Maybe that's what she should have said. Maybe he was foolish to think the Council would help humanity more than they had to in order to maintain a positive image. But he had to hope. Just as he had to hope that this Shepard was his Shepard, and that somehow they could pick up where they left off. He wouldn't repeat the mistake of letting her go.

"I accept your offer. It's good to have the Council on my side." Shepard replied.

"Good luck with your investigation, Shepard." The asari Councillor replied hurriedly. "We hope for a quick resolution and for a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus."

The hollo images fizzled out. Anderson took a few steps toward the back wall, letting himself relax a little.

"Well, that went better than expected." He said, mostly to himself, then turned to face Shepard once more. "You realize the Council's offer is just symbolic. They won't actually do anything."

"I don't actually expect them to. They've never done anything before. Why would they start now?" Shepard shrugged.

"Fair enough." Anderson answered. "Don't worry about the Council or the Alliance. I'll find some way to keep them off your back. It shouldn't be too hard. As long as you keep to the Terminus Systems." He warned with a half raised hand.

He hated banishing her space light years away from him after he'd only just got her back. His thoughts were disrupted when the doors hissed open and Udina strolled into the room.

"Anderson," Udina cleared his throat, "We need to talk about... Shepard!"

Udina's face lifted in surprise, every wrinkle and fold exposing the skin beneath. For a moment he look a little younger than he was. Then the heaviness settled back into a scowl that fit the wrinkles perfectly. He must have worn that expression often in his life.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Council reinstated my Spectre status. Anything else is none of your business, Udina." Shepard answered.

Well, if she wasn't the original, she was damn close. He liked her.

"What? Well... You really shouldn't have taken a step likethis without consulting with me first, Councillor." Udina said, ignoring Shepard and raising his voice on the last few words.

"I don't answer to you, Udina." Anderson said with authority. He was pissed. Udina was not in a position to speak to him in such a manner. "Why don't you go to your office and think about that for a while."

"Of course, Councillor." Udina cowered under Anderson's glare. "Good day, to both of you..

Udina offered a half bow to each of them, then left the room. Anderson turned to the dark eyes that looked at him with hope and love. He looked back at them with caution.

"Sorry about that." Anderson apologized. "Sometimes he needs to be reminded that he's not the boss anymore."

"I'm sure he has his uses, but isn't there someone else that could do his job?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, but he's already been well established in social and political circles. If you want something done on the Citadel, he knows who can make it happen. As much as he's a pain in the ass, he does his job well."

"Fair enough." Shepard replied with a shrug.

Anderson turned and walked over to the balcony and she followed. His heart ached with the desire to hold her, to tell her how much he missed her. He ask her the questions that had built a library in his mind. Leaning over the railing he could see his apartment. She couldn't stay. Not even for a day. There wasn't time. There was never time. But as a soldier, he knew it would be like this. They both had. He just never expected death to be one of the long term missions she took on.

"Serving on the Council isn't how I planned to spend my twilight years. Sometimes it feels like I'm just beating my head against a wall. But I have an important job to to here. I know the truth about Sovereign. It's night mare stuff, so I don't blame the others for not wanting to believe it. But one day they'll have to accept the truth. I just hope there's enough time to do something about it when they do." He confessed.

There was nothing that he'd said that could be used against them that Cerberus didn't already know. If felt good to get some of it off his chest. He stiffened a little when she leaned in next to him and took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"So am I." He responded. He wasn't quite convinced, but if she was, then it would be a bad idea to counter that notion.

"No... I mean..." She trailed off and averted her eyes. "I am sorry that I died and left you, but that's not what I meant."

"There was nothing you could have done to prevent that attack." Anderson interjected, afraid that she might be his Shepard, and afraid of what she was about to apologize for.

"I've had Garrus scan me several times to be sure. There's no mind control chip and I'm not a clone." She started.

Anderson looked at her with wide eyes.

"I thought I might be too." She grinned at him weakly and took a deep breath. "Did you read that note I left?"

He knew she knew he had. He was no one's fool.

"I did." He answered, feeling his heart bleed just a little more. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"Cerberus doesn't know about..." Her eyes turned to their intertwined fingers. "the... baby."

He could see the tears she was blinking back welling up in her dark eyes, making them look like polished obsidian. His own were caught in his throat. Even after two years that pain was as fresh as any.

"I just want you to know... it wouldn't have changed anything I feel for you. It still doesn't."

He searched her eyes, looking for the confirmation that it was okay. That she still wanted him.

"I'm so sorry, David. I thought it would be okay, that I could work until I was further along. It was only a few weeks in and..."

"Sonya don't do this to yourself." He interrupted. He spoke softly as he took her in his arms and let her tears vanish into the black cotton of his uniform. "I don't hold you responsible. I love you, Sonya."

