Looking to the Future

One month after the victory against the Reapers and Enaila still couldn't believe how quickly the species of the galaxy had rebounded. Already businesses in the areas of the Citadel that had suffered the least amount of damage had reopened, hers included, and it seemed like life had resumed its normal pace. The three hundred year old asari knew better than to believe what her eyes told her, of course, but she had to admit that she almost felt normal again. People scurried about the streets, running errands, buying and selling, living as if they had never existed under the shadow of almost certain destruction. The reminders of what had nearly come to pass were abundant though - the story of the human who had saved the galaxy rested on everyone's lips and on the lips of the media, certain parts of the wards were completely uninhabitable, and the galaxy was much emptier than it used to be. Enaila shivered at that thought. Not something she liked to think about.

She thanked the Goddess once again that she had recently been able to make contact with her mother back on Thessia. The weeks of uncertainty and worry, wondering if her mother had survived the attacks, were finally over, but the residue of those feelings still sat in the pit of her stomach. She almost felt normal; but she knew that it would still be quite some time before she could forget the horror she had lived through.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she swept her stormy blue eyes around her store. She owned a small fabrics and thread store that sold exclusively asari made products. Her store had seen an increase in business after the Reaper attacks as asari on the Citadel seemed eager to get married - perhaps a reaction to facing their mortality. The asari tradition of marriage proposal entailed giving the intended bondmate a woven bracelet of five different colored threads. Each color represented something different, and the colors that one selected served as a sort of promise. Combining yellow with a certain shade of blue promised a life of adventure and travel, while green and white promised a secure and stable home life. There were a multitude of meanings and combinations and Enaila had spent a good portion of her life committing them all to memory. That information had certainly come in handy when she found herself the only seller of marriage threads on the Citadel for the time being.

As her eyes drifted over to the thread section of her store, she gave a start as she noticed the human who had somehow managed to slip into the store undetected. The woman stood with her hands in the pockets of her long, dark blue pants, staring at a row of blue threads with a frown etched across her face. She wore a black hoodie with red and white stripes down the sleeve of her right arm and her black hair hung loose around her shoulders. Enaila stared at the human for a while, wondering what had brought the woman to her store. Non-asari customers were rare, though she had certainly seen some before the Reaper attack, usually buying exotic fabrics in an attempt to prove how cultured they were. Yet, she had not seen a single non-asari since the attacks. Luxury items were not a high priority on anyone's list, and other species did not seem that interested in adopting asari marriage traditions. From Enaila's experience, humans especially seemed fixated on their own traditions - something involving a ring, though she was not sure of the details.

The human continued to frown at the threads in front of her while her face darkened into a mask of confusion. Enaila took a few more moments to study the strange customer; the woman looked oddly familiar for some reason, though Enaila did not know many humans. She could count the handful of humans she knew on one hand and yet this woman sparked something in the back of her head - the name lingering somewhere just out of reach. Or maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her.

Crossing over to the customer, Enaila flashed a friendly smile and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with today?"

The human turned slowly to look at Enaila, her features frozen in that confused expression: brows deeply furrowed and drawn down while her mouth pulled slightly in a frown. A fleeting moment of awkward silence and then her face transformed into an almost pleading expression and her tone certainly came across as meek. "Do all these shades of blue mean something different?" She sounded horrified.

Enaila found herself fighting not to burst out laughing. Despite the woman's befuddlement, it was immediately clear that she was a woman used to giving commands. A woman who always took the lead, who held herself with a certain air of assuredness. There was something inexplicable about the woman, a sort of aura that told Enaila that regardless of how relaxed the woman seemed now, she was a tightly coiled spring, ready to move at the first sign of danger. Yet, in spite of all that, the woman looked utterly lost, completely frightened at the prospect of having to select the threads for a proposal bracelet. That alone was enough to instantly soften the stranger in Enaila's eyes. It was just so... adorable. Enaila couldn't think of another word for it. And the notion made her want to laugh.

