A/N: This chapter introduces my friend PiperSqueaks's Shepard, Miya. Miya and Hackett have never seen eye-to-eye and he blames her for Elissa's imprisonment during the events before the Reaper invasion of Earth. She took the blame for Miya during the events of Arrival and as a result she and Hackett have since not gotten along. Long explanation, but worth the read. These events will be covered more throughly by my friend in her prequels to Beginning Anew. Enjoy!

The Normandy touched down on New Canton early the next morning and despite the fact the sun was barely rising, the crew inside was eagerly awaiting the chance to disembark. There had finally been confirmation from Rannoch of survivors from Sol Base and those who had family still there were wanting desperately to find out whom had survived. The minute the ship was finished with the docking sequence and the doors opened, the crew was rushing out, most headed to the communication's room in the capital building of the colony, some hung behind, waiting for their Commander.

"Shepard, are you coming?" asked Garrus as he started walking away from the galaxy map.

Elissa was hesitant to move, yes she had been cleared from the medbay, but still, she was not eager to face all those people nor was she all that excited to see the man who was her father. So much had changed in these few short months, and she had a feeling when she stepped off this boat, nothing would ever be the same.

"Give me a minute, Garrus," she said with a small chuckle. "Still getting used to having feeling in my leg."

Garrus stopped walking and turned back, he knew she was afraid and he was not about to leave her. "Shepard, you've been downed by worse, a little polonium in your system's perfectly healthy and you have a really neat scar on your leg. Not as nice as the ones on my face, but hey, no contest."

Elissa smirked. "Really, Vakarian, you want to play that game?"

"Only because I'd win," he countered. "You haven't seen all of my scars, Shepard."

"And you haven't seen all of mine," she argued. "I have a really nice one on my back."

"We are not having this argument again," said Joker over the intercom. "I can win this with whole debate just by pulling up one pant's leg. Are you feeling lucky?"

Garrus looked to Elissa for confirmation.

"Trust me, Garrus, I've seen most of his scars, we don't stand a chance," she said with a sigh. "Come on, flyboy, we have people to meet and places to go."

"Aye, aye," said Joker and he closed the channel.

"So, Garrus," said Elissa as she stepped down from the platform above the map, "are you really looking forward to seeing Miya again?"

Garrus nodded as they started walking towards the airlock. "Of course I am, she's one of my best friends. Aren't you?"

"Uh, hell yeah," said Elissa in a did-you-really-just-ask-me-that tone. "She's my sister, sort of, and I haven't seen her or heard from her in ages."

"If Miya's good at anything, it's stealth," snorted Garrus. "You still have those sensors in place in the main battery, right?"

Elissa nodded, trying to hold in a laugh. "Yes, Garrus, she won't be sneaking up on you during your calibrations anytime soon."

"Thank the spirits," muttered Garrus as they entered the bridge. "Hey, Joker, you ready?"

Joker spun around in his chair with a small smile. "Yep, just waiting for you two." He then looked at Elissa. "How're you feeling, Ellie?"

"Fine, Jeff, just a little tired," she said with a small smile. "Shall we, gentlemen?"

"We shall," replied Joker, standing up from his chair. "Think Miya's out there waiting for us?"

Elissa shrugged. "I didn't hear any of the crew shout or swear when they left, so maybe she's not."

"Damn, wore my shinguards for nothing," sighed Joker as he took Elissa's hand.

The minute they stepped onto the dock they knew Elissa was wrong. Even with all of the normal workers going about their business, they still saw a shock of pink bobbing in the sea of people, running this way and that to various Normandy crew members. The crew members the pink stopped at suddenly would duck out of sight, likely nursing the spot where they had just been injured. The pink was getting closer to them, and soon they were able to see the person the pink was attached to. Coming right at them was a barely five foot tall petite woman, her customary steel-toed boots making a loud noise as she ran, a huge smile on her small face.

"Lizzie! Joker! Scarface!" she shouted when she saw them.

"Miya!" shouted Elissa and she met her friend halfway, both falling to the ground in a tight embrace. They laid there on the ground, laughing and almost crying, both relieved that the other was still alive and they refused to move from their spot just yet, wanting the moment to last just a little longer.

Elissa pulled away first. "Oh my God, Miya, you have no idea how happy I am to see you again."

