Disclaimer: The Mass Effect IP is owned by EA and BioWare.

A/N: Spoilers ahead for the ending of ME3. You have been warned.

I would like to thank a very good friend of mine, Chris, for helping me along the way with this fic. If you are into action and are a fan of Archangel fics, then head over to his FF page ~Malhiem and keep an eye out, because he has one in the works.

For simplicity's sake, think of Shepard and Liara's asari daughter's age in human terms.

I intend for this to be a 3-part fic giving Shepard the vacation she rightly deserves, and truly hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have had writing it.

After the Reapers had fallen, Shepard had expected some extended R&R, but she was wrong - dead wrong. The horrific injuries she sustained in the final battle for Earth were not enough to stop the parades of diplomats and galactic leaders coming to congratulate her and even asking for advice.

No matter how many times she dismissed them, the military strategists and politicians always accused her of giving up on her planet when they needed her most. They would then proceed to interrogate her for answers on what would work best against the Reapers or how to utilize use the galactic fleets orbiting Earth, or if she could endorse a certain politician over another.

"The Reapers are gone, you don't need my advice!" she had caught herself repeating this so many times that she felt like she was an action figure with a pull string.

The bed she thought she would be able to recover in became her workstation. A datapad in one hand, while her other arm was in a hard cast. Despite all her efforts to defeat the Reapers, she was now in another war; a war of paperwork and negotiations.

Her recovery time in her hospital bed was marred by the constant vidcoms and visits by scientists, politicians, and researchers preparing for a second Reaper invasion that Shepard insisted would never happen. She told them what they needed to know just so they would let her rest for the five minutes it took for someone else to get ahold of her.

Sick of having random people entering her supposedly private hospital room, she reluctantly took on the post in Vancouver that was requested to her by the Systems Alliance Defense Committee to ensure that once she recovered, she could prevent the insistent officials and scientists from harassing her in her own home. At the time, she was more concerned with the stress the parade of officials were causing to Liara over the recovery of her own battered and broken body. Five years later, she wondered why she had taken the job to begin with. She was never a politician. She was a soldier, meant to be on the battlefield, not buried in paperwork behind a desk.

Life on Earth would be forever changed; not a single soul was left unaffected by the Reaper attacks. The aftermath of the war had instilled a permanent fear into the survivors. Millions died, millions more displaced in other star systems whose ticket home went up in smoke when the Mass Relays were destroyed.

The humans and their newfound inhabitants on Earth were quick to begin the rebuilding of cities - some even managed to rebuild quickly enough to the point that the new cityscape looked as if it were never touched by the invasion and subsequent war.

The Systems Alliance slowly rebuilt their strength, both through fixing their ships and regaining their numbers. Admission for the Alliance skyrocketed after the Reapers were defeated, and the Alliance took advantage of war heroes like Shepard in the early-going to entice new recruits into joining. Humans, more than ever, were extremely patriotic and ready to defend their home.

Where slaughters once occurred, the Alliance and the allied fleets in orbit took advantage of the Reaper wreckage to research and replicate their technology to their ships to create new weapons and armour. The scientists and researchers also found that the Mass Relays, once a mystery, were actually fairly easy to rebuild using this newfound technology. The only thing keeping them from doing it was the fear of another Reaper invasion as soon as the new Relays were constructed.

Once Shepard was able get back on her feet again, her workload increased exponentially. She would often come home close to midnight – sometimes even later, only to find a sleeping Liara who had attempted to stay up and wait for her curled up on the sofa.

One particular night, Liara was very much awake and waiting for her. That night, their daughter, Nalayia, came into the world. If it weren't for the arrival of her daughter, Shepard wouldn't have lasted as long as she did without burning out.

Nalayia's arrival was a blessing to Shepard, but even the joy that she brought could only delay the inevitable of Shepard finally caving in from the sheer amount of pressure she was being smothered with.

Shepard's squadmates scattered over time, working on different assignments or joining in with the rebuilding effort but they were always a vidcom away. They even managed to all get together after Nalayia had been born. Shepard knew that things would be easier on her, had she had them there with her for support, but she understood everybody had their own obligations and responsibilities now.

