Tali'Zorah was working at her console in engineering, humming a tune of her mother's favorite folk song, when the Normandy's public announcement system beeped.

"Attention all crew members," Joker said, "we have just been cleared to land. So wherever you are, get your buts up to deck two. You'll definitely want to see the view out here."

She smiled. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath through her nose, and a blissful calm coursed through her limbs. Oh, praise the ancestors. Yes, during the five-day transit to the Sol system, the repairs had held. No vital system had suffered a catastrophic failure.

And now, they could finally say goodbye to that fre'eg ball of a planet.

Yes, mere hours from now, she would finally see her lifemate again. Soon, she would run into his arms, then relish his masculine scent and warm body heat. Soon, she would stare into his beautiful, blue eyes and savor the sound of his deep, soothing voice.

At last, Felz'elt would unlatch its claws from her mind and set her free.

Closing her console, she turned and headed towards the elevator, along with Ken, Gabby, and Adams.

The elevator door closed and Ken smiled. "You excited, Tali?"

She laughed. "Of course, I am, you bosh'tet."

"Bet the Commander's just as eager to see you, girl," Gabby said.

Adams nodded. "Not much longer now. Soon, this will all feel like just a bad dream."

Eventually, the elevator arrived on deck two. There, the rest of the crew were gathered near the cockpit, near the door to the airlock. She joined them, then stopped in her tracks when she saw the view through the fore view-screen. It was depicting the aftermath of the final battle for Earth in all its terrible scale.

Once, the human homeworld had been a blue-green jewel of a planet, covered in thick, white clouds. But now, it was a grey-black husk of its former self, surrounded by a sprawling debris field of dead Reapers and the fragments of countless ruined warships. Keelah, throughout the war, the Reapers had raped and ravaged Earth so thoroughly that now it seemed barely habitable, hardly better than Tuchanka.

She sighed and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for all humans. Easily, they were her favorite aliens, the only ones with no prejudice against her people. They didn't deserve to practically lose the planet from which they evolved, from where they forged their first civilizations before expanding out into the stars.

Hopefully, they would recover from this.

She began to pace around. When they landed, would John be waiting for her once she stepped out of the airlock? Keelah, was he okay? After surviving that explosion, he must have sustained many injuries, and oh, ancestors, if only she could have been there for him during his recovery. The whole time, she would have never left his side. Every day, she would have given him the love and support he needed.

"Tali," Garrus said firmly, "I know how badly you want to see him. But spirits, please…settle down."

She stopped in her tracks. "Settle down?" she whirled around to face him. "How can I settle down at a time like this? He's alive, Garrus. He's alive and he needs me."

"We know, Tali," Liara said. "We know."

Soon, the Normandy Earth's atmosphere. In just over an hour, it would land in the London spaceport.

Then finally, the hard times would be over.

----------------------------------------

John froze. His mouth fell open. His eye went wide, and for a moment he ceased to notice any of his surroundings.

The Normandy was here? Had his crew actually received his message and survived long enough to return to the Sol system?

Kasumi was snapping her fingers near his face. "Shep? Shep, did you hear me?"

He shook his head, snapping out of his reverie. "I'm sorry. Let me just make sure I heard you correctly." Closing his eye, he took a deep breath. "Did you just say that the Normandy is here? That it's just been cleared for landing?"

Kasumi grabbed both his shoulders. "Yes! As hard as this is to believe, the Normandy is here. Your crew is alive…and Tali – your saera – is waiting for you."

Briefly, he looked at the ground and his eye watered. He let out a weak laugh, and a euphoric sensation rushed through his limbs and insides.

This wasn't a dream.

Karma hadn't taken away his crew as punishment for his crimes. Instead, they had beaten the odds. They had survived and did just fine without him.

But was Tali among the survivors?

Over the past three months, she must have believed he was dead. So in her grief, had she already killed herself? Would Garrus or Liara have to give him the bad news and shatter his life forever?

The thought froze the blood in his veins.

His pulse surged. He gulped and broke into a cold sweat. "Kasumi," he said, giving her strong eye contact, "are you absolutely sure that she's alive? Have you seen her? Talked to her?"

