A/N: Thank you all for the continued views and reviews! :) Also, taking a little artistic license on turian wedding traditions. :)

Chapter 13

"Okay, soldiers! You've been summoned here today for an emergency of epic proportions! Think you can handle the heat?!" Shepard barked, glaring over her "soldiers." Her team consisted of Ash and her sister, Tali, Garrus, Edi, Jack, and Miranda, and they were standing right in the middle of the Silversun Strip.

"Really, Shepard? 'Epic proportions?' That's what you're going with?" Jack drawled.

"Actually Jack," Edi cut in, "according to my research on the extranet, humans take the act of a proposal quite seriously. It is a longstanding tradition on Earth to make quite a grand gesture of it. I think it is all quite romantic, what Commander Shepard is doing."

"Brown-noser," Jack grumbled.

"I'll not have any insubordination among the ranks!" Shepard bellowed in the most mock-authoritative voice she could muster.

The gaggle of girls in front of her burst into a fit of giggles.

"Remind me, Shepard," Garrus said. "What am I doing here, exactly?"

"Moral support," Shepard replied. "And to walk Legion."

"And what are the rest of us doing, Skipper?" Ashley asked, glancing around at the shops in the Silversun Strip.

"Right. A dress," Shepard replied. "I need a dress for tomorrow night. Something that says 'I'm being ridiculously romantic right now.' Think such a dress exists?"

"Oh we will find such a dress," Tali said, that familiar competitive edge creeping into her voice.

Shepard grinned. "Okay troops, disperse!"

The "gaggle" of girls did so with gusto. Garrus hung back next to her side and they began window shopping. Or at least pretending to. Legion was pulling at his leash enthusiastically, but Garrus was keeping him under control, much to Shepard's relief. She was in no physical condition to be trying to restrain an excited varren pup.

"With all these romantic gestures of yours, you're making it pretty difficult for me to think of what to do for Tali," Garrus said, though his voice was playful.

"Oh that's easy. Know that movie 'Fleet and Flotila?' Just take her up on the balcony on the Citadel where they filmed it and pop the question. Make sure to include that line 'Tonight, I'm as free as the dust in a solar wind,' or whatever it is. She'll melt all over the place."

"Damn, Shepard. I was wrong. I thought you weren't a romantic," Garrus said with a chuckle. "Sometimes it amazes me how well you understand people."

"Aaaw Garrus. You do care," Shepard teased with a playful shove.

He coughed politely. "Yeah, well don't let it get to your head. You saved the damn galaxy, we can't have you going around knowing how amazing you are."

"Say, there's a vid store not far from here. While the girls are on their mission, let's go get a special edition of 'Fleet and Flotilla' for Tali. With all the extra bonus features and stuff. She'll love it. Oh, and we need to find you a quarian wedding bracelet if you're going to propose."

He coughed again. "Whoa there, Shepard. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Tali and I have talked about it but . . . well let's just say this is one mission this turian is going to have to go alone."

Shepard peered at him, but decided against questioning him. "Okay, if you're sure. Not trying to push you or anything."

"What? Oh no, that's not it. It's just . . . I've actually already proposed."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Shepard demanded.

"Well I knew you were planning to propose," he explained. "You and T'Soni have been through so much that I . . . well I didn't want to take away from your moment. I wouldn't be much of a best friend if I did, would I?"

"Oh Garrus," Shepard said with an endlessly fond smile. "You are the best friend this crazy human could ask for. You've been there for me from the very beginning. You've always had my back, even now. Don't think for a second you're taking away from my moment. We just saved the damn galaxy. This is our moment."

Garrus coughed again. "Yes, well when you put it that way . . ."

"Got something in your throat Vekarian?" Shepard said with a fond grin.

"Oh just the usual rubble," he replied without missing a beat. "Always seems to happen when I'm around you."

She laughed and squeezed his arm. "Come on Vekarian. You may have proposed, but I don't see a wedding band on her wrist. So let's get shopping."

"Wherever you lead, I follow," Garrus said with a smile.

