Thanks to Space Symphony, CyanB and AngstyShenko for the reviews!
Space Symphony: You had me at cake! *lol* but seriously, I really appreciate the fact that someone else needed a fluffy happy ending as much as I did :-)
CyanB: ugh, sorry for misunderstanding ... now I know where my Shepard got it from *sigh* anyway, when you put it that way ... you're completely right, of course *lol*
AngstyShenko: I'm glad you found my little story, too :-) And ... do you really think it would be a good idea for Kaidan to figure that out? Because then Catherine might get jealous again and ... well, that's probably nothing to wish for *lol*
As always, a big thank you to my awesome beta tag58 who said she squeed when she read this part ... so I hope that's a good sign :-) The chapter title refers to the song "Holding Out For A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. Let me know what you think, reviews are always appreciated!
Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
I need a hero, I'm holding on for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero, I'm holding on for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon and he's gotta be larger than life
- Bonnie Tyler, "Holding Out For A Hero"
16th June 2197
Catherine glanced at the holo-clock that stood on the ledge of the fireplace and sighed. Almost ten in the evening and still no sign of Kaidan coming home. She had hoped to spend a nice, quiet evening with him after the boys had tired themselves out when she had been to the beach with them today and they hadn't protested going to bed for once. Even Elizabeth, who for a reason not even Karin Chakwas could figure out, always had trouble sleeping for more than a few hours, was blissfully quiet for once. The only thing that was missing was … well, her husband. Which was not only bad because she wanted to curl up with him on the couch and make out like they had on their first shore leave together but also because she had to tell him something.
Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. When she turned her head to look at the source, she wished she hadn't the same instance. A big, fat, black, hairy spider sat on the wooden floor. Catherine slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of distress that ripped from her throat at the sight. To say that she hated spiders was like saying that the Reapers would have made great pets. She was afraid of them, her fear bordering on a phobia.
She pulled her feet up on the couch quickly and scrambled into a standing position, her eyes never leaving the eight-legged animal when her breath came in short, irregular puffs. Where the hell was her Claymore when she needed it? Or the Cain? Yes, the Cain would be great right about now. Catherine squeaked and pressed her hand a bit tighter over her mouth when the spider moved a bit to the right. Damn it. She had nothing to kill it with. Not that her fear would allow her to get close enough to kill the animal, anyway.
Thank God nobody could see her right now. Joker, James or even Garrus … every single one of them would have a field day if they ever saw their former commanding officer scared shitless because of a spider. And Grunt would probably claim that she was no longer his battlemaster. Even Kaidan made fun of her fear of spiders from time to time. However, since he always made it up to her once they were alone, she let it slide most of the time.
Another muffled squeak tore from her throat when the spider moved again, this time out of view. Catherine stretched to be able to see the black thing over the back rest of the couch. Where the hell was Kaidan when she needed him? What did she marry him for when he wasn't even there to kill damn spiders for her? Right, she loved him. And then there was the sex. And the best ass in the galaxy. And his abs. And those eyes. And hands that could make her feel things that were probably illegal in some parts of the galaxy. She shook her head. Now was not the time to fantasize about what her husband could do to her with his hands.
Soft sounds from the front door caught her attention for a split-second before she focused on observing the enemy again. If the situation hadn't been so dire, she would have laughed at Kaidan's timing. Now, she was just glad that he chose this moment to arrive.
When he came into the living room and saw his wife standing on the couch, Kaidan's eyebrows shot up. "Cathy?" he simply asked.
"Spider. Over there", she explained, her eyes still fixed on the animal when she pointed at it.
Kaidan burst out laughing. The great Commander Shepard was afraid of spiders … that just never got old. If he told someone, he was sure that the other person would call him crazy. He hadn't believed it at first, either. Until the day he actually had to take care of a spider for his wife who had been deathly pale back then and pressed to a wall opposite of the offending animal. She was just as pale now, he noticed, but standing on the couch this time to put some distance between herself and the creature.
"Stop laughing, damn it!" she cursed. She would have glared at him if she wasn't occupied with giving the spider her best death stare.
He coughed, trying to cover up his mishap. "Sorry, love, I didn't mean to", he said, unable to keep from chuckling. When he saw the spider, he knew exactly why she was reacting so strongly. The spider was big, he had to admit that. And probably the worst nightmare for someone who was afraid of them. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass and a piece of paper on the way back to the living room where Catherine still stood on the couch, glaring daggers at the animal.
"What are you doing?" she asked when she saw Kaidan approach the spider with his weapons of choice.
"I'm going to catch it and take it outside?" It was meant to be a statement but came out as a question.
"Oh no, you are not, you're going to kill it", Catherine objected.
Kaidan sighed. "Why? It'll be gone once it's outside."
"No, it's going to come back inside!" She almost jumped when the spider moved again. And while she didn't jump, she moved as far away from the offending being as the couch allowed. "Kaidan, kill the damn thing, right now!"
Another deep sigh followed. It was no use arguing with her when it came to spiders, he had learned that the hard way a long time ago. "Sorry, you just chose the wrong house to camp in", he apologized to the spider before crushing it with his biotics. Kaidan looked at his wife who was still on the couch. "Come down. It's dead."