She let go of him. From the look in her eyes, he could tell she hadn't thought of this. "Oh, uhm…no. I haven't seen or talked to her." She met his gaze. "But she's a very, very tough girl. I'm sure she's alive. She has to be. And besides, there's only one way to find out."

He nodded. Damn right. He opened a window on his omni-tool and sent a message to his personal shuttle pilot, saying he needed a ride to the London spaceport. He took a deep breath. "Alright. I just called a shuttle to take us to the spaceport. Come, there's no time to waste."

Kasumi laughed. "That's the spirit, Shep."

He gestured for Grunt and Ghor to follow him, and the two Krogan complied.

"Battlemaster?" Grunt asked.

"Yes?"

"The Normandy," Grunt said, "it's here? The rest of your Krantt, they've survived?"

"Yes," he said, "and now we're going to the spaceport to meet them."

Ghor let out a booming laugh. "Did you truly believe that anything less than the Reapers – the destroyers of countless civilizations – could have laid his Krantt low? Of course not!"

Grunt chuckled, his voice low and rumbling. "No. Nothing could bring them low."

Soon, they arrived at landing pad one. A few minutes later, a shuttle descended from the sky and landed right before them, kicking up a cloud of dust. Its side door opened.

Then he stepped within and took a seat, along with Kasumi and his two Krogan bodyguards. When the side door closed, the shuttle rose into the air, then flew off towards the London spaceport about twenty-five kilometers away.

Meanwhile, he looked out the viewport, at the landscape below. Once, it would have been abound with towering skyscrapers, lighting up the night with artificial lights. But now, it was only a wasteland of crumbling, burned-out buildings, a vista of snow and ash teeming with great craters and gouges in the earth. Amidst the endless night, the artificial lights of the civilian camps were like only distant embers.

He sighed. No wonder they're moving the capital. Like Tuchanka, Earth was now barely habitable, a useless rock engulfed in a global ice age.

But which planet would be the new center of human civilization?

Eden Prime? Bekenstein? Elysium?

He had no idea.

Eventually, the shuttle arrived at the spaceport. Unlike the civilian camps, it was bristling with lights lighting up the night, and was bustling with activity. For as far as he could see out the viewport, countless shuttles, trucks, and cars were moving to and fro, transporting cargo and personnel from one location to the other.

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Finally, the shuttle landed on the nearest landing pad. The side door opened, and he stepped outside, along with Kasumi, Grunt, and Ghor.

"Ok," he said, "where are they landing Kasumi?"

"Follow me," she said.

After passing through the first security checkpoint, he followed Kasumi into the spaceport. Within, crowds of civilians and personnel kept staring at him wherever he passed by, either saluting, nodding, or whispering amongst themselves. Many were even screaming his name, trying to get his attention. But thankfully, Ghor and Grunt kept anyone from approaching too close for comfort.

Eventually, he reached another security checkpoint, where Alliance and Hierarchy soldiers were cordoning off access to terminal A-43. As he approached, they saluted and let him through without a word.

Just ahead was a throng of people. Within it, he spotted Jack, Miranda, Jacob, Wrex, Shala'Raan, and numerous soldiers and officers of all the compact's member's races.

Miranda's eyes widened when she saw him. "Shepard!"

She approached him. Instead of her combat armor, she was wearing an Alliance uniform, and so was Jacob. Finally, they can put Cerberus behind them. "I suppose you've heard the news."

"You bet I did," he said. "So when are they landing?"

Miranda checked her omni-tool. "In about five to seven minutes."

His heart pounded and adrenaline rushed through his veins. His limbs felt light and bursting with energy. Might as well be a whole hour! "Then all we can do now is wait."

He made his way to the front of the crowd, so his crew – and hopefully Tali – would be the first person they saw upon exiting the Normandy. Leaning onto his cane with both hands, he began tapping his right foot. Every minute felt like an hour, and soon his heart was thrashing in his chest. Soon, his breaths became quick and labored, and his forehead grew damp with cold sweat.

Closing his eye, he took a deep breath, then counted to ten.

Yes, in the next few minutes, either his life would fall apart, or it would ascend to heights he never could have imagined. Whatever the case, however, he was ready.

He would face the coming moment head-on.

