A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you all for being so incredibly patient with me as I dropped the ball on updating. You guys are amazing and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)


Joker looked away from her, the silence scaring the hell out of him as he waited for her to answer him, 'Shit, she's going to say no, I know she is.'

The seconds seemed to drag out into hours, anticipation and dread replacing the bliss and adrenaline he had been feeling earlier, he was about to retract the ring when he heard her clear her throat. When he looked up, he saw tears running down her cheeks but a huge smile on her face nonetheless, completely chasing away any feelings of lingering dread from his mind.

"Of course I'll marry you," said Elissa, putting her hand on his, giving a breathy laugh as he slipped the ring on her shaking hand.

"Took you long enough to freaking answer," said Joker, in mock annoyance trying to cover up his nervousness with humor yet again, "You really do know how to scare the shit out of me."

"Well it took you long enough to ask, flyboy," chuckled Elissa as she admired the ring glistening on her finger, it was nothing like the one Kaidan had given her months ago, in fact to her it was even better. Instead of a huge blue-green diamond hand picked from Tuchanka, the stone was a small shining ruby set in a gold band, and even in the dim light of the room the color was still incredible.

"It was your mom's," said Joker as he watched her admiring the ring, his nerves starting to get the better of him, "I didn't have one to give you and I wanted to do this right, so I asked her and she brought me this, I hope you like it, if you don't I can—"

He was silenced immediately when she pressed her lips softly against his, he could feel her drying tears on his cheeks, glad for once they were tears of happiness and that he was the reason for her joy. 'She said yes! She said yes! Oh my God, she said yes.' Joker was suddenly very nervous as new fears he had never dreamed existed bombarded his mind, 'What if I'm not good enough? Can I make her as happy as she's made me? Will she even be happy with me? Should I ask her to take my last name? God, what's wrong with me?'

Elissa pulled away from their embrace, her eyes shining brightly even in the dim light of the room and in her gaze he found the reassurance he had been searching for, his racing heart calmed as she caressed his face. "I love you, Jeff, so much," she said quietly, as she looked at him, seeing her entire future sitting there across from her. In an instant she saw flashes of what her life with him would be like: a beautiful wedding with all of their friends in attendance, blissful, passionate nights of lovemaking, the sound of little feet as they run down the halls of the Normandy, and sitting side-by-side in the pilot and co-pilot's seat with grey in their hair and wrinkles around their eyes. 'Wow, I'm going to marry him, my best friend in the entire galaxy!' The longer she thought about her future marriage to Joker the happier she felt, though she could not help but think about those little nagging doubts that had been in the back of her mind since they had first started dating. 'Can I be good enough for him? Why does he want me, of all the women in the galaxy, when all I do is run into danger? I mean, for God's sake, I've already hurt him once what if I hurt him again? Am I even worthy of him and his love?'

"I love you too, Elissa, more than you'll ever know," replied Joker, leaning into the palm of her hand placing a soft kiss on her rough skin. He always enjoyed the feeling of her skin against his and right now his entire body was craving her touch, slowly he rose from the table, taking her hand in his as he did. She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and followed his lead, standing from the table trying to cover the huge grin that was spreading across her face. Joker returned her smile as he pulled her towards the bed of pillows he had constructed for such a turn of events then he carefully lowered himself to the bed with Elissa tumbling right along beside him.

With one swipe of her hand she knocked his cap right off the top of his head, she met his irritated look with a small giggle that immediately changed his look to a playful grin. In the soft light she could still see his beautiful green-grey eyes sparkling in the way she knew they only did when he was around her, and it was in his eyes that she found the courage to push away her fears. This was the man she was meant to be with, the man who would love her in the way she needed to be, the man who was and always will be her very best friend. She had to show him how much she loved him, how much he truly meant to her, and there was only one thing that she knew would do the job justly.

