A/N: Aaaaand we're at the end! I have an epilogue to upload after this, but it's short, and just a little short and sweet thing to give just a leeeeetle more closure. It's been an honor, and feels so good to having finished something I've started. And I just started it as a lark!
Big thanks to Diablo Kades to reading, and making better, the last half of this entire fic for me. She's awesome.
And, without further ado...
"Samantha?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"I've got Liara. She…"
"What happened?" Samantha's tone was clipped. Images fluttered through her mind that she tried desperately to quell.
"Nothing. Well, she killed almost fifty armed men with only her biotics, saved the fucking day before we ever shot our guns, but, you know, nothing much to write home about."
Samantha was dumbfounded. And relieved. "She always told me her biotics were very strong. I had no idea."
"Yeah. I kinda want video, so I can see what she did."
Samantha chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."
"She was amazing, but we do have some casualties. Her mother is badly injured, and she's not doing so hot herself. I need Chakwas down here for her. Huerta Memorial's already sending doctors to treat her mother."
Samantha's brow furrowed as she notified the doctor that she was needed off the ship. After all this time, all this effort, for her mother to get her back, just to die now? "I should be there…"
"You're right where you need to be. We're doing what we can. I've got Liara. How's it going on your end? How's Adam"
Samantha considered. She knew Shepard was probably attempting to distract her, and she was okay with it working. The only person she cared more about than Shepard and Liara was her son. "Adam is fine. He's with the doctor now. He had his first ice cream cone with Jack. He interrogated her and Kaidan, and I'm sure he's been doing so with Chakwas as well."
"Oh, God, I can only imagine the kinds of things he was asking her..."
"He asked her what school and marriage were, and if three people can marry. Apparently, he listens a lot more attentively when I'm talking than I thought. I guess he's reached that age. I'll have to be more careful with what I say. Of course, given your penchant for swearing, I have the most to worry about with you."
Shepard's laughter reached her through her ear bud. "So he's doing okay from earlier, then?"
"He's remarkably elastic in that way. He always has been. Now that I know he's empathic, I have some idea of why. If he's constantly feeding off our emotions, then he would be more emotionally mature than a normal four-year-old. Now come back. I want my family whole again."
"We'll be there soon. First, we need to clean up in here."
Samantha sighed. "Yes, alright." She paused, then, "Thank you, Jane. You've done an impressive job so far of taking care of our family."
She didn't let Shepard respond, cutting off the communication as Adam ran up to her. She waved to Chakwas, who was by the airlock with a med-kit, ready to go treat Liara and anyone else who might need it. She pulled him onto her lap and listened as he and Joker bantered back and forth, letting it distract her from her worry over Liara.
Liara looked into her mother's blue eyes, so much paler than her own, and fought back tears. Her mother was barely conscious. Anderson had field-dressed her wounds, using his small reserve of medigel on her, but Liara knew her mother would not survive – there was too much damage to repair. Biotic damage of the kind she suffered tore tissue apart on the molecular level, ripping electrons from the atoms that made up the cell walls. Knowing the science behind it only made it more horrific for her.
Shepard watched Liara as Chakwas examined her, pronouncing her physically healthy, if dehydrated and in need of a good meal and rest. When the doctor was through, she immediately took the asari into her arms, holding her tightly against her side, letting her block everything else out by tucking her face into Shepard's armored shoulder.
The councilors would be treated at Huerta Memorial, following behind Benezia at a more leisurely pace with an armed C-Sec escort.
Anderson waved off any attempt for treatment, instead walking over to Shepard. He looked haggard, but his step was as sure as ever.
"You doing okay, Anderson?"
He waved dismissively at her. "Fine, fine. All things considered, that could have turned out a lot worse than it did. We'll have to give you some kind of medal, Dr. T'Soni."
She smiled weakly, removing herself from Shepard's arms and standing on her own. "Thank you, Admiral. I only wish I had acted sooner. I could have spared my mother's life, and myself a great deal of pain. I… Commander, I will await you at the hospital."
Shepard studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Have James and Steve walk with you. I want some of my people with the Council anyway." Liara nodded, and turned to depart. "And tell them to get you some shoes, dammit!" It was enough; she saw a faint smile on Liara's face as she turned to look at back, acknowledging the comment.
