Greetings!

I'm sorry that it took me so long to put up the next chapter but I've been really busy recently and sadly, all that action bit into my writing time.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the final chapter of the honeymoon arc and continues to read.

Thanks as always!

EndlessExplorer

The days past by, each one bringing new memories for William and Miranda to have together. It was very close to the end of their three-week honeymoon, so William and Miranda decided to spend it at the beach. It surprised Miranda just how much everyone could fit into William's car, but they managed to bring everything. They were traveling to Deauville, and the weather was perfect.

William was playing the Galaxy news over the radio, and Miranda was working on something on her Omni-tool.

"As the restoration effort continues, the galaxy will soon be looking to Admiral William Shepard-Lawson, to re-establish order in the galaxy. A spokesman for the systems alliance has said. 'The Admiral, is currently away traveling with his newly wed wife, Miranda and is due to return next week." The radio buzzed.

"I don't know why I'm suddenly in the middle of everything now.. Barely believed me about Sovereign, Called me crazy when the Collectors were abducting people, even labeled me a terrorist over the Bahak Massacre. Begged me to fix everything when they were forced to endure the apocalypse firsthand.. And I still have shit to sort out." William said, to no one in particular.

"Sure, I was pushed out into the spotlight when the reapers attacked Palaven. The Turian high council thought that since I travelled with you.. I could just wipe them all out with a wave of my talons... Actually that reminds me, Primarch Victus, wants to talk to you. He messaged me this morning, asking for you. He said that there was no rush, just needed to discuss politics." Garrus said, staring out the window.

"Alright.. I can try and meet Monday, but I could be busy... Any idea how much farther we are from the beach?" William asked.

"Just keep going and I'll tell you when we get closer. We can't be that much farther. You can be so inpatient sometimes.." Miranda sighed.

"And you love me for it.." William replied, smugly.

"No, I love you because you're you, not for just one of your infuriating traits..." Miranda replied, just as smugly.

They shared a quick kiss before William went back to driving and Miranda went back to her work. It always amused Tali,how it would seem that they were having an argument and then, all of a sudden William and Miranda would get all lovey-dovey. Time passed and finally they arrived at the beach. William pulled off his t-shirt and threw it into the back. While Tali and Garrus grabbed their stuff, Miranda stared at William. Despite the fact that the man had spent so much time down on a table, he was still in perfect condition, if not for a few additional scars. Miranda was pulled from her daydream when Tali tapped her on the shoulder. Tali giggled when she realized what was distracting Miranda.

"What? There's no shame in staring at your husband!" Miranda said, defending herself.

"I know.. it's just funny when you space out like that." Tali replied, still laughing. Tali and Garrus headed off in the direction of the changing rooms while William was taking the rest of the stuff out. Miranda then grabbed her own bag. Looking at William, he had parasols, bags, and all sorts of other things tucked underneath his arms.

"You can go and change. I'll carry this stuff down and get somewhere nice for us. See you soon.." William said, winking at Miri. Miranda squeezed his arm slightly before walking off to the changing rooms after Tali and Garrus.

Throwing the stuff down onto the sand, William was very happy with his spot. Plenty of sun and shade, the perfect combination. After putting up the loungers and parasols in the shade, he set up the blanket underneath the shade of some trees. Laying down on the blanket, William threw off his flip-flops and stretched out. After a short time, William heard a light cough and opened his eyes to see Garrus standing over him. William wasn't sure what he was wearing but he knew that Garrus wasn't going swimming. Supposedly Turians sink like stones.

Sitting beside William on the blanket, Garrus accepted the beer that William handed him from the cooler.

"Where are the girls?" William asked, drinking from the glass.

"They said that they'd be here soon. It's beautiful here... I'd say it'll be an easy going day." Garrus said, standing his beer in the sand.

"Believe me. I'm gonna get as many of those days as I can before I report back in a few days. I'm gonna miss them.." William sighed.