Elissa positioned herself on her knees and started to unbutton her blouse, trying to keep her fingers steady as she felt Joker's eyes on her, she felt her body flush as it always did whenever she felt the heat of his gaze. When she reached the bottom of her blouse she let the fabric fall from her shoulders, through her eyelashes she saw Joker's face and felt heat rush to her core at the sight of the desire and love in his eyes. He reached out his hands to touch her but she playfully pushed them away, indicating with her wagging finger that he would have to wait until she said he could. She nearly laughed when he groaned in frustration but managed to keep the mood of the moment going, slowly rising to her feet she unclipped her belt and let it drop to the ground beside her. Glancing up she saw Joker's eyes were glued to her as she unbuttoned her jeans, teasingly pulling at the zipper so it came undone painfully slow, next she rolled her jeans down her legs gradually allowing skin to be exposed until they pooled at her feet. Now she was standing in nothing but her bra and red lace panties, nerves taking over her body as she went back to her knees, again fighting off Joker's impatient hands.

"Has anyone ever told you what a cruel woman you are?" groaned Joker as he rested his hands on his stomach, still drinking in the sight that was the love of his life. No matter how many times he saw her naked, he still felt humbled that she trusted him with the secrets of her body.

Instead of responding with words she slid her hand up his shirt taking pleasure in the sound of his breath hitching at her touch, he immediately pulled off his shirt, she unconsciously licked her lips when she saw his bare chest. Allowing her gaze to travel further down she noticed his erection was pressing hard against his zipper, showing off distinctly what he had to be proud off underneath his pants. No view in this galaxy could compare to seeing Joker on his back with his shirt off and manhood crying out to be released from its bindings. Her hands traveled down his chest, nails lightly dragging across his skin until she reached the top of his jeans, with one hand she undid the top button and pulled down the zipper. She could practically feel the heat coming off of his throbbing manhood and in one quick move she freed him of his jeans with the boxers following quickly after though still careful of the cast on his leg. Throwing a sly smile at him she gripped his manhood in her hands before lowering her lips to the tip, placing a soft kiss there before more kisses followed down his length to the base and then she went back, her kisses leaving a trail of fire behind.

Joker dug his fingers into the pillows within arm's reach, this was better than anything his imagination could concoct, the feeling of her lips on his manhood was indescribable and he almost came then and there when she took him in her mouth. 'Fuck yes! Yes! Praise be to anyone that can hear me!' Between the warmth of her mouth, the way her tongue swirled around his length, and the deep hum in the back of her throat vibrating through him Joker found it difficult to control his release. She increased her speed and he held the back of her head as his hips rolled thrusting himself further into her mouth, the moan in his chest catching in his throat as he tried to think of anything but what was happening right now. He wanted to wait until he was inside her before spilling into her but if she kept up her ministrations it would be too late. With great difficulty he held her still, "Ellie, please, I need to be inside you."

Elissa kissed his tip before bringing herself back up so she could see him in his full glory, moaning as she admired his naked form, she suddenly realized why the Greeks paid homage to the male form it was truly beautiful to behold. She reached behind her back and unclipped her bra, letting it fall from her arms and to the floor, the cold air hit her breasts immediately hardening her pink nipples. She anticipated Joker's hands again but he seemed to have learned his lesson and just continued to gaze at her with the intensity of a small sun as she slipped out of her panties.

Joker watched the red piece of lace glide down her toned legs, 'Damn, red really suits her.' He wanted to reach out and pinch one of those teasing nipples but resisted, instead he resigned himself to admiring the beauty of the woman that he had fallen in love with so many years ago, still mentally pinching himself to make sure this was really happening. All of those lonely nights spent in the cockpit seemed like a distant memory now as he felt the warmth of her body getting closer and closer. It suddenly occurred to him that she was crawling up his body in the way he had only dreamed of seeing her, the way she looked at him as she straddled his hips rendered him utterly speechless, he could not even moan as he felt her sheath his manhood. Instinctively he gripped her hips as she started to grind slowly against him, her speed increasing as he started to thrust, he moaned loudly as her nails dug into his chest. He needed to feel all of her, pleasure whatever he could touch, sitting up he wrapped his arms around her waist burying his face between her breasts. Joker raised a hand and squeezed her breast firmly yet gently before tweaking one of her nipples between his fingers then he brushed his lips across the other, smiling to himself when he felt the chill ripple through her body. In an instant he pulled the nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue across the sensitive flesh, glad when he heard the soft moan that escaped her lips. He released his hold on her breasts and looked up at her only to find she was already looking at him, seeing the desire and love he felt reflected back at him in her deep green eyes. In that moment he knew what it meant to be complete, until now he had not been aware of the sense of wanting to belong as much as when he was away from her.

