Merry Christmas, Tali!

The whole team was exhausted.

Two weeks after Commander Shepard destroyed the Collector Base, the Normandy had to stop on the space station Omega to repair the ship and give the crew some shore leave; after all, they deserved a break. After spending at least six months on the Collector's trail, James Shepard could finally sit back and enjoy life… at least until he returned to the Citadel to face judgment from his actions – which, he already knew, would not receive very positive views from the Council.

A lot of things happened on those six months, and although many of them were negative – like waking up to realize he'd lost two years of his life, the once-love of his life ignoring him because she was too busy looking for the Shadow Broker, and a member of his old squad accusing him of treachery – many good things happened, and it showed Shepard who he could trust.

Ever since the Normandy SR-1, Shepard knew that he could always trust two very special people: Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy – or nar Rayya, at that time. Garrus was his comrade, his partner-in-crime, his long lost brother from another mother… and race. But James didn't care about that. He knew that he could trust the turian detective-turned-vigilante with his life.

And then there was a perky quarian named Tali, the young, spirited quarian machinist that, much to his surprise, had feelings for him since the SR1. He was slightly taken aback when she accidentally made a slip-up on the Engineering Deck. She stated that she trusted Shepard to link suit environments with him. She'd been so flustered when he returned the feeling; he was oblivious to the true meaning of such act. Still, no slip-up could've had better outcomes.

She started to research human-quarian relationships. They ate together at the mess hall, and common were the nights where they'd go up to his quarters to talk about nothing in particular – about music, vids, technology, the crew. They were aimless talks, but by far it was Shepard's favourite time of the day. Just hearing Tali from across the room made the hair in the back of his neck stand, the anticipation of getting to know her more intimately getting the better of him.

Everything was going great, and even better when they first shared each other. His quarian lover had been quite nervous at first, but after she pounced onto him, all of her nervousness was lost and replaced by the fiery passion that had been withheld for two, almost three years. No amount of inexperience could've ruined the moment; no place in the galaxy filled with more bliss. They were part of the lucky few who could truly say they'd found their other half amongst the trillions of sentient beings.

But then, they had to part.

Shepard managed to fulfil his mission: destroy the Collector Base and its abominations. Under his leadership, many of his team had been wounded, but none of them died. How he'd managed to save everyone still remained an enigma to him, but there was a foreign priority in his mind he'd never felt stronger: Tali's safety. Even during battle he'd glanced at all, eliminating potential threats. She glared at him most of the times, which would be returned with a shrug from him. Although he knew she could protect herself, he felt it was his responsibility – his duty – to take care of her no matter what.

Few days after the Normandy docked on Omega, the hull was replaced – this time without the golden logo of Cerberus. Shepard cut ties with the organisation after the Illusive Man suggested sparing the base, and while he knew he made the right choice by destroying it, he was reassured by his former Cerberus crew. Miranda and Jacob had rallied the members of the organisation and dropped off the ones who decided to stay with Cerberus in Omega before the Normandy set sail for the Citadel.

Tali and Shepard shared themselves after the hull was replaced. It was met by worry – from his part – because of her previous congested reaction, but she assured him she felt better and that she wanted to share herself with him again. After that time, her reaction had been mildly better, and she assured him that over time, she would get used to him. He'd even consulted with Mordin to install a decontamination unit on the antechamber of Deck 1, his quarters. This would allow her to sleep peacefully without a helmet in the way, giving her the freedom she much deserved.

The couple lay on their bed on the captain's quarters. Shepard's hand was tightly wrapped against Tali's waist, holding on to her tightly. Their legs were intertwined and Tali was asleep… but Shepard wasn't. It was one of those sleepless nights. He'd been woken up by a loud thud, which indicated that the Normandy had docked on the Citadel, and after that he hadn't been able to shut his eyes.

The commander glanced at the clock that rested neatly atop the end table. 2343 hours, it read, December 24th, 2185.

December 24th, he thought. His eyes widened. Christmas presents. Damn it, I was supposed to buy them on Omega! Slowly and carefully, he untangled himself from the bed sheets and Tali. She stirred a little and grabbed Shepard's pillow, putting in on top of her head. James smiled as he slid into a pair of jeans and his beloved N7 jacket. He exited the cabin quietly and managed to get to the CIC. There were a couple of crewmen on the CIC, but none of them noticed their commanding officer's presence on the deck. He walked towards the cockpit and glanced quickly at Joker, who was sleeping soundly on the pilot's chair with a Santa hat on his head.

"Should I inform Executive Officer Lawson of your departure, Shepard?" EDI asked when he entered the airlock. He covered his face with the hood of his jacket.

"Only if she asks, EDI," he replied. "Nobody knows about this, just you. I'll be back quickly."

He leaved the Normandy and walked aimlessly through the Wards until he found a store of his interest: a jewelry store. When he entered, he was quite surprised to see that it was full. Mostly human men, the commander thought. Looks like I wasn't the only one to buy a Christmas gift.

Shepard approached one of the many showcases, and his lack of gift-giving skills was noticeable as he looked at it. It was filled with rings – which was out of the equation, since they wouldn't fit on Tali's finger – necklaces, and bracelets. One of the employees, a human female with blonde hair, seemed to notice his confused look, so she approached him.