"She really was remarkable, Shepard. As soon as she learned that the ship was under our control, she unleashed like I've never seen before. And when her mother was downed? She didn't even hesitate. And she's an archaeologist? No biotics for a decade? Imagine if she'd been a commando. You realize not one of the troopers out in the hall has an open wound? They all died from brute force or snapped necks. I've never seen anything like it."
"Yeah, well, remind me not to piss her off, like, ever."
"About that. I don't remember getting romantically involved with your target being a thing."
Shepard scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, a faint blush dancing across her cheeks. "It wasn't exactly planned, sir. It just-" she looked up at him and shrugged "-happened."
A half-smile formed on his lips. "Yes, well. It's a good thing it all worked out. As it is, I've been assured by all three of the councilors that you will indeed be inducted as the first human Spectre – yes, even Sparatus," he added at her look of surprise.
"I… wow… So, no more sneaky under-cover ops?" She knew her tone was perhaps a little too hopeful, but she didn't care. He already knew she was fucking the two women she'd saved; she didn't really think she needed to keep her hope for this shit to be done out of her voice.
He chuckled. "Yes. I think you'll be a little too recognizable after the ceremony. You'll be trading the nicknames and sidekick in for autographs and probably your fair share of death threats. You're the Savior of the Citadel now, Shepard; and the first Human Spectre to boot. Everyone's gonna know who you are."
"Given that I have people shooting at me every other day, I think I can handle the death threats, sir."
"Yes, well, you just come talk to me when you have to move because some obsessed hanar starts bioluminescing at you through your bedroom window." Shepard snorted, shaking her head and slapping him on the shoulder.
"I need to stop by the ship. Change, get Specialist Traynor, check on Baxter. He was injured. Probably gonna be a Tripod dog now."
"Damn. He's a good dog. Will he at least be able to stud?"
"I hope so, otherwise I'm gonna hafta pay for his treatment out of my own damn pocket."
Anderson shook his head, smiling. "C'mon, Commander, let's get you out of here." His expression sobered. "I don't think Doctor T'Soni can wait very long."
"How is he?"
"He'll be fine, Commander." The veterinarian had a British accent, serving as yet another reminder to Shepard that she needed to get Samantha and Adam and get to the hospital as soon as possible.
The vet had treated Baxter in the ship's med bay. "The surgery was successful: the leg was removed at the hip. He'll be able to accept the synthetic replacement as early as tomorrow."
That caught Shepard's attention. "A robot leg? You can do that?"
He chuckled. "Yes. It is far cheaper, and faster, than growing a clone, and has almost as low a chance of rejection as the clone. I understand he won't be able to serve under-cover any longer, but all other functions, military and otherwise, should be restored."
Shepard thought for a moment. "So he'll able to make little Baxters?"
The vet snorted. "Yes, he will be able to procreate, Commander."
"Good. He's a good dog; it would be a shame if we couldn't breed him. It would also make it less likely that the Alliance would pay for the replacement." She eyed him pointedly.
She watched comprehension dawn on the vet's face. "Ah, I see. Well, even if his body rejects it, you can always have a professional collect a sperm sample for breeding purposes."
"Right. Hire someone to jack my dog off. I'll remember that." She smirked, holding out her hand to him. "Doc, I appreciate the help. I can't imagine what kind of pain he went through."
"It's no trouble at all. Now, go, let him rest. He'll wake up later tonight, and you can help me get him to move around a little."
"Sounds like a plan, Doc. Keep me updated on his condition?" At his affirmative nod, she left the med bay and headed for the elevator, intending to hit the Nest. On her way, she called for Samantha.
The door slid open a few minutes later, revealing Samantha and Adam, just as Shepard was sliding her arms into one of her uniform shirts. She indicated a folded uniform on the bed after hugging Adam and asking him to sit quietly for a moment.
"Put that on, then we'll go to the hospital."
Samantha hesitated when she got close enough to see what it was. "… Are you sure? I haven't been enlisted for years."
"You performed your duties admirably today. I had Anderson correct the MIA records for you, and it left you as an active member of the Alliance. You can resign whenever you like, but until you do, you're one of us, Specialist Traynor." A half-smile formed as she finished.
