A/N: So am I the only one who thinks there should be scientists working on the whole Ardat-Yakshi thing?! I didn't feel particularly bad for Morinth because she was a crazy homicidal maniac, but Rila and Falere got dealt a SHITTY hand, in my humble opinion. And I think we can all agree that when Rila said "I love you," then set off the bomb, Falere's reaction broke our collective little hearts. Speaking of, whether you're a fan of Rila and Falere or not, you should read the fic "Of the Night Winds." It is beautifully written, and although the subject matter is very sensitive, it is dealt with in a beautiful, innocent, captivating way. Anyway. Onto my happy fluff way of dealing the Ardat-Yakshi, because I feel like the darn asari should have thought of this centuries ago. P.S., the wedding will be in two parts.

Warning: If this chapter were a maple tree, it would be OZZING sap from every single crack and pore. You may shit rainbows after reading this sappy sap of sappiness. But I think we've kinda come to expect this from my writing, no? I . . . I should go.

Chapter 30

The Wedding, Part 1

"What do you mean it's not going to be the wedding of the century?!" Wrex barked into the comm, giving Shepard an affronted glare.

"Wrex," Shepard said patiently, "Liara and I both want something small and intimate. We already had a huge party and a proposal that the whole damn galaxy heard about. We want a simple wedding after all that. Plus, it would feel disrespectful to the devastation on Thessia to have a big lavish wedding."

"Hmph," he muttered. "Well if you're going to play the 'asari plight' card, I guess I can't argue."

"Just be glad I invited you, you grumpy old man!" Shepard shot back, giving him a playful smile. "So, see you in three weeks? Think you can escape all those krogan females?"

"Ha ha," he muttered sarcastically.

"Oh and bring Grunt and Urdnot Bakara."

"Yeah yeah."

The holo-display went black and Shepard rolled her eyes in amusement. She felt arms wrap around her waist and leaned back into Liara's embrace.

"Except for Samara, all the invites are done, Love," Shepard said, turning her head to kiss Liara's cheek. "Wrex is disappointed it's not going to be the affair of the millenia, but too bad."

Liara giggled. "He would. Krogan don't do anything small."

"And you're one-quarter krogan. I'm a little surprised you don't want a big wedding."

"All I want is you, Shepard."

"You're doing it again," Shepard said with a grin.

"What?" Liara replied, feigning innocence.

"You keep making me all feel all gooey. Quit it."

"Mmmm . . . no," Liara replied, grabbing Shepard's belt hooks and pulling her in the direction of their bedroom.

O=O=O=O=O

"Samara, I'd like Falere to come to my wedding."

"Shepard -" Samara began but the human held up a hand to silence her. Even through the holo-display she could see the Justicar's jaw tighten.

"Since conceiving children of my own, I have wondered about the possibility of my daughters being Ardat-Yakshi. And the idea of my daughters being denied the opportunity to experience love through the Meld is unacceptable. So Liara and I have decided to use the money donated for my recovery to open a research facility here on Thessia. It will be dedicated to studying the genetic disorder, especially since purebloods will very likely become more common thanks to this accursed war. I would like to offer Falere the chance to be free of her disorder, to be able to . . . well love. I already contacted a salarian scientist named Maelon who will be the top researcher of the facility. You remember him, I presume. He's a brilliant scientist and if anyone can find a cure, it's him. He will of course be monitored by you, to keep him from doing anything unethical, if you want the job. Would that satisfy your Code?"

Samara's ice blue eyes gazed at her with a flurry of undefinable emotions; emotions she probably hadn't allowed herself to feel in centuries. But Shepard could see all of them centered around one: Hope.

"Shepard, I . . ."

"You don't have to say anything. Just yes," Shepard said quickly upon seeing indecision in Samara's ice blue eyes.

"I . . . Thank you, Shepard. "Thank you for doing this for Falere, for . . . me."

