That night it was Jo's turn to 'babysit'. She stayed on the station until morning while all the other instructors went home or to Seashell, the turian bar planetside. She insisted that Joker go and have a good time, too.

The recruits, still buzzing about their legendary visitors, didn't want to settle down. In moments like these the station's lack of its own bar was felt more acutely than ever. Kolyat was doing his best, but he still had to put all his supplies through the new security checks.

As promised, Jordan Mills had sent over a crate of his special wine that was supposed to be safe even for pregnant women. The eight bottles were still in quarantine.

Since the recruits had nowhere to go but the cafeteria, that was where they stayed, talking. Jo had retreated to her office early and let them have their fun. She spent her evening laughing her butt off as she watched the vids. After the 'big news' about Joker came out two days ago, another piece of 'big news' overshadowed it completely. This one even landed on more serious talk shows. When Jo and Joker came home yesterday, everything was calm and peaceful in their neighbourhood. Today Jo found out why. True to their intentions, dozens of reporters came to their house, looking for a scoop. They and their cameras crowded the sleepy, suburban street. Someone had combined the footage from several of those cameras to piece together what happened next.

A small but growing crowd of reporters gathered in the street. When an asari and her camera stepped a bit too close to the Moreau house's parking space a cannon sprung from a case hidden under the lawn and aimed at her. From the low bushes surrounding the front yard appeared a console. It unfolded a screen, from which a generic female VI face spoke:
"Perimeter breach. Intruder, please leave immediately."
The woman startled but showed no intention of leaving. Whizzing cameras slowly filled the air like a swarm of bees. The VI addressed the entire crowd now:
"You are violating the privacy of this house and disturbing the peace of the neighbourhood. You have one minute to leave. Fifty nine seconds. Fifty eight."
She continued the countdown, but nobody seemed to listen to her. The reporters pushed closer, trying to get a better look at the house, maybe even peak inside. Several cameras darted over the bushes and headed for the windows. The gun quickly rotated and shot them down. Their smoking remains rained onto the lawn.
"Warning: all intruders, leave the neighbourhood or you will be shot at," the VI sounded stern. "You have forty one seconds left. First shots are stun charges only. Any other provocation will be met with lethal force. Conny, please do not enter the line of fire."
The cameras focused on an eight year old human boy strolling down the street. The boy stopped at the corner between the Moreau house and their neighbour and grinned:
"What are you doing, Tess?"
"Chasing monkeys," the VI replied seriously.

Joker had been messing with her speech settings, Jo realised.

The reporters started moving towards the boy, shouting questions at him. Tess, without giving a warning, stunned six of them. They fell to the ground, convulsing. Conny found it all hilarious. He belonged on this street and had spoken with Tess before, he knew she was never going to harm him or any other neighbour. The reporters were not that lucky.
"I have alerted the closest medical facility. They will collect the stunned intruders shortly. Will I have to contact the closest morgue next?" The VI aimed the gun at the crowd again as it ominously changed the clip to real bullets.
"She's not kidding," Connie declared.
The reporters finally seemed to realise the seriousness of the situation. When Tess started to count down from ten, they speedily collected their cameras and left the street. The final shot of the house showed Mechie picking up the destroyed cameras on the lawn and disposing of them.

The public's reaction seemed to be mostly amusement, Jo found out from the society gossip vids. Some wondered if the neighbourhood was safe with a weaponised house in the middle of it, while yet others pointed out how well the VI had dealt with the approaching child. Nobody had much pity for the stunned reporters, who had recovered quickly in the hospital. And the planet got to see first hand that even after settling down the Moreaus still meant serious business.

Not long before midnight the door to Jo's office opened and Alice came in. The sixteen year old girl had her hands full these days running Jo's day-to-day work-related and private business, all the while helping Kolyat with his bar.

"Jo," the girl said firmly, even though she looked pale, nervous and subdued. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure. Dex, give us full privacy, please."

"Acknowledged," Dex agreed. Alice sat down in a chair across from Jo and gripped her datapad very firmly. Her hands were shaking.

"Jo, I..." she began, but faltered and started again. "I'm not comfortable talking about this with anyone but you."

"About what?" Jo started to get a little uneasy.

"It's just... you were there. You saw... You saved me. You were there."

Oh. That day on Omega. The day she met Alice for the first time and brutally murdered the two men who had raped her.

Jo leaned onto her desk and said earnestly:

"I was. And whatever is on your mind, you can tell me. I'm always there for you."

"Well... It's about Kolyat." Alice looked anywhere but at Jo.

"I sincerely hope he didn't do anything to hurt you."