"I love you," he breathed out softly as he felt her tightening around him and in a strangled half yell half moan he released into her just as she let out a muffled scream. How she had been able to keep her mouth shut during her climax was beyond him but he could only imagine the reaction the crew would have had if she had let it go. Slowly he lowered himself back onto the pillows, their bodies still connected even as he turned them over onto their sides, his eyes never leaving hers for a second. He felt her quickly move her leg away from his broken one, even in the throes of passion she had been extremely careful not to hit his injured leg at all, his heart swelling with love for her at the act.

Elissa reached over and pulled a blanket over their connected forms, refusing to release her body from his for as long as possible, "I love you too, Jeff. I can't wait to be your wife."

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders and waist, smiling to himself as he remembered something he had long ago forgotten about, "It's just like Kasumi said, you'll be Mrs. Moreau."

She laughed, surprised that she had forgotten Kasumi's prediction that they would be Mr. and Mrs. "I'm surprised you still remember that, it feels like ages ago since we were in that prison."

"Yep, now we're just fugitives from the law only welcomed on certain planets," laughed Joker, kissing her sweat damp hair. "I'm glad we can be fugitives together at least, it's more fun."

"Yeah, constant sex has its advantages," said Elissa with a smirk.

He tightened his grip on her body as she moved her hips and released his manhood, "Elissa, I'd be with you even if we couldn't have sex."

Elissa rolled her eyes playfully, "Your porn collection would get a helluva lot bigger."

Joker let out a loud laugh, "You might be right. Remind me when we get to Rannoch to bequeath it to some of the crew, they need something to cheer them up."

"Give it to the groomsmen in our wedding as a thank you gift," yawned Elissa, "and I'll give my vibrators to the bridesmaids."

His eyes went wide, he had never heard her say anything about sex toys since they had first started serving together. "Vibrators? You have vibrators?" he said in disbelief with a tiny bit of hope mingled in.

Elissa's body shook with suppressed laughter, she really did not have any vibrators but it was fun to tease him with the idea. "Of course, how else do you think I got through those lonely nights while hunting down the Collectors?" she said grinning up at him, "I'm surprised you didn't see me use them, I know there were cameras in my room that fed directly into the cockpit."

"I . . . uh . . . um . . . never spied on you," stammered Joker turning a bright shade of red as she laughed, stroking his beard lovingly.

"Honey, I really don't care if you did," sighed Elissa, resting her head against his chest, "I'm glad I have you, the galaxy would be a lonely place without you beside me."

"I know the feeling, Ellie," said Joker closing his eyes as sleep encompassed his body.


Joker woke up to the sounds of Elissa's muffled voice, he heard her say "no" over and over again as if she could not believe what was going on. He rolled over to find her curled up in the fetal position, her entire body shaking violently as if she were someplace cold without her armor. Instantly he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as he whispered in her ear, "Ellie, honey, I'm here. You're okay, babe, you're safe."

His words seemed to have some effect, he felt her body relax in his embrace and she stopped shaking as much. Joker pulled the blanket tighter around their bodies burying his face in her hair as he felt her drift off back to sleep. 'Why now?' he thought as he remembered the first few nights they had bunked together. She had suffered a few nightmares but he had been able to fight them off they had even stopped for a while, until now. He made a mental note to speak with Chakwas about this new occurrence of nightmares before falling back to sleep, the woman he loved safely wrapped in his embrace.


