Tali tinkered with a few buttons on her omni-tool as she desperately tried to fix a problem the device was having. It kept freezing up when she attempted to download something and the device constantly became unresponsive toward the key commands. Becoming frustrated with a frozen display, she tapped the holo-keys harshly and began to mutter under her breath. The omni-tool began to flicker and then it suddenly shut off. Again the quarian tinkered with the device but it gave absolutely no response. She punched the keys, "Come on you bosh'tet!"

"Bosh'tet!" came a child's voice from behind her. Tali's heart suddenly jumped up her throat as she spun around to see Jack and the toddler. Jack set the child down as she grabbed her sides and burst out laughing. "And they worried she would get the bad language from me!"

"That's not fair!" Tali exclaimed and held up her hands defensively. "I had no idea she was in the room! Oh Keelah..." the quarian began to wring her hands. Jack dropped the diaper bag in front of Tali's feet with a wide grin spread across her face.

"I can't wait to see the look on Shepard's face." Jack teased before she turned and left the engine room. Tali grabbed the diaper bag and swung it over her shoulder then she picked up Rheia who was giggling innocently. Tali sighed heavily, hoping the child would forget the word and not repeat it. She heard the toddler's belly growl and decided it was dinner time.


The elevator arrived on deck three and the quarian stepped out as Zaeed walked past, wiping his mouth clear of any traces of dinner.

"Bosh'tet!" the child repeated, looking at the veteran. Tali's heart sunk again as Zaeed glanced at the two, his face seeming unfriendly as always.

"What did the sprout say?" the veteran grumbled. "I don't speak asari."

Tali fidgeted with her words, "Um, well...it wasn't..." she quickly thought up something to say. "I don't either."

Zaeed only shrugged, "Maybe I'll learn it one day. Pardon me, miss." He walked into the elevator clicking the doors shut behind him. Tali sighed in relief and looked Rheia in the eyes with seriousness.

"Don't say that again. It's not nice, okay?"

"Okay." the child responded bashfully. She hugged Tali and her belly growled again. "Want foods."

"I know little one, we're going." Tali assured her. She walked further into the mess hall, Garrus and Mordin sat at a table enjoying their dinner and a few others were about chatting amongst themselves. The turian waved Tali over, and she approached the two.

"Hey Tali." Garrus greeted her warmly. "And little Rheia! I knew she was aboard but I wasn't sure what was going on."

"Hmm, yes, little blue referred to as asari child. Shepard's child! Yes yes, must get to know young one, join us?" Mordin spoke as he calculated everything faster then one could blink.

"Sure." Tali answered as she set the diaper bag on the floor next to her seat. "Mind holding her Garrus while I get the highchair?"

"Not at all." the turian agreed. Tali handed the toddler to him as she stared at his mandibles. "Hey there kiddo." Garrus smiled, his mandibles spread revealing a good portion of his triangular teeth.

"Kitty!" Rheia exclaimed, grabbing onto the turian's sensitive mandibles and tugging at them excitedly.

"Ah, ow!" Garrus howled holding the child out trying to keep her from his face. She giggled happily at the turian. "Easy now- ouch!"

"Must be interested in turian facial build." Mordin observed with a smirk on his face. "May be confusing mouth with that of feline species. Regardless, very smart."

"Yeah..." Garrus mumbled. "Ow!"

Tali returned a few moments later, sliding the highchair next to her seat as Garrus set the girl in the chair who's hands were still wrapped around his mandibles. She finally let go, her attention now on Tali who began digging through the bag for the various jars of food. Garrus sat back down, rubbing his sore cheeks. "Sure takes after Shepard..."

Tali glanced at him curiously as she opened up a jar of mango flavored baby food. "What has Shepard done that concerns your face?"

Garrus' mandibles twitched as he spoke, "Well, when she wanted something out of me she usually went straight for the mandibles. Of coarse I understand, must be a fetish between you ladies."

Tali rolled her eyes and dipped a spoon into the jar and began to feed the hungry toddler. Mordin and Garrus continued their own dinner as well as they made conversation with Tali and spoke of toddlers.

"Wonder how asari offspring with human fathers develop. Very rare, very curious..." Mordin pondered as he observed Rheia, his eyes blinking just as fast as his thoughts processed. Tali turned her head to him pre-cautiously.