Miya propped herself up on her elbow. "No, but I'm sure I can tell how happy Joker is after seeing you and I roll around on the floor." She glanced up at the pilot whom was now blushing and she smirked.

"Oh, leave him alone, Miya," sighed Elissa with a slight eye roll and smile. "You aren't even here two minutes and already you've reduced my pilot to a blushing school girl."

"My speciality," said Miya proudly then she jumped to her feet and walked over to Joker. "So, where's your sex bot—I mean EDI?"

"With Traynor," replied Joker chancing a glance at Elissa as she got up from the floor. "They're together now."

Miya's grey eyes widened. "Seriously?! That's fucking creepy! You gave her your sex toy! Oh God! That's disgusting! What were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking I'd rather have a real relationship," said Joker, practically shouting over the noises that Miya was making. "With a real woman." He held out his arm and Elissa slid in, wrapping her arm around his chest as his came down around her shoulders.

Miya stopped and stared, then she scowled right before standing on her tiptoes and smacking both Elissa and Joker on the side of the head. "Finally!" she shouted and put her hands on her hips as they rubbed the spot where she had hit them. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this to fucking happen?!"

Elissa raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you were hoping we'd get together?" she asked and Miya nodded. "Then why'd you hit us?!"

"Because you two are boneheads who needed a good smack after waiting so damn long to finally get together!" she exclaimed, slightly exasperated. "Do you know how much Zaeed owes me now? You just made me a pretty penny, Joker."

Joker rolled his eyes. "Yep, that's why anyone does anything in this world, to make you happy, Miya," he said sarcastically.

"And don't you forget it either," she said with a nod then she looked at Garrus. "Hey, Scarface, looking handsome as always. Except for the scaly skin and your weird eyes and the stick up your ass."

Garrus' mandibles flexed in a smile. "Says the human with pink hair and a Napoleon complex."

Miya scowled. "You've been talking to Lizzie again, haven't you?"

"Absolutely not," said Garrus, feigning insult. "I was talking with Miranda and Liara."

"Oh perfect," huffed Miya before she gave Garrus a tight hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Pinky," he said affectionately as he ruffled her pink hair. "Have you seen Jack yet?"

Miya pulled away and her grey eyes sparkled like two jewels. "She's here?! Hackett never mentioned that!"

"Yeah, she's here," said Elissa, still hanging onto Joker. "I think she's sleeping in though, didn't want to get up with the rest of us."

"That's fine, I'll just go wake her—" started Miya.

"No!" shouted the others.

"The last time you did that, we had a hole in the wall big enough for another door!" said Joker, not really wanting to repeat that event.

Miya crossed her arms and pouted. "Come on! I can't go see my lover but you can!? How's that even fair?"

"She's not just my lover, Miya, she's also my future wife," said Joker proudly and he kissed Elissa softly.

"Okay, I'm really going to need an explanation for all of this," said Miya, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I thought she was engaged to Canadian Bacon?"

"Canadian Bacon?" repeated Elissa, looking to Joker.

"She was but he's a bastard turned traitor," said Joker quickly, realizing he would have a lot of explaining to do if they stayed on the nickname.

"Hackett didn't mention any of this to me," said Miya, slightly irritated. "Remind me to kick his ass for leaving out that bit of information."

"Kick my ass for what, Schafer?" asked Hackett as he approached. "Not telling you that Alenko sold out Shepard? I left that out on purpose, I knew you'd try to find him and probably kill him."

"Damn straight," mumbled Miya, Elissa and Joker were the only ones that heard her.

Hackett's attention turned to Elissa and Joker. "I'm glad to see you're back in fighting shape, Shepard, I was worried."

"Thanks for your concern, sir," said Elissa with a small smile. "I really appreciate it."

"Can't have my best soldier out of commission, can I?" asked Hackett with a small smile.

"Of course not, Hackett," said Joker in a slightly condescending tone. "I mean, she's just a soldier, right? It's not like she's your daughter or anything."

"Jeff!" exclaimed Elissa, gaping at him.

Hackett's eyes narrowed at Joker. "Is there something you want to say, Moreau?"

"No, sir," said Joker with a frown. "Or should I say, 'Dad'? I mean, you are going to be my father-in-law, right?"

There was silence. No one knew what to say to this, especially since they were not in on the truth.

"Stand down, Moreau," said Hackett sharply. "You have no idea what you're saying."

