A/N: Yes, I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but fortunately RL is much calmer so there should be some more updates following this one. Miya Shaefer is my friend PiperSqueaks' FemShep and is featured in two of my gift fics for her, and will be in this story starting in Ch 37. To get her and Elissa's full history, start reading Piper's story Survival of the Fittest: N-School.

Joker tapped his fingers nervously on the metal tabletop, glancing once again at the covered medbay windows, a pattern he had been repeating for nearly five hours. Earlier this morning Chakwas had determined that Elissa's vitals were finally strong enough that they could operate and repair the damage done by the polonium round. Needless to say he had argued with the doctor, especially after she had listed off the risks involved with this particular procedure, claiming that the risk was too great and her condition too fragile. Hannah had had to step in when she heard the shouting and physically removed him from the room, telling Chakwas and Quaes that they had her permission to perform the procedure and that was the end of that.

Now he sat here waiting, hardly moving from his position and his body was making it abundantly clear that it was not enjoying the stillness. Various crew members trickled in slowly, going about their work or asking him how he was doing or stopping by to see if there was any word on Elissa's condition. He answered none of their questions. He was not being rude, not really, he just did not know himself and to even think that something might have gone wrong was too much to bear. Instead he sat there in silence, waiting for the moment when Chakwas would emerge with the fate changing news. The number of times he had sat waiting for news about her he could not count on both hands, but the pain had always been the same, even when they had just been friends. Joker had been completely accurate when he had told Hannah that the worst part was the waiting, but he had left out the feeling of being trapped in purgatory, not knowing which outcome they would get. They had of course been lucky with Elissa and usually received the best news, though there was always a catch. He hoped this time there would not be a catch and they could just move on, but in his heart, he knew he would not be so lucky.

There was one consolation prize gained from this whole mess: Miranda. Liara had revealed her as a traitor and she was currently sitting in the AI core behind an impenetrable forcefield with limited contact with the other crew. It was not like she desired interaction anyway, from what he had seen on the camera, she just mainly sat on the bench or slept and if when a crew member did enter to give her dinner, she accepted it without a word. What she was thinking Joker could only guess, but he hoped she was slowly being eaten up by her guilt for what she had done, what damage she had caused them. During these last hours and the ones before, he had gone over every single problem that had happened to them since leaving Vancouver and he could not help but blame her for everything. He knew better than to outright blame Miranda for everything that had happened, but it was easier than to think anything else right now. Better to blame the enemy he knew.

Speaking of the enemy he knew, out of the corner of his eye his saw James walking up from over near the elevator, several data pads in hand and a slight frown on his face. These last few days had not been easy on him and secretly, Joker was glad. Now he finally was getting a taste of what being in charge meant and he was not doing as well as Elissa had probably hoped. It was not like he had led them to a star about to go supernova or anything, he was just not handling the smaller details as well as Elissa had, mostly the paperwork was getting to him. When they had first been starting out on the SR-1, Joker remembered that Elissa had spent many late nights sitting in the co-pilot's chair with a stack of data pads and an electric tablet, barely being done before her next shift started. From what Liara had told him, James' pile of paperwork was never completely done, often having a few left from one day to add to the next day's pile. Hackett was sending regular reports and expecting almost immediate updates on their current situation, there were of course Alliance threats from the new brass officials, same went for the Council, and then there were the Normandy reports about upkeep and supplies and shift approvals. Joker could not help but smirk as he thought about all the weight James was struggling under, to him it was a small victory for his betrayal.

"Hey, Joker," said James coldly as he approached. "Any word?"

Joker rolled his eyes. "Lieutenant, if there was anything to report to you, wouldn't EDI have already told you? And it's Flight Lieutenant Moreau to you."

He could tell James was trying not to snap back but it was difficult for him. "Point taken, Flight Lieutenant Moreau. And if you continue with your insubordination, you will be put on temporary leave in order to adjust your attitude."

"I'll do you one better, I quit!" shouted Joker. "As soon as Ellie's better just drop us off on New Canton and leave us the fuck alone! I'd rather be a shuttle pilot again than see my ship and her crew under your stolen command!"

James looked like a bull ready to charge but he managed to keep himself together. "I know this is difficult for you, Jeff, but you can't keep doing this to yourself or to the rest of us. We all love Lola and want to see her alive and well, but we know we can't just sit here and wait. We have to keep moving on, no matter how much we want to otherwise."

"Did you come down here for a reason or just to lord your superiority over me again?" asked Joker sharply, not about to let James see how his words affected him.

"Yes," said James with an edge to his voice. "You received a message, I thought you might like to read it." He offered one of the data pads to Joker who took it without breaking eye contact.

"You didn't read it?" asked Joker.

