A/N: Well aren't I a goddamn liar. I said that this would take a while, but then right after I sat down and typed out this ridiculously long chapter. And man, this has a lot more swearing and slurs in it than I thought it would, for some odd reason.

And, looking at all the suggestions you people have given me about where to look for inspiration for the wedding, I found that I liked Rockycombo's the best, as it fits nicely with the proposal lines I had Shep say. Plus Rocky did an awesome job.

Therefore, some, though not all, of the ideas and customs in the wedding are based off of Rockycombo's fic, In Love and War. I've spiced it up with some of my own ideas, but a lot of it is built off of his take on quarian culture.

**Chapter 20: The Wedding**

Hannah was not one for tears, but the sight of her son made it difficult to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.

With everything set up, his whole crew had arrived at the house and had begun to mingle before the ceremony started. John stood there talking to who she thought was Jacob—she had a hard time remembering everyone's name—holding a glass of whiskey in his hand.

He was dressed up in the suit Kasumi had picked out for him, and John cleaned up remarkably well. The clothing

looked as if it were tailored to fit him, and coupled with bright blue, intelligent eyes, a warm smile on full lips, and a strong jaw covered with light stubble, she noticed several of the female crew members eyeing him with appreciation.

Though it wasn't how handsome he was that made her tear up—though she took a great deal of pride in knowing that at least half of her genes were what made him up. It was how happy he looked. The difference between him now and just a few months before was astonishing. He had always had a commanding presence, but it seemed to intensify with his mood, and he practically commanded the entire room's attention with what he was saying, even if he didn't know it.

And, of course, as a mother, she was extremely happy that he'd found someone whom he wanted to share his life with, and she couldn't have been more pleased with his choice.

Tali was currently upstairs with Kasumi, getting her formal attire on. Hannah had asked if she could help, but had gotten a firm 'no' from the thief, who said that she could handle making Tali presentable. She had sympathized with the pleading, helpless look the quarian had given her at being the focus of such attention, but Hannah was at a loss to help when Kasumi had firmly shut the door on her and told her to guard the stairs so no one would come up.

Which lead to her current post in the hallway. Chakwas and Raan were the ones who most frequently spoke to her, as the older women had on occasion had difficulty relating to what the younger people of the crew were talking about. A lot of them were war stories, embellished and exaggerated for reasons of entertainment, although some of the craziness in their tales were, in fact, truth, which tended to boggle the mind at the fact that so many were still alive to tell about it.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she walked over to it. Opening it, she found one of the quarian Admirals. Han'Gerrel.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to sound polite. She had dealt with the man before back on Earth during meetings, and had found him to be abrasive and loud.

Before he could get a word out, his eyes widened at something over her shoulder. She turned to see John stalking down the hallway, looking far less amused than he had a moment ago.

He walked past her, grabbing Gerrel's shoulder and hauling him away from the house with a muttered comment about how he'd be back in a minute.

She closed the door slowly, wondering what that was about. She hoped whatever it was wouldn't turn into something ugly. The last thing they needed before the wedding was a fistfight.

Shepard shoved the Admiral far enough away from the house that yelling wouldn't be heard if it came to that.

"What the hell do you want?" he snarled when they'd gone a sufficient distance.

Gerrel looked back at him, trying to straighten from the submissive position he'd been holding himself in.

"I just wished to congratulate Tali and you on this happy occasion."

He took a step towards the man, and he could see the effort it took the Admiral not to back away. "You stay away from her, do you understand me?" he took another step, his face close to the man's mask. "You so much as breathe a negative comment in her direction, and I will hunt you down. She's been through enough shit because of this war and dealing with quarian politics. Tali doesn't need any more of your bullshit, especially today. You've got anything to say to her, you say it to me and only to me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Commander." The man said calmly, though Shepard could hear the fearful edge in the man's voice. "I see she told you about our earlier conversation." his tone had an arrogant tint to it, making Shepard ball his fists with the effort not to punch the man.

