Shepard scowled at the person in front of her, scrutinizing them closely for any sign of weakness, any hint of fear and, perhaps most importantly of all, even the slightest interpretation of a breach in uniform regulations. A chuckle behind her brought her glare whipping away from the mirror and over to Anderson.

"You look fine Shepard, relax." She grunted but otherwise ignored his advice and began pacing the room. "Nervous?"

"I don't know why." She muttered after a moment's hesitation and a terse nod.

"It's your wedding day, everybody gets nervous on their wedding day. I know I did. This time tomorrow you're going to be Mrs and Mrs Shepard, sound good?"

"It sounds great. Can we skip to tomorrow already?" Anderson chuckled again, as far as Nikki was concerned he was doing far too much of that today.

"Afraid not. It's all going to end up a blur anyway though. You might as well stop worrying, relax and try to enjoy it."

"Besides..." A flanged voice interrupted from the corner. "What's the worst that can happen?" The sudden silence was deafening as Nikki spun on her heel to stare incredulously at the turian and Garrus squirmed uncomfortably as he found himself on the nasty end of two N7 glares, it was almost enough to make him fear for his life.

"You did not just say that? You did not just curse my wedding day!"

"What?"

"Seriously? 'what's the worst that could happen?'! Last time someone said that to me I was charged by five blood raging krogan. Five! At the same time! I ended up with four broken ribs, a shattered arm and being shouted at over vid comm by a very pissed off girlfriend because instead of being home in time for Valentine's Day and taking her out like I promised, I ended up spending half of February in the damn hospital!"

"Well, look on the bright side... if anything goes wrong today you'll be shouted at by an angry wife."

"Oh joy, the part of married life I'm most looking forward to! If anything goes wrong I'm telling Trish it's your fault."

"Nothing will go wrong Shepard." Anderson tried to calm the woman down.

"It wouldn't have if Vakarian kept his big mouth shut! A moment ago all I had to worry about was forgetting my lines, now I've got to keep my eyes peeled for potential assassins and crashing asteroids and-"

"Shepard, relax! Nothing's going to go wrong."

"How do you know?"

"Because you made me best man, it's my job to make sure things run smoothly. That includes carrying you kicking and screaming down the aisle if you get cold feet."

"I've not got cold feet." The spectre protested. "I just don't want anything to go wrong and ruin Trish's big day."

"It's supposed to be your big day as well you know."

"Yeah, I suppose so... You've definitely got the rings right?"

"I knew there was something I was forgetting when I left Arcturus yesterday." Her face visibly paled and Anderson rolled his eyes. "Of course I've got the rings Shepard."

"Good, good... Hang on, this carrying me business... reckon I could get a piggyback?" He shot her his best unimpressed glare but secretly he was glad to see that cheeky grin back on her face.

"No, it'll be a fireman's carry. Or possibly dragging you by the legs while you desperately claw at the floor."

"Hmph, you're no fun." Nikki stopped in front of the mirror again, flicking ineffectively at a bit of her fringe before giving up with a sigh. "Alright, let's do this."

...

Shepard had counted fourteen possible sniper locations on the way into the registry office, three of which still had line of sight on her as she stood waiting for the ceremony to begin. Of course there was no guarantee she would be the target of any potential assassination attempts, there were a lot of important people at her wedding after all. Admiral Hackett, Captain Anderson, more N7 operatives than had taken part in the Theschea Raids, her almost wife... Ok, so Trish might not rank very highly on a galactic scale of important people compared to the rest of the room, but she was the most important person in the galaxy as far as Nikki was concerned.

Her macabre thoughts were interrupted as she turned and caught sight of Trish at the top of the aisle. Her partner's dress was elegant but understated, a truly stunning masterpiece. No matter how amazing it looked however, it paled in comparison to the woman wearing it. Nikki's lips formed the word 'wow', although she had no idea if it had been audible or silent, and somewhere at the back of her mind she hoped someone was still paying attention to the sniper spots because she had eyes for nothing else but the vision walking towards her. As soon as Trish was close enough she gently took her hands, desperate for contact, leaning forward to whisper in her ear:

"You look..." Words failed her and she trailed off into a tiny shrug. Trish's already smiling lips twitching as she shook her head slightly in amusement.