"Why would I? It wasn't addressed to me," replied James cooly then he turned on his heel and headed back to the elevator.

Joker watched his retreating form with some satisfaction then turned his attention to the data pad with the message already loaded. The name of the sender made his stomach flip, it was someone he had not heard from for a while.

To: Flight Lieutenant Jeffery Moreau

From: 1st Lieutenant Miya Schaefer

Joker,

I just heard what happened to Lizzie and I have to say: Why the fuck wasn't I contacted sooner!? I am her best friend (besides you) and you didn't even send me a message that you were going off on another adventure! And now she's been shot! You better have a good explanation for all of this before we meet up on NC, or I will personally kick your brittle bone ass all the way to Earth! Okay, rant over, now I have to ask: How are the two of you really? Hackett's filled me in on what I missed while I was on that recon mission, your arrest, your imprisonment, escape, what happened on Omega, etc. I know her and I know you, and I really know that she's not handling this as well as everyone else thinks, especially her dishonorable discharge. You, on the other hand, are stronger than you let on so I know you're weathering this storm pretty well. I hope Kaidan's taking care of her, and EDI's looking after you and if they're not . . . well you should know me well enough by now to know exactly what I'll do.

My love to both of you,

Miya

Joker reread the letter at least ten times before it finally sank in: Miya was coming back and Elissa had been discharged from the Alliance. Their mutual best friend from before their adventures against Saren and Sovereign was going to be on board once again and Elissa was no longer Commander of the Normandy. He knew he had to tell James, let him know his position might be a bit more permanent than they had originally thought, but he could not bring himself to do it. There was no way he could swallow his pride and tell James that he was the new Commander of the Normandy after the fit he had thrown when he first took the position. That job would be reserved exclusively for Elissa, once she was better.

'This day just keeps getting better and better,' thought Joker miserably as he put the data pad back down on the table, his eyes firmly glued on the medbay, waiting for any signs that Chakwas was finally done with the procedure. The windows remained covered and the doctor had still not emerged.

"Jeff," called Hannah as she entered the mess, her appearance looking less than its usual military perfection. "Any changes?"

He shook his head. "None in the last hour, Hannah."

Hannah sighed and sat down beside him, running her fingers through her short hair. In the limited light Joker saw a few strands of silver mixed in with the red-brown ones, the only real sign that she was as old as her file said she was.

"God, I hate this waiting," she muttered under breath. "Steven's a wreck as well."

"How do you figure?" asked Joker as he reached into his pocket and extracted Elissa's engagement ring. He held it between his index and thumb, just staring at it.

"He's asking for hourly updates," she said quietly, "he only does that when Elissa's the one on the operating table." She slammed her fist down on the table as tears slid down her cheeks. "Damn it, why does it have to be her? Why my baby girl?!"

Joker suddenly felt very selfish. Yes, Elissa was the love of his life but she was also this woman's little girl, her whole world.

"I'm sorry, Hannah," he said, putting his free hand over her still clenched fist while the other slipped Elissa's ring back into his pocket. "I know this is hard for you."

Hannah looked over at him and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you, Jeff."

"Anytime, Hannah," he said quietly, squeezing her hand. "You're going to be my mother-in-law soon enough, we might as well get used to these kinds of meetings."

"Maybe not for much longer," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Steven told me about her . . . dishonorable discharge." She said the last words with a tone that suggested they were poison on her tongue.

He could tell this conversation would not go well no matter how he approached it, so he decided a different tactic. "We're getting a new crew member once we land on New Canton."

"Who is it this time?" asked Hannah slightly irritated.

"Oh, no one you know," said Joker, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Unless you know Miya Schaefer."

Hannah stared at him wide-eyed. "Miya's coming back? Are you sure?"

Joker nodded and slid the data pad over to her. "Read it for yourself."

Immediately she opened the letter and her eyes scanned the words, a small smile stretching across her lips. "She's really coming back," she said after a few minutes of silence. "I can't wait, it's been way too long since we've seen her."

"I know," agreed Joker. "Last time we saw her, she was helping Elissa across the stage to receive her Medal of Honor. Which, given how short she is, was a feat worthy of a medal. Then she went on that recon mission near Batarian space to make sure the Reapers weren't coming back and to bring back some debris from where that lab had been on the asteroid. This is the first we've heard from her since then."

"Guess she did her job," said Hannah a slight lilt in her voice as she thought about the woman who was like her second daughter. "I wonder how she knew where we were going and where Hackett is?"

"I might have let it slip," said Liara as she entered from her room, Talissa bundled in her arms. Joker and Hannah turned around and just stared at her, though silently prompting her to continue. "You see, I knew we'd need more help after Miranda was discovered, so I sent a message to Miya telling her to speak with Hackett."