In her time as a 'guest' of the Alliance in Vancouver where she was held to stand trial for her part in the destruction of the Alpha Relay, she had taken a liking to the city, the beautiful mountain ranges and the pristine views of nature had won her over. She vowed that if she survived the war with the Reapers, she would move there.

Shepard often wondered if settling down in Vancouver to be near the Systems Alliance Defense headquarters was the right choice for her and her new family. The more stress that bared weight on her shoulders, the more she wanted to pack everything up, leave the Alliance behind, and take her wife and child to a remote mountain town to live out the rest of their lives in undisturbed peace.

Shepard stepped out into the street, homeward bound, with her thoughts drifting to the day that was. Her day was exhausting, just like every day seemed to be lately, but today it was worse. She had spent the better part of the entire day debating with the Systems Alliance Defense Committee over the notion that the committee was planning on using the majority of Earth's resources to build an Earth-wide orbital barrier array, instead of focusing efforts and resources on rebuilding the Mass Relays. Shepard was extremely upset that the committee had even brought that idea onto the table for consideration before even one Mass Relay had been rebuilt. She had tried everything possible to make the committee see reason, but that fell on deaf ears. She wasn't sure who was more stubborn to negotiations - the Citadel Council or the Systems Alliance Defense Committee.

Shepard sighed as she gave a quick glance to the sky, thinking, 'Well, now I have the Citadel in orbit, so I have to deal with them both. Lucky me.'

Shepard snapped out of her thoughts when she nudged shoulders with a male quarian. It wasn't often you would see quarians on the streets of human cities, but wars had a funny way of bringing people together... and stranding their entire race on their flotilla orbiting the planet. After they both exchanged their apologies, Shepard's feet moved forward of their own accord as she sank back into her thoughts.

She had tried explaining to the committee that the Reapers were gone for good; "It's just a waste of resources! You should focus on the Relays!" she would constantly tell them, but they would always retort with hollow words about preparedness and risk management, things she heard hundreds of times prior.

"Earth doesn't need these proposed 'kinetic barriers.' Firstly, you people didn't even believe me when I told you that the Reapers were threatening our very existence. After they slaughtered the galaxy, you won't believe me when I say they've been destroyed. You couldn't accept they were real, and now you can't accept that they're gone."

The sound of pleasant chatter and cutlery tinkling against plates took Shepard out of her thoughts as she walked by the newly-reopened Provence Marinaside bistro.

Reaching an intersection, foot traffic increased and Shepard slowed to let the crowd cross the street before waiting for her own traffic light to grant her passage, giving her mind time to drift back to that day's meeting.

The committee had grown silent, but then in a sudden rush of gossip, they began chattering amongst themselves, some looking perplexed, some looking angry, some looking impressed. They all nodded at the lead councilor, as she rose to speak calmly yet sternly, "But what if the Reapers come back? And not just the Reapers, any other threat to Earth. We were unprepared last time; we will not make that same mistake again, especially when our military forces are crippled so harshly. That could have simply been the first wave. More could be lying in wait in dark space, waiting for our guard to drop before launching another strike against Earth."

"I'm not even going to bother explaining to you what happened on the Citadel all those years ago again. I've done it so many times before, and you just won't understand me. It's been five years. They are gone. Look behind you, right now. Right outside your window, there is a Sovereign-class Reaper hull right there with boundless information on how to rebuild the Relays inside of it. Besides, the majority of the galaxy's fleets are here, stuck at Earth. If there was any threat to Earth, it would stand little chance at causing any damage at all. These fleets can't stay here, though. Resources are limited as-is, just for the human fleets – but when you add all of the other Council species' fleets into the equation… councilor, they can't last forever. They need to get back to their home planets. They have families… children…"

As Shepard watched a family of hanar float into a nearby boutique, she thought about how Wrex hadn't had the chance to hold his newborns, let alone touch them. After the dust had settled over the planet-wide battlegrounds, the comm-buoys were one of the first things to be rebuilt to establish communications with the rest of the galaxy.

