Notes:The Echo Game I mention in the chapter was first used and explained in QS 8: Blaze of Glory, with permission, from Elizabeth Carter's 'Phoenix' series (Rising from the Ashes).

Anam Cara - Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)

FTL - Faster Than Light travel

Grá mo chroí - love of my heart (Gaelic)

Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

XO - Executive Officer

Architects of Dreams

Orestes Station, Horse Head Nebula, At Large – 30 Mar 2189

The very moment Shepard revealed herself, she was met with a heavy barrage of gunfire, which lasted only a few seconds before overloads and warps destroyed both the trio of turrets and the Engineers operating them, as everyone on her team bumped up their shields and barriers and moved quickly into the room to find cover behind whatever was available. The cover consisted of a large reception counter, what looked like a security and entry control station, and various filing and storage cabinets. As Shepard entered, she had executed a flash-step, combined with a combat roll, to secure a position near the left wall behind one such row of storage cabinets, also managing to get under cover before her shields were completely obliterated.

It quickly became apparent at least one member of the infiltration team was also in their midst, as sticky grenades began to explode in places the assault team otherwise never would have reached… like the base of the helmets of both flanking Guardians… effectively removing their heads and sending their shields clattering noisily to the steel decking beneath their feet as their lifeless bodies collapsed helplessly to the floor.

The assault troopers were visibly shaken by the sudden, unexpected loss of their Guardians, but the Dragoons simply stepped forward, two on each side of their remaining Centurion, using their biotic lashes to great effect for keeping the Spectre's team from advancing on the Shepard construct. The weeks of training were certainly paying off for Shepard's team as, over time, they meticulously whittled away the opposition. The tide changed drastically when Jatok's and Strogar's teams also converged on the scene, the mass of Krogan simply running through the room, vaulting the counter and crashing into the opposition.

It was the beginning of the end, but the Shepard construct had absolutely zero intention of being taken down so easily; at least not without exacting some form of payment for the damage being wrought by the intruders. Staring at her nemesis, she dashed out of her cover and Lunged through the doorway, to a position behind Shepard, before slamming both lashes to the ground and throwing the majority of Shepard's defenders to the ground. As soon as her first lash was back in the air, it flicked out… only to discover Shepard was no longer in position at the end of her lash but, instead, had put herself in position to attempt a Vanguard Charge.

Unfortunately for Shepard, the construct had recognized the prep position and, as she charged, the second biotic lash intercepted her, wrapping the lash around her neck and slightly altering the direction of her Charge, smashing Shepard into a wall, using her own momentum against her.

As Shepard lay stunned on the floor, vulnerable to a killing Stomp by the mechanically enhanced Construct, Liara screamed, "Livos!" and launched a warp at her enemy's back. Livos spun at the panicked shout and immediately recognized the dire danger threatening her captain. Drawing quickly on her biotics, she prayed to the Goddess as she slapped the construct with a Neural Shock; it was a great relief when it had the desired effect of neutralizing even the modified Dragoon.

Livos immediately started to prepare herself to launch another shock as soon as possible – the effects generally lasted eight or nine seconds, but she was unsure just how long it would affect this Shepard construct. Her face twisting into an angry snarl, she growled out, "Unless you recover in under three seconds, I can keep this up all day long, you fucking mechanical Pyjak!"

Under other circumstances, Liara would have laughed, but she was too busy running to help her bondmate, who was still crumpled against the wall, much too close to the construct for comfort. She skidded to a halt as Shepard recovered, rolled to her knees and popped back up on her feet. Feeling the panic through the link, Shepard smiled at her XO as she prepared another attack. {I'm fine, Li… just had the breath knocked out of me for a sec.} Shepard had scooped her Graal off the deck and, seeing how close she was, attempted to bury a spike in the construct's chest. She was anything but pleased when the oversized flechette, designed to pierce thresher hide, simply ricocheted off its metallic skin. "What the Hell?"

All happening in a matter of seconds, Livos was not yet prepared with another Neural Shock when the construct snapped around, a biotic lash swinging toward Shepard. Liara watched in terrified awe as her siame bent backward and twisted in the air, somehow dodging the sizzling whip. Shepard made it look effortless as she jumped and rolled, as if she was doing nothing more than playing a game of Echo. Her feet left the deck as she spun, but when she came back down to the deck, she was in a sprinter's stance, cocked and ready to explode.

