A/N: This was an alternate scene concerning Shepard's parents before I made up the story about her kidnapping. I still really like this story and I figured you might want to read it. This was a project to try to really show emotion and a very descriptive scene. So tell me if you actually felt something while reading, because that's what I was trying to go for… hopefully I succeeded… And this takes place after the destruction of the Collector Base. I really poured my heart into the story, I tried to draw on all the times I have lost someone I love, and this came out. I think I did a pretty good job, and if you guys could review this chapter, even if you don't review, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to know how I did, as well as putting emotion into the story. This is also the longest chapter so far, just around 8 pages.

It was inspired by the song Daddy's Gone by Glaveglas, seriously, I got to stop listening to the Chuck soundtrack, it's too awesome.

Shepard and Miranda walked the streets on London, heading to her parent's apartment. The sun was just about to set in the distance but still casted rays over the streets and buildings above their heads, making everything have a beautiful ominous glow.

The blonde woman fiddled with her tags, "Did my mother mention why she wanted to see me?"

Miranda shook her head, "No, she didn't. Do you think everything's okay?"

"It's not like her to not give a reason," Miranda could almost feel the worry in her voice. It was even unlike Shepard to wear the uniforms Cerberus provided. She wore white cargo pants tucked into her boots, a gray v-neck shirt with the Cerberus insignia printed on the breast, and her dog tags she had gotten from Liara around her neck, even though they were almost unreadable under the burn marks.

As they came to the apartment, Shepard opened the door, "Mom? Dad? Hello?"

The lights in the apartment were dim, and a woman sat on the couch. She had her hands folded in her lap and had a sad look on her face. It took a moment for Shepard to realize it was her mother.

She quickly walked over, Miranda following in stride, "Mom? What are you doing sitting in the dark?" The lights from outside the window came through, reflecting through a glass of liquor on the table. Shepard was slightly uncomfortable from the same light that only lit part of her face, the other half covered in shadows.

The woman looked up, "Sidney, honey, sit down." The daughter responded quickly, but Miranda remained standing, suddenly uncomfortable.

"And of course… Miranda is free to stay if you want her to."

Sidney looked over, nodding. Miranda sat down, and in the darkness between the two, their hands found each other, fingers intertwining.

"Mom… please, tell me what's wrong."

"Your father…"

Shepard's face turned pale, "Dad? What's wrong? Where is he?"

"He's passed, darling."

The blonde gave a weak laugh, "No, no. You're kidding; he was only in his sixties. You're kidding. He has another 90 years!"

Her mother looked up, "I'm not… Sidney, he's gone."

"…what happened?" She asked weakly.

"He was murdered. They haven't caught the person responsible… but they know whoever it is, has connections to Cerberus somehow."

Shepard ran both hands through her hair, "Shit…"

"He had a whole stash of things he saved for you… I put them in bags for you to take with you."

The blonde woman stood up, "Th…Thank you for doing this in person before the press get news of this."

"You should come see where he's at… you know, at the cemetery."

After seeing the sadness in her mother's eyes she agreed, "I'll be back to see. Soon." She grabbed the bag at the door and left, she had nothing to say, not even to Miranda who she ignored all the way back to the Normandy.

Miranda sat at her desk, but there was no hope of doing any work while constantly worrying about Sheaprd. She hadn't come out her cabin in the last two days, and refused to see anyone. She was snapped out of her trance when EDI came over her intercom.

"Operative Lawson, there is a commotion in the Captain's Quarters. I've detected sounds of shattering glass, I suggest as her XO you make sure she's alright."

The brunette pulled on her boots, "I'll be right up there."

Shepard finally walked over to the bag that had sat and mocked her for the past twenty four hours. While she would normally, carefully pull out the items inside, she instead grabbed the bottom dumping out the two rather large duffel bags.

As her eyes took in the contents, the tears fled from her eyes even heavier.

