Shepard was walking down the street, a sluggish pace in his steps. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do. Everything he knew had completely fallen apart within the past few hours, and it scared the shit out of Shepard.

The Catalyst, Mason, and even The Reapers all were coming back to haunt him. God, he wished that he was still in a coma. He wanted to wake up and everything was just a dream. That he would wake up and everything would be perfect, that none of this had ever happened. Hell, he wished that NONE of this had ever happened.

Shepard imagined what the world would've been like if The Reapers never existed. The galaxy would still have all those lives that were lost due to The Reapers. Millions of families would still have their children, their fathers, and their mothers. Best of all, the weight of every decision, every death, would not ride on his shoulders. All this doubt and guilt, would be gone.

But Shepard remembered the good he did: Curing The Genophage, Creating a temporary peace between The Geth and The Quarians, and ultimately defeating The Reapers. He'd never had traveled to all those places, met all those people, and had all those adventures. Worse of all, he'd never had met Ashley. Their paths might never had crossed if The Geth never attacked Eden Prime, or even if his parents survived. He could still be a simple farmer on Mindoir, married to the girl next door and raising a family.

Even despite this, after all the love he had brought into his life, he still didn't feel any better. They were lives that could be taken, used against him, and it was the most vulnerable part of him. He didn't want anything to happen to Ashley, or anyone of his crew, but he knew that they were in harm's way...because of him.

Shepard stopped in his tracks, looking around. He was next to an old and run down bar, with the soft sounds of some sort of country music being played inside. He looked behind him, the sounds of police sirens and cars whizzing above him from the recent battle. There was still a dark cloud of smoke rising in the skyline, contrasting the dark orange sun of twilight. Shepard was in his casuals, and they were covered in dirt and soot. Regardless of his appearance, Shepard stepped into the bar.

The bar was surprisingly sleek and clean on the inside. The bar had a white florescent light that covered the small bar. Several round tables were placed all around the bar, a few had some seedy inhabitants at the table. There was also the usual long bar at the front. The music was loud, but nowhere near the level of volume of some of the clubs Shepard had been to.

Shepard approached the bar, a limp still in his step from the bullet that skinned the tip of his toe. He leaned up against it, exhaling loudly as he rested himself. He was tired, mainly from the battle, but he was also tired of everything. All this guilt and doubt took both a physical and psychological toll on him. Shepard could sleep on the bar, if it weren't absolutely disgusting.

"What can I get you sir?" The bartender asked him as she approached Shepard. She was dressed in a black tank top that left...little to the imagination. Her hair short and dyed a rich blue along with green highlights. She also had a large tribal tattoo on her face and on her chest, kinda similar to the ones Vega had.

"Gimme the strongest thing you have in the bar," said Shepard.

"Sir, that would be Rhyncol and it would kill you if you took more than one shot," said the lady, "I am assuming you'd rather have the strongest drink a human can safely..." she chuckled. Shepard chuckled too, tapping his fingers on the wooden counter.

"Yeah," he said, "Of course." She smiled, turning around and bending down to get the bottle out of the cupboard.

Shepard didn't mind the view, thinking to himself, "Nice ass...wait, I'm getting engaged," he worried, "But Ash isn't here, so no harm..." Shepard smiled to himself as he wondered off in thought, "Why is it that the women I'm always around have the best asses?" "I mean Ashley, Liara, Tali, Miranda,... I guess that's about it, but still!" He looked up at the lady who was holding a large brown bottle along with a shot glass.

"I'll pay for the whole bottle," said Shepard, "So you can just leave it here." She poured him a shot, the liquid coming out was a dark red.

"What is this?" asked Shepard.

"It's this Asari Vodka-like concoction," she told him as she looked at the bottle, "Venata Esquire," she read. Shepard took a shot, it slid down his throat in a rough manner.

"God that's strong," Shepard coughed. He grabbed the bottle from the bartender, pouring another shot from the bottle.

"So, I take it that you just came from that commotion over there at The University? " The bartender asked as she watched Shepard down another shot.

"Yeah," he coughed up again, "I was passing by and figured I'd blow some steam off here." "You a student over there or something?"

"No," she laughed, "I'm enrolled at a much lesser college a few miles away from here." "I couldn't afford that place if I saved all my money and lived on the street." The two chuckled, as Shepard poured another shot.

"You want one?" Shepard asked as he pointed the bottle at her.

"Sure," she said as she grabbed another shot glass from behind her, "I'm not buying." She poured another shot, grabbing it and clinking it against Shepard's glass as the two did a shot together.

"So," she said as she composed herself after he shot, "You get all the women you drink with wasted?"

"No," Shepard said, "Only the ones I like." Shepard's mind immediately into crisis, "What the hell are you doing?" he thought, "You are goddamn engaged to a women you love and..."

"Well, I wouldn't be lying if I said I wasn't interested," said the bartender, "But I don't even know your name."