Purely on reflex, Shepard flipped out an omni-blade and biotically charged the construct. Much to both of their surprise, the blade did no more damage to her opponent's armor than her Graal had done, but it skipped up the construct's chest and left a deep gash across its left cheek, just before impacting and severing the targeting scope's connection to the thing's helmet. Shepard then crashed to the floor, her fist slamming down to form a powerful Nova wave and, if nothing else, at least creating some distance between her and the clone.

By this point, much of the enemy force had been destroyed. With Strogar's team starting mop-up operations and killing the remaining Cerberus soldiers, the Spectre teams, including B'Sayle and her crew, began to concentrate fire and biotics solely on the construct. As its armor chipped away with warps and weapons fire, stasis fields and singularities began to have greater effect. Finally, Shepard saw an opportunity to finish it; Liara had launched a rather powerful warp, followed immediately with a singularity, and the construct attempted to energize its maglocks in order to keep its feet securely on the deck.

Unfortunate for the clone, its exterior battery compartment, located in the center of its back, had suffered significant damage from Liara's warp and the maglocks failed to energize. Without solid footing, it couldn't properly utilize those deadly biotic lashes, nor lunge to avoid a charge attack. Shepard immediately saw her chance and Charged. Combined with Liara's singularity, as well as landing with a Nova, the triple combo created a massive explosion, smashing the construct into a support beam and almost snapping it in two.

Unfortunately, the explosion also tossed Shepard across the room into the opposite bulkhead, sending Liara into a panic as she ran to her side. "Siame! Can you hear me?" Having no idea how little time had passed, Shepard rolled over and let out a groan, her eyes fluttering open. Liara was above her, omnitool in hand and muttered, "Thank the Goddess!"

Always the soldier, Shepard tried to rise; Liara putting an immediate stop to her attempt with an unyielding hand on her chest. "Quit moving until my scan is completed… to make sure nothing is broken and that it is safe for you to do so."

"Won't argue with you this time… Damn, that hurt." Shepard mumbled, unsuccessfully attempting to focus her eyes on the being towering above her.

"It should have hurt… that was one massive explosion, Samantha… and I am not ashamed to admit, one that honestly had me quite concerned." She swallowed away her panic and fought back her tears, adding, "But you are awake and speaking, so it is not nearly as bad as I feared."

"And the damned clone?"

"Currently inert, so no need for you to worry about it. The team can handle the rest without us." Liara's face showed immediate relief; even though the scanner's screen had turned yellow, not green, anything was better than red. "No life-threatening injuries… but, you will definitely need medical attention… and, of course, you have yet another concussion. So, let's get you up and back to the ship so Derek can get started."

Assisting Shepard with her biotics, they had stood carefully to begin the slow trek back to the Knight Shade when Roshida walked past them, pulling out her pistol as she muttered. "One last shot for good measure." Pointing her Acolyte at the construct's unshielded eye, she growled, "We're done with you, you piece of shit," and pulled the trigger. With the heavy pistol's impact-triggered resonant warp bomb ammo, its still-Human brain was turned into mush, even though most of it remained within its titanium-reinforced skull.

B'Sayle turned back to face Shepard, quipping, "I can see why your enemies fear you, Spectre." Her face splitting with a grin, she continued, "You certainly ended the battle with a bang, but that Charge? Absolutely fucking insane… especially adding the Nova! Doing shit like that makes you dangerously unpredictable. No one likes fighting someone like that, including me, so I'm glad you're on our side."

Knight Shade, Milky Way, At Large – 31 Mar 2189

Shepard's eyes fluttered open, knowing full well she would still be in the Medical Bay, after receiving the necessary treatment from the consequences of her rather explosive exit from Orestes Station. Feeling the familiar vibration of the ship's movement, she also knew they were still in FTL flight… so they had not yet reached the relay to hop back home, or at least she hoped it was that, and not their final leg back to Thessia. Before she could draw her second waking breath, Derek was hovering over her.

"Hold your head still and tell me if this light bothers you." He immediate shined a pinpoint light in her left eye, and then her right, flicking it away just as quickly, to test her pupillary reaction time.