"Goddamn Reapers!" She swore a quiet sob into his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." He said and stroked her hair lovingly.

He nodded to Garrus who drug Miranda out of the room with him to give them some privacy. Garrus was the only other soul who knew. She had told him the day before the attack.

"I love you, David. I wanted... I thought we could be a family."

"I know, my sweet. I know. I wanted that too. I still do."

It may not have been great timing, but he'd missed his last opportunity because he relented to bad timing. Not again. Not this time. He slid one arm from her back to his pocket where he had stored the ring, just in case she really was herself.

"I should have done this before. Maybe things would have been different. I apologize for that. Sonya..."

"What are you..."

Her words trailed off as he got down on one knee at her feet. Looking up into her lovely face, her features amplified by the dark dress uniform she wore. She was his Shepard, and he intended to make that permanent.

"Will you marry me?"

He held up the ring, displaying it rather humbly between his thumb and forefinger. New tears rolled down her cheeks, but she was smiling. She knelt down in front of him and took the hand holding in the ring in both of hers. Her eyes glistened like glass with the joyful water that flooded them. His own tears were hot on his face.

"Of course!" She breathed.

He slipped the ring over her finger. She would have to wear it on a chain under her armor on missions if she didn't leave it secure on the ship. It was a way for him to be with her. A way for her to know that, while he couldn't go running off through the galaxy with her (as much as he might want to), he was fighting the battle on the Citadel. The passionate embrace and kiss that followed was pure with their love. She had only a few hours before the Normandy would disembark from the Citadel to the Terminus. Until then, they had each other. .

Sonya activated her omni-tool and sent a message to Garrus and Tali. They were her closest friends, of the few people she called friend. They would need witnesses at the ceremony, as unceremonious as it might be. It would be legal. There would be nothing anyone could do about it, and no repercussions could be forced against them without penalty of law. Sonya excused herself with the 'bad luck to see the bride before the wedding' excuse. He wasn't sure what she was up to, but he knew he would like it.

The wedding was simple. The bride. The groom. A minimum of two witnesses and a Justice. Sonya surprised them all by wearing a dress. Nothing fancy. Just a simple asari robe in a soft white with pale amber trim. A single white fortnight lily held back a few draped strands of hair from her face. David thought her more beautiful than ever. He couldn't help but grin when both Tali and Garrus looked on with shock and awe. The turian's mandibles fluttered. There was no bouquet or giving away of the bride. She was old enough to give herself away. The ceremony hadn't even begun and he thought he heard the quarian sobbing behind her mask.

"You look lovely." He told her as she joined him at the desk in the Justice's office.

"Thank you. You're rather dashing yourself!" She grinned.

He still wore a dress uniform, but they were his Captain's dress blues instead of the Councillor's dress uniform. He felt the old look more appropriate. He half bowed his appreciation of her comment with a grin.

The documents were signed and in order. Justice Roberts began as simply as the wedding itself.

"Does anyone hear object to this union?"

No one objected.

"Good." The justice nodded and moved his attention to the bride. "You may state your vows."

"I, Sonya Shepard, accept you, David Anderson, as my partner in life, lover in my arms and friend always. I promise to cherish and respect you in times of failure and in times of triumph. I will trust you and love you faithfully in times of joy and in times of sorrow, regardless of the obstacles we may face. I promise to laugh with you and cry with you, to comfort and encourage you. I promise to grow with you throughout the seasons of life. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live."

"I, David Anderson, accept you, Sonya Shepard, as my partner in life, lover in my arms and my friend always. I promise to cherish and respect you in times of failure and in times of triumph. I will trust you, care for and protect you, comfort you and encourage you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, regardless of the obstacles we may face. I promise to grow with you throughout the seasons of life. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live."

David took her hand in his and slipped the second band, an unadorned circle of titanium, on her finger. She in turn pushed a thicker band onto is finger, marked only by the inscription on it's surface. 'inamorato'.

"May you're lives be filled with happiness as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, Mr. Anderson." Justice Roberts nodded to the groom.

David wasn't used to public displays of his affection, mostly out of habit of the necessity to hide his relationship with the Commander. Do break the reserve he'd held for so long proved to be more difficult than he anticipated. However, his hesitation affected Sonya's avid spirit none. Her lips found his, sealing the marriage and melting his heart. With her arms around his neck, his embraced her as tightly as was comfortable. His dark fingers were a stark contrast in her milky hair. After a few seconds Garrus interrupted with one arm around Tali as she sobbed against him.

"Okay, enough already. Go consummate this thing." He teased. He figured they didn't get to skip out on the best man hazing.

With two hours until departure, the couple didn't need to be told twice.