Prologue

"Zael was already dead when I got there. You can confirm it by Shepard and one of our associates if you need to."

"We have had good dealings with you in the past when you worked at C-Sec, Officer Vakarian. We will take your word. However, there is the matter of payment. We did trade information to you. I believe we can make an exception for you." The agent rolled his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. All things considered this second meeting with the Shadow Broker wasn't going that badly. It was the same, nondescript character that Garrus had talked to last time. Probably assigned to any and all dealings with Garrus and Shepard for the foreseeable future. It built a feeling of familiarity that the Broker could exploit later on. The psychology of it all wasn't lost on the turian. Garrus checked the timepiece displayed inside the Sirta Foundation's store. Had to leave soon. Ezmay would be waiting, and of all days, he didn't want to be late today.

"What did you have in mind?" Garrus asked. Credits may as well have been draining from his account already. He could practically hear them being siphoned out.

"The Shadow Broker would prefer a favour to be arranged for in the future."

A giant red flag ran up in Garrus's mind. Never, ever, ever be beholden to an information broker. He shook his head.

"I'd rather just give you money, if it's all the same."

"It's not." The agent pursed his lips, his right cheek quirking upwards in thought. "Tell you what. I know how distraught you were. I'll take your offer of credits to the Broker, and we can contact you in a few days, let you know what he thought."

It was as good as any deal he was going to get. Either way, Garrus hadn't been able to deliver Zael Hollinth, as per his deal with the Shadow Broker. It hadn't been through any fault of his own, but didn't change the fact that he hadn't paid what he'd promised. Of course, Zael being dead did remove the corner she'd had on the Shadow Broker's business, so maybe that would be a point in Garrus's favour. A small voice in the back of his thoughts reminded him that he'd had no intention of paying up anyway. He pushed the voice back down. Wasn't relevant. That bit of information was a moot point by now.

"I appreciate that. Shepard and I will be on the Citadel for a few days. I'm sure you'll be able to find me."

"I'm sure we will." Now the agent smiled. Reached inside of his expensive suit and pulled out a slim, blue envelope. He laid it on the table, and slid it across to Garrus with one tobacco-stained finger. Curiosity got the better of him, and Garrus picked it up. Inside was a hard copy of a reservation for six days at one of the premier hotels in the Okelani Ward. He could practically smell the flowers and champagne wafting off of the fine parchment.

"Uh…don't mean to look a gift reservation in the mouth, but what's this?"

"Wedding present, from the Shadow Broker. Of course, we already know. Your appointment with the legal reps in charge of that sort of thing didn't go unnoticed. You and Shepard are hot commodities. Or should I say you and Madame Vakarian?"

The turian honestly didn't know what to say. One part of him was revolting, screaming out that one didn't accept expensive presents from the Shadow Broker, anymore than one owed the Broker favours. At the same time….it was the Hotel Travertine in the Okelani Ward. They had private villas with private beaches, and that was just for starters. He had a mental image of Ezmay standing naked in the manufactured sun, imported white sand on her skin and her hair hanging wet around her face. He saw their clothes lying in crumpled heaps on the beach and saw himself taking her, right there in the surf. Or maybe she'd change it up like she periodically did, and take him while the waves rolled in over them. Garrus felt his plates shift and swallowed hard

The agent noticed Garrus's hesitation, and laughed at him.

"No strings attached. This is an honest-to-God gift."

Shit. Shepard would be impressed. She'd be swept away by romance. He liked the thought of her swooning while he looked like the good provider. Not that she would, but it was a nice thought. There was something about it that stirred his instincts.

"Thanks. Tell the Broker thanks."

"I will." Already, the agent was moving to stand. The expensive fabric of his suit caught the light of the neon signs in Zakera. "Congratulations, and good luck. It's not every day you see a turian and a human tying the knot."

Garrus reckoned that the agent had a point.

Ezmay grasped the datapad in her left hand, and pressed her right thumb to the smooth surface of the glass. The pad flashed orange, and beeped, confirming her mark and her agreement to the legal document. With that, she was tied to him. It was confirmed. She turned her eyes to the turian standing at her side, and found him beaming down at her. Ezmay smiled, and Garrus gave her his own turian version of a smile. His eyes were happy. Talons slid out to curl in her fingers, and he tugged her closer to his body. Now she was his wife, his mate. What was it he'd said? Heart of his heart. She adored it. Idly, she wondered if she could come up with something as clever and cute to embarrass him with.

A line stretched behind them, full of couples and singles waiting to change some sort of paperwork or another. Some were like Ezmay and Garrus, waiting to make the legal change from single to paired. Some were just straightening out other affairs. Regardless, the couple behind them looked annoyed. An asari clerk glanced over the datapad, synchronizing it with the official archives, and glanced up at Ezmay. She didn't even blink at the tattoo marks across Ezmay's face. It must not have been the first time she'd seen a human tie herself to a turian. Late at night, Ezmay and Garrus talked about all sorts of things related to relationships, mating customs, rituals and such in order to learn more about one another. She had been shocked to hear that certain turian circles had developed a taste for human women shortly after the First Contact War and Shanxi. It was the smoothness, the lack of plates, the softness of the human female that aroused and excited. Seeing men with men, and human males with turian females was quite rare. Ezmay thought that was sad.