"No, no. It's the opposite, really. He's been wonderful. Very patient. He would never... He's the most honourable guy I know. But... he doesn't know."

Jo got the picture. Alice was upset that she couldn't be fully open with her boyfriend because her past held unspeakable things. Jo wasn't sure if Kolyat was as ignorant of Alice's problem as she thought, but the only fact that mattered was Alice hadn't told him. Suspecting and guessing was not the same as knowing.

"We've been tight since the day I arrived on the Citadel. He even introduced me to his father. He'd never push me for something I don't want. But lately I've started to wonder... what do I want?" Alice turned green and red in odd splotches. Jo thought the girl was about to keel over.

"So, you've started to wonder about sex," Jo supposed and Alice nodded. "Kolyat would never push you for more than maybe some kissing. But you like him a lot and you feel safe with him, right?" More nods. "Do you think he'll pity you if you told him?"

"No, no. I know it won't matter to him. I just... literally... can't talk about it."

"Maybe you can write him a letter, if you can't speak the words."

"Or maybe you can tell him?" Alice looked up with hope. The suggestion threw Jo for a loop.

"Me? Tell him your story? What would that achieve? He comes home and the two of you stare at each other in silence, both wondering what to do."

"I can deal with that. If he knows. Then I could just... relax. Look ahead."

"Did he indicate he wants more than what you two have right now?"

"Well, he touches me, and not like a sister, either. But he never crosses the line."

"Would you like to cross the line?"

An instant and deep blush, shaking hands. A barely audible whisper:

"Maybe."

"You're sixteen. In my opinion you're still much too young to know what you're doing. Personally I'd recommend you to wait another two-three years before you start having sex. It's your decision, of course, but take it from someone who fucked a random boy at fifteen just to find out what the big deal was: you're too young."

Alice mulled over her words.

"Do you think he'll wait that long?"

"Sister, at twenty one Kolyat is constantly horny. If he's waited this long, he's the right kind of guy. He'll wait longer."

Alice seemed unhappy.

"I'm not saying you can't touch him at all for three years. There are ways to be intimate without direct intercourse."

"Really?" The sudden bright hope in the girl's huge dark eyes made Jo chuckle.

"Yes. I see you've skipped sexual education while growing up on Omega. Girl, you came to the right person."

An hour later Jo found Kolyat still working in his bar, despite it being the middle of the night.

"Good news, Jo!" He beamed at her. "I'm almost done. On Wednesday everyone is invited to the big opening."

"What name are you going to give this place?" Jo looked around at his choice of furniture, lights and fixtures. The big room looked almost fancy.

"It's the bar," he lifted one shoulder. "Does it need another name? As far as I know it's the only bar on the station."

"True. The Bar it is, then. Listen, I'm here on an official mission."

Though his face remained stoic and calm Jo could see the sudden quickening of his pulse.

"What happened?"

"Nothing new," she assured him. "Still, this is a matter we may only discuss in private. Will you come with me to the Normandy?"

Docked inside the Dock 1, the Normandy was receiving the latest upgrades under Gabby's watchful eye during the day. It was not only a place where Dex didn't have his ears, but also a private space where Kolyat could express his feelings without anyone witnessing.

He followed her and explained his new business to her, the bunch of new security measures he and Matty had to work out to receive safe deliveries of food and alcohol. Nobody wanted to repeat the lettuce experiment. He was excited about the opening, and he was not the only one. The recruits had waited patiently, but they were getting antsy. He said more and more people were coming over and offering their help just to speed up the construction.

Jo led the young man to the cockpit and offered him the co-pilot's chair. She herself took Joker's seat.

"I can see you're dying inside, wondering what terrible news I have for you, and I'm sorry, I can't say that it's nothing. Maybe it's better to just rip off the band-aid." In a quiet voice, almost intimate in the low lights of the cosy room she told him about that day on Omega. In as little graphic detail as possible and without lingering on anything particularly disturbing she relayed to him what Alice had asked her to.

Kolyat sat like a stone statue, hands balled on his thighs, staring at the console and not seeing it. Jo gave him time to process the situation after she finished. He remained silent for a long time.

"Did Commander Bailey ever tell you how Alice and I met?" He spoke eventually.

"Only that she batted her eyelashes at you and you were a goner. He even accused me of playing a matchmaker."