"Wait a minute," said Joker, raising an eyebrow. "She actually listened to you? To you?" He found this oddly suspicious, given Liara and Miya's past history.

Liara nodded though she did not look as confident as she normally did. "All I told her was Shepard's in trouble and Hackett has the answers and where she could find him."

Joker smirked. "You told her through one of your associates, didn't you?"

"I-I might have," she said hesitantly, Talissa squirming in her arms.

"Did you tell her about Ali?" asked Joker, pointing at the little blue baby.

Liara held her daughter tighter in her arms, a slight frown on her lips and her brow creased. "That didn't seem relevant at the time. Besides, the fewer people who know about Ali, the better."

"Fine, fine," said Joker dismissively. "Just don't expect rainbows and hugs when Miya meets her."

"Should I expect gunfire and hostility?" asked Liara haughtily.

"Hostility for damn sure," laughed Joker, surprised that he was still able to after these last few days. "And give Miya some credit, yeah she can be a bitch and a bit hotheaded, but she'd never kill a child and she loves all of us like family."

Liara seemed to relax some after Joker spoke. "You're right, Joker. I shouldn't have reacted that way. For all of Miya's faults, she's still an incredible woman and doesn't deserve to be spoken of that way."

Joker bit back a smart remark, now was not the time to tease her about knowing exactly how incredible of a woman Miya is. "Do you have anything else on Miranda?" he asked, deciding they had lingered on pleasant topics for too long. Secretly, he had asked her to go through Miranda's life after they defeated the Collectors, thinking there was something they might have missed. He hoped he was right.

"Well, I have something but I'm not sure of its relevance," said Liara nervously when she saw Joker's eyes flash dangerously. "It has to do with her time working with Expanding Our Borders, the missionary she was part of."

"What is it?" asked Hannah, instantly putting back the mask of stoic admiral.

"She used an alias, calling herself Miranda Shepard, a niece of Hannah's," replied Liara and when she saw Joker and Hannah's faces she pressed ahead. "Shepard had already given her permission to use her surname, I was told as I was the one who set up the fake documents to confirm Miranda's story."

"Why was this type of secrecy needed?" asked Joker, his eyes narrowed.

"She wanted to do work on Horizon, and given her father's . . . involvement in the colony's destruction, she thought it best not to have the surname of Lawson," replied Liara calmly. "Not only to protect herself but also Oriana and her adopted parents."

"When did she stop working for this missionary?" asked Hannah, thinking critically on everything Liara was telling them.

Liara thought for a moment before speaking. "I'm not really sure, I just know that sometime during June or July on Earth a shuttle returned to Washington D.C with her on it and she never got back on to return to Horizon."

"It was July," said Joker with conviction.

"How do you know?" asked Hannah.

"Because that was when James went on his bender," replied Joker sharply and the two women looked at him. "Ellie didn't tell me much, but I do know that he went to D.C and when he got back he nearly killed himself with bourbon and tequila. Something tells me he knows more than he's letting on and I bet you my hat it involves Miranda."

"You might be right, Jeff, but we can't jump to any conclusions," warned Hannah, emphasizing the importance of discretion without saying anything further. "Right now he's in a position of power and he might not realize that he's just as guilty as Miranda is, we need to be wary."

Joker groaned and took his hat off his head, balling it up in his hands before stopping himself, knowing this was not the answer. "We need a plan," he said quietly. "We need to trick James into revealing what really happened when he went to D.C."

Hannah nodded. "While I agree, we aren't in the position to do anything," she said softly. "We need Elissa and we need things to go back to normal before we stir the pot anymore, otherwise our claims might just be taken as hearsay and not as actual fact."

"Fine," said Joker reluctantly. "Liara, continue to dig into that lead about the missionary, we need anything else that might be relevant to show Elissa when she wakes up."

"Of course," said Liara and she kissed her daughter's head as she slumbered. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go down to engineering and speak with Tali about something of minor concern."

"What's the concern?" asked Joker casually.

"Oh, our room's a little colder than I'd like it to be for Talissa," replied Liara as she tightened the blanket Talissa was in more securely. "Anyway, let me know if something happens with Shepard."

"You know I will," said Joker with a small smile and then he turned back to Hannah. "I still don't like this, it feels like back when we worked with Cerberus, when we couldn't trust anyone but the crew we knew personally. Miya and Ellie made it a point not to discuss anything important with the Cerberus crew for the first few weeks, and now I can see why."

Hannah gave him a tired smile. "Joker, honey, that was only a precautionary measure until a more solid foundation for trust could be formed. I taught them that when they first got back from N training, knowing they'd probably be in that position someday."

