#Ty has bad taste meanwhile her step dad is what people have bad taste for

[dramaplustautology]

Quick rundown of Ty’s step-dad in the MQ-central version of her (as opposed to wholesale AE central which is confusing).

What’s this guy’s name. What’s a bruce willis movie villain name I can come up with on the spot? But not ugly sounding like Gregor. UHHHHHHH Konstantin or Zahkar…Alright it’s gonna be Zahkar. Yeah that sounds like a villain.

So Zahkar grew up with a couple of siblings working for really cheap or selling shoplifted goods to get by. At some point, they worked in a kitchen on this raggedy ship that housed soldiers for off planet war. They did things like, clean and make meals out of the meagre rations they got but the main point was that Zahkar didn’t want to do this forever.

But he didn’t want to study the things his siblings were to aim for a better life. He was learning faster from these soldiers, most of whom were conscripted into joining out of prisons. People involved in organized crime rings basically but not all of them were bad. A lot of them had to turn to crime cause it was a necessity to survive where they came from. Zahkar didn’t hit it off with them, he hit it off with the people who got a nasty kick out of hunting authorities, or seeing their psuedonames on breaking news. Those people got branded as war criminals after the conflict was semi-resolved.

And zahkar convinced/cajoled/tricked them into teaching him how to fight, shoot, and a better way to cut up bodies. A lot of them get desperate if offered the chance at a second bowl of gruel.

Skip to when Zahkar is a young adult, he’s cool dude, fit enough to lift a car, and had a clean record (wow who died to make that happen). A real leader that joined the military, doing so well that he got picked to head a team that’s going to be rescuing a hostage from a hostile group hiding on a different planet. That hostage’s sister was a very public figure and an advocate for peace between the planets.

Zahkar had a huge crush on her, and his buddies would laugh and tease him about it, kinda thinking that he gets intense when he watches broadcasts about her but it’s probably fine.

So, Zahkar requested to handpick his team and some of them were people he knew or had met working in the same fields as him.  Others were taken out of prisons, or given a deal to take the job, return home, and not go to prison.

Thing was, he was good at scouting people who were like him. His new best friend was a medic who studied really hard, exceled at his work, but a lot of people died under his knife, but that’s what it’s like in a warfare and you can’t save everyone :”C

In these cases, the people who had been in prison were not as bad as/had to put up with total monsters that had played their acts so well that they were never stopped.

But Zahkar had that big crush on the hostage’s sister and he promised to do everything in his power to bring her brother home.

He did everything in his power to infiltrate the place the brother was being kept prisoner, and killed him to bring the body back. Not before dressing it up gruesomely to make it look like the people who took him hostage were never going to return him and did terrible things to him.

“I was too late :”C “ zahkar said, trying not to drool.

And then it sparked a war between the planets cause zahkar’s homeworld felt that their enemy had housed and protected the hostile group that had killed the now new elected Empresses’ (in the sense that she was elected only for the war effort) brother.

Now with an environment that allowed Zahkar to be his terrible self, he and his team acted as a paramilitary group on behalf of the empress. Their planet may not be as big or have the resources that their enemy did but “we won’t die silently,” The Empress said.

And so Zahkar named his paramilitary group DGS “don’t go silent.”

But then that went to shit when their cover-up got found out, deep enough into the conflict that maps had to be redrawn to make sure everyone knew which continents weren’t there anymore, and by then, Zahkar had fallen out of love with his Empress (cause he started knowing her for too long and his perfect image of her got messed. Maybe she snored or something, he’s pretty shallow).

Still kept the name of his group the same, even though it’s an old shame, and blasted off into space to do mercenary work.

Doctor friend: Did you learn your lesson.

Zahkar: Nope, where’s my next pretty mistake?

Doctor: Funny joke.

Zahkar:

Doctor: HAHA, FUNNY JOKE.