"Would it matter if it did?" Shepard asked quietly. Her head still thrummed from having been smashed at high velocity into a steel bulkhead, so she had no desire to speak too loudly.

"Actually?" The doctor grinned at her. "Yes, it would… and it's good to know you didn't lose your sense of humor, at least.

"I wasn't exactly trying to be funny, Doc." Shepard let her eyes slip closed as she continued, "My ears are still ringing. How long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours, Shepard..." Derek put his penlight away and pulled up the scanning program on his omnitool, giving her another once-over. "… but long enough to finish your treatments. You're now almost healing like a normal Human… and I fully realize that isn't very good news because it tells me your nanites are now down to only a twenty or twenty-five percent capacity."

He suddenly smiled. Shepard couldn't see it at first, but the hope in his voice prompted her to reopen her eyes as he continued, "The good news is that all the files Ms Lawson needed were in the databanks on that station. Complete details on your reconstruction and reanimation, including full schematics for the various nanites… everything she will need to complete the project, assuming we can locate all the necessary materials. There are a couple rather rare ones that may prove a bit of a challenge to locate. Fortunately for us, none of them are required in any great quantity… we are speaking of microscopic structures, after all… and, we have the best info network in the galaxy to help us locate them."

"And what about everyone else?" Shepard tipped her head toward Derek so she could see his reaction and tell if he was being truthful or just trying to not stress her as he answered.

"Not bad; just the normal bumps and bruises from one of your missions. I think you knew the Krogan team lost one right at the start, when he rushed right into the center of the Dragoon front line… those lashes tore him to pieces. Between three Dragoons and a Centurion, he never stood a chance."

"No… I didn't' see that, actually… I was a little busy. I'll need to go see Strogar, once I'm up and about."

Derek huffed in irritation. "I'm not sure I like him. He was angrier at Thadon for being stupid than for dying… saying something about it being an inglorious death or some such nonsense." Derek shook his head and let out a quiet huff. "I don't believe I will ever understand the Krogan psyche… especially regarding their ideas of glory and death. Seems wasteful to me."

"I don't think they're really that much different than our old customs and cultures like the Kamikaze. Glory through battle… and, if you happened to be chosen to give your life for the cause, you simply needed to make sure you died an honorable death."

"What the Hell does that even mean? An honorable death?" Derek scoffed, "There's no such thing! Dead is simply dead."

"And that's why you're not a soldier, Doctor Yandle." Livos walked over and peered down at her Captain. "Hello, Nara. Welcome back." She reached out to overlay a hand on one of Shepard's. She gently gripped the woman's hand and her face held a bit of a smirk as she spoke. "You gave us a scare, headbutting the bulkhead that way. Did you suddenly believe you were Krogan or something?"

"Or something. Playing Krogan should be one of Liara's responsibilities." Shepard couldn't help but chuckle. "Not exactly sure what the Hell I was thinking. I have no excuse… other than I temporarily forgot the power of one of Liara's singularities… Not sure why I felt the need to add a Nova into the mix."

"It was a rather… impressive… explosion, I must admit." Livos chuckled as she added, "Not something you will forget again… at least not anytime soon. Not sure if you saw Roshi attempt to decapitate that thing, up close and personal, with an Acolyte. Not very pretty… but extremely effective. Got the job done… that's what mattered."

"Derek was just beginning to tell me how the teams fared… and didn't get past the one Krogan death. Care to give me the after-action brief?"

Livos glanced at Derek, who nodded in approval. "She's fine, so, you go ahead while I contact Liara. She'll be mad as all get-out if I wait too long. I'm sure it doesn't matter that it's after midnight; I highly doubt she's actually sleeping, like I told her to."

"Contact Riana, instead." Livos shrugged. "I know for sure she's awake and she'll be patient enough to listen to your full explanation. That way Liara has someone with a smiling face telling her, in person, instead of a call she won't believe because she can't read your expression."

"Good idea, thanks."

As Derek walked away, Livos turned back to her Captain, releasing her hand so she could pull up a chair. "We actually did fare well, Shepard. No casualties on our side other than our overzealous Krogan. It was Thadon, in case you didn't know; the youngest, least experienced, and most impetuous of the group… and it showed." She drew a deep breath and blew it out as a sigh. "Other than that, our teams worked together flawlessly, thanks to all our practice sessions at Armax. Sellis and Erin both took a bad hit trying to take down a Dragoon… I think he somehow sensed them, maybe caught a cloak shimmer out of the corner of his eye and countered with a circular melee attack. It shorted their cloaks and they immediately came under fire."

