Thank you to everyone who chimed in on whether they wanted the next Shepley kid to be a boy or girl. Hope you like what I decided on.

Ashley really, really needed to stand up and move, but nothing could have seemed like a worse idea at the moment. Besides, the couch was too damn comfortable. The plate that had been holding her apple slices was empty, and she nearly yelled out for Shepard to get her more, before remembering that he had gone to pick Maddy up from school. Her hands rubbed over her swollen stomach. She was 7 months into her second pregnancy now, and her stomach was at least half again bigger than it had ever been the first time around. Ashley didn't understand why at all. It wasn't because she exercised less, in fact she had begun exercising more, since she had to work harder normally to stay in the shape she preferred. Over the last three weeks, she had accepted defeat in that battle. It wasn't her diet either, one thing she had been able to do easily was maintain a healthy diet. For some reason, her only cravings when she was pregnant, both with Maddy and now, seemed to involve healthy foods. She loved fruits, vegetables, salads, stuff that she enjoyed but usually only hate because they were healthy, more than any desire to eat it. Despite the exercise and healthy foods, she was huge, and it was driving her crazy. Even more than last time, Ashley just wanted to get this over with.

She decided to get up and at least bring the empty plate to the sink, and had just gotten to her feet when the front door opened, Maddy walking in first with Shepard right behind her. Both were laughing about something, and Ashley immediately suspected it had something to do with her. "You've got to be kidding me," she said. "I literally just managed to get to my feet, and you two walk in." She shook her head in frustration, angrily brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Ash," Shepard apologized, hurrying to Ashley's side and grabbing her arm. Maddy walked over as well, paying attention but keeping her distance. Much to both her parents' surprise, Maddy had been completely serious in her promise to help out as much as she could, and had shown dedication. Shepard's job keeping Ashley happy had been much easier because of their daughter, who always seemed to be hovering around when she was home, ready to help any way she could. "Why don't you sit down, I'll get you whatever you want."

Ashley shrugged Shepard's hands away. "Screw that, I'm already up." Waddling over to the kitchen, she placed her plate in the sink, but dared not lean forward to rinse it. That would only be an easy invitation for mocking. Two weeks ago she had leaned forward to spit out toothpaste after brushing her teeth, and had not been able to stand up straight again by herself. "Maddy, would you please rinse those dishes and put them in the dishwasher?" Her daughter said nothing, hurrying over to the sink and doing as she was told. "There's no way we get that lucky again," Ashley whispered to Shepard as he helped her back over to the couch.

Shepard chuckled, flashing an attractive smile that made Ashley think of sex way too quickly. "No chance at all, Ash. Maybe a small chance if it's a boy, I guess." He continued flashing the smile in her direction, and Ashley felt her cheeks begin to redden. "What do you think, boy or girl?"

"Krogan," Ashley answered, her voice not the least bit humorous. Shepard's laugh roared throughout the house.

"I am officially a believer in finding what I am giving birth to beforehand," Ashley joked. The birth had been hard, far harder than last time. A day later, Ashley still felt as if she had just finished. Still, there was no denying the smile on her face, and the look on Shepard's told her he was extremely happy as well. He was cradling Anna Shepard in his arms as he sat next in a chair next to Ashley's hospital bed, making faces at the newborn baby, every bit as genuinely happy and overwhelmed as he had been the first time he held Maddy. Ashley was distracted by bundle laying against her chest, as Jennifer Shepard woke from her sleep, her hands grasping at her mother's hospital gown.

Twins, she still couldn't believe it. It explained why she had gotten so much bigger this time around. It explained why the pregnancy had been so much more difficult. It also had her scared to death. Ashley's worries had finally faded towards the end of her 8th month pregnant, but this changed everything. Twins? How did this happen? That's a rhetorical question, obviously, she knew exactly how it happened. Anna and Jennifer were completely identical, the same face, the same eyes, the same everything. Ashley was already worried about telling them apart. She wondered if she was actually holding Jennifer, or if Shepard had Jennifer. Maybe they should write their names on their foreheads or something, put some identifying mark on them. Ashley shook her head clear. No point in freaking out right now.

A small part of Ashley felt guilty that she had given birth to two girls, rather than two boys or at least one boy. Shepard did not appear to care, but she worried that it eventually would, what man didn't want a son? What if Ashley never got pregnant again, and Shepard's only children were three daughters? She looked over at her husband again, watching him make faces at Anna. That was all it took to make her worries feel petty and ridiculous. There was no disappointment whatsoever to be seen in his eyes or his expression.

