Joker was stunned into silence. Into stupor, actually. A father?

Already?!

A father.

The reality of the concept suddenly drove home, it wrapped around him like a blanket - no, like a new skin. It was something that would never go away again, and it changed him forever. He swayed slightly, his body light as if it was filled with helium, and grabbed Jo's wrist to hold on to. He would never, ever let go of her again. Ever.

"We're pregnant," she whispered. Joker loved how she put it: "we", not "I". That alone was a gift he could never repay.

The stupor released him slowly and Joker almost whimpered with the need to bounce or scream or run around in circles or shout from the docks that he was a father now - anything to relieve this bubbling excitement. But that required him letting go of Jo's hand and he wasn't ready to do that just yet.

Their eyes met and he saw that she was just as gobsmacked as he was.

"I'm freaking out. Are you freaking out yet?" He asked her and she released a shuddering breath:

"Totally freaking out!" The half-laugh turned into sudden fear and she gripped his hands tightly: "Ohmygod, Jeff, what are we gonna do?"

Joker shrugged with a stupid grin. What were they going to do? He was as clueless as she was. For now, though, Joker guided Jo to lie down on her back. He pushed a button on her bracelet and it stopped beeping. Then he tugged it off her wrist and stashed it away in the drawer of his nightstand.

"I'm keeping that," he told her. Then he scooted down on the bed and made himself comfortable with his ear against her belly.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting until it kicks, or until I can hear it." He knew he was talking nonsense - there would be no kicking for months, but he was determined to be as close to his child as he possibly could, every step of the way. He wanted to know his kid, wanted it to know him, his voice, his presence, before it was even born. He wanted everything.

"Let's not tell anyone until I start showing," Jo suggested.

"I agree," Joker nodded against her skin. "And if someone spills the beans," he spoke a little louder to the ceiling. "We'll know who it was!"

"I would never," Dex spoke up. "Not even to my Matty. I can keep a secret, if you want me to."

So, after the initial shock, followed by a wave of excitement, there was nothing left to say or do that night except to try and come to terms with the new reality. They didn't want to jinx it, which meant that they would have to live their life the way they always did and not show that something was different until at least the first trimester was over. The only person who needed to know was Karin Chakwas. They asked her to meet them at a cafe near the dock in the morning.

Joker still refused to let go of Jo for more than a few seconds and she seemed of the same mind, melting against him on every occasion. They even sat in the same chair when Karin arrived.

"Well," Joker pulled the tester bracelet out of his pocket to show Karin what it was all about. "This thing turned out to be very short lived."

The elder woman frowned a little in confusion. Jo and Joker each raised an eyebrow in a gesture so identical that it wasn't clear who'd copied it from whom originally. They looked at Karin, waiting for her to get it. Then the penny dropped and she gasped:

"Oh my god!"

"That's what I said," Jo agreed. Karin shot out of her seat, rounded the table and wrapped them both in her arms.

"This is the best news in my life," she declared and Joker had to agree. "Do you know what that means?" She rubbed a tear from the corner of her eye. "It means that your baby was just waiting for you. It was meant to be."

"Now you're just being mushy," Jo said, even though she was grinning and holding back her own tears.

"You promised me the other day to give me a grandchild," Karin pointed at Jo sternly. "I'm entitled."

"Yes, you are," Joker took the elder woman's hand and squeezed it lightly: "We'll need you. Our kid's gonna need a grandmother."

They discussed their wish to keep it secret for now and worked out a schedule for checkups. After that it was back to business. It was hard for Joker to let go of Jo, but she needed to work. However, when they sat together in the Kodiak, about to fly up to the station, Joker found himself completely and utterly unable to fly.

"What's the matter?" Jo asked him when he just sat there.

"I can't. It's not just your and my life in my hands now, it's my child's life, too. What if I crash, what if something goes wrong, what if the engine fails, or life support?"

Jo didn't give him platitudes. She gave his fears some thought.

"I'm scared, too. What if my body's too battered? What if I miscarry? What if someone attempts to kill me and I lose the baby?"