Lying down, William closed his eyes and relaxed. Listening to the waves crashing against the shore turned out to be very calming. Soon though, William heard a couple of whistles. Initially he ignored them, but when they continued, he cracked an eyelid to see what the cause was. Miranda and Tali were walking towards them, both looking perfect. William stared, slack jawed, at Miranda, wearing a pure white skirted bikini and she had a sun hat on as well. She had a beach ball under her arm. Miranda was rolling her eyes at the onlookers, but when she locked eyes with William, she stared straight at him until she sat on the lounger beside him. It was only when she was close, that William noticed she had a slight blush in her cheeks. When William finally broke from his trance, he noticed that Tali had opted for a set of long hooded, light vestments. William didn't know where she could have changed bio-suits but she had obviously managed somehow.

"Based on what I'm seeing.. I think I might need to get a bit protective.." William said. Miranda laughed.

"Don't worry about me, anyone who tries to hit on me could find themselves out to sea." Miranda said.

"What if I hit on you? What would happen to me?" William asked, smirking.

"Well.. you're the lucky exception then. How about we go swimming? The sea looks lovely." Miranda suggested, holding her hand out.

Smiling, William grabbed her hand and stood up.

"That sounds great! I was thinking as well that we might go and have a walk together. Explore for a bit.." William suggested as they walked to the edge of the water. Miranda took off her hat and left it on the sand, alongside William's flip-flops. William opted to do some stretching before hand, and Miranda copied him, teasingly. After a little while, Miranda pulled off an elegant dive into the water which left William speechless. It was quickly becoming clear to William that there was always a small element of elegance to most, if not everything, that Miranda does. Trudging into the water after her, William began to panic once he noticed that Miranda had yet to surface. Looking around, there still was no sign of her, so William started calling her.

"Miri! Miri! Where are you!" William shouted. As he was distracted with trying to find her, William never noticed the shadow behind him. In a flash, Miranda had almost leapt out of the water and grabbed hold of William, dragging him underneath. After quickly resurfacing, William looked at Miranda in shock. To top it all off, he started coughing whilst Miranda laughed. Once he had recovered, William glared at Miranda with a challenging look, daring her to try again.

"That was devious.. I'll get you for that." William stated. Miranda replied with a glare, trying to entice William to take the first move. Neither of them moved for a short time until Miranda quickly disappeared under the surface. Holding his breath, William dropped as well, opting to sit and listen. It didn't help that there was a lot of ambient noise but he concentrated on what he could hear the loudest. That would probably be Miranda. It soon became a long wait, trying to see who would strike first and William had to resurface for air.

Miranda watched William resurface every few minutes for more air. Every time he rose up, she would get closer and she'd surface when he sank. William would turn every time he sank so Miranda had to keep moving to stay behind him. After many minutes, Miranda was so close, she could see most of the scars on William's back. Just as she was about to grab him, William resurfaced unexpectedly. Miranda sank quickly but William's leg pulled her own from underneath her and she lost her footing. Before Miranda could recover, William had grabbed her by the shoulders and they both resurfaced before William kissed her.

"I told you I get you... I win." William stated. "Now.. I don't know about you but I've had enough of the water for a while. Wanna grab something at the bar?"

"Yeah, but don't think that this is the end. We're even now, but I'll come out on top." Miranda stated. Both her and William shared a laugh. After emerging from the water, William tossed a towel to Miranda. They dried themselves, but Miranda threw her hair over her shoulder so that it could dry in the heat. Packing up the towels, they headed for the bar. There was a small fry house on the beach and they stood in the queue.

"Dammit! I left my wallet back with the guys. I'll bring the towels back and if you get to the front of the queue, just order me a hot dog... be back soon!" William said, running off. Leaning on her hip, Miranda ran through the food options. Nothing seemed to excite her but she was hungry. After finally settling on a hot dog like William, she turned her attention back to the queue. A man was staring at her, jaw hanging open. Like all the others, Miranda simply replied with an eye roll and then turned her attention to almost anything else. As she stared out at the ocean, a figure loomed in her peripheral. Turning, she recognized him as the guy that was at the head of the queue. The stench of alcohol was painfully strong and he just stared at Miranda, hungrily.

