"You should tell the Council," said Kaidan, "there's no doubt about that." He and the rest of the squad including Hannah Shepard were sitting in the debriefing room of the Normandy. Elissa had called them all there to share the message she had received from an anonymous source while eating lunch a few hours ago, now she was asking them what they thought it could be and what she should do with the information it contained.

"Why should she? They already suspect her of conspiring with Cerberus, this would just confirm it for them," argued Joker and Elissa gave him a small smile.

"We don't even know if this has anything to do with Cerberus," said Kaidan sharply, "if this is a new threat then the Council and the generals should know about it."

"Shepard, what did the message say again?" asked Garrus, silencing Kaidan.

Elissa reopened her omni-tool and searched through the messages until she found the one she wanted, "Beware the three-headed beast that guards the gates to Hell, it has many keepers."

"A three-headed beast?" asked Tali, confused, "I thought most creatures had only one head."

"That description sounds familiar," said Elissa, closing her eyes and thinking about why that illustration sounded even vaguely recognizable. Her eyes snapped open, she had a theory about the creature being described and ran out of the room, startling everyone as they watched her bolting out of the debriefing room. Before the door closed she shouted, "No one leave!"

"I think she had a breakthrough," chuckled Hannah, "she used to do that when she was a kid, always running from the room whenever she got an idea, claiming she had to write it down or look it up before she forgot."

Joker suddenly got a flash of Elissa as a child, her reddish brown hair streaming back as she ran, her green eyes sparkling with excitement at the prospect of a new idea. He felt himself smiling and had no idea why but he quickly stopped when he saw the looks he was getting from the crew and Admiral Shepard.

Suddenly Elissa came bolting back into the room, a thick green book in her hands, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"What did you find?" asked Jacob, starting to smile as well, the excitement Elissa was demonstrating was infectious.

"In Greek and Roman mythology," started Elissa, nearly breathless after her dash across the ship, "there is a three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld, preventing humans from entering and only letting souls through, the name of that creature was Cerberus."

"As if that wasn't obvious enough," muttered Kaidan, shaking his head.

"Stow the attitude, Major," snapped Hannah, spinning around to face him and Kaidan saluted out of respect, though Joker and a few others saw the look he gave her when she turned her back to him.

"So this is Cerberus again, right Lola?" asked James, trying to ease the tension brewing in the room.

"Yeah, it is, James," sighed Elissa her excitement now gone, "Now it's the last part of the message that's worrying me."

"Why's that, Shepard?" asked Garrus, his curiosity now piqued.

"Well, in the myth," said Elissa, flipping to the marked page in the book, "the dog Cerberus had only one keeper, Hades the Lord of the Underworld, which in our case would suggest the Illusive Man. The message says 'many keepers', so whomever sent it is implying that there are still people running Cerberus operations."

"Damn," whispered James, "so now someone else is running Cerberus? I thought we shut those guys down months ago, you know, when you shot their leader?"

"Apparently not, Vega, otherwise this message wouldn't have been sent," snapped Kaidan and James jumped to his feet, standing toe to toe with Kaidan.

"Listen up, Major," said James in a hard voice, "I don't take shit from anyone, and that includes you, rank means nothing when you insult me."

"I think you should remember your place, Vega, dogs belong at their master's feet," hissed Kaidan, his hands glowing blue, James cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Vega, Alenko, stand down now!" shouted Elissa. The two soldiers looked at each other and then both stepped away and sat back in their respective seats, Elissa keeping her eyes on both of them.

"I think the crew needs to be dismissed, Elissa," whispered Hannah in Elissa's ear and she nodded in silent agreement.

"We'll discuss this later, until then, dismissed," said Elissa and Kaidan bolted out of there faster than anyone else, James hung back, waiting for Elissa who was standing in the center of the room shaking, she had never thought that Kaidan would say such a thing to a friend.

"Lola," said James quietly as he walked up to her, "I'm sorry for what happened, I—"

"You were just defending yourself," interrupted Elissa calmly, smiling at him, "I don't know what got in him, yesterday we were all laughing and joking, today we're at each others' throats over a cryptic message. What's next, we're going to pull guns on each other over someone taking the last dessert at dinner?"

James laughed, "When it does come to that, I hope I'm on your side."