They sat in silence for several minutes.

"I guess there's no way around it, we can't sit here forever," Joker sighed eventually, even though the thought was tempting. Hide out in a tank inside the Normandy until the baby was born? Sounded a lot safer than going out into the world. But of course they couldn't do that. He promised himself to be extra-extra careful from now on. To be a better, smoother pilot than he'd ever cared to be. His cargo had never been more precious.

In the next few days Joker took the time to sit down and work out his training plan. He had no idea what an N7 pilot was supposed to be like, but Jo had told him that he didn't need to concern himself with old guidelines. He needed to work out how to make pilots like him, and that would be the new standard for an N7 level. She didn't give him a time frame for the training's duration, not any references to what pilot training had been like in her times. It takes as long as it takes, she told him, and you'll be the one deciding how worthy the recruits are.

He'd never given any thought to it until now, but in the end it wasn't too hard to work out six levels of piloting. He knew in his gut and from experience what was required of a damn good pilot, even a brilliant one. The seventh level, reserved for those who went above and beyond training, could only be given on a case by case basis. The recruit would have to be a truly spectacular person to earn that. Joker finally understood what it meant to Jo to be an N7, the honour and recognition it meant among her peers, most of whom were lucky to get even N6.

The station and the docks were buzzing with activity all week long. Jo had talked to representatives from all governments, even volus, elcor, rachni and hanar, and sold them the same story: if they wanted their people to learn from her and to have her seal of approval, they needed to contribute to the Academy at least until it was financially self-sufficient.

Liara arrived on the planet in her own ship and set up her room in the most expensive hotel tower in the city. Jo put her to work on finances and asked her to find contractors for armour, weapons and upgrades for the Academy. Before, the ICA mostly worked with human companies, but now it was necessary to make arrangements for all species about to join in.

Matt moved Dex onto the station's pre-installed main server. The Red Boxes still waited in the Normandy's cargo bay, but there were enough simple servers on the station to support an AI temporarily. Then Matt dug himself into some dark hole, connected to Dex via the implants behind his ears and disappeared into whatever virtual reality the two were sharing. Joker didn't ask what Matt was working on. The guy may be an organic with a few synthetic parts under his skin, but his mind clearly worked more like a machine. Whatever the project was, it seemed like hard work. Matt would emerge once a day to eat, use the facilities and sleep for an hour or two, and then go back. However, he never appeared haggard or grumpy. He actually glowed. The guy loved his job and his companion.

The workers finally finished the station. They closed all the panels, tested all systems and declared the station ready to be used. However, Jo dismissed them all before they could start bringing in any tech, decorations or furniture. She told them that their work was done and she would take care of the rest. Joker was surprised when she declared that the opening ceremony of the station would take place in two weeks, on August, 31st. The station may have been finished, but it had only a rudimentary security system and just a few cannons to protect itself. The dorms weren't furnished, the cafeteria barely stocked, and the classrooms empty.

"I know," she said with a serene smile. "It's all part of the plan."

She'd made a public announcement about the opening ceremony. It was a new twist to their lives, to be close to so many reporters all the time, to be watched and gossiped about, to be public figures with a permanent address. Okay, they didn't have an actual address yet, but everyone knew where to find them: at the Normandy Dock. And there was never a shortage of gapers.

Jo invited five hundred people to the ceremony, among them the leaders of all races, all Councillors, lots of military and civilian leaders, politicians, and all sorts of other important people who had contributed greatly to the war against the Reapers. The Normandy crew, former and current, accepted the invitation happily. Except for Javik, everyone arrived soon. The Prothean seemed to have vanished without a trace. The invitation was in his inbox and if he chose to ignore it, like the wedding invitation, there was nothing Joker or Jo could do.

Tali and the other quarian admirals arrived last, the day before the ceremony. She was still wearing her helmet and seemed unhappier than ever, but also determined. She told Jo that she had thought about her offer and decided to accept it and become an instructor at the Academy.