"He does," interjected Elissa, removing herself from Joker and standing toe-to-toe with her father. "I told him the truth, after Mom told me."

"Wait, Hackett's your father?" asked Garrus, not believing what he was hearing.

Tali and James were close by and heard the question.

James raised an eyebrow. "Lola's dad's Hackett? Seriously?"

"Keelah, it explains so much," said Tali quietly as she maneuvered herself to Garrus' side.

"Did I hear right?" asked Steve as he and Richard Hadley approached. "Shepard's Hackett's kid?"

Elissa and Hackett were trying to ignore the questions, their eyes locked in a silent fight for dominance, but the next voice forced them both to look away.

"What's going on here?" demanded Hannah as she emerged from the airlock with Samara and Aethyta behind her.

"Just some kind of weird joke that Shepard's actually Hackett's kid," replied Garrus with a slight chuckle.

Hannah looked at the admiral and her daughter, she was not at all happy.

"It's not a joke," insisted Joker. "It's the truth!"

"If it's the truth, then why didn't she say something before now?" asked Hadley.

"Because I didn't know until just recently," replied Elissa, resuming her hard gaze at Hackett. "My mom told me on Rannoch, the day Ali was born. Until then, I thought someone else was my father."

All eyes were now on Hackett, who's gaze was on the floor.

"Hold on a minute," said James, trying to wrap his head around what he had just heard. "After all Lola's been through, after the countless times you could have lost her forever, you waited until now to tell her the truth? Pardon my language, sir, but that's just fucked up."

"I have to agree with James," said Tali. "What kind of a father goes over thirty years without claiming his own child?"

"A lousy one," chimed in Miya. "What the fuck were you thinking, Hackett?"

"This is none of your concern, Schafer," said Hackett sternly.

"Like hell it's not," snarled Miya, taking a step forward. "You lied to my friend, my sister for thirty years! You abandoned your responsibilities and for what?! A cushy job and a whore wife!"

"That's enough, Schafer!" barked Hackett, pointing a finger at her.

Miya closed the distance between them and stared him straight in the face. "Tell me I'm wrong," she said darkly, daring him to contradict her.

Hackett looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him, including Hannah and he had had enough. "I don't have to answer to you, the only one I have to answer to is Shepard, though I might not now knowing how quickly it'll get around her ship."

Elissa's face flushed with anger, this was not how she had wanted this to go but she could not take it back now. "You owe me nothing," she said shortly. "Mom and I were fine without you then and we'll be perfect without you now."

"Fine," said Hackett sharply before turning and walking away from them, not even sparing Hannah or Elissa another glance.

Elissa stood there on trembling legs, her heart racing, and adrenaline pumping through her body as she watched Hackett's retreating back get swallowed up by the sea of people. She had to get out of here, before anything got worse. Before anyone could speak, she took off.

Miya and Joker both made like they were going to chase after her but Garrus and Steve stopped them and shook their heads.

"I think she needs to be alone," said Steve in a hushed voice. "I have a feeling the last thing she needs right now is the two of you making things worse."

Miya screwed up her face and started to pull back her leg with her steel-toed boot aimed squarely at Steve's shin but Garrus picked her up and held her.

"Let. Me. Go!" shouted Miya, struggling against Garrus' tight grip. "Damn it, Garrus! This isn't funny!"

"To you maybe," said Garrus with a slight chuckle. "Now listen, Miya, you really screwed this up for Shepard. Even though she didn't tell us, I doubt she wanted it to end in a verbal war."

"So what!?" shouted Miya. "After what he did to Lizzie and Mom, he deserved it!"

"And you're not innocent either, Garrus," spat Joker, sitting on a nearby crate. "You said it was a joke! Why the hell would you say something like that?"

Garrus tried to shrug but it proved too difficult to do with Miya fighting in his arms. "I don't know, it just seemed too ridiculous. I mean I knew about her father Ben and I thought maybe it was just some kind of joke Shepard was telling, it was a dumb thing to say, I know."

"At least I didn't insult him like James did," said Tali, looking at the marine. "You told him what he did was screwed up."

James crossed his arms. "I believe I said fucked up and you questioned why he waited so damn long to say anything."

"And you don't think it was ridiculous to wait thirty years to tell her he's her father?!" demanded Tali, her hands on her hips as she stared at James. "Anyway, Joker started it! He had to go and announce it to everyone!"