Though she managed to keep from laughing right in the customer's face, she couldn't help the upward twitch of her lips that betrayed her amusement. However, the human's face suddenly shone with a smile, as if all she had wanted was for Enaila to understand her joke. Maybe that was the truth. It was hard to tell.

Daring to allow her voice a bit of good humor, Enaila said, "Yes, I'm sorry to say they do all mean something different. Would you like some help?"

"I think I definitely need it," the human replied, shaking her head. "The extranet made this sound much simpler."

As Enaila listened to the woman's voice, the feeling of familiarity again itched at the back of her head. She could have sworn that she had heard that voice before. She knew that if the woman said just the right phrase she would be able to place the voice with a name. "Why don't you tell me what you had in mind for the bracelet and I can help you select the correct threads," she offered.

The dark haired human nodded, staring past Enaila as she ordered her thoughts. "I wanted the bracelet to represent a promise I made to her a long time ago. I promised that I would always come back to her, no matter what happened." Running a hand through her black tresses, the woman bit her lower lip uncertainly as she added, "I read that blue represented love and immortality to the asari. Also that white represented promises and that red could sometimes mean the future or trying to reach a goal. I thought," she hesitated, unsure, but then went on, "I thought maybe those three together could get across what I meant." Then gesturing feebly to the rows of blue thread before her she said, "I didn't realize that there would be so many different kinds of blue to choose from."

Enaila watched the human out of the corner of her eye, though she pretended to study the display of threads in front of her. The woman might not be as familiar with asari traditions as an actual asari, but she had certainly put some thought into this. Enaila's right hand hovered over the rows of blue thread until she plucked out a spool of the proper shade and then she ducked around the woman in order to grab a shade of red and white. "For the other two colors," she said, "I would recommend a second blue to reinforce your love and promise, and then add this shade of violet." She placed all five spools into the human's hands, smiling encouragingly. Enaila had never been this involved in someone else's proposal bracelet before - other asari usually had their own friends or relatives who advised them - and she felt strangely... attached to this woman. She looked so lost and so scared that Enaila couldn't help but want to help her find her way.

The woman looked down at the assortment in her hands and then gave Enaila a questioningly look. "What is the violet for?"

Laughing with a voice like chiming bells, Enaila answered, "For the color of your eyes." At the human's surprised expression, Enaila added, "You can pick the colors for more than just their meanings. And if you're wondering what that shade of violet means, it represents strength. A fitting thread, if I'm not missing my mark."

"Wouldn't it be better to use the color of her eyes though?" The human cast another doubtful look at the rows of blue thread.

"I think she might like the reminder of you," Enaila said carefully. True, she didn't know the asari in question, but she did know that the human's lifespan would be undeniably shorter than the asari's - provided nothing unexpected happened. It wouldn't hurt for the human to weave a reminder of herself into the bracelet so that her lover would think of her long after she was gone. Yet, Enaila hesitated to say such a thing out loud; the human might be understandably upset by the comment.

The woman seemed to catch her meaning regardless, and by the look on her face she didn't appear to be offended. She simply nodded in agreement before saying, "I think I will take your advice then."

Enaila gestured for the woman to follow her to the register. As she began tallying the total, she ventured, "You're the first human I've ever sold a proposal bracelet to."

The woman flashed a warm smile and answered, "I thought about proposing the human way - getting down on one knee and all that. But then I thought that that was kind of selfish of me. I didn't want to rob Li-" Her mouth suddenly snapped shut as she bit off what she was about to say. The name of her intended, no doubt, though Enaila didn't understand the secrecy. Instead, the woman amended, "I didn't want to rob her of the whole experience. I think the ceremony of it is probably just as important as the proposal itself."

Enaila found herself nodding; she thought she understood what the human meant. The proposal was more than just the question or the bracelet. There were the distinct visual cues that tipped the recipient off before the other person even proposed. Those moments of knowing what was coming, time for the magnitude of the decision to sink in, those moments were equally as important. If the human went with her own traditions then the visual cues might be lost on her partner. Whoever this asari was, she would undoubtedly be surprised when she saw the blue engagement ribbon tied above a doorway, and then see the human offer her an engagement bracelet.

