A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued reviews and support! The majority of you love the fic and for that, you have my eternal thanks; nothing is more thrilling than to know you all enjoy what I write. I am sorry it took a week to update. The convention wipes me out completely, energy-wise. I hope this has been worth the wait.
Disclaimer: All ME related things belong to Bioware.
"What did you want to talk about?" Kaidan asked as he sat back on the sofa, watching with a curious gaze as Shepard paced the confines of her cabin. She looked anxious and nervous; biting her lip each time she glanced over at him – almost as if what she had to tell him would send him running for the hills. The smile was betraying him, tilting his lips upwards ever so slightly. How did a woman of her integrity, her strength, manage to look so cute when she was worried?
"Well let's just say this day has been filled with a number of surprises," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Nothing bad I hope," he chuckled.
"I…I don't think so," she answered, giving him a somewhat hesitant smile. "That all depends on your reaction, I suppose."
"Oh – well, you certainly have my attention now." He sat forward, bracing his elbows on his thighs, giving her a mock intense amber gaze, cocking a brow. He tried to keep his lips steady, but they twitched, betraying him.
She stared at him for a long moment, before she started laughing, shaking her head. A hand scooped up one of the sofa pillows, tossing it at him – he merely chuckled, using his biotics to stop the pillow and let it fall at his feet. "Cheater," she mumbled, to which he shrugged his shoulders and sat back again. "You're impossible, you know that right?"
"Of course Commander." He chuckled.
"As long as you know," she shook her head again and moved to the edge of her bed, sitting there on the mattress and leaning back on her hands. Her iridescent silver gaze was on him, almost studying him, and he knew she was doing that thing again – weighing her options, going over the pro's and con's of what she had to say. As a soldier, and a leader, it was something she had learned to do out of necessity; while it was something he admired, at the same time he wanted to shake her and tell her there were things to life besides missions and war. He wanted to be here with her, even if in the wake of the war she was having trouble adjusting to what they would call a peaceful life – even if the galaxy was in chaos trying to rebuild.
"I'm not going to run, if that's what you are thinking, Shepard."
"You say that now," she huffed and turned her gaze to the window in her ceiling; whereas the stars were nearly all she could see from here, being docked at the Citadel, she could see much of the arm they were docked upon. It was such an ingenious structure – a marvel of a race they would likely never understand. "I spoke to the council candidates about their human representative."
"Did they have someone in mind?" He asked, genuinely curious – whomever they chose, he just hoped it wouldn't turn into another…Udina. To think he had almost taken that man's word over Shepard's.
"Yes, actually they did. They want me on the council."
Kaidan's brows rose nearly into his dark – slightly greying – hair. Well…that was not entirely unexpected. He probably would have put her up as a candidate himself had he been in their position. Shepard, by far, was the obvious choice. "What did you tell them?" He asked finally.
"That I needed time to think it over; I at least wanted to talk to you about it first." He nodded at her words. "Kaidan…it was a shock, to be honest. I have always been a survivor, a fighter, not a diplomat. I am no politician."
"Perhaps this will be good for you, Shepard." She looked at him, surprise evident on her features. He offered a reassuring smile, waving emphatically with a hand. "The war is over. Things are…peaceful enough. You're pregnant and retiring; we talked about finding you an easier job. The council could be just what you need. And as a council Spectre, I would always be at your side; I'm not about to let another Coup try to separate us again anytime soon."
Shepard seemed to mull over his words in silent contemplation, before she gave a slightly hesitant nod. "You may be right. I…will take what you have said into serious consideration, Kaidan. Thank you." Getting up from the bed, she moved toward the sofa, instead seating herself just beside him now. "That's not all I wanted to talk to you about."
"I figured as much," he chuckled, linking his hand with hers and lacing their fingers together; it was strange, how well they fit together, even with something so simple as this. "You can tell me anything, Shepard. You know that."
"I do know that," she smiled and leaned against him for a moment. They shared the comfortable silence for a few moments, content to be able to sit here like this, with no worries weighing them down. Finally she straightened and angled herself to face him, though she did not pull her hand away from his. "I saw Dr. Michel while I was on the Citadel."
"About the baby?" She nodded, though the sight of her biting her lip again had him cautiously pessimistic about the news she had to share with him. They had been through so much already…he hoped, beyond hoped, the news was good. It had to be. "Shepard?"
"Please, please, don't freak on me," she almost whispered the words like a prayer. "I am trying not to panic myself at the moment; if you panic, I may not be able to help myself."
"I will do my best?" He smiled slightly, a brow arched.