"Let me guess," she said amusedly, a smirk on her face. "You forgot to buy a gift."

The commander's eyes were ogling the jewelry, his mouth slightly gaped. "You have no idea."

"Well, let me help you. Who is it for? What are you looking for, sir?"

He cocked his head as his eyes found a simple, practical bracelet. "Actually, how much for that bracelet right there?" he asked.

"For this one?" The employee pointed at the bracelet. Shepard nodded. "A thousand credits, sir. It's made out of silver and diamond accents. You can engrave it if you want."

"So I can engrave it?" An idea brightened Shepard's mind. "I'll take it."

She took it out and brought it to an engraving machine. "What will it say, sir?"

The Commander smiled. "Something simple," he said. "'I love you, Tali. May we always have a home to come back to– love, J. S." He shuffled. "Does that sound romantic?"

"It all depends on her." She laughed. "How long have you known each other?"

"Quite a while, trust me." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "I, um… I'm pretty sure you've heard it a couple of times today, but I forgot to buy a Christmas present for my girlfriend," the commander explained. "Do you think a bracelet's enough? Or does it look rushed?"

Shepard picked up a noise that he knew too well, but when he opened his mouth to explain, she quickly cut him off. "Can't you do a better job at sneaking out, Shepard?" the woman asked.

He held a finger up at the saleswoman and twisted to see the figure of Miranda Lawson standing before him, her arms crossed over her chest. "You asked EDI," he stated. "God, Lawson, I swear—"

"Calm down, Commander," she said, and immediately he frowned. Why was she being sympathetic—she of all people? She walked towards the showcase and stood beside him, looking down and leaning against it. "The crew organised a... gift exchange." She said the words as if it was foreign to her. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to herself.

Shepard raised his eyebrow. "You forgot, too?" He smirked, and although he and Miranda kept a professional distance, he found an opportunity to tease his executive officer. "Well, would you look at that? The perfect woman forgot to buy her Christmas present."

Miranda scoffed. "Please. I've been busy, Commander."

"Right," he said, the humour still in his voice. The saleswoman approached him with a smile, showing him the polished and engraved bracelet. He nodded in approval, Miranda still next to him, as she went off to wrap it. Wait a minute... he thought. "Lawson... this is very odd, but... well, does it—is a bracelet romantic enough?"

His executive officer arched her thin eyebrow. "I assume it's for Tali'Zorah?" she asked, to which he replied with a quick nod. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, Commander. That's entirely up to you. Do you feel as if you've given her enough, or is there something left to do?" With that, Miranda's facade fell for the faintest of seconds as she confessed, "I wasn't sure she had it in her, Shepard. You should give her your time and—well, love, while you still can. I know that if I could talk to... I know that I made the mistake of not doing so, Shepard. Don't go through the same."

Her comment made Shepard frown, as did the softness behind her usually-cold eyes. Stepping into uncharted territory, he carefully asked, "Did you... did you lose someone, Lawson?"

Miranda's lips pursed as she held her composure, but she didn't answer; she only turned about and left, leaving Shepard with a nagging doubt. The saleswoman came and demanded payment, to which he immediately gave, but he looked over his shoulder to try and find his enigmatic executive officer, only for her to be lost amongst the crowds.

Tali awoke from her slumber when Shepard's heavy arm moved from her waist; he'd turned to the other side with his eyes still closed. When she was about to close her eyes, they met something odd in her end table. A small cube was wrapped in red and green, with an e-note resting atop it. She glanced at Shepard, who was soundly asleep beside her. Careful not to wake him up, she took both the e-note and the cube.

The note read:

Tali,

I'm celebrating a human custom with you called Christmas. As you probably know, the crew had planned an exchange amongst themselves, but for some reason they excluded me. This is my gift to you.

My mother taught me to cherish the ones who loved me, and to return it a thousand times stronger. You have no idea how much you mean to me, Tali, and how much I love you. So because I have the chance—and most importantly, I have you in my arms—I want to make a promise to you, love: nothing will ever come between us, and I look forward to a life filled with happiness, on a beachfront house in the quarian homeworld.

I love you, Tali. More than you know.

—Shepard

Tali spun abruptly towards her sleeping boyfriend. She tugged on his navy-coloured shirt, and immediately his eyes snapped open. "What's—" His eyes snapped to the card in her hand, and a flash of recognition spread across his features. "Oh. You found—"

She didn't let him finish his sentence as she kissed him fiercely, holding his jaw between her hands. Tears of happiness streamed down her face, and Tali felt safer than she'd even been, just kissing him as his hands caressed her sensitive neck. Slowly, she parted and looked at him in his eyes. "Did you really mean all of that?" she asked.

Shepard smiled. "Of course I did," he whispered, his hand caressing her face. He looked at the box. "Open it, Miss vas Normandy. You don't know what you may find."

She gave him a playful nudge as the tears went down her face. Carefully, she opened the small package and found a circular piece of metal the size of her wrist. Small words were engraved into it, and when her translator changed it to her native language, she cried even more as she nuzzled into her lover's neck.

"Merry Christmas, Tali," he murmured into her ear and kissed her neck. She set the gifts aside and straddled her lover.

After all, she wanted to repay him.

-Krazycatsful