"Hey!" snapped Joker and he was about to say some scathing remark when he saw the look on Hannah's face. "You're right, Tali, I did start this so now I'm ending it." Then he turned to Hannah. "Hannah, I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that. It was wrong of me to call Hackett out like that but I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer, it irked the hell out of me that he hadn't said anything sooner."

"Sound familiar doesn't it, Joker?" asked Miya with a raised eyebrow.

Joker blushed but pressed on. "Ignoring Miya's smart-ass remark, I am really sorry, Hannah. It wasn't my place to say anything especially on this subject."

"Thank you, Jeff," said Hannah, the tension around her eyes easing.

Miya remained silent, having stopped fighting against Garrus then she spoke. "Joker's right, I'm sorry too, Mom. I embarrassed you and hurt Lizzie in the process, I didn't mean to do either, I just let my emotions get the better of me."

"As usual," quipped Tali.

"Anyway," said Miya, glaring at Tali as she spoke, "what I said was horrible and I'm sorry for it."

"You're forgiven, Miya," said Hannah with a small smile. "All of you are forgiven. I know none of you actually meant for this to happen, hell I didn't know that would happen. I do think we need to leave them both alone and let them calm down, unless we see explosions and then we can all start running to find them."

"You're right, Hannah," sighed Joker, taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair. "What should we do in the meantime?"

"There is a cafeteria here, and none of us have had breakfast yet," suggested Hannah and there was a murmur of agreement. "We can talk about this a little more over breakfast, if you all really need to."

Joker stood up and walked over to Hannah, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I know all I need to, can I escort you to breakfast?"

Hannah laughed as they started walking towards the elevator. "You're certainly a gentleman, Jeff, I'm glad Elissa's marrying you."

"So am I, Joker," said Miya as she walked beside him. "Why don't you explain how you're marrying my sister? I need to know every little detail."

"Fine, but not every detail," sighed Joker, putting his arm around her as well.

Elissa watched from her seat on a bench as several people passed by her, no one giving her a glance and she was glad for it. She had run from the docks and to the colony, looking for a place to sit down and think that was away from her crew and family, still having not forgiven them for what they said to Hackett. Not that she could rightly blame them, if she had a spine she would have told him the same thing, or worse. She was angry at him, as glad as she was to know the truth, she was absolutely infuriated that he had not fought for her mother, had not manned up and married her so they could be a proper family. Instead he bowed out and just had some indirect parenting that lasted until she entered the Alliance, then they were superior and subordinate which was the closest they ever got to father and daughter. Now thanks to her friends and her own mouth, they probably were not even that anymore.

Her gaze rested on a man and a young girl walking on the opposite side of the street, he holding her hand as she ate her ice cream cone. For a moment she thought about how this colony had been a ghost town after the Collectors until more people were offered incentives to come and repopulate. Then she found herself jealous of the little girl, having some quality time with her father as they were probably going home to her mother and maybe a house full of siblings. Two things she had never had and probably never would.

"Is this seat taken?"

"No, help yourself," she said with a small wave, not looking at whom was sitting beside her.

"It's not like you to put your defenses down so easily, Shepard," said Hackett, as he sat down. "I could've been an assassin."

"Which would have been preferable," mumbled Elissa as she ripped up a leaf she had been holding. "Why're you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," said Hackett slowly. "I'm sure you probably have a million questions about what happened and why."

Elissa snorted. "Do you want a list?"

"No, but I would settle for a heart-to-heart," said Hackett softly and Elissa stared at him as if she was speaking to an entirely different person. "God, you have your grandmother's eyes."

"Yeah, Mom said her mother's were exactly the same color," she said dismissively.

"No, you have my mother's eyes," replied Hackett fondly. "I never really noticed until now."

Elissa rolled her eyes. "Really? In the thirty plus years you've known me, you're just now noticing my eye color?"

"No, but I figured it was a good icebreaker," sighed Hackett, leaning forward on his elbows and knees. "I've never been very good at this, Elissa, you know that."

"Yeah, remember that time when that guy dumped me and I was asking what I did wrong?" asked Elissa with a slight laugh. "You looked as if I had asked you to dance around the room in a dress."

Hackett chuckled. "I guess that's a better icebreaker than something I've noticed since the day you were born."

"You were there?" asked Elissa softly.

