Shepard stood awkwardly in the dress she had been convinced to wear for the day. She examined herself in the mirror with uncertainty. Aethyta swept in, beautiful and glowing in a slip of a gown of dark blue silk.
"I feel stupid," Shepard growled, "I'm too old, scarred and…just well… old to be wearing this." She tugged at the neckline to cover the scarring that scored her right shoulder and chest. She had allowed Aethyta to talk her into a sleeveless dress, her arms were still in damn good shape, even if they hadn't snapped the neck of a Cerberus operative lately. The rest of it skimmed her body in shimmering folds, forgiving and beautiful in its cut.
Aethyta came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, "You earned every one of those scars and you have nothing to be ashamed of. You never had the chance for a first wedding." She leaned her chin on the scarred shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Mum. And you look smokin' hot in that. Garrus will lose his mind."
Shepard sighed and looked down at the deceptively simple dress with no more decoration than a necklace of some intense green stone and coiled silver that Garrus had given her.
Aethyta kissed her on the temple, "Now stop worrying. It will all go smoothly. And when anyone asks you a question, just say 'I do'."

Garrus fidgeted with the fastenings on his dark tunic. It felt like it was stopping him from going everywhere at once. Rex chuckled, "Dad, seriously, chill."
"Don't you tell me to 'chill', young man," he growled, his subharmonics registering his nervousness, "I will have you know I am perfectly relaxed in stressful situations. Normally."
Halen sighed, "Dad, Eliza is nuts about you. Like, head over heels, completely nuts. She waited twenty damn years for you before she decided to put on a stupidly expensive dress and stand up in front of a heap of people that she doesn't know, that she will put up with you for the rest of your lives." He stood before his father in a matching suit.
"You really, really don't have a problem, Halen?" Garrus was uncertain, still.
Halen was silent for a while, "I won't lie, Dad. I mean. She's human. As a rule human and turian don't exactly become the best of friends, let alone get married. She's Alliance. Our people fought each other to a standstill." He moved to the window and stared out, "I dunno. When I was a kid I thought that maybe you and Mum might make it work. But I get it. Mum's great. She is. But you and she don't have what you and Eliza have. Never did. I can see that. It's cool." He turned to look at his father, "Really. And Rex is right - Admiral Freaking Eliza Shepard is going to be family now. That's pretty damn awesome."
Garrus chuckled, some of the nerves dissipating.
The door opened and Captain James Vega strolled within, "So, Scars, you just about ready to do the deed?"
"Yeah. Were you this damn nervous when you and Ashley tied the knot?"
"Nah," Vega grinned, "I was cool as a cucumber, hermano."
"As a…what?"
"Never mind. Point is," Vega moved forward, casually draping an arm over Garrus' shoulder, "I was worse. Seriously, hermano, I thought I was going to pass out on the floor when she walked in that door."
"Well let's get this show on the road," Vega clapped Garrus squarely on the back.

Shepard gathered her skirts and walked slowly beside her daughter to the central raised platform. She could see Garrus making his way surrounded by his sons on the other side. He had eyes only for her and she gave him a little wave and a rueful smile.
The massive hall was surrounded by representatives of every species. When word had got out that Shepard and Vakarian were tying the knot, there became not an ounce of standing room left. She was a shimmering column of silver, he in silver trimmed charcoal. They were no longer young, but when they met at the podium, the years melted away as they joined hands.
"Hey," she murmured, "Do you feel as silly as I do?"
"I feel like an oddity on display," he rumbled in soft reply, "But you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

Their vows were simple, heartfelt, a combination of human and turian sentiment along with a little of their own special brand of devotion to one another. And when they were declared a wedded couple before all assembled their celebratory embrace and kiss was to deafening applause that stung the hands and lifted the most jaded of hearts.
Garrus leaned his brow upon hers for a moment, before they had to turn to acknowledge the crowd.
"No Shepard without Vakarian," she murmured with a smile.
"And no Vakarian without Shepard."
They turned then, hand in hand to wave, and cheers rocked the foundation of the building. Shepard blew a kiss to her daughter, whose tears streamed down her cheeks as she applauded, and Garrus flipped a casual salute to his sons who returned the gesture with pride.