"Ha," the young man snorted. "It wasn't exactly like that. I received a message from Bailey that he had a new job for me. So I went over." His eyes got a glazy sheen and jumped frantically like he was watching a vid inside his head. Jo remembered those perfect recollections from Thane. "The door opens," he spoke fast. "I suspect nothing. I step inside and a movement catches my attention. She is sitting on a couch, holding a cookie. She's looking at me, startled. I drown. Huge, gigantic dark eyes pull me under. I've never seen eyes so big on a human. She almost looks like a drell. No, she looks like a vabartl. Spooked, frozen, scared. But she's not running away. She just sits there and stares at me, waiting for my move. My heart lurches. My lungs burn. I know that I've just lost my soul in the depth of those unbelievable eyes and I wouldn't have it any other way. I make a step forward."

He blinked, the memory over.

"What's a vabartl?" Jo asked gently.

"An animal on Kahje. They're generally cute. When faced with danger, though, they tend to freeze."

"I'm familiar with the concept. Some animals on Earth do the same. So, what happened next?"

"I'm happy to have perfect memory because I never want to forget that moment when I saw her for the first time. There was so much pain in her eyes, broken pieces of her soul and no glue to put them back together. I knew she'd experienced something very bad very recently. When I learned that you were the one to send her to Bailey, I knew I was right. But even back then there was much more than pain in her. Delicate beauty. Shyness. A raging fire of passion. An iron core. I think she got that last one from meeting you. She started her new life with a mantra: What Would Commander Shepard Do? She was so innocent and so broken inside... All my protective instincts kicked in full force."

Jo could see that his hands trembled.

"I can never imagine what monster could look at her and wish to harm her. More than wish it, but actually..." He swallowed. "How can anyone look at her and not love her?" Finally he looked at Jo, raw emotion in his big, dark eyes. "She's hardly been sleeping lately. I was trying not to... push her. But maybe... Did I do something wrong? Does she want me to leave?"

"No, quite the opposite, really. She sent me here to tell you her story because she can't make herself speak of what happened, but she wants you to know everything about her. She told me that she is ready to take the next step in your relationship, though it's not for me to decide what that step will be. You've been there for her all this time and the fact that she trusts you speaks very highly of you. You've become a wonderful man. Your father would be proud, Kolyat. I know I am."

Kolyat lowered his head, blushing a little.

"Alice and I have been talking for an hour tonight. About many things that have to do with her trauma, and with you. Thing is, she has difficulty expressing her feelings about her past in words, but she wants to communicate with you. Let her speak to you with actions instead of words. I advised her not to have sex for another year or two. I know, you really hate me right now," she chuckled and so did Kolyat. "But she wants to be intimate with you. Go home now, baby. I sent her off with a security shuttle earlier. She'll be waiting for you. Being patient will pay off, because I think she really loves you, too."

Kolyat thanked her and hurried away towards his own shuttle. Jo leaned back in the seat and stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey, baby," she greeted the Normandy. There was no voice to answer her, but then again, the Normandy was not an AI or a VI. Her ship had her own soul and Jo felt her vibrate all around her. "You're working your magic, as always."

The wave of emotion she'd been holding back finally hit her, everything she felt about Alice's rape, about Thane's death, about the kids themselves, punched her hard. She started crying, wailing even.

Eight seconds later her omnitool urgently pinged. It was Joker.

"What happened?" He demanded. There were sounds of a crowded bar behind him. He was still with Garrus and others at Seashell.

"Nothing, just being emotional. You know, hormones. How did you know?" Jo wiped her face with her sleeve.

"I started carrying my minipad with me at all times when you got pregnant. It just told me that your biometric readings indicate distress."

"I'll be fine, it's just emotions."

"I'm coming over."

He really didn't have to. It was his night off with the guys, and Jo wouldn't be sleeping all night anyway, keeping an eye on the station and the recruits. She should have told him to relax at the bar. But she didn't. Even a few hours of separation made her miss him like air and sunshine.

In the morning, when Tali took over the babysitting (and Garrus just happened to have stuff to do on the station despite it being Sunday) Joker and Jo moved two lawn chairs to their front yard to enjoy one of the last warm days of the year. November was bringing the cold to their part of the universe. Mirabel and her son Stefano, their neighbours from across the street, were just leaving for a walk.

"Aren't you starting a little early?" She pointed at their full cocktail glasses.

"Fruit shake," Joker explained. As if he would give Jo a real drink right now. Mirabel nodded, took her baby son by his hand and they walked towards the playground.

"Jeff," Jo curled up on her lawn chair, looking after their neighbour and the baby. "I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If we ever get into a situation when you have to choose between my life and our baby's life, promise me you'll choose our child."

Joker froze, drink at his lips. A cacophony of emotions exploded inside him and he didn't trust himself to move until he got a leash on them. He wanted to yell at her to not be ridiculous. He wanted to slap her for a suggestion that he let her die. He wanted to rage at the idea that someone might threaten his baby. And most of all he wanted to scream in despair because he knew that their lifestyle and history could very well get them into a situation just like that. They had ruthless enemies out there. He was helpless against that, and he hated being helpless. He panicked about bringing a child into a world where it wouldn't be safe just because of him and Jo. But at the same time he couldn't imagine not having this baby.