"So do you." The soldier's quiet chuckle was swallowed by a kiss, the loud clearing of a nearby throat interrupting before she could fully reciprocate.

"Ladies, traditionally the kiss happens at the end."

"Right, yes, sorry... shall we?" Nikki blushed but Trish remained unrepentant, winking at her partner before turning to face the officiant.

...

"Today is a special day when we get to officially welcome Nikki into our family." Admiral Hackett was saying, all eyes on him as he kicked off the speeches section of the wedding reception. Nikki could remember some of how she got to this part of the day. For example there was that bit about 'Nicola Jane Shepard do you accept Patricia Helen Stewart to be your wife?' and a bunch of 'I dos', and she definitely remembered the kissing. Then there had been that delightful moment where she got to see the vintage car that would be transporting them to the after party, and the near heart stopping moment when she realised someone else would be driving instead of her. She hated not being in control of ground vehicles. But on the whole the day had passed as a bit of a blur. She focused her attention back onto her new Uncle-in-Law.

"You've both gone through your own hells and come out the other side stronger than ever. You've supported each other through thick and thin, never let anything come between you, and I can honestly say I couldn't hope for anyone better for Trish. Ladies and gentlemen, to Trish and Nikki." The room echoed as everybody took up the toast, although Nikki swore she heard a handful of people change the wording to 'Shepard and Shepard'.

"Thank you Sir." The spectre stood as everyone else put their glasses back down. "And thank you to everyone for coming. Special thanks must go to Trish's mom, Molly, and everyone else who's helped organise all of this. I would say it was planned with military precision, but having been part of the reaction force for the Skyllian Blitz I can assure you, this was much better organised." There were a few chuckles at that, mainly from those dressed in Alliance blue, while a handful of the civilian guests looked faintly scandalized.

"Of course Molly's achievements go far beyond today. She's also responsible for creating and raising the most beautiful, intelligent, kind and caring woman I have ever met. A woman I am now lucky enough to be able to call my wife. Trish, you've seen me at my best and you've seen me at my worst, and sometimes I really don't know how you put up with me. I'm glad you do though. I love you more than anything, I even love you more than cake. Although... Speaking of cake..."

"Behave you." Trish instructed with an indulgent roll of her eyes. Nicola's own eyes sparkled with mischief as she made a show of quickly flicking through her cue cards before dropping them onto the table with a sigh.

"Well they're not going to be any use then!"

...

"Ah Shepard, Shepard, Shepard... where does one even begin to describe this amazing woman?" Anderson was interrupted by a series of calls, predominantly from the villa table, all revolving around the theme of 'bloody mental', and he was forced to wave them into silence before he could continue.

"When I first met that young, cocky mechanic back on Luna, I never thought that one day I'd be here; best man at the wedding of humanity's first spectre. We've been through a lot together since then, and Shepard's pulled me out the fire many a time. Once quite literally if I remember correctly." The spectre smirked at the private memory. "Although in fairness, I've returned the favour more times than I can count."

"Don't worry babe, he can't count very high, honest." Nikki declared abruptly to mixed laughter from the assembled, while her new wife simply mouthed a 'thank you' at the captain. His mock glare was ruined slightly by the twitch of his lips and he continued as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Over the years Shepard's not only forced me to reevaluate my ideas of what is and isn't possible in this galaxy, both in terms of what she's done and what she's faced, but she has also given me a new definition of the word stoicism; She grins and I bear it. A feeling I'm sure Trish is more than familiar with." Both brides nodded in agreement to that one. "Now it is customary on these occasions to tell a few funny and embarrassing anecdotes-" Nikki failed to hide a groan as she suddenly regretted her choice in best man. She knew she should have gone with Ben. After all, most of her interactions with the civilian were far more embarrassing for him than for her, and he was the leading contender for being the father of their unborn child.

"-Unfortunately, the vast majority of those moments are classified so perhaps I should stick to the older tradition of reading out a poem?" Shepard breathed out a sigh of relief as she gestured an approval of the plan and Anderson made a point of clearing his throat, securing direct eye contact with his protege before reciting: "Boots, boots, boots, boots-" Nikki erupted into laughter, one hand clapping against her arm while boos arose from the villa table, although a few of their fellow N7s continued with the next line when he fell silent.

"Would you like me to continue?"