"Like any other asari child would, I assume." Garrus gave his opinion.

"Perhaps, curious as to what humanly traits child inherits. Eye color, facial structure, obvious! But what of brain activity? Development? Thinking patterns? Immunizations?" Mordin voiced his thoughts with a hand under his chin.

"Look, your not going to be performing any experiments on her so don't get all excited." Tali said forcefully. Though she was curious about the immunity system... Thinking back on an awkward chat she once shared with Shepard, she wondered if a quarian child with a human father would be able to live without having to wear an enviro-suit. Then again, she pondered if the different species could even reproduce let alone bear any offspring. Thinking of the whole idea, she wished she shared the same immune system as humans did.

"No no, would not experiment on children. Not right. Would not experiment on anyone without consent." Mordin said truthfully.

"Good to hear, Mordin. I've dealt with freak salarian doctors in my days back in C-sec. Not a great experience." Garrus chipped in before he stuffed his mouth with the last bite of his dinner. Just as Tali fed Rheia the last of her food, her face wrinkled and she began to whine. The three adults looked her over with concern as she stuck her fingers in her mouth and chewed them.

"Is she still hungry?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know, maybe..." Tali opened another jar and dipped the spoon in and held it to Rheia's mouth. The child shook her head as her eyes started to water and her face displayed discomfort. Tali put the food away and began to wring her hands nervously.

Mordin observed the toddler's behavior for a moment, then came to a conclusion. "Child biting fingers, crying. Mouth in pain. Most likely teething."

"What can we do to help the pain go away?" the quarian asked beginning to feel bad for the toddler.

"Baby orajel. Humans use for teething children...did asari mother provide medicine?" Mordin suggested, pointing at the diaper bag. Tali dug through the bag searching for any form of medicine and she pulled out a very sticky and empty tube that labeled 'Children's Orajel'. Remembering the carelessness used by Jack with the diaper bag, Tali frowned. Jack, you bosh'tet...

"Perhaps Dr. Chakwas has some of the ointment?" Garrus suggested as he picked up the now crying child trying to soothe her.

"Let's go ask." said Tali.

"Must return to lab. Hope child feels better soon. Maybe come up with medicine for various types of child pain..." Mordin said, placing his hand under his chin in thought as he left the table.

Garrus and Tali walked into the med-bay and were greeted by Chakwas. "Aww, don't you two look like a pair of adorable concerned parents." the british doctor said with a soft grin. Garrus flashed a cheesy smile while Tali clasped her hands behind her back and looked away slightly embarrassed to feel herself blushing. For once she was glad her face was hidden by a mask.

"So, what seems to be wrong with the tot?" Chakwas asked upon hearing the child's whining.

"Mordin believes she is feeling pain in her mouth." Garrus answered. Tali was quiet.

"He may be right; she is far along the age of the teething process." Chakwas stated. "Human children can begin teething as early as four months old. I believe it is the same with asari, though their complex brains tend to take a longer time to develop."

"Right...um, do you have any of that orajel stuff? Liara had provided some, but..." Garrus scratched the back of his head unsure of what happened to the tube of medicine.

"Of coarse. I had ordered a supply of pediatric items the moment I heard of Liara's pregnancy." Chakwas said as she ventured towards the medicinal cabinets and sought through the items.

Garrus and Tali exchanged looks, remembering the past event of the reveal. It hadn't been nice. "Had this stuff for that long eh?" Garrus mused.

"It seemed everyone was excited..." Tali said softly.

Chakwas stopped her rummaging for a moment, reflecting back on the memory. "Yes, well..." she continued her search, "It was a difficult time. Shepard's reaction was most understandable considering the circumstances. Ah, here it is." Chakwas pulled the tube of medicine from the box in the cabinet and grabbed a pair of latex gloves, slipping them on. She popped the cap off and squirted the gel onto her gloved finger and walked over to Garrus and Rheia. "Alright sprout, open up. This will help you feel better."

The toddler opened her mouth and Chakwas thoroughly rubbed the gel over the tot's gums. "It'll take a moment for the numbing to take effect."

"Thanks doc. I think I need some rest." Garrus said as he gently handed Tali the baby. "Taking care of kids is just tiring."

"You've only had her for twenty minutes..." Tali mumbled in disbelief.