"Landing on Rannoch in approximately ten minutes," announced Joker over the intercom, he nearly joined in with the rest of the crew as he heard the cheers resonate throughout the ship. They would be reunited with their families in a matter of minutes and he could not blame them for being as happy as they were. The prospect of seeing his little sister again was thrilling to say the very least, the last time he had seen her she had been a small twelve year old girl with a blonde braid and braces on the docks of the Citadel after the fight with Saren and Sovereign. Now that he thought about it, that had been the last time he had been with his family in their entirety, after that Hilary and his dad had gone back to Tiptree while his mom went back to Arcturus station. Sure they had talked while he was away but they had not been a proper family in years. 'Hopefully I can change that, give Gunny a home with Elissa and I.'

He heard several sets of footsteps approaching from behind him, turning his head slightly he could see Elissa, Tali, Garrus, Hannah and Chakwas standing in the entrance of the cockpit. They all seemed slightly nervous, except Hannah who just seemed exhausted, and he watched as they all performed their nervous ticks in a bizarre type of symphony. Tali fiddled with a buckle on her suit, Garrus kept adjusting his visor, Chakwas tapped her foot mindlessly, and Elissa was biting and re-biting her lip so many times Joker was convinced she would break through the skin.

"Why are you all so damn nervous?" asked Joker, unable to take the silence any longer.

Garrus stopped messing with his visor, "We're about to see our families for the first time since the end of the war, and I'm about to meet Tali's family as her boyfriend."

Joker gave a throaty chuckle, "Okay, that explains you and more than likely Tali but what about you, Chakwas? You can't possibly expect me to believe that you're nervous about seeing your kids again do you?"

Chakwas rolled her eyes but smiled as she did. "If you can believe it, Jeff, I'm actually excited about seeing my family again. It's been ages since I've seen them all in one area, usually we're so scattered around the galaxy it's impossible to coordinate any type of get together."

"I'm happy for you, Chakwas, really I am." said Joker, smiling as he turned back around to prepare the entry and landing sequences, "Ellie, honey, did you tell everyone the good news?"

Elissa scowled at him though his back was facing her, "Not yet, Joker."

"What's going on?" asked Tali, "What's happened?"

"Joker and I are engaged," said Elissa, beaming as she showed Tali her engagement ring. Tali let out a high pitched squeal that made everyone in the room cover their ears.

"Finally! Oh Lisa, Joker, I'm so happy for you both!" said Tali as she pulled Elissa into a crushing hug as Garrus clapped her on the back. Hannah wiped tears from her eyes before passing her handkerchief to Chakwas so she could do the same. Tali ran over to Joker and threw her arms around his neck from behind, giving him a tight but gentle hug then releasing him when Garrus came over and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Joker," said Garrus, his mandibles flexing into a wide smile, "if anyone's earned some happiness, it's the two of you."

Joker smiled up at his long time best friend, second only to Elissa, "Thanks, Garrus, that means a lot coming from you."

"Just don't screw it up or I'll be forced to intervene," warned Garrus, squeezing his shoulder just a little more tightly than usual.

"Don't worry, I won't," said Joker, his eyes darting over to Elissa who was showing the women the ring he had given her, he reached over for the intercom once again, "Attention Normandy crew, I would like to announce not only are we about to land on Rannoch's sunny shores, but our beautiful and illustrious leader is engaged to be married to me the best damn pilot in the entire galaxy. You may now explode into disappointed groans and tears as you realize we are both off the market for good."

The cockpit soon became filled with laughter from the members of the crew standing around in the room, Joker turned around to face them, beaming at his wife-to-be.

"Why'd you do that, Jeff? I thought we were going to wait," sighed Elissa between bouts of laughter.

"Really? We were going to wait? I don't remember that being decided," said Joker winking at her as the com channel lit up.

"Incoming message from Rannoch's surface, Jeff," said EDI from overhead.