"The main problem now though," the woman went on, rubbing a hand on the back of her neck, "is that I have to figure out how to braid the bracelet the right way." Then turning her head and murmuring under her breath she added, "And all I have for help is a turian, a quarian, and some equally clueless humans."

Catching a glimpse of the profile of the woman's face, Enaila felt her heart shudder to a halt and her mouth instantly hung open in disbelief. That nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her that she recognized this woman had returned and slammed her brain with the force of a hammer. As the strands of hair surrounding the human's face momentarily fell behind her ear and the woman gave a darkly thoughtful expression, an image of a news vid leaped to the forefront of Enaila's mind, broadcasting a name she had heard a thousand times in the past month. Commander Shepard. Savoir of the Galaxy. She looked different with her hair out of its tight, military bun and wearing civilian clothes, but she was undeniably the same person.

The woman glanced at Enaila out of the corner of her eye and immediately let out a heavy sigh. "Oh no," she muttered to herself. "You know, don't you?"

"You're her! By the Goddess! You're Commander Shepard! Savoir of the -"

Shepard quickly raised a hand to stop Enaila and said, "There's no need to list the titles." She sounded weary.

Enaila felt at a complete loss. The Savoir of the Galaxy in her store! And she had helped her select threads for her proposal bracelet. No one would believe her if she told them. And to think she had treated this woman like she was just anyone else. "P-please," she stammered. "Don't worry about paying. It's the least I can do." She couldn't help but wonder who Shepard was planning to propose to. As far as Enaila knew there were only two asari ever on Shepard's squad. An asari justicar - which seemed an unlikely pairing - and Dr. T'soni, the daughter of Matriarch Benezia. Could that girl have captured the hero's heart?

The commander shook her head and held out her credit-chit. "No, please, don't do that. The council is paying my bills anyway. It's the very least they can do. You don't owe me anything." She flashed a smile, but the tiredness remained in her eyes.

Enaila hesitantly accepted the offered credit-chit. She was too afraid to say no to Commander Shepard. She wanted to protest that she - and everyone alive - owed Shepard everything, but before she could speak the commander fixed her with a speculative stare.

"Actually, if you want to do me a favor, you could help me by telling no one that you saw me. For at least a week."

"Why?"

"I'm going to propose to Liara within that time. We don't watch the news, but other people do, and I don't want someone to ruin the surprise. The media will find out about it eventually, but at least I can try to keep the proposal special for her." Those violet eyes bore straight through Enaila. "Please, can you do that for me?"

The asari knew that if she went to the media with this information, she could rake in a substantial profit. The story would spread across the galaxy as soon as she shared it. Lauded by some as the happy ending the hero deserved. Condemned by others as the end of Shepard's bloodline. The pro-human groups especially would be in a fury. Humanity's greatest hero, and she planned to marry an asari. No doubt they would think it a betrayal. And the commander was right: it would all get out eventually.

But Enaila would not be responsible for it. She would repay the woman to whom she owed her life with her silence.

"Your secret is safe with me." Handing Shepard a bag containing the threads, she smiled and added, "May the Goddess bless your marriage." Their hands brushed as the human accepted the bag. "And thank you, Commander Shepard. I won't forget what you've done for me - for all of us."

~.~.~.~.~

Shepard drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair impatiently. The asari councilor droned on about yet another celebration they wanted her to attend - her presence would reassure the public that dark times were over, or some such drivel. She barely listened; she had told them countless times that she would be leaving tomorrow with Liara, and she would cut off all forms of communication with the outside world for two weeks. She would have made her absence longer if she didn't think the council would have a heart attack at the news.

She let Tevos finish her long, flowery appeal before resting her chin in the palm of one hand and saying, "No."

The councilors opened their mouths in unison to protest, but Shepard forestalled them by adding, "I am leaving for two weeks. That is not negotiable." Then to catch them off guard and change the topic, she said, "You haven't mentioned the proposal I sent you."

All three exchanged glances, but the turian councilor spoke first. "You can't possibly expect us to approve of adding a seat on this council for every citadel race. You are not a politician, Shepard - you should leave those matters to us."