"She only told me because I asked her what was wrong. She didn't offer the information, but she certainly wasn't going to lie to me, either." he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

"As I said before, to congratulate you. I'm sure her father wouldn't approve of this pairing, but I've come to say that I feel differently."

He raised his arm as if to punch Gerrel, making the man flinch. "Get off my property."

The man straightened again, his pride puffing out his chest. "Of course, Commander."

Without checking to see if the man was indeed leaving, Shepard walked back to the house, rage filling his chest. Those words had been meant for Tali, and would have cut her deeply had she heard them. Her father's opinion was important to her, even if she never liked the man. To be reminded yet again that he would disapprove of a highly important decision in her life would be horrible for her, and Gerrel knew it.

Shepard knew the man didn't like him, though that hardly caused any lost sleep in his life. But the fact that he was using that dislike to get back at Shepard for making the Admiral look like a fool in front the whole of the quarian fleet when they were taking back Rannoch and attacking Tali with it filled Shepard with anger.

He arrived at the house and opened the door, seeing the worried face of his mother greet him. She looked a little relieved at the sight of him unbloodied from a fight, but the anxiety still lingered in her blue eyes.

"What was that about, John?"

"Just some insincere well-wishing." he said, passing her and others and walking into the kitchen. He needed a drink.

His mother was apparently unsatisfied with that explanation and followed him. When he stopped at a cupboard to grab a fresh glass, she came to stand beside him.

"You're going to have to tell me more than that."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Gerrel doesn't like me or the fact that Tali and I are together. He told her yesterday that her father would strongly disapprove of it, and she took it pretty hard." he looked over at his mother. "Seems he wanted to try again today."

"The living are hardly at liberty to voice the thoughts of the dead." his mother said quietly. She sighed. "It's cruel to think he would do something like this on your wedding day, but I've never really pegged the man as tactful." she smiled up at him, touching his face. "Forget him, John. Be happy about today. His opinion won't change the way you feel."

He smiled faintly. "I know. I'm just worried that he'll upset Tali."

"I'll go check on her. Now drink your drink and enjoy the festivities."

He raised his still-empty glass, smiling. "Slaínte."

"I'd have thought you'd choose better, Tali."

"Hey!"

She looked up to see Kasumi staring at her and realised that she's drifted off in the middle of their conversation.

"What?"

The thief looked concerned. "You okay? You seem pretty out of it."

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Kasumi narrowed her eyes. "You suck at lying."

Tali sighed, sitting down on the bed. "Just thinking about my parents. Well, my father, anyway."

Kasumi sat down beside her. "You said he probably wouldn't like Shep, right?"

Tali shook her head, laughing bitterly. "Not at all. He's the opposite of what my father thinks is 'good people'."

"Hey, Shep's a great guy, and everyone knows it." the thief patted her knee. "You just have to forget about your dad."

"I want to. But for all his faults, he's still my father." she sighed. "I hate him for what his opinions have made me do to get his approval, but I still want it." she pushed down tears, hands balling into fists. "And I hate that his opinion would ever make me doubt my relationship with Shepard."

A slight knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "May I come in?" it was Hannah.

Kasumi raised a brow at her, and Tali nodded. John's mother was a wise woman; maybe talking to her would help.

Kasumi opened the door and Hannah stepped in, eyes warm.

"How are the preparations coming? Can I see your dress?"

Tali smiled despite herself, standing up. The woman was always genuine when she talked to you, something that was quite refreshing from the two-toned conversation politicians favored. It was a trait her son had inherited.

"It isn't really a dress, but..." she began, doing as she was asked.

Hannah smiled. "You look wonderful, Tali. And I'm sure John will be impressed." her smile turned into a grin and Tali's face heated.

"Oh yeah. Shep's totally going to be all over that." Kasumi added, eyeing her with approval.