"That was one heck of a twenty minutes." the turian admitted. "Well, goodnight ladies. Goodnight Rheia."

Garrus left the med-bay, leaving Tali and Chakwas alone. "May I stay here until she calms down a bit? In case something else is wrong..." Tali asked as she soothed the whimpering toddler.

"Of coarse." Chakwas answered, taking a seat at her desk. "While your in here Tali, is everything okay health wise with you? I don't think you've had a check up in a while."

Tali sat on one of the medical beds as she gently patted Rheia's back. The toddler's arms wrapped around her neck and her head rested on Tali's shoulder. "Yes, I believe so. I mean, I feel fine, but I think I'm a little...emotionally sick."

Chakwas turned in her chair to face the quarian. "Yes, it seems the ladies aboard are all affected by this sickness."

"What do you mean?" Tali asked, surprised. Just then, Legion made his way through the doors behind the med-bay, and EDI popped up from the console near the entrance. Still feeling a bit reluctant towards the AI and geth crew member, Tali looked quizzically at Chakwas. "What's going on?"

"Creator Tali'Zorah, we have studied the behavior in all female species in which they respond to being around children. We have concluded the females aboard are being affected by the presence of the blue child." Legion stated, his synthetic like voice startling the toddler. "We have come to recognize the increase of aggressiveness in your behavior as being over protective of the blue child."

"Shut up Legion. I did not ask you." Tali retorted while she rubbed the child's head in hopes of keeping her calm.

"Acknowledged." the geth responded.

"EDI and Legion have been observing the women's behavior aboard the ship. Legions proved himself to be quite useful around the med-bay. As he stated, you have been acting more aggressive towards others since Rheia has been aboard." Chakwas explained.

"Who gave the geth permission to spy on me?"

"We are not spying; we are observing." Legion answered as if to correct her.

"If I catch you anywhere near me or the baby that's not within this room I will blow another hole into your chest." Tali threatened.

"Accessing threat." Legion said waiting a second before he spoke again. "Alert- Creator Tali'Zorah's aggressive reaction confirms a 96.8% promise of her declaration. Her actions confirm our study."

Chakwas giggled and Tali glared at the synthetic being as she held onto Rheia a bit more securely. The toddler's cries died down and she yawned sleepily.

"Rest assured Legion will not harm the baby." EDI's feminine robotic like voice came from the console. "When it comes to children, each specie's females share the same maternal instincts. Each female responds and reacts differently; Chakwas has asked to keep observation on the different behaviors of each woman."

"For what?" Tali asked, looking at the doctor.

"Documentation, my dear. I am just curious to see how your ladies' instincts work. It's quite amusing, especially the responses of Jack." Chakwas said with a laugh. "I've never seen her care so much about the well being of another."

"Well she's not the greatest person to leave a child with." Tali said, feeling a bit guilty. "Um, I think Rheia just fell asleep. I should go put her in bed." She slowly got up from her seat on the med bed and walked towards the exit, feeling slightly awkward. "See you later doctor, EDI...Legion."

Tali went to Miranda's office. Miranda acknowledged her as Tali handed the toddler over. She stirred and woke up momentarily, providing Miranda with just enough time to change her into a clean diaper and PJ's. With the drowsy toddler laying on the bed, Tali handed the XO the diaper bag and held onto the pair of pajamas until the diaper had been changed. Upon undressing the tot, the women found that her diaper had been put on backwards. Shaking their heads at the work of Jack, the two finished prepping Rheia for bed and afterwards put her gently onto the soft mat of the playpen and tucked her in. The toddler immediately fell back asleep and the two women stepped outside the office.

"She was having pain from teething earlier. If she wakes during the night and you need help, come find me." Tali said quietly.

"Will do. I'll be keeping my office locked during the night." Miranda said to Tali's relief. She didn't want to think about Legion scanning the toddler's head for data with an omni-tool or Jack sneaking in and taking her under her 'care'. "Goodnight Tali."

"Goodnight." the quarian said as Miranda returned to her office and she began to walk away. Bringing a hand up to her mask and tracing the outline of it slowly, her thoughts were on the child and what Chakwas had reported. She sulked away sadly, wishing she was able to give the toddler a soft kiss goodnight.


A/N: Again, thank you all for your kind reviews :) Next chapter will contain more appearances of the Normandy crew!