Author's Note – And at long last, the final chapter!
Hugs as always to GenjutsuDragon for the beta!
"Twins?" Lisbeth repeated for at least the third time, staring down in amazement at the double armful that Ash held. "Did you know?"
"I sorta guessed," Ash admitted with a weary but radiant smile. "I had way too many fists and feet using my bladder for a fast bag, but I told Karin that I wanted to be surprised." She tipped her head back, smirking up at her husband. "He was totally surprised."
"Still am," Vega murmured, regarding his sons with a dopey and utterly adorable smile, reaching down to put one thick finger in a tiny palm and smiling even wider as the fingers closed around it. "Good grip," he proclaimed proudly.
"Have you got names for them both?" Liara asked. She was fascinated by the thick, dark hair that covered each of the tiny heads and how soft it felt beneath her fingertips.
Ash nodded. "This is Kaidan David Vega," she said, nodding to the infant in the crook of her right arm and glancing up to Shepard, who smiled her approval at honoring Admiral Anderson along with Kaidan Alenko. "And this -" she tipped her head in the opposite direction, "is Charles Williams Vega."
Beth's smile broadened. "After your grandfather?"
"Yup," James confirmed smugly. "We figured it's time to bring that name back into the Alliance."
"If he wants to go military," Ash reminded her husband.
"With an N7 daddy and a Spectre mom?" he responded. "They're gonna be a matched set of badasses. Aren't you?" He leaned over to ruffle their hair affectionately, then glanced back up at Beth and Liara. "Baby Blue's really all right?" he asked worriedly, and not for the first time.
"She's fine," Liara assured him again. "Dr. Chakwas gave her a thorough examination: just a couple of small bruises." She kept her tone light; it was true that Hannah had sustained no serious injuries, but the memory of the bruises on the tiny arm, sustained when Feron had dragged the infant away from Ashley, was enough to have her stomach clenching in a renewed churn of guilt and rage.
"I am so -" Ash was on the verge of yet another apology, but Lisbeth cut her off.
"No more apologies, Chief," Shepard said firmly. "The only one responsible for that clusterfuck was Feron, and he's been dealt with."
"Aye-aye, Skipper," Ash replied with a wan smile, hugging her sons to her a bit more closely.
"Kinda wish I'd been there for that takedown," James mused. "Triple biotic whammy: bam bam BAM!" The last bam was accompanied by the smack of his fist into the opposite palm. Both infants started, and one of them let out a thin wail of protest. "Crap … sorry," he muttered, reaching out to them in an awkward attempt at comfort, then looking helplessly at Ashley.
"Take Kaidan," she instructed him with a look of affectionate exasperation, elevating the baby on the right until James lifted him free, then immediately cradling little Charles in both arms, rocking and crooning softly and looking totally at ease as the infant quickly settled. Liara felt a pang of yearning at the absence of Hannah in her own arms. Her daughter was safe enough with Aethyta, Wrex and Grunt in attendance, but even then, it had taken news of the birth of the Vega twins to pull her away.
"It was … effective," Shepard agreed, her dark eyes unreadable, "but I think the MVP award has to go to Rodriguez."
"No doubt!" Ash agreed emphatically. "I think her days of being at the back of the pack are officially over."
"Yep," Beth replied. "Jack wants me to start working with her more. I'm not sure I could have held that tight of a field against an explosion at her age." Her voice held unequivocal pride, but Liara could feel the guilt churning beneath the surface.
"We should probably get back to Hannah," she suggested, giving Lisbeth's hand a squeeze.
Ashley laughed softly. "I don't blame you, Liara," she said, giving her sons a tender smile. "I'm gonna have trouble just letting these two go back to their bassinets to sleep."
"Think they'll cut you loose tomorrow?" Lisbeth wanted to know.
"Me definitely," Ash replied. "The boys, probably if they keep doing well." She snorted. "They both came in over seven pounds, so it's just as well they were early."
"They take after their papa!" James proclaimed proudly, nuzzling Kaidan's cheek. "I was ten pounds, three ounces when I was born!"
"I found that out in the second trimester," Ash informed them dryly. "He gets to carry the next two."
"Is ten pounds large for a human baby?" Liara asked as they left, after doing a mental conversion to galactic standard units.
"Pretty big, yeah," Beth confirmed. "Think I was around seven pounds." She glanced sideways at Liara, smiling faintly. "I guess that Asari can control the weight of the baby?"
"To an extent," Liara replied. "Gestational factors do produce some variation, but most infants weigh between -" another quick mental conversion, "seven and eight pounds when born."
The small talk had taken them to the elevator. As soon as the doors had closed behind them, Liara turned to Shepard. "Beth, you don't get to tell everyone else not to feel guilty for what happened while beating yourself up."