He attempted to talk to Miranda but since he could barely form words, let alone sentences, she paid him no mind. There was no way Miranda would leave the queue just because of a creep, despite how rotten he both looked and smelled. Sure, Miranda had seen all sorts of crazy shit over the years. After asking him to politely stick his head in the sand, Miranda looked behind her to see if William was on his way. No sign of him. Then, the drunk did the worst thing imaginable. He tried to shove his tongue in Miranda's mouth while he also tried to grope her. It caught her off guard, she froze.

Out of nowhere, Miranda had a fury burning within her. Grabbing his hand, she broke his fingers. As he clutched his broken hand, Miranda grabbed his head and slammed it off her knee. He hit the sand in an unconscious pile. The people around all stared in horror, and Miranda could see the police walking towards the hut.

"Great…" Miranda sighed.

After grabbing his wallet, William asked Garrus and Tali if they'd like anything. After they refused his offer, William headed for the hut. Looking back, William saw Tali sit in Garrus' lap and they just stared out at the rippling waves. As he got closer to the hut, the crowd's just seemed to get larger and denser, until William finally saw Miranda at the hut, talking to some police officers.

"What the hell?!" William thought as he broke into a sprint. He quickly got close to Miranda when he was suddenly tackled to the ground by an officer. The officer knelled on William, keeping him grounded.

"Get the hell off me! What the hell is going on!" William shouted, trying to get free. The officer that had him pinned to the floor, looked to the officer that was talking to Miranda. He gestured for the officer to allow William to stand. William looked to Miranda and could see a mix of things flashing in her eyes. Mainly Anger and worry.

"Who are you?" The officer asked him in a heavy French accent. The question caught William off a bit because everyone seemed to know who he was, no matter where he went.

"I'm Admiral William Shepard-Lawson. Now may I know why you seem to be interrogating my wife?!" William asked, obviously annoyed.

The officer seemed to tense up. Pulling William and Miranda off into a small hut nearby, he started to talk.

"My apologies Admiral, but your wife has hospitalized someone. We are simply doing our jobs." The officer explained. William turned to Miranda.

"Miri? Is that true? What happened?" He asked.

"I was simply standing in line when this drunken loon came up and attempted to talk to me. I asked him to leave me be, but when he shoved his tongue in my mouth, I was caught off-guard. After he also tried to grope me, I showed him the error of his ways…" Miranda explained. Miranda noticed that a vein seemed to pop out of William's neck as she continued. The fact act infuriated him, Miranda didn't know why but it was comforting.

"That bastard is lucky he was only knocked unconscious. If I was there, I would have done damage as well. It was self-defence. This questioning is stupid and a waste of time." William spat.

"While, yes, I agree, but the fact remains that the victim was hospitalized, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the beach. There'll be no fine, or ban, it's just that if anyone disrupts the peace, they have to go… I'm sorry." The officer explained. William and Miranda stared at him in disbelief.

"This is idiotic! Miranda didn't do anything wrong! If anything, the 'victim' should be arrested for assaulting a stranger on a public beach. You can be damn sure that there'll be no damn fine! Could you please leave for a minute…? Don't worry, we're not going to break out or anything." William said, his anger finally starting to subside. The officer nodded, leaving them alone.

When they were on their own, William ran up and embraced Miranda, holding her close. After a few seconds Miranda started to shake in his arms. She was crying and it broke William's heart.

"I'm sorry Will…, I over-reacted and now we've got to leave..." Miranda whispered. William just held her tighter to him and started to run his hand along her back.

"Believe me Miri, I couldn't care. Don't ever blame yourself, it's not your fault. Any time I spend with you, I'm happy. Even if it's a prison cell. And another thing, that bastard got off easy. I'd have done a lot worse if I was with you. They'd probably still be finding the pieces..." William said. He was delighted when he heard Miranda chuckling. "How about we go up to the town? He only said that we've to leave the beach, not the town, what do you think?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. What do we do about Tali and Garrus? I'd hate to have them sent away as well." Miranda said, breaking the embrace.

