By the time he had reached his cabin, the drones had completed the repairs done during the scuffle with Kai Leng earlier. The glass case that looked out over his bed had been completely removed but the one on the side of the wall was still pristine. The spare models that had been previously contained were now set on the desk, a little scratched after tumbling to the floor, but still intact nonetheless.

The fish in the tank continued along, oblivious. They might not even have known the peril that had transpired in this room not four hours ago. A buzzing sound came from the tank and the automated feeder dispersed some kind of food pellet into the water, the fish hungrily rushing up to eat.

It was hard to believe that this room was all his now. On the original Normandy, his personal space consisted of just a twin size bed and a small desk. Now, his desk was big enough for two, as was the bed but he had a few spare tables, a couch, the freaking fish tank, and access to his own personal bathroom in addition. Shepard figured that he had been in hotel rooms with less plush furnishings.

All of that went disregarded as he strode towards the bathroom, past the empty door frame and to the shower. He mentally went over the time in his head, trying to adhere to the schedule that he had proposed. Satisfied, he stepped into the shower and twisted the dial, letting the water burst down upon him.

Almost immediately, he felt that something was wrong. Multiple things, in fact. For one, as soon as the water hit his body, he felt frustrated with himself as the somewhat muted impacts of drops sounded as opposed to the normal splash, groaning out loud as the realization hit him. He had forgotten to remove his clothes. He must have been more distracted than he thought. Shepard just stared, dumbstruck as his shirt and pants continued to get absolutely soaked from the water, but made no move to get out of the spray. You certainly couldn't make up this sort of oversight, this sort of bumble.

On top of that, the temperature of the shower had been set too high. This was made apparent as steam immediately started to form in the air, clinging to whatever skin was not being touched by liquid, soaking through any dry part of his clothes. He could see his flesh start to turn an angry pink, the hot water scalding.

There was a discomfort, yes, but Shepard suddenly felt tired, as if he could no longer support himself. His vision blurred and the room seemingly tilted. He threw out a hand to steady himself but it just slid off the smooth, reflective walls. His legs slipped and he fell to the ground, grunting as his knees made contact first, followed by the rest of him.

Trying to clear his throat of the water that was rushing in overhead, he sat himself up and scooted to the far end of the shower. He was now completely drenched, but at least the water was cooler the further away he was from the head. The steam still filled the general area, making it feel like a sauna before seeping out into the cabin beyond.

This wasn't a malfunction, he reasoned. This didn't have to do with any part of his cybernetic body. The problem was a bit more simplistic than that. Shepard lightly banged his head against the wall a few times in annoyance. He had just pushed himself to his natural limit, is all. His brain had been so saturated from the adrenaline rushes in the last day that it had no time to filter any of it out. He had experienced crashes before but nothing on a scale like this. He felt physically ill, his limbs were weak, the room was spinning before him.

The water continued to rain down on him, perhaps an unintentional symbol of his predicament. Shepard sighed, aware of how ridiculous he must look at the moment, a fully dressed man sitting in the shower and looking rather cross. This was the sort of position to wake up drunkards, not stave off a body failure. But he still did not move.

Shepard did not know how long he had been sitting there because he had closed his eyes a few minutes into his plight, only opening them when he heard the door to his cabin avail itself.

Oh, no…

"Shepard?" Tali's voice echoed through. "Are you here?"

He was still working up an explanation as he heard her footsteps come nearer, attracted by the noise of the shower. This was going to be rather awkward.

"Shepard? I- John!" She exclaimed as she walked into view, seeing the collapsed human in the stinging spray. Immediately, she rushed over, ducking under the hot water as she twisted the dial back, the flow halting and only a gurgle coming from the drain.

Tali knelt down as she brought Shepard's head upright, which had lolled over from his "rest." "John, what...what happened?"

He breathed out the last few drops of water that had beaded on his lips, fluid still flowing off his body as he gave a weak smile, "Aha...you're finally calling me John now…"

She was thunderstruck, momentarily ignoring him, "Look at you, John! You're a mess! How long have you been sitting here?"

Shepard groaned, "How long has it been since we talked in the core?"

"Exactly thirty minutes."

"Then it's been about twenty-five minutes," he managed with a chuckle. "Give or take."