"How bad?"

"Captain B'Sayle was quick enough to dash in and help me set a Barrier, giving them a chance to withdraw and treat their wounds. It was messy, but they're alive and well… Derek stitched 'em up and with an hour for each under a dermal regenerator, they're close to good as new, but it will take some time for them to heal the rest of the way." She frowned as she added, "They got lucky… and, I do believe, both incurred a debt of life to Roshi on that one."

"Just Roshi?"

Laughing, Livos answered, "Yes, just Roshi. We commandos have saved one another's lives so many times we have all stopped tracking. The war provided way too many opportunities to get killed… and just as many chances to be saved, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

As Shepard asked her next question, her face held an odd expression that made Livos smile. "Who else was injured?"

"I'm sure you're curious about where Liara is, because you'd otherwise have all these answers in an instant. She's fine, Shepard. The link is blocked on Dr Yandle's orders due to your head injury. But once she gets here, you would eventually realize that Liara did take a shot across the shoulder, so I'll simply tell you now… be gentle. Don't hug too hard."

"What?" Shepard sat up and glared at the team captain, growling, "How in Hell did that happen? She came back to the ship with me!"

"Once you were securely in Derek's care, Liara returned to the station to help us finish the clean-up operation. Her armor slowed the projectile significantly and it was, quite literally, nothing more than a scratch…" Livos smiled as she added, "… so quit snarling at me. She's already good as new except for a bit of lingering tenderness."

Livos simply shrugged off Shepard's ill temper and continued, "And honestly? That's pretty much it. Except for a number of superficial cuts from grenade shrapnel… and a few other small-caliber weapons injuries like Liara's… we made it out of there pretty clean." She grinned as she added, "And we have a really cool trophy locked in a stasis pod! We found no additional clones, but Liara thought maybe Miranda would want to see the construct… so we've brought it along… and, I'll guarantee you, it's the only thing that survived. We turned the whole station into nothing more than space dust, once we were all back aboard."

"Shit. I forgot about that." Shepard's hand snapped out to grip Livos on the arm. "Did you take the time to look for information regarding the possibility of additional clones being elsewhere?"

"We did, but didn't find even a hint…" Livos drew a deep breath and blew it out before continuing, "But, I'll say this… Not finding any info didn't change Liara's mind about checking every single one of the remaining Cerberus stations before we wipe them from existence anyway, just to make sure. Seeing that construct was pretty unnerving for her."

"For her? For me, too! I can't begin to explain how much it unsettled my gut to peek around the corner, only to see… a warped, Illusive Man vision of me." She shuddered and shook her head. "But it would be very much like TIM to not leave any loose ends," Shepard growled. "He always ensured redundancy and had a back-up plan… As much as I hate to admit it, that was definitely one of his strengths, so I find it hard to imagine there isn't any more out there."

"Liara feels the same way, apparently." Liv was about to continue when Liara entered the Medical Bay, barely waiting long enough for the door to retract far enough to squeeze through the entry.

Coming immediately to Shepard's side, a joyful smile crossed her face as she leaned in and kissed her bondmate. "Good to see you awake, Siame." Casting an apologetic glance toward the doctor, she continued, "I guess it's the researcher in me… Words are never proof enough; I need to see the empirical evidence for myself."

"No offense taken, Lady Liara," Derek chuckled. "I often feel the same way… particularly in regard to Shepard and her wounds. I guess it's my fault for listening to Doctor Chakwas when she cautioned me about our Spectre's proclivity to underplay her injuries."

"There is no fault in that, Derek." Her focus rested on the woman in the bed as she continued, "Because it is completely true… nearly one-hundred-percent of the time!"

The Asari's broad grin lessened the sting of truth in Liara's words, so Shepard simply shrugged it off and replied, "What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment!" What she did not ignore was Liara's injury. "I hear you returned to the station and got hurt, Grá mo chroí." A worried frown crept onto her face as she added, "But I see no bandage… and had you not just reached up to rub your left shoulder when I mentioned it, I never would have known which one it was."