He always seemed angry when he spoke to her. She wouldn't be surprised if he argued that her hair was blue just because she said it was black. She remembered once joking with Ashley that the reason the turian councilor showed such hostility towards her was because he was secretly in love with her, but knew he couldn't have her. Well, it was probably true. Shepard smirked at the thought.

The asari councilor quickly interjected, her tone much more diplomatic. "Please understand, Shepard, that although humanity gained a seat on this council before other species, that was due, in no small part, to your accomplishments. A race must prove that they are deserving of a seat."

Shepard couldn't help her mouth twisting up into a snarl of disgust. She had expected this argument, heard it a thousand times before, but it still sickened her. That they thought they could play it off as a compliment in order to placate her just made it worse. "Humanity proved that it was a military power. Is that the only way to grab a seat on this council? The volus created the intergalactic banking system. Without them, intergalactic commerce wouldn't even be possible. I'd say they deserve a seat on this council just for allowing the rest of us to trade with one another."

The councilors again exchanged looks before the salarian councilor finally spoke up. "You may have a point about the volus, Shepard, and we will look into our policy towards some of the longer standing species, but... your proposal encompasses all races. You even suggested offering a seat to the krogan... and the geth!"

Shaking her head in disgust, Shepard couldn't hide the venom in her voice. "I didn't unite all the races of the galaxy so that you three could just divide us all again! Every race that fought in the war against the Reapers deserves a say in what happens in this galaxy. The krogan have been wronged by this council before, and they still fought for your lives - for all of our lives! And you spit on them yet again! And the geth put aside their old grudges, even gave the quarians back their home world, and you still think they're your enemies? A united galaxy is stronger than a fragmented one. Mark my words, I won't let you tear down everything I've done." Rising to her feet she fixed them each with a threatening stare. "I will have an all inclusive council. I will have justice for everyone who died because the species of this galaxy were too slow to unite." Pointing a finger at them she lowered her voice. "You're right that I'm not a politician. That means I don't have a political career to protect. I won't hesitate to use my influence on this. I won't hesitate to use the public against you."

All three pairs of eyes watched her warily, no doubt aware that she told the truth. If they refused to support her proposal, she would take it to the media, to the public, and tell them all that the three councilors had refused to admit all other species. The backlash would be immediate and devastating. Even their own races would turn on them if the Savoir of the Galaxy named them villains. For now, and maybe even for a long time yet, Commander Shepard would have the support of the entire galaxy behind her and more power than anyone else. They would have to tread carefully with her.

Turning her back to them and heading for the door, Shepard waved a hand and said, "Well, if that's all there is, I have some final preparations to make before I leave."

Before she could reach the door, however, Councilor Tevos called after her. "Commander, there is one more issue we need to discuss. You still have not given us your recommendation to fill Councilor Anderson's seat on the council."

Shepard stopped in her tracks, a darkness spreading across her features. She had tried to push those thoughts from her mind, refusing to dwell on them. His empty seat had been a constant reminder of his death throughout the entire meeting. A reminder of all the things that were lost during the war against the Reapers.

"I don't care who you put on the council," she answered quietly, not turning around. "Let humanity vote on a representative."

The salarian councilor quickly replied, "I'm afraid that's not an option, Shepard. Admittance into the council is by appointment only. Your recommendation will hold great weight, however. You selected Councilor Anderson; it seems only fitting that you select the next human councilor."

Frowning, Shepard tried to think of someone who could adequately represent humanity. She didn't know many politically inclined people - all of her friends were fighters. She might have suggested Admiral Hackett, for his leadership experience, if she thought he would accept the position, but she knew that he wouldn't. She needed someone who could fight for humanity's interests, but who also knew how important galactic unity was. Someone she could trust.

Only one person had the experience and skills to survive on the council, but who Shepard knew would not betray what they had fought for. Glancing back over her shoulder she said, "Offer the position to my former crewmate, Miranda Lawson."

All of their eyes widened in shock. The turian councilor spat back, "The Cerberus woman? Are you crazy? We can't have a terrorist on this council."