The opening ceremony began in the Assembly in the early afternoon. Over five hundred of the most important and influential people of the galaxy gathered and took places. Some were wary of each other, like the krogans and the salarians. Others looked utterly out of place, like the hanar and the rachni, but to Joker's great pleasure they all decided to leave their awkwardness outside and listen to what Jo had to say. Joker and the rest of the Normandy crew sat in the first row and looked at the stage, where Jo patiently waited for people to settle down.

She wore her finest, newly tailored black and white uniform with the N7 badge on her collar. She looked pristine and breathtakingly beautiful, like an angel. Pride surged through Joker: she was so good at this, standing in front of a crowd, speaking, touching their hearts and souls! She was amazing, and all his.

Silence fell pretty quickly, when everyone was assembled and Jo stepped forward. She pushed a button on her earpiece, connecting her to the loudspeakers.

"Ladies, gentlemen, hybrids and genderless beings," she began. "Welcome to the new Intergalactic Cooperation Academy. Yes, I've renamed it. We're not going to be combative. We are all here to see the beginning of a new kind of cooperation between all our species, which will reflect on this galaxy that we have saved together. The Academy had been a human-only institution before, and it produced many remarkable humans. As one of those graduates, I know how much the training helped me with everything that I have achieved. However, as the new head of this program I firmly believe in introducing a few new aspects at the cost of other, less productive parts of the training. When I was a recruit, the program produced great fighters with good leadership skills. But in my daily work during every crisis I've been through I found that very often fighting doesn't help as much as diplomacy.

"After all, true strength is measured by all the fights that you didn't have to fight. We don't need any more killing machines. We need something else, something that hasn't existed before. To get to know each other, to learn how to work together, how to understand the values, the point of view, the morals, the body language, the culture, the ways of other species. We need to be at peace with each other. This is the new direction that the ICA will be taking under my leadership. I won't just give you fighters, that is only a part of the training. What I will give you are peace makers. People who know how to work with other species, liaisons to other races. From my personal experience I know that this is a much, much more helpful skill for a commanding officer these days."

She looked around at their faces. Some seemed surprised, some a little bewildered, but the Council members looked at her with approving faces.

"Therefore, the disciplines in my new program will include courses like xeno-relations, linguistics, diplomacy and crisis management. There will be recruits from every race, anyone who believes in our common goal and is willing to put their entire being into that belief can join and will be treated with utmost respect. In each discipline there will be a possibility to gain the N7 rank without completing the full range of the program. For example, an N7 Diplomat is a rank for someone who only excels in the diplomatic training and doesn't want to or for some reason can't take all the steps needed to become a Full N7. A Full N7 is someone like me, who went through the classic training and excels at most disciplines."

She paused and relaxed a little.

"That was all I wanted to say about the program. The rest, I'm afraid, is classified. I have selected the first batch of recruits and will be sending out the invitations tomorrow. For now I'm not accepting applications. Maybe in a few years I will, but not yet."

She paused again and let her gaze slide over the first row.

"Now I'd like to present to you a few people who, in my estimation, deserve the N7 badge right now."

A small relaxed frisson went through the crowd, someone even muttered loudly:

"Yeah, right, like your husband?"

Jo grinned:

"Shut up. First and foremost, I'd like to introduce to you a turian of unparalleled integrity, strength, moral values, discipline, loyalty and responsibility. Garrus Vakarian." Jo hadn't told anyone beforehand that she would do this, hence Garrus, who sat next to Joker, was taken by surprise when she waved him to join her on the stage. When he hesitated, other Normandy crew members began applauding and whistling loudly, encouraging their XO to go up and receive the honour. Now that the attention of all the important people in the galaxy was turned to him, Garrus couldn't refuse.