Tali knew that she would have no chance at picking the human up by herself so she lunged for a towel that was hanging on a rack nearby. She dropped back down as she gently wiped his face, getting rid of the water that was still perched on his skin. After that was done, she started to work on his arms, chiding out loud.

"You bosh'tet. You should have just gone to bed."

There was no point in arguing with her, not when she was like this, "I probably should've."

"You're still soaked. Lift off your shirt and wrap the towel around you."

Now was not the time for modesty, seeing as it was his fault that he had let himself into this improprietous situation in the first place. He gradually removed the clinging fabric, throwing it to the side with a wet splatter as Tali quickly handed him the towel as she glanced to the side, in which he quickly threw around his upper body, already starting to get goosebumps from the air.

Shepard tried going for some levity, "I really need to stop letting you see me in inappropriate situations like this."

She slowly shook her head, fixing her stare on him again, "If anything, it's rather eye-opening. I get to see the real 'you' instead of the legend that everyone whispers with hushed breaths."

"'Legend,' huh?" he said impishly. "And is that a disappointment to you? To know that I am not the perfect man that I am made out to be?"

"Everyone has their faults, John," Tali assured as she sat down beside him, next to the shower where the floor was dry. "You have yours, I have mine. It's what makes us the way we are. It's what makes us alive. You don't need to be perfect, it doesn't make me respect you any less."

Shepard laughed, "If anything, I would have used that word to describe you, Tali."

"What word?"

"Perfect."

She brought her knees to her chest as she fidgeted, "Now you're just exaggerating."

His voice was serious, "That is most certainly not true. From my perspective, it is not an exaggeration. It couldn't be any more obvious, Tali."

Tali could only stare until her words flowed back into her throat, a combination of exasperation and confusion clogging her speech at the moment. "I- I-..." She hung her head mournfully, "Damn it, John, I only wish that you knew...how I felt -feel- right now…" Her voice was halting as she sounded close to tears, "You don't even know how I suffered when you were gone, how I rejoiced when I learned that you were alive again. There...there was some part of me that dared to hope...that things would be different. That you would look at me and see-"

"I understand you're upset but I know what you are going through-"

"No," she snapped, "You most certainly do not know what I've been going through. Ever since you've walked back into my life I've felt something gnawing at me, something that I have no control over. It's a feeling that has driven me mad for too long and-"

"Tali," Shepard drew back a bit, "If this is too much for you, we can-"

"-I can't bear to keep it in anymore because I need to let it out. I need for you to understand. Keelah, Shepard, I love you!"

The silence was so apparent it was almost deafening. She was starting to rise from the floor, embarrassed, heading towards the exit, shocked at her own admission and wanting to vanish as soon as possible. As fast as he could muster his limb to move, he grasped at her arm before she had reached the apex of her climb. Her head whirled to face him as he gazed at her determinedly.

"You think I didn't know that?" he whispered. "Did you think that I could not possibly understand?"

She was weakly struggling in his grip, pleading, "Let me go, Shepard. Please. I- I have to g-go..."

Shepard was now rising to meet her, eyes burning bright, "You don't have to be afraid, Tali. Why wouldn't you think that I wouldn't want an amazing woman like you?

Tali's entire body seemed to jump out of her skin, "W-What?"

"How could I not feel the same way about you?"

All resisting instantaneously ceased as her eyes went wide behind her visor, "Y-Y-You...w-want me?"

"Of course," Shepard empathetically smiled, relief grasping his features. "It took me a while to fully realize but I now know that this is what I truly desire. I am so sorry that I waited this long until now to say it, but you are the most wonderful person I've ever known in my whole life and I'm thrilled that you think the same way."

"I...I d-don't understand, John..."

"I may never understand it either, but I do know that this is what I've been looking for in the end. Coming from a less than perfect and partial human, I want to be with you, Tali, if you want to be with me."

Tali was jerking all over the place in her confusion, "This...I didn't think...wasn't how it was supposed to go…"

Shepard quietly led her out of the bathroom and down the shallow steps, setting themselves down on the leather couch as Tali managed to get her mind back on track. Her arms shook, more from disbelief than from actual fear.