"I was," said Hackett as he fondly recalled that day, especially when the nurse handed him a tiny bundle that was his daughter. "Ben was deployed at the time and your mother wanted me there, so I was. I held her hand through the whole thing, learned that she knew an array of colorful words to call a man, and then it was over. Next thing I knew I was holding you and you were the most perfect creature in the entire universe. I had never felt more complete than sitting there with your mother with you between us."

Elissa remained quiet, she had never heard much about the day she was born aside from it was her mother's most difficult day and she was glad it was swiftly over with.

Hackett sighed heavily and his blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "It was the best and the hardest day of my life."

"Hardest? Why?" asked Elissa, an eyebrow raised.

"Because I knew I wasn't taking you home," he said sadly. "I had to sit back and let you and your mother go, which was harder than any training I had ever gone through. I think we should add that to Alliance training, watch the person you love and your child walk into the arms of another. In hindsight, I don't think I would've gotten through it if they had."

"Why didn't you take us home? Mom and Ben weren't married when I was born," said Elissa with a small frown. "You could've stopped it from happening."

Hackett nodded. "I know, I know. I was stupid and a coward, and nothing I do or say will ever take away the fact that I ran from you and your mother."

"Mom said she told you she couldn't marry you because she didn't want to hurt your career," said Elissa, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"That's partially true," admitted Hackett. "I told her that I wasn't ready for a family yet but I would help her out in anyway she needed, that was my way of easing my guilt and rationalizing the entire situation. I know, I'm absolute scum and will never be able to make up to you for it, but not a day's gone by that I didn't think of you or regret my decision."

Elissa sighed heavily and put her hand on his. "Just answer me one thing: why'd you wait so damn long to tell me the truth?"

"I thought it would be better if you didn't know the truth," said Hackett in a hoarse whisper, he was obviously trying not to cry but it was not working out well. "You deserved a father who wouldn't shirk his responsibilities, one who could lead you down the right path in life, who'd always do the right thing. None of those characteristics applied to me but they did to Ben. It wasn't until I lost you that I realized how stupid that decision was. I wanted to tell you so many times but it never seemed right, and I regret never having done so before now."

"I guess I can understand that, I guess I was with Kaidan for some of the same reasons," conceded Elissa, playing with a lock of hair. "Do you still love Mom?"

Hackett nodded. "I do, I really do."

Elissa suddenly had an idea. "Would you marry her if you could?"

"I've thought about it for a while now, mostly since Ben died," sighed Hackett. "I don't think she'd want me."

"But she told you she loved you," argued Elissa. "I heard her myself!"

"Yes, well, we've been saying that for so long now I'm not sure whether she means it or whether it's habit," said Hackett with a small chuckle. "Why are you asking me this, Ellie Belly?"

Elissa groaned. "Okay, before we go any further, I have to know: how the hell'd you come up with that nickname?"

Hackett laughed. "It's kind of a dumb story but I guess you're old enough to know. I was with your mom a couple of months after you were born and I was eating this candy she had gotten from a friend. It was a bag full of jellybeans from this old company called Jelly Belly. Well, when I heard your mom call you 'Ellie' I just followed it up with 'Ellie Belly' and I've stuck with it ever since."

"So my nickname comes from jellybeans?" balked Elissa. "Well, at least it's better than me thinking I was a very, very fat baby."

"Well, you were but not as big as you think," said Hackett with a small smile. "Sometimes I think back to when you were a baby and wish I could go back to that time. You were the sweetest baby I ever met, though I am biased."

"You? Biased? Perish the thought," teased Elissa then she thought about her mother and Hackett. "Why don't you propose to her?"

"To your mother? I don't think I can," said Hackett nervously. "I mean, why should I? I let her down once before, how do you know it won't happen again?"

Elissa rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Dad, what's to be scared of?"

"Rejection," sighed Hackett heavily. "What if she doesn't really love me anymore and just sees me as a friend? Why should I even take the risk?"

"Because I said so," she said defiantly. "Look, as angry as I've been with you, you make Mom happy. After she's done talking with you she always has a huge smile on her face, and I want her to always be that happy. Though if you do ask, you had better mean it, father or not."

"You really are a good daughter, Elissa," said Hackett proudly. "You know, you just called me 'Dad' for the first time. How'd it feel?"

"Natural, like breathing," replied Elissa with a smile. "How'd it feel to hear it?"