Miranda quickly hacked the door, gaining entrance. When she came up, she was startled by the disarray of the cabin. Papers, clothes, broken glass, as well as a wealth of empty alcohol containers littered the floor. Shepard stood with her back to Miranda, not even noticing she had come in.

She looked up to see Shepard's prized Superman action figure clutched in her hand, and just as she caught a glimpse of it, Shepard threw it harshly at the wall behind her bed.

"Shepard!" Miranda called out as her Commander slipped, falling onto the floor. She landed face up, and the brunette saw her eyes were bloodshot and her clothes torn. Her hair was in disarray and she looked like a mess.

Just as she came near, Shepard managed to get herself up, obviously drunk. She pushed Miranda back, "I don't want to see you! Get the hell out of here!"

She felt a sting from Shepard's words but refused, "No, you need to calm down."

"Calm down? My father's dead, and you're telling me to calm down!" Shepard slung the models from above her desk down onto the ground. Some skidded across the floor, while others literally broke into shards upon impact.

Miranda grabbed her wrist, "This destructive behavior isn't going to help anything; it's not going to bring your father back." She instantly regretted the words as they slipped out of her mouth.

Shepard gave her a hard shove, almost making Miranda lose her balance.

"Leave me the fuck alone, Miranda!" Shepard almost screamed.

She tried to come back to the woman, "Look, Shepard, I didn't-"

"You Cerberus slut! Get. The. Fuck. Away!"

When the words reached her eardrum, Miranda had to try hard to hold back her tears, "Goddamn it, Shepard. I don't even work for Cerberus anymore…" that was all she could mutter before leaving the room.

Though, Miranda never left the hallway outside Shepard's door. She waited for hours until the screams and sounds of breaking glass had ceased for a few hours. She finally got the courage to go back into the room. By this time it was well into the night, and Shepard was lying in the corner her face buried in one knee with the other leg extended.

When Miranda knelt down, Shepard looked up at her and she suddenly regretted leaving her alone, even if it was for just a few hours. The woman looked utterly exhausted, but the type of exhausted where it was just simply impossible for sleep to come. Even after hours, the tears still streamed down her face.

When she outstretched her arms to Shepard, the commander eagerly took them. Without even a hitch, Miranda lifted her up carrying her into the bathroom as she helped her into a bath. She thought maybe a little soak would allow for sleep to come to her. Shepard sat quietly in the water, barely moving.

As Miranda folded her clothes, even though they had multiple rips in them, she found a small folded piece of paper. It looked old, it had to have been folded multiple times. She carefully opened it to find a picture. A small blonde girl stood dressed up as Supergirl in a fighting stance with a playfully serious face on. Behind her stood a tall man, who had a thick mass of brown hair on his head. He looked young, maybe in his mid-thirties. She instantly knew it was Sidney.

When she turned around, Shepard looked at her, obviously wanting something. Her gaze fell on the paper in her hand, "You want to see this?" Shepard nodded, and dried her hands before taking it in her hands. She stared at it as her tears started again.

For the first time she spoke up, "…daddy's gone." It was a small, child-like voice.

As Adkin Shepard closed an issue of Superman: Man of Steel, he looked down at the small girl in the bed beside him. Her green eyes stared at him, and he was taken back at how a daughter so beautiful came from him. She must take after her mother.

"Oh, Daddy, can't we read more? You can't leave it there; I want to know what happens!"

He shook his head, "Not tonight, darling. If your mother knew I had you up this way reading comics, I'd be in big trouble. Luckily, she's out of town, and doesn't have to know, right?" He winked and laughed softly as the girl tried to return the gesture but only had success in blinking both eyes.

He ran his fingers through her blonde hair as she spoke up, "I hope I can find a Superman one day! Or Clark Kent. I'll call him either, whatever he wants me to. I just want him to save me like he does Lois Lane. She's so pretty."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," and he knew as soon as she entered her teen years, she wouldn't have to worry about boys noticing her at all. He wasn't looking forward to that. With that, his daughter snuggled down into his chest, closing her eyes.

"Do you want Daddy to sleep in here tonight?"