Samantha was awed. She hadn't considered that she would be listed as MIA. She was absolutely touched that Shepard considered her to still be "one of us," as she'd said. "But, I wasn't missing in action – I was on leave, visiting my parents…"
"The slaver raid was an act of terrorism on a Human colony, and you were a member of the Alliance. You were listed MIA, and now you're considered to have been a POW, returned to us." Shepard finished fastening her shirt, fixing her officer's bars to it before coming to stand before Samantha. She placed a hand on each of her lover's shoulders. "You earned it, Samantha. Now, get dressed. I even scrounged up a pair of boots that should fit you. Adam will have to keep being barefoot for now, but I don't think he'll mind. It's not like he's ever worn shoes before…"
"I- Thank you, Jane. Commander. Dammit, what do I call you?"
Shepard smirked. "Call me whatever you want when we're alone. Otherwise, either 'Commander' or 'Shepard.' Or 'Lola,' I guess. James doesn't seem to care who's around when he calls me that." She shrugged. "I'm really kinda laid-back when I'm the most senior officer around. I pull rank when I need to, but it's rare."
Samantha disrobed, putting the uniform on almost reverently. Shepard moved to the couch to sit by Adam, who promptly crawled into her lap. She wrapped her arms around his stomach and buried her face in his hair, filling her nose with the smell that she had come to associate with his warm little body cuddling into hers. She never thought she would be this into cuddling a little kid, and yet here she was, doing just that, of her own volition.
Samantha finished quietly, fastening her boots and straightening her shirt into place. When she looked up, seeing Shepard's face buried in her son's neck, holding him tight, her heart practically melted. She couldn't help it; she went to them, sitting next to them and pulling Shepard, still holding Adam, into her arms. It was a little awkward, but it worked, and they sat like that for a moment, just being together in silence.
Shepard finally pulled away, reluctantly, and stood up, shifting Adam to her hip. "Alright, let's go."
Samantha nodded and took Shepard's offered hand.
"Little Wing, I am so glad that you are well. I feared I would never find you, that you would be dead."
Benezia lay in a hospital bed. The doctors had done everything they could, but the simple fact was that there was no way to recover from the blast she suffered at such close range. She would fall asleep, and her body would shut down. She was given a few hours at most.
Liara, sitting at her bedside, ducked her head, overcome with such conflicting emotions: happiness to be free, to have her mother before her with no ill will between them, but in terrible agony over her impending death. "The very fact that you were looking for me all that time… I do not know what to say. Thank you, Mother."
"You do not need to thank me, Liara. You are my daughter; I could not live without knowing your fate. I am glad I chose the right person to secure your freedom."
Liara's heartbeat quickened. In addition to her conflicting emotions regarding this reunion with her mother, she was also anxious about her unique familial situation. Would her mother approve? Would she acknowledge Adam as a grandchild?
"Much has happened to you, my daughter. Will you not introduce me to the family you seem to have gained?"
Well, that answered that question.
"I would be happy to, Mother. Give me a moment; I do not know if they have returned from the ship." She got up and left the room, heading for the lobby.
She didn't make it all the way there. She passed by a waiting room, glancing inside, and then stopped, intrigued. She saw Shepard's profile, Adam sitting on her shoulders, holding on to her cheeks. She was murmuring softly to another soldier in a similar uniform. It took her a moment to realize that the other soldier was Samantha, and when she did, she was through the door at a run.
She flung herself into Samantha's arms, Samantha barely realizing it was Liara before the woman was weeping into her chest. She watched as Shepard put Adam down and placed one hand on Liara's back. Liara reached behind her blindly, grabbing a fistful of Shepard's tunic and pulling her close. Shepard reached her arms around both of them and held on tightly.
The spell was broken when Adam came up to Liara's side and gently tugged on her pant leg. She pushed away slightly, wiping tears from her cheeks and smiling down at the boy who had come to be family. He reached his arms up wordlessly, and she bent down to pick him up.
"You look quite dashing in your uniform, Samantha," she said, straightening the shirt out with one hand as she held Adam to her hip with the other.
Samantha smiled, stilling Liara's hand and wiping a tear from her face. She moved her hand from Liara's face to Shepard's, now resting on Liara's shoulder, and caressed it. Her family was in front of her, whole and safe, thanks to both of these women.
Liara looked down into Adam's face. "Would you like to meet my mother, Adam?"
Adam considered her for a moment, his head tilted much like Baxter's would be. "Yes," he finally answered, but kept his brow furrowed. "Why are you so sad, Liara?"
"Oh, baby-" Samantha began, but Liara cut her off.