"Why me?" she mumbled. "Why would you ever want to be with someone like me?"

"Why not you? Anyone you were with would be the luckiest person in the galaxy."

"I just…" she covered her visor with her hands, "I never thought you would fall for me. I never thought that my commander, the savior of the galaxy, would want to be with a lowly quarian like me, even though I wanted to be with him."

"Lowly quarian? I'll have you know, Tali, that you are a valuable member of my crew, a talented engineer, and a friend that I'm so glad that I ran into all those months ago. That is a far cry from lowly."

"But I'm a quarian, John!" she cried. "We're two different species. We can't be together!"

He shrugged, "If you're talking about how our amino acids are incompatible from each other's, what difference does that make? I wouldn't let an aspect as trivial as that impair how I truly feel about you."

Tali banged her fists on her legs, "It still doesn't change the fact that I can't even kiss you without getting sick! I- I don't want what I want to be a distraction for you. It's selfish of me to even bring it up in the first place-"

"It would only be selfish in the first place if I didn't think that you were the one for me as well," Shepard interrupted, grabbing both her hands. "I will say it as many times as possible: I want you, Tali, and no one else."

Even with the translucent covering, Shepard could see her eyes waver which meant that she was most likely crying. She gingerly shrugged out of his grip as she stood up in front of him.

"Look at me, Shepard," she moaned, gesturing to herself. "Look. I'm just a stupid girl trapped inside of a suit. How could you ever love this? I- I want you to be happy with someone. I-I won't be able to give you that. You would be much happier with someone whose face you could see, without a mask in the way. Someone you could love without having to worry about their health all the time. Someone-"

Shepard quickly rose to his feet. His mouth was in a straight line as he determinedly walked forward. Tali backpedaled a bit in fear before his hands gripped her shoulders firmly, so that she couldn't escape him.

"Tali," his voice was gentle, "You're wrong."

The change that transpired was like comparing night from day. Tali's tense posture immediately relaxed as his eyes told her a thousand truths. He really was serious about this. She sensed no hesitation from him, not one tell of a fib.

Could it really be true?

She took one step towards him before she spread her arms wide and wrapped them tightly around his body. She buried her head in the top of his chest as he returned the tight embrace. She was shaking something awful as he realized that she was openly weeping. A numb feeling was passing through him as he patted the back of Tali's head to steady her.

Carefully maneuvering back over to the couch, he lowered the both of them down so that none of them was in any danger of toppling over in a faint. Tali, continuing to cling onto him, was still wailing from happiness that he too managed to get out a strangled sob from her overpowering relief. He couldn't share her tears, of course (an absence of tear ducts made this an impossibility) but he could most certainly share her joy.

Her head lifted up, bright, shining orbs glowing in front of him. "How?" was the only word she breathed as she tenderly reached up to stroke his cheek, her own way of confirming what was real and what was not.

"I'll tell you how," Shepard whispered back as he took the hand that was brushing him and kissed it on the back. Tali tensed for a moment but immediately relax and let out a little giggle from the tiny, intimate action. "When we first met, I honestly did not know that much about quarians. Go figure, we live in a galaxy where information is readily available at the touch of a button and still I had neglected to even learn about your culture. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect when I first saw you, and I saw a determined, resourceful young woman who had a knack for machinery and a desire to help out in any way possible. All incredibly attractive qualities." Adjusting himself so that they were more comfortable, he leaned back on the couch, the quarian following along so that she was partially atop him.

"I will admit as well," Tali said in the tiniest of breaths, "I thought you were so handsome when I saw you. You were...so brave and skilled and...heroic. You were every bit of a dashing knight that I could ever conceive in my mind."

"I think you caught me on one of my better days there. Saving damsels in distress is a serious affair in my book."

"What's a 'damsel?'"

He grinned, "A lady, generally speaking."

She giggled nervously, "I don't really think that describes me at all."

"It's just a figure of speech. As I was saying, you reminded me of myself at that age. But you had accomplished and endured so much more. I will admit, I was fascinated. That's probably why I spent all my time down in engineering with you. I wanted to learn more about you and your people while also getting to spend time with you as well."

"You...you weren't just humoring me?"