"Ex-Cerberus," Shepard corrected with more patience in her voice than she felt. "Miranda left Cerberus to follow me. She refused to put a bullet in my head when The Illusive Man told her to. She helped me destroy Cerberus in the end. Miranda has proven her loyalty to me and to the galaxy." Plus, Shepard thought, she would fight passionately for humanity's interests and she would be on the council for a long time. Already young and a long lifespan before her, she would be a powerful ally on the council for a long time. If she accepted the position. Shepard thought she might though; it would be just the type of intellectual challenge Miranda would enjoy and she would be able to put all her talents to good use in politics.

Before the council could say anything else, Shepard headed for the door once more and said, "That's my recommendation. I'll check back in with you in two weeks."

She left them floundering behind her.

~.~.~.~.~

Growing up in a small, rural colony, Shepard had never had the opportunity to go to the beach as a child. The closest body of water had been the creek near her family's house which had emptied into a fairly small pond. The first time she encountered an ocean was on Virmire and she had hardly been in a position to enjoy a day at the beach. Therefore when it came time to select a destination for her get-away with Liara, Shepard felt drawn to the novelty of a beach retreat. It would be something new for her, and she knew that Thessia had a lot of oceans, thus the location might make Liara feel more at home. Briefly she had considered going to Thessia, but they would definitely be recognized there and they had agreed on somewhere small and isolated. The planet Shepard eventually picked was about the size of Mercury and had been relatively unaffected by the Reaper War. One of the few untouched worlds.

She lounged out on the porch of the beach house they had rented, the sun causing beads of sweat to roll down the sides of her face that were then dried by a cooling breeze from the sea. To a certain degree she felt as if she had stepped out of an old, Earth magazine with her red bikini and dark shades, resting in a beach chair with a book in her lap. It felt like an eternity since she had been able to sit down with one of her books of poetry and navigate the mysteries contained within. The low roar of the waves created a rhythmic pulse that match the cadence of the poetry, and the warmth of the sun was like an embrace from the earth. Even the smell of the sourness of the salt mixed with the ocean drenched sand was oddly comforting.

Reaching for the pen tucked behind one ear, Shepard made an annotation in her book, noting the abrupt shift in the rhyme scheme towards the middle of the poem. She tapped the end of the pen against her lips as she wondered why the poet might have made that decision. Suddenly she felt the tips of fingers sliding down her face to rest against her chin and tilt her face up towards the sun. Almost immediately she felt lips pressed lightly against hers and then she found herself staring up at Liara's smile as the asari stood behind the chair.

Grinning back, Shepard asked, "How was your nap?"

Liara laughed softly. "I cannot believe you let me just fall asleep in that hammock. I wasted our whole afternoon."

"It's our vacation, Liara. We don't have anything we have to do. I thought you could use the rest after what we've been through. Besides, I certainly didn't waste my day." Shutting her poetry book she waved it in the asari's face.

Snatching the book away playfully, Liara sidled around the chair and plopped down on Shepard's lap. She wore a black bikini, no sunglasses, and a loose, white cover-up around her waist. "Well, it is nearly dinner time. What would you like to do?"

Thinking of the bracelet hidden away in her luggage, Shepard said, "Why don't we go out to eat? Somewhere nice. I saw a small restaurant when we went into town that looked really nice."

Reaching out to move a stray lock of hair from around Shepard's face and tuck it behind her ear, Liara answered, "That sounds good. Let me shower and get dressed, and we can go."

Stealing another kiss before darting away, Liara disappeared into the house as Shepard took her time folding up the chair and resting it against the wall. She smiled as she thought about the other reason she hadn't bothered to wake Liara from her nap. She had had plenty of time to tie the blue engagement ribbon above the front door without the asari being any the wiser. Her plan was to go out to dinner with Liara and while walking back they would see the ribbon above the door. Before Liara could even piece the puzzle together, Shepard would produce the proposal bracelet, slip it onto Liara right wrist, and ask her to marry her. Simple, direct, and little room for error.