Thoughts of Shepard brought on feelings of bitterness, which made her angry. Damn Gerrel for reminding her of her father. And damn her father for making her feel bad when thinking about John.

Hannah stepped closer to her, sensing her distress. "Is there something wrong, honey?"

She nodded, feeling tears rising again. "It's—" her voice broke and she clenched her teeth.

Hannah touched her arm, eyes filling with concern. "Having second thoughts?"

She shook her head, almost violently. "No, I... it isn't about Shepard. I couldn't be more happy, but..."

"I heard what happened with Han'Gerrel. It seems he's really gotten to you." Hannah said gently.

Tali shook with the effort not to cry, and Hannah pulled her close. "It's alright, honey."

She no longer tried to hold it in, feeling tears make wet tracks down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. Hannah rocked her gently, speaking softly in a motherly tone.

"Do you want me to call John up?"

Tali pulled away a little, sniffing. "No. I don't want him to be worried."

"He already is. But it's up to you." Hannah smiled at her. "What's bothering you, exactly?"

Tali pulled away from Hannah, despite how comforting the woman was. She sat down on the edge of the bed again. "This is supposed to be a happy day, and all I can think about is how much my father would hate all of this." she said, waving a hand around her. "The people here, John... all of it."

Hannah pulled a chair over, sitting across from her while Kasumi sat beside her.

"Are you marrying John to make your father angry?" Hannah asked gently.

Her head snapped up. "What? No! No, I love Shepard."

Hannah nodded. "I just want to make sure I've got all the facts. I wasn't saying you were a bad person, Tali." the woman sat back in her chair, calm and encouraging. "What about your mother? Would she have disapproved?"

Tali's brows drew together. "I don't think so. I was young when she died, so that never really came up, but... she wasn't like my father. I think she would have learned to like Shepard."

"And Raan seems pleased about this."

Tali nodded. "Yes."

"So it's just your father that would disapprove. And Gerrel, of course, but I'm sure you don't care about that." she added, smiling.

Tali let out a tiny laugh. "Ha, no."

Hannah grew somber. "It's often those that never approve of us are the one's whose opinion we crave most." she looked at Tali. "I know it's difficult to let go of your father's opinion, but know that if he is the only one disapproving, he is the one who is doing wrong, not you."

Such a simple, calm statement. But the impact it had on her could be felt throughout the room. Her chest no longer felt quite so tight, and the bitter taste in her mouth began to recede.

"I... thank you." her fingers knotted themselves at her waist. "I know I'm making the right decision, marrying Shepard, but..."

"Sometimes you simply need to hear it out loud to believe it." Hannah finished for her, and Tali nodded.

The woman got up from her chair, smiling. "I'm sure you two don't need my help, and I should be downstairs making sure nothing gets too crazy, anyway."

The volume of the party downstairs had gotten louder as they had spoken, making Tali smile. Hannah made to leave, but Tali grabbed her arm just before she reached the door.

"Thank you, Hannah. You don't know how much that helps."

The woman smiled. "Anytime, honey. You are my daughter now, after all."

The ceremony was about to begin.

As there were too many people to host the wedding inside, they had set up all the chairs by the cliff, the sun glinting off the ocean. A veritable paradise if Shepard ever saw one.

He was nervous, of course, but he thought little of it, figuring everyone felt this way before such a paradigm-shifting decision in their life.

Not that he didn't welcome such a change. Spending his life with Tali had seemed nothing more than a pipe dream during the war, and now that it would become a reality, anticipation gripped him. They would have spent their life together even if they weren't about to get married, but the fact that it was being so officially acknowledged made it seem more real.

But the nervousness at the unknown still lingered. He had no idea how to operate in the world outside of a war zone, and wondered if conflict would arise because of it.

"John." his mother's voice broke him away from his musings, and he looked down a few inches to see her gazing up at him, eyes watering.

