.
Why did she still call him by his surname? Out of respect? Of affection? She couldn't think up one person, who would call him John...
Except she...
It felt intimate.
"I-I mean John," she corrected.
The nervousness made her stammer. She wanted to look confident for him, to make him see how sure she was about about this.
She wanted to do this, but was so nervous.
There were risks, and she would take them without thinking...
But she didn't want to die.
Shepard turned around slowly, holding an OSD in his hand.
He tilted his head slightly. Was this it? Had she found the medications?
Now he was nervous.
He? Nervous?
If he was nervous, what did she feel? She was the one that was sacrificing everything. Maybe her life.
He wanted to punch himself. How could he have agreed to this? She could die.
But the longer as he looked at her, the more he wanted to kiss her, to touch her. Be with her.
He could feel his emotions wrestling with his logic.
She began to walk closer.
"I-I've taken some antibiotics, as well as some herbs, to strengthen my immune system."
By every step, her heart seemed to beat more faster and the air seemed become more warmer.
She was now in front of him, and reached for the OSD. She took it, and dropped it down. Be confident.
Shepard was surprised, when she took the disk. It was...sweet.
The thought was exciting.
His emotions were starting to win.
She raised her head from the OSD, and looked into his eyes.
"I-I would have brought music...but I-I didn't know what you'd like. I just mean...I-I've done all I can. I found the antibiotics and herbs easily, and it was not too much trouble. It's not like...I just..."
She lowered her head down again.
At least she didn't stutter. Much.
"I'm babbling like an idiot," she said quietly.
Babbling was good.
His emotions were gaining the upper hand.
One more thing...
He pressed his forehead to hers, and could see her eyes staring at his.
He placed his hand on her cheek, and stroke the side of her helmet.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, quietly.
"Yes," she answered quietly.
She'd never been more sure about anything.
"I'm not asking you to do this..." he whispered.
Of course he wasn't. He never asked for anything...
Now she moved her hand on his, squeezing it.
"You don't have to..." she whispered.
His emotions triumphed, he wanted her...
So much.
So he followed her.
It was going to happen. Finally.
She could feel a tear falling down on her face.
Her face.
She hoped it would please him.
She began walking backwards towards the bed, pulling him from his hand.
"I-I've minimized the risks, but I'm still nervous. You know how it makes me talk too much," she continued babbling, fearing for his reaction.
They sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I-it's a defense-mechanism, and it's stupid. B-but Q-quarians just see the helmets so we have to be clear about what we're fe--" she was silenced by his raised finger.
"Hush," Shepard whispered, placing his finger on her helmet's glass. "Show me what you're feeling..."
Her hands shook when she took his, guiding them to the sides of her helmet. His hands opened it.
There was a quiet hiss when the helmet opened. The air tasted different, but she didn't care about that.
The glass was still in it's place. Her teeth clenched together. Tears fell down on her face.
Please, please don't reject me. Don't break my heart. Don't...
He took the sides of the glass, and gently removed it. He placed it on the floor.
He chuckled in disbelief. Her face. He could finally see it.
Her eyes were shut, and she was crying silently.
Crying? She shouldn't have to cry. Her pain pained him. A tear fell.
He moved his hand to her face, wiping away the tears with his thumb. Then his fingers passed through her brow, her nose...then her lips. His fingers lingered there, and he leaned closer.
"Don't cry," he whispered, and his lips touched hers. He closed his eyes.
So beautiful.
Kiss...her first kiss. Even more tears fell. He didn't reject her...she could not believe it.
But she didn't care,she just wanted to kiss him.
Shepard pulled himself slowly off, and wiped away the new tears from her face.
He smiled.
"So beautiful," he whispered, and another tear fell down on his face.
Now she opened her eyes.
"You really think so?" she whispered.
She could not remember him ever telling her so. She felt pretty.
She wanted to stop the tears, but couldn't. Happy tears.
"The most beautiful girl I've ever seen..." he whispered.
A girl...
Not an alien..
She lost control.
She lunged at him, and he fell down on the bed, she on top of him.
The next kiss was much more passionate, much more longer. He stroked her back, then her neck. It felt extremely good.
They did not know how long the kiss lasted, but neither of them wanted it to end.
It finally did, but their faces were still very close together.
"John," Tali whispered.
Her eyes closed, and again tears fell.
She finally knew what all of this meant.
"I think I love you..." she said quietly.
The words sounded beautiful, and Shepard felt another tear.
Love...was this love? His feelings towards her? His caring?
It felt like it, maybe it always had.
He smiled, stroking her cheek.
"I think so too..."
She opened her eyes, and he could see her smiling. For the first time.
Question: Wrote two flashbacks for Tali :Freedom's progress, and the Citadel's ambush-corridor-wards place.
Meant to happen before she steps inside the cabin.
Wanted to put them in, but didn't feel like they fitted. This chapter is important, so I didn't want to ruin it.
Can add them in, or publish them later.