"Never," he put a hand flat on the side of her helmet, feeling the soft heat flow onto his palm. "I wanted to make sure that you were as comfortable as possible."

"I'm certainly comfortable now," Tali sighed as she laid her head on his chest. "Although...I still don't even know if I'm dreaming."

"I can help you with that," Shepard replied as he grasped her under the arms. She let out a tiny squeal as he turned on his side so that both of them were lying sideways on the couch, heads at the same height as they lovingly looked upon the other. Their hands then came up to explore the others facial features. Tali's hands slowly traced over him while Shepard caressed the sides of her helmet.

This went on for a few more seconds before she flushed and her hands retreated. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I'm taking things too fast or if...I'm sorry."

Shepard's initial response was to take her hand in his own and encase it with his fingers, careful not to crush it, "There's no need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I...I know, I just-," she seemed to shrink, "I haven't done anything like this before, to be honest."

He laughed in assurance, "I'm entering a brave new world here too. Trust me, I'm just as frightened as you are, probably."

"Oh really, now?" she said coyly. "The great Commander Shepard, afraid of wooing a quarian?"

"I would think that the species has nothing to do with it," he admitted blankly. "I haven't been with anyone in...in a long time." His face perked up soon after, "But am I going to have to order you to call me 'John' from now on, Tali? You calling me by my rank or last name just sounds so...cold."

"Despite the fact that it's rather improper?" she teased, placing her hand flat across his chest.

"Screw it," he proclaimed. "After all that I've been through, I deserve a little leeway." He began ticking the variables off his fingers as she watched in awe, "When I was brought back to life, I was filled with regret. Not completely by what they did to me, but by the fact that I was worried that you might reject me. That I might never get to be with you at all."

"You had the best intentions, John," she confided. "There was no other way I could have known about you."

"Which was why I fought so hard on the liveship. I was fighting to get to you, fighting for the life I thought I'd lost." He stopped as he brought an arm over her in a hug, "And fighting...to keep you alive. My whole life has been one improper situation after the next. What's you calling by my first name going to do?"

"Oh Keelah," she moaned. "I completely forgot that you saw me...outside my mask. Did I...was I…?"

"I honestly don't remember, Tali," and Shepard meant it. Recalling the sound of broken glass and his own scream of rage, the heat of battle had rendered him incapable of revisiting the moment when he had looked on her face. She had been beautiful, he knew that he had reacted pleasantly, but it was too much, too fast. A critical bit of information flowing by when thousands of those had raced through his head in those few minutes. There had not been enough time for it to process.

"Not even a little bit?" her voice snapped him from his thoughts, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Only one thing," he did recollect.

"What was it?"

"Your eyes," he said simply.

Her breathing quickened, "What about them?"

"They were beautiful. Blue."

Tali consciously blinked at that. She began tapping her fingers against his chest, still wary at the authenticity of this entire encounter. "And...you really think you'll be happy with me?"

"I don't doubt it. If you feel the same way, that is."

Her chest seemed to be bursting with a warmth, spreading throughout her body as her unseen smile seemed to split the heavens above. After all this time, all those unseen efforts, she had finally made it.

"It's the only thing I ever truly wanted," she seemed close to breaking into tears again. "You're the only one that I've ever wanted to see me completely, to see my face without this damned mask in the way."

He frowned, both elated and cautious, "I would like nothing more, Tali. I know that such a thing is a big deal to you, but I don't want to unnecessarily risk your health if it isn't safe…"

"It will never be completely safe," she confirmed. "But there are ways that I can greatly reduce the risks. I...I will admit that the prospect is frightening, but…"

Shepard lightly put his hand over her voice modulator. "Whenever you're ready," he whispered, head lolling back on the couch as he unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn. "Whenever you're ready..."

"Okay, John," she murmured, as she felt her head touch the soft material. In front of her, Shepard's eyes had already closed as the rise and fall of his chest denoted that he had fallen asleep. Tali stared at him as he snoozed, admiring the perfect build of his body, the tiniest amount of warmth that conducted through her suit onto her. She smiled at him, concluding that he most definitely deserved a rest after today.