"We'll head back and grab our things. We can mention it to them if you want but we could just slip away at the same time. Leave them be and meet with them back at the car later?" William suggested. Miranda shook her head.

"It'd be better to let them know. No shame in it anyway, I just knocked a creep out..." Miranda stated. After they joined hands, William and Miranda walked out of the hut, William nodding to the same officer signalling that they'd leave. He almost looked appreciative of the fact that they seemed to be so compliant. Must be rare enough on the beach.

When Miranda and William got back to their earlier spot, Garrus and Tali had already started packing up. Tali seemed relieved when she saw them both.

"We thought something had happened to you two! We were just about to go look for you.." Tali said. Garrus simply came up alongside William and looked at him, accusingly.

"That is, unless you two were off... alone... not wanting to be disturbed? Could have snuck off somewhere for some 'intimacy'..." Garrus said, emphasising his words. He was now smirking. William gave a hearty laugh while Tali slapped Garrus on the head using her bag. Tali then looked to Miranda, expecting a similar reaction but was shocked when she almost looked to be considering it. This only caused William to double over in laughter, and he was soon joined by Garrus.

After explaining what had happened, Tali and Garrus agreed to leave with them. Like William expected, they were both angry but nowhere near as much as he was. Once everyone had changed, the gear was packed into the car and they went strolling along the coast, soon coming across a small fair on a pier. William walked up to the ticket booth, where there was a large sign.

"Nihme's revived classic carnival… sounds pretty good..." William said. Deciding to split up, both couples went around separately. There were all sorts of stuff available. There were food stands, strongmen contest's and all the different carnival rides you could think of. Garrus won Tali a plush Elcor after he managed to get all nine rings on their targets. She stared at her prize, wondering why anyone would want to cuddle with an Elcor, but she loved her gift anyway. William and Miranda headed for the Tunnel of Love. Neither of them knew why the thing was there, but they decided to try it out. Both of them would have been lying if they said that they hadn't any suggestive thoughts when they sat in the small boat, but since they'd only have a few seconds, they both decided against anything risqué and opted more for an intense make-out session in the dark. Next, William saw a massive rollercoaster and he couldn't understand how he had missed it on the way in. Miranda agreed to going on it and they sat on. It was a set of high peaks and twists, going at tremendous speeds. William and Miranda sat beside one another and held hands as it slowly ascended to the first peak. Once it started zooming downwards, the endorphin and adrenaline rush kicked in and William started shouting and laughing, almost like a little kid. Miranda found it hilarious and started laughing. Once they reached the end, both of them were incredibly dizzy and unstable on their feet. The dizziness caused William to throw up his earlier meal which just caused Miranda to laugh again. William loved making Miranda laugh but then when Miranda brought her hands to her mouth to stifle her laughter from getting any louder, she lost her footing and fell backwards. This then caused William to start laughing and Miranda just continued. When they were able to stand again, William went to get their photo from the rollercoaster. Looking at the photo, William knew that he would have to frame it. Miranda's hair had been blown across her face, almost making her look like cousin it, while William almost had a crazy look in his eyes as he was gripping the bar and laughing maniacally. Miranda went to burn the photo as soon as she had seen it but William stopped her. It was a beautiful memory after all. William was almost thankful that they were kicked off the beach, otherwise they mightn't have been having such a good time.

Some time passed. Miranda was leaning on William as they walked along the pier. The sun was low in the sky, showing just how late it had gotten. Deciding to sit down, William ordered them both coffee. William got thinking about the following week and how he might have to be away from Miri. He really didn't like it.