----------------------------------------

Tali'Zorah entered the Normandy's airlock, along with the rest of the crew. Ancestors, every second felt maddeningly long. Ceaselessly, her heart hammered inside her chest, and she couldn't stop wringing her hands.

Keelah, could this stupid machine go any slower?

The decontamination cycle began. "Equalizing pressure with exterior atmosphere…"

She took a deep breath. Yes, now was the perfect time to say this. "Garrus, Liara, Ashley, Ken, Gabby, Adams."

"Yes?" Liara said.

"Before we go out there," she said, "I want to thank all of you for refusing to give up on me. If not for your intervention, I would not be standing here. Felz'elt would have consumed me, and John, he…"

"It was our pleasure," Garrus said.

Ashley chuckled. "Damn right, it was."

"Yes," Liara said, "your perseverance has finally paid off, Tali."

"And now it's time for your reward," Gabby said.

Finally, the decontamination cycle ended. Sweating, she closed her eyes and held her breath when the airlock door opened with a hiss of air and a metallic whine.

Now or never.

She opened her eyes…

And right across from her stood her saera.

Their eyes met and her breath hitched. For a moment, she ceased to notice anything but him. And they stared at each other for what felt like hours, like days, like years.

It's him! It's really him!

Smiling, she burst into tears and covered her vocalizer with both hands, hardly able to breathe. Keelah, this was actually happening. This was real. Finally, her suffering was over.

Sobbing, she took her first few steps, and so did John. Tears were running down her cheeks, and her hands trembled, as she reached for the clasps around her mask. Yes, by quarian standards, her immune system was now abnormally strong and should be more than capable of handling this.

She wrenched off her mask and dropped it on the ground.

At the same time, John dropped his cane.

And then she broke into a sprint and barreled right into his embrace. Without hesitation, she grabbed his head, then mashed her lips against his in a deep, passionate kiss.

She melted in his arms, and his scent and body heat drove her wild, sending a wave of euphoria racing through her insides. She hummed with bliss and wanted this moment to last forever. But eventually, they grew breathless and their lips parted.

Still grabbing his head, she rested her forehead against his, and her chest heaved with joyful sobs.

"You…You came back to me," she managed to say, her voice choked with emotion.

He smiled and held her tighter. "I swore I'd give you more time, didn't I? Well…here I am." Again, their lips met in another kiss. She leaned into it, and a warm, fuzzy sensation blossomed in her chest.

Their lips parted, and her cheeks became damp with tears.

"Now," John said, "we'll have each other forever."

She burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughing and crying, and clung to him as though he might vanish if she let go. Eagerly, he returned the gesture, holding her tightly as she sobbed in his arms. The whole time, she drank in and savored every second of this moment, searing it into her memory.

Oh, praise the ancestors. Praise the ancestors!

All her suffering had been worth it.

Now, nothing would ever drive them apart again.

Just then, she heard somebody clear their throat as if irritated. Reluctantly, she pulled away from John and turned, only to face her Auntie Raan, who was holding out her mask.

"Oh!" Quickly, she grabbed her mask, then put it back on. "Auntie Raan!"

She embraced her auntie in a warm, tight hug, then let go.

"It's so good to see you again, Tali," Raan said. "For a while, I thought I lost you. But for the love of the ancestors, why did you take off your mask? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm sorry, auntie, it's just…"

Raan crossed her arms and tilted her head. "It's just what? Hhhm? Tell me, were you so excited to see him again that you risked illness just to kiss him?" She took a deep breath. "Keelah, so I suppose the rumors are true then, that you've bonded to a human?"

John grabbed one of her hands and gave it a light squeeze. Briefly, she met his gaze and he nodded. She sighed and looked back at Raan. No hiding it now. Yes, she was done caring about the opinions of others. "Yes, auntie. The rumors are true. John is my saera."

Raan recoiled a little when she said that. "So you've linked suits? You've completed the week of seclusion?"

"So tell me, Miss Vas Normandy…will you be my saera?"

Yes, during that two-week shore leave, she and John had done nothing but make love, watch vids, and talk for hours in that sterilized hotel room. Her immune system had adapted to him seamlessly, and she felt like the luckiest quarian in the galaxy.

"Yes," she said. John wrapped one arm around her waist, and she nuzzled into him, smiling. "We've done all of those things. Humans are very compatible with us, and we can adapt to them safely."