"Ah, no, thanks. Could you please take it away?" She eyed the now dead animal warily, almost like she was expecting it to come back to life and jump at her any minute.
Kaidan chuckled. "You know, for a badass marine, you are pretty scared right now", he said and shrugged when she sent him a death glare. He might have jumped to action fourteen years ago when he first met her, but over the years, he had worked up somewhat of an immunity to her glare. "Fine, I'll take care of it." He pushed the dead thing on the piece of paper and left the living room. After a few moments, he came back empty handed.
"Where did you put it?" Catherine asked as she climbed down from her refuge on the couch.
He couldn't help but laugh again. His wife, savior of the Citadel, destroyer of the collector homeworld, savior of the galaxy … and afraid of a dead spider. "I flushed it down the toilet", he finally got out.
Catherine glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop laughing or there will be four kids growing up without a father", she said. When he stopped laughing and stared at her wide-eyed, she realized what she just said and fought the urge to slap herself. "And I didn't mean to blurt it out like that, sorry", she apologized, biting her lower lip.
Kaidan didn't really hear her apology. Two words kept playing on a constant loop in his head. "Four kids?" He repeated after a few moments of stunned silence, making it a question. Had he really heard her right? Because if he did, that would mean …
"Four kids", she confirmed and let her arms fall to her sides. She watched him carefully. So far, he seemed far from excited. If anything, she would call the look on his face shock and not joy. But he had been the one who wanted their family to grow. He was the one who wanted another baby. She put a hand on her stomach almost self-consciously, as if to shield the child that was growing within her.
Kaidan's eyes followed her movement and landed on her abdomen. "Four kids", he breathed. Then he crossed the room with a few fasts steps, pulled his wife flush against his body and crushed his lips to hers in a searing kiss, one hand buried in her hair at the back of her head to hold her in place.
Catherine automatically wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to get closer as wave after wave of relief washed over her. The worry that had crept up on her was forgotten instantly as she reveled in being so close to her husband. When the kiss ended, both of them were panting and he leaned his forehead against hers. "So … I guess I don't have to ask whether you're happy or not after all", she remarked.
Kaidan chuckled and kissed her again. The hand that had rested on the back of her head had traveled down to her abdomen and covered their child. "No, you … don't … have … to ask", he mumbled, his words interrupted by several short, sweet kisses. Finally he pulled away again and dragged her to the couch and into his laps, making her laugh. He would never get tired of that sound.
"I'm really sorry, though. I didn't mean to tell you like that", she apologized.
"When did you find out? How far along are you? I mean … wow. Another baby ..." he stared at her in wonder as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her close to his body. They had three kids and he still couldn't believe it. Couldn't get over the fact how lucky he was. "And don't worry about how I found out. I'm just ... I'm just happy that there was something to find out in the first place."
"I found out yesterday. And I'm six weeks along", she answered his questions. "And just for the record? I had planned to get your parents to watch the kids, cook your favorite food and curl up with you on the couch afterward, maybe top it off with strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert … and then tell you about the baby. Not shove that particular piece of information at you like that."
"Hey, I told you not to worry about it", he said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's … you know, it's unconventional. And thinking about how you told me about Jer … unconventional is what we do best, don't you think?" He kissed her again, a deep, slow kiss that made her want to purr like a kitten. "Though I really like the thought of strawberries and vanilla ice cream", he added in a low voice.
Catherine pecked his lips again and smiled. "I thought you might like that part", she said before shaking her head slightly as she remembered her temporary lack of conversational skills when she had told Kaidan that she was pregnant for the first time. "And about the whole unconventional thing ... I guess you have a point there", she admitted.
"So ... I guess one of our guest rooms needs to go to make room for another nursery", he said, smiling at the thought. Yeah, he really liked the idea to prepare another room for a child a lot more than keeping it as a guest room incase Joker or James ... or both of them showed up unannounced.
She nodded. "Sounds about right. Or we could get rid of the study ... we're not really using it, anyway. When was the last time one of us actually worked in there?"
Kaidan chuckled at her assessment. "You have a point. Because if I remember correctly, the last time we were in there, we had a lot of things on our minds that had nothing to do with work and lot more to do with how to get out of our clothes as fast as possible."
Catherine laughed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I didn't hear you complain, you know?"
"I wasn't complaining, love. Not at all", he reassured her as his hand crept under her shirt and rested on her stomach again, his fingertips drawing small circles on her skin. "And I didn't hear you complain, either."
"Damn right I wasn't. Why would I, anyway?" she answered, playfully nipping at the soft skin of her husband's neck.
He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, did I hear that correctly? Did you just agree to what I said?"
She lifted her head again so he could see her as she rolled her eyes. Trust him to make fun of her right now. "Yes, you heard correctly. But don't let it get to your head", she warned.
Kaidan wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. "Don't worry. Even if I did … I have you to bring my head back down to a normal size", he said before kissing her to keep her from adding another smart-assed remark. Judging from the fact that she responded eagerly to the kiss and her hands started to roam, she wholeheartedly agreed.