"It is fine, Samantha. If he is going to meet her, then he should know beforehand." She addressed the boy. "My mother was injured quite badly during the fight. She is still alive, but she will not survive. I- I told her that you, Samantha, and Lola are my family, and she asked to meet you."
"Oh." He looked at her a moment, then lunged forward from his seat on her hip, throwing his arms around her neck. He didn't say anything else, but Liara took great comfort from the embrace; not only was he extraordinarily good at hugging, he was also acknowledging what she had said, that they were family.
She took stock a moment, feeling Samantha's hand on her hip, the other on Adam's back. Adam's face was tucked into her shoulder, and Shepard was pressed to Liara's back, her head lowered so they were cheek to cheek, her nose buried firmly in Adam's hair. Her heart swelled, comforting the sadness that was trying to take up permanent residence there. Her thoughts mirrored Samantha's: her family was here, whole and safe.
"We should go," she finally said, taking Samantha's hand with her free one and leading them all through the door.
Shepard pulled back and walked behind the other three, hands clasped behind her back. She was sure Benezia knew of the complicated nature of their relationship, but thought it best to approach the meeting as professionally as possible, given how she had met the woman in the first place.
The walk to the hospital room was quite short. Shepard hesitated at the door, wondering if she should just give them a moment, feeling a little like an intruder. Liara noticed, though, and let go of Samantha to reach for Shepard's hand, pulling her into the room with them.
It was disconcerting to see Benezia like this. The last time Shepard had seen her, the matriarch had been standing tall, looking determined, and radiating power. She still radiated power, despite her weakened state, but she looked so small. She looked nothing like the powerful spiritual lead that she was with her headdress removed, covered only in a hospital gown, lying under a thin hospital blanket. She did look remarkably like Liara with her face showing like that, though, the same markings above her eyes, the same freckle-like markings over her cheeks – almost human. A pain shot through her heart at the sight of the woman.
"Mother, this is… my family." They were all reluctant to voice the things aloud they had shared through their melds, but no one objected, and Benezia had no reaction whatsoever to the declaration. "This is Samantha," Benezia nodded in her direction, a rare smile on her face, "and her- our son, Adam." It was the first time she'd said it aloud. It felt good, right.
"Hello, Little One," Benezia almost whispered, her eyes zeroing in on the small boy in Liara's arms, her smile widening. "I was hoping I could meet you." He said nothing, becoming remarkably shy and burying his face in Liara's shoulder.
Liara just smiled and sat with him on the edge of her mother's bed, letting him be shy. "And this is Jane, though I know you have already met."
Benezia eyed Shepard critically. "Indeed, we have."
"Ma'am," said Shepard, feeling suddenly quite self-conscious and wishing she had something to do with her hands. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I-"
Benezia held up a hand. "Hush. You saved my daughter. And the family I did not know she had. For this I am grateful. I am only sorry that I will not be able to watch you join this family, as it appears you are on the brink of doing."
Shepard blushed, the red hue obvious on her pale skin. When is that gonna stop embarrassing the shit out of me?
Benezia turned to Samantha. "Dear, please, come closer. I would see your face." Samantha stepped closer, and Benezia reached out, cupping her cheek and looking into her eyes. "You are beautiful. I can see why my daughter was drawn to you." She chuckled at Samantha's blush and continued. "Please, tell me about yourself, and your son. I would like to know how my family has expanded."
Shepard listened as Samantha haltingly began her tale. She spoke of her studies while in University, her time in the Alliance, her parents, the colony she grew up on. She spoke of some of Adam's accomplishments, trying desperately to glean over the sadness of the time she'd had with him thus far. Liara's presence helped. The asari told her own stories of the boy, things that had happened while Samantha wasn't around.
While they spoke, Adam slowly got over his shyness, and by the time a half hour had passed he was nuzzling into Benezia, allowing her to hold him to her side much how his mother often did. She smiled down at him from time to time while his two parents spoke with her.
Shepard was just thinking of adding her own tales, about his birthday, and how well he played with Baxter, when her omnitool lit up with an incoming call. She quietly excused herself and stepped out into the hallway, leaving her newfound family to speak with Benezia without her.
She pulled up the screen on her omnitool to find Miranda looking back at her. "What's up, Miranda?"
"I know you're reuniting Liara with her mother, but I found some information for Samantha. As she doesn't have an omnitool yet…"
"Right, gotcha. Can you tell me, or should I go get her?"
Miranda hesitated. "Well, I think it would be best if she were at least with you while I tell her. Will Adam be alright with just Liara and her mother?"