"Like music to my ears, Ellie Belly," said Hackett and he kissed her forehead.

"Just for the record, you're forgiven," she said as she leaned against his shoulder.

"Hey, Miya, pass the strawberry syrup," said Joker around a mouthful of waffles.

"Here you go," said Miya passing him the bottle before pouring herself another Bloody Mary. "Hey, Mom, could you please hand me another bagel?"

Hannah chuckled as she passed her the platter of bagels. "This is going to be your fourth one, Miya, please pace yourself."

Miya rolled her eyes and sighed. "Mom, if you should be lecturing anyone on pacing themselves, it's Joker. He's had nearly two dozen waffles already!"

Joker looked up from his plate, his cheeks puffed out with waffle and syrup all over his mouth. Hannah and Miya laughed at the sight.

"Nice look, Joker," chuckled Garrus as he and Tali joined them. "It's that kind of face that makes bad guys think twice before messing with the Alliance. No offense, Pinky."

"None taken," replied Miya, chancing a glance at Tali. "I'm surprised this human colony had dextro foods."

"Well, we're on a military base, so they must have some stocked away in case they get a few crew members that are dextro," replied Hannah as she sipped her coffee. "I mean, even restaurants on Earth have some dextro options."

"And glad I am for them," said Garrus as he started shoveling something that looked like oatmeal into his mouth.

"I just wish this stuff didn't have to be filtered so much," sighed Tali as she put a straw in her drink. "Human kitchens are always so filthy."

Miya rolled her eyes as she buttered her bagel and smeared some grape jelly on after. "Tali, you think anything that hasn't been cleansed by that weird cleaning shit the Quarians came up with is absolutely filthy."

Tali huffed before sipping her drink. "Well, maybe you should use some of that cleanser on your mouth, we all know that's the filthiest place in the galaxy anyway."

"You want to go, Princess?" snapped Miya, jumping to her feet.

"Miya!" warned Hannah. "This is not the time nor the place. You can settle this later in the sparring ring."

"Fine," pouted Miya and she sat back down in her seat, glaring at her meal as if it were the source of her irritation. "Where are James and Steve and Dick?"

Joker looked around the cafeteria and spotted all three of them standing in line with their trays though James had two, both stacked impossibly high with eggs and what looked like red salsa.

"They're in line paying," replied Joker as he hunched over his meal. "I'd rather James didn't join us though."

Miya raised an eyebrow. "Why not? I thought you two were friends or something."

"Not right now," huffed Joker. "He took command of the Normandy while Elissa was incapacitated and I said some things I'm not all that proud of but don't regret saying. He needed to hear that not everyone was so happy that he usurped Elissa."

Hannah's hand rested on his forearm. "Jeff, he didn't usurp anything. Jackie did the smart thing and gave him command as a figurehead. You'd lose the Normandy if she hadn't and that would destroy both of you, especially you, Jeff."

Joker stabbed his waffle. "Don't try to make me feel better, Hannah, I'm not in the mood right now."

Miya leaned over and hit the brim of his cap. "Lighten up, Jeff, you have nothing to be overly depressed about. God, you're worse than that time during Lizzie's party."

"What happened?" asked Hannah as she cut into her omlette.

"Nothing," said Joker flatly, glaring across the table at Miya. "Nothing happened."

"He spent the whole night pathetically mooning at her from the bar," said Miya in a slightly snarky tone. "It was all I could do not to vomit. The only time things got interesting was when we were all dancing and Joker kept "accidentally" bumping into her. Nearly took himself out with the rug."

Joker did not say anything, instead he flicked his bite of waffle at Miya and snickered at the look on her face when it landed on her forehead.

"I hate you," growled Miya as she flicked the waffle off of her forehead, not realizing that it landed on Elissa's shoe.

"Hey, I know I was late to breakfast but can I at least have a full waffle?" asked Elissa as she sat down beside Joker, kissing his cheek.

"You can have whatever you want, Ellie," said Joker, wrapping an arm around her waist, his green-grey eyes sparkling with mischief. "And that includes things not on the menu." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Elissa cleared her throat noticeably and pointed behind him, Joker turned and saw Hackett standing there, a slightly amused look on the old admiral's face.

"Could I take a look at those items that are not included on the menu, Moreau?" he asked in a serious tone, watching as the pilot turned several different shades of red in the span of a few seconds.