"I'm so happy for you." she said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Jesus, don't do this." he groaned, smiling faintly. She ignored him and wrapped her arms around him, sniffling. "So handsome, you are."

His cheeks heated and he quickly glanced around to make sure no one had heard that. Vakarian already had enough ammunition to begin with; no need to throw gasoline over it.

Still, he hugged his mother back, realizing again how tiny she was. "I'm happy too."

She pulled back, sniffling again. "You look so much like your father."

"A wonder you ever slept with the ugly bastard." He heard Zaeed's voice behind him and turned away from his mother to see Massani standing there with the usual smirk on his homely face.

"Coming from you."

Zaeed snorted. "I'm a helluva lot pretty than you, Shepard. Good thing that quarian loves you; she'd be sleeping with someone else otherwise."

"What the hell you talking about? The Commander's a beauty." Vega's comment arrived a moment before he did, irreverent grin pasted on his scarred features. "Right, sir?"

"Go to hell, the both of you." he looked down at his mother. "See what you've done?"

She grinned. "I'll stop with the mushy stuff." she was about to walk away when she turned back around. Before he could react, she reached up and kissed him. "I'll see you later, sweetie."

Uproarious laughter was heard behind him as she walked away. Now more of the crew had shown up, just in time for that, of course.

"Sweetie!"

"Hey sweetheart! Can I get a kiss?"

"Where's your dress, Commander?"

"I'm going to fucking kill all of you."

Shepard stood at the foot of one of the aisles, waiting for the ceremony to start.

He'd briefly been informed on quarian traditions. There were two aisles, representing the paths of both husband and wife, with each party walking down one (which caused even more uproar at the fact that Shepard had to walk down an aisle—his shirt had gotten dirty when he'd tackled Zaeed to the ground) where they would both stop at a junction connecting the two "paths."

Three of their closest friends or family would lead them down, representing how both parties had been shaped into the person they were today by the people of great influence in their lives.

The person of greatest influence was the first to guide. Behind them was a close friend with whom the bride or groom walked with, and the most supportive of people bringing up the rear.

For Tali, Raan would be in front, Kasumi would be beside her, and Hannah at the back. That choice had surprised him, but also gave him an unexpected rush of pride; his mother had become an intimate of Tali's in just the few short months they'd known each other, and he was glad for the support she gave.

For Shepard, it was slightly different. The guiding figures in his life had died; the spot in front would only have ever been filled by Anderson or his father, both long past. And so he now lead, with Garrus to stand beside him. And, with as little anguish as he could muster, he'd asked Joker to be the other. He had still not told the man about EDI, but he promised himself that he would one day; doing so now would destroy the happy occasion. Shepard knew it was selfish and wrong, but a part of him wanted to be selfish, if even only for a day. His whole life had been built around aiding his crew, his loved ones, and the galaxy. He wanted a few hours for himself and Tali.

And Joker had been one of the few to stand beside him throughout the entirety of the war. It only seemed right to ask him. The pilot had, for once, not said anything sarcastic, only saying that he was honored to be a part of the wedding.

The ceremony began, and he stepped forward, slowly walking down the aisle with Garrus beside him. He looked over to see if he could spot Tali, but it was no use; people sat in between both aisles, who were all currently standing as the ceremony started.

When he reached the junction, he caught sight of Tali, making his step falter. Joker bumped into him as a result, giving him a grin and pushing him forward.

He heard a couple people snicker as he reached the stopping point, coming to stand next to Tali.

The others went to stand around the junction, though not blocking the path the couple were supposed to walk down afterwards.

He leaned down to Tali, whispering quietly. "You look almost as good as you do naked."

She smacked him, glaring. "Shepard!"

Laughter went through the crowd as they watched the exchange, even if they didn't hear the words.

He joined the laughter, biting the inside of his cheek to stop any particularly loud outbursts. "It's true." he whispered back.

"You're unbelievable."