Keeping the weaving of the bracelet from Liara had been a test of subterfuge in and of itself. She had to ask Tali and Ashley to practically kidnap the asari for a couple of hours while she and Garrus studied diagrams and tried to figure out how to braid the bracelet correctly. Garrus had joked that following the diagrams was a lot like carefully calibrating a weapons system, but his talons had been less than adept at working with the narrow threads. But eventually the pair had succeeded, and Liara didn't seem at all suspicious from her girl's day out. In fact, when Shepard had asked the three women what they had done that day, they all just gave her sly grins and refused to tell her. She suspected that they had gone out to a club or something like that.

As Shepard saw it, the last obstacle that remained in her path was making sure that Liara left the house at the same time she did so that she could keep her from turning back around and spotting the blue ribbon prematurely. When she entered the house, she could hear the shower running and quickly went to the bedroom to change. Being an obsessive planner, Shepard had picked out her outfit well in advance: a sleeveless, black dress that hugged in the right places, yet had a look of effortless draping. It had the benefit of looking casual enough not to pique Liara's suspicions, but would still be appropriate for such a momentous occasion. And although it probably shouldn't have factored into the decision so heavily, Shepard thought she looked pretty sexy in the dress and if she was going to ask Liara to marry her, she figured appealing to Liara's eyes couldn't hurt.

Grabbing a simple handbag, Shepard carefully hid the proposal bracelet inside and used the remainder of her time fixing her makeup and slipping on her shoes. When Liara came out of the bathroom she had already changed into a flowing, light green dress with a swooping neckline that showed off the blue sapphire necklace at her throat: a gift from Shepard. She looked beautiful, like always, but the sight of her put butterflies in the commander's stomach. Her anxiety was small for the moment, but she knew it would grow as she came closer to actually proposing. She hoped that Liara wouldn't pick up on how nervous she felt.

As they left the house, Shepard made sure to loop her arm through Liara's and steer her away from the door. She silently prayed that Liara wouldn't suddenly remember that she had forgotten something and insist on going back inside. Luckily, the asari seemed content to be led down the stone walkway in front of the house and towards the small town. The town was so modest that they simply walked to the restaurant.

While the meal was nice, Shepard found herself distracted throughout dinner. She let Liara do most of the talking - she seemed more talkative than usual in fact - and struggled to keep her mind off her nerves. As the minutes ticked by, however, she felt more and more anxious. She was sure, or at least as sure as she could be, that Liara would say yes. They had talked about marriage before and the only real obstacle had been the Reaper War. It was everything else that terrified the commander.

Children? They had joked about it before, but never discussed it seriously. She was positive that Liara would be a fantastic mother, but would she be a good parent? Would their child grow up confused with one parent being a human? Would her life be harder because of who Shepard was? Would she feel pressure to fill Shepard's shoes? And what about when Shepard died? Would the child feel hurt that she wouldn't be there for the majority of her life? And what if Liara didn't want children at all? She was so young by asari standards, hardly at the matron stage. If Shepard wouldn't be around for the majority of the child's life, would Liara even want to be burdened with a kid?

There were other issues of the future to address as well. What Shepard's role in a post-Reaper galaxy would be, how they could keep their lives as private as possible, and other similar problems. They were at an odd transition in their lives, and who could say how many things would change? And yet, despite all that, Shepard knew that she wanted to make the transition with Liara by her side.

Walking back from the restaurant, fingers interlaced with Liara's, Shepard felt her heart racing at the speed of mass effect drive. Liara was still being unusually talkative, for which Shepard was grateful because it covered for her nervous silence. She practically counted down the number of steps to the house and, more importantly, the front door where the blue marriage ribbon had been hung. Slipping her free hand into her handbag, she fingered the proposal bracelet, bracing herself for the moment when she would present it to Liara and change their lives forever.

They were only thirty feet from the house when something Liara said caught her attention and she asked, "Huh? Sorry, what did you ask? I got distracted for a minute."

The sun had begun to set and the front door was obscured by shadows, making it impossible to see the blue ribbon hanging above it. The asari tugged at her hand, steering her suddenly down a path that led along the side of the house and towards the beach. "I said that we should take a walk on the beach," Liara said, flashing an encouraging smile. "I read that walking on the beach at sunset is a traditionally romantic activity for humans."