"I'm not very good at hiding things from you, am I?" Liara smiled. "It's just a bit stiff, that's all. It doesn't even hurt, not really… just a bit of an ache from the muscle tightness."

A sly grin preceded Shepard's reply. "Then I'll have to give you a massage and help you work that out, won't I?"

Loudly clearing his throat, Derek interrupted their chatter before it became more personal than he cared to hear. "Okay, enough of that." He looked at Liara as he continued, "I'm going to release Shepard to your care… but only if you promise me you will not work anymore tonight… nor engage in any physical activities. Both of you will go directly to your quarters and go to bed… to sleep. And, no melding until after I recheck Shepard in the morning. Understood?"

With a somewhat sheepish grin, Liara responded quietly, "Yes, Doctor."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 4 April 2189

In the nearly three weeks since Gabby had delivered her twins, Malcolm and Belle had grown and gained a bit of weight on the rich diet of mother's milk they were drinking, and they had actually increased the time they would go between feedings, to the point Gabby was able to relax somewhat in the evening. She was still awakened in the middle of the night, and the first feeding of each day was more in line with her normal wake-up time of 0550.

Every time she held them, particularly red-haired Malcom, her eyes filled with moisture at the memories of Kenneth that rose to the surface of her thoughts; she just knew – no matter his reluctance at being forced to stay on the Normandy when she transferred off the ship – he would have been so damned proud – ecstatic, even – to be the father of two such beautiful children.

As for Gabriella, she was thrilled to have them outside so she could hold them… feed them… hug them… shower them with love – when they weren't being spoiled by the seemingly never-ending pairs of blue arms that were always willing to hold them close. The pain of spending so much time in labor was almost a distant memory now… sort of like recalling the hazy details of a nearly forgotten dream.

Gabby had discovered a quiet corner in the rather large lounge on the main level; it was out of the way, and someone had procured an old-fashioned, exquisitely made wooden rocking chair. The padded seat and backrest felt like heaven to Gabby, who could sit and rock as she suckled her babes. She had arranged to have the back of the chair towards the main portion of the room, providing the perfect place for her to nurse her babies in relative privacy.

Despite being told many times over the course of the past nineteen days that no one was paying any attention to the occasional partial exposure of her breasts during feeding times, she still felt a bit embarrassed to be seen either 'getting ready' or 'cleaning up'. She blamed her upbringing, along with the memory of how enamored Kenneth was with breasts in general, whether Asari, Quarian, or Human female. With a quiet chuckle, she recalled his comments about Edi's chest.

She was humming a little ditty while gently rocking back and forth as she gazed at a blissful little face; Belle's eyes were closed in contentment as she finished filling her tummy with the nourishing liquid. Gabby stuck her little finger in the corner of a tiny mouth to break the suction, laid Belle down along the length of her thighs, then dried her nipple and covered her breast as a baritone voice from behind gave her a start.

"How're you doing, Gabby." Harley Creath came around to stand near the armrest of the chair.

She felt momentary heat in her cheeks at his sudden appearance. With a small cough to hide her discomfiture, she replied, "Harley! You startled me." She hurriedly finished fastening her gown, then picked Belle up and hugged her to her chest. Indicating the nearby chair, she directed, "Have a seat while I place this little treasure in her bed." With Belle firmly clutched in her arms, Gabby rose from her chair and set the dozing babe in the nearby bassinette.

Retaking her seat, she looked quizzically at the N7, who responded, "I was wondering… would you care to have dinner with me this evening? Nothing fancy… I know we've enjoyed a few lunches together, and breakfast? Well, that was interrupted." He looked past her shoulder for a moment, then, "If it will make things any easier, we can eat in your quarters… so you can be close to your babies."

Gabby silently thought about his request for several moments, long enough for Harley to think that maybe he was showing too much interest in this young, widowed mother. When she did reply, it was not the answer he had expected. "Harley, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, and dinner with you sounds wonderful, but…" she reached for and grasped his hand. "It's just a bit too soon for me to entertain a gentleman in my quarters, don't you think?"

She gently squeezed his hand, adding, "I would really enjoy getting to know you better, hopefully before I have to return to my home, as I seriously doubt you'll be visiting Scotland anytime soon; with any luck, I'll be working from my home for a company here on Thessia."