"I know what's happening at your funeral old man." The youngster threatened resolutely, but Anderson merely smiled.

"Just make sure I'm definitely dead first, please."

"No promises." Came the instant retort.

...

Tali sat alone at the Normandy ground team's table after everybody else had got up to get a slice of wedding cake. It was one of those little moments where, even though nobody was being deliberately malicious, it still served to highlight how different and apart from everybody else she was, just because of her species. Even Garrus, her fellow dextro, was included when she was not. Him having more freedom with being able to eat food that had been touched by non filtered air, and a smaller dextro cake having been baked for the newlyweds' handful of turian friends.

She fought off the sudden wave of self-pity, disgusted at herself for allowing any negative thoughts during such a joyous event. She had been truly honored to be invited to the commander's special day and the nutrient paste tubes she had been provided when everybody else was given plates of food, were quite clearly a premium brand, possibly the best she'd ever tasted, not to mention the flavour was a delicacy reserved for special occasions among the quarian populace. It was quite clear that a lot of thought and preparation had gone into her being here and she tried to focus on that instead of the empty table. It didn't take much to make a quarian feel alone in the world though. Not that it mattered, either way her pilgrimage was nearing its end, she'd be back among her own people soon enough.

"Tali!" She turned her head to see humanity's spectre walking towards her carrying something in her hands. The helmet that was essential for her survival hid her widened eyes and dropped mouth from view as Shepard came close enough for her to see the carried object. A see-through vacuum packed box containing a larger than average cupcake. "I'm sorry, I know it's not the same and I'm not sure when you're going to find a clean room to be able to eat it but-" Nikki's words were cut off as the quarian rushed to her feet and threw her arms around the N7's neck.

"I'll miss you." The youngster declared before self consciously realising she had wrapped her commanding officer up in a hug and that the words she'd uttered didn't really go with the rest of the conversation. "I mean uh, thank you." Nikki simply chuckled.

"You're welcome. I'll miss you too. If you ever get bored of life in the flotilla, you'll always be welcome on any ship of mine Tali. That goes for the rest of you too." She added as the rest of her squad rejoined them with plates of cake.

"Any ship?" Liara questioned, the faintest trace of confusion in her voice. "Won't you be keeping the Normandy?" Shepard grimaced.

"I hope so, but that's up to the Admiralty board. Technically it was only a temporary attachment and I know Mikhailovich has been making waves. I tried to convince Hackett to give her to me as a wedding present, but apparently it doesn't work like that."

"What did 'The Hatchet' give you as a wedding present?" Williams enquired, curious despite herself. The traditional wedding gift ideas of items to help the newlyweds start up a home and life together were a little pointless when the couple in question had been living together for as long as the Shepards.

"A shield generator." Was the prompt response. "One of those small, discreet, fancy ones that can be worn with just clothes, goes with both casual and formal wear."

"That's nice, knowing he cares about your safety." Kaiden contributed to the conversation.

"Well yeah... but he got Trish a pistol!"

...

Commander Nicola Jane Shepard was a woman of many skills and talents. As her wife led her in a gentle sway around the room however, it became abundantly clear to everyone who didn't already know that dancing was certainly not among them. Luckily any romance points lost by her two left feet were quickly reclaimed by singing the lyrics of the song she'd chosen directly into Trish's ear.

"I was born tooo love you, with every single beat of my heart. Yes I was born to take care of you, every single day of my life." They were so caught up in each other's presence that neither one noticed Admiral Hackett slip out to answer a call, or how he marched straight to Anderson for a whispered conversation upon his return. More people took to the dance floor as the 'First and last' dance came to an end (Nick had remained adamant that she would only do one) but the swarm wasn't enough to hide the subtle movement of N7s as they met up and split up, clearly passing a message among their ranks. She made her excuses and beelined towards Rizzi.

"What's going on?" Shepard's question garnered a shrug from the N7 Fury.

"No idea. The Hatchet wants any sober N's for a briefing."

"Something tells me he'll get more than just the sober ones." A quick glance revealed Trish engaged in conversation with her co-workers so they made good their escape to the freshly commandeered briefing room.

"OK, that's everyone." Meyer declared as Malhotra filed in behind the spectre. "So, what's going on?"