"He's warming up to Benezia. I think he'll be okay with just the two of them for a few minutes. Gimme a minute, yeah?"
Miranda nodded her assent, and Shepard minimized the screen. She walked back into the hospital room and got everyone's attention.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Samantha for just a minute."
Samantha looked immediately to Adam. "Will you be okay without me for a few minutes?"
"Yes, mama," he replied. He appeared happy, cuddling into Benezia's side, letting her hold one of his hands. She didn't seem like the kind of person to indulge in that kind of affection, especially given what Liara had told her about the woman. But she was over the moon that Benezia could consider Adam a grandchild.
She stepped out of the room with Shepard. "What's wrong?" Her eyebrows were knitted in concern.
"I hope nothing. Miranda asked that I get you before she let me know something she found."
She pulled up the screen on her omnitool, bringing Miranda's face back up. It appeared she was caught off guard, as she was bent down, clearly typing away at something, before noticing them and almost jumping in surprise.
"Oh, sorry, Commander. I thought I'd take care of something while you were away…"
"No problem, Miranda. Now, what's up? You've got me in suspense."
"You have Samantha? Ah, yes, hello, Samantha. I have news of your parents." Samantha's eyes went wide, and she gripped Shepard's arm, hard. "They survived the attack on Horizon. They actually remained and helped with the rebuilding. They have a lovely little farm outside the original settlement now."
"Hey, that's great," Shepard exclaimed. She looked over to Samantha, whose grip had no loosened, and saw the tears ready to begin falling. "Alright, Miranda, we'll be back to the ship when we're done here. Don't know how long we'll be. Thank you for the info." And she cut off the call, turning and taking Samantha in her arms.
Samantha cried. And cried. She cried from happiness, and from sadness. She cried for the time she'd been away, how out of the loop she was. She cried for Liara losing her only known parent while she got to keep both of her own. She cried that Adam would get to know her parents. She cried that her parents would have thought her dead for the last five years. She cried that her family, all of it, was whole and safe. She cried to release the tension of five years of captivity, of not knowing anything about anyone she cared about.
She finally pulled back after several minutes of silent, body-wracking sobs, wiping her eyes, feeling suddenly self-conscious. She looked around quickly, but no one seemed to be staring.
"Thank you, Jane," she finally said, trying to pull back all the way. Shepard wouldn't let her, however, keeping her hands loosely on Samantha's shoulders and looking into her eyes.
"You sure you're okay?"
"God, yes, it's great news! I'm just… overwhelmed. My life has completely changed in the last, what, twenty-four hours? It's a lot to process." She sniffed, wishing for a tissue or handkerchief, and immediately finding a red one, produced with a flourish from Shepard's pocket, in front of her. She took it and used it at Shepard's urging. "You really are the perfect gentleman, aren't you?"
"I try," Shepard said with a smirk.
"Well, you are when you aren't naked, anyway," Samantha amended, smiling devilishly as she turned around, Shepard smacking her ass as she stepped away.
The mood in the next room was jovial, but still with an overtone of sadness. This was their first meeting – Liara's first in over a quarter-century – and would be their last meeting. And it was definitely winding down; Benezia was visibly tiring. Liara looked up at Samantha questioningly, but Samantha wasn't sure if she should reveal the news just yet. It seemed unfair, somehow, even if it was no one's fault.
Liara spared her the need to choose. "I think my mother needs solitude now. I would sit The Watch, if you'll let me, Mother?"
Benezia examined her for a moment, then nodded. At Liara's urging, Samantha took Adam and said her goodbyes, Liara accompanying the three of them out into the hall.
"What's going on, Liara?" Samantha's brows were knit in concern once again.
"Mother has agreed that I will sit The Watch with her. It is a rite of my people, to ease the passing of the dying. Before she loses consciousness, we will meld, and I will experience her life, her memories, with her. I will ease her passing, making sure she has no pain as she passes into unconsciousness. It is… an ancient rite. It stretches back in our ancestral memories to when the asari huddled in caves around fires, hunting and gathering for their survival. It is an honor, though most are not usually so young as I the first time they sit The Watch. But she had me late in life, and I am the only child she decided to have." She cupped Samantha's cheek, then looked to Shepard. "I will contact you both when it is done."