Joker nodded in acknowledgement and flipped the com on ship wide so everyone could hear the announcement, "Normandy this is Sol base control, you are clear for landing."

"Hilary!" exclaimed Joker when he heard the voice, "You're in charge of communications?"

Hilary's laugh filled the room, "It would appear that way, wouldn't it, Jeff? Anyway, I'll see you in a few minutes, just as soon as you land that impressive ship I see flying straight at us."

The line went dead but that did not bother Joker, instead he sped up the landing process as much as he could while still ensuring a safe touch down. He barely felt Elissa's hand as it rested on his shoulder, his mind going a million miles an hour as he started to process that he was about to be reunited with his sister.

"I can't wait to meet her," said Elissa quietly and he slid his hand on top of hers, she noted it was trembling slightly as he used one hand to land the ship. Elissa watched as the land beneath them grew closer and more detailed, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might burst free. Why she was so excited to meet her crew's families she could not understand but she was nonetheless and she was not going to let anything kill her buzz.

The Normandy gave a gentle lurch as it touched down on the ground and Elissa reached for the com button, "Attention Normandy crew, please all report to the shuttle bay for our immediate exit onto Rannoch. See you down there!"

There was a thundering sound as people rushed for the elevators and staircases, all were eager to get off the ship and onto Rannoch where their families were waiting for their arrival. Joker chuckled to himself as he flipped the switch to lower the bay door before putting the Normandy in her stand by state, he smiled as he eased himself from his chair to the hoverchair Tali had brought to him a few hours earlier. He reached for Elissa's hand which she willingly gave to him and together they left the cockpit following the others whom had just charged out of the room. It took a few minutes to get onto the elevator since everyone on every floor was trying to get to the shuttle bay all at the same time but once they were in the elevator and headed down, both Joker and Elissa forgot their anxiety. Together they got off the elevator and were greeted by most of the ground crew whom had yet to disembark.

"Shouldn't you guys be hugging and dancing with your families already?" asked Elissa with a raised brow.

"You really thought we were going to get off without you, Lola?" said James, smiling while shaking his head as they started towards the bay door, his one arm wrapped around Miranda's waist while the other rested on Elissa's shoulders.

"Congrats on your engagement by the way you two," said Steve as he patted Joker on the back while they walked down the platform, everyone practically shoulder to shoulder the entire way down.

Joker smiled at Steve, "Thanks, man, I appreciate it."

Steve nodded just as Tali squealed again, rushing from Garrus's side to greet the regal looking envirosuit-less Quarian admiral whom was fighting through the crowd of reunited families.

"Auntie Raan!" shouted Tali, "Auntie Raan, I'm so happy to see you!"

As Tali and Raan embraced Elissa felt tears prick her eyes, she had never felt such a rush of happiness and guilt all at once.

"My dearest Tali, I'm glad you arrived here safely," said Raan as she pulled away from Tali, "Don't forget, you can remove your helmet now on Rannoch."

Tali nodded and carefully removed her helmet, letting her dark hair fall over her shoulders, she turned back to the others whom were all surprised by her appearance all except Garrus that is. Elissa had to stifle a gasp as she saw her friend without her helmet, she was incredibly beautiful with her raven black hair and glowing purple eyes, her skin was a light violet with several darker purple markings decorating her face and possibly her neck. She looked over and saw that Garrus was walking taller, obviously aware of everyone's reaction to seeing Tali without her helmet. Raan and Tali walked away from the Normandy talking quickly to each other about anything and everything they could think of, while Garrus hung back slightly to allow them some privacy.

"Garrus!" came an excited shout as a young Turian woman came through the crowd and ran up the platform.

"Solana!" said Garrus excitedly as he embraced his sister, swinging her around, both laughing so loudly they were heard over the clamor already going on around them. An older looking Turian with similar clan markings to Garrus walked up the ramp, his mandibles flexed in a small smile.

"Father," said Garrus as he put his sister back down on the ramp, acknowledging the older Turian with a bow of his head.