Raan came to stand in front of them, along with Hannah. Shepard's guiding figure was supposed to stand with Tali's, but because he didn't have one, Hannah subbed in for him, even though she walked with Tali.

Raan and Hannah began the formalities, which were mostly human ceremonial words, spoken in an effort to balance out both cultures. When those were finished, he and Tali would exchange vows and rings, then kiss. He knew that she'd be nervous about the last part, but Shepard would make sure to keep people from seeing as little as possible.

The opening words came to a close, and they turned to one another, beginning with their vows. Tali went first.

"So many paths I've chosen, none of them easy. They have brought both joy and sorrow, happiness and loss, health and disease. My path with you has been no less trying," she smiled, hearing more laughter echo, "But far more rewarding. John Shepard, I look forward to taking more of those paths with you, in the hope that we shall not stray apart from the trials ahead."

He smiled, drawing a little closer to her and beginning his. "My choices, my steps, have been happy, fulfilling, and pleasurable. They have also been painful, lonely, and filled with hardship. But I have walked for so long, trying to find something to drive me forward. An ideal to live for instead of duties to die for." he leaned closer, smiling. "And Tali'Zorah, you fit the bill pretty damn well."

More laughter, but he heard some sniffling amongst the amusement. Tali's eyes shone, and he knew she was smiling under the mask.

Kasumi grabbed the tiny box containing the ring, handing it to John; Garrus did the same for Tali.

Shepard grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles and sliding the ring on. It was his father's ring still, as they'd spent too many credits on the house to buy a proper ring. In turn, Tali grabbed his hand, but stopped when she gazed at the crippled appendage.

"Um... where am I supposed to put it?" she asked, earning another round of laughter.

He looked down at his missing ring finger, grinning. Shepard swapped out his hands, smiling at her. "I'm sure no one will notice."

She slid the ring onto his other finger, smiling up at him. Hannah cleared her throat, making them look at her. "We now pronounce you two husband and wife." she grinned.

"You may now kiss the bride."

He looked back down at Tali, whose eyes suddenly held a touch of fear. He reached up, unclasping the faceplate of her mask. Her hand rose up as if to stop him, but he shook his head faintly. "Just look at me." he whispered, so quietly that no one else could hear.

She nodded softly, and he took off the mask, her features glowing faintly in the setting sun. He smiled, reminded of how beautiful she was yet again.

Her eyes held fear and joy, but the former began to recede when Shepard stepped closer. But instead of leaning in, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, crushing her in a passionate kiss. There were whistles from several people in the crowd, laughter intermixing.

He let go a moment later, seeing her blow out a breath and her eyes looking slightly unfocused, making him grin.

She smiled back at him. "You're unbelievable." she said again.

He laughed. "I know."

Tali watched the festivities from her chair, the smile on her face never leaving.

After walking down the singular path ahead of them and hearing the near-deafening cheers and whistles from the Normandy crew, they'd cracked out the booze and the music and started to dance.

Shepard was not among those dancers. Instead, he appeared to be taking a verbal beating from Garrus, Zaeed and Vega.

"Alenko!" Vega called to Kaidan, who'd been talking to Chakwas. "Get over here! We need you to settle something!"

"I'm not getting involved!" he called back.

"Come on!"

"No!"

"He's a fucking Canadian! It's in his blood to stay away from disputes!" Shepard said, making the trio laugh.

"You racist bastard! Maybe I will come over there!"

"Testosterone poisoning." Hannah muttered next to her, making Kasumi and the other human members at the table snicker.

Tali looked over at her. "What?"

Hannah smiled, waving a hand at the yelling group. "You know, the hormone that makes men... well, men. Human men, anyway. Though it seems to translate fairly well across all species."

Tali laughed, looking back over at the men talking. They seemed to be in a heated argument about something, though she had no clue what. Kaidan had joined the group, though looked less emphatic about his stance on whatever topic they were discussing than the others did.