[beecherdrysdale]

Hehe, we will be screaming the entire time!!. Yesss make those girls jealous, as you should. Like you got an entire hockey team + me and kesh to come. What a flex. A perk is that we are all good looking ;)). You’d look up to the stands and just see me and Ryan bumping each other “for fucks sake, Ryan” hehe sorry I just say that a lot. They’d be embarrassed to hold each other but still do bc they’re nervous. Yaa Quinner is having a tough time. I have a very strong hold. Oo ya dyl does seem like that, he would just be hiding behind me or something and whispering “how’s she doing?” “ is she winning”

Yes consider this as a gift from me and Ryan for the day. No promises that we won’t do it after the meet tho. It’ll be hard but we don’t wanna annoy you lol. Dylan and Jamie better step tf up. Honestly chipotle is just amazing, like I don’t really consider it fast food cuz it’s kinda healthy. Wbu? Applesauce is yummy, I never had the ones from the packet tho. Do you eat energy bars, like cliff bars? Going to Costco for ad are is a great idea lol . Not a lot of money spent. I always lose my mom in there, and it takes me forever to find her because she never answers my calls.

Ok I am living for this jump hug, it would be so cinematic. Then we will be trampled by the boys, and we will start chanting your name hehe. This would be such a flex.

Hehe okkk Brigid I see you . No team Canada jersey for you. I would probably never wear a USA jersey lol. Idk I mean cactus club is really good and Dylan Holloway knows about it so we can take you there. Ummm if thinking only about canadian restaurants there is this breakfast/brunch restaurant named Cora which is so good. They cut up a bunch of fruit with your meal and I love it:) their smoothies are real good as well.

Hahah okk I’ll look for you and cry because I got you all there :))) I’ll make all the girls jealous as well!. Ya my warmups are long but I can do them around you lol!. Somebody gotta make sure that I don’t over analyze and get to nervous. Like when I took my drivers test, full on shaking before I got into the car. But I’m better now lol. Lmaoo don’t worry about swearing my dad swears when I play. So y’all are good . Yaaa I would just hit a ball at you guys at the end of my match and hit Ryan in the face. Jamie gotta calm you down. I would probably be dying of laughter as well and Ryan would try to jump from the stands to go get payback. Awww Quinner is worried, I’ll give him a real good kiss after lol. Idk how nervous do you get if you watch sports- are you like me haha? Or different? Hmmm who else would be nervous lol?.

Ooo yessss dyl is holding onto your thighs.....😏.

I mean I would go on Quinners shoulders, he has broadish shoulders, but Braden has more broad shoulders. But also gotta make quinner jealous sometimes 😏. Okk Brigid, I’m going on your shoulder since you have great shoulders and #wedontneednoman. Ik i wanted to go so badly, he saw everybody 😭 Yaaa kesh, you and I have to dress cute! Like cute hair, cute clothes etc. Idk I don’t really wear makeup so I probably won’t wear any. Wbu? At Coachella you gotta dress nice but weather appropriate hehe. The boys would look hot tho .

ok so yet another long post lol

lmao yes you guys better be screaming the entire time. and making all the other girls on my team jealous lol. they’d be like “damn wags why didn’t you tell us you have hot friends” lmao. and then you guys would distract all the kids from the other teams for me lol. hehe and then i just look up into the stands to see you and ryan pushing each other around and i’m just like not again. and they’re all super embarrassed to be holding hands but they do it anyways bc they’re usually the ones playing the sport, not watching so they’re super nervous. and quinner’s hand is just dead, but you could make it up to him later😏 lol. and then dyl refuses to watch bc he’s too scared but he’s asking you for updates every 5 seconds and you’re just like “the race is right in front of you, just watch it” and he’s like “no i can’t” and then you can chirp him lmao

hehe ty for leaving me alone for once at least for during the meet. ig all bets are off after tho lmao. yes dyl and jamie you better be stepping up if you’re at one of my meets. yesss chipotle is amazing, ig it’s fast food bc it’s fast to get it yk, but i get what you’re saying, like it’s healthy so it doesn’t really count. also yes applesauce is amazing, the squeezy applesauce slaps. literally it tastes better when you eat it out of the pouch even tho it makes you feel like a 5 year old lmao. i don’t really eat cliff bars during meets bc they kind of make me feel sick while i’m swimming, but i’ll sometimes eat them after esp if i do a long race to replenish nutrients and stuff yk? hehe yes i literally want to go on a costco date so bad, and it would be so cheap too lol. haha same i lose my mom in there too lol, bc i go off and look for all of the samples and then i can’t find her

 hehe yes our jump hug would be amazing, and by the end i would somehow end up by a pile of hockey guys lmao. and then i would be flexing on all the other girls lmao. but if anything happens to my tech suit, i will kill each and every one of you bc that shit’s expensive