Joker sighed and rested himself on the table, the cold metal a stark contrast to his hot skin. "This really sucks, Hannah."

She sighed as well and rubbed his back with the flat of her hand. "I know, Jeff, I know."

They stayed like that for another couple of hours, neither one speaking about anything, just enjoying the silence. Like the calm before the storm.

The doors to the medbay opened at last and out walked Chakwas still in her scrubs, some blood splattered on her smock but nothing like it had been when she had stopped Elissa's gunshot wound from the polonium round. Hannah was the first to notice the doctor and she gently shook Joker's shoulder.

"Jeff," Hannah said and his head shot up from the table.

He tried to read the doctor's expression but it was impassive and his stomach was instantly filled with what felt like a million butterflies. "Chakwas, is she . . . should we . . . ?" he could barely get the words out, the thoughts associated with them preventing him.

Chakwas stopped in front of the table and took off her face mask. "The procedure was a success." Instantly the mood changed in the room. "We went through and checked to see what still needed to be repaired, which was surprisingly minimal given the extent of initial damage done to her body systems. We repaired the injury in her thigh, which was what took longest and is the source of most of this," she said, indicating her smock. "With that taken care of and on the mend, we administered another round of potassium iodide and brought her out of the anesthesia."

"Does that mean she's alive?" asked Joker breathlessly.

"Yes," replied Chakwas with a kind smile. "She's alive and doing amazingly well. We've taken her off of all the life support machines, everything's working at nearly optimum levels. There's even a substantial amount of brain activity, much more than a few days ago."

Joker and Hannah looked at each other, their smiles almost identical, she was first and trapped him in a strong embrace that he eagerly returned.

"She's alive," sobbed Hannah into his shoulder, her entire body shaking.

He rubbed her back just as she had his, the euphoria at Chakwas' words too overwhelming for him to even speak, he was just grateful that the woman he loved was still with him.

"She's not fully awake yet, but you can go visit her," said Chakwas gently.

Hannah and Joker pulled apart, the silent question hung between them.

"You should go," said Hannah after a few moments of silence.

"She's your daughter, you should," argued Joker.

Hannah shook her head. "I need to go tell the crew, and I don't think you really want to talk to James right now."

"I guess you're right, Hannah," sighed Joker though he was secretly glad that he would be able to see Elissa first. "If you have any trouble, call Chakwas, she knows how to handle this crowd almost a well as Elissa does."

Hannah laughed and Chakwas rolled her eyes as the pilot maneuvered himself away from the table and walked as fast as he could to the medbay, eager to see the one person who could make him feel like the galaxy was not as fucked up as it appeared.

The room was darkened when he entered, a few low level lights were on in each corner, and the only sounds in the room was the heart monitor and Quaes scratching a few notes on his electronic tablet. When he approached, the Salarian merely nodded and then left Elissa's bedside without a word, Joker heard the doors behind him open and then close. Carefully he sat on the end of her bed and just looked at her as if he had not seen her in years. Her skin was pale, enhancing the dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were a slightly blue color but he attributed that to the effects of the anesthesia. Despite those minor things, to him, she was still the most beautiful creature in the entire galaxy, bar none.

He reached out and held her hand, her flesh cold against his but he did not care, all he cared about was the sight of her heart beat being recorded on the machine not even slightly irregular. His eyes were so glued to the steady peaks and valleys of her heart beat that he did not feel her fingers twitch slightly in his grasp, but when they flexed, he felt it then. Looking down he saw her staring back at him, her green eyes full of life as she watched him.

"Jeff," she whispered. She sounded tired but happy to see him nonetheless.

Joker barely fought back the tears that had sprung up in his eyes. "Hey, beautiful," he said softly, "welcome back."

She gave a weak smile. "It's good to be back."

"And you have no idea how amazing it feels to have you back," replied Joker, knowing that everything he said was probably going to sound incredible corny. They sat there just looking at each other, drinking in their fill, afraid of what might come next. "You missed a lot, Elissa."

"I figured as much," said Elissa, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me."

Joker shook his head. "Not right now, maybe later. I think you should rest."

"Only if you promise not to leave," she said, her eyes already closed.

He smiled and quickly discarded his boots and hat and climbed into the hospital bed, trying not to make too much noise as he laid beside her. Gingerly he slid his arm under her shoulders and wrapped the other one around her waist, holding her against him while still not disturbing the bandages he knew were there. Instantly he felt himself relax, tension he had not been aware of suddenly leaving his body as he drifted off to sleep listening to the soft breathing of the love of his life beside him.

