Disclaimer: I do not own or make any claim to the Mass Effect universe or the characters contained in this story, all of which are owned by BioWare and Electronic Arts. This is simply my interpretation of some events within the game universe.

[AN: And here we are, the last chapter of this fic, but not the end of the story. see the AN at the bottom of the chapter for more info. /AN]

NormandySR-2, Widow System, on approach to The Citadel (March 16, 2186, 0420 hours, Ship Time):

The blue-shifting stars twinkled and danced as the Mass Effect Field encapsulating the ship rippled and changed, distorting what lay beyond it in the void.

Despite being surrounded by space for her entire life, Tali had rarely had the time to simply enjoy its natural beauty, but now, nestled in their comfortable bed, she allowed herself to indulge, gazing lazily up through the skylight in their cabin. For it truly was their cabin now; she hadn't used a sleeper pod in over a month and there was an ever-growing collection of her tools and tinkering projects arrayed around the spacious room.

She still had another hour before she needed to get up, so she nestled in closer to the cabin's original occupant and murmured contentedly as he unconsciously held just a little bit tighter.

Shifting slightly again so she could look at her love's face as he slept, she was rewarded with his familiar and reassuring appearance, relaxed and at ease.

It was a rare gift to see John truly relaxed, and only those who had actually seen him in such a state would know precisely how rare it was. He put so much effort into convincing those around him that he was relaxed that they never saw the tension and anxiety that roiled beneath his carefully maintained exterior.

It was a surprise for her when she discovered, over the past few months, that she was not the only one in their relationship that was trapped behind a mask. As she could only remove her mask on rare occasions and for all-too-brief periods of time, so too could John only manage to drop his emotional mask on rare occasions and for all-too-brief periods of time. And just like she had been growing braver and bolder after that first kiss, John had also been opening up to her further and further.

As it turned out, their fearless leader had many fears; from the fate of people he had never met, to the state of the galaxy, to his own inadequacies and how the burden that was his knowledge of the Reaper threat was slowly crushing him. He had hinted at some of these fears in the past, to her, Garrus, and probably others amongst the handful of people he trusted, but it was really only in aftermath of the Collectors that he had truly opened up and shared the depth of his fears with her.

Tali knew there was still more that she didn't know, more hidden facets of his character that he guarded closely, but she didn't mind; she had her own fears and flaws and inadequacies that she wasn't quite ready to share, after all. They both had scars, emotional and physical, from a history of loss, and just like their other similarities, it solidified their bond.

She still remembered in vivid clarity a conversation they had had on the original Normandy about their respective parents. They had talked for the better part of two hours, trading stories and sympathetic understanding, and by the end of it they both knew their friendly relationship had become something deeper, a sort of intimate trust blossoming from it. It was also the moment that she realised that it was not some mere infatuation that she felt for her Captain, even if it took her far longer to admit it to herself, let alone him.

They were heading to the Citadel at the moment, now that they had officially cut ties with Cerberus, the Commander had wanted to straighten some things out and present Captain Anderson and the Council with the data EDI had data-mined from the Collector Base.

But John also wanted to reunite with his mother, and he had wanted Tali to come and meet her as well. From what she had been able to learn about human mating rituals, it seemed that being introduced to the other's parents was a substantial step, so while she was nervous, she was also quite excited. She couldn't help by feel that this would be another layer that would be peeled back from each of them and that it would be another defining moment in their relationship, one way or another. And looking at John's relaxed visage, she could only believe it would be positive.

[AN: I will be continuing the post-ME2/ME3/Post ME3 part of this story in 'Explanations' (will also receive a new name), turning it from a one-shot into an actual story in the same style as this one. However, it will be a while (1 month at least, 2-3 more likely) before the next chapter goes up, so don't hold your breath. I have some other stories I've been neglecting badly and I want to get them finished off first.

Thank you for your patience, feedback and general enjoyment of this story, I've been totally blow away by the responses I've received about this story and I hope to continue in such a vein when I start on the next one.

See you soon. /AN]