Sicarius approached his son and pulled him into what appeared to be a very tight embrace, which was obviously a huge surprise to Garrus as he returned his father's gesture with slight hesitation. "Garrus, it's good to see you, son." said Sicarius as he looked at his son, "Come, we have a great deal to talk about."

"You're correct in that statement, Father," said Garrus with a glance to Elissa who gave him a thumbs-up as the three Turians headed off the ramp getting lost in the crowd of people. Elissa looked around and saw that it was only herself, Joker, her mother, and Chakwas remaining on the ramp that is until a huge crowd of people swarmed around Chakwas.

"Karin!" said who had to be her husband as he pushed through his horde of children and grandchildren in order to reach his wife.

"Michael!" exclaimed Chakwas as she rushed to meet her husband, Elissa and Joker both noticed he was missing a leg, using a mechanical one to get around.

"I had no idea," said Elissa quietly as she watched the beautiful scene unfold before them as Chakwas and her husband tangled themselves up in a tight embrace. She looked at the love that shone in the couple's eyes and found herself slightly jealous. Even after several decades of marriage Chakwas and her husband still appeared to be as much in love with each other as they had when they first met.

"Neither did I," replied Joker, smiling as he watched the small horde of grown children and varying ages of grandchildren swarm around Chakwas and Michael, all trying to be heard over the others as they slowly made their way down the ramp. Chakwas had picked up two of her youngest grandchildren and was laughing for what seemed like the first time in ages.

'That'll be Jeff and I someday,' thought Elissa fondly as she watched them leave the ship. She heard her mother's footsteps behind her before she came to a rest beside her, somehow she found her mother's presence incredibly comforting at this moment.

Hannah put her hand around her daughter's shoulders, "Look at them, Jackie, they're all happy and safe. You did that, honey, you brought them back to their families alive, not every commander gets to see a moment like this."

Elissa looked at her mother and smiled, "I know Mom, and believe me when I say I'll treasure this moment for the rest of my life. By the way, thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," said Hannah happily knowing full well what her daughter was thanking her for, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some catching up to do with Mike and Karin."

Elissa laughed loudly as Hannah left her side, "See you at dinner, Mom!"

Hannah acknowledged her statement with a wave of her hand and she ran off to find her former crew member and best friend.

"Jeff! Shepard!" shouted Hilary as she rushed up the ramp and to her brother, tears streaming down her cheeks, her blonde hair flying in her face when she came to a stop.

Joker stood up on shaky legs, not even caring that Chakwas had told him to stay off his legs, he wanted to give his little sister a proper greeting and not from the confines of a hoverchair. Hilary met him eagerly, throwing her arms around his neck carefully as his wrapped tightly around her torso, he could feel tears rushing down his cheeks as he held his little sister. He could not believe that she was here in his arms, alive. After being separated for so long it was hard for him to grasp onto the fact that she was alright, it was if his life was finally falling back into place. Hilary released him from their embrace and threw her arms around Elissa who quickly returned the gesture, laughing and crying just the same as the young girl.

"I'm so glad to see you both," said Hilary breathlessly as she released Elissa, staggering backwards so she could see both of them better.

Joker swallowed back his tears, not about to let them ruin this happy moment, "I'm glad to see you too, Gunny. Damn, you've grown up so much!"

Hilary laughed as she walked down with Elissa and Joker, whom was now back in his hoverchair, her arm wrapped around Elissa's waist while Elissa's was resting on her shoulders, to an outsider they would have appeared to be sisters.

"Thanks, Jeff, glad you noticed," said Hilary with a smirk, then she turned her attention to Elissa. "So you're the woman who's stolen my brother's heart, huh?"

"That I am," said Elissa happily though she blushed as she spoke, "Do I get your approval?"

Hilary smiled brightly, "Of course you do! I can't imagine a better woman for my brother, welcome to the Moreau family, Shepard."

It was Elissa's turn to smile, "Thanks Hilary, and you don't have to call me Shepard, Elissa works just as well."