The krogan had somehow managed to build one of their own, 'Probably after many challenges to fights and head-butting,' Shepard chuckled as she thought to herself.

The krogan were not known for their scientists, so Wrex was surprised when he managed to see Bakara and the new members of his clan back on Tuchanka through an unstable and blurry vidcom. In his absence, Bakara had diplomatically kept the clans in check without Wrex's direct leadership.

Garrus had always been tight-lipped about his family, but after the Mass Relays were destroyed, he broke down. His family was somewhere near Palaven and he hadn't heard news from there until the comm-buoys went back up. Garrus had hit the turian ale hard; it was affecting him in a severe way. If it hadn't been for Tali, Garrus would have hit rock bottom. Shepard was glad the two found comfort in one another.

The traffic light changed, chirping to signify that Shepard and the random passersby could safely cross. As a mob, they walked across the street and Shepard, still lost in thought, ran a hand through her hair in frustration at the thoughts of the meeting earlier in the afternoon.

"I understand that. I do. But madam councilor, the rebuilding of the Mass Relays is the most important thing to focus on right now. If not for the Council species' fleets, then for our own people; there are millions of displaced humans in the outskirts of the galaxy that need to make it home. We can't just leave them out there to die!"

"We understand the importance of the Relays, and they will be rebuilt, and we want our people home, but it is in Earth's best interest that these kinetic barriers are raised before anything of the sort is even planned."

The committee refused to listen to her just like the Citadel Council once did many years ago. The Citadel Council eventually came around, but it only took Sovereign destroying several allied ships and thousands of lives to do it.

Shepard didn't want the defense committee to ignore the Mass Relays; lives depended on them to scour the galaxy to save the millions trapped on space stations or planets far away from home. Shepard knew the importance of family, and she wanted to honour these people by bringing them home, and the board of the committee just wanted to twiddle their thumbs and focus on defending an Earth that didn't need any more defense; particularly with a generous amount of the armada that fought off the Reapers still intact and floating aimlessly above Earth's atmosphere.

As Shepard continued her way down the sidewalk with her shoulders slumped from the utterly exhausting day, she silently wondered to herself how people like that even kept managing to get into positions of power.

The meeting with the committee did not garner any results in Shepard's favour.

'Nothing new there,' Shepard thought sadly, gazing up. The sky was painted a shade of blue and orange as the sun was beginning to set. Skycars and Alliance shuttles quietly flew overhead, catching glimpses of sunlight, giving them a look of fiery comets going off to whereabouts unknown.

There were very few times Shepard could remember in her military career – hell, entire life – where she had ever caught a break and was able to sit down and simply relax.

Shepard tuned out the people that brushed by her and let her mind wander deeper into the past as fatigue took over. Things were starting to stack up on her and none of it seemed to be letting up anytime soon. She dragged her feet wearily as she continued on her way home to grasp the few hours of salvation she could manage before she had to do it all over again the next day.

As Shepard trudged on, she passed by a memorial garden built to honour those who had made tremendous sacrifices and even given up their lives in the fight against the Reapers. Shepard walked by this memorial garden everyday on her way to work. She had been inside of it once for the ceremonial opening, but the feelings that the garden brought up were enough to keep her out of it. As she made her way along the hedges walling it off, she heard laughter coming from within. Laughter was an odd sound to be coming out of a memorial garden honouring the dead. She was exhausted, but curiosity got the best of her, so she strolled in through the main entrance to see what the commotion was about.

The gardens were well-kept with a large array of different types of flowers; their smells commingling to create a pleasant scent for the garden's patrons. Hedges divided the peaceful garden from the streets outside, giving it a sense of peace; a refreshing contrast to the concrete jungle that spanned out past the vibrant flora. The garden focused around a dark marble fountain, the names of hundreds of soldiers who lost their lives in the recent war inscribed into the marble on the ledge circling the fountain. Water jets sprayed high in the air, centering the statues of three masked soldiers, one being carried by his comrades – it was a dedication to the true moral code of the Systems Alliance – no soldier should ever be left behind. Marble benches circled around the fountain, with names of the fallen etched into the edges and hidden under the shades of growing trees. The trees, planted five years ago, were beginning to mature and to provide shade from the glaring sun.