Shepard caught one of Liara's hands in her own. "I take it this is a solo thing?" At Liara's nod, Shepard tugged her into an embrace, engulfing the asari in her strong arms and earthy smell.
"We'll make sure you have a quiet place to process if you need it," promised Samantha as they, too, embraced. Then they left, leaving Liara to enter her mother's hospital room alone.
"Come, Little Wing. I can feel my soul longing for the arms of the Goddess…"
Liara's tears came suddenly and silently. She reached out a hand for her mother's as reached out with her mind, feeling Benezia accept her without hesitation. It was a mental embrace of pure warmth and love.
Liara is very small. She cannot move her arms and legs very well, and she feels the frustration at not being able to communicate with the large, warm being who holds her and feeds her.
This was you as an infant, Little Wing. You were so willful, even then. So frustrated at not being able to communicate with me. I think you learned how to control a meld earlier than any other child I have heard of.
She has the curious sensation of watching this moment as she experienced it, and through her mother's eyes. She has never remembered this before; somehow, her mother's memory triggers her own memory of it.
Liara is now watching as her mother takes her to a vast temple. She is still quite young, maybe twenty-five years, barely a teenager by her people's standards. She marvels at the size of the halls she walks through. She again sees and hears through her own awareness, as well as her mother's. She suspects they experience these memories together in the same way.
Many scenes from their shared past are shown to her, though they are somewhat haphazard, not showing in any particular order. Benezia shares her life with her daughter, commenting on each scene as it unfolds. For the first time in her life, there are no barriers between them. Benezia keeps nothing from her daughter, being completely and utterly honest, letting her see events, experience emotions, as truly as she herself experienced them. Liara is utterly spellbound by the enormity of her mother's life.
The scene jumps a final time, and Liara is watching as her mother makes love to another asari. The scene is quite chaste, the two of them participating in the Bond only, their clothing on, conceiving a child that would be doomed to a lonely childhood because of her birthright. She watches as the relationship sours, as her mother's belly swells, until they finally part ways permanently, her mother going into labor mere days later. Benezia regrets the split, even if she agrees that it was the correct course of action. She does not regret the child, however, no matter how much those around her think she should.
A name accompanies the memory of Liara's father, and a hope that she will look for the other asari.
Her mother's light fades, and she takes control of the meld, easing her mother into unconsciousness before backing out of the meld as gently as possible.
She had a name now; a name, and her mother's dying approval to find the woman. It might take some time, but she would find the asari who had loved her mother so, and fill the hole she had always had in her heart.
Shepard was trying desperately not to fidget. Samantha didn't know how she could tell, but she could.
She stood holding Adam on her hip, the boy wearing khaki slacks, a while polo shirt, and black dress shoes. He hated them. He had never walked around in shoes before, and he kept trying to take them off when no one was looking, hence her holding him now instead of him standing beside her.
She wore a sundress that stopped at her knees. It was white, flowing, clinging just close enough to her form to show a hint of what lie underneath. She wore sandals on her feet, and her hair was pulled back loosely, a white fascinator tucked in where the tie held her hair in place.
"She is incredibly uncomfortable," observed Liara. She wore a long, flowing white gown, the color incredible against the blue of her skin. As far as Samantha was concerned, she was the most stunning creature in the room.
The asari had recovered well from the death of her mother, though she was obviously not done mourning. She had shared the information about her father with both Samantha and Shepard the night before, and planned to start looking for her soon. For now, though, they stood in the Council chambers with the rest of the Alliance personnel on the station, and anyone else who could get admittance, watching Shepard's somewhat speedy induction into the Spectres.
Shepard had tried to beg out of the ceremony, ending up compromising with a bare-bones, fifteen-minute ceremony that was open to the public. It was now winding down.
"Yes," Samantha responded, shifting Adam to her other hip so she could slide an arm around Liara's waist. They were not used to being this affectionate in public, and both found that, while they were self-conscious about it still, they reveled in being able to touch and comfort each other without having to look over their shoulders. They still did look over their shoulders – habits are not broken in the course of a day or two – but the fact that it was unneeded made both their hearts lighter.
"Lola never did like the spotlight," commented James, who stood in jeans and a button-front shirt, arm loosely around Steve's shoulder.
"And she hates under-cover ops. What does she like, then," asked Steve, who was dressed similarly to James, looking more at-ease than Samantha or Liara had ever seen him.