"Okay then, Elissa," said Hilary, testing out how it sounded on her tongue, "I have a surprise for you actually."

Elissa raised her brow, "A surprise? Really?"

"Yep," said Hilary happily and she started waving frantically towards a rock just beyond the crowd of people. Elissa and Joker shared a look that suggested they both thought Hilary had gone a little crazy until they saw to whom she was waving. Kolyat stepped from behind the rock, a smile on his face as he approached the three of them, Elissa left Hilary and Joker's side, rushing to the young Drell. When she reached him she pulled him into a tight embrace, glad to see him again after all that had happened, the last time she had been in the same room with him had been at his father's memorial and then had not actually been the happiest of times.

"It's good to see you again, Shepard," said Kolyat kindly as Elissa released him from her grip. "I've heard about your adventures since the end of the war, still causing some trouble I see."

Elissa rolled her eyes playfully, "If I wasn't causing trouble I wouldn't be me, now would I? How've you been, Kolyat? What're you doing here?"

"I'm fine, siha, living here has done many wondrous things for me," replied Kolyat his eyes flitting to Hilary as she and Joker approached before looking back at Elissa, "What I'm doing here is a story for another time, perhaps when everyone is more settled. How are you and Joker? Hilary informed me that you and he are now mates."

Elissa blushed a deep red color, her eyes cast down at the ground, "Yes, we are."

"I'm glad, you deserve to be happy, siha," said Kolyat, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Kolyat, I'm glad I have your blessing as well," said Elissa brightly as she reached for Joker as he approached in his hoverchair, he accepted her hand, holding onto it tightly.

Having Kolyat approve of her relationship with Joker was very important to Elissa since she had always felt a special connection to him ever since first meeting him on the Citadel. She knew what it was like not having a father around with only a mother to look after you, she loved her mother dearly but there was something about lacking her father's presence that made her crave it even more. That was something she and Kolyat both bonded over during the shuttle ride back to C-Sec headquarters the first time they met. Then after Thane died they had kept in contact, she felt he needed an adult in his life that he could rely on to be there for him and she was more than happy to fill that role. To her Kolyat was more than just a mere friend he was more of a son and she was glad to have him around again, she had missed him terribly.

"So now that we're all here together again, should we go find out where the rest of the crew wandered off to?" suggested Joker, kissing the back of Elissa's hand as he waited for the others to respond.

Hilary beamed, nodding enthusiastically, "I think so, I've been dying to meet everyone since arriving here. I can't wait for you to meet Quaes, he's been such a great friend since I arrived on Sur'Kesh. I think everyone is back at the settlement, Sol base, that's where we've been staying since Hackett brought us here."

"Why's it called Sol base?" asked Elissa as they continued towards the two rows of barracks.

"Well, since there are more humans here than aliens, we thought it right to pay tribute to our home planet even though most of us haven't been back there in years," replied Hilary. "Each barrack has a different purpose, most of them are homes for the different families living here but we have a supply store, communication's room, doctor's office, armory, even a make shift gym. Plus there's the cafeteria and kitchen in the main building where we all go to eat."

Joker looked around at the settlement, impressed with what they had been able to build in just a few months, "You were right, Gunny, this place is just like Tiptree. What do you guys do all day?"

"Whatever needs to be done really, I mostly help out in the communication's room and shuttle people around the various colonies," said Hilary happily, she glanced down at the hoverchair her brother was riding in, "So how'd you break your leg this time? Did you do it while trying to walk to the bathroom again?"

Joker pushed Hilary away from the hoverchair, both laughing as they resumed normal brother-sister duties, "I broke my leg running away from mercs on Omega actually, and if you don't believe me, just ask anyone on the Normandy."

Hilary looked up at Elissa, a mischievous gleam in her amber eyes that Elissa had only seen in Joker's eyes before, "Tell me, Elissa, did he really break his leg running away from Mercs on Omega?"