Shepard put his face down, realizing what he had to tell her now. "You can call me Daniel," Shepard said, getting out of the obvious Savoir of The Galaxy conversation he would've had with her. "You?"

"I'm Lori," she proudly stated, "And it's good to meet you."

Although he seemed cool, Shepard's mind was racing at a mile a minute, "Okay, just leave, you're in WAY too deep," Shepard's mind was yelling at him, "Just fake something, anything!"

"So how is The Alliance life?" Lori asked, "I figured that with everything that has happened, most people would want to go home and settle down."

"For a career military man like myself, there's little time for settling down," Shepard said, "Or relationships..."

"Must get lonely," she spoke in a flirty voice as she poured another shot.

"Very," Shepard seductively said back.

"Okay, that's enough," Shepard's mind was yelling, "What if Ashley walks in, you are GODDAMN insane and engaged." Shepard's inside were screaming at him to just walk out, but he just couldn't.

"So, tell me, what time do you get off work?" asked Shepard.

"Not until eight tonight, unfortunately," Lori sadly said, "However..." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and grabbed a pen. "I'll give you my number, and you can call me and we can meet up nearby."

"Great," Shepard smiled, "I gotta get back...The Captain might be wondering where we all wondered off to." She handed him the slip, Shepard put it into his pocket. Shepard took a last shot, then stood up from the bar.

"See you tonight," Lori said as she went off to tend to another patron.

"Yeah," Shepard said as he turned around to leave the bar. Shepard smiled, softly saying to himself, "I still got it." Inside, Shepard was a mess, "Holy shit...what the hell have you gotten yourself into?" "You are engaged and your going on a date...with a girl that isn't Ashley." Shepard left the bar, stepping out into the hot sun.

"Okay," Shepard said to himself as the realization set in. He walked across the street going up to a nearby river. Shepard down at the water, which was slowly flowing southward. He took the piece of paper out, looking at the number.

Shepard looked at the note; reading aloud, "555-0240...Dinner and then my place." "At least she's upfront about all of it," Shepard laughed. Shepard crumpled the note up, then tossed it down into the water. Perhaps he just needed the momentary weakness of single life again, or maybe he was a little drunk; either way, he felt better. Shepard watched as the soggy paper tore apart as it made its way down the stream.

Shepard turned around and began to head back towards The University. It was these moments that Shepard enjoyed the most, the ones where he could forget about all the bad, horrible things he's done and just focus on these petty little things. Shepard looked around as he continued on his walk, the air was crisper and clean and the sky was clear. The battle that had just happened appeared to be gone and everything had returned to normal.

Shepard eventually made his way back to the college, which was still full of people. Most were students who were still getting over the recent attack. They were kids, some were crying while others were calling their family to let them know that they were fine. Shepard noticed that The Alliance soldiers were running in and out of each building, making sure that every last Cerberus troop was gone or dead.

Shepard looked around, trying to find Ashley. He walked around the crowd, trying to find her. He could hear the students murmuring to themselves about his presence, but he didn't pay any attention to them. Shepard headed towards the main laboratory that he was in, the place where he last saw Ashley.

He entered the building, which now had several people all around it. The lab was being scanned and was being sealed off. Most were investigators sent by The Alliance, who were thoroughly examining every inch of the lab. Ashley was in the lab as well, comforting Traynor in the corner. Shepard walked up to Ashley and Ashley. Traynor was a complete wreck, her eyes blood shot from the crying.

"Hey Ash," Shepard said as he sat down next to the two.

"Jesus Shepard!" were the first words that came out of her mouth, "Are you drunk?"

"I had a couple drinks," he said.

"You stink of alcohol and are slurring your words," Ashley said as she waved away the stench of alcohol in front of her.

"Sorry!" Shepard angrily stated, "Sorry that I had to almost kill my best friend and I wanted a little bit of relaxation."

"Getting wasted in the middle of the afternoon on a mission isn't 'relaxation'," she exclaimed, "I've been here trying to calm down Traynor this entire time!"

"Are you okay Traynor?" Shepard asked her.

Traynor was still sniffling, shaking softly as she tried to come to the right words. "I killed her, a real person," Traynor whispered, "I know that you don't think it's a big deal, but I've never really KILLED a person!"

"I know it's hard," said Ashley, "And there's not much I can say to make it better, but just know that I went through the exact same thing."

"Really?" Traynor asked.

"Yeah," Ashley said as she rubbed Traynor's back, "I killed this man on a raid of this pirate base," said Ashley, "I cried for hours on end, and I remember feeling like shit." "It just takes time...like everything."

"Thank you," Traynor said, "I just wish it'd never happened."

"You gonna be okay?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, I will," Traynor said as she continued to take deep breaths. Ashley and Shepard got up, turning away to leave her alone to collect herself.