yeahhh sorry, no canada jersey for me, can’t go against team usa lmao. it’s just hard when you want to support your boys and your country at the same time lol. ooooh yes, i want to go to cactus club and cora now. i love fruit and smoothies, so i’m sure it would be amazing

yesss we’ll all be there to support you, and you’ll make all the other girls jealous lol. haha if you see us and start crying everyone will just be so confused, like what’s wrong with her lmao. yes you have to do your warmups by us so kesh and i can distract you so you aren’t thinking too much about your matches. haha that’s kind of funny about your driver’s test, is it weird that i’m not even a little nervous for mine? anyways, yes we’ll all just be screaming and swearing in the stands, and then at the end you’ll hit us a ball but it will end up hitting ryan in the face. and i’ll just be dying of laughter and then one of two things will happen, either i’ll start crying laughing or i’ll start choking from laughing too hard. and then jamie’s got to get me some water or something to calm me down. meanwhile, you’re dying laughing down on the court and ryan’s just trying to find a way down so he can get payback lmao. and quinner’s so nervous while you’re playing, but then he’s super happy once you win, and ofc you kiss him at the end, after our epic jump hug ofc. lol no i don’t really get nervous watching sports i just get annoyed when people aren’t doing how i want them too and i usually end up screaming at the tv lmao. idk who else would be nervous, i mostly see quinner lol

hehe me sitting on dyl’s shoulders and him holding me on by my thighs 😏 jamie might get a little jealous lol. and then you go on braden’s shoulders bc he offered, but then quinner gets superrrr jealous and you’re just casually sitting there lmao. and then you see quinner getting super annoyed and feel bad so then you switch to my shoulders instead. haha yes the three of us need to dress cute, but i’m not wearing makeup bc i hate it. literally i think the last time i wore it was school pictures last year, i refused to wear it this year lol. and we’ll have to put in sm effort but we’ll look cute, and then the guys will be looking hot without even trying which is not fair but whatever

so yeah, i love all of this 💗 it’s amazing

[ripley95]

Echoes of Old Embers

Chapter 11

Pairing: F!Shepard/Kaidan Alenko

Rating: T

Chapter length: 3.3K

Story Synopsis:

After surviving the war, one of Shepard’s biggest regrets was rejecting Kaidan at Apollo’s. Fate has a way of bringing Jane and Kaidan back into each other’s lives. A misunderstanding with his family makes Kaidan and Shepard relive old history and question where they stand.

Link to Chapter 1 on AO3

Chapter Synopsis:

The day of Libby’s wedding has finally arrived. The misunderstandings about her supposed relationship with Kaidan is really getting to her. She questions if they’re starting to get to Kaidan too.

Read to Chapter 11 on AO3

Tumblr Links:

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14

Read the chapter here below the cut:

The morning of the wedding was finally here. Luckily, Shepard had a much more restful sleep than the previous night. She made matters so much worse in pretty much every way that she could, that she had almost expected to have another sleepless night being tormented by the memories of it. She figured the exhaustion from not getting any sleep the night before probably helped on that front at least, and she was grateful for it now. It would be a long day going through all of the celebration, and she didn’t particularly want to feel like she needed a nap in the middle of it all.

She didn’t have much of a chance to see Kaidan since their breakfast the previous day. Both of them were busy with their individual tasks to help prepare everything. Kaidan had mowed the lawn and cleaned up the most visible part of the orchard. When he had finished with that, Ada got him to hang lights along the treeline and in the barn where the reception would be. Meanwhile, Ada had kept Shepard busy preparing more food for the events today. Part of which, she was glad to have Matt’s help with so she could apologise for pulling one over on him. It was a pleasant day, but busy. They barely had enough time to eat dinner before crashing to bed. At least it made their night routine a little less awkward, both exhausted enough to fall asleep almost immediately.

They already had a quick breakfast with the entire family this morning. Libby shared the news that Derek landed safely at his friend’s house the previous night. He was opting to uphold the tradition of not seeing each other on the day of the wedding. Everyone had rushed through their breakfasts to help with last-minute tasks. Everything had come together nicely and it was finally that time in the day that everyone was meant to be getting dressed up and ready.