"If you promise me the same in return," he finally said. Jo sobbed. He supposed that she just went through the same emotions and had all the same thoughts.

"I promise," she whispered. Joker nodded:

"I promise, too."

"It's almost three months now. Aside from some morning sickness and crying over pretty much anything, I'm feeling good. The checkups show no difficulties. I feel like it's a miracle. After all the abuse my body has taken, an ideal pregnancy seems unbelievable."

"Don't forget some cravings."

"I don't have cravings," Jo protested earnestly. Joker snorted:

"That's what you think. Do you even remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday?"

Jo blinked, thinking back.

"Chocolate?"

"Chocolate chips with mustard on toast with pieces of ham on top."

"I ate that?" She turned pale.

"Wolfed it down, actually."

"Ugh!" She shoved her shake glass at him and jumped to her feet. Within a second she was inside the house. Bathroom, Joker supposed. He took the glasses to the kitchen and went after her to hold her hair while she puked her guts out. Then he deposited her in bed and tucked her in with a big smile.

Jo, tired after the night shift at the station, groaned pitifully.

"You're a saint for dealing with me right now," she said.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be, my extraordinary wife."

"The reason I brought this up in the first place was: maybe it's time to start working on a nursery? Maybe we can even tell people now as well?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'd like that."

Monday morning Joker and Jo didn't head straight for work. Instead they landed on the roof of one of the private skyscrapers in the city. A security team of eight armed guards hurried towards them, but they halted when they saw Jo.

"Don't get in my way and I won't kill anyone," she told them. Joker stayed by the car. The security helplessly watched her head towards the elevator. They knew who she was and were smart enough not to try anything. But they would lose their heads if Jo tried something. Joker didn't envy their position right now.

Jo exited the elevator on the executive floor. Everything looked overpriced and chosen by some fashionable interior designer: black and white, cold, sterile. Just what she imagined the place would be like. The receptionist jumped to stop her when Jo marched towards a big conference room with glass doors.

"Miss, you can't go in there!" The woman tried to grab Jo.

"Watch me," Jo pulled the door open so hard that it almost shattered against the wall. Everyone in the room jumped.

Logan Westen, the owner of the building and the company housed inside it, stood at the head of the table, talking to a group of big, important people dressed in expensive suits.

"Get out," Jo commanded.

"Miss, you can't just - Mr. Westen, I'm sorry-" the receptionist stopped talking when Jo's hand flew up and wrapped around her throat. Jo wasn't squishing, just holding her, but the woman must have realised that it was best not to provoke her.

Logan Westen smiled brightly.

"It's fine, Rayn. Miss Shepard is always welcome here. Ladies and gentlemen," he addressed his colleagues. "We will reschedule our meeting for after lunch. Thank you."

Everyone, including Rayn the receptionist, quickly left the room, leaving Jo alone with Westen.

"What a pleasant surprise," he said. The creepiest part was that he seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jo raised one blond eyebrow. "Sending your junior security chief to spy on me and my husband, to take pictures, record where we go and what we do?"

"I told you your husband was lying to you," Westen looked extraordinarily pleased with himself. "Where is he, by the way?"

"Waiting for me in the car. Whatever you think you've revealed to the reporters is bullshit. Just shows what an idiot you are. And a creep. Just so you know, your junior security chief has just been fired, paid a huge compensation and sent to live out the rest of his days in luxury on a planet of his choosing. He chose Thessia. I suppose he likes 'em blue."

Westen frowned:

"What do you mean, fired? How did you find out about him in the first place?"

"Hacked into your company's system, obviously. This little stint cost your company fifty million, by the way. Your former employee is very grateful."

"Hacked?" Westen lost his smile.

"Well, not me, personally. I have guys for that. Took them all of 3.6 seconds."

"Wait... did you just say you gave Girard fifty millions from my company's account?"

"Of course not. Those fifty millions were already on their way to one of your partners, backing some sort of an important deal? I don't really care. You authorised the transfer. Now it's his money, it's legal and you can't have it back."

"You... The deal!.. RAYN!" Westen yelled. The receptionist ran inside, scared out of her wits by everything that was going on. Jo held up her hand to stall the woman.

"Listen here, creep. I went easy on you this time. It is well within my power to destroy your company, or I could just kill you. Stay the fuck away from me and my family. I'm not kidding."

She turned and left the conference room and the building while Westen was yelling at Rayn.

