Thanks to CyanB and MEChuckster for the reviews!
CyanB: You have no idea how many times I wished to have something like a Cain when I saw a spider crawling around somewhere, so, yep, totally justified, indeed
MEChuckster: I hope you like the little glimpse in this chapter, but there will be more in the next, promise!

As always, a big thank you to my awesome beta tag58 who gave me the idea how to handle this chapter. The title refers to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. Let me know what you think!

Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me
To the place where I find peace, again
You are the strength, that keeps me walking
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting
You are the life, to my soul
You are my purpose, you're everything

- Lifehouse, "Everything"

28th July 2197

Catherine woke up to the feeling of her husband's lips placing kisses on her shoulder and neck and she couldn't stop the content sigh that spilled over her lips. She felt him smile against her skin as he brushed his lips over her cheek before meeting her mouth in a soft kiss that made her smile.

"Good morning", she mumbled into the kiss, unwilling to end it yet. She really had picked well over fourteen years ago when she had admired his backside on the way to the Normandy SR1. Who would have thought that her admiration for his assets would lead them here?

Kaidan still pulled away. "Good morning to you, too. And happy anniversary", he added before kissing her again. He pushed himself away, however, when she started running her hands over his back with the intention to pull him closer. "Sorry, my love. Not now."

Another sigh came over her lips, though this time, it was laced with the slightest bit of frustration. "Why not? Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. You know it's just a matter of time until the kids wake up."

"They're already awake, Cathy", he chuckled and pecked her lips again before he sat up. "And I have my reasons", he added cryptically.

Catherine noticed that he was already dressed and wore – black pants and a white dress shirt? Why was he dressed up? Sure, the two top buttons of the shirt were open and granted her a teasing view of his tanned chest and the sleeves were rolled up a bit, probably because of the temperature, but still. Not what she would have expected him to wear at all. "What's with the semi-formal clothing?"

Kaidan sent her a smile full of promises that would have made her knees go weak if she wasn't still in bed, she was sure of that. "Like I said. I have my reasons. Meet me in the backyard in half an hour and wear what's in there", he told her and pointed to a box on his side of the bed Catherine hadn't even noticed yet. After saying that, he quickly stood up and left the room before she could inquire further.

"What? I … Kaidan! Get back here!" she called after him, but he didn't come back. Not that she had expected him to. She sat up and grabbed the box, smiling when she saw a single red rose laying on top of it. Upon opening the box, she saw a light blue silk dress. "What the ..." Catherine mumbled as she pulled the dress from the box to inspect it closely. The dress would be held up by thin straps and flared out below the waistline, the lace-covered skirt ending just above the knee, if she had to guess. The fabric shimmered slightly in the morning sun, making it seem like it held different shades of blue. "What are you up to, Kaidan Alenko?" she asked in a low voice, but the empty room didn't give anything away that might have helped her solve this mystery. Remembering the time frame he had given her, she got out of bed and rushed to the bedroom to take a quick shower and get ready. Because whatever he had planned … she didn't want to be late for it.

Half an hour later she was about to leave the bedroom when the sight of her sons made her stop dead in her tracks. Both of them were wearing black pants like their father, but their short-sleeved dress shirts were a dark red color.

"Are you ready, Mommy?" Nathan asked, looking impatient as always.

Catherine had to stifle a chuckle. "Ready for what?" she asked, hoping that her boys would spill their father's secret.

Nathan opened his mouth to answer, but Jeremy quickly put his hand over his brother's mouth to silence him. "We're not supposed to say anyth- eww! Mommy, he licked my hand!" the older boy exclaimed, a disgusted look on his face when he glared at his little brother while he frantically wiped his hand on the leg of his pants.

She sighed. "Nathan, I thought I had a son and not a dog", she chided the five-and-a-half year old. "Apologize."

"Sorry, Jer", he mumbled, not wanting his mother to get angry.

"Just don't do it again", Jeremy mumbled. Then he spotted the halfway open door to his parents bathroom and ran to wash his hands. He didn't want Nathan's germs on him.

When he got back, the boys led their mother downstairs to the living room, where Catherine spotted her three year old daughter in a dress which was a blue color similar to the one she wore herself. And she also noted that Elizabeth held a small basket filled with flower petals. "Lizzie? What are you doing, munchkin?"

"I'm a flower girl!" she answered with a bright smile, recalling what her father had told her earlier.

"Lizzie! You're not supposed to tell!" Nathan said, ignoring the dirty look his older brother shot him.

Catherine fought against the urge to roll her eyes at her sons and replayed the information she had gotten instead. Flower girl. Why the hell would Elizabeth need to be a flower girl? Except … no. That was ridiculous. Kaidan wouldn't do something like this without telling her or at least giving her a heads-up … would he? She hadn't noticed Jeremy stepping to the door that led to the backyard. However, she was pulled out of her thoughts when he grabbed her left hand and Nathan her right one.