A knock on the door brought both of their attentions to the entrance to the room, where three women and a young girl squealed their hellos, spreading out to see the newborn girls for the first time. Shepard said that when he told Ashley's sisters she had given birth to twin girls, they had practically assaulted him with hugs and kisses. Maddy had jumped up and down, screaming her delight. She wouldn't be so happy when two babies were waking her up every night with their crying, Ashley knew. Sarah and Abby hovered over Shepard and Anna, while Lynn and Maddy came over to Ashley. "They look exactly the same!" Maddy said. "How are we going to tell them apart?"

"Tattoos," Lynn joked. Ashley glared at her, and she backed away just a little. "It was just a joke, calm down."

"Knowing you, I could ask you to babysit and come home to find their names written in marker on their foreheads."

Lynn put her hands on her waist. "Someone's got a bad attitude. I think Ashley is mad that as hard as she tried to be like dad, she ended up more like mom than any of us."

Sarah laughed. "That is so true. We all saw it before, but now? No question."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked, confused.

Abby shook her head. "Of course you don't see it. Come on, Ash, you've always run your house the same way mom did, you handle Shepard the same way mom did dad, and now you have three daughters and no sons? I don't think you could be more like mom if you tried."

Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but could not think of anything to tell her sisters they were wrong. "Oh my God, you're right," she admitted, horrified. Well, not horrified. Actually, she considered it a compliment, she just couldn't figure out when that had happened. "I don't know how that happened."

"Have you named them yet?" Maddy blurted out.

"Mhm. Your dad is holding Anna Jane Shepard, and this little cutie here is Jennifer Hannah Shepard."

Maddy stared at the ground and twisted her mouth in thought. "I like it. Anna and Jennifer. These are my twin sisters, Anna and Jennifer. Yeah, I like them."

Shepard laughed heartily. "I'm glad you approve, that was our main goal when naming them," he joked.

Later that night, both baby girls were asleep in the crib near Ashley's bed, yet their mother found herself entirely unable to go to sleep. She was restless, stir crazy, she wanted to jump out of the bed and get out of the freaking room. Even if it was only five minutes, if it was only one minute, it would be better than laying there like she had for two days now. She turned her gaze over at Shepard, who was asleep in his chair, one hand resting on the side of the twins' crib. "Skipper," she whispered, trying to be loud enough to wake him but quiet enough to not wake the babies. "Skipper," she whispered slightly louder.

"Hmm?" Shepard groaned, stretching in his chair and opening his eyes. "What's wrong, can't sleep?"

"All I've done is sleep for more than a day now. I'm ready to get out of here."

Shepard stretched his arm towards the bed, and Ashley grabbed his hand. "Doctors said they are kicking us out tomorrow. You'll miss the sleep in a week or two."

"Bullcrap, Skipper. I'm staying bed and making you do all the work. You're the one that put twins in my stomach. We could make Maddy do it, though that would ruin her excitement over having baby sisters too quickly." Shepard laughed, and Ashley squeezed his hand. "I need to ask you something, John."

Shepard sat up in his chair. Anytime Ashley used his first name, that meant she needed to say something serious. "Go ahead." The retired Spectre prepared himself for just about anything his wife could ask.

Ashley took a deep breath and sighed. "Does it bother you that we have three daughters and no son?"

"No, why?"

Ashley gave him a disbelieving look. "Come on, Skipper, not even a little?"

"Not at all," Shepard said. "I might have cared more about whether I was having sons or daughters at some point in my life, but right now? Whatever. There's nothing I can't teach our girls that I would have taught a boy."

"It's still different, John. I know that if we had all boys, I would have liked to have a daughter. It would have been on my mind sometimes. It's okay, I won't be mad if you tell me you wish we had a son."

Shepard grinned, and moved his chair close so he could kiss Ashley and hold her hand with both of his. "Ash, there was a point in my life where having a kid was nothing more than a dream, a fantasy that might never come true. As confident as I acted on the Normandy, I knew there was a good chance I would end up dead. I was ready to give it all if it meant stopping the Reapers. Hell, you know that, it's a big reason why we had that night before Ilos, because we didn't know if we would ever get the chance again."

Ashley nodded, remembering how nervous she had felt, standing outside the door to Shepard's quarters. Her mind had been dominated by negative thoughts, how she was a traitor to the Alliance for supporting Shepard stealing the Normandy, how she was breaking regulations with what she was about to do. She wondered if Shepard was really worth the risk, whether he felt the same way, whether she really felt so strongly about her superior officer. All those thoughts had disappeared when she actually walked in, and Shepard had turned to her with that disarming smile.

"To be honest Ash, the moment I woke up in that hospital in London, everything that has come after has been a bonus. When you told me you were pregnant with Maddy, I didn't care in the slightest about whether it would be a boy or a girl. There is no happiness a boy could bring me that our girl has not. You never have to doubt my love for our daughters, or wonder if I have any regrets. I have none."