"There's been a training accident on Luna." Hackett started, a dozen disbelieving eyes silently informing him that N7s didn't get called out for training accidents. "Following the incident the course engineers tried to remotely shutdown the VI system in charge of simulating enemy tactics, without success. Our failsafes aren't responding and all attempts to approach the facility where the servers are stored have been met with heavy resistance. We need someone to fight through the training facility to the VI core and manually shut it down."

"What weapons does this rogue VI have control over?" Riley asked. Nobody needed telling that the fact they'd been assembled meant earlier attempts with regular marines must have been a catastrophic failure with multiple fatalities. That was just a given.

"Automated turrets, defense drones, both assault and rocket varieties. There's also anti-air guns so you'll have to drop a couple of klicks away and insert by mako."

"What about orbital weaponry? Is this thing capable of targeting Earth?" Nikki queried from behind Rizzi's shoulder. A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only indication that Hackett hadn't spotted her until now, and that he wasn't pleased to see her there. He didn't break his professionalism though, answering her question as if it had been anyone else asking.

"No, fortunately the Hannibal VI is on a closed network. Only the one facility is affected by this. The rest of Luna's defenses remain secure at this time. Now apparently every N7 within three relay jumps of Earth is here, obviously I'd prefer volunteers but-..." the rest of his sentence was rendered inconsequential as every N in the room immediately volunteered.

"Hand down Shepard, I'll send you on life threatening missions any day of the week, but not on your wedding night. Now for god's sake get back out there before Trish starts wondering where you've got to."

...

"It ain't my fault. Yeah this is how we roll baby, this is how we roll." Trish smiled as she woke to the sound of her newly wedded wife singing. She glanced down at the ring on her finger as if to check yesterday hadn't been a dream but it was definitely there. The only thing that could have made the morning better was for her wife to be beside her in bed, but at least she was nearby if the singing was anything to go by.

She thought she caught the scent of bacon and assumed Nikki must have ordered room service, but whether the N7's plan was to surprise her with breakfast in bed or help herself to a snack while the civilian was unconscious before innocently joining her for a second breakfast later was currently unknown. Trish decided to feign sleep a little while longer to find out. As she lay there listening to the music playing out of the speakers she suddenly realised that, while the song was familiar, the spectre appeared to have changed a few of the words. "I'm stubborn and it ain't my fault, I came from Mindoir just like the hot sauce."

"I didn't know Mindoir was famous for its hot sauce." The words left her mouth without thought, completely forgetting she was supposed to be asleep.

"Hmph, Mindoir's not famous for anything." Nikki's voice huffed dismissively. The statement wasn't entirely true, but Trish certainly wasn't going to bring up the raid on today of all days. Instead she tried to think of a more acceptable answer as Nick suddenly appeared into view, climbing up onto the bed above her.

"They make some pretty good wine." She offered, but Nikki scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Not enough syllables." Just then the song reached the relevant part of the chorus again and she gave it a go anyway. "I'm stubborn and it ain't my fault, I came from Mindoir just like the wi-ine." The wrinkled nose and pouty lips suggested she wasn't happy with the result.

"Why do you need to change the words any way?"

"Because I'm not from Louisianna. Why should I have to lie when I sing a song?"

"I don't know. You lie plenty when you're not singing." Nikki grinned, suddenly launching into Meat Loaf despite the background music not matching.

"I'd lie for you and that's the truth. Do anything you ask me to." Trish giggled.

"You're in a very sing-ey mood today." She accused and Nick just shrugged.

"I'm happy." Such a simple statement but it made Trish's heart swell and she reached up for a kiss. Nikki joyfully reciprocating until she noticed a slight burning smell and pulled away. "Hold that thought."

She leapt off the bed and Trish sat up so her eyes could follow, shaking her head with a smile as she caught sight of the small camping stove set up on the floor of the hotel, Nikki flipping the rather crispy looking bacon out of the frying pan and onto a plate.

"Only you sweetie, only you. You do realise they have room service here right?"

"What? I wanted to cook breakfast for my beautiful wife, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing dear, absolutely nothing."

...

Author's note: Songs in order of appearance - "I was born to love you" by Queen, "I'm Southern" by The Cadillac Three and "I'd lie for you (and that's the truth)" by Meat Loaf. Hope you're all still enjoying.