"James," said Elissa in all seriousness, "if I were you, give the Major a wide berth, I'll try to keep him off the ship as often as I can but when he's on just stay away from him."

"Okay, Lola," said James, putting his arm around her shoulders, "I'll do that, but only because you asked me to."

"Thanks, James," said Elissa, grinning as they left the debriefing room, he then left to return to the workout room and she went to the the observation deck.


Joker was sitting in the observation deck, fingers laced and hands in his lap, looking out at the mechanics and engineers running all over making repairs to various ships, he was so absorbed in watching the goings on of the dock he did not hear Elissa enter behind him. Only when she sat down beside him did he even register her presence in the room.

"You're losing you touch," said Elissa smiling, "I managed to get from the door to right beside you and you didn't say a word."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ellie," said Joker, moving closer to her, "I was just thinking about all of this."

"Any theories?" asked Elissa, now looking at the ceiling.

"I think Kaidan's wrong about you needing to tell the Council," said Joker, glancing over at Elissa, she had resumed her position of looking out of the window. Some wisps of hair had escaped her bun, and out of habit he reached over and gently put them behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her cheek as he did. He felt a bolt of electricity surge through him when his skin made contact with hers, he thought Elissa must have felt it too, since at his touch she closed her eyes and the tiniest smiled danced on her mouth.

"I agree with you," whispered Elissa, her body relaxing under his fingertips, then his fingers left her skin, she opened her eyes, and the feeling of relaxation went away. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, both were trying to shake the feeling that had just hit them when their skin touched, neither one able to truly make sense of what they felt.

"Do you, uh, really think Cerberus is behind this?" asked Elissa nervously, picking the skin on her finger to quell her anxiety.

"I don't know, Ellie," said Joker, watching her pick her fingers, "this doesn't seem like their game, politics are a dirty business anyway, so it could be any number of people or reasons behind the message. Maybe we should have Liara trace the message, see where it came from if possible, after the trial of course."

"And after dinner with my mother," said Elissa standing, then offering her hand to Joker, which he took and she helped him stand as well, "wear something nice, you're coming with us too."

"Ellie, I'm not really part of the squad," said Joker, "besides, why would I want to sit there and watch Kaidan kiss up to your mother? It's hard enough to watch him schmooze the other officers on this ship, that dog comment was just what he needed to say to gain him further respect and admiration."

"Smart ass," smirked Elissa and they smiled at each other for a few seconds, neither one realizing it until they heard a noise behind them and Joker saw EDI standing in the doorway. He dropped his smile immediately just as EDI went walking off in the other direction, then with one look, they both agreed to leave the room and go their separate ways.


Elissa was standing in the bathroom, she was having trouble curling her hair, nothing was staying curled and it was frustrating her to no end that her hair refused to cooperate.

"I should have it written up for insubordination," muttered Elissa, as she released her hair from the hot iron.

"Having trouble, sweetie?" called Hannah from the bedroom and then she came in to see what was taking her daughter so long with her hair.

"Yeah, my hair has decided to mutiny," sighed Elissa and she put the curler on the counter.

"Here, let me help you," said Hannah chuckling and Elissa got on her knees while her mother stood behind her with the curling iron and she started what her daughter had decided not to finish. She took a small bunch of hair and put it in the iron, spraying hairspray on the curl while it was in the iron, something Elissa had not done.

"So Mom," said Elissa slyly, "what do you think of Kaidan?"

"As long as he makes you happy, I'm happy," said Hanna after a few moments pause.

"Mom, that's exactly what you said about Duncan," huffed Elissa, "and then he cheated on me with that slut Trisha and you said, 'I knew that would happen'. So what is your honest opinion about Kaidan?"

"Honey, why does it matter what I think, I'm not the one who's marrying him?" asked Hannah slightly exasperated with her daughter.

"Mom, you know I always come to you about boys," said Elissa wiggling on her knees as they went numb, "Why are you being so reserved?"

"If you want my honest opinion, you can't argue, since you asked for it," said Hannah, remembering several conversations that had to have that exact disclaimer, even at a young age Elissa had been more stubborn than a donkey and would argue when she was challenged in opinion. Being in the Navy had straightened that out for the most part, but she still would not back down from a challenge, as Hannah knew from reading some of the reports her daughter had written over the years.

"Alright, Mom, I won't argue," sighed Elissa, feeling the warmth from the newly made curl hit her cheek.