Lizzie stood on her tip-toes to open the door that led outside and the first thing Catherine noticed was low music playing. After stepping outside, she quickly took in her surroundings. Chairs were put up, leaving an aisle in the middle. She spotted her mother, Kaidan's parents, Steve, Joker, James, Garrus, Tali, Karin Chakwas and several others sitting there, looking at her. Their family, related by blood as well as those friends they had come to consider their extended family. At the other end of the aisle, Kaidan was waiting for her with a minister. Her surprise must have shown on her face because Kaidan gave his best impression of the Chesire Cat as she was slowly walking toward him, Lizzie in front of her happily throwing the flower petals on the ground. She was finally grabbed by Hannah, much to the amusement of the rest of the audience, when the little girl didn't want to stop once she reached the front of the aisle because there were still flowers left in her basket.

The boys let go of her hands and Kaidan took her left one in his, smiling at her and mouthing "I love you".

The minister started to speak and confirmed her earlier, quickly discarded thought. Kaidan had really organized a ceremony for them to renew their wedding vows without her knowledge. When the man in front of them asked who gave her away, she expected her mother to say something, but instead, her sons stood up from their chairs and chorused "We do!" like they had been instructed to by their father, making everyone laugh.

When it was finally time for them to renew their vows, Kaidan cleared his throat before he started to speak. "We stood in front of priest ten years ago, promising each other our love. A lot has happened since then. You haven given me a life I never thought I would have because of my biotics, three amazing children, another one the way and more happy memories than I can count. But most importantly, we're still together. I love you just as much as I did ten years ago. Maybe even more. You're everything to me, Catherine. My sun, making every day as bright as the one before, my guiding light through darkness, the air that I breathe. You're everything to me. Ten years ago, I promised to love you until my last breath. But over the years, I realized that I was lying. Because nothing could ever make me stop loving you. So I'm going to do it right this time. I'll love you forever, no matter what."

Catherine heard sniffling and saw her mother-in-law frantically wiping her eyes, just like Ivy had done a decade ago. When Kaidan's thumb stroked the back of her hand, she realized it was her turn to speak. "You could have given me a little warning, you know?" she said, chuckling. "Now I'm standing here, fumbling for words like an idiot. When you woke me up this morning, I was thinking that I really picked well when I deemed your backside worth following to get to know its owner", she started, earning her silent laughter and a catcall from James which made her roll her eyes. "However, after the war … I had my moments of doubt whether I could do this. Have a family, settle down, when all I had known before was moving around in space. But there you were, making it so easy that it was almost scary. And I can hardly believe that it's really been ten years. But then I look at our kids and … well, they are the best kind of confirmation that it's true and that really a decade has gone by. And despite the ten years that have passed, my feelings for you haven't changed, either. I still love you just as much, maybe even more. You have a point about the lying part, though. Because you're right, nothing could ever stop me from feeling this way about you. I'll love you forever, no matter what", she concluded, stealing his line with a teary smile. Kaidan raised his free hand to wipe away a tear that had rolled down her cheek.

Once the ceremony was finished, Kaidan pulled her close and kissed her in a way that had her holding onto his shoulders for dear life. She didn't even pay attention to Vega's catcalling or Nathan telling his brother in a disgusted tone "Eww, now Daddy has Mommy's cooties". All she knew in that moment was the man that held her tight and that she never wanted him to let go again. He was forced to, however, when oxygen became a necessity.

"Damn, Lola, I think I need a cold shower now just after seeing that kiss!" James exclaimed.

"Grandma, Uncle James said a bad word!" Elizabeth told Hannah, her innocent blue eyes slightly widened in shock.

The Rear Admiral shook her head, chuckling. "You should tell your Uncle James to wash his mouth with soap, maybe that'll help."

"But soap tastes icky, Grandma", Nathan said, clearly disapproving what she had proposed.

Robert looked at his grandson, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "How do you know, buddy?"

Jeremy was the one who answered faster than his brother this time. "Because he thought that the stuff Mommy puts in his bath looks like apple juice, so he wanted to know how it tastes."

"Sounds like Nathan spent too much time with you already, Mister Vega", Steve said. When he saw the younger marine open his mouth in protest, he went on "Or do I have to remind you of the wax pear you tried to eat once?" James snapped his mouth shut again, taking the hit more or less gracefully as the joke was on him now.

...

That evening, after the guests had left and the kids were asleep, exhausted after the excitement of the day, Catherine sat curled up in Kaidan's embrace on the couch, her back resting against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her, one hand softly caressing her abdomen.

"Seems like we'll have another babysitter available soon", Catherine said, smiling when she thought of her mother telling her that she would step down from active duty and take a posting on Earth at the end of the year. Hannah had claimed that she had spent almost 50 years in space and that that had to be enough since she was still willing to continue to serve in the Alliance. She only wanted to get a desk job and move to Earth permanently, Vancouver to be specific, to be closer to the only family she had.