Joker felt something soft and slightly chapped pressing against his lips, the sensation rousing him from the first decent sleep he had gotten since this whole nightmare with Elissa started. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw Elissa's face hovering over his, her lips lightly kissing him, and he instantly kissed her back with as much passion as he could muster. Their tongues met and started their familiar dance as they reacquainted themselves after being apart for so long, and she moaned appreciatively. This impromptu make out session started to get more heated as Joker's hands traveled down her body, his mind remapping every curve and swell. Suddenly a loud beeping noise filled the room and they jumped apart quickly, they both turned to the heart monitor and saw that it was just reacting to Elissa's heart during their little reunion.

"Do you think if we'd kept going, it would've blown up?" asked Joker, waggling his eyebrows.

Elissa rolled her eyes and settled herself against him again, now much more coherent than she had been hours ago. "The last thing we need is for your ego to get any bigger," she murmured and he sniggered.

"Why would that make my ego any bigger?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You'd want the entire galaxy to know that you were the reason Commander Shepard's heart beat so fast, it destroyed an EKG machine," she said slightly into his neck.

"I think you made that fact clear when you started this whole thing, Ellie Belly," he teased, and she looked up from the crook of his neck with a scowl.

"And to think I came back to be with you," she sighed but regretted her words when she felt his entire body tense.

Joker moved so he could look into her eyes. "What do you mean you 'came back' to be with me?"

Elissa sighed and propped herself up slightly, this had not been how she wanted to tell him, but she was going to have to now. "This whole story is going to make me sound completely bat shit crazy," she mumbled then she looked at him square in the face and calmly started her story. "Jeff, I died, and when I died I went across the sea and saw Thane again. He told me that I was able to choose between which world I went to, either the physical one or the world of the dead with him and everyone else I knew whom had died. Honestly . . . I was ready to stay there, to die and be with him and Anderson," she said and then swallowed hard, watching him do the same.

"Then he had me touch this water that reveals the past, present, and future of a person. I put my hand in it and . . . and I saw you, Jeff," she whispered, looking at him as she did, noticing the tension leaving his face. "I saw you with a gold band on your left ring finger and then I saw you holding two little children . . . our children. I suddenly realized how selfish dying would be, how much I stood to lose instead of gain, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. I love you too much to let go, Jeffery Moreau."

Joker was quiet after she finished her story, she could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, the silence almost driving her to the point of insanity. She watched as he just looked at her, his face stoic and expressionless as they sat there. Just when she was about to start talking again, she saw a huge smile spread across his lips, lighting up his entire face.

"You came back to me," he said and cupped her face, trailing his thumb across her cheekbone. Then he leaned in and gently rested his forehead against hers, wishing he was more eloquent so he could tell her exactly how that knowledge made him feel, but he settled with just expressing it through touch. Slowly he leaned down and gently captured her lips with his in a soft, sensual kiss not one as demanding or fervent as before. He wanted to convey every emotion he was feeling towards her in that one kiss and by the way she responded, he was pretty sure she understood exactly what he was saying. They pulled their lips away from each other's at about the same time but they remained close, their foreheads still in contact.

"Jeff," she said softly, her lips brushing against his, "no matter what happens, I want you to know this: I will always find a way to come back to you."

Joker could hear the sincerity in her words, the weight that they carried as she spoke them. "Just don't take so damn long to next time," he chuckled though it was more to lighten the mood he was just as serious.

"How long was I out?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"A little over a week," he replied, his voice catching.

"A week?! It felt like a day where I was," she said, sounding slightly terrified. "What's been going on? What'd I miss?"

"James took over as captain," he said, trying to keep the disgust and contempt out of his voice. "And Miranda's a traitor."

Elissa's eyes went impossibly large. "What do you mean she's a traitor?"

"Cerberus has been tracking her for God knows how long and Liara found out how," he explained, keeping an amazingly level head as he told her the story. "They put a tracking program in her omni-tool and Liara triggered it when she traced that message you received a few months back to her."

"Miranda sent it?" she asked. "Is Liara sure? I mean, it could have been anyone—"

"Liara's sure," replied Joker, and he watched her frown. "Miranda's currently being held in the AI core, where Legion used to live. I activated those forcefields you had installed during the war, should keep her and us safe from each other until you see fit to space her."

Elissa narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this a little too much?"

"Guilty as charged," said Joker with a slight shrug. "Look, I'm not about to pretend that I don't give a shit about what Miranda did because I do, Elissa. She's the reason Cerberus found us on Rannoch and why you were shot, even though she's been a friend to all of us, that alone can't excuse her actions. She could have at least told us what was going on, instead of waiting for it to come out like it did."

"You're right," sighed Elissa and she settled herself against him. "We'll have to do something about her and James, because I'm sure he knows more than he's told me. Can that wait until the morning though? I'd rather spend this time sleeping with you than talking about those two."

