Yeah. I'm pretty freaking awesome. 2 chapters in one day.

Here it is, the conclusion. I might do an epilogue later, so...yeah...be aware.

I hope all those readers out there who were surprised by my positive take on Miranda know this.

Subject 23 is a special case. I don't hate Miranda. I don't LIKE her, but she's a perfectly fine character to deal with.

It had been a day of romance. Love had been shared, people came together, and joined with goals of passion. Everyone on the Normandy was happy, and the atmosphere took a turn for the pleasant. Crewmembers could almost feel the joy cackling in the air. Per Yeoman Chambers request, the entire crew gathered on the third deck for a little party to celebrate the occasion.

First to show up was Legion, who claimed he was there for research. Next, Mordin, who was on the arm of Justicar Samara. The pairing was unusual, but not as much as the next. Chakwas appeared, Serrice Ice Brandy in hand, when Zaeed appeared behind her. Giggling slightly, she batted his hand away, which further pushed the grinning merc to make a move.

Staring, Joker and Garrus turned to each other, looks of confusion on their face.

Jack arrived, with her friend 23. However, she seemed slightly annoyed at him, a look of frustration on her face. Kasumi, who removed herself from Jacob (To her discontent) walked over, and started to question the killer.

"Jack? Everything alright?"

The woman turned to Kasumi, while still eyeballing 23.

"He…Invited another girl. Apparently they've been friends forever."

Kasumi nodded.

"When is supposed to get here?"

"Any second"

The elevator opened with a hiss, and both women turned towards it.

Garrus and Miranda were laughing with Joker, who was busy telling stories. They were having fun, and it was apparent that the pilot deserved the nickname he carried. At the end of the story, they talked pleasantly with him. According to Joker, he wasn't having the best Valentine's Day.

"I mean, I'm happy for everyone and such, but I haven't had a good time with a girl in…A while."

Miranda rolled her eyes. She did NOT want to hear this, but she decided to be polite. Garrus wasn't really paying attention. He was busy watching Miranda, who's waist looked very supportive…

"I mean, I just want to meet a nice girl. Valentine's Day's always sucked for me."

Aaaand Garrus was sucked back into the conversation. He was prepared to listen to Joker go on and on about his issues, when a miracle happened.

"Um, hello. Are you Joker?"

They all turned towards the direction of the voice, and found a blue-suited Quarian. She was slightly shorter than Tali would have been, but her voice was lower. Joker regained his thoughts and spoke.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

She straightened her back, eyes watching him.

"Lyla. Lyla'Del Vas Mindoir. I..I'm a friend of 23."

They all looked past her shoulder to the masked man, who was busy rubbing Jack all over. He glanced at Joker and winked. The stunned pilot turned back to the girl. He spoke with a slight stammer.

"A..and how can I help you, Ms. Vas Mindoir?"

She giggled.

"It's just Lyla. Well, 23 promised that there would be someone here who liked to fly ships? I'm a pilot, and well. You're one of the best. I mean, you fly the Normandy!"

Garrus and Miranda slowly backed away from Joker, who looked like he was about to explode with happiness. They managed to sneak off, heading towards Jacob and Kasumi. Joker started to talk to the girl, who looked like she was laughing pleasantly. Later on into the party, they both disappeared. To where, no one would know.

Finally, Kelly stepped into the center of the room, and called for attention.

"Well! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the party. However, I think we should all take a second to thank the one person who made this entire thing possible."

A shout from the crowd stunned everyone.

"Stop being a self-serving bitch!"

Kelly smirked, and continued.

"By the way everyone, funny story. I went down to talk to Zaeed a few days ago, and walked in on him and Jesse—"

"ALL RIGHT! THAT'S BLOODY ENOUGH!"

The crowd burst out into laughter, at which Kelly tried to calm them down.

"Anyways, I meant Shepard. Speaking of the Commander, has anyone seen him?"

There was a quiet murmur in the crowd. Kelly facepalmed, turning to the four men.

"I TOLD you, someone tell Shepard!"

Jacob and Garrus raised their hands defensively, while Thane just shrugged. Zaeed stared.

"Well where is he then? EDI?"

EDI's voice was heard from the ceiling.

"Shepard is currently in the CIC."

Hadley stepped forward, a frown on his face.

"That's not right, I just came from there. I didn't see him anywhere."

Everyone was staring at the ceiling, when Garrus noticed something.

"Hey, has anyone seen Tali?"

The room grew silent, and Kelly's voice grew slightly annoyed.

"EDI, where are Shepard and Tali?"

Silence.

"They are not on the Normandy."

The crew could've heard a pin drop. Kelly asked another question.

"What, did they steal the Kodiak and leave?"

Silence.

Jacob could be heard muttering. Something to do with Shepard earning "The PRIIIIZE". he was silenced by a elbow to the gut, delivered by Kasumi.

"EDI?"

The AI's voice came back online, and she spoke with an almost humorous tone.

"404 Shuttle not found"

The sleek shuttle pierced the night sky, slowly coming to a hover. Gently, it touched down on the snow-covered ground. The door opened, and two figures stepped out into the artificial light.

Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy didn't know what to expect. This was her first Valentine's Day, and according to most female crewmembers, it was romantic. The scene before her was one out of a postcard. The boreal forest stretched out before her, as snow softly fell from the night sky. The white lampposts illuminated the walkway, but did not steal from the overall experience.

She shivered slightly. Her suit was acting up, and the environmental systems were lower than she would have liked them to be. Tali didn't have to worry about that for long though, when a pair of muscular arms wrapped themselves gently around her neck. Sighing, she leaned back against his chest, feeling his warmth. He chuckled slightly, and started to speak.

"Isn't this better than being trapped on a ship with a billion people?"

She smirked under her mask. If one he knew just how crowded a ship could get.

"You're talking to a Quarian, Shepard. The Normandy could be considered a luxury liner."

He let go of her, but kept his right arm around her shoulders. Moving to her left, they started to walk through the soft snow.

"I know. My mistake. Blame it on my lack of superior thinking skills."

She giggled. The idea of Shepard being anything less than brilliant was silly.

The landscape didn't change. The snow was heavy, and falling beautifully from the sky, while old pine trees drifted gently in the breeze. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the snow falling. They kept walking.

Nothing was more perfect. She was with the man she loved, walking somewhere wondrous and desolate, listening to snowfall.

Shepard was smiling peacefully. Glancing up, he noticed that the sky was completely clear, black as space.

He knew this was important. He loved Tali so much, all the effort to keep this surprise from her was beyond worth it. She'd never admit it, but she had done more for him than he could ever do for her.

Being the savior of the galaxy was impossible. Everyday, Shepard made decisions that kept him up at night. All the time, worrying, but never betraying any emotion. When she opened herself up to him, for the first time in his life, he felt complete. She listened intently to everything. His fears, his desires, his worry. He trusted her more than any other living being, and she thought SHE was the lucky one.

-She'll like this. She deserves this. Deserves to have happiness. I'm just glad I can give it to her -

"Hey, there's a surprise up ahead. Close your eyes."

She turned her head slightly, eyes displaying her curiosity.

"Shepard?"

He grinned.

"Trust me."

Immediately, she closed her eyes, content that she was in safe hands.

-The safest hands in the galaxy-

Walking slightly further, he saw it.

They got closer, and he stopped her.

"Ok. Open them."

She opened her eyes, and what she saw astounded her.

In front of both of them, was an ancient carved house. Above it, a cliff overlooked a dark sea that stretched out over the horizon. The construction looked like it had a view, which took Tali's breath away.

It was absolutely magnificent.

She turned to look at Shepard, who was grinning. He raised his hand towards it, and started walking.

They both set foot into the house, which didn't open up. Instead, they were directed to an airlock, which decontaminated them before allowing entry. Tali was baffled. What kind of house had an airlock within the main door?

Almost as if he read her mind, Shepard answered.

"This house was built for species with weak immune systems. However, the cost to rent for one night is more than what most starships cost. It's a scam."

The door opened to the small room, which they both stepped into.

There was a bar, lighted dimly, which stood next to a home entertainment system. Farther into the room, a giant circular bed laid, next to a panoramic window that looked out over the sea. Tali found it all wonderful, and she turned to Shepard, ready to attack him for such a wonderful surprise.

When she turned, she found him standing, holding a violet flower. She looked at it, and he started to speak.

"Tali. I love you. You've always been there for me, even when others haven't. You've loved me when I thought no one could, and trusted me when I didn't trust myself. You are beyond beautiful Tali, in more ways than I could count. The day we confided in each other about how we felt, I…I…"

She was smiling so hard, her cheeks hurt. There was a tear of joy in her eye, but she refused to let it drop. She wasn't going to cry in front of Shepard. He would've spent the next three hours fearing he did something wrong.

Shepard collected his thoughts and tried again.

"It was the happiest day of my life. I don't deserve you Tali. I know you don't believe that, but I can NEVER show you just how much I love you."

She stepped forward, embracing him. The flower was pushed gently between them, almost forgotten. He reached up to her mask, gently pulling it off. The hiss was welcome, and he looked into her beautiful hazel eyes. He took her chin softly in his hand.

"But I can try."

Their lips met, and embraced with enough passion to light a city. The next steps were flashes of movement.

Shepard ripping his shirt off.

Tali moving his hands over her suit release latches, freeing her from the containment she so longed to be free of.

Shepard moving his lips down her beautiful, exposed neck, while she grasped at his head, holding him with affection.

Both of them, lying naked in the dark bed, lights dimmed. Shepard carefully caressed her nipples with his tongue, while she laid back, raspy breathing softly filling his ears.

They intertwined, sharing each other. Both of them giving as much as they could give, and then even more.

The passion shared was indescribable, and the day of passion, the day of romance, came to a close.

Valentine's day was over.

The love between two lovers, was just beginning.

Happy pre-Valentine's day everyone! I'm looking forward to a possible romantic interest, so yeah. That's pretty awesome. In the meantime, keep reading all those great stories you love (Subject 23. yeah. Read that one) and have a good night. Just to let you all know, these little specials might become a regular thing. Depends on what happens. Peace!