"What about you Shepard?" asked Ash, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shepard grunted as he walked out of the building. Ashley was following close behind as Shepard walked towards a nearby shuttle.

"Shepard," Ashley demanded as she grabbed Shepard by the shoulder, "Talk to me."

"About what?" Shepard tiredly groaned as he turned around to Ashley.

"You know damn well what I want to talk about," Ashley responded in an impatient tone, "I'm gonna chalk your attitude up to the fact that your drunk right now."

"For the last time Ash, I just had a few shots to calm my nerves," Shepard pleaded as he turned around and hopped onto The Alliance shuttle. Ashley quickly hopped on behind him, the door shutting behind her. Ashley went up to the shuttle door to the cockpit.

"Sorry, The Captain and I gotta have a private conversation," she said as she closed the door. It was just the two of them now, alone in the shuttle. Ashley was armed to the teeth in full gear and Shepard was in his dirty Alliance casuals.

"Shepard," Ashley said.

"Don't Shepard me in that tone," Shepard responded as he sat down in one of the seats.

"Ugh," Ashley groaned, "You are really starting to piss me off."

"Good, because I'm pissed off that I can't have a moment of silence when around you," Shepard said as he looked at her.

Ashley gritted her teeth, "You really wanna do this Shepard?"

"Why not," Shepard grinned, "We are getting married so, it's best that I tell you how I feel," Shepard exclaimed in a high and mighty voice. Whether or not it was the alcohol or just blunt truthfulness, but that got Ashley pissed off.

"I'm sorry," Ashley said in a sarcastically sad voice, "I'm sorry that I worry about you every night, while you roll around in your sweat soaked nightmares and drink yourself to death most nights!"

"I suggest that you shut your mouth," Shepard said, "and let me deal with my own goddamn demons," he exclaimed as he banged his fist into the shuttle wall next to him.

"Well excuse me for trying to be a good wife and trying to actually communicate with you!" Ashley yelled. "So pardon my tone if I just want to know why your acting like this!"

The shuttle buckled, slowing down as it approached the base near Paris. Ashley and Shepard were still glaring at each other, gnawing at their throats.

Shepard stood up to get ready to get off the shuttle, but was stopped in his place by Ashley.

"We're not done here," Ashley exclaimed as she put her hand out on Shepard chest, keeping him back.

"For the love of God, quit being such a bitch and leave me alone!" Shepard yelled as he pushed her aside and forced the shuttle door open. The shuttle had just landed and Shepard hopped off and headed towards the base. Ashley was stunned and still in the shuttle as Shepard continued to storm off.

"Fuck You!" Ashley screamed as she got off the shuttle. Shepard didn't look back as he continued on into the base, ignoring Ashley. Ashley stayed behind, still boiling over with anger. Shepard continued on into the building, heading to the nearest elevator he could fine. He found one, then proceeded to head back to his room, alone and angry.

Shepard quickly paced down the hallway, trying to find his room. He eventually found it, typing in the unlock code as quick as possible. However, he kept mistyping the code in his fit of anger. He got the right code in, the door opened as Shepard stormed in.

He violently kicked his boots off, they hit the nearby wall with a loud thud. He walked up to the nearby miniature bar that was in the room. The room smelled like lilacs, or something similar, from the recent cleaning. He ripped open the door to the cabinet, looking for something to drink. There were a lot of empty bottles which he hadn't yet thrown out. In the way back, was a full bottle of whiskey that Shepard had somehow missed. Shepard yanked it out, then proceeded to slam the door shut.

Shepard ripped the top off of the bottle, chugging down a couple shots straight from the bottle as he headed out to the balcony. He stepped out of the room, a soft and cool wind hit him as he exited. Paris was just getting dark and the lights were just coming on. Paris was a beautiful city, even after the war. He could see for miles on end of nothing but this romantic culture.

"Goddamn it," Shepard murmured to himself as he took another swig of whiskey. He was leaning on the railing of his balcony, overlooking Paris. He continued to drink, thinking to himself, "Freaking Ashley," Shepard thought, "Can't see just realize that I want to be left alone." Shepard took another drink, coughing a little bit back up from the large amount he drunk. "I guess that it's not her fault," he thought, "She just wants the best for me." "Today has not been a good day for me, almost cheating on Ashley and now fighting with her...what's wrong with me?"

Shepard looked down, watching the people down below him. All of them on their own ordinary business, unaware what Shepard went through today. Almost killing a friend who he thought was dead, rediscovering another person he HOPED was dead was alive, and once again losing Mikhail. It endlessly pissed Shepard off and he needed to vent. Shepard continued to drink as he went and sat down in one of the nearby chairs.