He got up and walked up to Jo, slowly shaking his head. She turned to him and continued her speech:

"Garrus Vakarian was a C-Sec officer when we met, he believed that Saren Arterius went rogue before anyone else did. Mr. Vakarian quit C-Sec and joined my mission because he truly believed that it was the right thing to do. As a part of my team he proved himself not only a great soldier, but also provided me with insight into his race. He introduced me to turian values, strengths, weaknesses, and as a liaison on a ship where he was the only turian he proved himself as a skilled diplomat. Mr. Vakarian didn't throw the fight when I died for the first time, but continued on his own. He learned the hard way what it means to lead people. After I was imprisoned and the Normandy grounded, Mr. Vakarian returned to his people and did perhaps the hardest thing of all: he asked for help. The turian military and civilians of Palaven owe a lot to his efforts and sound advice. Mr. Vakarian was not only my second in command during the war, he has become like a brother to me, someone I'd die for without hesitation."

Jo saw that Garrus really wanted to cover his face with his hands and turn away from all the people looking at him. He was and had always been too modest to hear someone praise him like that. But Jo wouldn't leave him forgotten on the sidelines. She reached out and took his hand. This time she addressed him personally:

"Garrus, there is no bullshit between you and me. You showed me the best of your race. You had my back in battle and you smacked me back to sanity when I went too crazy. We may be different species, we may never share the same food or drink, but I firmly believe: there was no Shepard without Vakarian, that is as true as the sun coming up in the morning. There is no Johanna Moreau without you, either. This badge of a Full N7 Agent is the highest honour I have the power to give, but even that doesn't fully give credit to your greatness."

She took a badge just like her own from her pocket and reached far up to stick it firmly to his collar. People in the audience were clearly somewhat overwhelmed by Jo's speech, they hadn't expected her to acknowledge someone so fully and so publicly. The Normandy crew began cheering, soon joined by everybody else, especially two turians sitting in the third row: the Primarch and Garrus' father.

Garrus' forehead went black. The turian was blushing under all the attention. He looked down at himself, once Jo removed her hands, and ran his claw over the badge.

"This is a little weird," he said, and people began falling silent to hear what he would say. "I got so used to you being the only one to wear this sign, it became your symbol. I don't really know what to say."

The crew cheered for him once more, but as Garrus wanted to return to his seat, Jo held him back and asked him to stand by her side, when she returned to speak to the audience:

"Right after Mr. Vakarian I'd like to introduce to you to an equally deserving quarian. Admiral Tali'Zorah nar Rayya vas Neema vas Normandy." Tali also seemed a bit uncomfortable with all the attention as she got up and walked to the stage. Jo spoke on:

"I met Tali'Zorah when she was on her pilgrimage. She didn't hesitate to put herself in a life threatening situation to do what was right. Tali'Zorah became not only an invaluable technician on my ship, she proved herself extremely tough in battle and more open-minded than most people I've met. From day one her head was calm and her heart was on fire. I had the privilege to see her blossom from a young girl against the whole world into a tough, fair, skilled, intuitive, strong-willed woman. Tali'Zorah's loyalty always and unquestionably lay with her people, even if she had to go against them to save them from themselves. As the only quarian on the Normandy, she showed me the best a quarian can be, she taught me about her people, their customs and beliefs. It is Tali'Zora's integrity that we have to be grateful for when we speak of peace between the geth and the quarians. She put aside her own grudges and did what seemed completely crazy, but she knew it was right. Thanks to her conduct in this and many other situations she and her people now have a planet to call their home, are not bound to their envirosuits and are rebuilding as a race. On a more personal note, I am proud and honoured to call someone like Tali'Zorah my friend, even sister." Jo took another badge from her pocket and stepped to the blushing quarian: "Tali, I will say the same I just said to Garrus: this is the highest honour I'm in the power to give you for all you've done, but it doesn't even begin fully describing your greatness."

"Johanna, you ended our war with the geth, not I," Tali was almost crying.

