"Just because you're beautiful and perfect, it's made you conceited."

- William Goldman, The Princess Bride


Perfection


Kaidan was a gentleman and Shepard didn't mind taking advantage of him. She let him carry her from the landing pad to their bedroom, ignoring Butterfly's unappreciated glare.

Shepard didn't care, but he did. The tension in the air was so thick he was almost able to cut it with a knife.

It started when Shepard woke up after her injury. She couldn't remember anyone even Butterfly. Kaidan would never forget when she looked at him with a blank stare. The eyes were... so odd. He almost thought this woman wasn't his Amala.

Butterfly took it harder than him. She flinched away when Shepard tried to touch her. And the way she glared at her mother... She was absolutely not like the amnesiac Commander.

Sighing, the Major placed his girlfriend on the bed gently. He was going to leave, but he was trapped within Shepard's embrace.

"I need you." She said it simply. Her voice sounded seductive but also sounded... fake.

"You need rest." He tried not to sound offended. "And I still have to cook dinner. You haven't eaten anything today. Let me cook you something special."

There was a flash of frustration in her eyes, but quickly faded as she smiled weakly. "Hospital food is terrible. You're such a lifesaver."

A chill ran down his spine. Kaidan automatically turned around, looking for an enemy but he found no one. And although the windows were opened, the nearest building was still too far to observe the apartment.

"What's wrong, Kaidan?"

Shepard called his name countless times, why did he feel strange?

"Nothing." He shook his head. "I just remember we didn't buy any fresh food. Can you stay here alone while I go shopping? I won't be long."

"I'll be fine." Her soft smile made him feel bad for doubting her behavior. "Butterfly will be here with me, right?"

"Yeah, she will. But I still worry. Should I call your friends? I mean... You can't remember what happened in the Archives, what if that thief is still alive? I don't want to leave you defenseless. And Samara is..."

"Since half of my stupid crew is dead, she wanted to assist me anyway she's able." Shepard huffed. "But I don't want her... I mean, I can't remember her. She is like a stranger."

Kaidan gasped. Her voice was so cold when she talked about their lost comrades. Amnesia or not, this didn't sound like his Amala at all.

"Amala!" He warned sternly. "Please don't say that, especially in front of Butterfly. She still can't accept she lost her aunts and uncles. God, they died trying to help you. Don't talk about them like that!"

Shepard looked like she was about to throw him out of the room. However, she just lay back on the bed. "I want to be alone."

That would be best. Kaidan didn't want to push her.

"See you later." And then he walked out.

There was a sound of something broken behind him, but he just didn't care. The Major left the master bedroom to see his daughter in another bedroom.

Butterfly didn't look so good. Her eyes were red and had remnants of tears on her cheeks. For a baby, she didn't like crying for long no matter how miserable. She just sat on her bed, arms around her knees.

"Daddy," she said as she saw him. Her voice wasn't louder than a whisper and trembled.

Kaidan slowly sat near her. "Come here, Princess."

She almost leaped into his arms, but not in merriment. Quietly, she snuggled on his chest as he held and smoothed her hair.

"I still can't believe they're gone."

"Me, neither." He tried not to cry. Losing so many comrades in one fight was so damn painful. "Garrus, Wrex, Tali, and Liara... They were with us from the beginning. This is worse than losing Ash."

"James said he found them in a sealed vault. They ran out of air before the rescue. But... But Aunty EDI doesn't need air. How could she...? There's something wrong, dad, very wrong."

"Synthetics aren't invincible. EDI was disabled. The Alliance's engineers are trying to figure out how to revive her. Besides, why would James lie to us?" He didn't like it, but he had to admit the hulk lieutenant seemed to like his daughter more than family. James would never want to hurt her, neither physically or mentally.

"I... I don't know. It's just not right. They were trapped and died in that vault like a mouse. It was a stupid way to die."

"Sometimes... It's just bad luck." He remembered he told Shepard that just after they lost Jenkins. And the thought of the lost comrade made him feel worse.

As if she could read his mind, Butterfly wiped the tears from her face. "We can't break down, right? They want us to be strong. We will win this war for them."

Even though she said that, Kaidan wasn't sure if she was over her grief. "Yes, we will. Since we lost so many people, your mommy is going to work harder. We will help her in anyway we are able, alright?"

But the girl shook her head. "No! That woman isn't mommy."

"Princess, I know Amala looks strange. But that's because she lost her memories."

"How could you know? She could be an impostor. At the hospital, everyone paid her a visit, but she just dismissed them. Mommy never treated anyone rudely like that."

Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he felt the beginnings of a migraine. "Dr. Michel already did scan her. She has Amala's voice, fingerprints, and DNA. Physically, she is Amala Shepard. You know it."

"Yeah but... Mommy has scars, right? Does she have those scars?"

"The new one she got was a bit nasty, so Shepard wanted it removed. But the machine didn't just remove one scar. It removed every scar on her body."

Butterfly made a funny face, which reminded him of Shepard. "Isn't that a bit convenient?"

God knew he thought the same, but he couldn't just confront Shepard. "I know what you mean. This is between you and me, ok? I think this situation is strange too, but we can't do anything if we don't have proof."

"Yes, you're right. We need proof." Butterfly seemed to forget her grief. Her eyes shone with eagerness. "What are we going to do?"