"We should really see with Hackett if we can get you posted back aboard the Normandy. She misses her XO, and I'll miss you too. I suppose I could really have you posted myself but it would probably look better coming from someone else. The papers would have a field day.." William said, rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah.. I'd like that. The Alliance really had a fun time, refitting her after you handed yourself in. I actually forgot about it all." Miranda said, looking out at the sunset. Not long after, William saw Tali, who hurried over with Garrus in tow. Somehow, the conversation ended up becoming an argument between William and Garrus, over who the better shot was. Anyone passer by wouldn't have thought that the two guys were almost as close as two people could be as the argument started to heat up. Tali and Miranda stayed out of it until Garrus accused Miranda of lying about her ability to shot a pistol at 500 yards with such accuracy. While William was fighting to defend his combat prowess, he knew that accusing Miri of anything was a very bad idea. That fire was burning in her eyes and William loved watching it dance. Sitting up straight, Miranda proposed an idea.

"On the way here, we passed a combat simulator complex. We'll play a three-match gauntlet. The first person out of each round is disqualified from the following round. We play for lethal shots only, and whoever wins the third match will be the best shot in our group. Put this damn rivalry to rest!"

William and Garrus were definitely agreeing with the plan and Tali agreed on the idea that it would be a bit of fun. After finishing up, they all got back into the car and hit the road. The car journey was in complete silence but you could have cut the tension with a knife. They arrived after what felt like an hour, but had only been forty minutes. They paid their way in and then came into a lobby room of sorts, where they could get changed and pick their weapon of choice.

The outfits were lightweight and skin-tight. It had been a while since William had seen Miranda in a catsuit, but she caught him staring at her, more than once, and vice versa. Miranda found it weird to see William in a skin-tight body suit, but she liked the view, so she said nothing. She hid her blush as she went over to the table covered in weaponry. Not surprisingly, Garrus went for a Viper rifle, William grabbed a Mattock, Miranda grabbed a Wraith pistol and Tali grabbed a Reegar. Before they split up, Garrus kissed Tail's helmet while William kissed Miranda straight on the lips. When she went to reciprocate the kiss, William stopped her with a cocky grin, asking her 'to keep it for when he won the tournament'. Miranda glared at him and he just smirked back. While she would be going for Garrus as a priority, Miranda would take this as an opportunity to knock William off his high pedestal. Everyone then shook hands and headed to their different starting points.

As they stood in their zones, a voice read through the rules.

"Lethal shots only. This means that all shots except what would be considered fatal do not count. You are not allowed to change weapon if you defeat a foe and any attempt to do so will be met with a penalty. You have a set amount of ammunition and everyone has been given a melee weapon, in the case of having no ammunition left. No biotics or hacking allowed due to a handicap put in place by the organizer. Enjoy."

Miranda smirked while she checked over her pistol. It was a heavy pistol so any shot taken would alert the others to where she was. She'd have to be careful but this was just a way to show off. She was lethal with almost anything, she didn't always need to depend on her biotics. She watched the timer hit zero and the shutter rose. They found themselves in a forest biome. That was good because there were no open areas but it was a help to Garrus, as he could hide in the foliage. She'd have to be careful. Tightening her hold on the pistol, she took off into the dense forest.

William looked over his Mattock as he lay hunched behind a tree. He had contemplated grabbing the Widow, but he was happy he didn't. Sure, it would nearly tear threw the trees, but sniping in a forest was never easy. Keeping low, he slowed his breathing and listened.

Garrus was happy. Very happy. Perched in a tree, scanning the ground with his rifle, he was in his comfort zone. This first match would be easy. Garrus saw William looking the Widow over and he would have grabbed it himself, but he always did rather the Viper. It was nowhere near as powerful, but it made up for it in a lighter weight and about a tenth of the recoil. A trained sniper could empty the magazine in quick succession on the same target in about thirty seconds. The Widow would probably knock him out of the tree. Looking through the scope, he awaited his first target.

Tali was definitely experienced in gun play but where she just saw a pass time, the other's seemed to be out for blood. She wouldn't make it easy for any of them to knock her out, but she knew that the others were in it to win and have the bragging rights. Tali was happy that she grabbed the Reegar. Her own model had saved her more times that she'd like to confess. The shotgun gave out streams of electricity that always helped stun the enemy. While she did miss Chatika, Tali knew that she could win without her. Plus, her tracking software would have made this too easy. Cocking her shotgun, she took off.