"I couldn't have ended it if the quarians didn't support me, and you supported me and made others do the same. Take the compliment when it's due." Jo stopped Talli from protesting and pinned the badge to her envirosuit. Once more, the audience exploded with applause and cheers. Jo asked Tali to stay and stand next to her and Garrus, who was now more than happy to show his appreciation for another magnificent crew member. He was always better at giving credit than taking it. Jo turned to the audience once more and said:

"There is one more person who more than deserves the rank of Full N7 Agent. Urdnot Wrex." Jo looked down to the front row, where Wrex sat next to two empty seats previously occupied by Garrus and Tali. For a moment they shared a look of deep understanding. "Wrex, you are the leader of your entire race, what is a tiny badge offered by a little human to you, right?" She shrugged amiably. He mockingly shrugged back. People were looking at him, her and back at him, wondering how that one would go. Jo spoke on:

"When I met Wrex, he was a seasoned warrior, who wasted his talents being a mercenary. He was disillusioned by the world, he found it too painful to watch his race slowly die from the genophage. As the only krogan on my ship and my liaison to his entire race Wrex showed me that many clichés and assumptions are wrong. Krogans do not value brute force. They value true strength. Sometimes being a diplomat demands more strength from you than being a warrior, and that is when a true krogan can prove his or her strength. We had our differences, but in the end Wrex proved his incredible strength and integrity by doing the right thing, by seeing the big picture. When I died the first time, Wrex returned to his people with new energy, new hope in his heart, and a new plan. He took the leadership and began making changes that would take his race out of the sewer and return it to true glory. But it was not through brute force, attacking other races. It was by improving themselves, despite the genophage. And now that the genophage is no more, I believe in him more than ever and I trust him to lead his people away from old squabbles and into a bright and peaceful future. Wrex is a true warrior, a true leader, a true visionary, a true citizen of the world, and a true friend."

Jo once more looked at Wrex, who listened to her with a smug grin on his face. She said warmly:

"You already made me an honorary krogan, which is an honour I can only hope to live up to. Let me express my gratitude for all that you've done by declaring you an honorary human, and to give credit to your skills with this badge. As you can see, I only give it out to the best of the best," she waved at Garrus and Tali next to her, and Wrex grinned wider. "It would be my honour to welcome you up here."

The huge battle-scarred krogan rose to his feet and nonchalantly strolled towards her. He shook her hand after she attached a badge to his front, and said:

"Humans may all be soft and squishy, but they produced you, Jo, and that is an honour in itself. After all you've done for me and my race, you have to know that I value your opinion and therefore this badge very highly."

Applause and cheers were deafening. But Jo calmed them down with a hand gesture.

"I asked my friends to stay here with me on the stage to show you the original Normandy team that worked together for years in one way or another, bringing this galaxy together, defeating an overwhelming enemy, building a new world. When I speak of peace and cooperation between all the races, I do not speak of some dream. I speak of this." She spread her arms to include Wrex, Garrus and Tali. "We worked together as a team. A human, a quarian, a krogan and a turian. We became more than team mates, we became even more than friends. We are family. I want to show the whole galaxy that this is not only possible, it's very real. All we have to do is believe."

That statement was greeted with a momentary silence. These people already knew how intense Commander Moreau was in person, but seeing her values thrust in their faces so bluntly, it was probably overwhelming. That was perhaps when these leaders truly understood the reality of what she meant when she spoke of peaceful cooperation. The cooperation stood right in front of them, looking indeed like a family.

Slowly, the audience began to clap and cheer and this time Jo let it go on for a little while to let her words sink in. When she continued, a screen behind her started showing pictures of people she mentioned:

"I had the great pleasure and honour to work with other races, too. Everyone who served on the Normandy with me and was a liaison to their race deserves this galaxy's gratitude. But some of them have died protecting it. I would like to honour their names. Doctor Mordin Solus, salarian, a great man and a friend. Died bringing krogans the cure for the genophage. Thane Krios, drell, a dear friend. Died saving the Council from the Cerberus attack. Legion, geth, a wonderful friend. Died to end the war between the geth and the quarians. Ashley Williams, human. Died in an explosion on Saren's base, sacrificing herself to save the Normandy. Rest in peace."

The audience all muttered their race's customary farewell for the dead.

"And yet, there are sill a few people whom I'm not giving the Full N7 badge, but who deserve special recognition. Now you all may groan in exasperation," she grinned and the audience duly did so, turning their attention to Joker.