He squeezed her hand in return as he smiled, "So, let's commit to dinner together in the main dining hall this evening. It won't be as private as I'd like, but that's okay. I want to learn more about you, and I'm not going anywhere."

Gabby grinned as she nodded. Forgive me, Kenneth! "I'll look for you at 1830 or so."

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 6 April 2189

Gabby sat quietly in the library. She had been attempting to read but found herself staring out the windows as she thought back on her rather enjoyable dinner with Harley. As she glanced at the two babes lying in the extra cribs Lyessa had procured for them, she let out a heavy sigh. He's probably just being nice to you because he feels sorry for you, you foolish girl. You're unemployed and have two children to raise! What could he possibly see in you other than the proverbial ball and chain! She let out another sigh and whispered aloud, "You're just being an idiot, Gabriella."

"That seems a little hard on yourself, don't you think?"

Gabby about jumped off the couch as the cheerful voice of Judea Voni rang from the doorway. "Goddess, Judea! Don't do that to me!"

"Don't do what? Scare you…" Judea walked over and sat on the couch with her as she finished, "Or keep you from chastising yourself… likely for no good reason at all."

Gabby blushed softly and quietly replied, "Well, when you put it that way…"

The woman stopped speaking at Judea's good-natured chuckle, who then placed a comforting hand on Gabby's knee. "I didn't really expect a reply. It was one of those rhetorical statements that never honestly have a good answer." Judea's expression turned a bit more serious as she added, "Though, I do have to wonder at why you would ever label yourself an idiot…"

Gabby rolled her eyes. "Nothing in particular, really. Just my life… having found myself without a job and with two babes to provide for. I'm not really sure what I was thinking when I quit the Alliance… I'm almost tempted to give them a call and see if they'd take me back."

"Why in the Goddess' name would you ever do that?" Judea sat up a little straighter in the seat. "I thought you honestly wanted to give your children dirt under their feet instead of a deck. And what about Kenneth's ancestral home… and raising them in the Scottish tradition? Was that all a figment of my imagination, Gabby, or did you really tell me all that?"

"I did… I just…" Gabby stopped and pouted. "See? I'm an idiot. I have all these grand dreams and no plan to get from here to there!"

"That is an unadulterated, absolute lie, Gabriella Daniels!" Judea stared at the woman in disbelief. The look of shock that appeared on Gabby's face at the blunt accusation shook Jude out of her bewilderment. "Why do you think I'm here?" Not pausing long enough for Gabby to venture a guess, the Asari continued quickly. "I mean… On the grand scale, I'm at the Estate because Miri is helping Shepard… but right now this minute, I'm sitting before you because I have a few days of free time."

She seemed to hesitate, so Gabby prodded, "Free time… to do what?"

Judea suddenly smiled. "Why, to fly you to the Shipyards to meet Matriarch Tralis, of course!"

"Now?" Gabby gulped. "So soon after the children are born? They're just babes!"

Judea laughed. "So what? People travel with young ones all the time! Give me a few days to handle the logistics and we'll be off." She gave Gabby a sly smile. "You do have a plan to support your children… You just need to set it into motion!"

"A few days?" Gabby nervously brushed her hair back out of her face. "I need to put some things together… and update my portfolio! How many days are we talking about?"

"That's the spirit!" Judea grinned widely. "How about we go on the 12th… the day after Shepard's birthday party?"

"That's almost a week away…" Gabby set her shoulders and nodded in agreement. "I can be ready by then… Let's do it!"

T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 April 2189

Miranda smiled as she said, "Happy birthday, Shepard."

"Thanks, Miri." Shepard grinned back at the woman who had been working tirelessly since the Night Shadow had arrived, only three days after the call had been placed. Their first priority had been to get the stealth ship under cover, slipped quickly into one of the two maintenance hangars at the Estate. Then, for the last ten days, Miranda had spent every waking hour in the medical lab, reading through the nanite research and working on those which contained readily available materials.

Liara, Derek and Alyna had worked with her, providing whatever assistance they could as Miranda progressed through the necessary protocols. She had completed the preliminary replicator reprogramming back in February, when Shepard's symptoms had initially displayed, but knowing the full scope of the nanites' designed functionalities had required Miranda to complete some additional, rather intricate, recoding. Not only did she need to ensure the nanites would first replenish their own numbers, so the root cause of Shepard's nanite failure – the loss of sufficient replicators – would never occur again, but she needed to program in a sensory function, so they would also maintain the proper ratios for all eleven types of repair nanites.