"Yep, he sure did, I was there when it happened," said Elissa glancing down at Joker and winking, warmth creeping into her cheeks when she saw the smile on his face.

"That's enough for me," said Hilary briskly when she saw the shared look between her brother and his girlfriend slightly embarrassed to have seen what appeared to have been an intimate moment between them.

When they arrived at the main building Hilary led them to they immediately saw most of the crew was already inside with their families. Joker followed Hilary to the kitchens with Kolyat following closely behind them leaving Elissa standing there watching her crew's interactions with their relatives. She felt a sense of pride and accomplishment at the sight of her dearest friends relaxing for the first time in weeks, all of the tension that had been brewing seemed to have dissipated the moment they arrived.

Elissa looked over and saw that Miranda was holding one of James's little cousins while he did curl ups with two of the others holding onto his clenched fists, his uncle was sitting nearby trying not to laugh but failing miserably. Just a little ways over she saw Brynn and Jacob playing with Nick on the floor, she smiled to herself when she saw how happy Nick looked with the Elcor stuffed animal. Kasumi was hovering close by, smiling at the giggling baby as he shook his new toy in her direction, when she saw Elissa watching she winked before resuming her silent watch over the baby. When she glanced up at Jacob she could not believe he was the same sullen man she had met a few years ago on the SR-2, looking at him now it appeared that all of the stress from past events had been wiped away from his face. 'I guess children will do that for you,' thought Elissa as she moved her gaze to Tali and Garrus. What she saw shocked her instantly, her friends were seated together but Garrus was sitting next to Admiral Raan while Tali was sitting beside Solana with Sicarius leaning in close so he could hear the conversation going on. From the closeness of the group Elissa could only guess that they had told their families about their interspecies relationship and the talk had gone over well. 'I'm glad for the two of them, they really deserve to happy together.'

"No one go in the kitchen!" she heard Joker shout, "Ken's mom and Gabby just started on some strange concoction that involves what looks like a stomach and kidneys!"

Laughter rippled through the room, even Elissa could not resist joining in with the crowd, the tension in her muscles easing as she allowed herself to relax. She resumed her observation of the crew, fascinated still by their newly calm demeanor, especially Jack whom was resting against the wall with her arms crossed but a small smile on her lips. She caught Elissa watching her and winked before walking off towards the coffee machine a little more bounce in her step as she walked past. Moving hands caught her attention, and she saw Samantha speaking rather animatedly with her mother and father, they just sat there and listened to what she was saying, neither one interrupting her monologue.

The sound of children laughing drew her attention to the incredibly large crowd that surrounded Chakwas, her husband Mike, and Hannah. Everyone sitting there was trying to talk all at once again but that did not seem to bother Chakwas in the slightest, she seemed happy to be in the chaos which was a surprise since she usually enjoyed order and structure. Elissa caught sight of three Asari sitting a little further away from the main crowd, Liara was sitting between Aethyta and Samara all talking together while Aethyta continuously rubbed Liara's huge stomach. The pride and love in the matriarch's eyes was something Elissa thought she would never see since she was not one for sharing her true emotions, falling back on jokes and snide comments to cover up what she was actually feeling.

These were the moments she lived for, why she enjoyed her job as much as she did, nothing compared to seeing the people she cared about as happy as they were right now. They had all been through their own version of hell, overcome the impossible odds set before them, and the only appreciation they had ever gotten was a quick salute and a hot meal. 'The only way this could get any better is if a baby was born.' thought Elissa as she went to join her mother and Chakwas.

Over the loud noise of the cafeteria Elissa heard several excited shouts and turned to see Liara standing up, grabbing onto her father and Samara as if her life depended on it. Aethyta was unabashedly beaming as she started helping her daughter move towards the door, Chakwas trying to push through the crowd of family so she could reach Liara.

"Liara, what happened?" called Elissa taking advantage of the lull in the conversations.

Liara looked up at Elissa, tears in her eyes as she beckoned for her to follow, "My water broke!"