"As I said before, I only give the Full N7 badge to those, who prove themselves in all or most of my program's aspects. But those who excel in one aspect will be given an N7 rank in their own field. Jeff Moreau, best known to us all as Joker, is the first official N7 Pilot." She beckoned him to join her and Joker did so, ignoring the audience. He never liked to be the centre of attention, but it was easy to forget the rest of the people when everyone who really mattered to him stood at his side on that stage.

The heavy emotional tension from before dissolved into a perfectly good-humoured cheer when people applauded and whistled to Joker walking up to Jo. She put a new kind of badge on his chest: The N7 was encircled by a thin purple line, the blood drop was gone, replaced by a generic image of a purple starship. Joker had no idea she'd designed these new badges and had them made. Apparently she'd been doing a lot more than reading dossiers in the last week.

"Joker's role in the war is too complicated to put in words right now," Jo said with a smile. "Even if I say that his piloting skills saved my life about a hundred times, it won't be enough. So let me stop here," she turned to Joker, who was cheekily beaming at her. "Congratulations," she shook both his hands, like with the rest of them, and released him to stand in line with the others.

"Jacqueline Naught, an N7 Biotic," Jo said next, welcoming Jack on stage and pinning the adequately designed badge on the tattooed girl's chest: N7 encircled by a blue line next to a blue open hand. "Kasumi Goto, N7 Crisis management. Zaeed Massani, N7 Crisis management." Their badge was encircled by a yellow line, their symbol - a yellow labyrinth.

Once everybody she mentioned was standing with her on the stage and wearing their badges, Jo said:

"Finally, I'd like to acknowledge all the people who helped me save the galaxy. Karin Chakwas, my doctor. James Vega, my jailer. Liara T'Soni, my liaison to the asari race on the Normandy," Jo pointed at people in the audience but didn't ask them to join her on stage anymore. "Urdnot Grunt. Javik, the last prothean who couldn't be here today. Samara, a justicar. Ken and Gabriela Donnelly, technicians. Greg Adams, technician. Kaidan Alenko. Admiral Hackett. Commander Bailey. Urdnot Bakara. Link. Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. The rachni queen. Samantha Traynor. Nyreen Kandros. Major Kirrahe. Steve Cortez. Ann Bryson. Diana Allers. Tarquin Victus. Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. And finally, each and every one of you."

This final phrase made people look around at each other while they applauded, and Jo managed to end this ceremony on a high note of general appreciation. There was definitely a new sense of belonging in the room, Joker could feel these almost-strangers open up to each other, realising how much they had in common and how little separated them. They looked around and saw allies instead of rivals, opportunities instead of walls, future instead of past.

The standing ovations were deafening and lasted until people couldn't feel their hands anymore. When the noise started to die, Jo declared it a big party and invited everyone to the atrium, where food and drink were served. For the rest of the day Joker barely saw her. She had been surrounded by old and new friends, and so were Joker and everyone else who had stood on that stage. Everyone wanted to talk to them, pat their shoulders, shake their hands, ask something, share something.

They managed to get back to the Normandy after midnight, and only because Jo found it tiresome to keep declining drink offers from people. She told them the old story: PTSD and nightmares. The newest reason for her sobriety remained just between the two of them for now.

"Jo," Joker nudged her when they were finally in bed. "Will you tell me what the plan is? Why did you let the workers finish the station but got rid of them before they could furnish and decorate it? Why did you invite half the galaxy onto the station, letting them all see that there is basically no security? What are you planning?"

"What would be the fun in telling you now?" She smiled, curling up against him. "You'll learn everything when they arrive."

"The new recruits?"

"Yes. I've spent a lot of time reading dossiers, talking to people, watching vids and reports. I've selected my first batch and the invitations went out at midnight. In ten days' time all the recruits will arrive and we'll sort out all our unfinished business then."

"But damn it, I want to know now!"

"I know. And I love tantalising you."

"Bitch," he purred against her temple.

"Asshole," she nuzzled his pectoral.

"I love you."

"And I you."