Joker chuckled as he wrapped her in his arms, his cheek resting against the top of her head. She was right, the rest of the world could wait until morning, until then it was just the two of them and he was glad.

"Okay, doc, how bad am I?" asked Elissa as Chakwas finished her examination.

"You're carrying an alien baby that'll burst out of you and cause havoc on the ship, only Jack will survive," replied Chakwas dryly, and when she saw the looks on their faces she laughed. "Don't tell me neither of you has seen Alien?"

"Oh, we have, Chakwas," said Joker seriously, "we're just surprised that you can joke like that, we thought you didn't have a sense of humor."

Chakwas rolled her eyes, resuming her usual professional demeanor. "Well, I thought you of all people would appreciate a joke in a difficult situation, Jeff." Then she turned to Elissa. "Commander, you're doing very well for someone who's been in a coma for a week and had polonium in her body. Your cybernetics are working overtime to repair your body and I'm certain that you'll be up and moving by this time tomorrow, just in time for our arrival on New Canton."

Elissa smiled and leaned against Joker. "That's really good news, all things considered," she said happily. "Do you think I'm able to grab a quick shower?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Commander," said Chakwas. "Your mother's been giving you sponge baths while you were out." She saw that Elissa was about to question the choice of person but she cut her off. "Before you ask, we didn't let Jeff do it because he's not your husband yet. If he were, he'd have been allowed to give you baths. Now that that's settled, there's the problem of your visitors."

"Problem?" asked Elissa, her brows knitting together.

Chakwas nodded. "Yes, you have too many. I don't want to let them all in at once."

"Why not?" asked Joker. "Look, we're the only ones here and there's plenty of space for people to spread out, it's not like we haven't done this before."

They could both see that she was struggling with Joker's argument. "I'll let them all in, if Joker agrees not to start anything with Vega."

Joker instantly felt his temper spike but one look from Elissa and it cooled to just below the point of explosion. "Fine," he said begrudgingly. "But one insult from him and he's gone."

"Deal," said Chakwas and she moved to the doors, opening them. Almost immediately people rushed in, all wanting to get a glimpse at their friend before the others moved in.

"Thank the spirits," said Garrus as he put a talon on her shoulder.

"Keelah, don't do that again," said Tali as she stood beside Garrus. Elissa was a little sad to see that she was now wearing her helmet and envirosuit again after being without it for so long but maybe she was having adverse effects to being on a human ship instead of the open air.

Jack settled herself at the end of the bed, barely missing their feet. "Jesus, Shepard, if you ever fucking scare me like that again . . ." she started but stopped herself and her harsh features softened. "Just, don't leave us, Shepard."

"I'll try not to, Jack," said Elissa kindly.

"Good," said Jack sternly and she winked.

"Glad to see you up and about, Shepard," said Steve and he looked at Joker. "Man, you look like ten years younger!"

"It feels that way, Steve," replied Joker and he kissed Elissa's cheek.

"Lisa!" said Liara as she entered, Talissa still in her arms. "Thank the goddess you're alright, I was so worried."

Elissa laughed and stretched out her arms so she could hold Talissa, Liara happily obliging in the request.

"Hey, little pearl," said Elissa quietly as she held her niece. "You've gotten so big! Soon, Mommy will have to get rid of that frilly cradle and Auntie Lisa will teach you how to shoot!"

"My daughter will not be a commando!" exclaimed Liara.

"You'd rather her be a dancer?" countered Joker, watching as Liara blushed.

"Maybe you have a point there, Joker," she said.

"Is there room on there for one more kiddo?" asked Jacob carrying Nick. "Nicky's been missing his aunt and wanted to come play."

"Put him between me and Joker," said Elissa, moving over so there was more room for Nick as Jacob placed him on the bed. The little boy looked up at her with a smile and rested his head against her arm.

"Auntie," he whispered and Elissa wrapped her arm around him, the other still holding Talissa.

"Let me through!" shouted Hannah as she entered and quickly people stepped aside to allow her passage to Elissa's bed. "Hey sweetheart," she said, leaning over so she could somewhat hug her daughter. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired but happy," replied Elissa, smiling down at her niece and nephew.

"Lissa!" shouted Hilary as she entered, fighting her way through the crowd. "I'm so glad you're better! Jeff was a wreck without you."

"Gunny!" warned Joker, pulling his cap further down his face.

Hilary rolled her eyes. "Well you were! He even quit being the pilot for a while just to stay with you."

Elissa looked at him stunned at the news. "You what?!"

"Not for real, I just took some unpaid leave, I guess," said Joker, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't want to leave you, Ellie, not while you were still in limbo."

"Ain't that the truth," she mumbled mostly to herself but Joker still heard her though he said nothing. She then turned to Hilary. "Where's Kolyat? I have something to tell him."