"The babies are fine." She bit her lip again – vaguely he wondered if she had ever made it bleed the way she nibbled on it. Her gaze was watching him so intently, he wondered why; the babies were fine, right? So why did she look so worried? Or like someone had just stolen her puppy?
"Well…that's good, Shepa –" And then, like a bucket of ice cold water, it hit him. He felt like someone punched him in the gut and robbed him of his breath. Eyes wide, he stared at her, analyzing her from every vantage point – ever so vaguely he was weighing the option that she could be messing with him. When she gave no slip, no indication of a jest, he asked, "Did you just say babies – as in, more than one?"
"Yes," she whispered the word, adverting her gaze. "And, you were right about something – not only are we having twins, but they are both girls."
It was silent for a long, long moment as Shepard's heart pounded against her breastbone and pounded like a drum in her ears. Oh god, he was panicking, wasn't he? She was afraid to look back at him and see that she was right. When his gentle laughter hit her ears, she thought she'd finally lost it. Her gaze slid back to him, to find his face alight with joy and a grin that could shatter glass across his face.
"Two girls, huh?" He finally asked, although rhetorically, when his laughter subsided. "Can't say that I am surprised – no, wait, I am surprised, well…you know what I mean." He chuckled again, bringing her scarred hand to his lips to kiss it gentle.
"You…you're fine with this?" She swallowed thickly.
"Of course I am!" He wrapped his free arm around her and brought her against him. "You were worried over that?"
"Well…yeah. It's not like I have ever had to tell a guy I'm having his baby, much less two of them. I wasn't sure how you would react," she sighed the confession against his neck, leaning her cheek against his shoulder.
"You should know me better than that by now, Shepard. If I stood at your side to fight the Reapers, you should have known I wouldn't run at the thought of being a father to twins…as intimidating as the thought is."
"True enough." She raised her head and they shared a gentle kiss. "Thank you, Kaidan, I mean it. I don't think I could have done this – any of this – without you."
"I have made my mistakes, Shepard - I don't plan on making any more." He trailed his fingers through her hair, caressing the strands before he leaned his head down to find her lips again. A gentle caress that soon turned into a passionate melding of their lips. After a moment, he lifted his head and nearly found himself drowning in her unique gaze. "I love you, Anvi. No matter what your job is, how many babies we have, no matter what happens - that will never change. I should be the one thanking you."
"For what, Kaidan?"
"For giving me another chance, for letting me redeem the fool who turned his back on you. Your death...I may as well have died with you; it was hell getting over you, and I never really did. I let my bitterness and my mistrust of Cerberus control me. Thank-you for your trust. I won't let you down again, I promise." He wiped a tear that threatened to spill from her eye, kissing her softly again.
"Kaidan Alenko, I will make you pay for making me cry," she chuckled.
"I look forward to it, Shepard."
Shepard and Major Alenko stood before the council candidates as they reconvened at Shepard's behest in Udina's old office; soon to be her office, she realized. Eve seemed happy to see her back, and Shepard knew, could she see her face, she would have seen a grin there. The thought had her missing Wrex all of a sudden and his grins. That's right…Eve and Wrex were going to be parents too, weren't they?
That thought alone made Shepard feel more at ease.
"I believe you have given our offer consideration?" Nixa, the Asari, asked.
"I have, yes."
"I would hope you gave it a due amount of consideration," Kirin, the Salarian, added.
Shepard nodded as she folded her hands behind her back, straightening her spine. "I have. I did not take it lightly, I assure you."
"That is good," this time it came from Beckinax the Turian. Shepard felt better knowing their names; after all, she would be working closely with them, wouldn't she? "You have an answer then?" His mandibles fluttered slightly, head tilting a bit in what she could now recognize as curiosity, thanks to being around Garrus so much.
Again, she nodded. "I, Admiral Anvi Shepard of the Alliance, formally accept your offer to name me as Human Councilor to the Citadel Council." She cocked her head to indicate Kaidan as he came to stand directly at her side. "Spectre Alenko has asked that he be assigned as Council protection and I have not denied him. He was here, protecting the Council, when Cerberus attempted to take over with Udina's help. I believe him to be the very best, both as a soldier and as a biotic."
"You will hear to argument from me, Shepard," Eve admitted, extending her hand to shake it with both, first Kaidan, then Shepard. The other Councilors agreed as well.
"It is settled then," Beckinax said with a nod. "Welcome to the Council Shepard."
A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this update, but with a time skip being the next course of action, I found it best to end it here for the time being. Reviews are love!