"We'll need her, too. I mean … I feel bad already when we leave three kids at my parents' place. But four? We can split them up now, two for my parents, two for Hannah when we need an evening to ourselves", Kaidan answered, nuzzling her neck, causing her to laugh.

"I somehow doubt that my Mom would mind too much if we dumped all four on her once in a while. She has been complaining about missing out on too much already because she was still serving in space", she mumbled, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling of being wrapped in his arms.

Kaidan nodded. "True … but after having Nathan for one night, I think she might change her mind", he responded, thinking about his own father claiming that Nathan always acted like he was on a sugar high when they watched him.

"I wouldn't be so sure. She raised me, after all", Catherine told him, making him chuckle.

"I thought your manners were perfect as a child?" he asked, grinning when he heard her huff.

Catherine placed her left hand on top of the one that caressed her stomach. "Right, because growing up in space equals perfect manners. I was still a child, you know? Growing up around marines. You wouldn't believe the stuff they set me up to do, knowing that I would get away with it and they would get a good laugh out of it", she told him.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea. Remember when Vega and Garrus told Nathan that headbutting Wrex was a good idea?" Kaidan reminded her, smiling at the image for a moment when he felt her nod before he sobered up again. "You know … I have another gift for you. Nothing big, don't worry", he added quickly when he felt her move to look at him. He brought up his omni-tool. "Since you weren't supposed to know about what I had planned for today, I recorded some things during the preparations for you", he explained before starting the file and leaning back again, watching the video with her.

"When I tell you, you go upstairs to get Mommy, okay?" Kaidan told Jeremy and Nathan who both nodded. "But you can't tell her what's going on outside."

"Why can't Mommy know? She always knows everything!" Nathan said, confusion evident on his face.

"Because this is a surprise gift for her. You know, like you get surprises for your birthday and Christmas?" Kaidan tried to explain, crouching down to be at the same eye level as his younger son.

Nathan bit his bottom lip, a habit he had picked up from his mother, no doubt, as he contemplated the words. After a few moments, he nodded. "Okay, I won't tell Mommy."

Catherine chuckled. "Did you hear that, Kaidan? I always know everything. I really raised him well." She relaxed further in his embrace when he kissed her temple in response. "By the way, he almost ratted you out. Jeremy had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep him from telling me", she said, grinning when she remembered the little scene this morning. "Nathan repayed him by licking his hand."

"Seriously?" Kaidan asked, chuckling. He slightly shook his head when Catherine nodded to confirm her tale. "And here I thought I had gotten through to him."

"You should have bribed him with sweets. That always works with Nate", she told him. Not that their son needed any more energy than he already had.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time", he answered.

"Next time?" Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow when she looked at him.

Kaidan shrugged. "I don't have anything planned, but ... is it so far fetched that there could be a next time?"

"Guess not", Catherine agreed before tapping her husbands omni-tool again to start the video again. After a cut, she saw her little girl, sitting on Kaidan's lap.

"You have a really important part in this surprise for Mommy. You get to be the flower girl", he explained, grinning when her eyes widened and she started bouncing up and down in excitement before she stopped again abruptly.

"What's a flower girl, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked, her brow furrowed as she thought about it.

Kaidan chuckled. "The flower girl gets to walk in front of everyone else, throwing flower petals on the floor so the other people know where they have to go", he said, stroking over her thick blond curls that reached her shoulders.

"I'm really im-imp-" she tried, struggling with the word.

"Yes, you're really important, princess", he provided, kissing her forehead when he saw her smiling happily, the blue eyes which were so similar to her mother's shining with delight.

"You know, I really don't get why you started calling her that, as well. You've seen her covered in mud from head to toe after playing in the backyard with Nathan and Jeremy and you still call her princess?" Catherine asked, turning her head slightly so she could look at her husband.

"I've seen you covered in Reaper bits from head to toe and I'd call you princess if I had any chance of surviving it", he told her, quickly claiming her lips in a kiss before she could respond.

"This is cheating", she mumbled against his lips before deepening the kiss again.

"But the best kind", Kaidan agreed, smiling against her lips before he pulled away and started the video again.

Catherine looked back at the small screen and saw her boys get dressed, Nathan complaining about the shirt and Jeremy telling him to stuff it because this was for their mother. Later she saw Kaidan helping Elizabeth put on the blue dress she had worn earlier and pulling some of her long curls back with her favorite butterfly hair clips after she had almost thrown a tantrum because Kaidan had grabbed the wrong ones at first. Apparently, there was a big difference between fireflies and butterflies in their daughter's ranking system.

When the vid ended, Catherine pressed a kiss to Kaidan's cheek. "Thank you. Everything about today was breathtaking", she said, smiling.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy", he responded, a gleam in his eye that told her he meant it.

"That goes both ways", she answered before turning and climbing into his lap. When he raised an eyebrow at her actions, she simply grinned and leaned down to kiss him, pressing her body close to his and sighing into the kiss when she felt him wrap his arms around her again.