"So you'll bring her to my wedding? Liara and I already agreed if you two need a place to stay you can stay here. Well, everyone invited can stay with us. Matriarch Benezia left quite a large estate to Liara. There's room enough for everyone."

"Yes, Shepard. It would be an honor to bring my daughter to your wedding."

O=O=O=O=O

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today . . . who the hell wrote this crap?" Aethyta demanded, looking expectantly at Liara.

The former Shadow Broker put a hand to her temple to calm her nerves. She was beginning to regret Shepard's decision to have her father perform the Bonding ceremony. And this was just the wretched rehearsal, albeit an informal one.

"Those are the traditional human words to begin a marriage ceremony," Liara explained, but Aethyta looked even more unimpressed.

"Well it's crap and I refuse to use it. If you're going to do a proper Bonding Ceremony, you're going to do it the asari way. That means I get to come up with the speech. Not some dumb human who clearly didn't know how to write."

Liara was about to protest but Shepard placed a calming hand on her arm. "I don't mind, Liara. I think it will be even more special if Aethyta makes up her own speech."

"Are you sure?" Liara asked, fidgeting with her fingers. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so insecure about it all of a sudden. Probably something to do with pregnancy hormones.

Shepard kissed her cheek. "I'm sure."

"Good then this rehearsal is over. Who's up for a drink?" Aethyta said, tossing the data pad she'd been reading on the island in the kitchen. "I brought some with me from the Citadel."

Liara rolled her eyes. "I can't drink."

"It was rhetorical, Babe," Aethya replied as she headed for the den the next room over. "The booze is for me."

When the Matriarch disappeared around the corner, Liara turned to Shepard. "What would you like to wear for the ceremony? In a traditional Bonding, both asari wear dresses, but I rather like the idea of you wearing your uniform."

Shepard grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. Only you get to see me in a dress. Honestly, I can't stand them, but I wanted to propose in one because I just happen to know how much you enjoy the view."

Liata gave her a playful swat on the arm. "Oh hush."

"What about you?" Shepard asked, closing the distance between them and running her hand over Liara's raised stomach.

Liara felt herself flush. She adored how much Shepard loved her changing body. She'd been a little worried when her body began to noticeably change that her bondmate would stop wanting intimacy, but that insecurity had most definitely been laid to rest. "My mother gave me her Bonding dress. I'll need to take it in a little, though," she replied, glancing down at her growing belly. "Speaking of, how is the crib coming along?"

Shepard circled around behind Liara and wrapped her arms around her, continuing to softly caress her stomach. "Almost done. I just need to sand it, stain it, and polish it up a bit. I was thinking cherry wood. Do you like cherry wood?"

"I love it. And I'll love it even more when our twins are sleeping in it," Liara replied, leaning further into Shepard's arms.

"Goddess, I love you so much," Shepard murmured, running her lips over Liara's neck and shoulder.

Liara smiled. Fully half the reason she had started wearing Shepard's clothes was so her bondmate had easier access to her skin, since her former Shadow Broker uniforms were extremely constricting and time-consuming to get out of. "Oh Shepard. I love you, too."

O=O=O=O=O

They stood among nature, face to face, hands clasped. A soft summer breeze caressed blue skin and red hair. Not a cloud could be seen in the clear blue skies and a bright summer sun beamed down upon them, as if to give its blessing to this most sacred of days. Matriarch Benezia had planted several trees in the front yard that looked similar to Sakura trees from Earth, and somehow their presence felt like the Matriarch's blessing to Shepard. They were in full bloom and occasionally the pink blossoms fell from the branches - a constant soft reminder of how she had proposed to Liara.

All their friends were seated either comfortably in the grass of their well-groomed yard (that Shepard and Liara had spent all week preparing) or in chairs provided for anyone who wanted one. Everyone had dressed formally and all looked lovely to Shepard. Even Samara was sporting a dress that looked identical to the dress Falere was wearing and for some reason the sight made the human especially happy.

