The Normandy gingerly docked at Omega, the crew still a bit shaken up from their mission. Simultaneously, everyone gave a sigh of relief to be actually docked somewhere that's not Reaper or Collector infested. Shepard issued a shore leave to the entire crew for one week. It was a well deserved shore leave for everyone, and they cheered as they piled out of the airlock.

Joker traveled down into the medical bay to check up on Alyssa. Shepard was also down in the medical bay, talking with Dr. Chakwas and getting herself patched up as well.

"Doctor, Commander," Joker said, nodded to the two women. Shepard smiled, but quickly turned it into a sour face as Chakwas applied the medi-gel to Shepard's wounds.

"She's been looking for you for a while," Chakwas said, quietly.

"She's sleeping right now, but I imagine she'll be waking up again anytime soon."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She will be fine, Jeff. Nothing serious to report. She just needs a lot of rest, and for her painkillers to settle in." The doctor seemed to hesitate at her next sentence.

"Jeff, I hate to keep things from you-"

"I know what you're going to say, doc. I'm okay with it," Joker said with a half smile.

He stood next to her sleeping body, and kissed her on the forehead. He looked at her from head to toe, stopping at her abdominal region. The more he stared, the more he could subtly see that there was a bump forming. Could that be the baby?

He took her dainty hand into his, holding it tight. He brushed the hair out of her face with his free hand, and then resting it on her stomach.

"Are you going to take some shore leave, too, Shepard?" Joker asked, turning to look at her.

"I'm probably going to have a few drinks with Thane. Then we're probably going to come back to the ship-"

"Whoa whoa, Commander. I don't need to know the details of your lizard fantasies."

"We just came back from an impossible mission, where all of us could have died, and you still don't fail at being an asshole," Shepard said, wide-eyed.

"You know me, Shepard. I'm glad we made it back, but that's something I don't want to dwell on."

Joker felt a hand fall on top of his.

"And that's why I fell in love with you," a drowsy Alyssa said, looking at Joker through half open eyes.

Joker immediately cupped Alyssa's face, showering her face with kisses. She gave a groggy laugh, weakly holding onto Joker's arms.

"Are you okay? What did they do to you?" Joker asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I don't know. The last thing I can remember was this huge thing grabbing me and dragging me out in the crew deck. Then it was like I blinked and now I'm here." Alyssa looked around, trying to reorient herself with her surroundings. She tried to sit up, but failed, and fell back onto the pillow under her.

"You're still a bit sedated, Alyssa," the doctor said, writing on her datapad while Shepard walked out of the medical bay.

"Your body is not ready to support itself. You're still very weak." She sat on her chair, and took the glass full of brandy.

"I suggest you lay on the bed until your sedatives wear off." She took a swig of her brandy, closing her eyes and savoring the taste.

"Serrice Ice Brandy always feels good after being abducted by an alien race." Joker chuckled as he returned his attention back to Alyssa.

"Joker, there's something I need to tell you," Alyssa said, looking up at him.

"I know what you're going to say. I looked through the doctor's reports." Joker held onto her hands tight.

"When did you find out? Are you completely sure that it wasn't a false reading?"

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her. There is no way these tests could have been falsified. I even know the gender of your baby and what they will look like. Alyssa has requested to keep that information away from her."

"I wanted everything to be a surprise," she said, smiling at him. She could feel the sedatives starting to wear off. Joker helped pulled her up into a sitting position. She threw her arms out, embracing Joker in a well needed hug. She kissed his cheek as he pulled back to see her face.

"I never thought I'd actually find someone that really liked me."

"You didn't find someone that liked you, though," Alyssa said, looking blankly at Joker. He made a confused face, trying to understand what she just said.

"You found someone that loves you. Brittle bone and all."

"Ha! That's what I said!" Shepard's voice rang through the medical bay, interrupting the romantic moment that was unfolding between the two. Chakwas chuckled at her desk as she busied herself in datapads and research. Joker shook his head, as he cupped her face again and brought her in for a long, deep kiss. They heard the door swish open and close, and looked around to realize Dr. Chakwas has left the medical bay. Joker jumped on the bed and laid down with Alyssa.

"Are you sure the doctor will be okay with this?"

"Meh. It's only Chakwas. I'll survive."

Joker wrapped his arms around her, bringing their bodies close.

Together, they listened to the subtle hum of the ship, drifting into a deep sleep.

THE END

Thank you everyone for reading! I really appreciate all your reviews. I hope you stick around for what's next! :)

-angie