Tali desperately did not want to join him just yet, but rather marvel at her situation that had been a trip through her greatest fantasy. Her commander, Shepard, wanted her. Her, and no one else. If she were to name a day when she had been so completely blindsided by her emotions and wracked with such a happiness, this day would certainly qualify as being among one of her best. It was out in the open now, but she was still shocked at how perfectly their desires had collided together. Was such a thing possible? Could it be, that after all this time, Shepard had really noticed her and was willingly to love her as she loved him from afar? Or was the whole thing a hallucination brought on by a bad air filter? A cruel ploy in which her worst dreams were given form in front of her?

Her answers did not come as her eyes drooped closed for a second. She let them stay there. A few minutes rest was well earned, anyway.

Garrus tapped his foot on the deck in annoyance as he checked his chronometer. Joker was fiddling with the venting controls in the docks of Illium but he was resigned to waiting by the airlock until his commander came calling.

He was considering striking up a conversation with Joker but he figured that it wouldn't do to get a headache before they left. The human had a nasty habit of being rather argumentative with anyone who crossed his path, even Shepard.

Speaking of, the turian heard the muted clomps of boots on steel as Shepard strode forward, in full body armor, down the corridor past the rows of technicians and towards the rather impatient Garrus.

Garrus raised his arm so he could indicate the time, "One hour, Shepard. It's been an entire hour since we've docked. I thought you wanted to leave immediately but apparently that wasn't the case."

Shepard sheepishly spread his arms wide in a shrug, "I'm sorry, Garrus. I guess I overslept. I don't really have another excuse for keeping you waiting like that."

"You do know that in the time you've kept me waiting, Mordin had been out and back, and he managed to restock the entire lab to boot."

"Garrus," Shepard face fell, exasperated, "There's only so many different ways I can apologize until it becomes forced, you know."

The turian perked up, "I'm just messing with you, you know."

"You're not funny."

"So I've been told." Garrus cocked an eyebrow as a grin passed over Shepard's mouth, even though his eyes weren't focused on him directly, "Or am I?"

"Hm?" Shepard said, distracted, "Oh, that's still a negative on that, Vakarian. I was just thinking about...something else."

"Uh-huh," Garrus remained unconvinced. "Anyway, we waiting on Tali? She's kept me waiting just as long as you."

"Tali is…" Shepard looked up as he searched for the proper phrase, "...not coming."

"That's odd. You'd think that she would have wanted to do a little grocery shopping for the ship. Bound to be a few odds and ends that she would have liked."

"She probably would have," he admitted as they stepped into the airlock, the pressurization process already commencing, "But she's still sleeping at the moment. However, I believe I know exactly what to get for her. A few tech upgrades wouldn't hurt would it?"

"Still sleeping? Damn, that's impressive. I could never manage more than three hours at a time in those uncomfortable sleeper pods. I'll have to ask her for her secret."

"She…" Shepard rubbed the back of his head, "She isn't in the pods."

Garrus blinked, "But if she isn't in the pods then where…" He stopped as Shepard tried and failed to hide the small smile on his face. The turian's brain clicked when he put two and two together and the solution was revealed, "No...way…"

"If you say 'I told you so,' I'm going to strangle you right here in this airlock, Garrus," Shepard threatened, but he do so in a flippant manner.

"I...I...don't even know what to say," Garrus was completely flabbergasted. "Spirits, I knew that you two had a thing for each other but-"

"Leave it, Garrus," Shepard sighed.

"Are you two 'official' now? Because it's been a long time coming-"

"Leave it."

"A real long time, as in I was going to have to just shout it outright-"

"Leave it."

"Fine," Garrus threw up his hands, "Okay, I'll keep quiet...for now."

"Anything for a moment's peace, you damn turian."

"And now I've been 'third wheeled,'" the turian sighed. "If it was awkward for me before, it's only going to go downhill from here."

"God help me," Shepard said to himself as the airlock door raised. They barely made it five steps out into the windy air that nipped at their faces before halting in their tracks. The walkway vibrated as a third set of feet were chancing upon it. Both Shepard and Garrus started, squinting in confusion at the person who was quickly walking along the gate to meet them, past a pair of LOKI mechs.

Garrus coughed in surprise, as he recognized the person, "Huh. I wasn't expecting that."

Shepard shrugged, "Not this quickly, at least."