As Liara led her towards the water, Shepard glanced back worriedly at the front door. She hadn't anticipated this setback and she didn't know how to say no without making Liara suspicious. So she had no choice but to follow Liara and simultaneously rack her brain for a solution to this unexpected dilemma. When they reached the sand, Liara kicked off her heels and skipped out towards the water's edge, forcing Shepard to abandon her shoes as well and follow after her lover. Stopping short of the tide, Liara stared out at the purple and red horizon. The clouds looked like insurmountable mountains in the distance, impossibly high and bathed in a coat of purple haze. Joining Liara, Shepard wrapped her arms around the asari's waist and let her lover lean against her as they watched the waves in silence.

Yet, while Liara was entranced by the beauty of the scene, Shepard was frantically searching for a way to redirect her back to the front of the house. She wanted to be careful not to arouse Liara's suspicion, but from the beach the most natural way to enter the house would be to use the back door. Perhaps she could claim that she had dropped something back on the road and ask Liara to help her search. Once they were back there, she would pretend to find it and then lead Liara to the front door. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was the best she could think of under pressure. With luck, Liara would remain oblivious to her anxiety.

She was just about to clear her throat and put her plan into action when Liara twisted in her arms to face her. The asari cupped the human's face in her blue hands and stared intently into Shepard's violet eyes. Stunned, Shepard didn't know what to say - Liara had never done that before and the intensity of her gaze froze any words that might have escaped the commander's lips.

Suddenly she said, "You know I love you, don't you, Shepard?"

Pursing her lips in confusion, Shepard said slowly, "Of course I do, Liara. And you mean everything to me... but what is this about?"

But Liara just smiled and reached over to where her handbag was slung over her shoulder, taking out something small and black. Before Shepard could ask what she was doing, Liara dropped down to one knee, staring up at Shepard with a loving smile. "Sophia Shepard," she said, holding up the object, and flipping open the lid of a small, black ring box, "will you marry me?"

Shepard didn't even realize that she was gaping at the asari like an idiot, but she was aware that her heart had gone into overdrive from a mixture of anxiety, surprise, and confusion. Her eyes continuously flicked from Liara's deep, blue eyes to the diamond ring being offered to her and back. Her mind, so fixated on her own plans, had been completely derailed and now she found herself struggling to make sense of the moment. Part of her recognized the scene before her - a person down on one knee, offering a ring as a promise of their love. Part of her recognized the words - the big question with only two possible answers that would determine their future. And part of her recognized how oblivious she had been about Liara's behavior leading up to this moment - Ashley and Tali's conspiratorial grins after their day out with Liara and refusing to tell her what they had done, Liara's tendency to ramble and talk whenever she was nervous. Logically it all made sense to Shepard, but her mind still felt stuck on the thought that she was going to propose to Liara.

Unable to think of anything else, Shepard couldn't help but laugh softly and raise a nervous hand to her forehead, shaking her head. "I - I can't believe you beat me to it," she said at last.

Without rising, Liara tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked, the faintest hint of doubt in her voice, perhaps due to Shepard's strange response.

Gesturing weakly towards the house, Shepard answered, "I was going to try to get you to go back to the front door. I hung a blue marriage ribbon there. I was going to propose to you."

Liara's stare suddenly became blank and she looked as shocked as Shepard felt. After a moment she said, "You... you were going to propose in the asari way?"

"I even made you an engagement bracelet," Shepard informed her, reaching into her handbag and pulling out the bracelet to show her.

Liara shifted as if to rise and examine the bracelet, but she quickly froze and remained knelt. As a grin crept across her lips she said, "If I understand human tradition correctly, I am not supposed to stand until you give me an answer, Shepard."

Laughing mirthfully, Shepard exclaimed, "Yes, Liara! Of course my answer is yes!"

Rising, Liara took Shepard's left hand and slipped the ring onto her third finger. Both laughed as Shepard tied the bracelet around Liara's right wrist.

