Past: The Artist

Kate had fallen asleep in the living room, head resting on the thin sliver of Red's lap not taken up by her pregnant stomach. From the other side of the couch, Shepard smiled at the picture they made.

"What?" Red asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"It's something."

"I just like it when you're home. It'll be nice to have you around for an extra-long stretch after the baby's born." He reached across Kate's body and took Red's hand. "But with a new baby, everything happens so fast. A year's too short."

"Careful," Red told him. "That sounds selfish. Heroes aren't supposed to be selfish, Mr. Shepard." Shepard frowned at the word 'hero,' but his wife ignored the expression. "And a year would be too short—if I was taking a year."

"You're taking longer?"

"Not exactly."

"Red, you're not quitting your job, are you? You love your job."

"I'm not quitting my job."

"Well then, what?"

Red shifted slightly so that she could look Shepard directly in the eye. Her size, and Kate's head in her lap, made the process a sensitive one. After a few moments however, she had readjusted herself to her liking, and stared solemnly at Shepard. "Promise you're not going to freak out," she ordered.

He started to fidget, stopping when Red squeezed his hand and tilted her chin at their sleeping daughter. "Wake her up, and you're a dead man."

"Sorry. You're making me nervous."

"It's not bad news. But I don't know if you're going to like it."

"Don't drag it out then."

She took a breath. "All right. Here's the deal. My parents want to sell their house; I want us to buy it. I want you and Kate to move to Elysium."

"Red… we've talked about this before. I'm not going to any of the major colonies. I can't; I hate it there… most of the people there aren't too fond of me, either." Shepard shook his head. "Why would you even ask about this? I thought we agreed…."

"We didn't agree. You decided. I'm not about to give up my job, and I don't think it's fair for you to keep me away from Kate because you don't want to have to face other people."

"I'm not 'keeping you away from Kate.' You could request a transfer to a Rosenkov development branch closer to us, but you're the one who wants to stay on Elysium. I told you before we got married that I'm never moving back into Council space. I gave up too many things in my life because of the damn Council and the Alliance, and protecting people who've never met me and are happy to blame me for all of the terrible things that happened during the war. You've known me since I was nineteen, Red. In all that time did I ever lie to you about what I wanted to do when I left the military?"

"Do you remember what I wanted to do when I left the military? I wanted to be in politics, work for the human Coun—ambassador on the Citadel. But you need to know someone to get a job like that. So I grew up, and got a real job. It was hard to let go of my dream at first, sure, but I got over it. And I'm happy with what I've done with my life! To be honest, Kiss, I love you, but I'm getting tired of waiting for you to grow up."

"Raising Kate and managing the ranch… those are both real jobs!"

"You wouldn't be raising Kate on your own if we moved to Elysium. And there are still plenty of places with open space… you could start a new farm somewhere. The schools are better; my parents are there; it's not depressingly empty land without any neighbors, shops, or civilization for kilometers around. I hate it here, Kiss. I hate being away from you and Kate for months at a time, and I hate coming 'home,' to a place that makes me want to tear my hair out."

Shepard let go of Red's hand. "How long are you taking when the baby's born?" he asked quietly.

"That's not—"

"How long?"

Red lowered her eyebrows, twisting her face into the stubborn expression that usually made Shepard laugh. "Ten weeks."

"Ten weeks? You took a year off when Kate was born!"

"Keep your voice down! Kate was our first. You're an old hand at parenting now. You don't need me around."

"I do need you around; I want you around. Even if I didn't, Kate needs you around. The baby's going to need you around. You can't only be a part of this family when it's convenient for you, Red."

"Don't you accuse me of only being around when it's convenient. You are the one who won't leave the Terminus Systems because he's afraid of people being mean to him."

"And you're the one who won't make a change to her precious job to have more time with her family." Kate stirred slightly in her sleep, and Shepard stood up. "I'm not moving, Kathy," he hissed. "Not ever, not for anyone. You knew that when we got married; I can't believe you'd bring it up like this now." Careful not to touch Red, Shepard gently hoisted his daughter into his arms. "I'll go put Kate down, then I'm going to bed. Would you prefer it if I slept down here tonight?"

Red's eyes were a little overbright, hinting that she was hurt, but mostly they were hard and angry. "I think that'd be for the best, don't you?"

Author's Note: I think by now it's clear that I pretty much can't get over how awesome Tele and Tryvozhna are. Can you say best beta readers ever? I can!