Tali and William were the first to go head-to-head. While William could deal a decent shot from a distance, Tali could deal a lot of damage up close and she was hiding behind cover. Every time he would try to look up over his own cover, streams of electricity were always a bit too close for comfort. William took the thermal clip out of his rifle and threw it down. Looking around to try and find something to give him an advantage, William laid eyes on a pine cone. He had a mischievous thought. Grabbing the pine cone, he lay it on top of the thermal clip until it finally caught fire. He grabbed his impromptu fire cracker and threw it. He knew that there'd be no shrapnel, but it would still give an almighty bang. Neither side shot anything and William simply waited for a few seconds. The bang went off and Tali jumped, only to be met with a blank to the helmet by William. Tali was out. Jumping over his own cover, William helped her up. Tali didn't look happy but she complimented William on his idea. William apologized as the computer read out that Tali was disqualified and that she was to return to her starting point. William then ran off after the others.

Miranda wasn't stupid, she knew that Garrus would have had to go to high ground. Keeping low, she travelled through the underbrush keeping her eyes up. The arena wasn't huge, Miranda knew that she'd come across him soon. The trees here were dense but spaced apart, it wouldn't be easy for him to traverse so he would have picked one good place and be patiently waiting. It was then that she saw the glint of a rifle barrel. Taking aim, Miranda fired.

Garrus was waiting for anyone to pass by. He began to wonder who had knocked Tali out of the match but he kept a keen eye on his surroundings. It was only the title players now, so things were serious. While William was stubborn enough to keep fighting for the title, Garrus knew that Miranda would be attacking from a distance to back up her self-professed skills. It was probably a bad move to involve Miranda in an contest between himself and Shepard but Garrus couldn't help himself. A rifle at 500 yards was no problem but a pistol.. even he found that hard. Going back to scanning the ground, he heard a shot, and it was all over.

Miranda stood over him and Garrus wasn't happy. He took her extended hand and stood up. It was an impressive shot to be sure but Garrus still didn't like it when he was beaten. After shaking her hand, Garrus looked over Miranda's shoulder and saw the muzzle of a rifle stick out. Smirking, he left go of Miranda's hand. Miranda looked confused for a second before she caught on.. but it was too late. The shot rang out and met it's target. William erupted from the bushes with his fist in the air. Garrus shuddered at the intensity of the glare that Miranda was sending William. He was just waiting for him to catch fire. To Garrus' surprise however, Miranda smiled and shook William's hand, complimenting him on the shot. The computer called for the contestants to return to their starting positions. After doing so, they found themselves back in the lobby and Tali sat reading something on her Omni-tool.

William grabbed some water and went to give some to Miranda. Miranda accepted the bottle and William gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Over her shoulder, William could feel Garrus glaring at them both, obviously not happy about losing the match. Not long after, the voice called out again, asking for them to take their places.

"Destroy them!" Tali shouted at Garrus. Garrus smirked and continued to glare at them.

"That was the plan.." Garry's said, as he swapped the Viper rifle for the Javelin. He tested the weight and once he seemed happy, he shook William's and Miranda's hands, telling them not to be angry when he wins. William kept the Mattock but Miranda swapped her Wraith for a Tempest sub machine gun. Sharing one more kiss, they split up and took their places. The counter went down once again but this time, they found themselves in a maze. Garrus was determined to prove he was the best shot, but he regretted having a sniper rifle for this round.

William walked along the maze, checking his sides at every cross road. It didn't really matter if he was heading in the right direction or not but he'd be damned if he let himself get caught out by being flanked. There was a strong wind blowing which made trying to listen for footsteps impossible. After a while, he came up to a long walkway. Not daring to stick his head out, in case there was someone waiting for him, William grabbed a small pebble and chucked it around the corner, knowing that Garrus was likely to shoot anything moving.