"Maybe I was too hard on Ash," Shepard said to himself, "She's a tough girl, she'll get over it." Shepard was getting rather wasted right now, taking another gulp from the bottle. "God damn this chair is comfy," Shepard slurred as he laughed to himself. "Why the hell am I getting married?" he asked aloud, to no one there, "Sure, I love Ashley!" "But, I could be getting sooo much tail right now!" "I could have that hot bartender chick and an Asari, naked, right here on this patio!" He giggled at the dirty thought. "Instead, I'm limiting myself to one woman...for the rest of my life..." Shepard was conflicted, "Maybe I'm over thinking it," Shepard thought, "Or maybe I'm drunk," he said as he lifted up the now empty bottle.

"How long was I here for?" he drunkenly pondered aloud as he looked around, "And where the hell is Ashley?"

"ASH!" he groveled as he fell out of his chair. "Damn..." he slowly stated as he stood up. Shepard took a couple more steps forward, trying to maintain his balance. "Nope, going down!" he shouted as he fell down again. He crawled across the floor, trying to find his way to his bed.

"My bed is up. the. stairs," he said aloud as he finally found his way to the stairs. "Shit!" he cursed as he put his head down onto the ground. He could sleep right there, on that cold hard floor, but then again, nothing beats the soft embrace of his bed.

"Bed," he choked up as he began to climb the stairs on all fours. He was giving his all, everything he could spare, to climb a flight of stairs about half a story. Eventually, after many grunts and aches to get up those stairs, he conquered it. Almost unable to get to his feet, Shepard launched himself onto his bed, still fully dressed. He curled up underneath the covers, warming up as he got increasingly sleepy.

"I'll wait till Ash comes back to bed," Shepard yawned, "Oh wait...she didn't come in..." Shepard felt overcome with sadness that he had driven her away. He missed her touch, her smell, everything about her. It had a calming effect on his body during the nights. "I'm sorry," he managed to spit out before he fell into a deep sleep.

Shepard awoke to the sound of his alarm. After a night of heavy drinking, that alarm sounded like hell on Earth to him. Shepard groaned as he rolled over to shut the alarm off. He hit the alarm as hard as he could, shutting the alarm clock off. He sat up, leaning up against the pillow he was sleeping on.

"My head," Shepard moaned, "What the hell did I do last night?"

Then everything hit, everything that had happened yesterday. However, what he remembered the most was what he did to Ashley. He remembered yelling at her, calling her names, and just being a general asshole around her.

"Shit," Shepard said as he began to remember every word he said, "Ashley," he realized as he looked around. She was nowhere in the room and Shepard took off from the bed. He stunk of day old sweat and dirt, but he ran immediately to the door. Shepard opened the door, running down the hallway to Ashley's room.

Shepard typed in the code that was assigned to Ashley's room, worried about what he did to her. Shepard ran into Ashley's room, looking around to see where she was. He checked everywhere, even the bathroom, but Ashley was nowhere to be found. Shepard then looked around her bedroom again, for signs if she came in last night.

Her bed was made and was undisturbed, so she didn't come back to her room that night. Shepard checked for a note, or some sign of where she went. Her clothes were still in there, but they appeared to have been moved around a bit, maybe by Ashley.

Shepard walked out of Ash's room, looking around the hallway for her. He went back to his room, still hoping to see where she went. Shepard entered his room, looking around to see if she had come in last night. That's when Shepard noticed the blinking light on his personal terminal. He ran over to it, checking to see if it was Ashley. It was Ashley and it was a video message.

Shepard couldn't see where Ashley was, but it appeared to be on a shuttle of some sort. She had been crying, the redness of her eyes and sniffles still prominent around her face.

"Shepard," she managed to say, "I...I don't know what you're going through, but I know that I can never understand it." "I'm going to my sister's place for the next couple of days, just to let you recover." "I...I don't know if we should get married or if we can ever be married, but I'll be in contact...I love you."

And there it was, the two were apparently done. Shepard's heart was completely broken, the women he loved was gone. Shepard sat back on the couch, sinking into his seat as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Shepard put his hands to face, "No, no, no, no, no," he repeated to himself as tears began to flow. He wanted to take it all back, every last word. He loved her, more than anything in the world and Shepard drove her away.

Over the next few days, Shepard tried to get in contact with Ashley. He sent her countless emails and video messages, anything he could try he tried. Shepard dealt with countless meetings and training exercises filled his days. However, they could in no way take his mind off of Ashley. He didn't know where Ashley was staying, and Shepard didn't go track her down, because he knew that they needed some space to think. Eventually, Shepard felt like Ashley would never come back, so he almost lost all hope. He stopped drinking, feeling sick from the recent binge drinking that he had taken part in.

It had been about a week since Ashley left, and Shepard was still depressed. He had no contact from her and still was sending her messages. Shepard was sitting on his couch, watching the daily news and drinking a bottle of water. Shepard wondered about where Ashley was and what she was doing right now, it was a thought that crossed Shepard's mind more than once a day. That's when Shepard heard a knock at the door, jumping off the couch at the sound of the knock. Shepard rushed to the door, stopping to calm down if it was Ashley.