James chuckled. "Honestly? I think the only thing she likes is shooting her guns and riding her horses. Well, that and f- uh… you two ladies," he finished quickly, wincing at the glare Samantha fixed on him.
"If you plan on spending any time around my son, Diego, then I suggest you learn to school your tongue," Samantha reprimanded, bringing a genuine laugh from everyone surrounding them.
It was quite a party, really. Miranda stood close-by, along with Jack, who, despite her professed hatred of the woman, hadn't been seen outside of her company since the counterattack on the Tower the day before. EDI's matter-of-fact report on their altercation – and subsequent shag on Miranda's desk – over the stolen bra made it pretty clear why. Garrus and Tali stood hand-in-hand, Doctor Chakwas and the rest of the Normandy's crew, including Joker, spread out around them all. Ashley stood with Kaidan at the outskirts of the group, whispering things in his ear that kept making him laugh quietly. If Samantha didn't know any better, she would guess that Ashley had her eye on him.
Liara spoke up after a few minutes. "Steve, what will you do now that you are no longer captive?"
"I don't know, Liara. I mean, I plan on visiting this lug," and he rubbed James' belly affectionately, "whenever I can. But I have some things to take care of. I was in the Alliance before I was captured, and my parents were on Earth at the time. I don't know where they are now, what they've done in the interim."
"That is our plan, as well," Liara said with a nod. "Miranda found Samantha's parents, and we intend to visit them as soon as we can."
"Hey, that's great! I know you've worried about them a lot."
Samantha nodded. "Yes, it was a relief to learn they're alive, and thriving, no less! I just wish it could be like that… well…"
"Samantha, stop, I will be fine," Liara said sternly. "Right now it is a time to celebrate. Look!"
Shepard was saluting Anderson and the Council, and not a moment after Liara brought their attention forward, Shepard turned and saluted them all, unable to keep the grin from her face. All of the Alliance personnel in the room saluted her back, a chorus of cheers rising through the room, drowning out the announcement that she was now, officially, the first Human Spectre.
One Week Later
The boy squealed in excitement.
"She sure does love him."
Samantha smiled, looking out over the yard to the lake that sat on her parents' property. "Yes. She does."
She watched Shepard tickle Adam once again, then scoop him up and run along the dock for the water. He giggled in her arms, squealing again as she tossed him into the water. He landed with a splash next to Liara, Shepard diving in a moment later. They were teaching him how to swim, and had discovered that he loved it when Shepard launched him into the water like this.
"You said that he has a grown sister?"
Samantha turned around to face her mother, who sat on the porch of her house with one hand petting Baxter's head. The dog whined; he could not go swimming in the lake because his cybernetic leg was far too new, having only been installed a week before. Once he was used to it, his therapy done, it could have a permanent waterproof casing installed, but until then, it needed to remain open for adjustments to be made to the hardware as he grew accustomed to it. It could get wet, but for now it could not be submerged.
"Yes. Two, actually. It's… complicated, how they're related to him, but their father was the man who… purchased me."
"I see." Her mother grew silent, contemplative, watching Shepard, Liara, and Adam play in the water. Samantha came to sit next to her mother after several minutes, taking her hand and looking earnestly into her face.
"Mum, we can talk about it, you know. It was painful, but a lot of happiness came from it, too."
"It's just… unimaginable, happening to my only baby," her mother murmured, her eyes gathering moisture that she tried desperately to not let fall. "I do not know how I would handle it…"
"Well, I am handling the best I can. I have the most wonderful child I could ask for, and two women who I know love both of us very much. I know it's unorthodox, but this is my family, Mum. It grew out of adversity, and gave me strength when I thought I would never have any ever again."
"Oh, Samantha, do you think I disapprove? This isn't the Victorian Era; I have no qualms with your unorthodox family. I just find it difficult to talk about the other part…"
"My captivity? I understand. I have a hard time, as well. But I gained my family out of it – it is our history. If Adam can process something like that, then I think we'll all be okay."
Her mother smiled. "If you say so. I imagine it will just take some time to get used to. A week ago, we still thought you were dead, after all."
"Yes, you should be easier on yourself, Mum."
Her mother smiled again. "I will try. Now, come." She sniffed and wiped her cheeks. She'd managed to hold back most of the tears. "We should help your father with dinner if we want to eat before it gets dark."
She followed her mother into their new home, letting the feeling of home, of family, wash over her as the sounds of her new family came to her from outside.
Yes, she was home, for what felt like the first time.