"Ow!" came a voice. William swallowed hard, recognizing the voice. Turning the corner, he saw Miranda holding her hand to her forehead. She had a fury in her eyes and William found himself praying for a quick death. Holstering his weapon, William apologized over and over. He hadn't any medi-gel and he cursed himself for it. Seeing William fumble about, Miranda laughed. It didn't really hurt, or even cut her, it was just the surprise of it all. William let go of the breath he was holding when the fury in her eyes seemed to die down. Suddenly though, Miranda threw him against the wall of the maze and pressed her lips to his own in almost an aggressive manner. William didn't know what had come over her but he was loving it. Once the kiss was broken, William was still in a mild state of euphoria, so he didn't realize Miranda lean in close.

"I'm sorry Will, but this competition is between Garrus and myself." Miranda whispered. William looked confused for a second but it was made clear when the shot rang out, eliminating him from the match, and now the final. He fell to his knees and Miranda rolled her eyes at how much he was over-reacting. Pulling him back up, Miranda apologized before running off, while William walked back to the lobby, laughing at the situation. If he knew he'd have gotten kissed like that, he'd have eliminated himself in the first round. It didn't really surprise him though. Miranda could be very competitive.

When William got back, Tali was almost doubled over laughing. Once he had gotten changed out of the battle suit, William joined Tali on the sofa where Tali showed him the short vid she had made of the kiss and the face he pulled at the end. William could still remember it. It made an addictive, electric feeling run through him but Tali seemed to find it hilarious. William watched the feed of the match while Tali started going on about how the war would have come to an abrupt end if Harbinger had simply made out with William before killing him.

Garrus was surprised when he heard William's name be called out as having been eliminated, but in a way he wasn't surprised. Once he issued the challenge, Miranda would have wanted to battle him, so now that it would be just them in the final, it was getting excited. Garrus looked around him. He was camping in a corner with the Javelin pointed down a walkway. He was glad that it wasn't a real Javelin though... Garrus had heard some harsh stories about those things. A Blackwatch operative had told him how he took the heads off three brutes with a single shot with one of those rifles. Getting back on track, Garry's stared down through the scope of the gun until he saw a faint shadow standing at a corner. Garrus' talon tensed on the trigger, and Tali and William watched as the second round finished with a trick shot and a delighted Turian.

They seemed to leave as fast as they arrived, and soon Miranda and Garrus were competing for the title of 'best shot'. Garrus had reverted back to his Viper while Miranda kept the Tempest. For the final round, the room was almost pitch dark, so both sides had to depend on a pair of night vision goggles. William knew from experience that Garrus would not be enjoying himself but it was a fitting final match. William found himself rooting for Miranda while Tali rooted for Garrus. William had promised to back Miranda in all her ventures and he wasn't about to back out now, regardless of if she was fighting his best-friend or not. They had a few close calls, more than once but neither of them seemed to want to end the match quickly. This had started due to an argument of accuracy at distance and that is how it was going to end. Because of the goggles, Garrus could only look through his scope for a few seconds so he picked somewhere quiet and sat in wait. Miranda had it a bit easier due to the fact that she didn't need a scope but she always had more accuracy using her eyes then looking through goggles of any sort.

After a while, both Garrus and Miranda had picked their places. Now it was just a matter of who would get the shot in. Neither of them would take a shot until the opposite side took theirs, so the match started to drag on. William looked at his watch. Suddenly, the Battle master called and asked William to either pay up for another hour or to get the others and leave. He gave over the additional credits and the battle master left with a wide grin. Not wanting to have to pay an additional 2,000 credits, William grabbed the arena mic and told Miranda and Garrus that they only had an hour left.

The battle quickly escalated from there. Miranda would throw a pebble out to test Garrus' accuracy and sure enough, it was on point. Miranda could hear Garrus changing clips so she tried to take a shot, but Garrus had gone behind cover. Retaking cover, Miranda knew that they hadn't much time, so they had to end things soon. Almost to prove her point, William called again, telling them they had ten minutes left. Deciding to finally end it, Miranda jumped from cover and time seemed to have slowed down. Garrus was staring at her through the rifle scope just as she took aim and the both of them fired. A few seconds of silence came before the computer called a tie. Everyone was shocked. As Miranda and Garrus came back into the lobby, William was checking the scoreboards. Both guns shot at the same time and surprisingly collided with their targets as well at the same time. Garrus tried to stress that since the rifle slug was longer and had a sharper point, that it should have been faster, but it was all over. Miranda and Garrus shook hands and then began complimenting each other on their tactics. The battle was over and everyone was friends again.