"Toodles!" Joker waved at the security team as he lifted off. "You did go easy on the guy," he told her, heading for customs to get to work.

"The old me would have slowly dismembered him. And he would have enjoyed having my attention. The new me is over that kind of thing," Jo said. She was furious at Westen, of course, but she didn't feel the need to inflict bodily pain, not anymore. And she felt lighter for it.

Once they'd decided to finally tell people about their baby, it was almost too easy. Before her own classes started, Jo went on her usual round, looking into some classrooms. She was curious about what the other Instructors did and how the recruits were dealing. Garrus' class was half in awe, half in love, and he didn't seem to notice any of it. They followed his explanations of battle strategy at a holo table with rapt attention and didn't even notice her at the door. Jo left them to it.

Jack, as expected, was throwing some unfortunate recruit against the wall.

"If you can't hold your shield anyone will be able to smear the walls with you!" She roared. Jack understood the principle of the Academy's 'tough love' idea like no one else.

Vega was taking a turian recruit apart on the mat in the middle of the room while the rest of his class sat around and followed the match anxiously, knowing that each of them would have to take the poor turian's place at some point. They were the ones who noticed Jo at once.

"Commander!" They greeted her excitedly. "Is it true that you taught Instructor Vega everything he knows?"

"He was a Lieutenant when we met," Jo smiled. "He knew a lot already."

"But you can still beat him any time, right? Could you show us some moves? Maybe we'll finally have a chance to win against him."

Michael Portman, who was in this class, snorted. Jo could bet that he didn't need Jo's help. He would give everything he had to destroy Vega on his own, or die trying.

"Learn from Vega first," Jo said. "I won't bother teaching those who are too scared of him."

"Could you at least spar with him? We could learn a great deal from watching two professionals."

"No," Jo answered simply.

"What, too chicken, Lola?" Vega smirked. Jo rolled her eyes:

"Your lesson is: if your opponent can dare you into doing what he wants, you've already lost. And no, Vega, I'm not fighting you right now."

"We haven't sparred since I became an Instructor," he dared her even further. "Why is that? Are you scared that I might actually win?"

"You couldn't win against me even if I lost one arm, burro." Jo took a breath and explained: "But I'm pregnant."

It took them a second to process the news. Then two human girls jumped up and rushed over to hug Jo, exclaiming excitedly:

"Oh, my god! Congratulations! That's fantastic!"

Encouraged by Jo's light blush the other recruits came over to pat her back and to congratulate her as well. Over their shoulders Jo saw Vega's face. The muscles of his jaw worked furiously, probably crushing his teeth in a clench. He gave her a wavering smile, happy for her, but breaking inside. The last hope he might have had to win her over just died. He must have realised that with a baby on the way she would never leave Joker. His heart broke, and yet he couldn't not be happy for her.

Jo returned her attention to the recruits, giving Vega some time to compose himself.

"Please don't tell anyone outside this station," she asked. "We don't want another storm around us just yet."

They agreed, but then Michael Portman just had to open his mouth:

"What about after the kid's born? Will you spar with Instructor Vega then?"

Jo looked from him to the others, then to Vega.

"Well, sure," she saw no reason not to.

"I'm looking forward to it," Vega nodded.

Since Jo hadn't asked the recruits not to spread the word within the station everyone was buzzing about it by lunchtime.

"Jo, is it true?" Ken asked her when she sat down next to Joker in the cafeteria. "You two are expecting?"

"Yes," Joker answered. "We're almost three months along."

Ken and Gabby looked at each other in a mystifying way Jo couldn't decipher.

"Why? Are you two having a baby as well?"

"No," Gabby smiled enigmatically. "But we really want to."

"So what's stopping you?"

"You, Jo," Ken smiled the same way. "We talked about it when we got married, and decided that it was too stupid to start a family when we were headed into the final battle against the Reapers. And when that was over and you ended up being alive, we decided to give you and Joker a chance. We think it's only right that out of the entire Normandy crew you should have a baby first. You got all of us this far, you gave us hope and a new world. It's only right that you should have the first baby in this new world. Start a new cycle, so to speak."

"Oh," Jo exhaled. Joker's arm tightened around her.

"Well, you can start trying for your own baby now," he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Oh, no," Gabby and Ken shook their heads. "We're not doing that until your child is actually born. We don't want to jinx it."

"Well," Jo was close to crying herself. She lifted her shirt and lowered the waistband of her skirt, showing her table companions the small bump. "This is real. It's really happening."

"It's amazing," Tali agreed. Both Jo and Joker knew that no child in the whole world would ever have as fiercely protective family as theirs.