He tried to sound nonchalant, "Whose there?"

"It's me," a soft feminine voice came from behind the door. It was Ashley, and Shepard couldn't have been happier. He, opened the door, revealing Ashley. She was dressed in a dark hoodie, and had some jeans on along with some boots. She was wearing a small sheet of makeup on her face, which really highlighted her features in Shepard's opinion.

"Shepard," she softly stated, "We...need to talk."

"I know," he whispered as he let her into the apartment. She walked over to Shepard's kitchen counter, sitting down on one of the stools.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Shepard asked, "A glass of water?"

"No," she softly said as she put her hands together. Shepard walked up to her, sitting down next to her.

"Before you say anything," Ashley said, "I got all your messages."

"Oh," Shepard replied.

There was a long period of silence, the two just looking into oblivion as they tried to come to the right words.

"I don't really know what to say," Ashley said, "I know that you're sorry and I know that you love me, but you really hurt me back there."

"I know," Shepard sulked into seat, "And I know that I, in no way, deserve your forgiveness."

"Just tell me why," Ashley turned to Shepard, a tear forming in her eye, "Why can't you just talk to me," her voice cracked.

"Throughout my entire life, I've lived with my own demons," Shepard managed to say as he watched Ashley wipe the tears from her face, "Everything I've ever loved has died a horrible death, and I've faced it all alone." "But now, I've finally got people who love and care about me in my life again; and honestly, I'm afraid." "I don't want anything to happen to you, or anyone else, so I keep people distant."

"I remember the day you died," Ashley responded as Shepard paused, "We all sat on that icy planet for a few hours, trying to send an SOS out to anyone who could find us." "I snuck off from the group, and I remember crying until I couldn't cry anymore." "I remember feeling absolutely dead inside when the held the memorial service, people filling up that empty coffin with Alliance memorabilia." "It was the hardest time of my life, and if it weren't for both my family and the crew, I never would've pulled myself out of my apartment," Ashley started to cry as she looked at Shepard's watery eyes, "And I don't want to be you, I wanna be with you through the good and the bad." "Whatever you are going through, I will always be there for you," she wiped the tears from her face, "You don't need to drown your sorrows in an entire bottle of vodka or isolation; cause you can always confide anything in me."

"I'm sorry I never told you about the red sand," Shepard managed to say, "It's something I'm not proud of, and it was so long ago." "I got into a really dark place for a couple of months, and dealt with some shady people." "After I sobered up from that night he mentioned, I saw an Alliance official near me, he was typing some things into a nearby terminal." "The way he looked, he acted, and just his presence made me feel better, like I had found what I was supposed to do with my life."

"Shepard..." Ashley whispered, "I'm just glad that you got better, and that I met you." "I love you."

"I love you," Shepard said as he cracked a smile.

The two were both crying, but they had a smile on your face. Shepard leaned over, hugging Ash as the two held each other. There were no more words to be said, because everything that could be said had been said. Even despite everything that had happened, Shepard and Ashley forgave each other.

"At least you cleaned the place up," Ashley blurted out.

"I've kinda sobered up these past few days," Shepard said.

"Shepard, you don't have to become one of those straight-edge guys," Ashley laughed, "I just said you don't have to get wasted every night."

"Only on the Holidays...and when your family comes to visit," Shepard said with a straight face.

"Shut up," Ash said as she kissed him.

The next few weeks, were very busy for the two. Despite having almost called of their wedding, they still went on with the normal plans. They met with people, visited places, and did all the normal things that couples planned on doing.

The two were on a leisurely stroll together, going to a local cake shop to examine their wedding cake. Shepard was dressed in his N7 hoodie, along with his Alliance bottoms. Ashley was dressed in a red tank top along with tan cargo pants. They were holding hands, getting along really well that day.

"So, we'll go check out this cake and?" Shepard asked.

"Then, I'm going to meet my sisters in New York, there picking out their dresses for the weddings," Ashley said.

"I can't come along?" asked Shepard.

"I let you see me try on wedding dresses," Ashley said.

"And it was a beautiful dress," said Shepard, "Despite the cost..."

"And I know that you really enjoyed it, but I don't think that my sisters would want my husband-to-be watching them try dresses on in their underwear," Ashley replied.

"Unless you want me to," Shepard said, "It is your wedding after all!"

"Shut up," she laughed.

"And what am I suppose to do while the four of you are of in New York for the rest of the day?" asked Shepard.

"Let's see," Ashley chimed in, "You're in Paris and The Citadel isn't even ten minutes away and you can't figure out what to do?"

"I get it," said Shepard. The two continued to walk until they found the little shop they were looking for. It had a beautiful background with an assortment of cakes arranged in the window. They stepped inside, a bell ringing as they entered. They bakery smelled absolutely marvelous, after all, it was a place that made cakes.