"He was helping Kal with something, but I'm sure he'll be up here soon," said Hilary with a smile. "You feeling like your old self yet?"

She shook her head. "Not quite yet but that's mostly the effects of the painkillers, my leg hurts like a mother . . ." She trailed off when she realized Nick was paying very close attention to what she was saying. "It still hurts, Hil."

Hilary giggled and stepped aside as Samantha and EDI entered hand in hand. What surprised Elissa greatly was EDI was no longer in battle mode, instead she was wearing an Alliance uniform, her body was now flesh tone, and her hair was loose and a beautiful blonde color. Her silver eyes were the only thing that gave away her true nature.

"Let me guess," said Elissa with a grin, "you two are now engaged in a hormonally induced courtship?"

"Yes," said Samantha excitedly. "I've never been happier."

"This experience does not equate to anything I have recorded, it is unlike anything I've engaged in," replied EDI and she smiled at Samantha.

"So why do you look like a blonde bombshell, EDI?" asked Joker, unable to keep the joy out of his voice.

EDI shrugged. "I thought I might change up my look, as Kasumi put it. I chose this particular appearance based of off Samantha's thermal scans whenever she looked at a specific image. She seems to like women with blonde hair a great deal."

Samantha blushed. "And I told you that I liked you for you, not for what you look like."

"Though changing your look certainly didn't lessen anything," said Joker eagerly and Elissa glared at him. "Just for curiosity's sake, why didn't you ever change your appearance when we were together?"

"I thought about it, but after configuring your ideal woman, I looked too much like Shepard," replied EDI with a wink to Elissa. "I determined there would be too much confusion."

Joker blushed but he was happy. "Yeah, confusion, that's totally what would've happened."

Elissa and Hilary both rolled their eyes and shared a look of total exasperation.

"No, but seriously though, I'm happy for both of you," said Joker sincerely. "You both deserved someone absolutely amazing and found that in each other."

Samantha smiled and then leaned down to hug him. "Thank you, Joker. That means so much to me to hear you say that."

"He's a big softie," squealed Tali.

"Guess you can't hide behind sarcasm and bad jokes anymore, Joker, your secret's out," chuckled Jacob.

"Ah, get spaced, Jacob," said Joker as he smiled.

"Jack," said Elissa suddenly remembering something Thane had told her. "I need you to get in touch with Kahlee as soon as possible." She could not keep the urgency out of her voice as she spoke.

Jack suddenly looked scared but she was quick to recover. "Okay, Shepard, whatever you need."

Elissa silently conveyed her thanks, hoping against hope that Kahlee was still alive but she had a feeling deep in her gut that she was dead like Thane had said. Then she heard a sound to her left and saw out of the corner of her eye the slight shimmer she had come to associate with Kasumi.

"I know you're there, Kasumi," said Elissa, not even looking at the thief.

Kasumi uncloaked herself and pouted. "How is it you always know where I am?"

"If I didn't, I'd be a terrible friend," laughed Elissa. "How is that colony of yours holding up? I know we've delayed going there."

"They're fine, Shepard," she said with a small smile. "While the money's still disappearing, I've managed to get some supplies to them. I still want to know where my well stolen money's going but it's not as pressing."

"We'll go right after New Canton, I swear," said Elissa seriously. "Now, where's James?"

"Right here, Lola," said James and the crowd parted to let him through. He looked pretty much the same, if not more exhausted.

Elissa felt Joker tense beside her but she remained calm, this situation needed to be handled delicately. "Glad to see being in charge hasn't softened you up that much, Jimmy," said Elissa playfully and he gave her a tired smile.

"If anything, Lola, it made me appreciate you even more," he said and sat down on the bed beside hers. "We have some stuff we need to talk about, Lola, some serious shit went down while you were . . . away."

"So Joker's told me," said Elissa lightly. "Before we discuss any of that, I have an announcement: For those who don't already know, I've been dishonorably discharged from the Alliance Navy. I didn't tell you sooner because I found out just a short time before Cerberus attacked and right in the middle of battle didn't seem like a good time for disputing the chain of command." They all gave a shaky laugh before she continued. "Anyway, to the point. The rest of you are still Alliance from what I know, and James is my XO so he'll be taking over for me as a figurehead only."

James seemed relieved to hear that and Joker was too.

"We need someone Alliance as "Captain" so our ship won't be shot down nor our supplies cut off," she said, answering their unasked questions. "I'll still be the one leading missions, sleeping in the fancy cabin, and doing the paperwork. James will just be the mouthpiece."

"What happens if someone asks why you're still on board?" asked Hilary.