"I already ordered James, Cortez, and Zaeed to gather old friends of your mom. Jack and Grunt are already there. I told that woman, I'm going shopping, but I'll go meet them at our old place. Someone has to keep an eye on that woman, while I'm out."

He was asking. Not gladly, but Butterfly would do it. "I'll do it. Mommy is still alive, I know it. And we have to find her."

"And keep it quiet." Half of his heart still wondered if they were wrong. There was no solid evidence to prove his suspicions. Still, he couldn't just let it go. "I know it won't be easy, but you have to play nice, and be careful. If she isn't your mom, she could be dangerous. Dad can't live if anything happens to you and your mom."

Butterfly smiled sadly and hugged him.


The room was a mess. Vase, photo frame, and everything on the night tables and shelves was wiped from their places. Shards of glass and ceramic shattered on the dark carpet like an abstract painting.

Carefully, Butterfly entered the room. Inside, the light was turned off but the light from outside illuminated the room enough to show a silhouette of a small woman on the bed. She wasn't sleeping, though.

Shepard... or someone who looked like her was sitting, hugging her knees, and face down between both arms. She looked fragile, exhausted and... very different from Butterfly's mom.

But the girl wasn't sure if it was in a good or bad way.

"Umm, hello," Butterfly tried to make conversation. She didn't know what she should call the Commander's doppelganger.

The woman jumped a little but didn't move. She just looked up and smiled wearily. There was sadness in her eyes but there wasn't any trace of tears. "Hey, little girl."

That voice sounded very much like Shepard. It hurt to hear those words when she knew this woman was just an imposter. Butterfly almost ran away.

But she couldn't do that.

"I, err... Just want to know how you are doing."

"I'm Commander Shepard. I'm always fine." She sounded very sure of herself. "What about you? Still think I am someone else?"

Butterfly sighed. "It isn't easy."

She didn't give a straight answer, but the Commander had her own idea. "Can we talk?"

"Yes, sure."

"I can't remember what kind of mother I was, but I swear I'll do anything to become better, a perfect mother." If the light didn't play tricks on her, the girl thought she saw Shepard snarl.

And she didn't like it. "I don't want a perfect mom. I just want my mom."

"And I'll be your perfect mom." Still, the older woman insisted. "Look at me, Sweetheart. I am flawless. I'll make us, our family happier. Forget your old, pathetic mom. She is no more."

Shocked, Butterfly stiffened as the Commander hugged her.

"Everything is going to be alright."


"You should know by now that thinking isn't my thing." Said Grunt. He answered Kaidan's call and came to Shepard's old apartment as soon as he was able. However, he had no idea where they should begin their investigation.

The Major looked around the room. Shepard and his friends were here. Even Kasumi came as soon as possible. Well, the master thief probably came because Jacob was there, but she came.

"With the Archives sealed by C-Sec, we can't check the place for any evidence." The thief said.

"I thought you could go anywhere." Jack teased.

"Of course I can. But I don't know what we are looking for."

Damn right. Before they could do anything, they needed a plan. Kaidan sighed. "Anyone have any ideas? Shepard needs our help, but we don't even know how to start."

"Calm down, Major." Among them, Samara was the oldest. Her presence soothed everyone down. "First, we have to know our enemy. Who is that woman? How could she have Shepard's DNA?"

That wasn't a hard question for a man who had three cloned daughters. "A clone, probably. And before you ask, I think Cerberus did it."

"Cerberus has Shepard's DNA and they are capable of cloning humans. I agreed that they might have created a clone. But we can't forget the identity thief." Jacob warned him.

"Well, I don't have any proof. But if that woman isn't Shepard, she probably is the thief." Kaidan was rather sure about that. "The clone tried to kill the original to claim his life. It's a plot from one of my favorite movies."

"Wait a minute." Kasumi protested. "But the thief hired CAT6 units to help her, right? Why didn't she use Cerberus' troop if she was with them?"

"Just because they created her, doesn't mean she has to work for them." Said Joker. He was very quiet after the loss of EDI, but he still wanted to help. Although he couldn't fight, he would do anything to bring EDI's murderer to justice.

James couldn't help but compare Shepard's clone to Butterfly and her sisters. The trio was young but their lives were so complicated. "The Illusive Man is always up to something. He probably created the clone to use as spares, in case Shepard needed new arms or something."

"And how come you know so much, Meat?" Jack asked, not so kind.

The lieutenant scratched his head awkwardly. "I... just thinking. I have a brain too, you know?"

Jack was Jack. She said what she wanted to say. "Didn't know you grew one."

He should be angry, but he was distracted by Jack's exposed chest. Despite his experience, he rarely met a hot woman like her. Well, Shepard and her children were kind of hot too, but they were... different.

"We must expose her true identity. But if she is the clone, her physical body must be similar to Shepard's. How can we prove she isn't Shepard?" Ignoring the biotic chick, Kasumi brought the conversation back to the old subject.

"It would be a lot easier if we have a doctor or scientist with us." Cortez offered.

Kaidan's omni-tool pinged. It was a message from Butterfly. He worried if she needed help so he hurriedly opened it up.

"Butterfly sent you a message?" Jack almost cooed. "What did she say?"

It was only two words.

Cybernetic implant.


Butterfly always spoke in ridden, didn't she? And I just keep hanging my readers on the cliff. XD Sorry about that.

Thank to The Lonely Traveler for beta :D