"May this day represent all the days to come," Aethyta began, smiling quite fondly upon the two of them, and acknowledged their beautiful surroundings.

The Matriarch wore a black and red ceremonial robe that made her look like a sorceress of legend to Shepard. As per Liara's request, the commander had donned her full Alliance formal white and gold uniform. She had even worn some eye makeup, and went to the trouble of fixing her hair in quite a feminine, flattering style. Liara looked like an asari goddess in Matriarch Benezia's white Bonding dress, complete with white gloves and a Thessian diamond headdress that could probably solve world hunger it was so expensive-looking. Shepard could only imagine how many credits Benezia forked over for it, but looking upon Liara, she didn't mind much. Liara was beyond stunning. She stole Shepard's breath away. A goddess. A goddess Shepard had every intention of worshiping every day for the rest of her life.

"Your love is strong, and it will only grow stronger," Aethyta continued. "Your souls are powerful individually, but together you can wield the power of the goddess. May your love always be a beacon lighting the way. You may speak your vows."

Shepard straightened and looked deep into the sapphire eyes she had so quickly come to love. "Liara T'Soni, I stand before you now, not as someone who asks that we exchange hearts, but as a woman who gives hers freely. But I also stand before you, not to simply offer you my heart, but indeed my soul. For I can think of no one else to whom I would ever give my soul so freely as you. I know you, Liara T'Soni. I want only you. I seek no further. I give you my life, for nothing else could ever claim me as you did when I first looked into your eyes."

Emotion filled Liara's eyes, but her voice was calm and even when she spoke. "Nicole Shepard. I, in reply, accept your heart and cherish every moment it is in my care. I am your sheath, always and forever. To say this is the moment I give my heart in return would not be the truth, for it has always been yours. My heart, mind, life, and soul are yours. Not merely in this lifetime, but forever. But let me not promise you eternity in the beginning. Instead, let us arrive at the end of eternity together. When the mountains join the oceans, when all life flows to the Great River, when all else fades and time becomes little more than the distant memory of the goddesses themselves, let us still stand together."

Aethyta stepped forward to complete the Bond. "Nicole Shepard and Liara T'Soni, I, Matriarch Aethyta, join you in the infinite power of the Bonding Seal."

The Matriarch made several gestures with her hands, leaving a trail of biotics suspended in her fingers' wake. Biotic light began exploding around them, growing, radiating from them. Shepard and Liara, unaware of the glory surrounding them, leaned toward one another for the final step in completing the Bond. Shepard tenderly placed a hand on Liara's cheek, focused only on her.

Then their lips met.

Such a simple act. Such a chaste kiss.

Whatever biotics conjured previously seemed to pale in comparison to what occurred next. Starting at their feet, blue light came out of the ground like magic vines, growing at a rapid rate, then branching out and scattering in all directions and colors. The young lovers stayed blissfully unaware as they remained locked in their universal act of love.

Biotic spheres formed, circling around them, passing through them, and capturing the very essence of what made up Shepard and Liara. Liara's eyes blackened as she initiated the Meld, pulling Shepard into her. Shepard surrounded her bondmate with her mind, protecting her, soothing away all her insecurities, loving her and completing her. After the biotic spheres swirled around them for a few more seconds, all the conjured biotics came crashing together around them in a blinding flash of light.

They drifted slowly apart and opened their eyes to simply look at each other. They remained unaware of the extraordinary scene taking place around them, for their eyes had a much more fantastic story to tell. Love. Pure, unadulterated, true love.

The scene settled softly like a gentle blanket of snow after a winter's storm. But still Shepard and Liara did not move. All they could see in that moment was each other, knowing that they had just quite literally become apart of one another.

"I love you," they whispered in unison.

The moment extended as all further words were meaningless. All they could do was look at each other, too stunned to move, too moved to speak.

And then Wrex blew his nose so loudly that everyone jumped, then burst out laughing.