A man walked up to the counter, greeting the two, "Welcome, what can I get for you?"

"Hi, we spoke earlier," Shepard said, "Shepard, I've got an order placed for my wedding in two months."

"Ah, yes, Shepard," the baker said, "Of course, I don't have your cake made, but I do actually have a cake that's pretty much the same as the one I'd be making for you two." The baker ran off, wheeling in a large wedding cake. It had three large circular layers, each had a design of frosting flowers and vines around the white frosting base.

"It's beautiful," Ashley said as she looked at it, "and this is for human consumption?"

"Yes," the baker replied, "I do know you ordered another cake for Turian consumption," he said, "But that one won't have the little couple up there," he said as he pointed at the bride and groom figurine on top of the cake.

"If our cakes are anywhere near the caliber of this one," Shepard exclaimed as he looked over the cake, "Then the reception will go perfectly." Shepard went over and shook the man's hand, "Happy to do business with you."

"Of course sir," the baker said as he grabbed the cart and wheeled the cake into the back.

"God, That cake looks sweet," Ashley said to Shepard as they approached the counter.

"Probably nowhere as sweet as you," Shepard graciously replied to Ashley.

"Okay, new rule, if we are getting married, no more of these lame one liners...please," Ashley begged.

"You love it," said Shepard, "Just like you'll love my new dance moves for our wedding."

"Oh my god," Ashley groaned, "You're going to make a complete mockery of yourself."

The two stopped as the baker came back up to ring up their order. "So, I take it you'll be paying right now?" he asked

"Of course," Shepard said as he typed a few things into his Omni-tool. The transaction was complete and Shepard bought them two, very expensive, wedding cakes. The two left the shop, Ashley leaning against Shepard as they walked down the street.

"Getting back to what I was saying," Ashley started up again, "If I have to tie you down in your chair, I will!"

"So no bride and groom slow dance?" Shepard asked.

"Fine, you get that dance," Ashley said, "But if I see you," she said as she got away from Shepard to do his dance. She moved her arms back, swaying back and forth in an awkward manner that Shepard danced in, "doing this, you're dead."

"I don't dance like that!" Shepard exclaimed.

"Coming from the man who didn't realize how much he said 'I Should Go' in his everyday life?" Ashley laughed.

"I still don't believe that," Shepard said.

Ashley turned in front of Shepard, giving him a quick kiss. They were standing in front of their car, which was a cheap buy. Ashley unlocked it as she turned to get into it.

"Well, I gotta go to New York, but I'll see you tonight," said Ashley, "And remember, you're in charge of dinner tonight."

"So take-out?" Shepard asked.

"No, real food," Ashley said as she closed the door. Shepard shrugged, waving to her as she took off. Shepard turned around, realizing that he had the entire day to do whatever he wanted. He looked around, taking in the French atmosphere. He noticed that they were next to a park, so that's where he decided to go.

The park was nice and calm, a gentle breeze blew through the trees. The sounds of the birds during the spring filled Shepard's ears. They zipped overhead, chasing their mates around. Shepard took a seat on a nearby bench, located in front of a magnificent fountain. It was clearly of the renaissance era, a large sculpture of lady placed on top of the pedestal in the center of it. The sounds of running water collided along with the birds, creating a harmony of peace for Shepard.

Shepard closed his eyes, taking in everything he could. He could smell and taste all of nature. Shepard opened his eyes, watching the running water shooting out of the fountain in streams. He felt it was rather hypnotic, like most running water. I guess it was just beautiful to him, watching this liquid force acting so peaceful.

Then, almost instantly, something broke the entire mood. A child, no more than the age of five or so jumped into the fountain. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans that were completely soaked, and was throwing water all about the place. A man and woman ran up to the fountain, exclaiming, "Jason!"

"Out of the water, now!" the mother scolded the child.

The child stopped in his track, running out of the fountain as quick as possible. "I'm sorry mommy," he softly said as he began to cry.

"Honey," the mom said as she grabbed the child, picking him up and carrying him away, "Shhh," she said as the child continued to cry into his mom's shoulder. The couple walked away, trying to calm their child.

Shepard laughed to himself, "Kids." Shepard crossed his legs, lost in thought. "God, Can you imagine trying to deal with that for your entire life?" "I mean, first you got to potty train them, educate them, keep them safe, and all that wonderfully expensive stuff." "But I guess it's worth it, seeing those little eyes and in those little clothes," Shepard smiled, "My god, Do I want a baby?" Shepard was conflicted and trying to figure out if he wanted a baby.

"I mean, not right now," he thought," I guess down the road a ways would be fine." "I mean Ashley is turning thirty next month, but that doesn't mean that it's too late, not by a long shot!"

Shepard's thoughts were immediately broken by a familiar voice. "Shepard," a man shouted as Shepard turned to see who it was. There he saw Joker running as fast as he could down the pathway of the park. What was Joker doing here and why?