Still laughing, Shepard swept Liara up in an embrace, lifting the asari's feet from the ground and spinning her around. "I still can't believe you beat me to it!" she exclaimed as she set Liara back down.

Draping her arms around Shepard's neck and running her fingers through her dark hair, Liara said, "Given your cautious nature, I thought I would have to wait forever for you to propose. If I had known better, I would have left it to you because ring shopping was a nightmare," she added in good humor. "Thank the Goddess I had Ashley and Tali to help me."

Scoffing, Shepard replied, "Yeah, well, making that bracelet wasn't exactly a picnic either, Dr. T'soni. And I didn't even get the chance to propose!"

Leaning in so that their lips nearly brushed, Liara murmured, "Just so you know, my answer would have been yes, Commander."

Smiling as their lips met, Shepard drew Liara deeper into the embrace, wishing she could hold every inch of Liara against her in that moment. Nothing had ever felt more real to her than right then. It felt as if everything she had fought for - the lives, the freedom, the future - were embodied in Liara. Liara was all she had ever wanted, all she had ever wanted to fight for.

And finally she had won.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Greetings, friends! Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I decided to put this author's note at the end because I have a few things I need to say (about updates on this story and the story in general), and I want to give anyone who doesn't give a crap what I have to say a chance to bail out now... Are they gone, yet? Good. Time for the author's note!

Let me start by saying sweet-jesus-holy-freaking-god-have-mercy (Yes, I'm from the south. Why do you ask?) this took a long time to write! I've been super busy lately and just finding the time to sit down and write out this story was a struggle and then it ended up being rather lengthy. But I really wanted to post this first chapter before I left for Japan, so I went into crunch mode to complete it on time. People who have followed me for a while may know that I normally don't post a story until I have a buffer of chapters already written, but this will have to be a little different. I don't have the time to create a buffer and since I will be in a foreign country soon, updates may be few-and-far in-between. I hope you will be patient with me and forgive my tardiness. I have recently realized that I have many more watchers (is that even the right term?) than I knew (I finally looked through the email notifications sent to the email account I rarely use) since there are many who do not review. I am extremely flattered by this realization, and I also want to reward all of your interest in my stories. I will do the best I can to update this story in a reasonable timeframe.

Now, let's talk about what I plan for this story to be. I decided to take on the ambitious project of trying to predict post-ME3. I am fully aware that this is dangerous territory to walk into. Everyone has their own ideas of what will happen in ME3 and after, and I certainly don't want to step on anyone's toes there. So first off, I reserve the right to trash this or revise once ME3 comes out because I have no clue if any of my assumptions will be right. Second, I promise to make as logically sound predictions as I possibly can. I will have to make a few leaps of faith here and there, but I will try to ground as much of this in fact and logical predictions as possible. Third, if you disagree with my predictions, think I have poorly explained my reasoning behind something, or just want to tell me off for some reason, I give you the right to do so. I will be more than happy to discuss post-ME3 predictions and will weigh all criticism received. Or if you want to know why I think something in particular will happen (like Anderson dying) feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer your questions. As always, I maintain an open policy and welcome any feedback or questions.

On the subject of this story: I've read a couple of interpretations of post-ME3 and they all seem to have a common factor of Shepard being the one to propose to Liara. I wanted to do something different, and the more I thought about having Liara propose, the more I liked it. It feels appropriate for this pairing. The only downside was that because of the way I handled this I had to come up with an idea of what asari marriage traditions would be like. I have never looked up engagement stuff on the internet before. It was somewhat mortifying because I am not the type of girl who sits around planning her wedding. I promptly deleted my history. So let's just keep that a secret, hm? As for placing Miranda on the council, aiming for an all-inclusive council, etc. all of those decisions were based off this Shepard's outlook and what seemed logically sound.

I don't mean to bore you with my rambling, so I'll wrap this up. Like I mentioned above, I will be leaving for Japan very soon. I should have internet without any problems, but obviously I'll be adjusting to a foreign culture and working hard just to understand the language let alone taking classes. Until I can update again, I wish you all the very best.

~N.Q. Wilder