"I think you should reevaluate you decision to marry him," said Hannah as she prepped another curl, "after that display this afternoon, I half expected him to turn on you when you told him to stand down."

"Mom, Kaidan's always been a bit of a hot head," said Elissa in a tone that suggested this was not a big deal.

"Jackie, if this doesn't work out, there's always someone else who might be your perfect match," said Hannah thinking specifically of her daughter's pilot who always seemed to brighten up Elissa's day.

"Mom, I've known Kaidan for a very long time," said Elissa defensively, "and he's always been there for me—"

"How long have you been with Kaidan exactly?" interrupted Hannah, "From start to now."

"Umm we knew each other for about a year, and spent one night together," said Elissa, blushing fiercely as she regaled her private life to her mother, "then I died and we were apart for two years, then after I was resurrected, he and I had a major fight on a rescue mission to Horizon, he accused me of treason. Then we got back together last year and everything's been fine for the most part."

"So you two spent one night together and automatically you were his?" asked Hannah, "That's rather presumptuous of him, don't you think?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe," said Elissa, uneasily.

"Sounds to me like he was already scheming to be with you from the start," muttered Hannah as she pinned up Elissa's hair. "I still can't get over the fact he didn't know your father was dead, all of the time you two spend together, I would have thought you would have spoken about him at some point."

"I just assumed he knew," said Elissa in a raised tone, "I mean, even Joker knows."

"Does he now?" asked Hannah a coy grin on her face.

"Yeah, we talked about Dad a couple of times," said Elissa, not seeing her mother's face, "apparently Dad spoke at Jeff's flight school once and it made a lasting impression on him."

"Well, at least you know where you get your motivational speaking abilities," said Hannah as she finished Elissa's hair. "There, just right, now to get you a proper dress." Hannah left the bathroom before Elissa had a chance to stand up.

"Mom, I have a perfectly good dress already," said Elissa using the counter to help herself up off of the floor.

"It's just, you look so much better in color," said Hannah pulling out a royal blue dress for Elissa to wear.

"Mom, please," pleaded Elissa, "just let me wear my black dress."

"Nope, I get to dress up my daughter tonight," said Hannah firmly and she unzipped the dress and motioned for Elissa to go and put it on. Rolling her eyes, Elissa took the dress back into the bathroom and she put it on, managing to get it zipped without any help. When she walked out Hannah felt tears welling in her eyes, she had not ever seen her daughter so well dressed in a very long time.

The dress went down to Elissa's ankles, a slit on the right side that went from the hem to her mid-thigh, there was a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her breasts and elongated her neck. Elissa looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, she thought she looked ridiculous, "Mom, I look like one of the consorts."

"Oh, Elissa, you'd be worth a lot more than most of those women," said Hannah tugging the dress to smooth out some of the wrinkles. "Now you go and fix your make-up while I go and get ready I'll meet you there at the restaurant, I've already sent the directions to your omni-tool, I'll see you and your squad in about an hour or so. Bye, Jackie!"

Hannah left Elissa's cabin before her daughter could reply but like a diligent soldier, Elissa went to the bathroom and fixed her make-up following her mother's orders, she even put on the thin gold chain her father had given her when she had enlisted with the Alliance. After a few looks in the mirror, Elissa approved of her appearance immensely, glad that she had allowed her mother to dress her.

"Commander Shepard," said EDI through her original platform.

"Yes, EDI?" answered Elissa, still looking at herself in the mirror.

"There is a limousine waiting on the docks," said EDI, "the driver is claiming that Admiral Shepard sent it to you and the crew."

Elissa smiled, this was so typical of her mother, making even a simple dinner into a night out on the town. "Thank you, EDI, please inform those of the crew who are going to wait by the limo when they are finished getting ready."

"Of course, Commander," said EDI. Elissa decided that it was time for her to start heading out but she had something to do first.

"EDI, please inform the rest of the crew that they are allowed shore leave for the next three days until my trial is over," said Elissa as she got into the elevator and pressed the down button.

"Yes, Commander, does that include me?" asked EDI, ever since she had been implanted into that body, she had been considered part of the crew despite the fact she was still within the Normandy.

"Of course, EDI, you knew that already," said Elissa smiling as she departed the elevator, and she nearly walked right into James.