It was easy to get lost in the melodies of song birds and the gentle sound of water falling into the fountain, but the distant sound of skycars passing by reminded Shepard that she was in downtown Vancouver - that there was a bustling city outside the peaceful serenity of the garden.

Shepard reached the source of the noise to find a turian, completely soaked from an apparent fall into the large fountain. The disgruntled turian was staring at the foil wrapping of what was apparently his lunch, floating on the surface of the water. Not too far away, a small group of asari and human women stood giggling at the turian's misfortunate ordeal.

Shepard shook her head disapprovingly at the clumsy turian as her eyes scanned the perimeter. Behind the fountain, centered between a corridor of two marble walls, lay the only brass statue in the garden, and the one that Shepard disliked the most; a brass statue of herself. She narrowed her eyes at the statue and began making her way towards it.

The statue portrayed Shepard in her N7 armour, standing upright, proudly holding her Black Widow rifle close to her chest as she gazed forward towards the garden, overlooking everything as if she were guarding the memories of the dead.

Shepard walked slowly through the corridor towards the brass replica of herself, taking caution not to step on the wilted roses and fresh daisies left by mourners that lay at the foot of the walls. The Hall of Honour had thousands of names inscribed from the top to the bottom of the 10-foot walls. She outstretched her arms, her fingertips lightly brushing against the etched names of the fallen as she silently remembered the dead.

Shepard glared at the offending statue at the very end that was shining in the sunlight, surrounded by trees and flowers. It looked so inappropriate, outsizing every monument there by at least three feet. It seemed utterly ridiculous to glorify her when the garden's sole purpose was to honour members of the Alliance who had given the ultimate sacrifice so that others may live.

She hated the thing.

She never asked for it.

She never wanted it.

Yet still, it was insistently made for her.

She didn't want anything she had done up to that point acknowledged in such an unnecessary and overzealous manner. She had only done her duty as a soldier, and in the back of her mind, she thought that she didn't even deserve to be standing there, when so many had fallen along the way to get to the point the galaxy was today. There were others who had fallen for the cause who were far more deserving of the honour.

People like Anderson.

Her request to have the statue replaced with Admiral Anderson was still pending. After all, when the Reapers hit Earth, it was Anderson that stayed behind to rally the troops, not Shepard. Without him, the human resistance would have been in shambles and not one Council species would be standing alive today.

Shepard paused once she reached the monument. She clucked her tongue in disgust and then bit her bottom lip as her eyes scanned the statue that was gleaming in the setting afternoon sun. Her eyes looked over every detail of the brass carving, before finally focusing on the plaque at the base of the monument.

She stepped closer to read what it said:

Commander Shepard, b. April 11, 2154 - Systems Alliance N7 Operative, Defender of Elysium, First Human Council Spectre, Saviour of the Citadel, Galactic Hero of the Reaper Wars.

Shepard lightly scoffed at what she had just read. She wondered if she should truly be commended in this way for what she had done when she had the help of so many. She pondered whether her accomplishments were being exemplified, or if she was being used as a symbol; putting a heroic face to the galaxy's victory in the Reaper Wars when so many others fought just as she did. She hated the thought - the thought of being used - of being put on a pedestal that she shouldn't be on.

It shouldn't surprise her at this point that she was being thrust into the limelight against her will. She had done many things to aid the war effort, especially against so much opposition, but it seemed ridiculous that she was being represented as the galaxy-wide icon of victory when she was a mere soldier that was following orders.

Throughout her life, people constantly took from her, piece by piece, and without her wife and child, she wouldn't have held it together as long as she had. There was only so much of herself she could give before there was nothing left.

Shepard's senses brought her out of her thoughts as she heard the sound of distant laughter. This wasn't the same type of laughter she heard at the fountain with the turian whose food was ruined by the water. No, this was… flirtatious laughter? She turned and saw a small group of human women and asari maidens as they were trying to sneak up on her. As soon as Shepard made eye contact with the group, they all quickly darted behind a nearby large hedge. They cautiously peered from their hiding spot as Shepard turned to face the statue once more, this time listening intently for any movements. The group approached her slowly as they were whispering in hushed yet excited tones as they closed the distance between them and the veteran operative.