She nodded, "Mhm, I can't sleep without my Superman."

He smiled, as he pulled off his boots, lying down beside his daughter. The small girl quickly found her spot in the crook of her neck. She smiled as she fell quickly into sleep.

Shepard stared at the picture, snapping out of her memory. Miranda sat scrubbing her hair, trying to wash the long locks of blonde. When she was done, she helped Shepard out of the tub and into her bedroom. She seemed numb, not the same numb from alcohol, but she felt disconnected from her body.

When she lay down, staring at the ceiling, she blinked slowly while staring at the stars.

"Sidney, it's time that you stop all of this and get us back on track." Her father's words echoed in her head as she sat in her room. It was true, her schooling ended in a month and what had she done? Barely pass every class she'd ever been to and snuck out on frequent occasion. She felt like her parents were embarrassed to have her as a daughter.

At the moment she had no idea what she was going to do, she already knew college wasn't for her. But there didn't seem like any alternatives. She sighed, turning on her computer. As she browsed , an ad popped up.

Systems Alliance

We are Humanity. Make a Difference.

Visit Your Local Recruitment Center.

Shepard felt a sudden surge of excitement as took in the picture of a company of soldiers standing ready for duty. She quickly searched for the nearest center in London.

The silence was deafening around the usually loud Shepard family dinner table. Sidney took a small bite of her green beans, trying to read her parents. It was her last night at home, early in the morning she was departing on a ship to train at the Alliance Academy. She was excited, that was to be certain, but it was hard to leave her home behind. She loved London, and it was comfortable, making it even harder to board a cold ship and train for a military life. But it was what she had to do.

When Shepard came into her father's office that night, it seemed foreign and awkward. As if she was already gone, and was now a ghost snooping around her house. He looked up, "Sidney?"

"Mom… She doesn't want me to leave, does she?"

He took off his glasses, "No… But you know her, she can't let go of her little girl."

She twiddled her thumbs, and her father sat down beside her, "Are you having second thoughts? You don't have to do this darling…"

She leaned back, "I do, you don't understand, but I do."

"Then explain. Don't leave without saying everything that needs to be. I've made that mistake."

Shepard sighed, looking over at her father, then walked over to the ceiling to floor windows out at London.

"It's just… the name Shepard. It carries a lot of weight. Everyone that came before me, did at least something great. But I've done nothing, I don't deserve my name. And more importantly," she leaned her forehead on the glass, "I have to make you proud… I want to be a daughter you want to acknowledge in public…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Sidney… You've always made me proud. You're my Supergirl. You deserve everything in this galaxy, there's no need to prove anything."

She wrapped her arms around her father, "I love you, Dad."

He patted her head, "I love you too. Here, I have something for you."

Shepard took the figure; it was her father's favorite replica of Superman.

"If I can't be there, then Clark will keep you company on your ship." He gave a weak smile.

"…Thanks. I'm sure he will be."

And until now, that same figure had sat on her shelf. The same one she threw in rage at the wall. As she lied in her bed Miranda walked around, straightening up, all the while picking up the Superman memorabilia that was strayed across the floor. Comics, action figures, as well as drawings Shepard had made as a child scattered the floor. She found a datapad that had every news article, picture, or snippet of a story that Shepard was mentioned in. When she flipped it over, a square of paper was taped to the bottom. She pulled it off, opening it up. It was addressed to Shepard.

"Shepard… There's a note, I think it might be from your father…" Miranda turned around, and Shepard quickly sat up. She quickly opened it, but the effects of her binge drinking still remained, she could hardly make out words. She weakly looked up at the brunette sitting in a nearby chair, "C…Can you read this for me?"

Miranda nodded, taking it from her hands and began to read softly and smoothly.