"Shepard," Joker gasped, "I..." He took a deep breath and slowly sat down next to Shepard, "I am out of shape," he wheezed.

"Joker, what's wrong?" Shepard asked.

"It's," he gasped again, "It's an emergency!"

"What happened?" Shepard worried, "Is it Ashley?"

"No time to explain!" Joker energetically stated as he stood up, still wheezing, "Follow Me!"

Shepard stood up, following Joker as the two headed down the pathway. Joker was limping as Shepard slowly walked with Joker's pace. After a few minutes, the two reached the end of the park. There, James Vega was sitting in the driver's seat of a nearby car. Joker rushed towards the car, getting in shotgun as Shepard leaped in the back.

"Go!" Joker gasped as the doors shut.

"Joker, what's going on," Shepard asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"It's," Joker leaned down to grab something. He brought up what appeared to be paper tube with a string at the end. Joker pulled on it, shooting a few streams of confetti onto Shepard's face, "Your surprise Bachelor's Party!" Joker wooed really loud.

"What?" Shepard confusingly asked.

"We're going to a strip club," Joker said, "have some drinks, some dances; the usual!"

"You faked an emergency to pull me out of a relaxing park to go to a dirty strip club?" Shepard exclaimed, "First off, how the hell did you find me?"

"Location Tracker on your Omni-tool, all Alliance models have one," Joker said, "I used yours to track you all the time on missions." "Besides, you're telling me you'd rather sit on a bench, in a park; then go see naked women?!"

"Well, no," Shepard responded.

"Exactly," Joker said.

"So it's us three," said Shepard.

"And Garrus," Joker corrected him.

"So: a crippled pilot, an engaged man, a Turian, and James," Shepard listed, "Are going to a strip club?"

"That hurts loco," Vega said.

"It's on The Citadel," Joker said, "And yes, we are the only friends you have that would take you." "Wrex is busy, you know, being Krogan Emperor; Jacob has a baby, so he's out; Grunt is official banned from The Citadel; and Cortez prefers the company of Vega," Joker turned around to Shepard, "...If you know what I mean." Shepard smiled, rolling his eyes at the comment.

"We are good friends and that' it," said Vega.

"SURE!" Joker said with a wide mouthed smile at Vega.

"So, what does this place entail exactly?" asked Shepard.

"Beer and Boobs!" Joker yelled, "What is not to get about this Shepard!"

"Okay," Shepard said as he looked out the window. The crew was by The Citadel, making a short jump from Earth to The Citadel. "Then let's go have some fun."

"There we go!" a relieved Joker praised. "This place is crawling with every type of stripper, Asari, Human, Turian, Salarian, Hanar."

"A Hanar stripper?" asked Shepard.

"You into that Shepard?" asked Joker, "Cause everything is paid for, in full." "Benefits of being the crew of The Normandy, God Rest Her Soul!"

The crew landed the car in a nearby shuttle bay, exiting as soon as it landed. The three of them walked away, exiting the dark, greasy bay and into a long dark tunnel of florescent lights and ads. They walked for a little bit more, making a few more turns. Eventually, they found there place. It was hide pretty well, but the music and crowd outside gave away its location. There, they found Garrus among the crowd.

"Garrus," Shepard waved as the two found each other. "Good to see you again."

"Of course," said Garrus, "But don't tell Tali that we're here, she'd probably kill me."

"Not if Ash kills me first for being here," Shepard laughed.

"Oh, boo hoo," Joker fake cried, "Our Girlfriends don't want us looking at other women." "This is literally the only excuse Shepard's going to ever get to go to a strip club again...ever!" "So, let's live it up," Joker proudly yelled as he marched through the front door.

"After you two," Shepard said as the followed Joker in.

The inside of the place was really nice. It had a somber blue light to it, along with club music playing. Several women, humans and Asari, were up on the stages throughout the place dancing. Most were in dressed in bikini type clothes, with the exception of one of The Asari being fully naked, which solved some of the questions Shepard had about Asari anatomy. Joker eventually led them to a table in the back of the club, taking a seat at it.

"So," Joker said, "I'm gonna go get us some drinks and a stripper!" Joker ran off like a school girl to the nearest bar.

"A little over excited?" Vega asked.

"He's just been lonely lately," Shepard said, "Losing someone you love takes its toll." "Besides, I think he's more than happy to be here."

"You know, Turian's don't normally do this kinda things for weddings," Garrus explained, "I guess it's just a human thing to test one's infidelity one last time."

Joker came back with four beers in hand. Handing them out, making sure Garrus got the right one so he didn't accidentally die on them that night. There was an Asari next to Joker, dressed in that common dark strippers outfit that strippers wore all over the clubs Shepard went to.