Shepard was generally the type to go without makeup or stick to the basics in her everyday life, but as per Maisie and Raiya’s advice, today she was going all out. She borrowed a nice dress from Raiya. Luckily they were the same size, because she foolishly realised that she hadn’t brought anything to wear. Not that it would have mattered if she had remembered, since everything she owned was Alliance or N7 provision. Nothing tasteful for a wedding other than a dress that advertised her N7 status, which wouldn’t have been helpful with her trying to blend in. So, she was grateful that one of Kaidan’s sisters was the same size as her and that Raiya was willing to let her borrow something. Ada had let her borrow a necklace and some earrings that went well with the dress. She also put on the most tasteful makeup that she knew how to do. As she was putting on the final touches, she realised that she was pretty pleased with the outcome. She really didn’t look like herself. At least not to her. It was a rather uncharacteristic look on her to be so dressed up, but she figured it served its purpose well. She didn’t think anyone would recognize her like this. Not easily anyway, which was precisely what she wanted.

This whole time, she was getting ready in Kaidan’s bathroom. She was thankful for it, not having to worry about intruding on his sisters using all of the other ones to prepare, but it meant that Kaidan was also getting ready just beyond the door. She could picture him putting on a nice suit and tying up a tie. She had never seen him in formal attire other than his blues and she already knew how nicely he filled those out. It made her wish she could be the one tying his tie. She wished they were both giving their opinions on clothes as they picked them out together as they got ready in the same room. 

She huffed out a sigh of frustration. This trip was getting to her. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, pleased with how she looked, before walking to the door. She hesitated to open it, scared to potentially be walking in on Kaidan in the middle of getting dressed. She knocked lightly to make sure it was okay. It felt strange doing so. You don’t typically knock from the inside of a bathroom. Still, she’d rather do that than cause even more awkward situations between the two of them.

“It’s okay, you can come out, Jane,” she heard him say from the other side.

She walked out cautiously nonetheless, and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, already waiting for her for some time by the look of it. He stood up to greet her in a very gentleman-like manner and eyed her from head to toe, tastefully. It felt like he was doing it more out of curiosity and wonder at how different she looked, rather than revelling in her new appearance. She couldn’t help herself from doing the same, admiring how nice he looked in a suit. His blues made him look so distinguished, but his suit had the added nicety of this being casual. Like they were just enjoying their lives like ordinary people. Wishful thinking.

She lost focus with her eyes on his lapels, imagining that if things were different, she would have gone over there and grabbed him by them and gently pulled him into a soft kiss. She would have straightened out his tie, just for a chance to be closer to him for even a moment, because he’s done a perfect job of it all by himself. They would have smiled at each other, looking forward to a day full of celebration. She supposed there was no reason she couldn’t still do that last one. The thought of it finally let her notice that she was staring, lost in thought at what could have been, so she did just that and smiled at him.

“You clean up nicely,” she said.

He let out a chuckle. “You’re not so bad, yourself,” he said with a sincere smile.

“Thanks,” she muttered, with a forced smile. She was never good at accepting compliments. “So, did you get a chance to talk to Libby yesterday?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “You were right. She wasn’t mad, but I think she appreciated me apologising all the same. It was a good heart-to-heart, and I think it helped her feel better. It was good for us.”

“Sounds like it,” Shepard said with a genuine smile.

“She uh… She even asked me to walk her down the aisle. Well, me and mom. I wasn’t really expecting that. I love her, but we weren’t the closest, growing up. I wasn’t even sure she wanted anyone to do it. She said she had been questioning it for a long time, but she hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask dad. She didn’t want to be thinking about missed opportunities and lost chances the whole time she’s actually walking down the aisle. It meant a lot to me that she asked.”

Shepard offered a solemn smile, knowing that as lovely as that was, it was at the expense of Kaidan taking his father’s place. She was glad that he’d get to be doing that for her and that they had each other while trying to navigate this new life without him. She figured this must be very bittersweet for him, remembering their conversation the previous. This was just more of that void that Kaidan was now filling for the rest of his family, taking the place of someone else. Of course Kaidan would love having an offer like that and would do anything to make his sister feel loved on her wedding day, but she imagined this must have hurt him a bit too.

“That’s really sweet, Kaidan. How do you feel about it?”

“Uh, better than I thought I would, actually.” He said it with a kind of hesitance, knowing that those words meant he was finally addressing his grief which was a big step, but also with a genuine and soft smile. “I don’t know that I could have said that if you hadn’t been here,” he admitted quietly.

“Then I’m glad I came,” she said, matching his smile.