Once they got close enough, the asari maidens lightly pushed one of the human women forward, catching her off guard as she stumbled towards Shepard who turned in time to grab her by the shoulders before she collided into her. Shepard steadied the woman, who quickly retreated a few paces backwards, visibly embarrassed at what her friends had just done.

Isolated from the group, the young woman blushed a shade of crimson as she adjusted her hair.

"S-sorry!" The woman managed to stutter out, "B-but… u-um… e-excuse me, c-can I ask you s-something?"

Shepard pursed her lips and placed her hands behind her back, interlocking them military-style, standing at ease.

"Yes?"

The woman was visibly subdued, as if she lost her ability to speak in the face of greatness.

"U-um… well, see, my friends and I were wondering… well, you see, I mean…" The young woman raised a shaky hand and pointed at the monument as her wavering voice continued, "I-is that you? Are you Commander Shepard?"

Shepard sighed internally. Her eyes, once vibrant with a dazzling energy were dulled by the exhaustion from the day and the annoyances that these intrusive women were quickly becoming. Shepard was far from being in the mood to deal with a situation like this. She never asked for this type of attention and recognition, and certainly never wanted it.

Shepard softly inhaled and exhaled, preparing herself for exactly what she knew was coming once she answered the young woman truthfully.

"Yes, ma'am. That is me."

As if she were a teenage pop sensation, the sound of squealing and excited screams instantly harassed her ears as soon as she replied in the affirmative. The group swarmed her as they tried to talk over one another. Shepard internally cursed herself for trying to be polite and truthful.

All Shepard could do now was politely stand and wait out the storm of what she had just thrown herself into. As the women screamed and gushed over her, who she is, her accomplishments, and some words she couldn't quite make out because they were speaking so quickly and so high-pitched, it reminded her of when she first joined the Systems Alliance as a mere enlisted grunt and was being reprimanded by drill instructors, except these 'drill instructors' were screaming in her ears for entirely different reasons.

"Oh. My. GOD! Are you vidding this, Tanya? It's Commander Shepard! I'm so posting this all over the extranet! We'll get so many hits!"

"Can I get a picture for my Facepad?"

"Goddess! My boyfriend will never believe me!"

"Can you sign my omni-tool?"

Shepard's eyes darted at the chaos around her. The women were trying to get her to pose for pictures, sign things, answer questions; everything she didn't want to do at that moment. She had a long day and she wasn't one to snap. She needed a way out. She did what she often did when she needed instant thoughts of serenity; she closed her eyes and thought of her wife and daughter at home.

One of the asari took the opportunity to slink up to Shepard's side while her eyes were closed. She gently whispered into her ear, "Thank you for all that you've done, Shepard, I-I'd be willing to bear your child alone if you let me."

Shepard's eyes shot open as she took a quick sidestep away from shameless asari.

'Politeness be damned, that crossed the line,' Shepard thought as she stepped between a woman and another asari maiden who stared in shock and turned to yell at their promiscuous friend.

"Ladies, thank you for your kind words, however, this is a memorial garden and I'm here to pay my respects," She looked over the group of women with an accusing glare as she continued, "In silence."

Without even waiting for a reply from any of the women, Shepard turned to walk away.

Shepard closed her eyes and sighed as she rolled her neck and shrugged her shoulders. All she wanted to do was go home, see her daughter, and find comfort in her wife's arms, but it seemed that the universe was conspiring against her, even though she had sacrificed almost everything to save it.

Liara smiled at her daughter as she sat on the ground, the smaller asari's eyes intently focused on the task at hand; her grip firm, but drawing in graceful strokes.

Liara's smile broadened as she looked over the collection of crayons, pens, markers, and paper all sprawled out in front of her daughter. Nalayia continued to impress her every day. Despite all the technology available to her, she chose to use her hands to draw or to mould clay, and preferred to take almost every situation presented to her with a hands-on approach. Despite this, she still took time to use the datapad to do things as well, but she spent most of her time splayed out on the floor drawing one of the many drawings that were now stuck to the fridge.