"This is...whatever her name is," Joker tried to explain, "She'll be giving us a nice table dance tonight and now we can get this party started!" The four toasted and drunk their beers as The Asari got up on the table to dance. She was very, very flexible; Shepard gave her that. The Asari did a split in front of them, leaning way back during it.

"There's something I wish Ash could do," Shepard laughed.

The continued on, enjoying the beers and the dances they were getting. The best part was that all of it was free of course, that and the complimentary dances Shepard was given die to him being the star of the party wasn't bad either. At the time, there was a naked human female and a half naked Asari on their table, grinding against each other in a rough sexual fashion. Shepard had drank a few beers, nothing to serious of course; he didn't want to come home to Ashley wasted, at least after everything that had happened.

"You know," Joker said as he took a swig of his beer, "I never told you this Shepard, but I really wanna tell you it now."

"What is it?" Shepard asked as he watched the Asari wink at him.

"Did you know that Vega here, was planning on asking Ashley out on The Normandy?" Joker grinned.

"What?" Shepard laughed.

"Joker!" Vega chimed in, "What the hell?"

"Lighten up," Joker defended himself, "Shepard doesn't give a shit!"

"I don't Vega," Shepard said, "But... just tell me what your plan was." "I know her best, so I'd be able to tell if your plan would've worked."

"Well, remember how I got her drunk?" Vega said.

"You mean how she got wasted and curled up on the floor?" Shepard asked, "That, was your plan?"

"No," Vega said, "I was gonna make her feel better with my eggs!"

"James," Joker said, "Nobody, likes your eggs."

"You guys haven't even tried them!" Vega corrected them, "I mean, Garrus can't, but still."

"I can't eat them, but they smell and look absolutely disgusting," Garrus said, "That's why everyone told you they would vomit at the party."

"You people wouldn't know quality food if it was cooked right in front of you!" Vega said as he put his hands up in denial, "Oh wait, it was!"

"Anyway, go on," Shepard motioned for Vega to continue.

"Next, I would've asked her to accompany me to The Presidium," Vega said.

"Okay," Shepard said, "Doing well so far."

"I probably would drop a few comments, complimenting her on her muscle build, you know," Vega explained.

The three all groaned, "Muscle Build?" Joker said.

"I'm not even human and I know that that's no good," Garrus exclaimed.

"What? She comes off strong, so I figure she's into that stuff," Vega said.

"Nope," Shepard shook his head," I know she acts tough like that on the exterior, but she's not some adrenaline jockey that's completely self absorbed...like you," Shepard said as he pointed his beer towards Vega.

"Ha Ha Ha," Vega fake laughed, "Anyways, I'd work my magic over a nice dinner at a nice restaurant."

"So the food court at a mall?" Joker asked.

"No," Vega said, "Someplace classy, sit-down restaurant." "Black tie...you know?"

"Women generally love that stuff," Joker shrugged, "So I think it'd work."

"As long as you don't make her show up in a tinfoil miniskirt and thigh high boots," Shepard quietly said to himself as he took another sip of his beer.

"What?" the group said as they looked at Shepard.

"Nothing..." Shepard said, "It's just this thing she said long ago...but really guys, I couldn't be happier with Ashley." "And God knows how many women have flirted with me over the years."

"You mean everyone on The Normandy?" Joker laughed, "Let's see here, you've got Ash, Liara."

"Liara?" Vega asked.

"Are you oblivious?" Shepard asked Vega, "She's flirted with me at any opportunity!" "At first, she was like that shy nerdy girl you found in the library, but then she got all weird over the years."

"Then you got Tali," Joker listed.

"Sparks came onto you?" Vega asked.

"Yeah," Shepard said as he put his hands over his mouth, "Shepard, you are the only person I would ever trust to join suits with."

"She said that?" Vega laughed.

"Yeah, she was a nervous wreck around me," said Shepard, "but she's with Garrus now."

"And we couldn't be happier," Garrus interjected.

"Then, you got Miranda," said Joker, "How you could resist that latex supermodel is beyond my comprehension," Joker said as he looked at Shepard.

"Love," Shepard said.

Joker scoffed at Shepard, "Seriously?" "You turned down on a women who literally shook her ass in front of you at every moment possible!"

"Well, I'm sorry Joker," Shepard said.

"Who else am I missing?" asked Joker.

"Jack," said Shepard, "She was very...blunt about the whole thing." "But to be honest, she scares me."

"She scared everyone," Garrus said, "That's why she stayed in the sub-deck on The Normandy, because she had an explosive temper and lots of weapons."

"Indeed," Joker said, "And I think covers just about everyone Shepard has spent time around."

"Why do I get the feeling if I we're female you'd all be hitting on me now?" Shepard asked.

"The day I live to see a female Shepard is the day The Reapers come back," Joker laughed, "Besides, we all know if you we're female, you'd screwing around with Liara."

"And how do you know that?" asked Shepard.

"I don't, but a man can dream can't he," Joker downed his beer, "A man can dream..."