November 24th, 2186

Dear Sidney,

I went to the doctor today; he told me if I didn't lay back on the potato chips I was going to have a heart attack. Needless to say, your mother removed all of them from the house immediately. I know I really should take better care of myself, but I do have a weakness for them. And I think he meant much farther in the future… maybe I can convince your mother. But it did get me thinking, about… well when I do finally kick the bucket. Not saying that's any time soon! God no, let's hope not. But on the other hand, if something did happen, I couldn't imagine leaving you empty handed without a goodbye, so I decided to write this. On paper. It seemed more sentimental than a typed note on a datapad. Maybe it's just me. I'm not going to send this, this is just if… I check out earlier than thought. I know you're on an important mission, and you shouldn't be bothered with this, so this is just a countermeasure.

Anyways, you said you were heading into the Omega 4 Relay soon, and I'm not going to lie, it scares me. But if anyone can get back, I know it's you. Your mother's worried sick, and we're waiting eagerly for your return, it's kind of the elephant in the room right now. But that's enough about deep space daring doom, I want to tell you something. I know about Kaidan. I contacted an asari by the name of Liara T'Soni, she served on the first Normandy, right? She told me all about you two. I'm not upset, I'm sure there was a reason you didn't tell us. I respect that. I also learned he was Killed In Action on Virmire. I… I'm sorry, Sidney. You should've come to me, but it's alright. You seem okay now… but this Miranda woman. You care about her, don't you? I'm not going to get into your affairs, but… Like I said, don't leave things unsaid, alright? I hope you won't. She cares about you, it's very subtle, but after being a lawyer for so long, you learn to read people, no matter how hard their shell is. I hope you two find some happiness. From what I've learned about Miranda, she deserves it… yes, T'Soni told me about her too.

And… One more thing. You've done me proud, Sidney. I don't think I could ask for a better daughter. Not just because of Saren, or Sovereign, or your bravery now… Because of the woman you've come to become. You're doing the best for the galaxy because you are the only one who is willing to help no matter what.

As Superman once said:

It's not about where you were born. Or what powers you have. Or what you wear on your chest.

It's about what you do… It's about action!

Signing Your Superman (even though I seem pale in comparison to you now),

Daddy

PS: I love you. You really are Supergirl now.

When Miranda finished, her own eyes were wet. She had never had a father who cared about her. Her father wanted a dynasty, not a daughter to show the galaxy to… not like Shepard's father. She folded the note back, and walked over to Shepard who still stared at the picture from a Halloween past.

Miranda wrapped an arm around her, and Shepard leaned into her neck.

The sky was gray and a slight drizzle fell as the stood in front of a tombstone marked with the name Adkin Shepard. Miranda stood with her coat on, watching from a few feet behind as Shepard stood at the foot of her father's grave.

"Hi, Daddy," her voice was low, just barely audible to Miranda's fine-tuned hearing.

"I got your letter, thank you. I think it really helped me… along with all those action figures." She giggled a bit, "It's weird, being here without you. And I don't know what to say, so I wrote a letter to you, you can read it when you want. I brought some lilies too; I remember when you used to take me to pick them. I miss that." She set down the flower with the letter.

"You know, when I ran into that base, my thoughts were on you and Mom. I wanted to be your hero, but now I see that I was fooling myself, because your mine. You always will be. You're my Superman, not matter what happens." Shepard pulled her coat tighter around her, a slight breeze had picked up.

She took a deep breath, "I guess this is our goodbye, but it doesn't seem like it. It seems like you're here with me. And if you are, don't worry about me. I've got someone to look after me. You remember Miranda right? You know, the tight ass in the catsuit?" She laughed, she could almost feel Miranda scowling behind her.

"She's a lot softer than she looks. And I know that she's going to be there for me no matter what."

She intertwined her fingers, "I don't know what else to say. I feel like I should have some perfect speech, but I don't. I guess you'll have to do with that… I love you, Dad."

As she walked away, a few tears spilled out of her eyes. Miranda welcomed her with open arms as Shepard wrapped her arms, hugging her hard as she rested her head on Miranda's shoulder.

"He's gone."

This time she didn't sound upset, or angry, or like she was asking a question. She had accepted it.

He was gone.