"Whoa, sorry, Lo—" started James but when he saw her all dressed up, he was unable to speak, he just stood there staring at her.

"It's alright, James," said Elissa, and when she saw the look on his face she smirked at him, "Is everything alright, James?"

"Uh, yeah, just never seen you in a dress before," said James, averting his eyes, "you look very nice, Lola."

"Thank you, James," said Elissa smiling, "Aren't you going to get ready? You're coming with us to dinner, right?"

"Not with the loco Major," sneered James, "I'm expecting a delivery of new punching bags anyhow, we should test them out together, see who can break the most."

"Sounds like a date," said Elissa and she play punched James in the shoulder.

"Don't tell the Major about our date, he might try to put me in my place again," said James brightly as he went into the elevator. Elissa nodded and went on her way down the CIC, noticing that most if not all of the men who were sitting around were having to pick up their jaws from the floor. When she got to the bridge, she saw that most of the crew was waiting in the cockpit with Joker, all of them looking their best. Liara was wearing a pink silk dress that had a V-shape cut in the back that ran from the shoulders to her hips, Garrus had polished up his black and white tux and looked very regal, Tali had put a new head covering on and her suit was even more beautiful than usual. Jacob had put on the red tux he had gotten married in, and Steve was wearing something of his own creation a tux of emerald silk with silver trimmings. Elissa looked at Joker and could feel her heart flutter slightly, he was wearing brown slacks with a nice light blue dress shirt underneath and a cream colored suit jacket on top, his cap was gone and he had combed his hair even trimmed his beard. She felt that she needed to do something other than stare at her crew members so she tried to think of something to say.

"You guys look great!" exclaimed Elissa, not really sure why she was so surprised at how nicely everyone cleaned up.

"She sounds surprised," smirked Steve.

"I guess she thinks we're all dogs," remarked Garrus.

"Hey, that was Kaidan not me," said Elissa, in a serious tone.

"Speaking of," said Liara, "where is the Major?"

"Well, last I saw he was going upstairs to change," said Jacob, "but that was over an hour ago."

"Do you think he's in the limo already?" asked Joker as EDI gently brushed something from his shoulder.

"Should we just leave without him?" asked Tali, fidgeting with her gloves.

"Like hell you will," said Kaidan from behind Elissa and she turned to see him wearing the same tuxedo he had worn when they had gone undercover at the casino a few months back.

"You're looking rather radiant tonight, Commander," said Kaidan, winking at her as he offered her his arm, which she took easily.

"Thank you, Major," said Elissa, blushing, "Are we all ready to go?" The group nodded and they all left the Normandy, eagerly getting into the limousine where soon they were all laughing and chatting about this and that.

"Who wants some champagne?" asked Kaidan, pulling the bottle out of the bucket of ice. There were resounding cheers as Kaidan popped the cork and poured several glasses full of the drink, passing them around to various people.

"Are there any emergency induction ports around here?" asked Tali and Liara handed her a straw from the bar, Liara even had a glass of champagne in her hand that she was sipping on.

"Liara, you're pregnant, should you really be drinking?" asked Elissa as she sipped her drink.

"Asari can drink while pregnant unlike humans," remarked Liara.

"Asari have it made," grumbled Tali who was already on her second glass of champagne.

"Sure you don't want a glass, Joker?" asked Kaidan offering a glass to him.

"Nah, I prefer a drink with an umbrella," said Joker and he kissed EDI's cheek.

"Where is your mother taking us for dinner, Shepard?" asked Garrus, moving uncomfortably in his seat, trying to adjust his tux.

"Not sure," said Elissa as she put her champagne flute down. "Either way, why question it? My mother's treating us to a nice night out, so enjoy it!"

"Do you think it's an engagement present?" asked Kaidan as he sat further back into the seat, pulling Elissa closer to him.

"I don't know," said Elissa, putting her head on his shoulder, watching the lights of the Citadel pass in the window as the limo sped along.

"I think we should toast Admiral Shepard!" shouted Jacob, obviously tipsy as he raised his glass.

"To Admiral Shepard!" shouted the rest and they all laughed, even Kaidan seemed to be having a good time despite what happened earlier. Elissa allowed herself to relax despite knowing what was going to happen tomorrow, there was good company and alcohol flowing, nothing could kill her buzz right now.