Tears came to Ashley's eyes, which she quickly brushed away. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Skipper."

Shepard smiled, and kissed her again. "I love you all so much Ash. I can't put it into words, and you know that's rare for me."

"Same here John."

The cries came in unison, high, shrieking sounds that Shepard could not avoid, no matter how much he wanted to. Ashley had only just fallen asleep about two hours earlier, and Shepard hurried out of bed, grabbing a pair of pants to put on over his boxers. He began to walk towards the bedroom door when he heard Ashley get out of bed. "Ash, go back to sleep, I'll take care of them."

"Don't tell me what to do," Ash said sleepily. She threw on a robe over her nightgown and followed Shepard out into the hall. "Wait," she said, grabbing Shepard when they were nearly at the twins' room. "They aren't crying anymore."

Shepard opened the door, and stopped in his tracks. Ashley leaned her head over his shoulder, and had to clamp her hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp. Maddy was standing over the two cribs, which sat next to each other, and the babies had stopped crying. Jennifer giggled, but otherwise the room was silent. Shepard and Ashley snuck up behind their daughter, close enough to get a view of the twins' faces. Both were looking up at their big sister, smiling. Maddy had one hand in each crib, and would occasionally tickle the twins. "That is so sweet!" Ashley said, startling Maddy, who turned around quickly.

"You scared me!" she said. Jennifer began crying again, followed quickly Anna as well. Maddy rolled her eyes. "Now see what you did?"

Shepard burst out laughing at the authority his daughter was trying to impose on them. "Excuse me, young lady?"

"They were happy, another five minutes I would have been able to get them back to sleep." Maddy crossed her arms defiantly.

"Cut that attitude right now," Ashley said. It was never a good idea to have an attitude towards her when she was trying to shake off sleep. "You have school tomorrow, get back to bed."

Maddy walked past them, still with an attitude. "You could show some appreciation for me helping," she murmured, thinking neither of her parents would hear her.

Ashley turned towards her daughter, grabbing her arm forcefully. There was no fear, only defiance in Maddy's eyes. Shepard walked over to the cribs and picked both the babies up. He figured he might as well sit back and enjoy this, getting involved wouldn't help anything. "What did you just say?" Ashley asked.

"I was trying to help, so you two wouldn't have to wake up, and you are biting my head off. You could say thank you and politely ask me to go back to bed, rather than getting angry at me just because you are tired." Not a bad start, Maddy, Shepard thought, but she better be ready for the retort.

"And you could have shown less attitude when we walked in, rather than run your mouth," Ashley retorted. "I was perfectly pleasant until you decided to have an attitude."

"I didn't have an attitude, I was joking!"

"It didn't sound like you were joking!"

Shepard hurried past, ducking his head so his face was hidden by the twins, and went to the kitchen to grab bottles for them. When he returned, again hurrying past, he sat down in one of the wooden rocking chairs, holding a bottle to Anna's mouth first. The baby eagerly accepted it, and Jennifer did the same afterwards. Ashley and Maddy were still yelling at each other through it all. "Why can't you just thank me for helping?"

"I'm not yelling at you for helping, I'm mad because of the attitude," Ashley said. "You should be showing me more respect."

"But I don't get that same respect?" Maddy asked. "Respect is a two way street, mom, you don't get it if you don't show it."

The look on Ashley's face was as hostile as Shepard had ever seen towards their daughter, and for the first time he worried where this argument would end up. His daughter was a stubborn girl, and Ashley was a stubborn woman. Neither would calm down unless the either offered peace terms of some kind, and right now it looked like neither was close to wanting to end the argument. Shepard took the bottles from the twins, set them back in their cribs, and interjected himself between the two quarreling women. "Ashley, go ahead and feed the twins, I'll take Maddy to her room and handle this," he said, trying to convince his wife with his eyes that he was on her side.

Ashley stared at him intently, her expression furious. "Fine, deal with her." She walked over to the crib, picking Jennifer up to feed first.

With Ashley now disposed, Shepard turned a sympathetic expression towards his daughter. "Come on, Maddy," he said forcefully, leading her to her room. Once they got there, Maddy grabbed a stuffed animal off the bed and threw it against the wall. "Take a seat, please, I promise I'll be quick." Maddy was caught off guard by the lack of anger in her father's voice, and did as she was told. "Thank you for trying to take care of the twins before they woke up," Shepard said.

Now Maddy was completely caught off guard, her eyes wide as she looked at her father. "Um, you're welcome. I was just trying to help, I don't know why mom got so angry with me."