Joker moved his hand away from Elissa and settled them in his lap. "Should I show you here or someplace private, sir?"

All around the table, everyone was trying to keep from busting out laughing, most were snickering behind their hands though James was hiding his face completely. Elissa looked as if she were about fall out of her chair and so did Hannah, Miya was just sitting there smugly, her grey eyes shining with amusement.

Hackett took it in stride, having dealt with Joker for years now and knew his sense of humor very well. "That's not necessary, Moreau, just as long as Elissa's happy."

Now it was Elissa's turn to look absolutely mortified while Joker tried not to fall out of his chair laughing. Hackett sat down next to Hannah with a smirk, ignoring the glare Miya was giving him as he rubbed Hannah's shoulder, smiling at her brightly.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you and Elissa have made up," said Hannah with a cocked eyebrow to her daughter as she handed Hackett the pot of coffee.

"Indeed we have," said Hackett as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "And she's convinced me to do something I should have done long ago." Then he turned in his chair and took Hannah's hand in his, and even from this distance Elissa could see the beginnings of perspiration on his forehead.

Joker looked at her with a questioning look and she just shrugged, not about to give away her mother's big surprise.

"Hannah," started Hackett, his voice trembling as he spoke, "we've known each other for many years now, gone through so much together that most people only dream about, shared the most beautiful creature in all of the galaxy. We've shared so much in this life, that I can't imagine sharing the rest of it without you, and there's only one way to ensure that I can: Hannah Marie Shepard, will you marry me?"

Hannah was by this time spilling tears from her sapphire eyes, her entire body was trembling as she tried to keep herself from sobbing. "Of course I'll marry you, Steven," she managed to choke out.

Hackett smiled and then it faltered. "I'm sorry, Hannah, I don't have a ring."

Elissa saw the look on his face and felt sorry for him, he had wanted to do this and now that he had he probably felt like it was lackluster since he did not have the most vital piece.

"It's alright, Steven," said Hannah with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't need a ring to show the world that you're mine."

"Still," said Hackett with a chuckle, "you deserve a ring, after waiting so long for one."

Joker looked at Elissa and knew what she was going to do and while it upset him, he knew why she was doing it and that was the only reason why he did not object when she removed the ring from her own finger.

"Dad," she said quietly as she pulled the ring off, "I have a ring for you to give Mom."

Hannah turned to Elissa, her eyes wide with surprise. "No, Elissa, that's your ring."

Elissa shook her head. "It was your's before and it will be again."

Hackett took the ring from her hand and looked at it with a familiar warmth. "I gave this to you, do you remember?" he asked as he slipped the ring on her finger. "It was right after you returned from active duty on the Neptune, Elissa was barely three and you had had a helluva time during that posting."

"I do remember that," said Hannah fondly as she admired the ring and then she turned to Joker and Elissa. "I'm sorry about this, Joker. I didn't know this was going to happen."

Joker waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Hannah. We'll make due with what we have lying around here, maybe Garrus can make a ring for Ellie."

"Speaking of making due," said Miya, glaring again at Hackett before turning to Hannah, "what are we going to do about a wedding for you? You can't expect us to be on three days of shore leave and not throwing a wedding together for you."

Hannah smiled and patted Miya's shoulder. "Thanks, hon, but I think we'll just have a quick ceremony and that's it."

"Unacceptable," said Elissa with a firm shake of her head. "You deserve a wedding, Mom, and nothing less. You have a station full of people who want to celebrate with you and Dad, why not let them by allowing us to throw you a wedding?"

Hackett looked at Hannah and grinned. "She has a point, sweetheart. What's wrong with having a wedding?"

"But . . . we'd have so little time and we have limited resources as it is," argued Hannah though Elissa could see she was not fighting as hard as she could.

"Mom," sighed Elissa, rolling her eyes just a little, "I have the best crew available that could organize a wedding in just a few days if you let them, just make sure they do what you want and not what they want." She eyed Tali immediately. "And I promise, Miya and I will not interfere in any way."

Miya looked like she wanted to protest but one look from Elissa cut her off and she slumped down in her seat.

"Traynor and Gabby could help you," offered Elissa, "and I'm sure the rest would be more than happy to pitch in. Just say the word, Mom."