She looked around at the other members of the party, watching them mingle. The sun was almost set, and they had pulled out some twinkle lights to give a soft, friendly glow to the outside. A small area had been set up for dancing, and she watched Jack and a few others move fluidly across the ground to the beat of the music. Tali enjoyed the activity, but Kasumi had told her no dancing until she did so with Shepard.

So she hadn't been able to dance yet.

Kasumi watched her friend stare off hopefully at the dance floor, and she silently got up from the table, no one noticing her sneaky tip-toeing. She walked over to the sound system, changing the upbeat tune to a slow rhythm, making the people on the dance floor groan in protest.

"What the fuck, chink? I'm not done dancing!" Jack protested.

"I'm Japanese, dummy. And Shep needs to bust a move up here with his wife." the thief looked across the dance floor to glare pointedly at Shepard, jerking her head over at Tali. Go dance with her.

She could practically hear him sighing, but he broke away from the argument, which the others noticed, of course.

"Gonna go dance with your wife, Shepard?"

"Twenty minutes and the poor bastard's already whipped!"

The Commander turned around, grinning at them. "I'm getting laid tonight and you jackasses aren't. Why don't you go think about that for a while?"

Uproarious guffaws could be heard from the crowd, most notably Wrex's gravelly tones, who was sitting on a crate talking to Grunt.

Shepard came to stand in front of his wife, who crossed her arms firmly. "'Going to get laid tonight'?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "With milady's permission, of course."

"I should hope so." she muttered, making him laugh. "And you're lucky I don't punch you for that."

He shrugged, offering her a hand. "Would you like to dance?"

She looked up at him. "I thought you said you wouldn't? Something about not making a fool of yourself?"

His eyes shined. "Nobody's going to be looking at me, Tali."

That coxed a couple "aw's" from some of the women that sat at the table, making Tali duck her head a little. But she took his hand following him to the dance area, whistles and cheers calling after them.

They came to stand in the middle of the floor, and he put a hand on her waist, the other grabbing her hand and twining his fingers through hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they began to sway gently in time with the music.

"You seem to know what you're doing." she commented. He was hardly a natural dancer and possessed no real grace in such an environment, but his movements were confident and sure, making up for his lack of skill.

"I always know what I'm doing." he replied casually, stepping closer to her. "You really do look beautiful, Tali."

She grinned. "Maybe you will get laid tonight."

He burst out laughing, pulling her close. "God, I love you, woman."

They watched the last of the crew head off back towards the Normandy, leaving the couple alone, finally.

It was late into the night, and his bones ached from all the standing and talking he'd been doing. He was tired, but that hardly meant that the night was over.

They walked back towards the house in silence, arm in arm. The night had been filled with laughter, stories and liquor, which always seemed to produce an interesting outcome with their odd group of friends.

Tali felt Shepard's arm slip away from hers as he stepped up to open the door. He flicked the lights on, standing in the doorway. The light cast his form in shadow, making it impossible to see his face.

He extended his palm to her. "Ready to go to bed, miss Vas Normandy?"

She looked down at his hand, studying its features. It was broad and callused, thick fingers ending with blunt fingernails. It was marked with the white of scar tissue, damaged and broken by war, its missing finger a legacy of the most difficult one ever fought.

Yet for all its faults, it was confident and strong, always willing to catch or comfort her. That path was not perfect, and maybe not even pretty, but it was one with Shepard, the man she loved more than words could say.

She took it without hesitation.

Yes, you have reached The End. I know, I'm sad too.

I just want to thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews and helpful suggestions, as this would be an icky mess of words otherwise. It's been an awesome ride, and if you enjoyed this, I suggest sticking around. My next story will be up soon, and it'll contain disgusting amounts of Tali + Shep fluff, as always.

Anyway, I hope you loved this as much as I did!

- Sneaky

Thanks For Reading and just wanted everyone to remember that this isn't my work but a Re-upload of Sneaky's work as it was deleted awhile ago. I take Credit for nothing.