"Because you did have an attitude, Madeline," Shepard said. He never used her full first name, and he knew his daughter would pay attention since he did. "You're mom is very weary from taking care of your baby sisters, and she's on edge because of that. She is your mother, and in this case she was right. You have school tomorrow, and I've received two phone calls since you've gone back to school telling me you have been falling asleep in class too often."

"I still get good grades, why does it matter if I sometimes fall asleep?" Maddy argued.

"Because you are only falling asleep because you get up to help with the twins. They may be your baby sisters, but they are my daughters, and your mother's daughters, and they are our responsibility. Understand?"

Maddy stared glumly at her hands, intertwined on her lap. "Yes, dad. I'm sorry."

Shepard sat on the bed next to her and pulled Maddy into a hug. "I'm not the one to apologize to. Tomorrow, I want you to apologize to your mother. She does deserve more respect than you showed. From now on, leave the nighttime duties to your mother and I."

"Yes, sir." Maddy looked up at her dad with a small smile. "Thanks, dad."

"That's my job," Shepard said, patting Maddy on the back lightly. "Now go to bed." After turning off her lights, watching Maddy get under her blanket. When he walked past the twins' room, he saw that Anna was now in Ashley's arms, and Ashley herself was asleep. He knew better than to wake her up, and went back to their room, eyelids beginning to force themselves shut.

"Skipper, do not even think about it," Ashley said, standing in the way of the front door so Shepard could not leave the house. "You try to leave this house, and I will not hesitate to take you down myself."

Shepard was standing four feet away, keys in hand and impatience in every movement, every twitch of his muscles. "Ash, get out of the way."

Ashley poised herself, ready for Shepard to make his move. "Not happening."

The married couple stared at each other, every muscle in both their bodies tense. Shepard took one step forward, but immediately moved back when Ashley bent her knees. He had not been in a real fight or even a sparring session in years, and Ashley, despite never leaving Amaterasu anymore, was still an active Alliance soldier. She often came home telling of younger, cockier soldiers under her command that she taught a lesson during sparring. In his prime Shepard could take Ashley, but now he wasn't so sure. He would have to go through her to leave the house. He would try one more time to work this out diplomatically. "Ashley, please, I'll do whatever you want afterwards, but you have to let me go follow them. Don't make me have to force my way past you."

Ashley smirked, hands closing into fist and opening again. "I'm ready when you are."

Shepard took a step forward, but he knew he would never put his hands on Ashley. The very thought of it was ludicrous. "Okay, you win. I'll leave them alone." He walked away, towards the kitchen. Ashley watched him intently, eventually walking to the living room and sitting on the couch. Shepard joined her after splashing some water on his face. "How are you so calm? Maddy's out with some boy right now."

"Oh come on, Skipper! She's out with friends, one of whom happens to be a boy she has a crush on." Ashley rested her head on Shepard's shoulder. "Maddy's reaching an age where she is noticing boys. You're going to have to learn how to deal with it. Pretty soon she'll go out on dates. Deal with it."

"No," Shepard said childishly. Ashley stared him down, and Shepard looked away, not bothering to hide his anger. "Fine. I don't have to like it though."

Maddy was positively radiant when she came through the door at nine-thirty that night, meeting her curfew exactly. Shepard and Ashley were still sitting on the couch, and she practically skipped over to them. "Hi mom, hi dad!" she greeted, hugging each of them. She noticed the glum expression on her father's face and asked, "What's wrong, dad?"

"Nothing, ignore him," Ashley said, smiling brightly. "Okay, Skipper, time to leave so we can have some girl talk."

Shepard snapped his head in his wife's direction, staring incredulously. "What? I want to hear about her night too."

"Then ask her later! Shoo, this is a girl to girl type conversation. Go check on the twins, they should be waking up soon."

Shepard glared at both his wife and daughter, but got up and left all the same. When he reached the twins' room, they were still asleep. At seven months old, they were already crawling. They smiled, laughed, responded to their parents. Shepard could remember Maddy at this age like it was only yesterday. Now she was going on non-date dates. Reaching each of his hands down to gently smooth the hair on Anna and Jennifer's heads, he whispered, "I hope you two don't grow up as fast as your sister did."

That's right, twin girls! The vote was close, but a girl won. I loved the idea of twins, and decided to leave Shepard vastly outnumbered. Seems like it will end up being harder on Ashley, since Maddy is such a stubborn daddy's girl, LOL. Review at your leisure, thank you for all the positive comments so far. It's always good to see people enjoying my writing, though BioWare deserves credit for creating such awesome characters. I will be trying to get some of the Normandy crew involved more over the next couple of chapters. I haven't given them the attention I should.