"Nala, we are going to run out of space on the refrigerator," Liara said with a laugh.

The young asari looked up at her mother, giggling, her aquamarine eyes sparkling before returning her focus to her next masterpiece. Liara smiled at her beautiful daughter; she was so proud of everything Nalayia was becoming. Nala's long strokes of the pen reminded her of Shepard, how they both preferred to do things with their hands rather than use a datapad. When Nala wanted to play or to draw, she went straight to her crayons or her toys. The datapad Liara allowed her to use often went untouched.

Shepard preferred to have a weapon in her hands, and Liara knew how much she detested talking to politicians or the council. She wondered when she would be home, imagining Shepard with her head on her desk as numerous interns brought 3-foot stacks of paper for her review. She knew that Shepard's time belonged to the Alliance, and it would eventually be the death of her if things didn't change quickly.

Liara's thoughts were interrupted by Nalayia who had gotten up, plodded over to her mother, and tugged on her sleeve. She waved the drawing as high as she could reach, insisting that she look at it.

"Little one, what is this?"

It was a picture of Liara, Shepard, and Nalayia all together in a loving embrace, but it had a few of her parent's old squadmates on the side, waving. She recognized Uncle Garrus immediately with his blue suit of armour. The Normandy was perched in the sky above all of them, and she could see Joker and EDI waving down at the group of people below.

She smiled sadly down at her daughter, "You miss them, don't you?"

Nalayia nodded feverishly as she raised her hands in the air, signaling that she wanted to be picked up. Liara set the datapad she was holding and Nalayia's picture aside, granting her daughter's request and holding her in a light embrace.

In the distance, Liara heard a lock click and the sound of a door opening and closing.

'Finally... they're keeping her later and later every night,' Liara thought as she smiled sadly at the small asari in her lap.

"You'll see them all soon, sweetheart, I'm sure of it. They love you and miss you dearly," she gently reassured her daughter as she began to lightly bounce her knee as if Nala was on a horse, she smiled and giggled as she went up and down on her mother's knee.

Shepard decided to make her presence known when she swiftly stepped into the room and leaned down, wrapping two strong, loving, and protective arms around the two most important people in her life. Nala, initially unaware of her father's return, gave a joyous giggle and returned her father's embrace before Shepard kissed them both on the forehead.

"There's my two favourite girls. I missed you this..." she hugged hard to emphasize it,"... much today."

"We missed you too, how was your day?"

Shepard flinched at that question as her mind instantly flashed back to the gaggle of flirtatious women she encountered on her way home, but more specifically, the asari maiden who wanted to bear her child. She could imagine the krogan bloodrage that would go through her wife if she was informed of what transpired, who would no doubt use her Shadow Broker information network to track the amorous asari down and flay her alive with her biotic powers. Shepard safely opted to speak about the meeting with the defense committee instead.

As Shepard relaxed the hug on the two asari, Liara turned to give her bondmate a quick peck on the cheek. Shepard smiled at that, and moved down to lean her head on Liara's shoulder, brushing her lips lightly against her neck; a move which she knew drove her wife insane. Shepard was perfectly fine to remain like this forever, in the comforting presence of her family.

After what seemed like an eternity of silent, serene bliss, Shepard stood up and began to pace in front of two loves of her life, her brow furrowed. She ran a hand through her hair as she frustratingly answered her wife's prior question, "Exhausting. The committee did their routine... pretended they listened but stuck with their own decision that they made up before we even convened in the conference room. I'm beginning to wonder whether they're taking pointers from the Citadel Council."

The tired look on Shepard's face instantly changed as she beamed a smile down at her little girl.

"But, I'm happy to see you both. Isn't that right, Nala?"

Shepard grabbed her daughter and held her carefully over her head, making the sound of a starship as she flew Nala around the living room. The small asari giggled as Shepard took her in for a landing on the couch, and gave her a raspberry on the stomach. She hugged her father with all her might and Shepard lovingly returned the embrace.