"Then James tells them I'm there as a consult and nothing more," replied Elissa, "and that is partly the truth, I'll be grooming him as my successor should I be removed from the ship permanently. This situation has become very real in these last few days and I'm not sure what's ahead, so we should hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

"Speaking of preparing for the worst," interjected Joker, all eyes falling to him. "I have an announcement of my own: You're all getting shinguards."

There were several groans heard throughout the room though some of the family members had no idea what he was talking about.

"Why are we getting shinguards, Joker?" asked Brynn, her eyebrow raised.

"I'll tell you, Dr. Cole, it's because the little pink-haired natural disaster known as Miya Schaefer is going to be joining our crew once we arrive on New Canton," he said with a malicious grin.

Again, groans were heard throughout the room but Elissa was beaming. It had been too long since she had seen her best friend and suddenly, she was very glad to be alive, knowing that otherwise she might have missed out on this wonderful reunion. Though the crew would disagree.

"Dios," groaned James, running his fingers through his hair. "Does she have to come back? The bruises she gave me just recently healed."

"It's been years since you've seen her, Jimmy," said Elissa.

James nodded. "I know, that's how big and deep they were."

"Not that bitch again," huffed Tali, now holding onto Garrus as if he were being snatched away from her.

"She's only a bitch to you because you made fun of her hair," reprimanded Garrus. "Personally, I can't wait to see her again. I've missed my battle buddy."

"Did you seriously just call her that, Garrus?" asked Jack with a smirk. "I'm glad she's coming back though, been fucking boring without her going around kicking the crap out of people. Though I'm sure Liara here's not lookin' forward to this little reunion."

Liara blushed again but she did not back down. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Jack. And if I did, I wouldn't stoop so low to give you an adequate response."

"That's your superior way of telling me to fuck off," snapped Jack. "Don't think I can't see through those words of yours, Liara, I know when I'm being condescended to."

"Alright, everyone," laughed Elissa. "Play nice or I'll have to separate you. Now, we have a few things to establish before we land. James! Give me our ETA for New Canton."

"ETA is 0900 tomorrow morning, Lola," replied James, his hand snapping to a salute. "EDI's been flying the ship in Joker's absence and keeping me informed of location and time. I've already spoken to Hackett, he's fully aware of your situation and we're going to have a debriefing there after we arrive."

Elissa nodded. "Thank you, James. Now, I need the rest of you to relax, not worry about Hurricane Miya, and get your jobs done before shift ends. Whatever further business we might have concerning particular people can wait until we're with Hackett. If that's all, then you're dismissed and I'll be here if you need anything."

There was a murmur of agreement and they all started to file out, James included, some did linger long enough to take their children back or to give her their heartfelt get wells. She knew she would have to talk with James but right now, that was not her primary focus. Right now all she was concerned with was the fact her crew was safe, her family was being looked after, and she had some time with the man she loved. She looked over at him and they shared a smile.

"Here," he said suddenly and slipped her ring back on her finger. "I think you're going to need this, you know, as proof to Miya."

She looked down at the ring and felt tears rolling down her cheeks, it was the symbol of everything she was fighting for, of everything she wanted, of everything she almost gave up.

"I think Miya will know before even seeing the ring," she said with a shaky laugh, quickly wiping the tears away. "She was always good about knowing those kinds of things."

Joker laughed as he pulled Elissa to him, kissing the top of her head as they settled down into bed, both surprised by how exhausted they were.

"Would EDI really have looked like me if she had changed her appearance to your liking?" asked Elissa sleepily.

"Probably," replied Joker as he played with a strand of her hair. "I've always had a thing for badass redheads with green eyes."

"I'm not a redhead," insisted Elissa.

"Well," said Joker, twisting the piece of hair so it caught the light, "in the right light you are, and in other light you're a brunette, so it's a turn on no matter which hair choice EDI might have picked."

She scowled up at him and he kissed the tip of her nose.

"No matter how hard she tried, EDI could never be you," he said in a slightly husky voice. "Not even that clone of yours was the real you, no matter how much she wanted to be."

Elissa smiled and snuggled closer to him. "So what you're telling me is no woman could take my place?"

"Exactly," said Joker and he put his hat on her head. "And no woman could look that cute with my hat on."

She giggled, something she rarely did. "I love you, Jeff. More than you'll ever know."

"And I love you, Elissa, more than anything," he said as sleep claimed him, soon his gentle snores filled the room, telling her that he was indeed asleep.

Elissa laid there and just listened to him sleeping beside her, thinking about all the time they had wasted since they first met back in N-school. They could have been like this long before she met Kaidan and not have danced around their feelings, denying themselves what they really wanted. 'Not again,' she thought with conviction. She thought once again of Joker and their possible children, and smiled as she drifted off to sleep, ready to take on the world.