Raan took a deep breath. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." She looked at John. "Admiral Shepard?"

"Promise me you'll retire, saera."

Admiral? Her pulse climbed. No. What was the meaning of this? Had the Alliance–

John held her tighter. "Retired Admiral."

She exhaled. Keelah, what a relief. For a moment, she had believed he had broken his promise.

"Yes," Raan said, "I should have clarified that. Anyways, when you are available, I must speak with you in private. We have much to discuss."

"Of course, Shala," John said, and then Raan walked away.

At the same time, she spotted Kasumi emerge from the crowd, approaching her. "Kasumi!"

Kasumi ran toward her. "Tali!"

Laughing, she embraced Kasumi in a sisterly hug. "It's so good to see you again."

She let go. Kasumi's cheeks looked wet with tears. "Wait, have you been crying?"

Kasumi sniffled. "I'm just so happy for you." She laughed. "Oh, the way you ran into his arms, the way you two just stood there, holding each other, it…it was beautiful, so beautiful."

Abruptly, John put one hand on her shoulder. "Garrus is just dying to talk me, so for now I'll let you two catch up."

She faced him. "Oh…uhm…of course, John."

Once more, she faced Kasumi. "Even now, it feels almost surreal that he's alive. This…" She let out a joyful sob. "This is the best day of my life."

"After everything you and Shep have been through," Kasumi said, "you two deserve nothing less."

"How is he?" she asked. Over the past three months, what has he been doing? "Is he well? He has an eye-patch and a cane now."

Briefly, Kasumi looked away, breaking eye-contact. "I won't lie to you, sister. The Crucible blast banged him up really badly. Physically, he will never be his old self. And mentally, he's suffered a fresh set of scars."

She gasped and covered her vocalizer with both hands. During their long, terrible separation, had he been suffering in silence, with nobody to listen to his troubles? "Oh…"

"Yep," Kasumi said. "For the past two months, something has been eating at him. Every day, he's been burying so much pain, so much guilt and shame. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it has something to do with EDI and the Geth. More than once, I've caught him talking about them in his sleep."

"EDI and the Geth?"

Kasumi's eye's widened. "You don't know? The Geth, they…they're gone, Tali. The Crucible blast destroyed every last one of them."

Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. The Geth were no more? Was the peace John had brokered between them and her people all for nothing? She looked at the ground. Without them, rebuilding efforts would be set back by decades. Now, she might never enjoy a completely suitless life on Rannoch.

"Keelah…"

Kasumi sighed. "Without you, he's been slipping into his old, grumpy self every day." Kasumi grabbed both her shoulders and gave her strong eye contact. "Now, he needs you more than ever."

She nodded. Yes, soon, she would need to ask John about what happened on the Crucible. Clearly, he had done something that caused him great pain and suffering. But no matter what it was, one thing was certain.

She would never give up on him.

One way or another, she would salve the wounds in his soul and shower him with the love and devotion he needed.

"Oh, of course," she said.

Kasumi smiled, then let go of her. "Good. Now, I bet you're just dying for some alone time with him. So better we talk later." Kasumi hugged her. "Good luck, sister."

She smiled."Thank you," she said, and Kasumi let go and nodded before disappearing back into the crowd.

She turned and spotted John talking to Garrus, Liara, and Ashley. Were they telling him about their miserable time on that alien planet, about how she had sunk into deepest depths of despair, feeling so lost and alone that every day she yearned for death?

Eventually, he turned. Their eyes met and he smiled. She smiled back, and they approached each other.

Once more, he wrapped one arm around her waist and looked deeply into her eyes. "We're going to continue our little reunion on the Normandy, where nobody can disturb us. Care to join me?"

She giggled. "Of course, you bosh'tet."

Arm in arm, they made their way back into the Normandy. On the way, she yearned for a moment alone with him, for an opportunity to make up for so much lost time. But for now, that could wait. For now, she was content to be in his arms, rejoicing that the long night was finally over, that the first rays of hope had finally broken through the dark clouds of her mind.

Yes, from here on, things would only get easier.

Soon, she would have the life she had always wanted, the life she had always dreamed of since her days on the SR-1.

And within a few years, the Reaper War would be only a distant memory.