As she was holding her daughter, Shepard tiredly looked up at Liara, who could tell that the day had overexerted her bondmate.

Shepard's embrace with her daughter was cut short as the arm she had underneath Nala began to vibrate - her omni-tool intrusively informing her she had an incoming call. Shepard brushed her hand lightly against her daughter's cheek as she straightened to stand, dreading to leave her little girl to take the call.

Shepard sighed and looked at her wife, mumbling, "I can't get a break even in my own home... I should take this," as she walked out of the room, towards the home office to answer the vidcom.

Liara sighed. Shepard worked late and they still wanted her to work even at home. It was wearing Shepard down, and she could tell that the wear and tear of the work was really affecting her energy. The galaxy wanted all this from their hero, the one who stepped in the line of fire when no one would. Shepard, an incredible example of determination, was a mere woman. She had her needs too and her work was taking that away from her. This was beginning to become a nuisance and she knew that they needed to get away, even if for a little while so Shepard could recuperate.

Shepard sighed as she slumped forward, then quickly took a sharp intake of air as she steeled her nerves and put on a façade of sternness as she pressed a button on her omni-tool to answer the vid call. She didn't even bother to check who it was first, because at that moment, she was so exhausted that her concern was reaching zero. The omni-tool chirped and flickered to life as the figure of a man dressed in Alliance blues appeared. Shepard instinctively straightened and stood at attention as she saluted.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!"

"At ease, Shepard. This call is off the record," Hackett gruffly greeted her, his holographic image flickering as particles in the air interfered with the projection. Despite the minimized form of Hackett on her arm, Shepard noticed that he looked relaxed. She remembered how stressed he looked during the war; a permanent grimace glued to his face, and always getting straight to the point as if every second counted. The war had aged him; his face showed that years of experience were beginning to catch up with him, but the Hackett that was currently standing on her arm seemed relaxed, smile lines etched into his rugged features, and he even looked healthier.

"Yes, sir. I... wasn't expecting a call from you."

"I wasn't expecting preparations to be complete so soon, either."

"Preparations?"

Admiral Hackett changed the topic on a dime as he sternly spoke, "I read the report on your meeting with the committee."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at Hackett's unusual diversion. He was usually a very blunt and straightforward man.

Shepard then sighed heavily at Hackett's question and took the bridge of her nose in her thumb and forefinger; a habit she had picked up from her wife.

"Yeah. They didn't exactly listen to anything I had to say... reminds me of a certain galactic council."

"They never will. It's why they are in the positions they are," Hackett shook his head and frowned displeasingly.

Despite his concern with how the meeting with the defense committee went, he changed the topic yet again.

"How's Liara?"

Shepard had never seen Hackett behave like this; it was almost discomforting.

"She's fine, sir. She and Javik have almost completed the translations on those Prothean Mass Relay blueprints we extracted from Vigil's transmission. Your teams should be able to actually compile something physically soon, barring the defense committee's ultimate decision."

Hackett adjusted his posture as he asked with a cocked eyebrow, "Shepard, I wasn't asking you about your professional life. Does the committee have you working too hard?"

Hackett was right, she was far too focused on her work and it was starting to interfere with her time at home. Her mind as a soldier, commander, and negotiator never rested.

The Admiral looked at Shepard with... pity? It was so unexpected.

"No, sir. Things are just a bit frustrating right now. But I'll pull through, I always do," Shepard told him reassuringly. She never complained at any point during the N7 assessment and she won't complain about the stack of paperwork awaiting her tomorrow morning.

"Good. That's what I like to hear. How's the tyke?"

Shepard inadvertently grinned when the subject moved to Nalayia. It was unusual for Hackett to change topics so quickly, but she would never complain about getting the chance to boast about her daughter.

"She's doing great. She's drawing a lot, and she's learned some simple math. The candies definitely helped her figure it out. Actually, we're running out of space on the refrigerator to stick all her drawings up," Shepard said proudly.

"Talented and driven; just like her mother."

Shepard rubbed the back of her head shyly, not even bothering to educate and correct Hackett on the proper term of "father" when describing parenthood in asari terms, as grateful as she was for the compliment.