"I underestimated him, Liara," Lisbeth sighed, "and other people paid the price. Rodriguez could have done herself serious harm holding the field on that explosion. And I never wanted you to have to -"
"Don't," Liara cut her off fiercely. "Feron kidnapped my daughter, threatened my daughter, and tried to kill you! What he did to me … I would have been satisfied never seeing him again, but he attacked the ones that I love to hurt me, and I am not sorry that he is dead! I'm not celebrating his death, but I certainly won't be losing any sleep over it." If anything, her nightmares would likely involve her being too slow to act and seeing Beth or Hannah die because of it.
"I promised I'd never let him hurt you again," Beth muttered, still plainly unwilling to absolve herself.
"And you kept that promise," Liara responded earnestly, "and in the best way possible: by helping me become strong enough to face him myself. We always had each other's backs before: fighting Saren, the Geth, the Reapers, Cerberus. I'd almost forgotten how it felt to know that I could protect you."
"I've never doubted that you had my back," Lisbeth leaned in until her forehead touched Liara's, cradling the asari's face in gentle hands, "and I knew you'd protect Hannah. I just … the thought of him touching you -" The kiss was fierce and tender, and Liara melted into it.
"Commander Shepard!" Liara hadn't even been aware of the elevator stopping and the doors sliding open. She felt a flare of irritation at the interruption that must have shown when she turned to face Khalisah al-Jilani, because the reporter took a half step back. "Doctor T'soni," she greeted Liara. "Is it true that your former lover kidnapped your child and was killed by Commander Shepard? Is your daughter safe?"
"No comment," Lisbeth said, slipping her hand into Liara's and escorting her out of the elevator. "TerSec should have the official report."
"We were hoping to get your side of the story," Khalisah persisted as they passed her. "There are a lot of rumors circulating, and I know that you want the truth told."
Perhaps it was the lingering adrenaline from the day's events, but Liara whirled on the reporter. "Are you threatening to publish rumor if we don't give you an interview?" she asked dangerously.
"Tell you what," Shepard's tone was amiable by comparison, the light press of her hand on Liara's back reinforcing soothing thoughts. Beth had been dealing with Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani since her earliest days as a Spectre. "You stick with what TerSec reports for the next forty-eight hours, and I'll give you an exclusive interview. One word of anything outside the official report in that time, the deal's off, and you'll get our side in a release with the rest of the media."
"Deal." The reporter knew that Shepard would keep her word. She cocked her head to one side with a casual smile. "How are Commander Williams, Lieutenant Vega, and their twins?"
Shepard laughed. "Nice try, Khalisa," she said, smoothly guiding Liara away, "but you can take that up with Commander Williams and Lieutenant Vega when you see them."
"It was so nice being forgotten," Liara lamented as they stepped out into the sunshine.
"They'll forget again," Beth replied amiably, then added with a sly grin, "as long as you don't flay any of them alive with your mind."
"I wouldn't!" Liara protested, feeling her cheeks heat, though she was honest enough to concede, "I might threaten to if they interrupt us like that again."
"I wouldn't object," Beth agreed, hailing a skycar. Once they were in with the door closed and the coordinates for their flat entered, Shepard pulled her into a hungry kiss.
"You are hot when you're angry, Dr. T'soni," she breathed when they came up for air.
"Is that so?" Liara tilted her head, relishing the feel of lips teasing at the skin of her throat. "Jack advised me that vigorous sparring sessions can lead to rather intense erotic encounters. I've been meaning to test that hypothesis."
Beth's low laugh was warm against her skin. "Anything for science."
Liara drew back until she was looking into Lisbeth's eyes. "There was something else," she went on, trailing her fingers through her bondmate's hair. "Seeing the twins, I thought that it might be nice if Hannah had a sibling to grow up with. Not right away," she said hurriedly. "Three to five years is usually the minimum interval between pregnancies." With longer-lived bondmates, there might be decades between births, but she did not have that luxury with Shepard. "I just wanted to see if you wanted to have more children." That she had wanted the one had come as a surprise, but seeing the two infants together had triggered an unexpected yearning in Liara.
Lisbeth's smile lit her face. "We can have as many daughters as you want, love," she replied, hugging Liara tightly. Mischief danced in brown eyes as she added, "We can actually mate during the next mating meld, I hope?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Liara declared, pulling her into another kiss.
A.N. - I'm not as smug about finishing this one as I was Moments In Time, but I am definitely quite satisfied. I've long since lost the link to the original story on the ME Kinkmeme, but it was one of those that never left my mind.
My thanks to everyone that has read & reviewed, faved and followed!