Her transition from her slumber came gradually, as if her sleep was trying to pull her back into the blissful dark. She let out a huge yawn as she could feel the surface of the couch mold comfortably to her body. She reached out across her and abruptly sat up when she grasped only air.

Tali searched around the cabin, looking for the person she had spent the night with. Her breath was starting to calm down after the initial shock, but she was still wary. Had it all been a dream? If so, it had been a very pleasant dream but a disappointment nonetheless because it had seemed so real.

Interestingly, her dream failed to explain exactly how she had gotten into Shepard's cabin in the first place. Certainly she didn't have a sleepwalking problem that she knew of. She sat up, pressing her fingers to where her temples corresponded to on her helmet, as if that would drive away her sleepiness when she saw the datapad perched on the ottoman in front of her.

The screen was blinking with an unread message. Curious, she picked it up and thumbed the lock screen. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that it was addressed to her. Anticipation broiling, she hungrily began to read the short note.

Tali,

I'm sorry for not waking you up when I did. You were so out of I that I just didn't want to disturb you. You did have a hectic day so I didn't want you to start a new one with relatively little sleep. I don't plan on being gone long, just for a few hours. When I get back, I would like for us to continue our original conversation. I meant what I said last night.

Feel free to come up to the cabin any time you want. You won't need my permission any more.

Thank you, for everything.

-John

The datapad fell from her fingers as the last line was comprehended in her mind. She felt like screaming and jumping in glee as the last few strands of doubt were cleansed. It wasn't a dream after all, or a hallucination, or any byproduct of a destabilizing mental state.

He meant what he said. He wants me.

Tali held her head in her hands as she sobbed in relief. Her tears hit the bottom of her helmet and were subsequently drained but she didn't care, she let them flow. Breath shuddering, she wept out loud in the quiet area, thanking the human to herself as she blossomed from his absolute and pure kindness.

She suddenly bounded to her feet and raced to the elevator, swinging her arms wildly. She felt hungry so she pressed the button for the mess. The tube of nutrient paste that was waiting for her wasn't exactly worth the rush but she there was no stopping her pace at this point. Tali practically leaped out of the lift as it opened the tiniest of cracks and walked quickly over to the makeshift kitchen in the corner. It was a quiet hour so there wasn't anyone in the mess as far as she could see. She walked behind the counter and bent over to open the cabinet with her rations. Selecting a random tube, she pulled back, kicking the door shut as she walked over to the table.

"Hello, Tali," a smooth voice sounded.

Since she had been so preoccupied with her thoughts at the time, she did not even know the person was already seated at the table hidden behind a column when she entered. Her giddy nature might not have been questioned by anyone not associated with Shepard's squad but this is where that particular person qualified. It had been a long time since she had seen her, since anyone had seen her, yet she was right here in front of her a warm smile on her face as she rose to meet the quarian, pushing her chair in.

"L-Liara?" Tali gasped, clutching her tube so that it wouldn't slip from her grasp and shatter on the floor. The asari glided over to her and wrapped her long slender arms around her in a soft hug. Tali, bewildered out of her mind from the events of the previous day, was somewhat delayed when she also hugged the asari, limbs rather numb as the blood flowed from them.

"Goddess," Liara breathed, "It is so good to see you again, Tali."

"What are you doing here?" Tali exclaimed happily as she stepped back a pace, "How are you on the Normandy right now? Did John send for you?"

Liara laughed, "Did you know actually he did? He-...did you just call him 'John?'"

Tali's face fell instantaneously in her mortification, "Oh...well, you see...it's, um…"

Liara grinned, "I guess that explains why Garrus was guffawing so hard and why Shepard couldn't keep that smile off his face earlier. I'm really happy for you, Tali."

"He's...I just...you are?"

"Yes," Liara beamed, "He's a good man, Tali. You are incredibly lucky to have someone like him."

This was getting more and more surreal by the minute. It didn't feel like she had been with him that long and already she was being congratulated. Perhaps it hadn't fully sunk in yet with her, but there would be plenty of opportunities for that later on.

"You…" Tali replied as both of them sat down across from each other, "You're acting like this was something you were expecting. That...that me and John would...you know…"

Liara giggled, "Tali, I don't mean to ruin any preconceptions you might have had but the attraction between you two was not exactly a well-guarded secret."