Kaidan nodded at that appreciatively. “But anyway, I think things will be getting under way soon. We should probably go down. I think Derek’s here now, so I can introduce you. He’s probably been waiting to meet you. We can mingle a bit before the ceremony starts and then I can show you where you can sit since I’ll have to come back here and wait with Libby.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Shepard said.

Kaidan nodded, prompting them to leave the room and make their way out to the orchard where guests had already started gathering. In lieu of a band, they had a drone at the back of the seating area playing soft music that reminded her of Glyph. A beautiful arch was set up right in front of the trees in the orchard, and the mountains were visible beyond them, creating a spectacular view for the guests. It was a lovely setup. Once again, Shepard marvelled at how perfect it all was. A fantastic view with sentimental meaning. She couldn’t think of a better place for them to be declaring their love for each other.

As they made their way through the crowd, a few people stopped Kaidan here and there. All of them said some variation of “Finally brought someone home, eh?” Or “There’s going to be a lot of disappointed people out on the dancefloor this evening.” It did nothing to quell her feelings of regret about the confusion. If she didn’t know any better, Kaidan even seemed a little phased by it. She knew he wasn’t about to be challenging anyone on their misconceptions today, though. He didn’t want to add drama or make today about him, so he just smiled and nodded before moving on to other people, but she couldn’t help but notice a solemness about him now that wasn’t there before.

Finally, they got up closer to the seating area and a man in a tuxedo excitedly came up to them.

“Hey, Derek,” Kaidan said, shaking the man’s hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Oh, hey, same to you,” he said enthusiastically, pulling Kaidan in for a hug.

As Kaidan and Derek relinquished their hold, Shepard gave Derek a smile, happy to finally meet the man of the hour.

“Hi, Derek. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Shepard said, offering her hand to shake with a genuine smile.

Derek had already given her a quick examination as he was walking over, but he seemed to be a bit starstruck as she spoke to him. He was staring at her wide-eyed, and mouth slightly agape.

“Pleasure to finally meet me? Are you kidding? Pleasure to meet you, Commander,” he said, giving a salute, prompting Shepard to take her hand back, and look around the crowd. Luckily no one really seemed to notice or think much of it.

“Hey, you might want to keep your voice down there, Derek. We’re kind of trying to keep her identity under wraps so there isn’t pandemonium during your wedding,” Kaidan said.

“Right, right,” he muttered out, and ended the salute without a return from Shepard. “Libby warned me and everything. I don’t know what came over me. I mean, Commander Shepard,” he said her name and title in a whisper this time, “here. At my wedding. I can just hardly believe it, you know? You were on the recruitment posters when I finally ended up joining the Alliance. We heard about you all the time throughout the war. About everything you were doing for us.”

Shepard smiled at that, already well aware of the effects she had on people, not really blaming Derek for his reaction. “You know Kaidan was there, too. It’s not like I worked alone.”

“Oh yeah, of course. I guess I just think of Kaidan as family already, so it’s not quite as shocking. Sorry if I’m coming off too strong or anything, it’s just that you’re a bit larger than life. It’s hard to imagine that you’re really here.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” she said, compassionately enough, understanding that he was thrown for a loop and probably already nervous for the day’s events. “But hey, seriously, feel free to call me Jane from now on unless I end up seeing you in some kind of official capacity at work. While we’re here, though, don’t think of me as a superior officer or anything.”

“Right, yeah,” he said nodding, almost apologetically. “Well, it’s nice to get to know the real you,” he said, extending his hand for a slightly more personal greeting after finally calming down.

“You too,” she said with a smile, accepting his hand to shake it. “And congratulations, Derek.”

“Thanks. That really means a lot to me,” he said with a smile. “And hey! Maybe I’ll be getting to call you family soon too, eh?” he said, elbowing Kaidan with a devilish grin. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

It seems as though Libby probably bought into the misunderstanding now too, if Derek’s reaction was anything to go by. Perfect. They both just smiled at him without saying anything on the matter.

“But anyway, the ceremony should start soon, and there are other people I want to greet before that. I’m so glad you could both make it,” he said, genuinely beaming as he left to go talk to other people.

Kaidan smirked and let out a ‘hrmph,’ which made Shepard look at him. “He’s a great guy, but a little overexcitable.”

Shepard nodded kindly, not judging him for it. “Nothing wrong with a little enthusiasm,” she said with a faint curve to her lips. “Not a quality that a lot of soldiers have anymore. I’m glad that’s not something that was taken away from him throughout the war. I hope he never loses it.”