She lifted her cane and used it to point to a nearby jewelry shop. "That seems like a good place to start. How about there?"

"If the store is awful, I'll hold you personally responsible."

She jabbed him in the chest with her raised cane and he laughed. "Come on. We don't have much time before the girls find what they're looking for. That only gives us a couple minutes to search."

They walked (or limped, in Shepard's case) to the jewelry shop. A volus business man behind the counter greeted them enthusiastically with a wave of his short arm.

"Ksssk Greetings, young lovers! What can I help you find today? Ksssk a lovely ring for the lovely lady? Ksssk or perhaps a turian wedding mask?"

Garrus coughed awkwardly. "Lovers . . .? What? Er n-no, we're not . . . we're just friends."

Shepard laughed at his adorable awkwardness. If turians could blush, she pictured his exoskeleton would be crimson by now. "The best of friends, Garrus," she said, giving him a playful slug on the arm. "Say! You never told me turians use wedding masks. What's the significance?"

Garrus fidgeted with his talons. "During the wedding ceremony, the couple wears the masks the entire time to symbolize the side of themselves only the public can see. Then when they are alone together, they remove the masks to show their partner that only they get to see their true self without the mask."

"Really?" Shepard said, grinning . "That's actually really sweet. Who knew you turians had a romantic side?"

He coughed again. "Yeah, well we don't really go around advertising it."

"Kssssk so perhaps I can find you some lovely ksssk matching friendship bracelets?" the volus sales guy asked hopefully.

"What?" Shepard looked at him. "No. We need to find this man a qurian wedding bracelet."

"Ksssk quarian, eh? Ksssk I am happy to accommodate all your romantic kssssk needs."

Shepard and Garrus chuckled as they let the volus shopkeeper lead them around and present his wares.

"So Garrus, how bossy am I allowed to be on the battlefield of romance?" Shepard said after they'd looked over about a hundred bracelets. Garrus was being so indecisive, even the polite facade of the volus shopkeeper was beginning to wane.

"I trust your judgment explicitly," Garrus said, looking up from staring at a silver bracelet lined with amethysts and sapphires.

"Oh thank the Goddess," Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. "Go with the one you're holding. She loves blue and purple. And those colors look better with silver than gold. So basically, you're holding the perfect one right now."

Garrus looked down at it, then back up at Shepard. "You sure?"

"Positive."

"Well I trusted you to save the damn galaxy, I guess I can trust you to pick the right wedding bracelet," Garrus said with a chuckle. "I'll take this one."

The volus shopkeeper's relief was practically audible. "Ksssk I'll ring you up at once, kssssk good sir."

When they made their way out of the jewelry store, Garrus softly put his talons on Shepard's arm. "Thanks, Shepard. I can always trust you to have my back and well . . . it really means a lot."

"And you've always had mine, Garrus. Thanks for being awesome!" Shepard said with a huge grin.

Right about then they saw Tali waving them down from across the Strip.

"The Mrs. calls," Garrus said with a chuckle.

"Off to the other battlefield," Shepard said with a slightly resigned sigh.

They limped (well, Garrus walked) to where Tali was enthusiastically waving them over.

"We found it, Shepard," she said, her voice practically bursting with excitement. "The dress. It's the one. I mean like the one."

Garrus and Shepard exchanged slightly hesitant looks, then followed Tali into the dress shop. When they entered, Shepard saw Ashley and her sister holding up one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen. The shape was similar to that of traditional asari dresses, but it was pure white with beautifully intricate designs sewn into the body. It was reminiscent of the dress Liara had worn to the Silver Coast Casino, the only difference being it was a bit fancier.

The gaggle of girls (including Jack, suprisingly) were all positively beaming at her as they awaited her response. Shepard bit the inside of her lower lip to stop herself from smiling to widely.

"Soldiers!" she barked. "You've done well! I believe I may have to buy everyone a round of drinks at the Silver Coast Casino bar! What do you say?"

They all gave her a "woot!" and Garrus chuckled. "Well since you're buying, how can I say no?"