"Wait...what?"

"You guys weren't as subtle as you thought," Liara was fighting the urge to laugh, "I mean, you were always following him around and he was always listening to you back on the old Normandy. I had to convince Garrus not to start a betting pool when you actually were going to be a 'couple,' I believe is the correct human terminology, because I thought it would be mean."

"Well...thank you, Liara," Tali mumbled, shocked, starting not to feel as hungry as she originally thought. "I guess."

"Don't take it personally, Tali. At least, it seems like you've been kept busy these past few weeks."

"Something like that," Tali nodded. "But what about you? Last we spoke, we didn't really discuss anything much of substance. Of course, that was when John was...gone."

"That is true. Things have been rather muted as of late. At the very least, there a lot less hassle with saving the galaxy than having to pay rent."

"About that, there was some crazy rumor that you were working with the Shadow Broker?"

Liara gave a dismissive wave of the hand, "I had a temporary alliance with him, nothing more. He wanted me to bring up an accounting of a few individuals outside of his usual circle of contacts due to me being a freelance information broker. And that's it. Just a piece of a much larger puzzle."

"Anyone I would know?"

"Not really. Most of them were dossiers on Cerberus officers. One in particular, a colonel named Rukin of sorts, a rather nasty man. I'm not sure why the Broker would have wanted me to collect files of people of his calibre but an assignment is an assignment."

Tali looked down at the dull grey table, "I've met him before. The colonel, I mean."

"You have?" Liara looked surprised, "When?"

"A few weeks ago on my old ship, the Rayya," her gaze was as cold as she brought her head up. "He's dead."

"Was it Shepard who-?" Tali nodded, causing Liara to stop mid-sentence before shaking her head with some slight amusement. "That man, he really does care about you, you know that?"

"I do," Tali replied thoughtfully. "Did he ask you to come with us? Is that why you're here?

"He did. He had mentioned that he was flying around in a fancy new Normandy and that he was looking to reunite the old crew again. I don't really have anything tying me to Illium at the moment so I couldn't resist accepting."

"Shepa- John, I mean, does have a way with words," Tali tugged anxiously at her hood, "He always has."

Liara gave a coy look, "Did he use his eloquence on you too?"

"I- I guess...he said he only...he only wanted me."

Liara sighed dreamily before straightening and giving a shy laugh, "I'm sorry, but I've never seen you this happy before. It's very heartwarming, to say the least."

Tali couldn't control her bout of giggles at that, "Oh, Keelah, I probably don't even realize how much of a kid I sound like right now. I'm fawning over a guy with a friend, a guy who's technically my...boyfriend now." She paused, "That sounds so weird...'boyfriend.'"

"It's the truth now," Liara shrugged. "A reaction like this is perfectly normal for someone who's in a relationship."

"It's going to be a while before I get used to any of these words," Tali conceded. "'Relationship,' 'boyfriend,' 'love.' It's a brand new experience for me."

"As it is for me," a voice called from the doorway. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to it."

Tali jumped out of her chair and Liara whirled around. Shepard was standing next to the pathway to the elevator, arms crossed over his chest with a smile on his face. Garrus was standing beside him, rolling his eyes and earning an elbow to the ribs. Shepard fixed Tali with a warm look as she too smiled underneath her helmet.

"Hello, Tali."

"Hello, John,"

"Goodbye, Tali and John," Garrus muttered as he stalked off to the battery. Both of them chortled for a bit watching the turian depart before walking up to each other. Tali held out a small, petite hand that Shepard grasped in earnest, causing yet another dreamy sigh to erupt from Liara.

Their fingers melded together, exploring their radically different sizes and shapes. Each one enjoyed the foreign feeling of what it was like to have an odd-numbered appendage grasp their own. The tenderness of their touch, the softness of their hands.

"I think," Tali breathed, "That I'm looking forward to it as well."

A/N: Well, there was bound to be a chapter full of fluff. No avoiding that one.

And I guess I finally now have my first story to go over 100,000 words so I can now die happy with this milestone achieved.

Just kidding, that would disappoint a great many people, I'm sure.