Kaidan nodded, understanding the sentiment well. “Yeah, me too. He’s a good guy. He really loves Libby. I think he’s good for her too. She’s too serious.”

“Too serious?” Shepard said coyly, with an entertained smile, noticing a general similarity between most of the Alenkos. Maisie was perhaps the only exception she could see so far.

Kaidan looked at her and let out a chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. I know I can be serious too, but we’re not talking about me here,” he said with a smile. “I think he lightens her up a bit, and I think that’s exactly what she needs. Not that I’m criticising her now or anything, it’s just that I think Derek provides something for her that she’s been missing all her life. The way they look when they’re together,” Kaidan said, shaking his head fondly. “I’ve never seen her so happy. Like all of her burdens have been lifted off of her shoulders or something.”

Shepard looked somewhat dejectedly towards the ground, knowing precisely the feeling that he was referring to, because there was a time that Kaidan had provided exactly that for her. Not even just on the SR-1 when they were actually together, but also during the Reaper War, too. Even though they weren’t together then, he still provided that for her. He was good at making her feel less alone, having someone else to confide in who understood the things she was dealing with. It was one of the things she really missed about just being around him.

“Yeah,” she huffed out. “It’s not easy to find something like that,” she said quietly.

“No. It’s not,” he said. Shepard couldn’t help but hear a hint of sadness behind his words. She didn’t have it in her to look at him for any kind of confirmation.

Before they knew it, Derek came bouncing back through the crowd and tapped Kaidan on the shoulder. “All right, it’s almost showtime!” he said, with one of the widest grins Shepard had ever seen.

“You ready for this?” Kaidan asked.

“I can’t wait,” he said genuinely. His joy was palpable, bringing Kaidan in for another hug.

“Welcome to the family, Derek.”

“Well, she hasn’t said yes yet,” Derek said, releasing them both from the hug, still with a massive grin on his face.

“She will,” Kaidan said with a smile.

“I know. Thanks, man,” he said before he walked down the aisle with his parents who gave him their own hug before taking his place by the altar.

The officiant announced everyone to take their seats as the ceremony was about to begin.

“I guess that’s my cue to go back to the house for Libby. You can take any seat in the front row,” he said, pointing to Libby’s side of the seating arrangements.

“Okay,” she said with a nod. “See you in a minute, then.”

He nodded at her and turned to walk back to the house. Shepard stood there awkwardly, not entirely sure what she was feeling. She didn’t like the sight of him walking away. She knew she was being dramatic. All he was doing was going to get Libby, but the more time went on, she realised the closer she was getting to actually saying goodbye to him. Maybe it wasn’t the worst thing. It’s practically what she kept telling herself she wanted after all. But it hurt. The reality of him potentially not being in her life anymore was starting to sink in, and she didn’t like the feeling. Not wanting to be awkward about standing in the aisle, she finally turned to take a seat, making sure to leave space for Kaidan and his mother.

After everyone settled, the drone began playing the wedding march. The bridesmaids and groomsmen started coming out. First, she noticed a couple of Libby’s friends that she hadn’t had the chance to meet, followed by Maisie and Raiya. Shepard offered each of them a smile, happy to be able to watch the celebration, even with her own sad and confused feelings muddying how she felt on the inside.

Immediately after that, Libby started walking down the aisle, Ada on one side of her and Kaidan on the other, looking incredibly proud and happy. Kaidan and Ada both gave her a hug before they came to sit down next to Shepard.

Jane and Kaidan shared a glance and a smile with each other before they turned towards the ceremony.

It went by in a blur. Libby and Derek said their vows and made their commitment to each other, and Shepard was sad once again. Marriage had never necessarily been important to her, but the one person who had ever gotten her wondering whether she might be up in a place like that someday was Kaidan. The man sitting right beside her, yet somehow never felt more beyond her grasp, knowing she would be saying goodbye to him soon enough.

As they finished off with a kiss and were declared husband and wife, walking back down the aisle, it all felt very bittersweet to Shepard. She smiled and clapped, but it was all a farce.

Everything surrounding Kaidan was making it difficult for her to be in the moment and be happy for Libby. She couldn’t imagine Kaidan not being a part of her life in some capacity, but it was becoming too painful to contemplate going on like this anymore. Everything here just served as a reminder to what she couldn’t have.

There would be alcohol at the party. Maybe that would make her feel better. And if not, ‘it would all be over soon.’