After grabbing a bite to eat, they travelled back to the hotel in Paris. Miranda had decided to have a soak in the bath, without William for once, while William finally finished going through his reports and updates. By the time William had signed his name on the last form, Miranda had come out of the bathroom in her robe. William stretched his arms up over his head while Miranda gave an audible yawn. William quickly found himself doing the same so when Miranda laid down on the bed and invited him over, it didn't take much to persuade him. William stripped down to his boxers while Miranda had exchanged her robe for a t-shirt and shorts. Lying down beside one another, they shared a kiss.

"These past few weeks have been the best in my life Miri... Thank you..." William said, yawning.

"I agree... I'm sorry that I knocked you out of the running earlier but... I... had to..." Miranda sighed.

"Don't worry... What I got in return... was a lot better than beating Garrus at his own game." William said, before he realized that Miri had fallen asleep in his arms. "Love you..." William whispered before he pulled her closer to him. They soon fell asleep in each other's embrace.

(Some distance away. Aboard the SSV ORIZUBA)

Dana Shepard sat staring at two frames on her desk. One was an old, weathered photo that her mother had taken the day, William was born. A wide smile was spread across Benedict's younger features, as he held a small child up in admiration. Dana remembered when she had been shown that picture, Benedict had told her that she had passed out, shortly before it was taken. The other photo, or rather holo-photo was a lot more recent. A much older William stood beside Miranda and Dana, surrounded by people of every race, every ethnicity. He had a bright smile across his face, and side-by-side, Dana could see how much William looked just like his father. She was sure, he already knew but Dana was certain that many wouldn't survive the trials that William had gone through. She was proud of him.

Suddenly, she was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on her door. Looking at her clock, it was the middle of the night phase, so no crewmen should be up. If it was an emergency, as captain, she'd be the first to know.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"Mom? It's me." Came the reply. Dana knew that voice anywhere, but she was still seriously confused. She opened the door to confirm who it was, and sure enough, William stood on the other side, but Miranda was nowhere to be seen. Dana invited William in, who closed the door behind him. Suddenly, Dana heard the slide of a pistol and turned around to see one pointed in her face. 'William' had a cruel and malicious look on his face, and seeing a lock that sinister on her son's face almost made Dana throw-up.

"Who are you, you bastard!" Dana shouted. Dana had several pistols strewn around her room, but she wasn't as spry as she used to be and she'd almost be a bigger target if she tried to arm herself.

"Me? Oh, I'm just somebody your son destroyed! Someone who was created and thrown to one side. Casted away. An exile." The imposter said, tightening his grip on his pistol.

"How did my son destroy you? You look just like him!" Dana stated. She was starting to get angry.

"Well when Cerberus was playing God, they made me. A perfect clone of William Shepard in case the sack of meat and bones they were pumping air into didn't come back. But needless to say, it did, so they threw me out. Didn't need me anymore. I tried to kill him a few months back on the Citadel and steal the Normandy but the bastard bested me and I tried to kill myself. Unfortunately for Shepard, I didn't die but rather started plotting my revenge. Sadly though, that plan starts with your corpse in a pool of your own blood." The clone said, taking aim.

"It won't work. No one will believe that William killed me, there are cameras everywhere." Dana shouted.

"Thankfully. I was counting on having video evidence. It's amazing though, we can travel thousands of stars and still not feed a microphone into a captain's office... Goodbye." The clone stated. Throwing her head up, Dana whispered quietly.

"I'm sorry William. I've got to go now but never forget that you're not alone. You have a strong, beautiful woman by your side and together you two can accomplish anything. I love you and I'll say hi to dad for you..."

The camera then showed a fleeing William and Dana Shepard lying in a pool on the floor, a single gunshot between her eyes.