"Any name changes I should input? If you do it now, it's free of charge. If you choose to change it later, the normal fee applies."

Ezmay was momentarily annoyed that the asari looked towards her and not Garrus, but the matrimonial name change must not have been common in turian males. She and Garrus had discussed it. In the end, she decided she wanted to take the name change. Names didn't really matter to her, but it seemed to satisfy something primal and possessive in Garrus. Ezmay knew when he said it didn't bother him that he was telling the truth. Also known to her was that the thought of her with his name, his markings, his anything on her, made him unspeakably happy

'Of course I'd be honoured if you took my name. But I'm not going to be upset if you don't. Your name is your own. I understand the feeling of attachment to it.' He'd said. Ezmay loved him for it.

"Yes." She said. "I want to add 'Vakarian.'"

"Thumbprint here." Again, Ezmay pressed her thumb to a datapad. Just like that, she had a new name, had a permanent relationship.

Then her knees started shaking. Garrus must have felt the wave of trepidation, because he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Not too late for an annulment." He whispered. That fact was debatable, considering the relationship had been consummated weeks ago.

"Don't be fatuous, Garrus. It's just this is big for me." She smiled to him. "I didn't think I'd ever get married."

Married. It was a weird word for Garrus. It didn't translate exactly over to the turian language. She said married, and he heard 'tied.' He couldn't half believe it himself. But knowing that Ezmay was tied to him made him feel better. Made him feel content. It had become painfully obvious to them both how much they meant to each other, even with a whirlwind romance of a few months. How long had they known each other? Nearly three years? Long enough. They were a well-oiled machine. The words would never cross Garrus's lips, but it was fortuitious for him that death had parted her from Kaiden. Fate was strange that way. All things happened for a reason, he supposed.

"Is the ring okay?" Garrus's mandibles were flicking in sudden consternation.

The silver band on her finger shone new and bright in the neon of the Citadel. He'd wanted to do the traditional human thing, buy her a polished mineral that caught the light. Ezmay had dismissed it as unpractical in their line of work. The slim band of silver around his talon was going to take some getting used to, but he was already forgetting it was there. It probably seemed silly to some people, but the tradition of wedding bands was old and ingrained in parts of human culture. It was as part of her heritage as the marks were to his. Ezmay raised her hand, and waggled her fingers at him.

"Fits like a glove."

The document processing was done, then, and they were on their way. Everywhere in Citadel space, now they would be recognized as mates. A rush of blood went to Garrus's head. He caught her up, swinging her around. The white silk of her dress brushed around his trousers. It was charming, to see her disarmed, to see her happy.

"Come along, Ezmay Vakarian. We have a vacation ahead of us."

A vacation, to be followed with a visit to the council. Maybe Ezmay'd get lucky, and she'd get fired.

'Not likely. She thought. Didn't want to think of the Council right now. After their complete lack of support during the whole Saran ordeal, followed by the Collectors, as far as she was concerned, they could go suck it. She had half a mind to resign anyway; if Cerberus wasn't so godamned twisted, she might have honestly considered the possibility of permanent employment with them. At least they had the budget and the willingness to get shit done.

"So, where are you taking me?" Ezmay changed her line of thought, and gave Garrus what was meant to be a disarming smile. He seemed disappointingly unaffected, though he did playfully reach down and grope her ass.

"Travertine, in Okelani Ward." Now he looked smug, and she could understand why. The son of a bitch had been holding out on her!

"Travertine!" Her voice came out a little louder than she'd planned; A couple of asari nearby looked in their direction. "Since when can you afford that?"

"Vigilantism pays better than you think." His mandibles gaped; he looked pleased with himself.

"You didn't have to bankrupt yourself. I would have been fine maw-hunting on Tuchanka." She said. "Or…you know…you could have let me pay for some of it."

"You would have been fine with getting right back to work." Garrus narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "Let's just be honest."

Ezmay laughed. The turian knew her too well. They were too alike, she and him. It was probably going to be more work for her, just shutting off and enjoying laying on a beach.

"Screw you, you damned silly turian." Ezmay pulled him with her, in the direction of the transport hub. She swiped at him with the handful of calla lilies she'd bought earlier.

'Oh, I intend to.' The look on Garrus's face was positively lecherous; He knew Ezmay'd 'felt' the burst of thought because she'd started laughing once more. It was wonderful, this link between them.

"Let's go." Garrus said, letting himself be led along. "I've got this fierce itch for some wine and briscola for some reason."