That particular task had been accomplished in the first week of Miranda's stay at the Estate. The past three days, Miranda and company had managed to research and reproduce eight of the eleven repair nanites… but the last three, involving nerve support and neural function, required some rather specialized, and rare, materials.

"So… what's the prognosis?" Shepard's smile faltered ever so slightly as she asked the question. Miranda had been extremely tight-lipped the entire week and Shepard assumed it was because the situation was rather dire. Given Miri's promise, Shepard knew her friend would take it very personally if something she had promised could no longer be fulfilled. That thought prompted her to add, "You know I won't blame you if my millennium of life never manifests… it was a miracle dream to begin with… and TIM never really gave a shit about me as a person. All he wanted was a Human hero to win the war and help him control the Reapers. Once that happened, I became disposable… maybe even a liability, based on the destruction protocol programmed into my bio amp. I can't say I'm sorry to disappoint, in that regard."

"Shut up, Shepard." Miri raised her brow and gave her a look that immediately silenced the Spectre. "I could care less about Jack Harper and his dreams of conquest; they are no longer relevant. There is absolutely no reason in existence that I should not be able to fix this and give you back your thousand-year life with Liara, so I'll hear no more of that. Understood?"

Shepard couldn't help but smirk as she replied, "Yes, Ma'am!"

Miranda chuckled and shook her head, completely unable to remain perturbed with the woman sitting on the med table before her, as she scanned over the latest test results. "Now… Our replacement of everything except the neural function nanites seems to have been successful, so you should begin to sense the changes almost immediately. According to these status displays, all your regeneration, metabolism and purification function nanites are functioning at 100 percent, as are the now-specialized replicator nanites. Unless you suffer a truly catastrophic event, you should recover rather quickly from just about anything that happens to you. So, as long as you don't get yourself blown to smithereens, you should be just fine."

"That's awesome!" Shepard grinned and slid off the table. As Miranda began to protest that she wasn't finished, it was Shepard's turn to be sassy. "Oh, do shut up, Miri! I'm simply ecstatic and I feel the need to hug you in thanks!"

Miranda 'suffered' through the hug, rolling her eyes as she jokingly protested, "God, Shepard. You know how much I hate being too personal with my research subjects!"

"Uh huh." Shepard laughed. "And you know how much I love to tease you by pushing all your buttons… there's simply so many of them!"

"You'd better be careful, or I'll follow the Illusive Man's protocols to the letter… and program one of the neural nanites with a terminate function."

Liara had walked in just in time to hear their last exchange and suddenly had the urge to comment, "Oh, Doctor Lawson… please don't do that! I still need her genes to create the T'Soni heir… Can't you create a memory wipe function, instead, and turn her into a sex slave?"

Shepard gasped, "Liara!" and Miranda nearly doubled over with laughter.

"Just when I think I finally have you figured out, you go and say something like that!" Miranda leaned against the table Shepard had just vacated and attempted to catch her breath but found she simply couldn't stop laughing. "God, Liara!"

"What can I say, other than Shepard is an extremely bad influence on me." Even though she tried to play it off, Liara's face still turned a lovely shade of blue, hardly believing she had actually said the last bit aloud. Honestly, she had meant to pass those words to Samantha privately via the link but, obviously, somehow her mouth hadn't gotten the message. In her embarrassment, she walked directly to the Spectre and buried her face in a welcoming shoulder.

Once over the shock, Shepard had also started chuckling. "Wow… how you've changed, Anam Cara! I think I like the new you!" Her face was overtaken by her trademark, roguish grin as she wrapped her arms tightly around the Asari and gave her an affectionate hug, continuing, "I think I like it a lot!"

Finally, once back under control, Miranda smiled at the couple. "Good thing, Shepard, because I honestly do believe you're going to be stuck with one another for that full thousand years."

At that, Liara pulled away and turned toward Lawson, a surprised yet very pleased expression on her face. "Truly? Oh, Goddess! That's remarkable, Miranda! How can we ever thank you… again?"

Miri leaned over and placed her hand on Liara's forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just keep being you, Liara… both of you, actually. Just keep being you."