Shepard decided she needed to switch the topic, "Sir, what did you mean about 'preparations'?"

"Shepard, I can't think of a day in my mind where you actually set some time aside for yourself. You saved the galaxy once, died, managed to save the galaxy again, and are a forerunner in the rebuilding efforts," Hackett responded briskly.

"It's just what I do, sir. I'm a soldier."

"You didn't sign your entire life away when you joined the Alliance. I have been working on something behind the scenes for you, and now it's ready. You are human. Humans can only take so much. Humans need vacations. You saved the entire galaxy. You deserve this."

Shepard sputtered, "No, it was not a sole effort on my behalf; the entire galaxy uni-did you say vacation, sir?" Shepard couldn't fathom that the leader of the Alliance fleets was talking to her about vacationing.

"Yes. You have new orders," Hackett pressed a few buttons and Shepard's omni-tool began beeping. She brought it up and looked over the data as Hackett continued, "These are the details. Look over them, do what you have to do. And Shepard, enjoy yourself. That's an order. Hackett out."

Before Shepard could even begin to ask Hackett questions about the orders, the miniature Hackett shrunk back into her omni-tool, abruptly ending the vidcom.

The omni-tool blinked, Hackett's "Priority" orders waiting to be opened. Shepard hit a few buttons to open the message and looked over the data with raised eyebrows.

In the next room, Liara was entertaining Nalayia with floating toys as she used her Singularity to keep the toys revolving around her in the air. Nalayia observed this quietly before snatching at her favourite; a stuffed version of Blasto, the first hanar Spectre before hugging the pink toy tightly.

Nalayia was playing with her stuffed Blasto, wondering where her father went when she saw a blur in the peripheral of her vision. Before she could turn her head to see what it was, she was lifted up and spun around by her father who was grinning widely. Nalayia giggled as her father spun her around so many times that the both of them were becoming extremely dizzy. Shepard's spins slowed and she gently laid down on the floor with her daughter lightly falling on her chest. They both tried to raise their heads but their dizziness was overwhelming. The two laughed without restraints as they tried to regain their composure.

Liara couldn't help but smile as she watched Nalayia try to right herself only to fall back onto her father.

"Shepard! What's gotten into you?"

Shepard grinned widely as she grabbed Nalayia and kissed her on the cheek.

She whispered to her daughter, "Want to see Uncle Garrus?"

Nalayia nodded quickly as she grabbed the stuffed hanar toy from the ground.

Shepard propped herself up on her elbows as she looked up at Liara, grinning widely, "Looks like I've caught my break. I've been ordered to take some R&R. Top secret, Priority: Vacation. No one else is allowed to know the details," she said with a wink.

"Vacation?" Liara wasn't sure she had heard her bondmate correctly.

"Vacation!" Shepard confirmed as she laid back down and lifted Nalayia above her. She slowly dropped her daughter onto her chest and gave her a kiss before setting her on the floor. The young asari giggled at how goofy her father was being.

Shepard rose to her feet and quickly made her way over to Liara and jumped lightly into her lap, giving her a fleeting but passionate kiss on the lips. Shepard then got off her wife and ran towards the doorway with a spring in her step.

"Shepard, where are you going?" Liara asked, smiling. Despite her confusion at the entire situation, she was happy to see Shepard's mood change in a positive direction.

Shepard called out in mid-step, "I need to make a few calls! Don't go anywhere!" as she ran out of the room to set her much-needed vacation in motion.

A/N: There you have it - the first chapter of Priority: Vacation!

I'm sorry about making this chapter all 'angsty,' but I really wanted to set the tone for just how hard things had been on Shepard, despite everything she had gone through. I promise from here-on-out, everything will be a lot more lighthearted and humourous. I wouldn't be that mean to Shepard in her own vacation fic. ;)

Now, you might be wondering what those orders were and who Shepard called? Once I stop being swamped by schoolwork, you'll definitely find out!

The second chapter is practically written; I just want to tweak it a little more. It should be up within the next few days.

As always, thank you for reading, and if you'd like, leave me a review and tell me what you think of it so far! :)