Hannah sat quietly for a minute and then broke out into a huge smile. "I accept your offer, Jackie, as long as the crew wants to help."

Elissa smiled and then activated her omni-tool, sending out a message about her mother and Hackett's impending nuptials. Almost immediately after, there were replies from most of the women of the crew, all offering to help her out so the wedding could happen in three days time.

"The crew's in," she said triumphantly, "now all they need to do is meet with you, Mom, and we can get this show on the road."

"How about it, Hannah?" asked Hackett, his sky blue eyes sparkling.

Everyone stared at her with hopeful looks on their faces and she nodded, then the entire table burst into cheers and applause. Hannah and Hackett kissed in response, causing more cheers from all around except from Miya; it was evident from the way she was miming kicking that she was less than pleased with this arrangement. Elissa knew she would have to have a talk with her before too long but not here and not now.

"What's going on here?" asked Kasumi as she uncloaked beside Garrus, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat.

"My mom and dad are getting married," laughed Elissa, gesturing to Hannah and Hackett.

"You mean Hackett's your father?" asked Kasumi and Elissa nodded. "That . . . explains so much, actually. Anyway, I came here for a reason."

Elissa's face suddenly turned serious. "What's wrong?"

"The colony I've been funding has suddenly gone dark," said Kasumi, her voice harsh and stony. "I've been patient enough, Shepard, we either go or I go solo."

"Then we go now," she said suddenly, standing from the table. "You, Miya, James, and myself will go. Joker, you'll fly us there and I guess we'll need EDI's mobile platform too, just so she's not effected by the Normandy being gone."

"One problem, Shepard," said Garrus sternly, "we still have our prisoner on board and I don't think it's a good idea to have her around a smaller crew."

"That's already been taken care of, Garrus," said Elissa, her eyes narrowing. "Hackett's going to be interrogating her, already on his ship under heavy guard. He was going to anyway and this just gives him some extra time with him before I go in there and beat the shit out of her."

"Who are we talking about again?" asked Miya, perking up at the sound of interesting news.

"Miranda," said Elissa sharply, her tone indicating that she was not going to discuss anything about it right now. "Anyway, we should be leaving now. Miya, do you have your armor with you close by?"

"Already on the ship," she said proudly.

Elissa looked at Joker and he shook his head, indicating that he did not want to know how she had managed to do that when they had been on the colony only a few hours.

"If that's everything then," she sighed, eyeing her friend suspiciously, "we all need to get to the ship, now."

"I'll call EDI," said Joker, activating his omni-tool. "Steve, you should come too, we're going to need our shuttle pilot."

"On it," said Steve standing up though not before he gave Hadley a tender kiss as he departed.

James and Elissa shared a knowing look, both happy for their mutual friend.

"Mom," said Elissa, turning to her mother, "plan the wedding while we're away and don't worry about us, it's probably just a simple raid."

"Baby, the last time you said it was just a simple mission it turned out to be a thresher maw nest," said Hannah quietly. "And as soon as you get back, we'll have the wedding, not any time sooner."

Elissa smiled and then looked at Hackett. "Dad, talk to the POW, find out what you can. I'll be back later to finish her off."

"Lola," said James uneasily, "please don't hurt her."

"I won't unless she provokes me," stated Elissa flatly. "Now, we have a colony to save, don't we?"

The others around her nodded in agreement and they started off to the ship, Elissa trailing behind, not looking forward to having to face a foe so soon after she had nearly died. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder that pulled her into a tight embrace and her nostrils were filled with the scent of a familiar cologne. She buried her face into his neck, breathing his scent in as deeply as she could.

"It's okay, Ellie," whispered Joker as his grip on her tightened as hard as he could. "This won't be like the last time, you'll make it through this. I'll make sure of it, come hell or high water."

Elissa chuckled against neck. "Sounds like business as usual, doesn't it?"

Joker pulled away enough so he could see her full in the face and he leaned down, bringing her in for a searing kiss. "You'll come back, Ellie," he said when he pulled away. "You always have and always will."

She took some comfort in his words, she had indeed always been able to fight her way back but now that she had come so much closer to the end, she was not sure she would come back the next time. She mentally shook herself, now was not the time to be thinking of such things, now was the time to be focusing on the mission at hand. Elissa smiled at Joker and together they walked back onto the Normandy, ready to face whatever the galaxy threw at them. Little did they know what the galaxy had in store.